Robin’s Hood Covered A Healing Heart

I remember living in a shared house, the owner was to use the other half of the house for a healing room, she wouldn’t be living there. She was a healing practitioner in Reiki and wellbeing. It was an interesting experience as her own darkness came to the fore in her dealings with me. She would come in and move my things around as she was neat and tidy. She insisted the dishes must be done not rinsed, even if there is a cup on the sink it had to be washed. She wasn’t living there just coming and changing things, in her mind, it was her house and she was in control. She even got me to take away some of my happy clowny things as she didn’t like them, she felt they were childish, to me they were happy. I found that interesting, a part of herself she hadn’t explored, the fun part. There was a heaviness and depression in her presence.

Essentially she was unable to share with me, create a space for differences and let go of control. In the end she left me a note and forced me out. I was surprised and respected her wishes without negativity. I chose peace but observed her fears, thinking about the unhealed healer. I felt for her and thought of the power of fear and how control is often an outcome. As peoples fears increase, they dwell on situations and feel to exert more and more control.

My feeling is until we heal the heart and lead with the heart in mind, learn to allow freedom and lose control over others, we all lose freedom, the world becomes smaller and less happy. Control is not order it slowly becomes a prison for people as they restrict others, they restrict themselves and joy, they can never relax, as they are in constant states of worry and anxiety. Life continually falls beneath their expectations, they see what they don’t like, rather than what they do. The glass is half empty. Life is never perfect enough, as it is always less than what they want. It is not a happy place to live.

This is common in society and it comes from chaos within and perfectionism. People find they are unable to be flexible with another way, so it is their way. They feel to force others to live their way without sharing. Democracy of course, is about equality, sharing the space and through open dialogue, finding compromise. When people become hardlined we see the dictator emerge and that seldom brings positive outcomes unless the other wants to be controlled. It would be what I would call human rights and democracy in the home. At its core is respect of differences and learning to live together. It is a form of adaptation. We don’t go to work and impose (unless a controlling boss), most people find themselves being directed. So the seeds of this behaviour are experienced the majority of the time, where people learn to follow instructions rather than share power. Healthy consideration of others and respect of their rights to self determination is not well understood in our society. Moreover, as people control it spreads powerlessness and aberrant behaviour in the worse cases resulting in mental illness.

So I wrote this poem for Robin and gave it to her with love.

A TREE HOUSE FOR ALL

I see a robin in the trees,
Sitting alone feeling the breeze,
For she is tending her nest,
Keeping it clean and tidy,
Her home is her own domain,
And she is protective of her own,
For it is hard to leave the nest alone.

Others are flying but some stay alone,
For the fear of flying is deep,
For one has no control in flight,
Anything can happen,
The home is safe and secure,
Yet to lose that security,
To let go of order,
Creates disorder,
And her life is in chaos within.

A friend was sent to her to stay awhile,
She was singing her song happily,
For she had been flying for a long time,
And so dearly wanted to land,
To have a home at last,
To feel safe and secure for once,
For life has been lived on a wing and a prayer,
Yet she is becoming tired,
And she longs for a place to call home,
So that she may help others to fly,
Yet there was no heart in this home,
Home can only be where the heart is,
So she must leave,
For there is another branch up ahead,
And to fly is easy,
When in god you trust.

The robin needed to learn how to sing,
Yet her voice was not joyful and happy,
When she was given a flower,
She saw a childish toy,
Yet the gift was not the flower,
When the home celebrated with symbols of joy,
She saw only toys,
Yet she was given light and love,
And the freedom to share another’s vision,
For freedom shares everything,
Yet the blinds were closed,
Unable to see the light in the room.

For the house is dark,
When one looks for darkness,
And so the home became a house,
And the friend a stranger,
For the home was meant for family not friends.

Respect is not a token statement,
It means to allow another to express without interference,
To respect differences,
Without new rules which impose authority,
For control and power is to cut the wings of another and keep them grounded,
For the friend’s voice was silenced.

Consultation shares,
Directives ensure subordination,
This is not sharing,
Nor is it caring,
For this robin is unable to have a birds-eye-view,
When she is unable to see her reflection,
in the darkness.

True healing,
Is not in the hands,
True healing,
Is not in a room,
True healing is in intent,
For when one is a channel,
They only convey the good, the beautiful and the holy,
Anything else opens one to sorrow,
For the price of a room,
Was to lose a good friend,
Yet god sends only angels.

So robin it is time to sing happily with others,
For it is ok for notes to be different,
Enjoying the variety of plumes,
For only then will the forest smile,
For robin’s are in harmony with their true nature,
And you will learn to fly in freedom.