How the Ageless Goddess Acts Resiliently, Courageously, and Wisely
by Jane Knox
SETTING:
A place reminiscent of the Kingdom in Sleeping Beauty. A strange spell has been cast and is blanketing the land.
ACT ONE: STARTING TO TAKE PRECAUTIONS
I had a vision, a waking dream. My deceased sister, Annie was floating over my ballet, belly dance and Tango studios in a blue plastic protective hospital gown. I heard her chanting over and over again in baby talk, “Nanny, no dance, no dance.” Nanny was the pet name my father called me. Annie died as a result of abdominal surgery. She had contracted MERSA, a highly contagious disease in the hospital. Because she had MERSA, we all had to wear the blue plastic gown in her presence.
Just a short time ago, the first cases of coronavirus were discovered in the area. Dancers were required to wash their hands for twenty seconds before Tango class and use a hand sanitizer. There was no special requirement for my belly dance class. A bottle of Purell was provided in the adjacent studio.
Listening to the news, I began to wonder if I should risk dancing at all. I have spent time and resources on belly dance, ballet, and particularly Tango, for many months. The thought of dropping Tango from my life was very difficult. Tango is the most threatening dance, in light of the virus, because partners often dance in a close embrace.
However, it is amazing how mysterious forces in the Universe intervene and take care of situations. Unconsciously, my psyche gave me messages of how best to respond to the threat of this contagion. Suddenly, my Tango teacher hurt my feelings in an email. He chided me about an unexpected matter, and there was no friendly buffer. His tone deeply hurt my feelings. I woke up several times during the night with the energy of the full moon disturbing my sleep.
ACT II: BARGAINING BEGINS
I woke into new realizations. My hurt feelings caused me to distance myself from Tango. My sister’s warning was having its effect. I let the emotional impact of her loving presence sink in.
I wrote to my Tango teacher. Hopefully, I graciously responded to him. Next, I canceled out of Tango. Then I canceled out of belly dance. But, I still planned to hold onto ballet and tap!
There is a need to realistically and honestly assess risk. But, I wondered, “How am I supposed to live in a world without dance?” Letting go of things I love isn’t easy. The bargaining in my mind began. My mind said, “Jane, there are certain things you are NOT going to give up. Give up Tango, but not T’ai Chi and Feldenkrais. These are BASIC TO YOUR WELLBEING!”
ACT III: THE ARRIVAL OF THE AGELESS GODDESS
The Universe often speaks in decrees, not questions. It is over a week later; the idea that I can bargain and negotiate with the force of a contagious virus is gone. Everything is closed except grocery stores, gas stations and banks. There are no regular classes and the pool at the Rec Center is closed. The wisdom of my sister’s dream warning has manifested in the world around me.
Now, I have the presence of mind to ask myself, “Jane, what would The Ageless Goddess do in the Time of Coronavirus?”
She would want me to put more energy into my mission, which has to do with the elevation of feminine principles in the world. My next step is to create a podcast. I want to perform. I also have this sense that nesting in my home will be fruitful in unforeseen ways. It’s time to take care of unfinished projects and clean up projects that have been sidelined. I have two pieces of writing to finish: “Little Luna,” and the small book on my sister Annie. Shrinking my borders is enriching my creative output.
POSTSCRIPT: LETTER TO THE UNKNOWABLE FUTURE
I feel as if I am living in an enchanted fairy tale scene come true. The future that’s arrived has one focal point: pandemic. A plague has descended on the earth. The consciousness of the whole world is gripped by the threat of this virus. How amazing it is that, suddenly, the virus lives within the consciousness of billions of people at the same moment!
Yes, we are under a spell. The whole world is under a spell. The world like the kingdom in Sleeping Beauty is sleeping. We all are dreaming, or the world is dreaming us. Perhaps for the first time, we can think of the whole world as one. Our shared humanity is our vulnerability to a contagious virus. We are united by what feels like a negative force. And yet, I feel connected in a whole new
way. In descending on the entire land we share, this plague is uniting us in shared, strange circumstances.
I don’t know what the next months will be like. I do know that I can choose to love being alive and align with all that is represented by the feminine principles. For instance, we are human beings, rather than human doings. The Ageless Goddess urges me to behave in the world with love and communicate with joy.
Enchantment grows around us in shimmering, poignant ways as spring approaches, and Mother Nature is at her grandest. I think of the problems with all the restrictions, but then I imagine what these obstacles will make possible and how they will protect the tender sprouts of new life.
This is cross-posted from Jane Knox’s blog The Ageless Goddess