Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Inner Shaman

[Art by Susan Seddon Boulet]

Today
there was a full moon
just before dawn.
Wild Woman
walks
with a foot
in both worlds:
the practical
and the intuitive.

She recognizes
forces are
working
cooperatively,
within
and without,
striving for
the balance
and harmony
that has been
lacking.

She looks
within,
seeking the place
of love and compassion.
She looks
without,
knowing
she must practice
forgiveness
for what needs
forgiving.
She is being told
this is an
essential preparation
for what is
yet to come.

Today
Wild Woman
will walk by the sea
and reflect
on forgiveness.
She will release
pain and broken trust
over the waves
and watch them
fly away
like seabirds.
She will walk away
older, wiser,
lighter,
and
restored
to herself.
And she will
begin
again.

32 comments:

  1. And a clap of thunder,
    and sudden rain

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  2. indeed she will begin again as she always does...cycling through time one foot here and one foot there. Beautiful Sherry, just beautiful.

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  3. Sherry, I love the work in your 'Wild Woman' series, and this piece is not exception. Wisdom and grace sing off the screen, so nicely tuned. Thank you for sharing.

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  4. What a thing it must be to walk with a foot in both worlds and to give one's pain to the sea. Just so inspiring, Sherry.

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  5. Beautiful expression of forgiveness.

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  6. Wild Woman is very wise, indeed....a lovely poem filled with an inner strength.

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  7. Hello Sherry,

    Wild Woman, is indeed in a very contemplative mood. Lost in the peace of nature, within and out.
    Lovely words Sherry.

    I hope life is finding calm and order.
    Best wishes, Eileen :)

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  8. awesome sentiments, forgiveness is divine to have.

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  9. Inner Shaman...is there any other kind?

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  10. I agree with Kim and I think you should bring out a series.but the crucial thing is in those last lines...begin, again.given the nature of our world, the cultivation of human values is something that we must keep doing, even at the face of agonising adversities that render all our attempts futile.

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  11. The Universe! It can do that to you!
    It is the entire journey- from the awakening to the preparation of what's coming! (is it?)
    It gave me strange images of prophecy and tarot card readings- so so beautiful! :)

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  12. I love that a foot is in both worlds........ :)

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  13. Beautiful. I love the first stanza, like a prep for the balance of your poem. Forgiveness (by whatever name we may call it) opens the door to new beginnings; failure to forgive keeps us stuck. Simple premise, not so simple solution (until we're ready).

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  14. Wonderfully done, my friend, words of wisdom we should all take to heart.
    K

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  15. i've been digging up a lot of ground recently on the topic of womanhood, and how exactly the wild warrior beats that sound themselves within ought to be cultivated. the walking with a foot in both worlds... that part is key. your tone and understanding here are full of depth and quiet surety.
    beautifully done, sherry.

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  16. Those forces at work are amazingly described here. A wonderful work. Wise and mature.

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  17. I adore that start, I have a great adoration for intuition and I think that sensitvity and intuition go hand in hand. In order to walk in both worlds effectively and hold on to your poise and self respect while giving the human condition the respect it deserves....it helps to have a very developed intuition. Fantastic as always.

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  18. I have a soft spot in my heart for lyrical poems that tumble on in short lines, the way H.D. or William Carlos Williams does. Such gentle poetry.

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  19. And every end is a new beginning.

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  20. Learning forgiveness not so easy--you seem likeyou have a method. k.

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  21. What a lovely poem Sherry. Forgive and begin anew is excellent advice in many situations.

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  22. I love the final stanza. I wish I could do that, as well as Wild Woman does.
    K

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  23. Sherry, I need to be more like the wild woman. There is much I need to release...beautiful poem

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  24. great write Sherry .... the concept of two worlds really hit home here...

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  25. How true , sometimes we have to do a self analysis and then move ahead.

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  26. sometimes we have to do a self analysis and then move ahead

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  27. Sherry, this is lovely. To witness the universe, to forgive, and then to begin again. Funny, I wrote about Advent, and in some ways the theme mirrors this.

    Such lovely writing, my dear. Amy

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  28. A beautiful shaman song, Sherry, all about the perfected balance every healer must achieve. Hard work though -- lots of shamans died in their initiation trying to maintain it. I loved the image of the Wild Woman walking on that shore between the absolutes. - Brendan

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  29. A perfect way to begin everyday, let alone this Advent season!

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  30. I love your poems, Sherry, and have learned a lot. I had also learned a lot of Indian ways and traditions during the summer our form gang (cement road building) of three worked together, only us three, for three months.

    It was an older and very wise Indian man, a young Indian feeling his oats, and me. After that I sometimes tell people that I have Indian blood. My freckles make those people wonder.

    Your last verse hits home, today I went to the doctor and asked (I said please) the nurse who weighed me if she would measure my height.

    "older, wiser, lighter,
    and restored to herself.
    And she will begin again.
    "

    I have lost one inch in height, a lot of it due I am sure to my osteopenia, two crushed vertebrae, and a discectomy/laminectomy. I am a mess but still alive (my very good friend, four years older than me, died two days after Thanksgiving Day).
    ..

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