Rainbows And Rabbits

Succulent rabbits…. 

I have shared my life with quite a few animals so far, each bringing their own special brand of joy and love, family members each and every one. Apart from rabbits… I’ve only ever had one pet rabbit myself, who I absolutely adored..

Back in the day when there were still such things as live meat markets here, my parents and I were walking through one (strange place to take a four year old… but there you go…) when I saw a large wild rabbit who was destined for the pot confined in a tiny cage.

Of course, I burst into tears and begged Daddy to rescue the pretty rabbit (Dad = veterinary surgeon = animal saviour… it’s all so simple when you’re little) so he bought her, having first informed the seller that no, he did not want her “necking”.

Sorrel was as wild as they come, a large doe who bit and scratched everyone; yet strangely, would let me kiss her, cuddle her, carry her around, dress her up… She annoyed the life out of my father as when she was out in her run on the lawn, she would dig complex tunnels spoiling its pristine green velvet…

My sister, not unnaturally, requested a rabbit of her own. A second rabbit was duly purchased and introduced to the household. Personally, I think it was actually a hybrid of piranha and hyena. I was terrified of it, yet my sister persevered until one day, the rabbit charged her.

It ran at her like a demon and sank its teeth into her achilles tendon at the back of her leg, just at ankle height. It wouldn’t let go. It growled and scuffled… my sister coaxed… then pleaded… then started screaming… She and the rabbit were engaged in a deadly duel – she spun around, quite elegantly, on one leg, while the rabbit sank its teeth further into her flesh till finally my father rescued her. And re-homed the rabbit. Swiftly.

Not sure of its proper name but I call it Rabbits Ears

I have never had another pet rabbit, but even so I remember Sorrel with love, as she made me happy, much like a rainbow makes me happy. I am always fascinated by the natural light show created by rainbows and I am lucky enough to own several crystals that contain these sparkly bits.

Crystals that have these rainbow shimmers have an added quality of joy and optimism to them. They’re pocket vials of loveliness and hope, tangible reminders to us to look for the beauty in the smallest of things.

The spectrum of colours can be used in crystal therapy and healing to help us deal with the pain of loss and overcome sorrow. There is comfort to be found in these multi-coloured sparkly crystals – they remind us too, of a Promise made for continuity and love.

When our fur family members leave us, we say they have gone over The Rainbow Bridge; for even though we are sad they have left us behind, we know they are turning over a new page in their own Book Of Life. But we know they’ll wait for us, and when we have reached the end of our own story, they will be there to greet us and love us. Always.

With love from all of us here at CrystalCats to Jean, Bill and Shoko – thinking of you

Abalone And Anthropomorphic Animals…

Abalone is actually an edible shellfish, a member of the clam family, and while the creature itself can be eaten, its shell has metaphysical benefits too. Its wonderful iridescent shell is said to bring feelings of love, compassion and peace, with a particularly gentle vibration, perhaps because the abalone was once a living creature nurtured by the sea.

Abalone is soothing and calming, a good focus for meditation as you look into its shimmering spiral, and it also brings physical peace. It can be used to help with arthritis and other joint disorders, as well as helping with muscle, heart and digestion problems.

A bridge, a little step between worlds and a pause in a time of ever-evolving emotions, Abalone will bring peace and clarity in situations where feelings are volatile.

“Anthropomorphism”… fabulous word… essentially, the action of ascribing human emotions to an animal. In years gone by, people have rubbished the idea that animals could possibly feel emotions, but only now, science is starting to provide proof what your average pet owner has known all along. Of COURSE animals are capable of both feeling and demonstrating emotions, very effectively too.

