“I have a story to tell, sit down and read my story and when it is done, think on it”
Once upon a time in a land slightly west of here, there lived a witch! She was one of those witches who was constantly on the go, seeing ‘clients’, brewing potions, concocting lotions, meeting the local coven for a fly by and feeding her cats, she had the best of lives! Her house was spick and span, the bottles kept dusted, labelled and in order, her cauldron always clean and the kettle ready to boil for a cuppa. Her little house smelled of herbs and the wood fire, the big table in her kitchen was kept clear and at the end of every night, polished with lavender and beeswax sending up a gorgeous aroma when she sat her pot of herbal tea on it. It was a wee oasis of calm at the edge of a very busy forest.
Recently however things had become even busier, she was very good at healing and her skills were in great demand. She had very little time for herself but as she loved helping others, it did not bother her that she rarely went to local ‘meetings’ or a night out on their brooms with the ‘girls’.
One evening, after a particularly manic day, she was rushing around trying to get ready to go out when she noticed that the black cat was not in his basket by the fire. She sat down on her chair, stilled her thoughts and concentrated but nowhere in her mind’s eye could she see him. This had never happened before; she was always able to see him, chasing mice in the attic or skulking behind a bush stalking the birds, but today nothing. The only thing she could see was a clock, reminding her how late she was and that her ‘client’ would be waiting. She decided that black cat must be around somewhere so she leapt out of her chair, threw on her hat and cloak, grabbed her broom stick and with a click on her left foot against the twigs, was off out into the night sky. Her appointment did not take long so she headed back home as soon as she could and there curled up in his basket was the black cat. Relieved she sat by the fire and even though she had lists upon lists of things to do, a sit down and a brew was the order of the day.
It was the sound of the china smashing against the hearth that woke her. She looked up at the big clock on the dresser and it showed 4am. She had fallen asleep in her chair, again! Her cats looked up at her annoyed at being woken from their slumbers; she went to the back door and stood in the chilly night air. Breathing in deeply she focussed on the moon and let out a huge cleansing breath. As she turned to go back into her kitchen she noticed that her broom was not perched against the wall and where was her cloak? As she walked back into her kitchen a shaft of moonlight hit the table, the witch stopped and stared. Her table was covered in bowls, bottles, dried up herbs and shrivelled flowers. There was not a clear space on it. The witch slumped back against the wall as the moonlight shone brightly into her kitchen; she could not believe what she saw, potion bottles piled up in the sink, drips of oils all over the floor, her precious books lying in a heap on the dresser and dust everywhere. It was a mess.
The witch bowed her head, a sudden feeling of total exhaustion taking over, she could barely move. As she raised her hand to cast the spell that would make it all right again, the black cat rubbed against her left leg. Looking down at him she realised that she was still wearing her cloak and there on the floor lying where it had been dropped, was her broomstick. The witch sighed, this was not something that could be sorted with just a click. Her mind and life had been so busy she could not see what was right in front of her. Where she saw order, there was chaos! Where she saw clear sky, there were clouds! How could she help others when she was quite clearly not helping herself? Time for a clear out of mind, body and soul! Time to stand in the moonlight and see things for what they are, messy but nothing that a large bowl of hot water and some soap would cure! Then a sit by the fire with her cats on her knee and a focus on what was important!
And the moral of the story, sometimes it takes a shaft of moonlight in the pitch black night to show you what matters. In the daylight we see everything, but at night, when the stars shine and the clouds clear from the moon, we are often shown what REALLY matters!
