| Golden Deer Holistic & Shamanic Stories for Transformation, Healing and Blessing Joan Marie Mickelson Holistic Practitioner |
The following is a Healing Story, Joan Marie Mickelson wrote for John
with the intention of aiding in his recovery after knee replacement
surgery.
John’s Healing story
As I tell you this story, allow yourself to pause upon the images, to savor them
and allow them to nourish your imagination.
John, you stand before a door, with one hand on the doorknob, you may open it
to this story. The wooden door hangs, attached with hinges, on the frame. So
that the hinges may work smoothly, the door must fit the frame snugly, yet not
bind. The hinges must be well fitted, lubricated and tightly attached to the frame.
As you open the door the images will unfold so that you may walk effortlessly
through the door that you now stand before.
You may step over the door jamb into the forest beyond. See yourself as you
walk along a shaded forest path stepping upon the moss, leaves, sticks and
other forest litter. As you walk, you are looking down, stopping occasionally to
pick up a stick or pebble. Nothing holds your interest and you drop the items
again or put them absently in your pockets.
Yet as you walk something remarkable is occurring without your immediate
awareness. For as you walk a little feather has begun to sprout on your thigh
and then another on your shin, then another and another and then a feather
sprouts on your right arm and then another on your left and then the feathers
on your arms grow into long quills like wing feathers, and the ones on your legs
are soft and downy and soon your legs and arms are covered with feathers and
you take one surprised look and realize, “I have wings.” You are so amazed that
you lift your arms and shake them and quite to your wonder you find yourself
lifted up into the air and grab the tree branch overhanging the forest path with
your taloned feet. From your perch upon the tree branch you can see the sky as
a dome resting upon the horizon. In the distance you see hills and beyond the
hills the faint dark shadowed silhouettes of mountains.
Inspired by the mountains you unfold your wings; you feel the air rippling
through your feathers lifting you until you catch an updraft. This new movement
and the force of the air holding you aloft causes you to tip from side to side
momentarily, then with grace you realize you can spiral and soar like the eagle
and you rise higher, allowing the wind to carry you.
As you soar you scan the landscape below and notice a lake and in the lake a
fish swimming near the surface. You think you can easily catch the fish, so you
dive, dip, clutch the fish with your taloned feet and rise again, to sit upon a
branch overhanging the water.
As you perch there enjoying your fresh meal, a small wizened man with long
white hair to his shoulders and a beard approaches the tree. He walks lightly,
stops below the tree, puts his hand on the trunk and peers up at you. “John,” he
calls up to you, “share your fish with me and I will guide you on your quest.” And
so, thinking you have nothing to lose but a few bites of fish, you hop down from
the tree and share the fish with the man. You tell him as you eat together that
you are flying toward the mountains in the distance and that your knee hurts
and you are seeking healing and relief.
The man climbs upon your back. And the two of you begin to fly toward the
mountains in the distance. The wise man sitting upon your back tells you, “Look
below. See how the river flows. You may follow the river to its source. See how it
begins high in the cloud covered mountains as single drops of rain and snow
crystals. Each drop of water is important to the river, and when the rain does not
fall the river runs dry.” The man tells you to spiral higher and higher until you
touch the clouds with your wing tips. As if the clouds were holding all the water
behind a great bulging curtain, the clouds are full of rain but unable to let even
one drop escape. With your sharp beak you pierce the curtain and unleash a
tumult of water that pours from the sky. You are refreshed as you fly through the
rain. The hillside streams flow, first as narrow rivulets, then the rivulets flow into
creeks and the creeks flow into the river. The man riding upon your back tells
you that the water is clear and pure and that you, like the earth will be infused
with this clear pure rain. The clear cool healing moisture, flows through your
veins carrying away impurities, and brings nourishment to all your cells.
As you fly the clouds break and you feel the warm sun upon your wings. The
little wise man tells you he has gone with you far enough. After you let him down
on the hillside, he points to a mountain peak and tells you to follow the stream
that flows through the valley then soar upward until you reach the peak. There
you will find his brother living in a hut who will continue to guide you in your
quest.
