Today’s parable is about a little mouse named Mara. Mara is a plucky little thing who takes on challenges with determination and aplomb. One day Mara is visited by her Spirit friend. She is not scared by this, because from time to time, when she has been faced with difficulties, she has felt her Spirit friend guiding her. The angel tells her, “It is time for you to take a big leap. Are you ready for that?”
Mara is thrilled. “Yes, yes, of course.”
“But you will have to leave this hole where you live.”
Mara hesitates. The enthusiasm seems to be waning as she asks, “Do I have to?”
“Yes, because where I want to take you is a long way from here. It’s a wonderful, different place. Exciting. Fascinating.”
The thrill of adventure begins to stir in Mara. She was not one to say ‘no’ to an adventure. Trusting her Spirit friend, Mara scurries out of her hole. “Alright, let’s go!” The angel laughs. “Wait, wait! Not so fast. It is my responsibility to describe this journey to you. You shall face hidden enemies. There may be big cats that might jump at you, and there is one very steep mountain that you shall have to climb. You must know of this before you come with me.” Mara pauses. Is this adventure worth this? “What lies at the end of this adventure?” she asks. “I can’t tell you that, because for each one, the end of this journey is different. You shall know the end only when you reach the end,” replied the angel cryptically.
This was not the answer that Mara had expected to hear, but she was excited to know that the “end’ was a unique one, one that only she could unfold. She asked the angel, “Mouse angel, if at any time on the trip I wish to return, and not go ahead, will I be able to do so?” “Of course, you can. I shall personally guide you right back to your home.” Mara squeaked in delight. “Let’s start, then! Lead on, my angel friend. I trust you. You have never guided me wrong. I know I shall be safe, even when dangers come, because you are with me.”
Initially the road was narrow, and she and the angel were the only travelers. Then the road widened, and Mara saw other mice walking with their angels. They were all moving in the same direction, and though they waved and smiled at each other, each one journeyed alone.
The road began to get rockier, and as the angel had cautioned her, Mara encountered challenges; it seemed as though all her fears had taken form. Ugly forms. Each one threatened to defeat her, but her trust in the Spirit friend gave her the courage to confront these enemies and demons. Sometimes the physical pain of the battle made her feel that she could not go on any longer, and sometimes the emotional and mental agony felt like an impossible burden to carry. Each time she looked at the angel for help, the angel said, ‘You can do it. You shall face nothing that you cannot beat. If the pain and the difficulty is seeming to be stronger than you, it is because you believe that you can’t. I CAN! Let this be your chant, Mara.”
Mara saw that some of the mice had turned back, had decided to abandon this journey. She did not wish to be one of them. They had been scared away by these cats that had appeared. In fact, as the journey proceeded, there were fewer and fewer mice that remained. She looked at the angel, and asked in a soft voice, “How much longer?” The angel smiled, ‘You have faced all the fearsome cats. Now there is only the mountain to climb.”
This gave Mara fresh energy, and she scurried forward with renewed strength. But, it was not as easy as she had hoped. She climbed, and she fell. She climbed, and she fell. This happened repeatedly. When she was on one of her many rest breaks, her angel spoke softly to her. “Do not pause. You fall each time you take a rest break. Do not pause till you reach the top.” Mara’s eyes sparkled in response. Her tiredness seemed to vanish. Yes! That was the secret to climbing this mountain. She must continue, without pausing, till she reached the top!
Taking a deep breath, she began again, this time taking no break till she had reached the very top of the mountain. She had done it! And with her, some of the other mice had also reached the end of their journeys. She looked at the breathtaking landscape, and filled her self with the sweet, pure air. After a period of peaceful silence, she asked, “Now what?”
“Now look down.”
“Look down? This is a steep mountain, and if I have to look down, I have to go to its very edge! I could slip. Must I do this?”
“Yes you must, because that’s where you shall see what you shall see.”
Mara sighed. Deeply. Creeping forward very gingerly, she took a long time to reach the edge. Often she almost ran back. Sometimes she was certain she would slip and fall off. Each time she hesitated, the angel gently reminded her, “I am here.”
And here, she was, at the very edge. Holding on for dear life, she dared to look down. Mara’s breathe stopped! Way down below were the most beautiful, large, silvery fish, leaping up and down in a clear crystal lake. But, it was not the beauty of the fish, or the sparkling water that made Mara gasp. For more years than she could remember, she had had dreams which she had not understood. She had seen silver objects leaping into something that was not quite clear. The dreams were strange, and had made no sense to her. She whispered incredulously, “This is my dream! I have been dreaming about this for so many years!”
She heard her angel whisper back, “Yes, I know.”
“But how do I reach there? How do I experience what I have dreamed about for so long?”
“You have to jump.”
“Jump? Off this mountain?”
“Yes. There is no other way to reach this lake. Mara, you have been so brave, and so consistent in your commitment, that I shall share a secret with you. In the very moment that you jump, you shall transform into a beautiful silver fish. And instantly you shall be in the lake. Look closely, my dear friend, all the fish have wings. You shall be able to swim, and leap, and fly.”
Mara looked, and sure enough all the fish had the most beautiful silver fins.
“Are you sure that when I jump I will become a fish? Because if I hit the water as a mouse, I will certainly drown, and die.”
“Do you have faith?”
Mara looked at her friend who had never let her down, and said in steady, strong voice, “I do. I CAN.”
“Before you jump, my beloved friend, I want you to tell me what you most hope for. What is your deepest desire?”
“I am hoping for a life of freedom. Like those fish. As a mouse I have been restricted to a small dark hole, and these fish are free to go wherever they wish. I desire this joy.”
“Jump Mara, jump.”
A silver flash streaked across the sky.
(Inspired by a parable of Kryon)