She floated in the rippling waters of the hot springs
her delicate wings reaching for air
unable to lift up to fly

I tiptoed slowly toward her
careful not to create waves of turbulence
and scooped her up in my cupped hands
water drained out between my fingers
six dragonfly feet touched down on my open palm

Setting her on dry ground in a sunbeam
I stepped away to give her ample room
to heal and rest and take a breath
while she assessed the changing situation
with the brilliance of her dragonfly eyes and mind

From across the steamy waters
I watched her open and close her wings
sparkling in the sunlight
setting a rhythm for the possibility of flight

I wondered if she’d been hovering close to the hot springs
to lay her eggs in the nourishing warmth
seeding the promise of generations to come
such a bold endeavor
dancing on glistening wings
in the threshold between water and air

She’d been born in the water
in the ancient ways of Dragonfly
emerging from the collection of eggs left by her mother
as had been done by countless ancestors before
she began life as a water being
transformed into one with wings
to flourish on the land and in the sky

Closing my eyes
I felt the healing waters
soothe my soul
soften my body
settle my heart
replenish my spirit
slowing me down
to join up with the rhythms of life

I peeked over now and then
to watch the shimmery dragonfly
follow the instinctive callings
of her own timing and pace
to find her way
as she stood at the crossroads
between living and dying
in the threshold between now and the next

Maybe it’s really this simple
after all
to remember our part
in the web of relationships
so our world keeps spinning
in the direction of love

Maybe it’s right here
in the medicine of each moment
in every choice
in every word
in any singular act
to reach toward one another
across the waters
through wild diversity
touching hands and hearts and wings and weightless feet

Maybe this is how
we’re healing our world
tending the heartaches
mending torn and tattered threads
infusing ourselves
each other
and the spaces between us
with respect and curiosity
caring and being cared for
seeing and being seen
all the while knowing we don’t know all there is to know
and still together creating
a living breathing changing world
a vast collective sanctuary
forever deepening and widening our embrace

Standing at the crossroads
resting in fertile thresholds
navigating unexpected paths
there’s a universe of potentials
readily within our reach
for giving and receiving companionship
weaving connection
making family
while remembering everyone is free to choose
when and how and if and where they go

Because it’s everybody’s birthright
to be who they really are
to live according to their sacred purpose and design
deeply rooted in being and belonging on earth
while we spiral together among the stars

So fly, little dragon
fly free, little dragon
fly, little dragonfly

****

Dragonfly Medicine

Ancestral Lineages

Bone Spirits Bundle

Bone Spirits Bundle © JoAnne Dodgson