Blackbird . . .
Blackbird singing in the dead of night . . .
Iona is one of those liminal places - a place where they say that the veil between the worlds is thinner. I think that's true. The energy there is strong and has affected me positively both times I have been on the island. For all its power, the energy of the sea is often a gentle, healing energy. As the waves come in to the shore, they bring healing and peace, and as they return to the ocean, they take with them whatever you care to release.
Take these broken wings and learn to fly . . .
There is no greater place for healing than by the sea - no better place to leave the baggage that no longer serves you than on the shore, where the great ocean will come and float it away. It's not the wrenching pull of a rushing river that takes and gives nothing in return - because who needs stuff wrenched out of them? Ouch. No. Sometimes you realize that you've been carrying something with you - maybe for a long time - that no longer serves you. Maybe an opinion, or a behavior, or anger - whatever it is, it's always an excuse.
All your life, you were only waiting for this moment to arrive.
But when something's been with you a long time, even though you've realized it's not best for you any longer, there can be fear surrounding letting it go. I mean, if I give up this excuse/opinion/behavior, what (who) I can blame for stuff? Ah, yes. Who or what else? How scary is it when we are left with only ourselves to take the credit (easy peasy) or the blame (sucks, doesn't it?)?
Blackbird singing in the dead of night . . .
And so you stand on the shore and think about all the stuff that might have gone a different way - but didn't. And what does it serve you now? You can't change the past. You can run every conceivable scenario in your head - and believe me, I have, and I kick myself regularly because I usually figure out the snappiest comeback long after the fact ;-) You can replay a past event or encounter out every possible way - but you cannot change it. It's in the past.
Take these sunken eyes and learn to see . . .
You can play it out, and out, and over and over. In fact, I think that's what we're supposed to do, until we realize that it's done. It's over. It cannot be changed. So, eventually, something inside you changes. You're in a place or a time, or you read something, or someone says something that resonates so hard and so loud that the scales fall from your eyes. And you know, with great certainty, that, scary as it might be, it's time to let something go. Something that shaped you, kept you safe perhaps for a time, but it has outlived its usefulness, and now, it's time to let it go.
All your life, you were only waiting for this moment to
be free.
Place it gently on the shore. Say your goodbyes. Likely shed a tear or two or more . . . Watch a wave take it and return it to the sea, leaving the smooth sand - a clean, blank slate. And if you need a reminder of this step, you take a stone from the shore to remember this day - this turning point - this doorway to the next chapter of your spirit. And you are free. You can finally walk away because you are finally free.
Blackbird, fly . . . Blackbird, fly . . .
into the light of a dark black night.
Free to fly into the dawn of your next day. I heard the blackbirds most mornings outside my window. They sing in the morning, just as the morning is breaking, greeting every new day. Dance like no one is watching isn't just a silly saying for me. Thursday is my favorite day of the week, but I am grateful for every day that I wake up. We only get so many - it's up to us to grab on with both hands and live every minute. I find more and more that I'm achieving a goal I set for myself when my mom passed away. She lived every day of her life with joy and purpose and I wanted to do that, too.
I am.
So can you :-)
I found a card in a shop on Iona, and I bought it, brought it home with me, and put it on my ledge where I see it every day. Here's what it says:
So, for anyone who might not have someone else to tell them those things - consider yourself told. You are free, Blackbird, to fly your spirit into the dawn and embrace the world.
Iona is one of those liminal places - a place where they say that the veil between the worlds is thinner. I think that's true. The energy there is strong and has affected me positively both times I have been on the island. For all its power, the energy of the sea is often a gentle, healing energy. As the waves come in to the shore, they bring healing and peace, and as they return to the ocean, they take with them whatever you care to release.
Take these broken wings and learn to fly . . .
There is no greater place for healing than by the sea - no better place to leave the baggage that no longer serves you than on the shore, where the great ocean will come and float it away. It's not the wrenching pull of a rushing river that takes and gives nothing in return - because who needs stuff wrenched out of them? Ouch. No. Sometimes you realize that you've been carrying something with you - maybe for a long time - that no longer serves you. Maybe an opinion, or a behavior, or anger - whatever it is, it's always an excuse.
All your life, you were only waiting for this moment to arrive.
But when something's been with you a long time, even though you've realized it's not best for you any longer, there can be fear surrounding letting it go. I mean, if I give up this excuse/opinion/behavior, what (who) I can blame for stuff? Ah, yes. Who or what else? How scary is it when we are left with only ourselves to take the credit (easy peasy) or the blame (sucks, doesn't it?)?
Blackbird singing in the dead of night . . .
And so you stand on the shore and think about all the stuff that might have gone a different way - but didn't. And what does it serve you now? You can't change the past. You can run every conceivable scenario in your head - and believe me, I have, and I kick myself regularly because I usually figure out the snappiest comeback long after the fact ;-) You can replay a past event or encounter out every possible way - but you cannot change it. It's in the past.
Take these sunken eyes and learn to see . . .
You can play it out, and out, and over and over. In fact, I think that's what we're supposed to do, until we realize that it's done. It's over. It cannot be changed. So, eventually, something inside you changes. You're in a place or a time, or you read something, or someone says something that resonates so hard and so loud that the scales fall from your eyes. And you know, with great certainty, that, scary as it might be, it's time to let something go. Something that shaped you, kept you safe perhaps for a time, but it has outlived its usefulness, and now, it's time to let it go.
All your life, you were only waiting for this moment to
be free.Place it gently on the shore. Say your goodbyes. Likely shed a tear or two or more . . . Watch a wave take it and return it to the sea, leaving the smooth sand - a clean, blank slate. And if you need a reminder of this step, you take a stone from the shore to remember this day - this turning point - this doorway to the next chapter of your spirit. And you are free. You can finally walk away because you are finally free.
Blackbird, fly . . . Blackbird, fly . . .
into the light of a dark black night.
Free to fly into the dawn of your next day. I heard the blackbirds most mornings outside my window. They sing in the morning, just as the morning is breaking, greeting every new day. Dance like no one is watching isn't just a silly saying for me. Thursday is my favorite day of the week, but I am grateful for every day that I wake up. We only get so many - it's up to us to grab on with both hands and live every minute. I find more and more that I'm achieving a goal I set for myself when my mom passed away. She lived every day of her life with joy and purpose and I wanted to do that, too.
I am.
So can you :-)
I found a card in a shop on Iona, and I bought it, brought it home with me, and put it on my ledge where I see it every day. Here's what it says:
I believe in you as you
step forward in your life.
I'm inspired by you for
keeping your dream alight . . .
for facing the challenge
and achieving your goals.
I'm proud of you as I watch
the bright light of your spirit
embrace the world.
step forward in your life.
I'm inspired by you for
keeping your dream alight . . .
for facing the challenge
and achieving your goals.
I'm proud of you as I watch
the bright light of your spirit
embrace the world.
So, for anyone who might not have someone else to tell them those things - consider yourself told. You are free, Blackbird, to fly your spirit into the dawn and embrace the world.
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