Once upon a time … a tale of self-perception, I wrote this story over 30 years ago. Having taught many workshops about Manifestation, this is a different way of expressing some of those learnings.

The full text is below the video which shows storyteller Sylvia Robertson in the Ecovillage Findhorn on the occasion of an Artists Hunt in October 2022.

 

Once Upon a time not so very long ago they lived in a forest an animal. Once Upon a time? Well some years back.

The forest? Well it was a very changeable forest. The trees could be green or brown or empty depending upon the time of year. The temperature could be warm or hot or cold (but always in Fahrenheit). The air could be still or breezy or a howling gale. It was unpredictable, but nevertheless exciting. The animal? Well, the animal had four legs and a tail, a long nose, two eyes, two ears and a mouth. That’s enough for now.

In the forest, among the trees were pools of water, left by the spring rains and winter snow melt. Some of the pools were brown and muddy as the falling rain had stirred and mixed the earth as it fell. Some of the pools were longer standing pools, having been there for years, and they were clear and sparkling bright.

As the animal wandered through the forest, sometimes she would be unhappy and did not like herself. When she felt like this, she would often go to one of the muddy puddles and bend over the edge to drink. Just before she started to drink she would see something moving in the water and start back away from the pool.

After a few attempts she realised that there was something magical about this pool, for the thing in it moved whenever she did. So she went and tried it out again, and sure enough, it seemed to move and shift just as she herself did.

After some thought and wondering she realised, as I’m sure that you have, that this magical pool was just reflecting herself. So she went back to the pool and had a good look at herself. What was she like?

Well, there were two big eyes and a long horn pointing out of the middle of her head. The skin was rather greyish or brownish and had big heavy wrinkles and a few warts. Her neck was thick and her body fat. Her legs were thick like tree trunks. Everything was a bit on the clumsy side to say the least. Our friend was very disappointed. Never having seen herself before, she had not really cared what she looked like, but now that she had been given the opportunity, she was very sad that she did not resemble some of the things in her life that she regarded as pretty or beautiful.

She went away and tried to forget about the reflection in the puddle. She did not like it, but could not keep from thinking about it and going back to one or other of the muddy brown pools for another peek to see if things were really as bad as she thought. Each muddy water hole she tried show the picture that she did not like, yet no two were the same. Because of the rubbish in the water and dead leaves and the colour of the mud, it was difficult to see a clear picture but it was not pretty in any of them.

“I don’t want to be a rhinoceros” thought the poor sad animal. Life was tough. She wanted to be beautiful. She wanted to be admired by the other creatures. She lay down slowly by the nearest muddy pool and began to cry.

After some time there was a flurry of wings, squawk and something landed a few feet away. “Ouch!” it exclaimed, picked itself up and blinked through unusually large, round eyes. It was an owl. “What’s the matter?” he asked of our friend with a voice like a soft November evening breeze.

“I don’t want to be ugly and fat and grey and wrinkled. I want to be beautiful and slender and graceful like a deer.”

Just then a stork glided serenely in to land beside the owl, closed her wings gently as she took two easy steps just like a ballet dancer. So light and graceful, the white feathers on her long curved neck and smooth back shining in the early sunlight.

“Well”, said the owl,”ugliness is really a matter of personal taste. I would not say that you’re ugly at all. And fatness is also relative.” He looked down at his own rather pear shaped belly. “And actually” he continued “you’re more like silver than grey, and where did you get the idea that you were wrinkled?”

“I looked in the pools and saw my reflection,” said the unhappy creature. “I don’t like me at all.”

“Ahem”, coughed the owl. “Seems to me that to decide on that sort of thing one needs to make comparisons, judgments, and when we do that we might like other folks’ particular qualities more than those that we have been given.”

“Take for example our friend the stork”, who by now had waded out into a pool and was fishing around for something tasty as a mid-morning snack. “She’s graceful and slender, an excellent fisherwoman, and (the owl lowered his voice), she’s not too bright. Whereas I may not be the best at aerobatics and my waistline speaks more of respectability than attracting lady owls into an owlet producing situation.”

“But look at the size of my head. That worthy cranium contains the equivalent of an apple Macintosh SE30. But who’s to say that the stork is better than me or I better than her? With all parts of the jigsaw puzzle my friend. No two the same, but everyone perfect as they are, and everyone changing every moment.”

“Anyway, my friend, have you noticed that your reflection looks a little different in each pool you look into? Well, that’s because they’re not reality, but just aspects of it. Have you tried looking into the clear pools? They’re much deeper, more permanent, clearer and less changing. They are not affected by the weather or the season. They are more reliable and nearer to the truth, and less distorted. Try it and see what you think.”

The animal was doubtful but willing to try, so off she lumbered, a little less down, walking stiffly and clumsily through the trees until she came to one of the clearer pools.

She moved over close to it, and glanced down into the deep colourless water and what was there? That can’t be right, she thought. The body she saw this time was silver, not gray. The single horn on her head was not thick and ugly and cruel, but long and slender and straight. The skin was smooth and sparkled in the sunlight. Legs are slender and powerful, like a horse’s. The eyes looking out were large and soft and filled with love and wisdom. The mane and tail were soft, silver coloured cascades of sparkling softness. “Who’s that?” asked the animal starting back in surprise.

“That’s you” answered the wise owl, who had flown along with her and now landed with the same clumsy crash. He picked himself up and went on, “at least it’s another of your aspects. In fact it’s closer to who you really are than the muddy pools because it’s a clearer reflection. But you also have to want to believe in yourself, or else you will never seek out the clearer pools, but find yourself always drawn to the muddy ones.”

The animal was struggling to understand all this. It was hard to grasp with her mind, but underneath there was a ‘feeling’ that the owl was telling the truth.

“Well, thank you!” she said to the owl. “You have helped me a lot.” She was looking straight at the owl now, and suddenly realised that her head was bent forward and she was looking down into one of the pools. There before her was the owl, staring back. He smiled and said, “don’t forget that the rhinoceros is also one of God’s creatures!” and the face gently dissolved into the water. Then the face of the stork came quickly into focus, smiled, spread her wings and gracefully took to the air.

And what was left in the pool reflection, was that lovely silver horse like shape with the single slender horn and the big, wise loving eyes…..