Melissa O’Neil Instagram – The day after The Winter Solstice,
we prepared and adorned her.
We sang, mourned, prayed over her and finally laid her to rest.
Beneath the gentle spirit of a younger mulberry tree and the bright glow of Jupiter and Venus, the first lights in the sky that night, birds began their evening songs as we packed the last of the sod back on to the heaping mound of earth that was now the home of our dear beloved
Alexandra Crow-Demartini’s earthly body.
Dearest Treasure. My earth dragon sister. All of the times we spoke about death and the ways we might tend to our loved ones – never could I have imagined that this is where we would be.
Even in death, you brought people together. Your family, your community –
I am in awe of your capacity, Alex.
Our friendship was rooted in the good work. Without any false austerity that would deny our fallibility or our humanity, together we reached for and held each other accountable to our shared aim for internal uprightness.
We would pray for each other,
and our awakenings.
And yours.
We walked in two distinctly different fields both geographically and professionally but our personal practices bonded us in sisterhood.
She was my fellow on the path.
Yes, we drank tea, meditated and practiced martial arts together. But, to me, where we truly met and linked arms was in how we navigated in and through all of the gritty material that those practices supported us in facing.
It was an honor to jam with her on the nuances of what was alive for us during the time of our togetherness. Love, partnership, friendship, family, community – the wins, successes, and disrepair that could and did enter those domains, the winding road of being a steward to a physical vessel, the dream of motherhood and all the spirals that came from that. All of it was infused with a groundedness that permitted an easy flow in and out of the gravity of situations while staying inclusive of a levity that allowed the light in even through furrowed brows.
…
(Contd in the comments.) | Posted on 26/Dec/2024 14:07:48
