The Grand Illusion of Scale and the Sancity of All Life?

[Heyoka_11]

Hello Everyone,

I'd like to tell you about something which happened this morning. Nothing really that much out of the ordinary, but something that has prompted me to write of one of the most valuable lessons in my life.

Whilst driving on a remote country road this morning, I passed over a small bird which had obviously been struck and killed. I glanced in the rear view mirror, only to see a broken wing wave at me in the breeze, then fall back to the lifeless body. As has happened before, I continued to drive a short way down the road, all the time knowing that I would have to go back and rescue this birds mortal remains from the middle of the road. Actually, the further I drove, the louder the voice in my head became, "Get back there and rescue me!"

It was a juvenile pigeon, perhaps too young to possess the necessary skills to avoid speeding cars, but often collisions occur no matter what we, or an animal may do. I picked up the bird and nestled it amongst the bushes on the side of the road. I petted and blessed it, wishing it's spirit well. It does not sit well with me to leave a once beautiful creature in the road, only to end up wafer thin the following day. Taking care of its remains is to give respect and honour to a life that once was.

So what's the lesson here? I think that it is that life is life, no matter how big, no matter how small, it is only a matter of scale that separates we humans from a whale, a pigeon, or from an ant. Many humans make a clear distiction between themselves and other lifeforms, giving little thought or regard to animal or insect life. Often that distinction is based upon the possession of salience, or the level of intelligence that we think a species of animal may have. I fear that this is a grave mistake, as life itself is precious, in all it's forms.

For my own part, it was being stripped of this grand illusion of scale which engendered this respect for all life. How would we feel if we encountered an alien species which stood one hundred feet tall, and we were little more than ants to them? How would we feel if they decided to squash us under foot, based upon this same illusion of scale? I don't think that we would be very happy at all, but it would be a lesson in the learning for us as a species.

So, if acknowledged, how can we strip ourselves of this grand illusion based on scale? For me it was quite simple, and I am in no way unique, so this simple act should be sufficient. Just take the time to stop and observe the way simpler life forms play out around you. It could be finding the time to watch as a spider spins it web, or marvelling at the gradual building of a birds nest. It could be any of a million different things! What is important here is that we ocassionally find the time to stop and observe, instead of hurrying by, indifferent to the beauty that actually surrounds us.

I understand that many Avalonians are already in the space of which I speak, but there maybe some who are not. I am sure that most of us do find the time to observe nature carefully on the odd ocassion, but speaking personally, it was of great benefit to make a regular event out of it.

I recall a key ring that I possessed in my teen years. It was a trinket, posted out after a family member made a donation to a childrens charity. On it was engraved the following;

"A Man Never Stands So Tall as When He Stoops to Help a Child"

Same concept I guess........humility.

Best Wishes to All,

Tony.

[Lord Sidious]

The measure of a man or woman is how they treat those weaker than them.
You passed the test nugget.
Glad to know you.

[Heyoka_11]

Posted by Lord Sidious (here)
The measure of a man or woman is how they treat those weaker than them.
You passed the test nugget.
Glad to know you.

Thank you for the kind thought Rob. Likewise my friend.

[Sierra]

One evening, there was only one bird left on my patio, a baby female junco. She was sad and grieving and cold. I said come huddle in the corner by my bed, out of the wind, worried and not understanding. The next morning, I found her in the corner by my bed, where she had died. She was perfect and I do not know why she died. I buried her under the rosebushes under the Redwood.

We talked her and I perfectly clearly. She knew she was dying and I did not want to hear it.

It affects me so to this day. I feel as if I let her down, that I could have comforted her more.

Sierra

[Marianne]

Well done, Tony.

[Heyoka_11]

Posted by Sierra (here)
It affects me so to this day. I feel as if I let her down, that I could have comforted her more.

Thanks Sierra,

We don't forget things like that, do we? But what more could you have done? You were able to provide shelter, and gave the little bird a more dignified setting in which to leave it's life behind.

I have had similiar events in the past, and what used to rattle me most was my inability to change the outcome. It was as if I should have been able to, but could not. I used to feel awfully cheated by death, and am told by family that as a young child I would enter into a two week mourning if any of the pets died!

[Tane Mahuta]

THankyou for the post Heyoka

TM

[Marianne]

Posted by Sierra (here)
One evening, there was only one bird left on my patio, a baby female junco. She was sad and grieving and cold. I said come huddle in the corner by my bed, out of the wind, worried and not understanding. The next morning, I found her in the corner by my bed, where she had died. She was perfect and I do not know why she died. I buried her under the rosebushes under the Redwood.

