From a dwelling to home….. a story of love and compassion
Land-dwellers, restricted by cultural norms that mandated “like produces like”, did not understand, nor did they care to understand the water-dwellers who lived out in the middle of the deep dark sea and enjoyed the freedom of interspecies breeding. This was the main reason that the rivalry between the two cultures was going so strongly during this particular period of evolutionary anomaly.
As the story has it, a male squid was born to a female jellyfish and a male killer whale. The squid, rather independent in all his neediness, was born equipped with two long flowing tentacle arms, eight strong yet flexible legs, and three hearts! All together made him perfect for giving and receiving hugs, support, and unconditional love. Being his nature, at birth, he couldn’t wait to do just that.
However, the squid’s dream for physical touch was shattered by the mother when each and every time he would approach her for affection, she would tell him “Go away! I am not capable of even touching you!” Hearing that, he would still attempt to at least touch her, and when he did, he got stung! It was a sting that took MONTHS to recuperate from! Before too long, the squid determined that the pain of his mother’s sting far outweighed the notion of possibility that he would ever actually feel his mother’s love. It was with that realization that the first
of his three hearts just stopped beating.
The squid’s dream for acceptance was shattered by his father when each and every time he did something in order to get approval, his father pushed him away and was stated “You are not a killer whale, you are a weak and impressionable squid! You are not big enough! You are not solid enough and you have no back bone! What good are you?” Before too long the realization that he was different and unacceptable as he was far outweighed the notion of possibility that he would ever feel his father’s love. It was in that moment that his second heart stopped beating.
Fearing that his last remaining heart would also stop, Squid jumped aboard a fishing boat clinging to some crabs in hopes of getting away from his surroundings and hopefully go some place where he could “become something worthy of love and acceptance”! Tucked away in the bottom of the net, he overheard the fishermen talking about a magical body of water at the very top of a mountain that never freezes. He heard them say that anyone who survives the climb up the mountain can jump into the lake AS IS and emerge from it AS THEY TRULY ARE.
Knowing deep inside that he was capable of so much more than swishing back and forth amongst those who did not even want to relate to him (either out of fear or disgust), and desperate to be something other than what others saw him as, the very moment the vessel arrived on shore he sprang from the boat with a giant leap and began bouncing up the trail as fast as his eight ‘legs’ would carry him.
Land-dwellers were immediately DISGUSTED and FRIGHTENED. They would either attack him or run as fast as they could when they saw this squid that was spraying ink all over their soil. Squid realized he must learn to blend in or he would be killed for sure! He darted from back yard to back yard and stole clothes off the lines and began covering himself up in attire that matched the Land-dwellers. He was able to go farther faster this way. Changing his clothes to match those around him allowed him to go seemingly unnoticed; or so he thought.
One day while dragging his heavy hiking boots (that contained four feet a piece), he bumped into a large soft body that resembled a human heart. Only this heart had two arms, two legs, and one giant eye! Frightened, the squid tried to hide, but she cocked her hearty head to the side, smiled, and said, “Hello seeker, I am Heartee and I see you! I know who you are, where you came from, and where you are going. May I lead the way?”
The squid, completely distrustful after all the hateful glares and physical beatings he had already endured along the way, was also exhausted. He said to himself “Why not. It’s not like I am going very fast on my own! Besides, companionship might be better than going it alone”.
Heartee soon taught squid some life lessons and gave him some tools to use along the way. Some of the tools seemed to help but he could not quite understand the compass thing! She would periodically yell out from the woods “Do you have any compass-on or are you simply using judgment”? Squid, not having a clue to what she meant would get all bent out of shape, call himself names, fall out of his clothes then run quickly to hide behind anything he could find before getting caught naked. Then he would hurry up and get dressed all over again. This happened with each new life lesson.
After doing this many times, he soon decided not to put so many layers back on during the re-dressing phase. He was finding the habitual routine rather ridiculous! Each time, without fail, Heartee could be heard saying, “Why bother hiding behind those garments that aren’t even yours? I told you - I see you! I know what you are, where you came from, and where you are going. I accept you”. Squid thought to himself “That’s IMPOSSIBLE!”
Just when things were looking up and hope became a daily experience, he stumbled upon a little witch with a basket of rocks. She scowled and was sarcastic. Squid didn’t really care for her but there was something odd and uniquely charming about this witch that mesmerized him. “Whatcha lookin at you little sea-dweller? And What are you doing in my woods?”
Squid, rather freaked out inside thought ‘Huh? She called me a SEA-dweller! She knows and she is out to get me!’ The witch responded to his thoughts with, “Such a little fool! I am here to help you! Can’t you see that? I helped make that Big Heart you follow! She was once a pit-bull. I transformed her. I can do the same for you if you wipe that fear off your face and get moving!” Squid, still not liking her, did kind of believe her and he REALLY wanted to be transformed. So he said squidishly, “OK”.
She was right, she did teach him some helpful things but periodically, for seemingly no apparent reason, she would sneak up from behind and throw a rock at him! SMACK right in the back of the head! Squid, getting irritated after it continued for weeks on end, yelled to Heartee and cried about how unfair it was, “I was starting to like her, respect her, and want to develop into someone more like her! Why would she be so helpful one minute and then so hurtful the next? Why?”
