It was a good journey--ran in to a crow perched atop a tall building, a cat jumped through a waterfall into a mossy cave, I followed-met a dragonfly that turned into a scarab. It disappeared into the piercing in my nose, and all some such. In the end, I met a few human types--not really interesting though. Still, everyone loved to dance and so we did. But it's good to be back. Dreaming.
This is a train of thought piece that I wrote on Facebook. I decided to go back and look at the symbols in the piece--kind of digging around in my head. I have to admit that this is not one of those heavily researched entries about dreams and symbols just my doing cursory investigations on the Internet. But here we go.
Rather than use Joseph Campbell's symbols for the Hero's Journey, I decided to investigate symbols of the heroine's journey. I found Maureen Murdock's work on feminine archetypes. According to Murdock, the female journey is very different from the male. Obviously. When Murdock asked Campbell, "what about the Heroine's journey?" He replied, "The heroine is the object of the hero's journey." and added, "“She doesn’t go anywhere, she’s what the Hero is journeying to.” Murdock did not like the answer and wrote her own book, which I have not read. But based the review of the book I would have to say that I agree that the role of women in the west is very conflicting. There is an absence of the realization of true power, which comes from the womb. The womb is the sanctuary of life, very much like the ocean. The fluid in the womb is the same substance as sea water. Enough said. So lets just suffice it to say that I don't have to quest for power, I have it already, which might explain Campbell's response. We don't have to go rumbling through the forest with swords and shields, women already possess the most powerful weapon of all, the womb. Anyway, on with the symbols.
The Crow: Messengers, omens of change. Crows are also very powerful tricksters with the ability to see the past, present, and future and important part of the Ifa continuum. My crow is perched atop a tall building symbolizing this phenomenon.
The Cat: I just got a calico cat. Her name is Cassie. I've wanted a Calico Cat since I was a little girl. Calico cats are described as auspicious beings. The etymology of auspicious (from auspice) is the Latin word auspex meaning diviner by birds.
The Waterfall: Water is always a symbol of cleansing and renewal. Oshun, an Ifa Orisha is symbolized by rivers and creeks (and of course waterfalls). Oshun is very kind and forgiving but she can also be a very angry goddess, although she is slow to anger. Just outside my door is a beautiful creek so Oshun is always nearby.
The Dragonfly: I found it interesting that the Dragonfly is also known as a "snake doctor". In Hoodoo, a Snake Doctor is a shaman. One entry explains that in "the Southern United States term "snake doctor" refers to a folk belief that dragonflies follow snakes around and stitch them back together if they are injured. So the Dragonfly is a healer of ritual specialists.
The Scarab: We go to Egypt for the symbol of the Scarab. Simply put, the Scarab is a symbol of transformation. It's Hieroglyph means to come into being. The fact that it entered into my being through a piecing in my nose symbolizes that I am coming into renewed life and spirit. I am breathing transformation and becoming.
Human types: I have to admit that at times people wear me out. All the fussing and posturing is really a bore. On this journey, I found no human types worthy of mentioning.
The Dance: My first entry in the blog referred to going through the Red Door. I explained that I would be back "directly." In reality, I was meditating. The above inscription came later, after my return from my journey. At the end of the journey, the moment of renewal, I danced. Of course, I have to return to Mother Africa when investigating the symbolic meaning of dance. Dance is linked to oral history through performance. The fact that I have been creating costumes that refer to dance and masquerade is symbol enough.
I had a good day yesterday. Meditating and dancing helped free my thoughts and spirit for the challenges that lay ahead. I awoke this morning renewed and ready to take on the world.
More about Crows: http://www.shamanicjourney.com/article/6033/crow-power-animal-symbol-of-sacred-law-change
Dragonfly: http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Dragonfly
Scarab: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dung_beetle
The Dance: http://www.africanside.com/discussions-about-africa-and-african-news/african-dance-introduction-african-dancing