We talked her and I perfectly clearly. She knew she was dying and I did not want to hear it.

It affects me so to this day. I feel as if I let her down, that I could have comforted her more.

Sierra

Sierra, perhaps that little bird came to show you something you needed to know, as a totem animal. My totem animals are Owl and Frog, and they have taught me since I was a child.

Perhaps it would help you if you do something to connect with birds--maybe put up a feeder, or plant something in the garden that would feed or shelter them.

I love your name, BTW.

Marianne

[Lord Sidious]

Posted by Junebug (here)

Posted by Sierra (here)
One evening, there was only one bird left on my patio, a baby female junco. She was sad and grieving and cold. I said come huddle in the corner by my bed, out of the wind, worried and not understanding. The next morning, I found her in the corner by my bed, where she had died. She was perfect and I do not know why she died. I buried her under the rosebushes under the Redwood.

We talked her and I perfectly clearly. She knew she was dying and I did not want to hear it.

It affects me so to this day. I feel as if I let her down, that I could have comforted her more.

Sierra

Sierra, perhaps that little bird came to show you something you needed to know, as a totem animal. My totem animals are Owl and Frog, and they have taught me since I was a child.

Perhaps it would help you if you do something to connect with birds--maybe put up a feeder, or plant something in the garden that would feed or shelter them.

I love your name, BTW.

Marianne

How do we find out what our totem animals are?
I have two familiars, both Siamese cats.

[Marianne]

I knew because of events that happened with my totems, over the course of years. It was a 'felt' thing.
I think I have a book of finding your totems -- let me go pile into my library and I'll post some info for you.
Oh you have familiars -- how lovely. I wish I had a cat or two, or ten.

[PurpleLama]

Ha! I almost posted earlier, and didn't, as I have nine cats who are entirely too "familiar" if you ask me. I try to tell them about the sanctity of all life, and they say if it's smaller and slower then it's food and that's what's really sacred. Of course, I try to tell them that's only true if it's for food and not for sport, but I'm not sure they can tell the difference. They won't acknowledge it even if they do.


there is a set of "medicine cards" used in a similar fashion to a tarot deck that can be used for determining ones totem and animal spirit guides. I'll gladly draw a few for you, sid, but I can't attest to the accuracy 'by remote'.

[Heyoka_11]

Posted by PurpleLama (here)
Ha! I almost posted earlier, and didn't, as I have nine cats who are entirely too "familiar" if you ask me. I try to tell them about the sanctity of all life, and they say if it's smaller and slower then it's food and that's what's really sacred. Of course, I try to tell them that's only true if it's for food and not for sport, but I'm not sure they can tell the difference. They won't acknowledge it even if they do.

G'day PL,

I too have used this approach with my two felines, but they simply feign an inability to converse in the English language. They have no problem understanding "breakfast" or "dinner" mind you!

[Marianne]

Posted by Lord Sidious (here)

How do we find out what our totem animals are?
[/QUOTE]

I found some info but need to sort through it. In the meantime, think back over your life to remember if any animals kept making an appearance in your life, or if you had dreams about certain animals.
Think about the circumstances, and notice any patterns. Tony's sanctity of life post resonated with me because that was a lesson Frog has taught me, beginning at age 12. I don't think Frog is in the Cherokee tradition (which is a part of my culture), but that doesn't matter to me.

PL's medicine cards sound like a good idea--but you can also think on the above questions, to gain a deeper knowing.

Marianne

[WhiteFeather]

Very Heartfelt Story My Brother, & Thank You.
Namaste - I honor the place in you
in which the entire universe dwells.
I honor the place in you
which is of love, of truth, of light, and of peace.
I honor the place in you where,
if you are in that place in you,
and I am in that place in me,
then there is only one of us.

[Sierra]

Posted by Heyoka_11 (here)
I have had similiar events in the past, and what used to rattle me most was my inability to change the outcome. It was as if I should have been able to, but could not. I used to feel awfully cheated by death, and am told by family that as a young child I would enter into a two week mourning if any of the pets died!

That is it exactly Heyoka, I was not able to change the outcome. I do that mourning thing too lol (excessively she says with embarrassment...).

Posted by Junebug (here)
Sierra, perhaps that little bird came to show you something you needed to know, as a totem animal. My totem animals are Owl and Frog, and they have taught me since I was a child.

Perhaps it would help you if you do something to connect with birds--maybe put up a feeder, or plant something in the garden that would feed or shelter them.

I love your name, BTW.

