Following the Sun

Did you know, the animal message for fox is a reminder to be discerning? It is, and let’s just say, there are no accidents. I no sooner turned Corrine into one pretty little fox, when her sister, Beth, showed up! Talk about perfect timing! 

Please, no jumping to conclusions! I was a good sorceress and even though I had my concerns, I held back my panic. In fact, the one thing I’ve learned since killing my husband is it’s best to wait. Wait, observe, listen, and check-in with myself before saying or doing anything at all. Mind you, it’s not easy living in an era of hastiness and fear. Yet, in this case, I maintained my composure and resisted the urge to ask anything. Beth informed me she was simply looking for help. 

It seemed several people in the area had told her I work with herbs and oils. She even went on to say that some believed I was a witch. If I’d ever cackled at anything, it was hearing this! 

“A witch? Now that’s funny! I’m nothing like a witch! Witches conjure things out of thin air. I simply have a deep understanding of nature. I mean, plants.” 

A bit confused and curious, Beth asked, “What’s up?” 

“What’s up? Nothing in particular.”

“Ok, you just seem nervous.” 

“Nervous? Nah. I simply caught myself saying ‘nature’ when I meant to say ‘plant’.” 

She politely accepted my explanation and proceeded to ask if I could help her with some patches of skin cancer. Cancer on the skin? How odd. What is it with this cancer? She pointed to a few strange spots on her face and shoulders, telling me the doctor was suggesting a specific type of surgery called MOHS. To be perfectly honest, I misunderstood what she said.

“S’mores?”

“No. Moes…M.O.H.S.” 

“Oh, MOHS! What sort of procedure is that?” 

“I haven’t a clue, I don’t care, and I am not ok with somebody cutting on my face!” 

I don’t blame her? But how do I help her? Let’s face it, this is a new disease to me. In fact, cancer was never a thing on Aeaea, and believe me, I would have known about it if it was, being that everyone answered to me. 

Hmmm! I wonder how everyone is getting along without me? Do they miss me, even a little? We had such an incredible time building our private sanctuary. Synergy was a way of life. We worked in sync with the light and seasons. Instead of fighting ourselves, and one another, we sought out solutions, delighted in the moment, and frequently made up songs to get us through the day. Will I ever have Aeaea again? Of course! I can create something like it in this world. I have no doubt there will be a few hurdles, and it doesn’t matter. My purpose is to introduce these mortals to their healing light. I know the stories about me mention elixirs and potions, but that’s only half the story. The time has come to reveal the rest! 

“Hey, Beth?” 

“Yes? Everything ok?” 

“Absolutely! I just flashed to an idea for a song and thought maybe you’d indulge me for a second. 

“I don’t mind, but…” 

I knew what she was going to say, and didn’t have the patience to let her finish. 

“Can you feel the waves of life 
(Can you) hear the sigh of love 
Do you believe in it? 
Following the Sun, just for the one 
till you find the door you thought
 following the Sun, like everyone 
searching for a sign of hope.” 

(lyrics from the song ‘Following the Sun’ by Enigma) 

“So, what do you think?” 

“My first thought? Holy cow! Your voice is incredibly sultry and seductive! I’ve honestly never heard anything like it! Almost siren like…” 

“I sound like a siren? How rude!” 

“No, Circe! Not a police siren, an enchanting siren like the ones Homer wrote about in The Odyssey. Come to think of it, that poem tells of the Enchantress Circe! I never made the connection until now. This makes this conversation even more enchanting. I’m definitely feeling calmer. Thank you for that, and if I may, who do you mean when you say ‘the one’?” 

“Technically, it could be anyone, but for the purpose of this conversation, the one is you! And, please forgive me, I was a bit harsh in calling you rude. I do appreciate your kindness.” 

Beth seemed puzzled by something, so I offered her a cup of tea to help further ease her into the conversation. 

“Thank you, Circe. That’s quite tasty.”

No, I did not give her a shapeshifting brew! We hadn’t talked long enough for me to be feeling that urge. Besides, she had asked me to help her with the skin cancer, and changing people into animals isn’t the only magic I do. There’s something more to these mortals than I’d given them credit for. I know, I can hardly believe it myself. The 21^st century is turning me into a softy. Maybe it’s the realization that the most efficient method for improving anything begins with a thoughtful response, rather than a panicked reaction. So, this was me, being thoughtful, also known as waiting.

“Beth, do you know what you want?” 

“I want you to help me get rid of this skin cancer.” 

“Ok, that’s a start. How about after the skin cancer is gone, what’s next? What are your desires?”

“Hmmmm…I’m not sure I know what you mean?” 

“We all have moments when we feel an urge to do something out of the norm. You know, that gut feeling that says go left when you typically go right.” 

“I think I understand. I sometimes feel like maybe I should try something different.”

“What do you do?” 

“It depends. If it doesn’t make sense to me or I think it’s not going to turn out well, I ignore them.” 

“That’s interesting. Tell me more.” 

“Well, I have a really flexible job. I’m also a volunteer DJ on a local station about thirty minutes away. The truth is, I love being a DJ but there’s no money in it, so, when another DJ needs coverage for one reason or another, I want to say yes, but don’t.” 

“Is that because there’s a conflict with your work schedule?” 

