Nov 2008 Transformation: butterfly or moth.

At the end of October I completed my Karuna Reiki Master Teacher training. The backdrop was gorgeous Sedona, Arizona (my heart’s home is the southwest). The weather was perfect, in the 70’s and 80’s. The sky held only blue, no clouds. The rusty red rocks breathing energy and life into the area looked even richer in color with Cielo Azul (blue sky/heaven) above it. It was sort of like looking from a crystal clear coral reef from the bottom up with no waves. Many leaves were changing colors on the tall trees. And it was strangely silent. No birds. The more I listened the more I realized – no birds were singing. Occasionally you would see them flutter past, but there were no songs. And there were no bugs. No birds and no bugs. Just the breeze, the trees rustling, the early morning walkers; the sound of “hush” was all around.

Partly it is the season. Sedona is a higher elevation and it does get snow, and it does get cold. But this week it was the perfect in-between. Perfect in transition from hot summer to cold winter. Perfect with Mother Nature guiding out the critters to more southern climates and moving in the energy of quiet winter; time of reflection and gathering. Perfect weather, perfect time of year, and the perfect group for my class. We ranged from dear Rob who is originally from Australia and currently lives in London to spunky Mirian who is from Argentina but resides in Canada. Actually I think there were 2 or 3 Canadians (right Doris?). There was Jim the massage therapist who graciously gave his hands to any asking shoulders. The rest of us spread across the US, including our “student” teacher (and I use that term loosely as Carolyn has taught Karuna for 3 or 4 years already), who came from New York.

I ate wonderful food everywhere I landed, from the great little sandwich shop, to the fabulous pizza, beautiful salad, to the incredible brownie dessert (did I mention incredible?). One of the days in my Sedona travels, my Dad and step mom (who turned my workshop into a mini-vacation for themselves) and I all arranged a bit of a field trip to two of the Indian Ruins in the area. At the first ruin, Palatki, there was a man, whose name escapes me now, established the grounds (in the 1800’s-1900’s) with great care and dedication and managed to grow 200 fruit trees of different varieties. The only trees remaining now are persimmons and pomegranates. With permission (and help) of one of the volunteer on-site rangers, 3 small pomegranates came home with us. The next night, in our little hotel kitchenette, my family of 3 made a wonderful dinner and topped off our salad with fresh, beautiful perfect pomegranate jewels. The second ruin we visited was an incredible organized cliff dwelling that was the longest layout I’ve seen in person. It was wonderful. And we managed to sneak in a visit to an ancient petroglyph site on the way of town on our last day of travel. Each day seemed to begin with glee like the first bite of a crisp apple and end with the coziness of a warm cup of tea.

So there I am in beautiful Sedona, Arizona feeling the cradled hush all around me, the gentle support of Earth under me and the joy of family near me and in the middle of all of this, there is a critter that goes with me wherever I go. And it’s not pleasant. It requires planning around and care. It was a sinus infection and I had to go everywhere with tissues. Whose idea was that? I do not recall putting that on the list next to socks and underwear. Ugh. And not only that, but this particular sinus infection had its bags packed and ready to go weeks ago, like a child all ready for vacation when it is not on the calendar until next month.

The whole point of this particular level of Reiki with Karuna energy is all about Compassion. Ugh, again. I hope my classmates were compassionate with my tissues hogging up all the trash cans and the unexpected cough that came out instead of a genuine giggle. And yet my comrades were understanding. Many times, the moment a person decides to make a change in their life (like take a Reiki class), the ball gets rolling. The momentum begins to build beyond their wildest dreams and soon it becomes easy because this new change is on a roll! But for some, when the ball begins rolling and they are standing on top of it, it can have the appearance of the ground moving from underneath them and they drop to the ground as if they can hold it still, even though it was they that set forth the movement. This is resistance. Not going with the flow. Not allowing the self to take small steps with each circumferency go-around (yes, I just made that up).

Of course all things have their divine purposes. For those who have studied the Second degree or Master level of Reiki with me in the last 12-18 months or so have seen the enhanced practice requirements and descriptions used with the Second Degree symbols. Well, Karuna, to me, feels like the mental/emotional symbol expanding it to about 12 times greater understanding (there are 12 symbols at the Teacher level). So how does that translate to a Divine sinus infection? Ah, my dear Watson, but of course, self love and care. Compassion for the self and for others. I had to postpone many appointments with clients in order to rest, rest, rest when I returned. It was necessary for many reasons; not only did my travels include my Karuna workshop, but also a stop back home (5 hours from Sedona, AZ) due to a sudden death in the family. No birds, no bugs, silence, rest. It took me a while to finally give in to the quietness, the hush.

When I returned home I had a very clear dream about a chrysalis. About to emerge was going to be a beautiful butterfly or a magnificent moth. And while some people wish for the butterfly with its grand colors and need to find nectar loving the flowers of our gardens, the moth has a different kind of strength with its body full of energy for the rest of its life (be it short as it is) as soon as it emerges. In this dream I was reminded some of the differences between a moth and butterfly. A butterfly, when it lands on a flower, stem or branch will close its wings to disguise itself and its colorful display and not attract attention. A moth on the other hand, when it lands, will keep its wings open, displaying its design, living in some ways like it does not have anything to lose, yet blending in, in its own way. How perfect (there’s that word again) for this time of transition: a new President for the US (come January), changes in the economy, a new level of energy and vibration for all us. We are all watching the emerging of a winged critter coming out of its chrysalis. Our “opinions” (butterfly or moth), could be easily softened to “perspectives” knowing that both are incredible, both serve a purpose. Every time one of us takes a class, workshop or reads a book for our betterment and our heart fulfillment, everyone benefits. And when many of us take a class or workshop or read a book or whatever, the spillover of growth and wisdom is invaluable. After all, the tissue industry greatly benefited from my resistance to taking care of me and not slowing down. But in the end, how I emerge, butterfly or moth, will benefit the greater Nature in general.

For those who are staunch supporters of “get it over with and get the antibiotic, already!” this is your version of a miracle and I honor that. For me, it was not about the quick-fix or the medication. It was more about the point of it. There are parts of this personal journey that medication cannot make go away. An antibiotic may be a version of someone’s idea of self-care and compassion because they ARE, in essence, taking care of themselves. But part of this journey was deciding to move forward energetically and for that the body, mind and spirit will move out old energy (and dare I mention snot?) and make room for the new. An energetic purging of sorts, a detox, a time of grief, a time of perfect renewal, a time of stepping on land that has held the energy of past peoples and feeling guided to go forward even further. No one has to agree with me, as miracles and healings will show up most appropriate for the individual. For me, in my journey, it is about settling into myself, taking care of myself by not being “superwoman,” as my homeopath puts it. It was disconnecting from the computer and the phone and allowing rest. Silence. No birds chattering, no bugs whizzing by, just hush. Just me.

I expect after this teaching/learning journey that I will enjoy my work even more, as the compassion and self-love will naturally overflow to all those who make their way through my door. There are many changes a foot right now (or should I say “a-wing”). Each of us are witnessing a great emerging, out of the chrysalis; we as individuals are spreading our wings, the nation is shifting, the Earth is moving, the money is changing, the smiles are moving from our lips to our hearts (which will naturally come back out to our lips again). Butterfly or moth, it’s time to fly.

With love of self and compassion for others, enjoy your day.

~Bright Star


Copyright 2008 all articles are the personal property of Cheryl Kaufmann and Bright Star Inspirations. Sharing information is permitted without written consent but must be accompanied by acknowledgement of the source via this website,www.brightstarinspirations.com, author's name and/or business.