Welcoming the arrival of Chloe Belle

cleo-and-chloe-005chloe-belle-004That is what we call our new kitten although her name is not confirmed yet! She is a tiny gray long hair cat with gray bluish eyes, at the moment about a month old. She is quite small. Our other cat, Cleo,  just turned a year old, and she seemed less than joyful to welcome the new addition to the family! This story is about cats, but in truth, it is about the psychology of behavior, it is about honoring and trusting the blossoming of relationships this season. Watching Cleo when Chloe arrived prompted me to share. 

Yesterday I walked for over 40 minutes under scorching sun to pick up our new kitty. It was the first day of May and I felt a deep inner joy in personally celebrating the ancient Celtic festivities of the bright fire, the mid point between the Spring Equinox and the Summer solstice, a time of cleansing, purification and preparation. I did a small ritual in the morning, lit candles and felt that it would be a special day, and it was.

 I enjoyed the sun as I walked and at around 2:10 p.m. I introduced baby Chloe to our beautiful cat Cleo. It was a challenge.  Cleo seemed at first to be terrified of Chloe eventhough she is much bigger in size. She seemed to not be sure of what Chloe truly was.  Normally Cleo climbs and sits up by the kitchen windowsill, but not on this day, she spent the whole day simply staring at Chloe and hissing loudly when she got close.  The day continued with more of the same, trying to reassure Cleo of how much she is loved, attempting to train Chloe to use the litter box instead of the new rug, and wondering if this had been a good idea at all. Perhaps Cleo did not truly need a companion kitty…hmmm. When the two cats met there was mistrust, fear, curiosity, animosity and resistance. It seemed like an exagerated play of human behavior, the only difference was that the cats were very obvious!

I am not certain of exactly what transpired through the night but today Chloe learned to use the litter box, Cleo is not hissing, they each are taking independent naps and they played together for a while. They are not best friends yet but it looks very promising, there is peace and acceptance between them. It just unfolded.

I observe that in the same way that their initial animosity was very obvious, their moving forward and leaving that behind, also is. The capacity to let go of initial defenses eased immediately once they tested the situation and felt safe. Now they seem to be moving forward comfortably into a new level of  interaction. Their life seems to be very different and much happier today than it was yesterday.  They are not together all the time but they are allowing each other to be and to have space within the same home. 

 I find it beautiful to observe how fast their relationship has evolved and I feel joy in my heart as I ponder on all the beautiful possibilities that are available to us in all realms, when we simply observe our initial defense mechanisms(click into action) in unfamiliar situations, yet we follow our hearts, listen to our intuition, and move forward to live with each other in peace and trust.

This does not mean that we blindly trust every stranger we meet, but it does mean that we give life a fair chance. It is only with an open heart that we can know true love, and only in trust that can we open our hearts. Learning to connect with our inner knowing is part of this process. The beauty of its unfoldment lies in every experience thereafter.

Allow yourself to find the cat in you and reassure him/her of how much he/she is loved. Nurture your inner wisdom, seek the aligning of your energy centers. It is about learning from our fellow animals what they bring naturally and what our minds need to re-learn. Yoga helps us with this by teaching us how to transcend the mind and listen within.   It all starts as a personal inside job, and from there, life smiles, rainbows shine and new relationships blossom.

We celebrate now not only May Day, but also a new moon this week, a magical time to set new intentions for our lives. Perhaps this story may be a little advice to those seeking meaningful heart relationships… soon… this is the time of preparation, of purification, of blossoming…. of fulfilling new beginnings, of alignment with our greater purpose… and so it is! Blessings! Namaste!

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