The third day of my Healing Circle meeting the group from Vancouver called Callanish, whose mission is to “create a healing space for people who have been irrevocably changed by cancer”, held a grief circle. As the circle started, I remembered too quickly flag draped caskets and coming back to a country tired of war where veterans who had been through too many horrific experiences stood on street corners begging for food. Steve and I had served and as the memories resurfaced, I cried and trembled, Steve wrapped his arms around me as Janie held my hands. Only one other time had I come close to doing the deep soul work to unleash these demons, but the circle experience started deep healing that spread as the day progressed.
After the circle, I remember walking to the cliffs, drawn by the thunderous sound of the waves as they crashed onto the sand. The light rain mixed with waves of tears dripping down my face, and as I tried to wipe the waves away, I found I was not alone. Clumps of purple iris stood around me linking the ocean with the sky, heaven and earth, and reminded me of my forever link to warriors like me. Words from Marcel Proust (1871-1922), in his book The Prisoner; have become infamously paraphrased, “The only real voyage of discovery consists not in seeing new sights, but in looking with new eyes”. That day on the cliffs, as the waves roared far below, and overwhelmed by the deep soul work I had shared the purple iris became symbols of faith, wisdom, bravery and friendship giving me new eyes and deepening my healing. Look with new eyes this week and heal.
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