Marianne

Thank you Marianne I love my name too. It is the best name I ever had! Yes, birdies and me have a thing and the yard is all set up for them (multiple feeds, two bird baths). I originally set it up as a floor show for my arthritic and aged McKnao (see black cat on the left), who would lie on the bed at my feet and watch the birdies while I pootered away. I wanted him to be able to still see life even though he couldn't move around as much.

I don't know who my totems are. I have "talked" with several kinds of animals. The one time I seriously shamaned in an "emergency" state, I visioned to the West a Grizzly and to the North, a Polar. They were huge: Both were upright with forepaws held up facing me. I rode a wolf through a virgin green forest in that vision.

[Orph]

Okay, so you're out for a walk and you come upon a skunk with its head stuck in a paper coffee cup. You know the kind, from Starbucks, with a dome shaped plastic cover and a hole in the top. What do you do? .......................... I did the only thing I could do, knowing full well what the outcome was going to be. But, if you love nature, and animals, you can't just walk away. So here's a lesson on the "should haves" that at the time I didn't know to do.


What I should have done was to take off all clothing that was of any value, meaning, clothes you'd rather not have to throw away. (Obviously you have to stay decently dressed). The next thing I should have done was to sacrifice one article of clothing. In my case it would've been the T-shirt I was wearing. Take the sacrificial piece of clothing and gently put it over the top of the tail and hindquarters of the skunk. The next thing I should have done was to position myself alongside of the skunk facing the same way as the skunk. Do not stand in front of the skunk in a face-to-face position. The skunk can't see you with it's head stuck in the cup anyway, but that's not the reason you line up alongside of the skunk.


Next, you gently put one hand on the skunks shoulder just behind it's head and hold the skunk firmly in place. You grab both the cup and the plastic lid, because they both need to come off together. Then you pull the cup/lid off. You may have to really really tug to get that sucker off of it's head. I couldn't believe how tight it was on there. As soon as you get that cup off then ZOOOOOM! You're outta' there. You can see the mistakes I made, including being face-to-face with a scared skunk when the lid came off. I wasn't able to get turned around fast enough to escape. That's why you put yourself alongside the skunk, facing the same way. Makes for a faster getaway.


But it was all worth it because a few minutes later a wave of energy, (or something), from Mother Nature washed over me and it said "Thank you. I can breathe again."

[Sierra]

Oh Orph! You are my HERO!!! (And I am memorizing your advice ...) (just in case...)

Sierra

[Heyoka_11]

Posted by WhiteFeather (here)
Very Heartfelt Story My Brother, & Thank You.

And thank you WhiteFeather, for a very heartfelt and wonderfully composed reply.

I see that your avatar is all grown up now. Much better!

[Heyoka_11]

Posted by Orph (here)
But it was all worth it because a few minutes later a wave of "Thank you. I can breathe again" from mother nature washed over me.

Thank you Orph for a great post.

What I have quoted from your post is very, very real. Some may interpret it as just a wave of self satisfaction, and as justified as that may be, what you are describing transcends any egoistic response.

A few months ago, with only a few minutes before the arrival of the bus which would take me to the local airport, I spotted a shag (feathered kind...see below) that had become trapped in an outdoor sports enclosure; the netting type, including roof. It had found a rip in the material, and having mistaken the astro-turf for real grass, found it's way in. It was a stinking hot Summer's day, and the poor thing was already in a distressed state. Cut to the chase Tony! OK, finally, after much argy-bargy, I managed to get it back through the hole in the netting, at which point it swung around and clamped onto one of my fingers. Check it's beak out. That is meant for catching fish. Ouch!! The lesson here............grab shags by the neck, immediately below the head, not at the base.

I do these things out of a sense of duty these days, and neither try to remember them, nor place great significance on them. Nonetheless, I know that, as you say, mother nature does want to reward us with an unmistakable "Thank you", and would rather that we not forget.



A shag of the feathered variety.

[Sierra]

Once a humming bird got trapped in the office (glass house basically with a corrugated roof, two sliding doors open at all times for cooling) and had been all night. Its wings were laboring slowly as it tried to find a way out. I was so panicked I stood in the doorway holding a red purse on my chest (because humming birds are attracted to red), then went D'oh, grabbed the humming bird feeder, hung it in the doorway to the outside and we went away and hid.

The humming bird BEELINED for the feeder and drank from every single opening nonstop for five minutes. After I put the bird feeder back in its usual place (by the bedroom door at waist height about 4 feet away), he visited all summer long, doing a full landing every time, folding its wings and resting while drinking at the opening we could see him best. Highly unusual behavior. We felt very honored.