"Primal Spirit" ©  1997 ~ oil and collage by Carol E. Fairbanks

"I waken into my dream traveling the now familiar wilderness landscape - that primal inner territory at the heart of all creation where Self is born."

                                                                ~  from At the Pool of Wonder
                                                                     by Marcia S Lauck & Deborah Koff-Chapin, artist

                                 The Wild Within

"Universal Oneness"©  1998  ~ colored pencil by Carol E. Fairbanks

We live a lifestyle where we are separated from the natural world, of which we are an integral part.  Because we are alienated from a very important natural part of ourselves, we think that we can afford to lose the presence of other forms of life on the planet and not be affected or diminished by it.  We see humans as above creation, instead of existing as a part of the natural scheme of things, and that belief has created a "hole" in our hearts and made us a bit "crazy".  I believe that the increased violence we are seeing in the news is a cry for connection... for a return to our place as humans to the created order in the web of all life. 

A way to bring healing to this "insanity", that has perverted our way of thinking, is to realize the "wildness" within each of us.... that place of primal connection that contains the blueprint for the origin of our species.  Our destiny, as humans,  lies within that grid, and it outlines our connection, as well as our responsibility,  to all expressions of life.... from the smallest one celled organism to the unlimited expanse of the cosmos......... and everything in between.  Would we be making decisions that focus mainly on the "economy"  and our illusions of "power" if we were in touch with this ancient knowledge?  Probably not.

When I was in Florida, during a school holiday, my husband, at the time, took me to a race where men, looking like they belonged to the Mafia,  forced greyhound dogs to complete for their pleasure and amusement.  While watching the unruly crowd screaming at this event, as if  their survival depended on the outcome, I was filled with sadness...both for the people and the dogs.  To separate myself from the depleting energy of that activity, I went within and wrote the following poem.

                                                        Animals

In the beginning,

God created animals,

Large,

Small,

Immense,

Tall.

Free as a gull

In the splendor of flight,

Swift as a deer

Running with might.

Never taking from the earth

More than their share.

Never raping the land,

As only man would dare.

Where are those creatures

Running free,

Flying high,

In numbers exceeding 

The stars in the sky?

Animals are fewer

In man's heavy chains,

Being hunted in woods,

And caged in zoos,

Ridden at races,

Amid shouts and angry faces.

Are men so foolish

To think that they

Can break the chain of life

And not dearly pay?

©1976 by Carol E. Fairbanks

So, can we really break that chain and get away with it?  Evidently not!  We are experiencing such a great imbalance on the planet today, that even the Mother Earth, herself, is angrily "shouting back" in protest with global warming.  It is my prayer that we, once again, connect with that chain we keep "pulling apart"....that we awaken from the nightmare of destruction and greed and move toward a compassionate consciousness of connection with all life....that we acknowledge the "wild within" that makes us human!