Swindler, cheat, imposter and fraud are a few words used describe a trickster. If you turn to the animal kingdom, surely Coyote fits the bill. How did a sneaky canine become a Sacred Trickster?
Obviously, it takes time, growth and an enormous measure of trust to see the Holy at work through harsh experiences that leave you feeling cheated. However, if you pay attention, you eventually begin to understand Coyote’s gift.
This Sacred Trickster comes when you take yourself too seriously, or do not take the other seriously enough. An encounter with Coyote will leave you feeling hoodwinked. Nevertheless, take a dose of this joker’s medicine and you will rediscover the free child within.
When was the last time you danced for the sheer fun of it or laughed in the face of something that once brought you to you knees? If playing seems frivolous to you, watch out!
And if pausing for pleasure appears like wasting time, you may be writing your own prescription for unwanted time off. Picture it: Lying in bed for weeks, until you can finally let go and simply appreciate life.
Coyote’s medicine is difficult to swallow. It regurgitates all of the unwanted emotions you’ve stuffed down. This prankster will tempt your shadow side and leave you feeling like ridiculous fool. The next thing you know, you are kicking up dirt, mumbling about how everything in your life is going wrong, which of course invites more of the same disastrous situations in the future.
Instead, try observing yourself objectively. You might learn something from your thoughts and emotions, like realizing that in some backhanded way, these encounters were gifts.
Perhaps you are blaming someone who hurt you or bemoaning each circumstance that held you back. Don’t bother, it’s wasted energy! Instead, make yourself curiously attentive, looking for the divine gift in every experience.
Better yet, when Coyote slinks across your path, be open to the many ways Sacred Trickster is showing you the interconnectedness of everything. Sometimes the greatest gifts lie in the mystery of paradox.
Making Spirit Flesh*
In the film, Out of Africa, Farah said to Karen Blixen, “God is happy, msabu, He plays with us.”
See yourself as an actor in a stage production today. What lighthearted twist can you add to the story?
Try thinking of Trickster Coyote as an archetype in its most enlightened form and enjoy pure satisfaction.