Last night the yellow prayer tie that I have worn around my left wrist for the past year broke.
Sometimes stuff happens and it’s like we’ve come full circle.
I like that.
Coming full circle means inhabiting a wonderful sense of completeness.
And the nature of circle means that its completeness and ending is infused with dynamic movement. Coming full circle is not the stagnant finish line. It is part of the ongoing cyclical.
What coming full circle offers is a moment to pause, and consolidate what has passed. It is a place of digestion and awareness in which deep reflection is possible. This is so important, because the pause is where the foundation for what is to come is laid down. Consolidation is like tilling the soil after harvest. In my life, I don’t live a rural life in which these metaphors of soil and harvest make sense. But this year me and my daughter grew tomatoes for the first time, under the communal washing lines in the back yard. The end of summer means picking off the ones that ripened (this year not so many – a rainy summer), putting the green ones in the airing cupboard where the warmth will hopefully help them tip over into a blush. It means finding a recipe for fried green tomatos! It means pulling up the plants and digging out the soil, taking care to leave no trace of the plant so that the foundation for the next cycle is solid and clear of anything that may contaminate the new plant’s potential for growth in the Spring.
So too with the yellow prayer tie.
In its travels, no matter where a pigeon ends up or how it gets there, it knows the way home. It never gets lost, for even when it is unsure of its surroundings, the bird listens to the rhythm of the earth, smells the power and hints in the air, and can find its way back to where it belongs. Pigeon teaches us of security, and how to make a home of our own. We learn to use all of our senses in an equal and balanced manner, to guide us on our path to wholeness. Set your sights and attention on your goals, visualize exactly where you want to be in your life, and trust your instincts to guide you there.
Initiation Songs 