By Martha Lucier
“In my early morning meditation I followed a turtle to the bottom of the lake. I wondered what it might be like to see the sunlight shining through the waters from the turtle’s perspective. I noticed the shimmering light dancing and as the cold arrived tiny ice crystals formed creating beautiful music as they clinked together. A thin layer of ice formed as days grew shorter and the nights colder, creating mandala-like patterns that resembled a bouquet of flowers.
With the thickening ice, I felt the pressure and weight of the water pushing down upon my body. I surrendered to the mud sinking into my winter habitat. Snow began to build upon the ice; a blanket of darkness drawing me within to connect with the dreams of the earth. It is as though the Earth infused each of my cells with her creative life giving energy, fueling and filling me with new potential and dreams. As the days began to grow longer, the warmth of the sun expanded the ice, opening cracks upon the surface. Each crack brought in the light, forming a mosaic. The lake moaned like a water drum, yearning to expand and spill out over the edges. Soon the ice began to break up with powerful winds, announcing the arrival of spring and the time of re-emergence to create nests for new eggs and rebirth of our new dreams…’’
How interesting that our adaptive strategies are related to moving and burning fuels while turtles winter at the bottom of lakes where water temperature is warmer and because there is more oxygen. Overcoming their need to resurface, snapping turtles receive oxygen from the water through special tissues in their throat and tail that enable them to convert the oxygen found in the water. What might we learn from turtle?
As we tune into this time of year, our inspiration for the Heart Flame retreat aligns with turtle energy:
Protected and held in the cocoon of our heart flame, we rest, and restore, cleansing and releasing our forms of the past. Remembering who we are in this clear and safe space, we explore new perspectives as we tend the fire within. We dream into the seeds we are nurturing for our future, opening to pure possibilities. Emerging with our new wings, we embrace child like wonder as we rebirth and create the world we wish it to be. How might you resist the impulse to hustle so you can honour the invitation to dream?
art by Martha 2015, painting on canvas
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