{"id":4949,"date":"2011-03-01T01:10:37","date_gmt":"2011-03-01T06:10:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/paganpages.org\/content\/?p=5026"},"modified":"2011-02-23T22:15:13","modified_gmt":"2011-02-24T03:15:13","slug":"living-life-magically-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/2011\/03\/01\/living-life-magically-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Living Life Magically"},"content":{"rendered":"

In Praise of the Creepy Crawlies:\u00a0 Learning to Love the Earthworm<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The March is called Full Worm Moon in some Native American lore, according to The Farmers\u2019 Almanac.\u00a0 It was so named because the warming weather and the warmer rains caused the worms to rise to the top of the soil, where they sometimes drowned.\u00a0 For my college roommate, walking across campus after a rain caused a lot of screaming terror because she hated the signs of dead worms on the sidewalks.\u00a0 For someone raised with a multitude of male relatives, this behavior was almost incomprehensible.\u00a0 I learned early not to be repulsed by insects, worms, and other creepy animals, living or dead, that might been left out for an unsuspecting girl.<\/p>\n

As a young person who was a little weird and then as a pagan, I learned to have a fondness and even a love for creatures with bad reputations or a less than normal appearance.\u00a0 Bats, spiders, snakes, vultures and more were interesting.\u00a0 Later, I learned they were sacred to various deities as guardians of the darkness, of death, and of those borderlands most preferred not to travel.\u00a0 Life brings us to the edge of those borderlands and sometimes pushes us in.\u00a0 If already know and understand its creatures, we then have allies and friends as we move into uncharted territories.<\/p>\n

So what of the lowly earthworm?\u00a0 Without earthworms, we would not have the fertile soil we need to plant our crops.\u00a0 Even their tiny feces, called casts, provide an abundance of fertilizer to nurture seeds.\u00a0 The worm crawls through the soil like tiny plows, bringing more air and nutrients to the soil.\u00a0 The earthworm is essential to an abundant and productive ground.\u00a0 They consume the organic matter from the fields and the resulting residue is an indication of high quality, fertile soil.<\/p>\n

It takes some doing to regard the earthworm as a friend an ally.\u00a0 The can teach us a lot, as a totem and spirit guide.\u00a0 They teach us to seek moisture, to balance our lives with an appropriate amount of water; water that symbol of emotions and matters of the soul.\u00a0 The worm teaches us to look to inward to tend the soil of our heart and to grow a strong, healthy soul.<\/p>\n

The earthworm also teaches us of our bodies and helps us understand our ability to stay strong in our bodies.\u00a0 The flexibility of the worm body teaches us to move in and out of barriers, to be flexible and go around things when it does not serve us to break them down, and to work persistently to knock down barriers when it serves us to do so.<\/p>\n

The earthworm is a sure sign that spring is on its way.\u00a0 In March, in the cold regions of the northern New York, it\u2019s hard to believe that spring will come.\u00a0 We are still shivering in below freezing temperature and looking to the skies for snow.\u00a0 And yet deep within the awakening earth, the earthworms are working their magic and will soon rise to the top to create the new and ever-renewing fertility of the earth, of springtime.<\/p>\n

To move in harmony with this creepy crawly, settle yourself comfortably for the following meditation:<\/p>\n

Take a long cleansing breath, filling yourself with breath from the tip of your toes, to the tip of your fingers to the top of your head.\u00a0 Exhale and let go of cares and concerns.\u00a0 Take a second long deep breath and close your eyes, letting go of inhibitions. Continue to breathe deeply and connect with Mother Earth as she begins to awaken from her slumbers. <\/em><\/p>\n

As you breathe deeply, you find yourself standing in the middle of a field in the early morning in that betwixt and between time of night and day.\u00a0 The memory of the full moon\u2019s rays is in your being and sunlight is only just beginning to peep out at you.\u00a0 The field has been farmed in the past and it seems very familiar to you.\u00a0 As you walk along, you recognize various things that you see, reveling in the familiarity of it.\u00a0 You have been here before, in your dreams, in your journeys and perhaps in your life.<\/em><\/p>\n

