Of Cuckoos and Ho'oponopono Cleaning

A roadrunner similar to the one above visits my backyard regularly. He's persistent and hilarious, knocking on my sliding glass door with his beak! Within days of my moving into this house, he was my first official greeter.

Strutting back and forth on the patio, he catches my eye and seems to be asking me to come outside. So I do, and then he leaps up to the fence between my yard and the desert. He perches there, fluffing up his chest feathers and making gutteral noises before fluttering on his way.

Roadrunners are in the "cuckoo" family, and their gait can be somewhat clown-like. My friend reminds me to laugh, and not take myself so seriously! Yet they're also so agile and quick that they can prey upon rattlesnakes. I've not seen him eating any in my yard, but maybe he has and I've missed it.

It's a wonder to have a being like this in my life; why should he be coming to me? I looked for possibilities in my animal totem books.

Several sources say that Roadrunner teaches the qualities of mental sharpness, quick thinking, and fast responses -- knowing when to strike efficiently with timing and precision. Those with this medicine are highly intelligent (!), thinking quickly on their feet. My little guy has the most expressive crest and tail, along with shiny dark eyes. I often wonder what's going through his bird-brain?

Now in Ho'oponopono, our "thinking" and intellectualism can get us in trouble -- and we're reminded to be careful of this. Our conscious mind, or intellect, is said to have 3 functions only:

• caring for the inner child
• initiating cleaning
• letting go of whatever problems seem to be showing up

With this, one could get suspicious of one's ability to think at all . . . except when Love is in charge.

My agile-minded roadrunner friend reminds me not only to laugh, but also to value moving quickly with Inspiration. Modeling him, I can let Divinity direct me rather than obstipate endlessly over possible outcomes.

Cleaning is the key -- and is preparation for all activity. Thinking too much can make you trip over your own feet! Compared to those of humans, the roadrunner's feet are relatively big -- yet they work perfectly for him.

Dr. Ihaleakala Hew Len wrote a poem called "Unfolding" in February 1999, that puts Thinking in its place:

UNFOLDING

Cleaning allows the situation to unfold naturally, without effort or suffering.
As the errors are moved to love through cleaning, the situation is allowed to unfold divinely, perfectly.
And this is so with any relationship or situation in our lives, no matter what it might be.

Handling the situation by thinking causes chaos and confusion.

First of all thinking deals only with effects, what is perceived, not causes as cleaning does.

Thinking comes from "I know" yet only love knows, really.

Thinking looks outside self.

Cleaning works inside self where the memories are that cause our problems, disease, death.

Thinking is about being right, about taking positions, about making your point.

Cleaning is about bringing peace into a situation, peace beyond all understanding, followed by perfect and right solutions.

Thinking is aggressive, telling the other person what is so.

Cleaning is about love, about allowing love to transmute memories to love.

And it does it lovingly.

Cleaning is about creating a peaceful and wonderful relationship wiht love and everyone and everything.

Thinking pits the individual against others.

Cleaning is about peace beyond all understanding.

Thinking is about trying to understand the nature of things, which is beyond the intellect's ability to do so.

Thinking leads to ever changing knowledge. Cleaning is the way to love, to salvation, and to freedom." ~IHHL

I love my feathered pal, and know he's part of this beautiful desert that's so much larger than me. He's part of the rhythm of life here, and helps me both appreciate and yet let go of my intellect. My mind works quickly, and sees apparent connections . . . yet its interpretations can be wrong. Just when my intellect is bemoaning this or that, my neighborly cuckoo-bird comes knocking on my door!

Is he making fun of me? Or is he simply reminding me to clean? Maybe both -- exactly when I need them. Through his chortling ministrations I can let go of my mental obstipation. Better to be a little "cuckoo" than "kukai pa'a" [mentally 'stuck'], after all!

Peace Begins with Me,
Pam