I was standing on the balcony of my 5th floor apartment the other day, enjoying the beautiful sunny day, singing birds, and admired the beautiful gardens below. The apartment complex we live in, here in the Netherlands, has a beautiful garden court yard filled with shrubs, trees, many varieties of flowers and thus many birds. As I was standing there looking down admiring the beauty before me, a pigeon flew by. I saw the pigeon from the top and could see it in its full glory, wings spread, all colours and patterns showing. I could not help but think how beautiful it was! Then I realized something.
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| View from our balcony. |
Most of us only see pigeons from below and cannot see how beautiful they are. I was then reminded of the Power Animal of the Week post I made on my Facebook Page only a couple days prior, which just happened to be about Pigeon! I commented on how pigeon is not a desired Power Animal like the highly revered eagle, bear or wolf. I wondered, would we think differently as a society if we could see their beauty? Or would they still be seen as a pest? I pondered over how sad it is more people could not see the beauty a pigeon holds and if only they could see what I see, and how lucky I was to live in this apartment to give me this perspective. Then it hit me.
I realized, how where we live can change our perspective on things, giving us an entirely new light on life, our environment, and sometimes, our belief systems and way of life. I began to reflect on my own life and how the different places I lived during my life has helped me to see completely different things, places, and ways of life. All of these have helped shape who I am, help me appreciate what I have, and believe it or not, what I believe in. Let me share a couple of examples with you.
When I was 16 years old, I suddenly found myself living in Seoul, South Korea. How I got there is another story for another day. While I lived there I experienced an entirely different way of life than I was used to in North America. I arrived with armed Korean Military Police all over the city and at the gate of my house to protect the foreigners from potential attacks by the North Koreans. At that time Ronald Reagan, the President of the US was coming for a visit to Korea so extreme precautions were being taken. Imagine how a 16 year old who never experienced military presence like that before and one who was highly sensitive would have felt? It was overwhelming and terrifying! It took some getting used to the fact they were there to protect me. That was my introduction to life in South Korea.
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| Angela at the Korean Folk Museum, 1983 |
I spent the summer of 1984 with a Canadian missionary nurse who worked at the local hospital. I traveled with her and a medical team to nearby villages, giving them access to doctors and medicines. I would wrap the prescribed medicines in paper for the villagers. What I saw and experienced in those visits opened my eyes - wide! Most of these villages did not have electricity, many did not have running water. Houses were not insulated and were made from rice paper in wooden frames joined together to make walls. They were mainly farmers that worked hard long days, most not educated. These people had tough lives, none of the conveniences we are used to (such as plumbing, washing machines, a solid house) but they had the biggest smiles on their faces! They were happy, and truly happy! As a 16 year old, that deeply impacted me and even 30 years later, I have never forgotten that. Nor have I lost appreciation for the comfortable living the Western World provides us.**
Jumping forward years later, I find myself learning and living a Shamanic way of life. Being connected to Nature, observing the cycles of the Sun and the Moon, paying attention to the signs given to me to help guide me along my path. I found myself leaning into Celtic Shamanism. My heart sang, my Soul danced, and my face smiled as I walked deeper and deeper along this path. I learned that Beltane, which is celebrated May 1 was considered the first day of Summer, and June 21 was called Mid Summers Day. Living in Nova Scotia, where summer actually did begin on the Solstice, this made no sense to me at all, but that was what I learned, so I followed along trustingly. Then I found myself living in the Netherlands, the heart of Celtic country.
Living in Celtic country showed me why Beltaine was considered the beginning of summer - it was! It was hot in April and May. I also began to see that June 21st certainly was mid summer. As soon as August hit, one of the hottest months in Nova Scotia, it was already cooling down here in the Netherlands and the nights were very chilly. The Celtic Sabbaths certainly made sense once I actually lived it.
I also learned why certain animals and trees were so prolific in the Celtic spiritual way. I could now understand why the Druids tools and rituals were centered around trees and animals that were not overly common in North America (or at least to any great extent, depending too on where you are), such as swans, rabbits, reindeer (for the more Northern parts of Euope, not so much the Netherlands), Oak, Holly, and
Willow. These are everywhere! Willows line all the canals, oaks fill the forests,swans swim the lakes and canals. Rabbits! Oh the rabbits! They run across the walking and bicycle paths in the country, and even in the city. Next to our apartment complex there is a small green area and every evening they scatter as we walk through. Everything I learned about Celtic Shamanism now made sense. Perfect sense!
Now of course, I realize I have had some amazing opportunities to live in these countries and
live the culture to gain these perspective, however, you do not need to move across the Atlantic or to the other side of the World to gain another perspective. There are many ways to see things differently. They are all around you. I have heard from many people that moved from the ocean to the mountains, and miss the ocean so much. Did they realize before how much they appreciate the ocean or did it take the move to show them?
What else is there?
Are you frustrated your car needs servicing again and you have spend another afternoon at the service center? Look at all the people that don't own cars standing at the bus stop or train station. Do you think your boss does not pay you enough? Look at all the people that work at hard labour jobs for minimum wage. Do you wish you could be outside at the beach instead of being stuck in a stuffy office? Look at all the people in the Food Bank line ups because they do not have a job at all. These are only a couple of suggestions, but there is so much more! Do you live in the city and wish you could live in the country? Visit your local park and enjoy it!
We get so caught up in the daily grind we do not think to actually see the world that is around us. I only saw the pigeon flying below me because I stopped to take a short break from working to be outside to enjoy the beautiful day. "Stop and smell the roses" the philosophers say! And they are right. Stop to smell the roses and you will see how delicate the petals look but in fact are a little hardier than you think. You will see the amazing sacred geometry in the arrangement of the petals and be amazed how Nature arranged that. You will enjoy the beautiful fragrance that will lift your spirits giving you the desire to keep going....
Need a change in perspective? Change where you stand...and use your eyes..............
Angela Jeffreys
https://www.facebook.com/AngelaJeffreysTeacherHealer
**Please keep in mind this experience was in 1983 & 1984. South Korea has changed a lot in the past 30 years. It is no longer just the cities that have running water, electricity, etc, the countryside has been modernized too. It is also a very technologically advanced country, being the country with the most mobile phone usage.
**All photos are the property of Angela Jeffreys.**
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