“Sadly, no. It’s because I need the money more, and subbing for another DJ doesn’t pay the bills.”

“What if more time on the air actually exposed you to more listeners, potentially opening new doors of opportunity for you?” 

“Maybe landing a paid DJ gig? But I can’t live on hope. What if I don’t get a job as a DJ? I cannot put off paying my bills just for a dream that may or may not come true.” 

“I get it, yet, it sounds like maybe you’re attached to a specific result?”

“Of course, I am.” 

“So, am I understanding you correctly, you only follow through on those muses when you’re guaranteed the result you want?” 

“I don’t feel like I have a choice! Quite frankly, nobody really has a choice. Taking risks is not an option.” 

“I find the human mind quite intriguing. There’s such extremism to our nature. It seems we struggle with finding a middle ground.” 

“What do you mean, Circe?” 

“Take your DJ position. You don’t want to sub, even though you love it more than your job, because you have bills to pay.” 

“That’s it, exactly.” 

“You’ve also said your job has a flexible schedule. You’re not accumulating more bills when you’re on the radio. So, what if, bear with me, what if you agreed to cover only those radio spots with a bigger audience? You see, a choice like this would be in alignment with your intuition. It’s about being selective, not hasty, and this degree of thoughtfulness keeps you being true to you, otherwise known as following the sun.”

“The sun?” 

“Yes, your inner light.” 

“I can sort of wrap my head around this, but how is this going to help the skin cancer concern?” 

“Good question, and hold that thought for a moment. Panacea!” 

“Who is Panacea?” 

“Panacea is one of my goats.”

“Oh my goodness, Circe, she is so sweet.” 

“There’s something about her that keeps me connected to me. Tell me, Beth, how do you remain balanced? You know, tapped into your life force.”

“Such an odd series of questions. Let me ask you this, when wouldn’t I be? I’m alive and living! How could I not be tapped into my life force, as you say?” 

“Fair enough. Let’s look at it this way, which may sound like a repeat conversation. Living according to one’s life force means we’re mindfully following our inner light, despite the objections and excuses. Please do your best to consider this point, rather than react to it.” 

“So, you think I should ignore my reasons for working, and listen to a whim? Please tell me how any of this helps skin cancer?” 

“Panacea, could you please bring me our cart of oils and herbs?”

“Wait, what? You expect a goat to understand your request?” 

“Of course, wouldn’t you?” 

“Uh, no, but then I’ve never had a pet goat.” 

“Goat, dog, it’s all the same! Everything is connected. As for your skin cancer, which one do you follow more often, the whim, as you call it, or the reason?” 

“As I said before, it depends, so, both. I see wants as a wish with very little value, comparatively speaking.” 

“That’s an interesting twist…” 

“Well, what do you expect? Money is a necessity.”

“It is required, that’s true, but the fact that people value money more than their intuition is intriguing!” 

“Well, until you or someone can give me a bonafide solution or explanation as to why I, or anyone, should switch to following their gut, I’ll keep doing what I know works.” 

“Ok. Describe your level of fulfillment in living, according to what works best for you.”

“I’m satisfied.” 

“I didn’t ask you if you were satisfied, I said fulfilled.” 

“I want more out of life, for sure.” 

“In that case, what’s your excuse for choosing less than?” 

“Circe, I just told you. Money makes the world go ‘round.” 

“Look, we could keep bouncing back and forth. What matters more to you, being right or being healthy?”

“Geez! Of course, I want to be healthy!” 

“So choose to take actions that align with your commitment to being healthy. Clearly, being able to pay your bills didn’t do much to prevent skin cancer.” 

“Touche. What am I supposed to do?” 

“Well, let’s take a look at the goodies Panacea has in our pouch.”

“I didn’t even see her come in!” 

“Thank you, Panacea! The first step, Beth, is to be more discerning when it comes to acting on your whims. Have you ever seen the movie, ‘Yes Man’?” 

“Actually, I have!” 

“The way this works is to practice choosing things that are meaningful for you. I’ve formulated a tea and oil blend that will help foster self-love and healthy skin. It’s important to remember, when we go against our nature we deny the love that sources us, a.k.a. our life force.” 

“The world does not allow the working person to choose what is meaningful.” 

“Ok, so this is a dysfunctional belief! And guess what? It’s being reflected by dysfunctional health.’ 

“What are you talking about?” 

“Have you heard the saying, as above, so below?”

“I have, although, never understood it.” 

“It defines alchemy and was first discussed in the Emerald Tablets. The point is, alchemy observes and works with energy. As for what this particular saying means, essentially the mind reflects the body and the body reflects the mind. Therefore, the more inflammatory our thoughts, the more inflammation in the body.” 

“How is this? It’s not like I’m yelling at myself.” 

“I know that; however, it is upsetting when we deny our whims. Can you agree with that?” 

“If I think about it long enough, yes.” 

I’m beginning to see a pattern with human thinking, that rapidly aligns with fear rather than love. I believe I have a plan to help these mortals flip that. If you’re wondering what was in Beth’s elixirs, I’ll give you the name of one ingredient: helichrysum, stemming from the Greek word “helios”, meaning sun, and “chrysos”, meaning gold. My mission is clear: help humans follow their sun in order to transmute their health into gold.