Think for a moment about the power object you found on your pilgrimage. Take it out and look at it for a moment. Is it “perfect?” Can any natural object ever truly not be perfect? Are you a “natural object?” If so, how can you ever not be perfect?
Coyote energy is reflected in the phrase, “Simplicity is perfection.” She teaches us to learn to distinguish what we need from what we want. Coyote won’t give us everything we want, but she will lead us to everything we need. If we need to find a path to our True Selves, Coyote will help us find the way.
In many legends from many lands, the hero accessed the Otherworld, that world that lies on the other side of the veil, through earth mounds or round houses with sodded roofs. These hollow earthen mounds hint at some sort of ritual preparation for the journey. They symbolize the womb of the earth mother. A seeker enters into one of these round mountains and emerges reborn after a vigil or other rite. A person reborn in this way is a child of the Earth Goddess.
This stage of the Way of the Coyote requires developing the skill of pattern finding. Such a skill means seeing connections in ways that others may not. It is a method of stepping back and seeing the bigger picture while still being able to focus on the details. Such ability transcends space and time and the barriers of life and death. Making connections that others cannot see is the heart of the poet’s art. One who masters this crossing has achieved the ability to channel divine wisdom through the art of the poet. Such a one has become a bard, able to walk between the worlds of the living and the dead. Such a one has met the Goddess and has learned to be “perfect” by being the person they were born to be.
Contemplate your own Meeting with the Goddess. What did you learn about yourself on your pilgrimage? What did you learn about your relationship to others? What did you learn about your relationship to nature? What did you learn about your own idea of perfection? Did any omens present themselves to you on your journey? When you have contemplated these things, go on and complete Part B of Worksheet 7.5 Pilgrimage Reflections.
After completing your pilgrimage and answering Part B of Worksheet 7.5, did your answers change? How? What does “perfection” look like for you? If you’re living in your own true nature, is that “perfect?” If you’re not, is that “perfect?” Remember, as always, that you’re the only person who gets to decide what “perfect” means for you. This is the lesson of the Meeting with the Goddess.