In the distance you see a woman standing in the field, looking down at the ground.\u00a0 As you get closer, she looks up at you and grins.\u00a0 She points to the ground and you see a mass of earth worms squirming on the ground.\u00a0 The two of you watch as they dig in and out of the ground.<\/em><\/p>\n

She looks at you and says, \u201cDo you know why this was so familiar to you?\u00a0 It\u2019s because this earth is your body.\u00a0 These worms tell us the story of you as you live in your body.\u00a0 She then tells you of the things you need to know about your body and your life.\u00a0 She picks up an earthworm and holds it gently in her hand before letting it go back into the earth; she whispers one word that means something to you about your body.\u00a0 Remember, she says, this word and the wisdom of the earthworm for your health and physical well being.<\/em><\/p>\n

She looks at you and says, \u201cThe earthworm speaks to you of your heart and what you need for understanding your emotions and the matters of your heart.\u00a0 Watch.\u201d\u00a0 As you watch, words form in your head as the earthworms give you the wisdom you need to grow a fertile and productive emotional life.\u00a0 Your heart opens to receive this wisdom.<\/em><\/p>\n

A third and last time, she looks at you and says, \u201cThe earthworm speaks of your soul and what you need for your spiritual path.\u201d\u00a0 In your sou you form a knowing of what needs to be understood or done.\u00a0 You hold this knowledge as she speaks of your soul as revealed by the worms working the ground. <\/em><\/p>\n

<\/em><\/p>\n

Finally she looks at you and you understand the things you have felt, known and heard in this field.\u00a0 Some of the things are a welcome surprise and still others have the sting of truth.\u00a0 At the end, she hugs you and says \u201cAnd most of all, you are a loveable and loving.\u201d\u00a0 She places her hand over your heart and you feel healing energy move through your body like the earthworm moving through the soil.\u00a0 You thank her and she says goodbye.\u00a0 She disappears. With a long deep breath, you are back in the here and now.\u00a0 With a second deep breath, you open your eyes. With a third deep breath, you reconnect with your centeredness and reconnect with Mother Earth. <\/em><\/p>\n

As you return to your everyday place and time, record your journey in your journal or find some other way to record the wisdom you have learned.\u00a0 Make a promise to yourself to work this wisdom into your life.<\/p>\n

