What I am about to tell you is true. Caveat: if you
are a pragmatist, I will probably make you angry.
Sunday night after printing out poems I needed for a
poetry group meeting the next day, I shut down my laptop and joined Rich in the
living room to watch 60 Minutes (Hugh
Jackman was on a rerun). I heard a clicking noise in my office and thought, I know I turned my printer off.
Returning to my office I walked past both windows and sat at my desk. Yes, the printer
was turned off. Hearing the noise again, I looked at
my east-facing window where
I have chakra beads hanging to catch the morning sun (bye-bye pragmatistsJ).
Perched on the outside looking in at me was a yellow finch. I kept still so as not to startle him, but he hadn’t moved
when I walked by a minute before. We watched each other for a bit, and then he cocked his head and tapped again.
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| My finch first appeared beside these Chakra beads. |
“Rich, come here! I have a bird friend,” I called to
my husband. When he came to the door of my office, the bird flew away.
A warm feeling spread through me as I thought of
what a special moment that had been, but it was not the only moment I would
have with my new friend. I continued to work
at my desk for a few minutes, and my finch (I’m trying desperately not to name
him Atticus) came back and sat at the north window directly in front of me. He
looked in at me and tapped a few times, and then tried to fly through the
window into my office. I called Rich again, but again the bird flew away. The finch returned one more time tapping a few times and then trying to fly inside.
I was smiling like a kid with a lollipop as I
thought about this, but I was also trying to grasp how I was feeling and what
this might mean. You see, I’ve had my
totem done, and while I have no finch, my “within” animal is the Grouse –
bird of the sacred spiral. I tried to honestly examine my emotions during this,
and they were positive and warm.
Returning to the living room, I focused on Hugh Jackman
who was discussing Les Miz when I heard tapping on the north window right behind
me. Rich laughed and I turned and saw my
finch friend tapping at me. Again he
tried to fly into the room, and then flew off. He left and returned to that
window one or two more times. My movements never scared him away.
Rich and I pondered the meaning of this visit, and I
Googled animal symbolism and found that finches are harbingers of celebration
and happiness—good times were ahead. Native Americans held finches in high esteem
as birds of happiness. Cool.
Two days later I walked into my bedroom to dress
after my shower, and there sat my little friend on the second-story,
west-facing window. He tapped good
morning to me and I said hello. Even as
I moved about the room, he didn’t fly away.
Finally, I approached the window and he watched until I got very close
and then flew away. Sadly, I have not seen him since.
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| My Prayer Chair |
I believe my daily meditation is opening me to
broader spiritual experiences and understanding. Is it a coincidence that this
little finch first appeared at the window right behind my prayer chair?
Even scientists (and you pragmatists who have hung
around) admit we use only about 10% of our conscious mind. How much more of the
world would we enjoy if we only opened our minds and hearts to God’s creation?
I would love to hear of any similar experience you’ve
had.
Lovely post! Closest thing I've had to that is my cat of ten years not liking my now ex-husband when we were dating.
ReplyDeleteShe started missing her litter-box everywhere, jumping on the table, etc. stuff she had never done before. I should have listened to her ;) I just didn't realize at the time what she was trying to tell me. And he was allergic to cats too ;)
Your cat sounds brilliant! Isn't the instinct of animals amazing? I saw a story of a dog who kept jumping on its owner and hitting her in the chest. She paid attention and saw a doctor who found early stage breast cancer. Her dog saved her life! Thanks for stopping by, Andrea :-)
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