Newsletter Articles written by Tera Thomas
Issue 15
The Little Red Hen
by Tera Thomas
The Little Red Hen was scratching in the dirt and found some wheat seeds. She was a hen with far reaching vision and big dreams; she could smell the baking bread that these seeds would one day allow her to make. Excited to share her special find, she wanted to include everyone she knew in the project. Everyone, it seemed, was very excited by the promise of fresh baked bread, but they were all too busy to help plant the seeds, to tend the sprouts, to harvest the wheat, to grind the flour, to knead the dough. We all know how the story goes—the Little Red Hen does all the work herself.
As I child I loved this story. I thought the Little Red Hen was a hero and in some ways I modeled my life on her. I wanted to do it all myself so I became hard working, self-sufficient. I did not need others to attain my goals. This is an American story, we are rewarded for hard work and encouraged to do things ourselves. But now it is a sad story to me. No matter how hard the Little Red Hen works, or how wonderful her bread tastes, she is alone. And could she really do her project all by herself? It is, after all, a fairy tale.
When I founded Hummingbird Farm I wanted to create some-thing with others, and this dream was so large that I knew I couldn’t do it alone. A part of me understands that we are all One and that restoring that connection in a conscious way is the purpose of all our lives. I could have created something smaller, something that I actually could do alone that would allow me to be separate. It would have been easier as I would not have been required to stretch in the ways I have been stretched; I could have maintained the illusion that I was in control. But I am not in control of Hummingbird Farm and I cannot do it alone.
The dolphins have said to me over and over, “You must learn about pod mind. It is the way of the future and the only way the human race will survive.”
I understood what they meant to a certain degree but, couldn’t quite see it in human terms. I talked to my classes about it and found that the idea was disturbing to people because they were afraid of losing their individuality. Most people had the idea that a pod must be like a commune or kibbutz or even a cult or religion.
“That’s not it!” the dolphins exclaimed. “Humans are only beginning to grasp this idea. It’s a way of expanding beyond your current limitations so that you are one with everything and individual at the same time. It is a way of learning to dance in harmony with every living creature to create an explosion of love and creativity on the planet. It is an evolution into the higher dimensions where one is able to recognize the self as Self and the self as Other, all at once.”
It is bigger than our minds can grasp, much larger than our individual selves, but not exclusive of our individual selves. We do not have to discard our individuality in order to join the planet in this dance of love. But we do have to let go of our fear of being dissolved into the cosmic soup of this new reality.
And what about our former heroine, the Little Red Hen? She must stop her judgment of others and allow them to help in her projects. She must let go of her rigid ideas and become more flexible; she must widen her vision to include others and allow them to be who they are as they become part of the whole. And she must be clear when she needs help to bring her dream into reality. This is the new, updated Little Red Hen, the role model for bringing into reality a beautiful dream and sharing it step-by-step with others.
I have learned so much from the animals about judgment, rigid thinking, control. They have pushed me again and again to release these things and to be more flexible and open. I have even begun to learn how to receive, truly receive. And now, in order to take this vision, Hummingbird Farm, to the next level, I must be clear about what we need. It’s easy for me to talk about the dream, to ask for prayers and blessings. In reality, we need much more.
It was like a miracle when we found this beautiful land and moved here. Many people thought it happened so easily that the land must have been given to us. This is incorrect—we are purchasing this land and we owe $264,000 for it. Our mortgage payment is $24,000 a year. Add to that $5,000 per year for land taxes and insurance, $12,000 for animal care (assuming that none of our animals is sick or has an emergency), and another $12,000 or more for utilities and general maintenance. On top of that, the fences need mending, the barn needs repairs, we need a new tractor, electrical work, a new computer, new software for our mailing list, and more. The fact is, we must come up with a large amount of money each month if we are going to be able to keep this land.
The amount of physical labor required is also huge. I personally do all of the animal care, the general farm maintenance, the mowing, the paperwork and administrative duties associated with a nonprofit and business; I teach classes, create the newsletter, do consultations, and the list goes on. It is more than one person can do and it is still not enough. The bottom line is, without help, Hummingbird Farm will not be here. This is not a project to do alone; it is a project that requires the help of many, many others.
