Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Waiting for the wind


Last week as my partner and I were heading out to work on our oyster lease in the Gorge Harbor on the west side of Cortes Island, I became agitated about a big wind storm that was forecast for our area. I became afraid to be at risk out on the water, yet I didn’t really know if I was going to be. A similiar situation is described in the Journey Oracle story written for the Blue Moon card, titled Waiting for the wind.

There was a man who decided not to go to work because he heard a blow was coming, because to go he had to cross the bay in a little boat, and of course it was dangerous to be on the water if the wind was up. He listened to a weather report that said the wind would rise at mid-morning, plus yesterday he’d spoken to some fisherman who said something was coming, and of course they should know since those men spent all their working days out in the elements.

He found himself watching expectantly out the window for the first signs of swaying tree tops that would become a roaring forest dancing to the wind’s wild tune, yet nothing but the occasional graceful shiver of breeze passed by. Still, it was dangerous to be caught out in a rising wind—better to be safe inside--especially since his life allowed him the independence to choose.

In his unexpected bounty of time the man took to watching the birds on the bay. At one point a flock of gulls rose in a keening wheel of flight but he did not know how to return to the source of their wisdom about the wind, other than to notice that they did not seem to be going inland as he heard birds do when a storm is coming. A pair of oystercatchers skimmed over a distant rock island, their shrill chattering seeming to say, “Aren’t I beautiful,” each to the other. He wasn’t sure, but no sound of alarm about impending bad weather seemed to fly along with their calls. The man watched clouds form and then pull apart like fibers being fluffed for weaving. He thought, “These are trying to trick me into knowing what reality is.” At some moments a blue glimpse would appear, and then be shrouded over in larger vaporous layers. He couldn’t be certain, but it seemed likely that the morning would stay bright and calm. Still, the man thought it was best to be safe, and so he kept waiting for the wind.

To me this story is about loosing access to the knowing that comes from the wisdom of watching nature, and therefore becoming uncertain about how to act. If this card story has resonance, ask yourself if there are situations in your life that began by starting late? Are you influenced by emptiness? Are your feelings about changing this special? Is an indication of your soul's progress a sensation of revelation? Is this revelation the kind that comes from watching the weather?