“Tell me, what it is you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” – from “The Summer Day” by Mary Oliver
Beloved poet Mary Oliver passed away yesterday at the age of 83. The last two lines of her famous poem quoted above gives us a call to action: Come, make the most of your life and make it what you want it to be. The line before these two is this: “Doesn’t everything die at last, and too soon?” Yes, yes, everything does die and die too soon for all we want to do and be. Never in a thousand years could I do everything I dream of, however, we are capable of achieving some of our dreams.
Sometimes doing what’s needed to be the person we aspire to be is hard. Sometimes we have to gain a new perspective. Or learn not to permanently attach ourselves to our wounds – they may teach us but we shouldn’t let them direct us. Shapeshifting is in much of world mythology, and is often used as a transformation to something great. Cerridwen and Gwion’s fantastic chase and even Merlin teaching Arthur in “The Once and Future King” are two examples. In other legends, shapeshifters are often depicted as evil beings, but in reality each and every one of us is a shapeshifter to some degree. Learn to use this skill to become what you want to be.
Sorry for rattling on, but sometimes I just feel called to do so. Blessings!
Shape-Shifter
Native Spirit Wisdom: In Earth-based cultures, Shapeshifters had the mystic ability to transform into other forms of consciousness. It said that these beings were not imagining that they were changing into a specific plant, animal, or stone; they could actually move into another shape. Just because most people today don’t think this is possible doesn’t mean that it’s not true. This card shows you because it wants you to know that your past does not need to equal your future. Simply shifting your point of you or your belief system can bring an entirely new destiny into being.
The Journey: To deep in your ability to shape shift, simply imagine that you’re an animal, bird, plant, or stone. Make it as real as you can. Doing this deepens your ability to shift your beliefs and limiting decisions that perhaps have held you back from fulfilling your highest destiny.
Native Spirit Oracle by author Denise Lynn and artists Charles McStravick
Parting the Mists 
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