Mythopoesis 5 – The Parable

For NaPoWriMo Day 5 For Sunday Whirligig: Whirligig #1 http://sundayswhirligig.blogspot.com/2015/03/

The Parable

Mama, I’m home
and I remembered my
question, how if I’m asking
about something I don’t
know, can I tell if the answer
is right or wrong for me?.

As I told you child,you
have a very good memory.
I’ve been thinking about your question
through the day, and decided that
the best way to answer it might
be to tell you The Parable of The Fool.
I even found a picture about his story.

Parable? What is that?

Another kind of story, something
like myth because it tells about
some part of the human story
and holds truth within it.
But, a parable is meant to
explain a specific thing, to answer
a question, to illustrate it,
by drawing a picture of it
in the mind of the listener.
That way, when the listener
encounters a similar experience,
she, or he, will remember
the picture and not be confused
like you were when you asked
your question.

Okay, I think I understand.
A parable is meant to help
someone to understand
what is happening, what it means,
and to save it in her memory.
I like the picture, Mama,
the man looks happy not scared.

That’s because he isn’t scared.
He’s excited and happy because
he is going on a journey.
He is feeling good because
he thinks he is free,
able to go wherever he wants,
do whatever he feels like doing.
But, he is a beginner, and although
he might know some things,
it certainly is not enough.

Oh, he’s like me. He
doesn’t know what
he doesn’t know. He
has to learn more,
has to ask questions,
and to listen for the answers.

Yes, exactly. And he will learn.
That is what his journey
is meant to do. He can not fathom,
how much he has yet to understand.
And he is about to step into his first lesson.

Clapping hands: He’s going to find
out something he doesn’t know!
Am I right?

Yes, you are, little one.
He is going to learn that he
must be more careful. See,
he’s got his head in the air,
not looking where he is going,
and is about to step off the edge
of the path, and maybe fall off that cliff.

Oh No! He could crack his head,
or break a bone. Why isn’t he watching
where he is going, Mama?
Is that why he’s called a Fool?

Yes, and no, child. Yes,
because he’s allowing all these
new surroundings to fill up his mind,
and not let him be aware of the danger.
He’s called The Fool because
he is ignorant, doesn’t know what
he needs to learn. You see the stick he is carrying?

Yes, but what is that little bundle
tied on the end of it for?

That’s called a knapsack and it
represents what he does know.
He didn’t want to be burdened
with a lot of things to carry,
so he took only what he thought
he would need.

Maybe he should have packed
a suitcase instead.

Smiling, he still has a lot to learn.
And he will, but in this moment
he is thinking of other things,
like that piece of fruit he just ate,
how sweet it was, crisp and crunchy,
filled with juices that ran down his chin.

Oh, like the apples when they are ready,
and won’t make you sick,
that we talked about yesterday.

Or, he might be listening for all
the different bird songs he’s been hearing,
and relishing all the new things he will be seeing,
and how glad he is that he has chosen
to take this journey and maybe make an adventure.

What about the little dog Mama, what does he represent?

Ah, you are catching on to how
the picture tells the story without
using words. That’s very smart, my child.
The little dog represents intuition,
the part of the brain that sees many things,
but most of all, what might harm us.
Dogs represent loyalty, and our intuition
travels with us wherever we go,
often warning us about the things
that might harm us, and others,
especially when we aren’t paying attention
to our surroundings. The little dog pounds
along at his feet, barking, trying to get his attention.

I think I understand. It’s like
when I’m at school, and I hear
you in my head, telling me that maybe
I really don’t want to do something ’cause
I could get hurt. But, it’s not really you,
it’s my in-tu-i-tion. Is that right?

Yes, that is right. It won’t
always be my voice, it might
be someone else’s, or something
that you remember happening,
or seeing before. It’s lots of things,
but what is most important,
is that we learn to listen to our intuition.
It is there to help us through our journey in life.

Why is he carrying that little white flower in his other hand?

That little white flower may be
the most important part of the parable.
It speaks about the ongoing dispute
between the head and the heart
that can sometimes feel like a war
being fought inside of us.

A war? Inside of us? That sounds scarey.

It can be. Right now, we must stop
and fix dinner. We’ll continue later
after we’ve eaten. Is that okay?

Yes, of course it is. Do you
have more pictures that tell parables?

An entire deck of them, child,
each card with a picture
and a parable of some sort.

Elizabeth Crawford 4/5/15

Notes: I already knew before starting this post that it would be about The Fool, just didn’t know quite how that would come about. Then remembered the Whirligig and went looking for the words. Couldn’t believe what they were, and knew immediately how they would fall into place for the post I had in mind. Thank you MMT, I love the synchronicity. The image is from the internet and is the zero (first card) of the Rider-Waite Tarot deck. The post is a bit lengthy, but I’m hoping you won’t mind.