A long time ago---- no one really knows how long ago it was ---Rabbit
was a brave and fearless warrior. Rabbit was befriended by Eye Walker, a
witch. The witch and Rabbit spent much time together sharing and
talking. The two were very close.
One day Eye Walker and Rabbit were walking along and they sat down on
the trail to rest. Rabbit said, "I'm thirsty." Eye Walker picked up a
leaf, blew on it, and then handed Rabbit a gourd of water. Rabbit drank
the water but didn't say anything. Then Rabbit said, "I'm hungry." Eye
Walker picked up a stone and blew on it and changed it to a turnip. She
gave the turnip to Rabbit it eat. Rabbit tasted it and then ate the
turnip with relish. But still Rabbit didn't say anything.
The two continued along the trail, which led into some mountains. Near
the top, Rabbit tripped and fell and rolled almost to the bottom. Rabbit
was in very sad condition when Eye Walker got to him. She used a magic
salve on Rabbit to heal his great pain and mend his broken bones. Rabbit
didn't say anything.
Several days later Eye Walker went searching for her friend. She
searched high and low but Rabbit was nowhere to be found.
Finally, Eye Walker gave up. She met Rabbit quite by accident one day.
"Rabbit, why are you hiding from me?" the witch asked.
"Because I am afraid of you. I am afraid of magic," answered Rabbit,
cowering. "Leave me alone!"
"I see," said Eye Walker. "I have used my magical powers on your behalf
and now you turn on me and refuse my friendship."
"I want nothing more to do with you or your powers," Rabbit countered.
Rabbit did not even see the tears his words were bringing to Eye
Walker's eyes. "I hope we never meet and that I never see you again,"
Rabbit continued.
"Rabbit," Eye Walker said, "We once were great friends and companions,
but no more. It is within my power to destroy you, but because of the
past and the medicines we have shared together I will not do this. But
from this day forward I lay a curse on you and your tribe. From now on,
you will call your fears and your fears will come to you. Be on your
way, for the sweet medicines that bound us together as friends are
broken."
Now Rabbit is the Fear Caller. He goes out and shouts, "Eagle, I am so
afraid of you." If Eagle doesn't hear him, Rabbit calls louder, "Eagle,
stay away from me!" Eagle, now hearing Rabbit, comes and eats him.
Rabbit calls bobcats, wolves, coyotes, and even snakes until they come.
As this story shows, Rabbit medicine people are so afraid of tragedy,
illness, disaster, and "being taken," that they call those very fears to
them to teach them lessons. The keynote here is: what you resist will
persist! What you fear most is what you will become.
Here is the lesson. If you have Rabbit in your life, stop talking about horrible
things happening and get rid of "what if" in your vocabulary. This
may signal a time of worry about the future or of trying to exercise
your control over that which is not yet in form--- the future. *Stop
now!* Write your fears down and be willing to feel them. Breathe into
them, and feel them running through your body into Mother Earth as a
give-away.
CONTRARY:
The paralyzed feeling which Rabbit experiences when being stalked is
Rabbit in the contrary position. If you have tried to resolve a
situation in your life and are unable to, you may be feeling frozen in
motion. This could indicate a time to wait for the forces of the
universe to start moving again. It could also indicate the need to stop
and re-evaluate the process you are undergoing, and to rid yourself of
any negative feelings, barriers, or duress. Simply put, you cannot have
your influence felt until you rearrange your way of seeing the present
set of circumstances.
There is always a way out of any situation, because the Universal Force
does move on. It is the way in which you handle problems that allows you
to succeed.
Take a hint from Rabbit. Burrow into a safe space to nurture yourself
and release your fears until it is time again to move into the pasture,
clear of prowlers who want a piece of your juicy energy.
