What a wonderful essay to read just crossing the threshold into Fall! Thank you Joanna!
And I agree Stephen, love those images of those antlered and horned beings dancing on cave walls and dancing on in our mythic imagination! Motion in stillness. A snapshot evoking movement and energy.
Joanna you write: The figures are not literally dancing, and yet they give us the imaginal experience of animal rhythm and movement. And don’t they convey some of the true, actual vitality and energy of real animals?
It is true those images do exactly that.
Whenever a deer comes into my awareness, I definitely feel magical realism at play.
The presence and energy of the animal draws my attention a slight fraction before I see it.
There is this sense of a being from elsewhere crossing into the threshold of my clearing and my awareness.
I’ve seen deer before but this year has been special…a fawn overnighting in the grass. It’s humbling.
And it pulls me out of myself away from the chatter and worries in my mind. It’s as if Nature gently, but firmly turns my head and she says “Look, Behold…experience.” And there’s a deer in my yard.
I have just started watching “Sweet Tooth,” but I want to wait before commenting.
I am hoping others are coming to this conversation too! And maybe they have also started watching that series.
Have to say again truly appreciate and enjoy the books, shows and links shared here at CoHo. It’s been delightful!
In short every day I’m in Nature has the Full Potential of Magical Realism!
And I love dancing in the Imaginal Realm!
Thank You Stephen and Joanna!