Animals the Masters of Love and Death In Loving Memory of Miss Lilly In my lifetime I have been blessed with the most amazing Teachers. Some are human, and many are animals. The most significant teachings I have gained from my family of lovely “creat-ures” has been Knowing love, and Knowing Death. The animals are Masters at bridging the gap, and teaching that the freedom to Love is always available and that physical form plays no role in it. I realized recently that because I have outlived many of my family members, I have had the depth of experience in being present while others cross the Bridge before me. At first, early in my life I faced death with strong resistance. I fought and cried and pleaded with death not to come. It was only recently, through much soul searching that I could be present enough to see what the dance of life and death really was. I now understand that so much wisdom can come from this experience. I have looked back over my life to revisit some of the traumatic losses when I had not enabled my presence when standing at the edge. One of my favorite Authors Stephen Levine, is a Masterful teacher of Life, a great deal of his life’s work was spent with the dying. It makes so much sense to me now. Where better to learn from life than at the crossroads? Most of us never have enough experience with death, to find the beauty within it. One of the most shocking experiences in my life was the suicide of my older Sister. It was a horrific act after a lifetime of resistance. I mourned deeply, though never skipped a beat. I made sure my business of life kept moving forward. I worked, I cleaned the barn, and the house; I “stayed busy,” even though my heart was aching. During this same time I had also experienced the death of my goat Willy. He was one of a pair “Willy and Lilly”, who were inseparable. They spent every hour of their life bonded. When Willy died Lilly went into such mourning she never came out of their lodge for a month. As I was “Trying to do” Lilly was “Being present” with her loss. I looked out the window one day and thought, “My goat mourns better than I do.” She knew that she had to take the time to heal. After a month of sorrow she slowly returned to the pasture and found the horses for support. Lilly lived out her final 4 years solo. I watched her change through this time until the day, just last week, when she slipped back into the boundless nature of love. I knew the rejoining was sweet, for her love for Willy was so strong. Another time I learned about Love and Death, was when my Beloved Mustang died in my arms. Concho was one of the greatest teachers of all. After living the first 9 years of his life as a wild stallion, he had much to offer my domestic life. He taught freedom of mind and dignity and loyalty in such a way I could not have found in anyone else. He raised my colt Far Go, to be the leader and protector of the herd and passed this role onto him when he crossed. He coliced in a winter storm when we were snowed in. I tried to lead him up the road, but he knew better than I, the time was near. He planted his feet and insisted we return to the warmth and shelter of the barn, for what would be my greatest lesson. In the 12 years I lived with Concho I only heard him nicker once before this day. Vocalizing was not something he did. When the time was near, Far Go and I were both in the corral with him. He went to the fence and nickered in the opposite direction of our herd. Realizing this was unusual behavior I was able to grasp what was happening. I feel he was calling to those who were there to lead him across this Bridge of life and death. All the other 5 horses came to the gate and lined up in full attention. Far Go went to the gate and took his position there. Concho lay down and died with the same dignity he lived. Days later I was painfully faced with all my resistance towards death. I was snowed in and not able to “work” myself away from it. At one point I realized that Far Go never whinnied or looked for him or was ever off his feed. I asked him “It seems like you are handling this so much better than I am, Can you help me to understand it?” Without words, in the purist form of love, his message was clear. I sensed “I see that you are letting go of much more than I am.” I then had a realization that the relationship Concho and Far Go had transcended the body. While I was stuck in the physical form of wanting to have, they lived in the presence of “Being”. Far Go knew that death did not change that, and he taught me this lesson in no uncertain terms. Since then I have witnessed many more crossings. Now I am able to see the “Love Bridge”. My Dog Bailey who was my constant companion of 16 + years, passed so gracefully, In Love, that for the first time in my life I experienced no change in atmosphere. I was able to live what Far Go and Concho taught. I realized that Lilly, was not present at Willy’s crossing. He had died at the vet and never returned. This is what the mourning was about. As I have always felt in my life, the unknown is much more difficult than the known. We all have the experience of life, of love and of death. In my lifetime I have learned that the ability to get out of my mind, “The Logic” we humans pride ourselves on, is when I find the formless extension of love that exists in all life’s creat-ures. If we allow our guides to teach us, our knowledge of what is real can evolve to the transcendent. We will all be at the crossroads in our own time. We will be present when those we love extend their reach to the formless. I sincerely feel that it is within our best interest and the betterment of humanity that each one of us learns the lessons the animals already know. “To Love without borders is freedom.” Peace, Compassion, Wisdom ~M~
Posted on: Wed, 04 Sep 2013 16:10:09 +0000
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