Dragonfly Prayer

A September dragonfly landed on the end of a mountain oak branch. I thought it was resting. I watched and rested, myself. I thought, “I will stay here as long as you do.”

Shortly after my resting began, I noticed a wasp flying closely around the branch. Suddenly, the dragonfly snatched the wasp and flew off darting here and there as if it was taking down its prey with aerobatic wrestling moves.

I think it was waiting more than resting, “being” in its keen awareness watching for the perfect moment to move, to act, to get what it needed, to do what was next to do.

As I am dealt a life–changing question to contemplate, I am reminded of how I know nothing about the future and what’s best for me and for all involved. Similarly, some are facing jobs getting eliminated, retirement money evaporating, partners leaving, loved ones dying.... The whole world would say these are crises and everyone would agree—this is bad news.

Yet, I watch the dragonfly as it waits, moving when the time is right. It does what is next, fully attentive to what appears in front of it.

The deeper my inner stillness gets, the clearer it is that life will move me. I will be moved. What is next appears in the moment at hand. It's found in my inner voice.

Imagine a clear, open mind in all its creativity and receptivity; a mind sparkling with translucent light shimmering through transparent wings of consciousness, shifting and changing in the changing seasons of life. Dragonfly shows me the way.

Jen Deraspe, owner of Nurture Through Nature, is a holistic retreat facilitator and practitioner of The Work of Byron Katie. She lives off the grid on Pleasant Mountain in Denmark, Maine. www.ntnreats.com, (207) 452-2929.