U Is For… Unicorns – a Search for Magic in the Madness!
Contributed by Karen Ferguson.
So here we are in 2020, which couldn’t get more bizarre if it tried. One moment I was wondering how much I could squeeze into one suitcase as I packed to immigrate to a little island in the Caribbean, and the next I was sitting in the Kruger National Park of South Africa in a 5-week national lockdown. Boom. Talk about a change of plans.
But everything was going to be okay because I had unicorns around me. And they brought messages for us.
Derived from the Latin word unicornis, it literally means ‘single horn’ and it all started about 2400 years ago when the historian Ctesias laid eyes on an Indian Rhino for the very first time and described it as being the size of a horse, white in color with a purple head and blue eyes, and a single large horn protruding from the forehead.
Wait, whaaaat?
Yes, abracadabra, the unicorn is born and for centuries we’ve been enthralled. And why not? How could such a creature not be pure magic? The horn itself held its own powers and those who drank from it were believed to be protected from stomach ailments, epilepsy and poison.
Similarly, the rhino’s horn has been both its blessing and its curse and has made them a target for hundreds of years. Around 130BC it was widely believed in China that drinking from a cup made of rhino horn could literally save one’s life by detecting poison as the liquid would fizz. In today’s world it’s believed to be a cure for many things from impotence to cancer and rhinos are dying at an unsustainable rate.
*sigh
Back to the magic though. And the fact that I’ll never think of a rhino as a rhino again. Being largely solitary animals, these unicorns ‘listen more than they speak’. I’ve been around them more times than I can count and never have I heard them make a single sound.
The message…
Create a Space for Silence
‘The quieter you become, the more you are able to hear.’ – Rumi
Find a space that can be dedicated solely to some daily quiet time. I picked an outside deck supposed to have been a bathroom for a treehouse, but nobody ever got that far and it’s now the loveliest yoga studio in all the universes. I keep my yoga mat ready and whenever I can, I take a few minutes to just sit and breathe. My 8-year old does it with me (for two to five minutes at a time) and so does my husband (we started with five and worked our way up to fifteen minutes).
TRY THIS:
Sit in a comfortable position with your back straight and your eyes closed. Breathe deeply and count slowly to three as you inhale and to four as you exhale. Extend that to five on the in-breath and six on the out-breath.
When you feel relaxed and your breathing is deep and even, start listening to what is around you. Identify as many sounds as you can. When you hear something pleasant, follow it for a few seconds before switching to another.
Meditation 101. Because the family that meditates together, stays together.
Seen as a symbol of stability, the African unicorn asks us to shift our thinking from a place of fear to one of adaptation.
The message…
Live with a Sense of Normality
‘Maybe it’s time to find a new normal.’ – Trish Doller
Because we simply feel better when our days have some kind of purpose. Make your bed in the morning, shower and get dressed just as if it was any normal day in the life of you.
Wear your bangles and put on a little lippy, and if you don’t have some kind of daily routine, create one!
TRY THIS:
When you wake up, pour hot water into a cup and squeeze the juice from half a lemon into the water. Sit in your favorite morning spot and drink your lemon-magic while pondering over three concepts. If you like journaling, even better:
*Think of three things you’re grateful for.
*Think of three things you’d love to get done.
*Think of three blessings for specific friends or family members.
Keep doing the little things that make you feel in control like a simple morning routine.
Even though they’re gentle, unicorns are immensely powerful and they remind us that we’re stronger than we think.
The message…
Use your Strength Wisely
‘Strength doesn’t come from what you can do. It comes from overcoming the things you thought you couldn’t.’ – Unknown
Being the queen of trying new things, I think I’ve done them all. And most of it in my forties! I took drumming lessons and found yoga. I taught myself to sew with Aunty Google’s help, started an art journal, and went back to school. I got a helix piercing, immersed myself in sound healing and the art of manifesting, hosted five spiritual retreats in distant places like Morocco and Mykonos, and learned how to cook. For real.
TRY ONE OF THESE:
*Do an online course on something you’ve always been interested in, or finally take the time to practice the art of practicing: drumming or baking or yoga or cross-stitch or a French braid (yup that was on my list).
*Declutter your home by doing one room or area or drawer every day.
*Make your own body lotion.
*Learn to paint with watercolors.
*Plan a herb garden.
*Teach yourself tai chi.
Whatever it is you’ve always wanted to do… do that!
None of us know how this is going to end. The only thing we have is today. For some that looks better than for others, but in the midst of it all the sun still rises and sets, our children still can’t find their shoes, dishes need washing, and how we deal with one of the biggest challenges we’ll ever get to face during this lifetime still remains a choice.