Remind me—what is Hummingbird Farm?
Hummingbird Farm is a 49-acre nature sanctuary where humans, animals and nature participate in partnership in daily life and in the creation of all programs and projects. We hold classes in Animal Communication and Earth awareness, have ceremonies to celebrate the Earth and our connection to her and all the species who share this planet with us. We are just beginning on this piece of land and have big dreams of how we can create this space to serve so many people and animals. We want to build a workshop space to offer a variety of classes; a space for people to stay during classes or anytime they need a retreat to renew themselves; a place where children and adults can experience the beauty of a human/animal/nature partnership.
Hummingbird Farm is a space of peace and harmony where all beings are listened to, respected, and asked to participate. It is an example of the peace we can create in our world It is a place of love and inspiration for all who visit; it reminds us all of our connection to all of life. Hummingbird Farm helps to create a space in the hearts of all beings to bring peace, love, healing, and harmony to our planet.
In effect, we are talking about raising consciousness, opening hearts, and restoring our connection to all of life. It seems so intangible, how will that help with all of the problems in this world?
Awakening the awareness of our connection to all beings can:
ω Stop Animal Cruelty—Once we have had an experience of oneness with another species, it opens our hearts and it is no longer possible to abuse or misuse other creatures.
ωBegin to Embrace Members of the Human Race with Love and Respect—When we recognize the heart and spirit of another person we can see that at the core we are all beings of light and we can embrace our connection and allow our differences of expression.
ωEncourage Conservation—When we feel the Earth as a living, breathing, conscious being, we can no longer abuse her and the desire to love, honor and care for her is stirred within us.
ω Help to Heal Emotional and Physical Trauma—It has been well documented that animals of all species and the power of nature can assist people to overcome physical and emotional hurdles and to begin to live more fulfilling lives.
ωTeach Children and Adults to be Responsible for Their Actions—An experience of kinship with all of life is never forgotten and can be taken with us everywhere. We embrace all species as member of our own family and when we live our lives in this connection, it spills over to touch everyone we come in contact with.
ωProvide a Sanctuary for Animals and the Earth—This land will be left in trust to serve animals, humans, and the Earth as a space of natural beauty and peace long after we are gone.
These are some of our goals. Are you are interested in creating any of this on our planet? So many of you have told me how important Hummingbird Farm is to you. If it truly is important, how can you help?
Be a part of Hummingbird Farm
ω We need to pay off the mortgage for this land in 5 years or less. We cannot begin to build our workshop space, implement new programs, or even put the land in trust until it is paid for.
ω We need to develop a strong base of people who are willing to help out financially and physically to keep this land tended, loved, and paid for.
Your prayers and blessings are still very welcome, we definitely need them, and we need more. Can you send money? Can you spend time? Can you contribute in a way that makes Hummingbird Farm yours? What can you personally do to help this beautiful place grow? We are joining together for this creation so even a small contribution can make a huge difference. Any amount of money or time you can contribute is welcome and we are so grateful for it.
Hummingbird Farm does not belong to me, or even to the Board of Directors—the dream and the land belong to all of us, humans and animals who are sharing in this vision and working to make it a reality. It is a pod dream, a pod project. The Little Red Hen must become a dolphin and put her energy into something much bigger than her first dream of baked bread. That small dream produced one very special loaf of bread that fed the Little Red Hen and a few of her friends; our dream of Hummingbird Farm can feed the consciousness of thousands of people and help to change our world, literally! It is all here if we can only come together to make it happen. If we cannot come together, the dream will be lost. Because we are all connected—not in theory, but really—all of our actions affect the whole. We can decide what effect we are going to have on our planet by putting our attention to what we want to create.Won’t you give Hummingbird Farm your attention today?
Please ask yourself what you would be willing to commit to share in this vision and do something about it now. Send money, volunteer your time, spread the word to others. Your commitment and your efforts will come back to you a hundred times over because when we give of ourselves to share with others, to strengthen the whole, we are filled with immeasurable riches. This is the truth and not a fairy tale.