You do as the man has told you. When you approach the mountain summit you
see a small hut where you land and perch on the roof. Soon a small man who
looks similar to the first comes out from inside and looks up at you. You tell him
that you are flying to the mountain because your knee hurts and you are
seeking healing and relief. The man disappears inside his hut and when he
comes out has a handful of golden feathers. He tells you to jump down onto the
ground and there he wraps the feathers around your knee. He tells you, “These
feathers come from the golden sun bird. They shine and hold the warmth and
healing power of sunlight.” As he wraps them you feel light, warmth and energy
infuse your every cell. The man tells you that the warmth of the sun melts the ice
crystals on the mountain peaks, releasing the pure crystalline water that
nourishes flowers, grasses, trees and all that lives and grows along the sides of
mountain streams.
The man points to the distance and tells you that on the tallest peak you will find
another of his brothers. You expand your wings, feel their strength and
effortlessly reach out to the wind to lift you. Catching updrafts you are carried
across the mountain valleys. When you approach the peak you see it rumble
and shake. With a deep resonant voice it greets you while you circle overhead.
The third wise man comes out from under a stone shelter and looks up at you.
You land upon the roof of his shelter and tell him you have been directed to fly
toward this mountain because your knee hurts and you are seeking healing and
relief. The man tells you, “John the mountains are the raw bones of the earth.
This mountain peak is the living, moving earth. See how it shakes and rumbles.
The mountains rise with powerful forces from deep below. The earth presses
upward in an act of constant creation, just as your healing rises to the surface,
from deep within you. Feel the wonder of the earth as it creates itself, breathes,
pulses and moves. The earth and you are one and the same flesh and bone
and you share in the great power residing within the earth.”
The wise man then picks up a tiny pebble from the mountain peak and binds it
over the golden feathers wrapped around your knee. “You may ask the
mountain to lend you its strength. As you honor the mountain it will in return
honor you with your request.”
Now as we come to end of the story, John, you may write the ending. For as you
stand upon the mountain peak, empowered with the wisdom of your imagination,
see yourself uplifted by the wind, refreshed by the clear pure water of the
mountain streams, absorbing the energy of golden sunlight and vigorously
sharing the mountain’s creative forces.
John wrote the following letter:
The story itself resonated much with me because of my upbringing in a country
where the inhabitants rely much on fables and on imaginary imagery.... I indeed
savored the images and the journey on which you took me... I think it helped
minimizing and ultimately ending the pain I had when you - in December 2005 -
wrote the story for me. JD
Copyright Joan Marie Mickelson
with the intention of aiding in his recovery after knee replacement
surgery.
John’s Healing story
As I tell you this story, allow yourself to pause upon the images, to savor them
and allow them to nourish your imagination.
John, you stand before a door, with one hand on the doorknob, you may open it
to this story. The wooden door hangs, attached with hinges, on the frame. So
that the hinges may work smoothly, the door must fit the frame snugly, yet not
bind. The hinges must be well fitted, lubricated and tightly attached to the frame.
As you open the door the images will unfold so that you may walk effortlessly
through the door that you now stand before.
You may step over the door jamb into the forest beyond. See yourself as you
walk along a shaded forest path stepping upon the moss, leaves, sticks and
other forest litter. As you walk, you are looking down, stopping occasionally to
pick up a stick or pebble. Nothing holds your interest and you drop the items
again or put them absently in your pockets.
Yet as you walk something remarkable is occurring without your immediate
awareness. For as you walk a little feather has begun to sprout on your thigh
and then another on your shin, then another and another and then a feather
sprouts on your right arm and then another on your left and then the feathers
on your arms grow into long quills like wing feathers, and the ones on your legs
are soft and downy and soon your legs and arms are covered with feathers and
you take one surprised look and realize, “I have wings.” You are so amazed that
you lift your arms and shake them and quite to your wonder you find yourself
lifted up into the air and grab the tree branch overhanging the forest path with
your taloned feet. From your perch upon the tree branch you can see the sky as
a dome resting upon the horizon. In the distance you see hills and beyond the
hills the faint dark shadowed silhouettes of mountains.
Inspired by the mountains you unfold your wings; you feel the air rippling
through your feathers lifting you until you catch an updraft. This new movement
and the force of the air holding you aloft causes you to tip from side to side
momentarily, then with grace you realize you can spiral and soar like the eagle
and you rise higher, allowing the wind to carry you.
As you soar you scan the landscape below and notice a lake and in the lake a
fish swimming near the surface. You think you can easily catch the fish, so you
dive, dip, clutch the fish with your taloned feet and rise again, to sit upon a
branch overhanging the water.