Heartee said, like she had said many times before about other things, the “Why” was unimportant! She told him to “look in” and see what lessons could be learned in the pain that might help him along his way. He did…and… HE DID!! Each stone caused a bruise, a little pain, and then in the healing process toughened up the raw grey skin so it was less sensitive to the environment around him, as well as the next unexpected stone. As time went on, and with each passing mile, he had learned how to anticipate the timing of an on coming stone, dodge it, OR make a tough decision to move his body in such a way that it would hit the most tender of spots so that spot too would toughen up. “Bring it on” he began to say in his sleep.
Months of travel went by and Squid began to actually having feelings. He was feeling grateful for Heartee and also grateful for the Witch, (although she did take a lot out of him at times). He still was not feeling so good about himself on the inside though. He had urges to trade in the hiking boots for a pair of sandals. The pants were heavy and clingy and he longed to trade them in for a long flowing gown like he had seen some land-dwellers wearing. There were many problems with this desire, first, sandals would bare his feet, second he was the wrong gender for the gowns, and third, people would recognize him as the Sea-dweller he was and THAT would mean death for sure.
Heartee continued to guide and mentor him as he tried on different clothes from different lines. Some worked, others clearly did not. She was helpful and patient during this experimental process even though she chuckled from time to time to see Squid in such discomfort. Heartee knew it was all going to be just fine. He, on the other hand, did not. But he DID KNOW he had to do whatever he could to reach that magical lake. The answers were there. He could feel it in his heart.
A shy woman, who had been lurking in the woods this whole time, was coming closer (Squid had known she was there, but ignored her for the most part. Squid wanted her to see that he was a squid but didn’t want her to know that was something he wanted). They didn’t acknowledge each others’ presence to each other and they did not come together, but they were connected in this bizarre game of “I know your there BUT I don’t want YOU to know that I know. So, I will pretend you are NOT there while all the while I will behave as if you are”. Desire was there, awkwardly so, seemingly and logistically forbidden since one was of land, the other of sea. She had followed him all the way from his arrival by boat. She was quiet, secretive (so she pretended), and committed to seeing him to the end of his journey.
As he neared the lake, Squid could see the edge sparkling with white and blue shimmering lights from the moon beams’ reflections on the surface. The water calm, peaceful, inviting and nothing like the sea in which he had come. He was scared AND excited! “What will this mean for me?” he thought. “ Who am I? What will I come out as?”
Heartee stepped aside and announced, “I can no longer assist you. You are here and ready. You will do it; or you will not. One thing you must know is that you cannot enter the lake unless you completely disrobe”!
“WHAT?”, he panicked, “Naked? But you will see me! SHE will see me! SHE will KNOW I am a squid and unworthy of a land-dweller!” Heartee smiled as usual, shook her head, and asked lovingly, “ Do you have any compass-on or are you judging again?”
Squid, knowing what she meant this time, began, piece by piece, to drop those layers of stolen clothing that he had used to shield, hide, and protect himself along his journey. She was right, he was here and he was ready.
His female lurker was close by, watching, worrying, and trying to decide what she was to do. “If I simply let him jump in alone he will never want ME as I am. I must also disrobe and jump in with him if there is to be any hope of being with him!” So, she disrobed, and waited behind the trees until it was time. She was in plain view of Heartee though, who winked at her for reassurance of a wise decision!
Squid, paused, cried in fear and anticipated relief. He was praying that he would not come out any worse than he was going in. With one last glance at Heartee, long enough to make the eye contact that always calmed his soul, he ran, held his breath, and JUMPED toward the lake! SPLASH!!!!
His lurker, from behind the trees, watched as he jumped and felt the panic of losing him. “I must goooooo tooooo” she bellowed as she ran as fast as her two bare naked human feet would carry her; plugging her nose and leaping high into the air above the great magical lake. SPLASH!!!
The giant splashes created ripples that spread far and wide across every inch of the pond and reached each shore at the same time and then, they stopped. The water became flat, calm, and quiet. Then suddenly in the middle of all the stillness, bubbles rose up from below. Starting from the center of the lake, the bubbles began moving in toward the shore. Soon two heads broke the lake’s surface. Then two bodies, larger than life, emerged from the great magical lake.
He, who went in as a squid, came out a big beautiful Goddess; radiant, humble, loving and WITH COMPASS ON!!!
SHE, who went in as the lurker, and came out as a big strong handsome Warrior; radiant, humble, loving, and WITH HIS COMPASS ON!!
Both smiling, looking one another deep in the eye and holding hands as they came into being. Those two lived as one, happily ever after to no end
Back on Consciousness Mountain, the witch got a bigger basket to hold more stones and made her way back down the mountain to maintain her practice of assisting (via attacking) others on their journey. Her aim got worse and worse as time went on though. Often times the stones came bouncing back and hitting her in the head.
Heartee, realizing another job well done, retired back into the forest from which she came and continued her meditative practice of healing the trees of the wounds inflicted by the witch.