Studies have been conducted into whales and their family dynamics, which show not only do they have relationships as deep and complex as humans, they feel emotions such as grief just as strongly as we do. I watched a television programme where a mother whale’s grief over the death of her baby affected the whole pod, so achingly apparent it made me cry too…

My father was one of the old school type of vets where animals were regarded as tools to help man, rather than as co-companions on this Earth, but nowadays, vets are generally a lot more… animal-friendly. I definitely do NOT think I am guilty of anthropomorphism when it comes to Charlie…on one of our vet visits, we happened to see a vet we’d seen maybe four months previously, who had deemed the emptying of Charlie’s anal glands necessary…

Oh yes. Charlie clearly remembered and despised this man who had so rudely grabbed her and squeezed her bottom. She folded in on herself, with her tail firmly tucked over her lady places and… glowered…Despite his most seductive cooing, “Oh my, you’re SO beautiful”, my little cat firmly refused to let this man examine the royal backside. He had to settle for prescribing her some tablets “just in case”, eyeing her doubtfully as she continued to make smiling threats…

On the other hand, Charlie is capable of expressing a whole range of emotions from joy to excitement to wonder… Already she is displaying anticipation of the big day…she knows she gets presents and special treats.

I even inflict Christmas on the budgie…this plastic budgie (as seen in the picture) was my misguided attempt to give Lucky a little company. For days, he huddled on the perch furthest away from the polymer playmate, looking miserable every time I saw him. Then one day I caught him…sharing a tender moment and chattering confidingly to his new friend.

But what do you buy a dragon for Christmas? My sister’s bearded dragon was definitely interested in Alex… I was quite interested by how the dragon – Frank – actually felt to the touch, sort of like a cold, leathery pastry crust.

My point is though of course animals have and demonstrate emotions – they have infinite patience and compassion for mankind in sharing their lives and this beautiful planet with us.

“When a man has love and respect for all living creatures, only then is he noble.”

Buddha

Sorry… Really?

Flowers are always good…

This has to be one of the most misused words in the English language, even being used as shorthand for “I beg your pardon”…as in “I didn’t hear what you said.” If you bump into someone accidentally, then it’s fine to say “Sorry!” and dart off…

I narrowly missed smacking an innocent young man right in the chops the other day. I was walking along, it was a busy afternoon, and I was replaying a particularly irritating conversation in my head – as you do – and when a suitably scathing reply popped into my head I waved my arms in agitation, nearly backhanding this bloke who was walking (perhaps a little too close) beside me.

I am a bit of an arm waver when I talk, and sometimes my over-enthusiastic gestures can be hazardous as I search for the words to physically grab them out of the air. I genuinely meant “Sorry!” as I saw the look of fright on his face as he ducked to avoid being assaulted by this obviously batty middle-aged woman…

But what has happened to the honesty of words… I sometimes feel I should carry placards with emojis on instead of wasting my word budget for the day…. Although I would probably end up beating some poor unfortunate about the head with them… or smashing unwary pigeons out of the air…

However, when I say “sorry” I really, truly mean it, with sincerity and meaning. I have had some real family issues centring around my older son that have left me feeling somewhat trampled, to be honest. He’s been like this for about five or six years now – he has issues that we have tried to help with – but I don’t want to turn this into a Pity Poor Me post.

Suffice it to say, there is fault on both sides, but he seems to think that he can say “Sorry” with no honesty and that the mere saying of the word makes everything all right and everything better. Don’t just SAY “Sorry” BE “Sorry.”

While I’m on the subject…in addition to this the Universe blessed me with a virus that has left me feeling %$*t …so to all my friends and readers I must truly apologise if I haven’t been around to comment, or I have been slow in answering. I will get there and I appreciate each and every one of you who has taken the time to stop for a read, a like or a comment.

Bear with me… xx

 Ting, with my “Sorry Siamese” card, beautifully created by Lady Joyful 

Carnelian And Comfort Cats

When I was a little girl – a very little girl – I had a teddy bear called Pinky Bear. I acquired him as we were walking through a market, my father carrying me, and I apparently reached out and neatly snagged this teddy bear from a toy stall. I refused to be parted from him – indeed, Pinky Bear had many individual adventures, including being lost on a train – and his soft, marshmallow pink fur epitomised comfort and security for me.

