Yesterday was no different than others..there was work to be done and appointments with clients and students …yet as I began to walk towards my car I waited a bit…I heard children playing in the lawns of my building…and I felt an urge to join them…something I hadn’t done in a while…perhaps a couple of months. I walked to meet them and they were as usual so happy to see me..gathering all around me, eager to show me what they have been upto in the last few days. They begin with the tales of poor little pigeons they tried to save from hungry cats on the prowl and stray puppies who they have befriended and cared for all these days knowing that I will be proud of their nobility.
“Come over here and I will show you the mango tree that I have planted…”, says Gagan…a sporty little girl who can beat any boy at football. She has been sowing seeds in the garden hoping they will grow into big trees and as I look at her trod on the wet muddy paths I begin to get a new inspiration…”the full moon is near and I do want to perform a spell…I will need a small sapling for this spell…yes that should be right…a growing plant signifies abundance”..I am already preparing the ritual in my mind thinking of all my students and friends who will be delighted to join…and as I am thinking along she shows me the wonderful plants that have sprung up lately from the soil…”I sowed these” and I am all appreciation for her tiny little hands that did all the digging and planting in these rainy days. I watch her bend over as she stops to pick up a shiny little thing from the soil..”Wow! I found a marble!” she gasped….”It a real lucky thing to find,” says she…and I agree.. it was a pretty one indeed. She sprang up once more and called upon her other little friends who at once gathered around us…”it going to be a lucky day”, they chorus aloud!
And before I know I am being led in all directions by little feet who find their way into tiny nooks and corners in search of a treasure they are sure they will find. And who am I to not believe.
The young ones are marvelling at the way the grass is shining with a golden hue…and the brightness of the leaves in every shrub and bush that they could see…they are delighted to feel the sprouts of new life that is springing upon the once empty stems of wild plants growing astray…the bulbs and flowers that grow in a spiral form, delightfully aware of the beauty and wonders of nature… for the first time in many days I am so alive and refreshed. And I begin to feel this is indeed a lucky day.
Aman, a young sardar kid is holding a shiny little object in his hand…”Swati didi…what is this?” he asks me, somehow I am impressed…it is a fire agate…a stone that is not very commonly found…and I stock it in my Magick store. I reveal this little piece of information to him so he knows it is not a cheap find for a terasure hunt. Yet he is no more excited about this as he is about a feather that he is lifting from the grass…”Wow! I found an eagle feather! Isn’t it amazing!” I have to agree. The next find is absolutely stunning. Its been a little over five minutes since I thought of my ‘sapling spell’ and this kid has already brought to me a tiny sapling…neatly housed in a plasic soil container. Talk about instant wish fulfillment. And I did not even voice my wish aloud. My belief in the goddess has never been stronger until now.
Abhishek who is slightly older has seem something queer beneath a tree…”It is…oh …it couldn’t be…a tortoise…look it has a shell and all…but it seems to be dead…” We all gather around taking pictures of the find…amazed at how a tortoise could have walked into our garden. I lift the thing and realise it is made of artificial clay…so much for thrills.
Not to be dissapointed Abhishek turns around at once knowing intuitively that there is something to be found near the next building…and it turns out he has found a little Ganesha idol lying on the ground. ”How lucky indeed!” they all gasp again….”lets place it in the temple”, they concur.
Soon we reach a small rock temple of sorts where idols of varous gods and goddesses are placed next to each other. One by one these children gather around….offering all their marvellous finds…crystals, stones, feathers…all to the deities expecting nothing in return. I tell them one of the deities is a wishing cow and they can make a wish if they like…and they humbly touch the cow and close their eyes.
Deep within I have a strange feeling they did not even have to wish for something…that very moment of time…they are connected to this enormous abundance of the universe through thier young hearts….so wealthy in every way…and this wealth is greater than any other. I am abundant and aware of the treasures in each moment of life. My spell is already done. So be it!
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