Newsletter Articles written by Tera Thomas
Issue 18
The Art of Sharing
by Tera Thomas
When I swam with the dolphins last year, they gave me a concept to ponder—pod mind. Before I heard it stated this way, I had been working with the concept myself, and wondering how humans could live together in harmony. We humans encourage and value individual achievements and our status is measured by our individual wealth. Me and Mine are the all important barometers for what we will and won’t do, what we want and don’t want in our lives. When we find a partner and form a family, the our that we become is also inclusive, as if we are all on separate teams in this super bowl of life and there are only a few winners. We have forgotten that we live on an abundant planet and there is enough for all. Why do competition and greed become so cruel and deadly?
I continually watch the herd of llamas, alpacas, and goats that I live with to better understand the concept of pod mind. I had the idea that when you are part of a herd or a pod, individual desires are not considered and your individual personality is given up in the interest of harmony, but this is the farthest thing from the truth.
“My” herd consists of five llamas, one alpaca, and three goats. Each of them has a very distinct personality, definite likes and dislikes, and very strong opinions. They also have unique relationships with each other. For instance, Shanti and Lucy are sisters, one year apart. Their relationship is that of very close siblings and best girlfriends. Lola, their mom, is a very strong, willful lady. Lola is the herd boss and makes the decisions about where they go in the pasture. Inka is the herd shaman and Lola consults with him often. The goats came here at one-week old and were bottle fed so the herd still sees them as the young ones. Each of the others play with goats in their own special way, and when the herd moves from one pasture to another, the goats are guarded.
Paco, the alpaca, is very strong willed. He loves the goats, beds down next to them, and plays with them. Paco also loves to irritate Lola and he will push her farther than any one else in the herd. He is half her size but he doesn’t care. Once he’s really gotten her riled, he’ll back off and the next thing you know they are grazing together.
Lucy has always been in love with Rainbow and she flirts with him constantly. Rainbow was gelded at a year old and doesn’t have a clue what she is doing. He is really befuddled by it sometimes, but he likes her company. Shanti, loves Inka like a favorite uncle that protects her.
Every herd member has strong boundaries. Inka goes in the feed shed and steals bites of hay, but none of the others will cross that line as it is Inka’s territory. There are times when it is okay to rub up against each other and times when physical closeness is not wanted. They don’t make a big deal about these boundaries, they just respect each other.
The point I want to make here is that it seems so easy for this herd, and for pods of dolphins, to be open to each other, to share their lives so intimately, and to remain intact as strong individual personalities. Yet they blend together seamlessly for the good of the herd.
Boundaries are not so easy for us humans—at least they haven’t been for me. When I was younger I had very poor boundaries. I was afraid that if I said “no” it would make people not like me and being liked was important to me. Then I reached a stage where I was angry that I had allowed myself to be stepped on so I put up walls to keep everyone out. I thought at that phase of my life that I was finally doing it right, I was putting me first.
When I started working with animals they showed me a different picture—the idea was not to keep everyone and everything out, but to embrace my connection with all living beings, including my own species, and to share who I am. What a concept—I had no clue how to do that.
My first instruction was to change my daily protection practice. I had been putting up a shield of light to protect myself and I was told that the shield kept out the things I might want in my life as well as the things I didn’t. They suggested I change the shield to a filter so that I could allow love, and other good things to enter. Just this concept alone changed so much in me. I realized that I didn’t want to isolate myself and keep everything outside, I wanted to be open.
Next they showed me the concept of ownership and I saw that the only thing you can actually possess is your own body—and even that is temporary. Land cannot be owned. The animals in my life are not pets, they are companions and I do not own them, we choose to be together.
When I was dreaming about Hummingbird Farm, my cat George told me that it needed to be nonprofit organization. Nonprofit actually means that no one owns it, and never can. It also means that you are stating to the universe that this is not a solo project, it is meant to be shared with others. And so I relinquished the ownership of my vision and sent it out into the world. Many of you have made yourselves a part of Hummingbird Farm by spending time here, by sending your prayers and your financial support, by letting the feeling of this harmonic vision fill your hearts and dreams even though you have never set foot on the land.
We are at a new crossroad and it is time for Hummingbird Farm to grow yet again. We are envisioning more workshops, picturing the creation of a building to become the learning center, seeing our family and children’s programs take flight. This work is about connection, sharing, letting others in on many levels. So many times I have been frightened by the immensity of this vision and the amount of opening myself that it requires. I have even tried to quit a few times, but the animals and the spirits of this land will not let me. “We are supporting you,” they say. “You are safe, and it’s your path to bring this connection to All That Is into your own life and the lives of others.” So, I won’t quit, I will open myself more, and commit myself deeper.
As I watch my herd, I see there is an art to sharing and I am learning that art bit by bit. I feel the joy of their shared vision and marvel at the subtle, clear ways they remain individuals within the group. It is important to nurture our individual selves and to discern what is right for us. Yet, we humans are also bound together as herds and pods are. We mistakenly think that because we live in different houses, or different countries, or have different belief systems, that we are separate, but that is not the truth. We are bound to each other, and when we recognize that and begin to make choices that benefit the whole, we will be on the road to the deepest connection with our brothers and sisters of all species on this beautiful planet that is our home.
