8/6/08

Wrestling with a Demon Story

The last post continues to disturb me. I signed on this morning with the intention of pulling it down. I might, yet. The story is negative, about a sticky sludge pool of human behavior. Third person voice distances and I tried to be smart about telling it, that is, make it a game. Still,the story is the proverbial giant tar baby. To tell it gives the story momentum. I want to contain it, make it go away, go back to the fine program we had going before the destruction. I want to heal the mess. I don't want to be stuck in it. I want to change the story. I want to hold the wrong doers accountable. I want them to see and acknowledge what they've done. I want to walk away. And I don't want to walk away from those who have been harmed.

My wise spirit reminds me that I can't change the essential nature of the story. No matter how I tell it the story remains a disturbing test of failed human behavior. What can I do? I ask my Teacher. I already know the rule: Anything you do must serve compassion, or love.

What if an enemy is coming toward me, toward all of us, to destroy us. How does love combat that enemy?

"I wouldn't stand there ruminating, I'd run," he says. We laugh. We've already gone over this territory. Self-defense in such situations is moral. Invading countries for their resources, isn't--

What do you do when you encounter any demon? You stay out of the way. Don't feed it with anger, fury, fear, self-righteousness, or anything else churning around in the reaction. If it is starved, it will go somewhere else, to live. Or lose momentum and fade away.

Bring about stories of beauty and complexity to feed the spirits of your ancestors, your grandchildren.

Makes sense to me.

4 comments:

Unknown said...

I had a vision a few years ago while camping. A black horse came to me and said, climb on my back I have something to show you. After climbing upon the bare back of the stallion it took off in flight towards space. We landed in a place I had never seen before, somewhere distant in the universe and yet present. I climbed down from the horse and watched this black mass slowly move forward. I could tell the mass made the horse nervous. Everything the mass touched, which seemed like energy, was consumed. Then the horse said, watch closely as a purple mist began to form above the mass. Out of the dark mass three bright stars emerged shooting straight up through the darkness and purple hue. See those stars, he horse said, that's where you come from.

Whenever I feel a negative energy i remember that vision and the black horse.

Anonymous said...

Aho

Peggy said...

But good can come of telling these kinds of stories: others in similar situations might realize they aren't the only ones, someone might have a solution to the problem, someone else might realize he or she is flirting with danger. And letting us know that these kinds of injustices continue to happen will keep us on our toes. And it lets me know you struggle with decisions, change your mind, and fine tune your writing, all of which is very encouraging to me, another human being, as I stumble down my own path.
Peace, Peggy

Joy Harjo said...

Thanks so much for the vision Cindy. Beautiful and useful.
And thanks for reminding me, Peggy.
And thanks everyone for posting a response.
All this is helpful. The academic term starts in a few weeks.

Joy