Imagine a black cat walking atop your fence.

What does it mean?

But wait, the title of this post might be misinterpreted. A post probably shouldn’t start with me noting this. Yet, it could be misinterpreted, and maybe that’s ok. If I wanted to keep all of this to myself, I wouldn’t be writing this post. So, let’s move on and just go with the flow…

This is MY interpretation of… interpreting… and it may or may not be that of any number of people… and that’s fine. Maybe, then, this is about embracing individual interpretation of meaning, yet accepting that someone else can see it differently… and that your interpretation works for you, while that of someone else works for them… and neither needs (hopefully) to step across that indivisible boundary that says that someone is right and someone is wrong. Maybe, sometimes, there is mutual interpretation of something. How wonderful, no?!

Now that this is out of the way… I think…

I’ve long been fascinated by symbolism in different things, especially how one symbol can be interpreted different ways to different people, both over time and at the same time. But let’s move beyond interpreting, say, a physical symbol interpreted for its cultural significance or offensiveness. What happens when we open the door to individuation of the spiritual?

I don’t think I can possibly go further on this without noting that one shouldn’t force it (or, maybe that works for some?). Just because someone sees something, is it good practice to immediately try to see if it fits in a square, circular, or whatever-shaped hole? Let’s say someone sees an Eagle flying overhead. Should they immediately take significance in it, or will it come to them as a metaphor for something a few days later? The right answer is/could be… yes.

Personally, and for whatever reason, in recent years, I’ve come to appreciate being patient. I try not to force meaning in the moment. So, getting back to that black cat…

For one, it happened a few days ago. I know her. She’s one of a couple of feral cats around my house. When I saw her walk the fence, I was amazed given 1) how fragile the fence has become in the nearly six years since I weaved it and that it didn’t snap under her, and 2) the grace with which she walked across it. I also embrace the color black, so the whole “fear of black cats” thing just doesn’t exist for me. Anyway, it happened, and, at that moment I just thought it was pretty cool.

Turn the page forward to “mind stirrings” this morning…

I often think of how to best work as a patient interpreter of spiritual meaning in symbols/happenings. Frankly, I like the image of gently projecting weightless energy in a form of a pleasant, smoke-like mist, and then how it can commingle with the energy of something else. Ultimately, in the mind’s eye, it becomes a beautiful, swirling dance of energies… two or more mists intermingling, working together for a mutually appreciated, yet-to-be-made-clear, purpose (is this part of “living in the moment?). It’s not directed as some sort of forced “manifestation”. It’s merely an encounter… me wanting the opportunity to work as a partner with, say, some form(s) of nature. Perhaps something comes of it, perhaps not. Yet, I find not (impatiently) expecting a result can lead to one, and that it is rather pleasing to the soul. I celebrate the chance to encounter other energy more than the result… but appreciate both.

I know, I know… I seem to be getting further and further from the black cat on the fence. Allow me to weave a bit more, in order to fully assemble the picture.

There’s a philosophy in modern druidry, and indeed, witchcraft…

Ugh… alright, push away any stereotypes this invokes. Clean them away, and just listen without listening to respond with something negative. I hate that I even have to brace for such a thing. Moving on…

There’s a philosophy about “hedge-riding”… and, by the way, “hedge druids” and “hedge witches”? Generally defined, solitary practitioners of a form of folk magic that focus on the liminal spaces between the physical and spiritual worlds. So, “hedge-riding” might be defined as entering an altered state of consciousness to travel to the Otherworld or… even the natural world… for guidance and messages. It can be a form of trance work… which, frankly, conjures up more stereotypes and misunderstandings. To me, it can mean conscious, semi-conscious, and even unconscious. Since I’ve gone down enough rabbit holes in this post, and get further and further from my point… I’ll leave this without further explanation at this time…

That black cat on the fence was appreciated at the moment I saw it, for what I already explained. My thoughts this morning (which I already noted as well), bounced around the ideas on “hedge-riding”, or how one can work in the liminal spaces, between the physical and spiritual worlds. In that the black cat walked on this fence, it reminded me, also, of my work within and outside the spaces around the fence. Inside the fence is my soul space… my garden… where, for hours, I can quite literally, lose myself in the time I spend tending my herbs and plants. On the outside, within about ten yards… my driveway. Symbolic of two different worlds, and a metaphor, to boot.

“Magic”, or a series of coincidences that only I’ve spun together in my imagination? Well, for one, I take my “coincidences” in Jungian form, so… not coincidences. As far as “magic” goes… I’d argue that folklore and Hollywood have built many a misunderstanding in our heads as to what magic truly is. Symbolism? Yes, for me, and it’s enough for me.

How can we both embrace and let go? How can we commingle with other things, and, indeed, people… enjoy the differences in the moment… and just walk away in celebration of the encounter? As for the spirituality in symbolism… the inferred “magic”, perhaps… maybe it’s only realized later. Maybe it’s not just a read on something we observe, but also what we realize about ourselves in the aftermath. Perhaps it also results in seeking a change in ourselves… and perhaps I’m going down yet another rabbit hole. 😉

*Yes, that’s an image of the wattle fence I made nearly six years ago.