I no longer have Pinky Bear, but somehow, the colour pink retains an air of love and comfort for me… Carnelian is not normally a stone to which I am drawn, although I have written about it before, as it is a useful addition to any crystal collection, but Lizian’s latest order caught my eye…

Pink. Wonderful, striped shades of pink, some reminiscent of smoked salmon – I like that too… And I have also discovered recently that Carnelian is a wonderful stone of comfort. It deflects rage or anger that is directed towards you and helps your own anger or resentment to be gently dissolved, and a workable resolution reached.

Carnelian can help to lessen the bleakness of a situation where you feel emotionally isolated, and yes, bring the comfort you may remember from a much-loved childhood toy. Carnelian helps to restore the love and faith you have in Life, accepting the never-ending cycle of Life and Death, but not fearing it.

It imparts courage and confidence, the strength to carry on and can help to sharpen mental focus. Red Carnelian, as shown in some of the pictures, is useful for energising body and mind. Pink Carnelian, as soothing and warming as a cosy blanket, helps to restore trust and love, a comforting, happy stone.

Having shared the majority of my years on this Earth with a cat, or two, or three… or even four, it is safe to say I derive a lot of emotional comfort from the presence, love and companionship of my cats.

My old cat, Walter, was perhaps the supreme Comfort Cat Champion; his soft grey and black fur saw plenty of tears in his lifetime:

“There, there… tell me all about it and let’s see what can be done.”

I was so desperately lonely and bereft when his time came to cross the Rainbow Bridge… but now I have my quartet of princesses, the Furry Four, Mummy’s Girls, of which Charlie, Madame La Princesse, is undeniably Number One.

And when I am overwrought, or emotional, then I know there is comfort to be had, and love, in the presence of a warm, furry purrer…

Clear Quartz and Caring Cats

Most people in their lives may have come across Clear Quartz. It’s one of the most abundant minerals on the face of Mother Earth and as such is a commonly used crystal in most healing therapies and widely available to purchase. Its abundance does not lessen its importance however… completely the opposite actually. It is known as the ‘Master Healer’ because of its metaphysical properties and will also amplify the effect of any other crystals that you wish to use.

Clear Quartz is a wonderful repository for energy; it can store, release and regulate the universal flow of energy, so it is a useful crystal for healing therapies. Its versatile vibrational quality will work at any level and can be personally adapted to the energy level of the person needing healing. Clear Quartz can reset the energy back to a time before its pattern was disrupted, restoring the flow and helping to cleanse the physical and spiritual bodies and align the all the chakras.

Clear Quartz is a vessel for all the colours of the rainbow so will happily work with all chakras and in all levels of being. It retains information that can be accessed through meditation and can also be used for programming with intentions. By this I mean focus on the crystal, whilst holding it, and picture very clearly what you want. The crystal will receive this intention and store it, acting as a reminder and encouragement… a Post-It note for the Spirit, if you will…

Quartz crystals obviously come in all shapes and sizes, both naturally formed and artificially shaped. If they contain rainbows, then it is a symbol and reminder of happiness and can be used to help lift depression. Natural Quartz points generally have six facets at the tip that can correspond with the six main chakras. Spheres emit energy in all directions, wands focus it, eggs can detect and correct energy imbalances. Whatever the shape, these crystals were all part of Mother Earth and are reminders to us of her love and care.

Cats are sometimes portrayed as uncaring and self-interested, only concerned with humans as a means to an end… all cats, like all crystals are individual with their own unique personalities. I have been lucky enough own caring cats… there have been times when I have felt particularly down, and my little cat will jump up on my knee, look into my face, as if to say:

“It’s all right, I’m here now,” settle down and begin to purr her mantra of care and comfort.

Cats do care for us, whether this is an adaptation evolved through association with us, or perhaps, cats have learned the meaning of ‘family’. I don’t know… that video on YouTube of the brave cat saving the little boy from the vicious dog was an amazing example of the way our feline friends care for us… made me cry…

Although my cats are pleased to see me when I come home as they know it’s teatime, I would like to think they are also pleased to see me because they care. When I have had to go into hospital, my partner has looked after my cats devotedly, yet has reported back how they refused to eat, or settle down, wandering in and out of rooms meowing…

“Where’s my mother? Yes I know you’re here, but I don’t actually want YOU…”

And even though they have completely ignored me when I return, I know it’s only because they care… Some people scorn the idea of animals having human-style emotions, and claim that we are anthropomorphising them, but I have seen a mother cat grieve for her lost kitten, my mother’s dog Erin greet our return ecstatically, happiness written clearly in every line of her wagging, wriggling body – just a couple of extreme examples… but oh yes, cats care.

