Meditation Day 8 – 37 minutes
Day 17
I am the first to park, curiously staring at the road barrier on the way up to Signal Hill. Will I my break my record this morning? Using the moonlight, I start up the path, not in a hurry, no one to pass. My first time having the mountain to myself. I’m excited.
My senses are acute, as I step my feet in front of other. More than halfway up, I hear something move. I freeze. What is that? Suddenly, I wish for people. I take out my phone. Brown bush scurry forward, just ten meters in front of me. What was that? I am frozen still. Something doesn’t feel right. Flashlight from the phone doesn’t illuminate anything else. My eyes look for baboons or mountain cat. I take out the headlamp from the orange crossbody and click it thrice. My left hand holds the phone up, with my right the headlamp. A set of eyes glimmer in silver. Shape of a porcupine emerges all of its quills standing up, just to the right of the trail.
We are frozen in place. Is it seconds or a minute? It moves up the hill, away from the path, making noise as it goes. I stand there, wondering what to do. What is the universe trying to show me? Deity of Lion’s Head, what lessons are you presenting me with?
I’m more than halfway there, only 12 minutes to the summit.
I pause. I had tripped once, catching my body with two open palms kissing the ground.
A lesson I learned on this same mountain. Expect to fall and be ready to catch yourself. Every step is different, and we’ll trip when we least expect it.
Not just one. But two porcupines. The first one ran up the path, and another froze. I guess I wasn’t the first or the only one after all. Just because I can’t see them does not mean they don’t exist. During the night, while we humans sleep, these animals use the same paths as us, easier to travel on. Like the paved roads vs. dirt paths. What dangers lie ahead? What should I do?
I decide to turn back, placing the headlamp on my head. I can see just fine, thanks to the moonlight. On to warn other beings of my presence. I probably scared the porcupine more than it scared me. Or were we equally petried, not expecting to encounter such strange creatures?
Five minutes later, I see a couple going up. Another ten minutes, a larger tour group. I come home to shower, meditate, hang up laundry and write this love letter to my quill friend up on Lion’s Head.
What does it mean to see a porcupine? We need to balance security with freedom. How do we defend yourself when needing to stand your ground with grace and dignity?
Setting boundaries and protecting my energy. But also staying curious to see that when someone gives you a sign to back off, do so respectfully.
Thank you for teaching me that sometimes, we have to turn back. Let our presence be known. Show ourselves, even in solitude, safely contained in our quill of protection. Stay soft inside, protect yourself if needed. Respect others boundary and spaces too.
My first time seeing wild porcupine, under the light of moon.
Epilogue.
I walk along the promenade to have breakfast on the other side of Sea Point. The last few days, I’ve been eating too late into the day, hunger growing out of control.
I notice a pair of ladies walking in front; something feels off. I pass them on their right, and I am next to the sea rail. As I walk fast (as I do), I see one of their shadows lurking just behind me. Why are they walking so close to me, and so fast? I’m a fast walker and most people can’t keep up.
I feel something on my left jeans pocket, where my phone is. Screaming, I turn around, and meet the black lady face. “What are you doing?”
‘Nothing’
“What the…!”
‘I didn’t do anything.’
“Yeah right, you just tried to steal my phone!”, I wag my right index finger at her face. I keep turning around, making eye contact. Making a scene.
It’s like earlier at Lion’s Head. The gut instinct signaling something out of place. Next time, I will respond faster. I should have turned around as soon as I noticed her shadow just behind me. It doesn’t make sense for a complete stranger to walk so close to me, 08:30 in the morning.
So the sign from the universe… the porcupine… was a prelude to what just happened.
Thank you for the warning signs. My phone is still with me, at Kleinsky’s. What a delicious breakfast! Coffee, meh.
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