Part of the Journeys Into the Mirror collection of reflections by Janneke Koole—born from a lifetime of spiritual practice, personal healing, and a deep connection to nature. Inspired by her mother’s way of seeing beauty in the everyday, Janneke invites us to look at the outer seasons as mirrors for our inner lives. Each piece offers a story, image, or guided practice to help you reconnect with your senses, your spirit, and your own truth as a woman.
When I was first introduced to the Four Worlds of Grandmother Earth, I felt like a young child exploring a brand new world. Never before had I considered it possible that stones could talk, that trees embraced and healed us, that animals carried messages of grave importance, and that the little “kaboutertjes” (meaning gnomes in Dutch) from my mother’s storybook actually existed for real. Despite many cynical moments and counter voices inside my head, I began to listen, explore, and learn from these worlds.
I remember coming home to a family reunion in those early years and sitting on the driveway with some of my nieces creating stories as we played with stones. They looked at me as a rather strange aunt back then. But that was many years ago. Now it is not so uncommon to carry a “worry stone” in your pocket, to collect rocks from different places we visit, or to walk a labyrinth when we desire to still our mind.
When I began to relate to these “worlds” as my “relations,” I realized that I had been quite ignorant about this bigger family of mine. I saw that, as humans, we have choice in how we engage with the other worlds.
So I began to observe my choices and the choices of others. I saw how we can (and often do) ignore the sacredness of these worlds and blatantly trample them underfoot, destroy their homes, and claim them as our rightful possessions. I also saw that we could choose to care for them and appreciate their gifts with full respect and gratitude. Either way, our choices have great impact on self, on life, and on others.
Enduring Love
Finally last week, Susan’s voice sounded more relaxed again. It had been a long, bleak winter. Susan’s husband, John, had been hospitalized for three months. Slowly, slowly, the medications had stabilized his mind in a way that his body could absorb.
Manic Depression is a mental illness that has two contrasting sides: extraordinary ups and downs. Both can be devastating. In John’s mania, he spent family money and created uncontrolled debts. When he plummeted into depression, he was suicidal and completely withdrawn from those he loved. When his best friend committed suicide, John knew he needed help or he was destined to a similar end.
Susan stood by her husband through it all. She loved him and knew him. She also knew something was seriously wrong. Once the diagnosis was clear, she transformed her worry into more creative strategies for coping and caring.
Some months ago, I asked her what kept her so strong. She said there were four things that supported her.
“I would not have made it without my faith. I prayed and prayed and prayed. There were so many things that I did not understand but the hardest was to have no control. There was nothing I could do for John—except to continue to love him and keep our family and home secure. So I prayed to be strong enough to do that.
“I could not have done it without my family and the church community. You have no idea how they helped me. My brother taught me how to take over managing our finances. They collected money to pay for bills. They brought us meals—especially during the hardest time when John was in the hospital. And my girls, they just continued to love each other and me and their father. They are the best.
“This one may seem strange to you, but our dog Snooky was a steady support. Of course, he had to get his exercise so I would take him to the park. Those daily walks were my sanity.
“I said four things, didn’t I? The fourth is my garden. When you look at it now, you might not see what I see. But no matter what the season, I could dig my hands into that soil and feel better. Do you know there is always at least one plant in this garden that is visibly changing each day? That’s how I managed to keep my hope. I figured if the plants could change, so could I and so could John.”
When I heard Susan speak this way, I took a deep breath and opened my own eyes wider. I was impressed by her wisdom. She had really transformed the experience of her husband’s illness into a blessing.
This Journal is written for Susan and other women whose partners are victims of illness, disabling accidents, or other conditions that are detrimental to their personal and family security. A few minutes a day can make the difference of a lifetime.
From the stones we can learn how to be stable and change only what is essential. Among the plants, it is inevitable that we will relax and be restored to a more natural state of being. Animals, it seems, know just when to be there when we need them. These worlds do not actually need us but we do need them.
We carry these worlds inside us. Our bodies are like the stones, our hearts and energy fields are like the plants, and our instincts and natural talents are like the animals. These worlds are not foreign to us—they are our relations, our friends. We owe our lives to them for they provide us with our food, shelter, and clothing.
It is our connection to the spirit world that reminds us—we are part of a bigger family.
In the following pages, you will be asked to engage with these worlds as naturally as if they were your friends. If you do, you will begin to see through different eyes, hear with different ears, and know the interconnection, interdependence, and inter-reliability that we share with all our relations—the four worlds.
Excerpted from “Journey’s into the Mirror” written by Janneke Koole
DTMMS #DeerTribe #Heal #Change #Grow #SharingKnowledgeThatWorks