As you perch there enjoying your fresh meal, a small wizened man with long
white hair to his shoulders and a beard approaches the tree. He walks lightly,
stops below the tree, puts his hand on the trunk and peers up at you. “John,” he
calls up to you, “share your fish with me and I will guide you on your quest.” And
so, thinking you have nothing to lose but a few bites of fish, you hop down from
the tree and share the fish with the man. You tell him as you eat together that
you are flying toward the mountains in the distance and that your knee hurts
and you are seeking healing and relief.
The man climbs upon your back. And the two of you begin to fly toward the
mountains in the distance. The wise man sitting upon your back tells you, “Look
below. See how the river flows. You may follow the river to its source. See how it
begins high in the cloud covered mountains as single drops of rain and snow
crystals. Each drop of water is important to the river, and when the rain does not
fall the river runs dry.” The man tells you to spiral higher and higher until you
touch the clouds with your wing tips. As if the clouds were holding all the water
behind a great bulging curtain, the clouds are full of rain but unable to let even
one drop escape. With your sharp beak you pierce the curtain and unleash a
tumult of water that pours from the sky. You are refreshed as you fly through the
rain. The hillside streams flow, first as narrow rivulets, then the rivulets flow into
creeks and the creeks flow into the river. The man riding upon your back tells
you that the water is clear and pure and that you, like the earth will be infused
with this clear pure rain. The clear cool healing moisture, flows through your
veins carrying away impurities, and brings nourishment to all your cells.
As you fly the clouds break and you feel the warm sun upon your wings. The
little wise man tells you he has gone with you far enough. After you let him down
on the hillside, he points to a mountain peak and tells you to follow the stream
that flows through the valley then soar upward until you reach the peak. There
you will find his brother living in a hut who will continue to guide you in your
quest.
You do as the man has told you. When you approach the mountain summit you
see a small hut where you land and perch on the roof. Soon a small man who
looks similar to the first comes out from inside and looks up at you. You tell him
that you are flying to the mountain because your knee hurts and you are
seeking healing and relief. The man disappears inside his hut and when he
comes out has a handful of golden feathers. He tells you to jump down onto the
ground and there he wraps the feathers around your knee. He tells you, “These
feathers come from the golden sun bird. They shine and hold the warmth and
healing power of sunlight.” As he wraps them you feel light, warmth and energy
infuse your every cell. The man tells you that the warmth of the sun melts the ice
crystals on the mountain peaks, releasing the pure crystalline water that
nourishes flowers, grasses, trees and all that lives and grows along the sides of
mountain streams.
The man points to the distance and tells you that on the tallest peak you will find
another of his brothers. You expand your wings, feel their strength and
effortlessly reach out to the wind to lift you. Catching updrafts you are carried
across the mountain valleys. When you approach the peak you see it rumble
and shake. With a deep resonant voice it greets you while you circle overhead.
The third wise man comes out from under a stone shelter and looks up at you.
You land upon the roof of his shelter and tell him you have been directed to fly
toward this mountain because your knee hurts and you are seeking healing and
relief. The man tells you, “John the mountains are the raw bones of the earth.
This mountain peak is the living, moving earth. See how it shakes and rumbles.
The mountains rise with powerful forces from deep below. The earth presses
upward in an act of constant creation, just as your healing rises to the surface,
from deep within you. Feel the wonder of the earth as it creates itself, breathes,
pulses and moves. The earth and you are one and the same flesh and bone
and you share in the great power residing within the earth.”
The wise man then picks up a tiny pebble from the mountain peak and binds it
over the golden feathers wrapped around your knee. “You may ask the
mountain to lend you its strength. As you honor the mountain it will in return
honor you with your request.”
Now as we come to end of the story, John, you may write the ending. For as you
stand upon the mountain peak, empowered with the wisdom of your imagination,
see yourself uplifted by the wind, refreshed by the clear pure water of the
mountain streams, absorbing the energy of golden sunlight and vigorously
sharing the mountain’s creative forces.
John wrote the following letter:
The story itself resonated much with me because of my upbringing in a country
where the inhabitants rely much on fables and on imaginary imagery.... I indeed
savored the images and the journey on which you took me... I think it helped
minimizing and ultimately ending the pain I had when you - in December 2005 -
wrote the story for me. JD
Copyright Joan Marie Mickelson