“Here, a chewed moth for you… never say I don’t bring you anything…”

Pounding the Pavements to Procure Pornography

“I NEED PORNOGRAPHY FOR MY SON!” I roared at the hapless sales assistant. He blushed and appeared confused at the sight of this 40-something year old woman, otherwise appearing perfectly respectable, if a little wild about the eyes and hair, screaming about obscene publications in his nice quiet bookshop.

There’s a story behind this… let me explain. My son is currently doing a Production Arts Level 3 Foundation Course at college, where they study various play scripts, discuss them, not only the content, but all aspects, like stage directions, and how they would produce their own performance, as well as involving themselves in the technical requirements, and then at the end of term perform a chosen play.

I have no argument with this syllabus – indeed it seems ideally tailored to suit budding actors, directors, lighting technicians and so on. My issue is with the reading list. And the county and city libraries. And, as a matter of fact, with all the book shops in the city where we live. Oh yes, and whoever chose the reading list (required of course) and the end of term performance script (unobtainable of course.)

“Are you hiding?”

This term, I personally believe that the college have set out to inflict – no, not the students – the parents or other purchasers of the necessary texts with the most obscure, out-of-print, unperformed plays. My son received his reading list on the Induction Day, and then it was the weekend, so I (foolishly) assumed that we would be able to pick up the books on the Saturday. How wrong I was.

The list started fairly innocuously, with texts by playwrights like Harold Pinter, Samuel Beckett… “Oh, no problem, we should be able to pick these up, but I don’t want to be in town all day…”

Six hours later, I am reduced to a sweating, hairy wreck, screaming at sales assistants while my son is standing in a corner, perusing the Classic Literature and pretending he doesn’t know me… I should have anticipated the problem really when I noticed that the end of term performance was ‘Pornography’ Simon Stephens.

I have a bit of mental stumbling block when it comes words that have any vaguely obscene connotations – there is a stop on my bus route involving the word ‘Bottom’… always raises a giggle… childish, I know.

Ultimately, what transpired was that no shop, charity, book, or specialist had a copy of the relevant text. Having been in town approximately five hours longer than I wanted, and having walked probably miles further than I intended, I can hardly be blamed (or excused) for indulging in a bit of a raging hissy fit against my son’s college, the chosen syllabus, reading lists, books, printing presses and Johannes Gutenberg, the inventor of the printing press. My son at this point, hastily interjected:

“Oh, can’t see it anywhere…”

“Let’s go and see Lizian!” (my son’s lovely crystal lady and her partner.)

We duly arrived at the shop, and at once an aura of peace, calm and serenity descended… My son explained our problem briefly while I simmered and spat in the corner, muttering dire imprecations about authors, titles…

Liz laughed gently while Ian smiled sympathetically:

“Oh, we can put a call out on Facebook, see if anyone has a copy…”

The Universe was gracious to me for the first time that day, as in due course my son’s old drama teacher presented him with a copy of ‘Pornography’. Ian said to me:

“You know, Samantha, I shall expect to see a post about this…”

Here you are ~ and thank you for the title!

“THERE you are!”

The Nature of Compassion

 

“Come the revolution they’ll all be dead,”
His father said and he shook his head.

The boy, he watched and inside he cried,
Cried for the innocents who had died.

He watched and waited,
He waited and learned
And vowed to help with the knowledge he earned.

This kind young man
He thought: “I can.”

Out on his own,
He flew to the zone

He tended the dying,
Wiped tears of the crying.

Then one day, the young man fell ill.
His last breath left him and he lay still.

His mother, she cried.
Part of her died.

His father raged and he shook his head.
“Come the revolution I’ll see the bastards dead.”

Words Copyright © 2016 Samantha Murdoch