A Burst of Wild Butterflies

The Value in Appreciating Your Progress—Small Things Grow Us

This post is about reflecting on your past, appreciating your progress, deepening your connection to your inner life, and gathering ideas and dreams to weave an integrated whole life—for the mystery of you to burst through.

Do you remember the old expression: “If it's not one thing, it's another?”

Part of me unconsciously adopted that saying as if a hesitation held me back. 
While I tend to rise to challenges and learn from them,
When I broke my leg two years ago,
I doubted my capacity to move through life as I had been and for good reason since there were three of us in the house using wheelchairs at the time. Me and my twins.
It was the straw that broke the camel's back.

It's true—I move differently—I'm different—I’ve been changed.
A couple of months in bed, a few months in a wheelchair, a few more on crutches,
and relearning how to walk will do it.
This catapulted me to the underground — a rite of passage I didn't see coming. 

At the start, it was dark.
I lost sight of all of our progress as a single-parent home, attending to twins (now age 27) with disabilities, and Autumn (now age 29) who recently completed her Master's Degree at Smith College.
Showing up, the ongoing support requirements, the ins and outs of helpers,
government assistance, advocacy, personal sacrifices,
and the Immense Love woven through it all—
I hit another bottom.

I would do it all again to feel Fierce Mama's Love Rising.
Yet a hidden part that ran the 'not enough' narrative pushed me over the edge.

I felt a call to return to dream therapy, my first love.
Reminiscent of my early therapist Eunice and years of recovery
from addiction and self-harm in the 70's.

My dreams revealed an unconscious part 
that expects 'the other shoe to drop.'
I made friends with this part and found a truer Self.
I rediscovered the valuable teachings of the notable Marion Woodman,
a Jungian Analyst through a colleague and friend.

Are we in a collective rite of passage?
Perhaps. The changes felt by many are abrupt and disturbing.
Some of us have lost our footing — precious ground.
Loss, heartbreak, and challenges are commonplace
— Not easy to navigate alone.

"Intensity brings us to the moment
when the mystery bursts through." 

This burst-through is for you too — the grace of mystery never leaves us.
It may feel distant, hidden, and missing but by strengthening our connection
to our inner life, circling together, and meeting our unconscious mind — the mystery does burst through.

In a recent dream
I was shown a woman in midlife with butterflies bursting out of her body,
especially at her head —
where the thinker spins, working hard to get it right.
This dream opened doors to
A solid sense of certainty, freedom, and immense gratitude.

The powerful benefits I received from working with dreams on and off for forty years have inspired me to open the doors to the Dream Weaver Mysterium.

In future posts, I will write more about how recording your dreams and learning how to work with them effectively provides mental health and creative benefits in your waking life.

A photo of two of my daughters, Autumn, Abby, and me in Portland.

Never lose sight of all that you've accomplished.
Honestly, It's the small things (your presence) at the moment that matters—
and bursts us open to what is beyond our ordinary awareness.
Like opening a door, tickling someone with a bad joke, smiling at a stranger,
or laughing at yourself in front of people you sustain an image for. 
Just let it all down, melt, dance, play.
Be yourself.
Life is too short to play big.
Small is what counts.

Is there a particular dream that stands out for you as direct guidance for your waking life?

Tell me about a challenge big or small that you may have overlooked as unimportant but today you realize the afterglow in your creative life.

Thank you for reading and receiving your dose of The Salty Crone
with love,

Prajna O’Hara
www.prajnaohara.com
P. S. I made an 11-minute video — Awakening Through Dreams

“The more you work with your dreams and your unconscious, and honor it, the more you understand it and it understands you. When you develop a relationship with your psyche this way, you begin to carry that energy into life and your relationships.”

— MARION WOODMAN

“In the universe, there are things that are known,
and things that are unknown, and in between, there are doors.”

— WILLIAM BLAKE