May your life be blessed with vision to see the beauty in everything, including the creepy crawlies!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In Praise of the Creepy Crawlies:\u00a0 Learning to Love the Earthworm The March is called Full Worm Moon in some Native American lore, according to The Farmers\u2019 Almanac.\u00a0 It was so named because the warming weather and the warmer rains caused the worms to rise to the top of the soil, where they sometimes drowned.\u00a0 For my college roommate, walking across campus after a rain caused a lot of screaming terror because she hated the signs of dead worms on the sidewalks.\u00a0 For someone raised with a multitude of male relatives, this behavior was almost incomprehensible.\u00a0 I learned early not to be repulsed by insects, worms, and other creepy animals, living or dead, that might been left out for an unsuspecting girl. As a young person who was a little weird and then as a pagan, I learned to have a fondness and even a love for creatures with bad reputations or a less than normal appearance.\u00a0 Bats, spiders, snakes, vultures and more were interesting.\u00a0 Later, I learned they were sacred to various deities as guardians of the darkness, of death, and of those borderlands most preferred not to travel.\u00a0 Life brings us to the edge of those borderlands and sometimes pushes us in.\u00a0 If already know and understand its creatures, we then have allies and friends as we move into uncharted territories. So what of the lowly earthworm?\u00a0 Without earthworms, we would not have the fertile soil we need to plant our crops.\u00a0 Even their tiny feces, called casts, provide an abundance of fertilizer to nurture seeds.\u00a0 The worm crawls through the soil like tiny plows, bringing more air and nutrients to the soil.\u00a0 The earthworm is essential to an abundant and productive ground.\u00a0 They consume the organic matter from the fields and the resulting residue is an indication of high quality, fertile soil. It takes some doing to regard the earthworm as a friend an ally.\u00a0 The can teach us a lot, as a totem and spirit guide.\u00a0 They teach us to seek moisture, to balance our lives with an appropriate amount of water; water that symbol of emotions and matters of the soul.\u00a0 The worm teaches us to look to inward to tend the soil of our heart and to grow a strong, healthy soul. The earthworm also teaches us of our bodies and helps us understand our ability to stay strong in our bodies.\u00a0 The flexibility of the worm body teaches us to move in and out of barriers, to be flexible and go around things when it does not serve us to break them down, and to work persistently to knock down barriers when it serves us to do so. The earthworm is a sure sign that spring is on its way.\u00a0 In March, in the cold regions of the northern New York, it\u2019s hard to believe that spring will come.\u00a0 We are still shivering in below freezing temperature and looking to the skies for snow.\u00a0 And yet deep within the awakening earth, the earthworms are working their magic and will soon rise to the top to create the new and ever-renewing fertility of the earth, of springtime. To move in harmony with this creepy crawly, settle yourself comfortably for the following meditation: Take a long cleansing breath, filling yourself with breath from the tip of your toes, to the tip of your fingers to the top of your head.\u00a0 Exhale and let go of cares and concerns.\u00a0 Take a second long deep breath and close your eyes, letting go of inhibitions. Continue to breathe deeply and connect with Mother Earth as she begins to awaken from her slumbers. As you breathe deeply, you find yourself standing in the middle of a field in the early morning in that betwixt and between time of night and day.\u00a0 The memory of the full moon\u2019s rays is in your being and sunlight is only just beginning to peep out at you.\u00a0 The field has been farmed in the past and it seems very familiar to you.\u00a0 As you walk along, you recognize various things that you see, reveling in the familiarity of it.\u00a0 You have been here before, in your dreams, in your journeys and perhaps in your life. In the distance you see a woman standing in the field, looking down at the ground.\u00a0 As you get closer, she looks up at you and grins.\u00a0 She points to the ground and you see a mass of earth worms squirming on the ground.\u00a0 The two of you watch as they dig in and out of the ground. She looks at you and says, \u201cDo you know why this was so familiar to you?\u00a0 It\u2019s because this earth is your body.\u00a0 These worms tell us the story of you as you live in your body.\u00a0 She then tells you of the things you need to know about your body and your life.\u00a0 She picks up an earthworm and holds it gently in her hand before letting it go back into the earth; she whispers one word that means something to you about your body.\u00a0 Remember, she says, this word and the wisdom of the earthworm for your health and physical well being. She looks at you and says, \u201cThe earthworm speaks to you of your heart and what you need for understanding your emotions and the matters of your heart.\u00a0 Watch.\u201d\u00a0 As you watch, words form in your head as the earthworms give you the wisdom you need to grow a fertile and productive emotional life.\u00a0 Your heart opens to receive this wisdom. A third and last time, she looks at you and says, \u201cThe earthworm speaks of your soul and what you need for your spiritual path.\u201d\u00a0 In your sou you form a knowing of what needs to be understood or done.\u00a0 You hold this knowledge as she speaks of your soul as revealed by the worms working the ground. Finally she looks at you and you understand the things you have felt, known and heard in this field.\u00a0 Some of the things are a welcome surprise and still others have the sting of truth.\u00a0 At the end, she hugs you and says \u201cAnd most of all, you are a loveable and loving.\u201d\u00a0 She places her hand over your heart and you feel healing energy move through your body like the earthworm moving through the soil.\u00a0 You thank her and she says goodbye.\u00a0 She disappears. With a long deep breath, you are back in the here and now.\u00a0 With a second deep breath, you open your eyes. With a third deep breath, you reconnect with your centeredness and reconnect with Mother Earth. As you return to your everyday place and time, record your journey in your journal or find some other way to record the wisdom you have learned.\u00a0 Make a promise to yourself to work this wisdom into your life. May your life be blessed with vision to see the beauty in everything, including the creepy crawlies!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":131,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"iawp_total_views":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4949","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4949","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/131"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4949"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4949\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4873,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4949\/revisions\/4873"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4949"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4949"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4949"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}