"I’m dropping slowly into sleep when an image suddenly appears unbidden waking me again:
“a female bird facing left, softest of soft smooth feathers, light brown grey with lower body light red/dull pink, size seemingly bigger than UK blackbird; fully present, here, alive, warm, with a heartbeat.“
I see stunning beauty in this bird; in her presence l am deeply moved, astonished, in wonder realising it is a female Kauai ‘O’o. I couldn't make this up if l tried.
This dream arrived the night after Rebecca Wildbear’s writing bringing our attention this extinct bird, and more, was published in part 1 of her Soulcraft Musing on the Animas website a few weeks after it first appeared in the Earthsongwave Dawn Chorus blog in March. The image on the Animas piece showed two birds facing right. The bird in the dream image faced left.
I am also surprised since it is very rare indeed that l dream, or remember, as l fall asleep or drop into sleep. More usually l remember dreams during the early hours or near morning waking.
I manage to wake enough to know to write something down, but was so tired l went straight back to sleep after writing. When l look at my notes in the morning l see l’ve also written 'song', but haven't remembered the song, darn; l forgot to record the dream song herself at the time as l’ve learned to do. The bird in the dream image is slightly lighter in grey/brown, slightly darker/vibrant in reddy/dull pink than the image on Rebecca’s article. But how astonishing that this extinct bird is singing and heard again in the world now, and in a very different land/way.
I let the image have her way with me. One thing that blows me over is the power of dream and deep imagination, as if the dream image here is a kind of ‘wave’ of Earthsongwave….the image comes on the second wave of publishing rather than the first. Isn’t that what Earthsongwave Dawn Chorus is about, to bring forth the impossible wave dream; one we humans cannot imagine by ourselves and which goes way beyond; that we are within a community, an entanglement with other more-than-human voices?
I find myself still, weeks later feeling into more questions, like:
Has she heard the longing of the male calling her? Is she calling him now? What/who now?
Has she heard my longing to hear her and the voices of the others who have gone or going and responding in gratitude, for being remembered, or? Oh, the power of longing and praise, of deep conversations shared.
What is the impact of such a song being heard again in the dreaming, echoing forward…..here and now in Earth on another continent?
Can she resonate with my singing for a human lover who may be extinct, like humanity may become, but who might just sing back in again upon hearing?
Is this writing yet another echo wave, of Kauai ‘O’o, Earthsongwave, and Rebecca’s article singing back an echoing song ? A different kind of third wave?
What can this mean that an extinct bird has sung into a dream?
I feel on the sharp cutting edge of utter awe, hope and total grief; a broken wide open scream.
A poem pops in:
The Wind, One Brilliant Day,
The wind one brilliant day called to my soul with an odour of jasmine. 'In return for the odour of my jasmine, I'd like all the odour of your roses.' 'I have no roses; all the flowers in my garden are dead.' 'Well then, I'll take the withered petals and the yellow leaves and the waters of the fountain.' the wind left. And I wept. And I said to myself: 'What have you done with the garden that was entrusted to you?'
Antonio Machado
Oh, what have we done!
I continue living the image, the questions, the awe, the heartbreak.
Ah, the Mystery and wonder of it all. Maybe Kauai ‘O’o and other’s have/will sing in to your dreams too.
There have been more truly beautiful experiences of Earthsongwave Dawn Chorus this year too with some posted in various places via email, Facebook, The Animas Commons, another 1,000 pages of the website visited, 56 countries; the impact, intimacy, love song, fecund wonder of an animate, songful, holy Earth. Experiences shared from Minnammura Estuary in New South Wales; renewed promises in Melbourne; pink double rainbows, raven and magpie song in Western Australia; love songs as sun breaks over the North Sea in Scotland; wide panorama song in Montana; singing across the Colorado Plateau, whispering in New Mexico and more; humans listening more intently.
Whilst Earthsongwave Dawn Chorus happens every one of Earth's orbits around the Sun on 1 April, you are invited to this ceremony more often through the year if you do not do so already. What if we are being invited to tend Earthsongs? And what may happen if we do?
The last circle around the Sun in Earthsongwave Dawn Chorus, we held a Women's New Moon Council. Listening this time we are invited to tend the experiences and songs encountered, like tending the song and warm heartbeat of Kauai ‘O’o. What might happen if we hold, stay with the edge, not drop and move on to something else like a Facebook Timeline. If you would like to meet monthly to 'stay with', make a nesting place for the impossible, tending Earthsongs over the next year, contact me and we can arrange time to gather together around Earth through the Zoom portal. What might birth and emerge from our nest tending, what impact might our tending Earthsongs have and is this tending another form of activism, protecting and living into wild Earth’s veiled dream and imagination?
Also, if you would like to become more involved, Earthsongwave Dawn Chorus is seeking someone who is skilled and willing to offer digital/social media skills; also for collaborators to enable further musings, shapings and waves of Earthsongwaves in different languages as well as English around Earth. What songs could you bring here?
Meanwhile, you are welcome to keep sending Earthsongs and articles, musings, sounds and images down through the Earthsongwave Dawn Chorus’ vibration waves.
May the waves of Kauai ‘O’o continue to ripple around Earth with their haunting longing love songs…
Earthsongwave blessings and gratitude ~
Wendy
Image by kind permission of Doug Van Houten
Wendy is Foundher of the yearly Earthsongwave Dawn Chorus. She is also an International nature-based Soul Initiation and Human Development Guide, Mentor and Supervisor, writer, poet and photographer who passionately tunes into the deeper mysteries through the veils of the human and more-than-human world listening for our unique voices born for and longing to come forth. She is involved in co-creating 'The Centre; Wild and Soulcentric' in West Coast, Scotland. Wendy has published a first book of poetry and images: 'Whispers; Imagining Earth Community, Surrendering to Earth's Wisdom'.
Thank you again Doug Van Houten for your beautiful collages. Doug lives in Kentucky and is an International Nature-Based Soul Initiation Guide with Animas Valley Institute. He is passionately heart-felt about bringing people into their unique conscious living in Earth's Dreaming particularly through dream, body and art; through programmes and mentoring.