Sneaking in at the back… Bison’s Year

“Bison” Copyright Cat Pentescu.

It feels as though my last (real) post was way back on May Day of 2018. Everything since doesn’t really count: a rant, a dream, a reblog, a rant, and an accidentally forgotten post, scheduled for a solstice I barely remember.

What I didn’t recognise, at the time of writing of it, was that that the key point wasn’t the overwhelming feeling engendered on the drive home that night, but that the snippet of the song posted would prove as much a gauntleted challenge as the affirmation I believed it to be.

Time stands still
Beauty in all she is
I will be brave
I will not let anything, take away
What’s standing in front of me
Every breath, every hour has come to this.

So it was, that 2018 became the “missing year”, largely taken up by a rather large, though friendly enough, bison and his teachings.

To the Zuni, bison is a steadfast ally, with levels of endurance which allow him to rise above individual weakness. Bison reminds us of the sacred path, between Sky and Earth, whilst his medicine helps forge a closer connection, both to our truest self and to those with whom we are connected. No burden or hardship is so great that bison loses sight of the joy and gratitude to be found within those fundamental relationships. For bison, losing sight of the good things right before us is not an option, and apparent problems and hurdles retain a proper perspective.

At his core, bison is family oriented; protecting the herd when threatened, restoring balance, and ensuring that everything is done for the good of the herd. Living on the sidelines as a loner is the antithesis of bison medicine, yet standing up for a cause and being your own person, even in the face of adversity, are gifts which his presence bestows. Self care during difficult times, he reminds us, is essential.

Key terms include strength, connection, protection, loyalty, freedom, centred, sacrifice and honouring the same in others.

In short, if it hadn’t been for bison’s calming presence I might be in jail right now…

What? you may ask. It’s nearly the end of 2019, man…

Trauma, whether physical, mental, or spiritual, requires a significant period of self-healing for all of us. It is during such periods that our innate shamanic abilities become clearer (if we allow ourselves to be borne by the pain), and thus 2019 has been spent coming to terms with a deeper connection, an awakening and acceptance if you will, of levels of connection to, in, and of spirit which I had barely considered possible.

Perhaps the events of 2018, apologies for “vague-blogging” – I may write more at some other time, opened a necessary opportunity for this inner development.

The conclusion of that long-ago post, “Everything is exactly as it should be”, in the depth of the morass of everything that transpired last year, felt entirely alien; yet it was the thought of that singular sentiment, and the warming presence of bison, which provided the strength to power through the darker moments.