Time & The Mad Hatter “If you knew Time as well as I do . . . you wouldn’t talk about wasting it. It’s him.”

Has time been getting away from you? It certainly has been running circles around me! Even though I have a really great relationship with time, I still find that the way it moves and operates can elude me at times.

One thing that I like to do is remember that time is actually infinite, not linear. Just sitting with that reality and letting the human brain try to wrap around that can make a huge difference in how one works with time. It can be truly magical. I definitely know that not having a good relationship with time can be maddening!

Here's a little guidance from the Mad Hatter, who has a great deal to say about Time.

The Mad Hatter and Alice have a mind-twisting conversation about time at the tea party.  The Mad Hatter expresses his woes of being stuck at 6 o’clock eternally because of a falling out he had with Time.  He points out to Alice that she must not have a clue about Time because he says “If you knew Time as well as I do . . . you wouldn’t talk about wasting it. It’s him.” The fact that the Hatter is stuck at 6 o’clock indicates he, as well, understands his dear old friend, Time, very little.  It seems to be a construct in his mind that is fixed (of course, that's all time really is for us mortals). If he really had as good a relationship with Time as he says, he would know that he could do with “him” what he wanted instead of being trapped forever in a tea party.

We should give the Hatter a bit of a break, though because, after all, he is, well, mad.  His madness is mostly likely due to a combination of mercury poisoning (one of the hazards of the job of a hatter) and getting stuck in a rut with the constructs of time.  If our dear crazy Hatter had some grounding, he’d realize that Time was just fooling him, as it can and often does.  And he’d see that he is not stuck in anything but the present moment, with which he can do as he pleases. But since he doesn’t have his wits about him, he continues to play out eternal tea time.

Now, mercury, though it is a poison that can lead one a bit too deeply down the old psychological rabbit hole, is also a necessary part of an alchemical process in which gold is produced.  The Mad Hatter is a symbol of someone who has not particularly mastered the alchemical mysteries and is suffering as a result.  Had he his wits about him, he might be manifesting mountains of gold rather than dirty cups and saucers.

So, not only has the Hatter lost his relationship with Time, he’s also apparently lost his mind, and it doesn’t necessarily seem clear whether there is much of a difference between the two.  They both play on each other until there is nothing but nonsense.

Are you guilty of killing time?  If so, you've caused a great offense to him and there is no wonder you could use a bit of retuning and atoning.  It’s appropriate, now, to mend any differences you have with Time so that you can move on from your maddening tea party and get to something more enjoyable.

Take a moment to do this meditation and see if it doesn’t help mend any differences you may have had with Time and transform your poisons into gold.

Meditation #1:  Sit comfortably at a time when you can really relax and not worry about running off to something else.  Maybe just before bedtime, when all is settling down.  Notice what you have been expecting from time.  How much you try to cram in to every moment.  Really allow yourself to see time as something tangible and limited that you are forever packing more and more into.  See it expanding and about to pop.  Remember to take nice deep inhales, and as you exhale, imagine letting go of something that was once taking up valuable time.  Keep doing this visualization with every exhale until you are finally asking a reasonable amount from the time you have.  See it snapping back to a reasonable size and notice if your breath is any easier.

It is possible that the Mad Hatter has happened upon your tea party to make you mindful of any silly rut you might have gotten yourself into.  Are you finding yourself going around and around like an old broken record?  If so, take this opportunity to visualize your liberation.

Meditation #2: If you’re having a hard time moving beyond a certain experience, allow yourself some time to sit with eyes closed and to see where you are.  Imagine the stuck-ness as clearly as possible.  Now, visualize where you want to be.  What does it look like to be free of the round and round cycle?  What does it feel like?  Really allow yourself to get a strong sense of what it feels like to be out of the old never ending repetitions.  Now, imagine a bridge that connects the stuck place to the place of liberation.  In whatever way makes sense to you, see yourself getting up onto that bridge and crossing over.  Once you have left the rut you were in, take a deep inhale and drink in the feeling of freedom.  Look back at the old stuck place, and as you exhale, imagine blowing it far away and watch it go like a feather in the wind.  Continue to do this meditation until you are recognizing real-time pathways out of your rut.

For more fun and frolic from the rabbit hole, please visit my site: www.GoAskAliceOracle.com. Enjoy a cuppa and some biscuits & jam, but do check the teapot for Dormouse! He can end up in the most peculiar of places!

The Red Queen “Where do you come from? . . . And where are you going? Look up, speak nicely, and don’t twiddle your fingers all the time.”

How is May treating you? Are you taking time to listen to the songs of the birds? It seems like, no matter what the circumstances, allowing just a few moments to listen to birds in song (which is much easier this time of year wherever you are) can shift the mood significantly. I invite you to keep your ears open to that cheerful sound and when you find it, give yourself a moment or two just to focus on the sounds. To me, this is the sound of pure joy and a very nice, free dose of medicine no matter what the trouble may be.

Down the rabbit hole there are all sorts of birds. The wibbly worbler is my favorite, but very hard to spot. At night, it sings so sweetly one can hardly pay attention for more than just a brief moment before falling into a dreamy trance from it. Quite a nice way to drift off. 

Oh, but here comes the Red Queen. She does tend to chase off the birds, but I do suppose she has something important to tell us. Let's see what it might be . . .

From the moment she crosses her path, the Red Queen shoots a string of commands at Alice so fast she hardly has time to take them all in.  To top it off, some of the Red Queen’s maxims are sheer nonsense altogether.  Though the initial interaction seems a bit silly, harsh, and condescending, the advice is offered as genuine guidance for Alice. As the two continue to engage, it is obvious that the Red Queen’s intention is to help Alice become a queen herself. 

Despite the pushiness and the egotism, “I don’t know what you mean by your way . . . all the ways about here belong to me . . .” the Red Queen is a helpful ally for Alice, and is adept at this new and unfamiliar world that Alice is working so hard at navigating. In the company of the Red Queen, Alice finally makes it to the top of the hill she’d so desperately been trying to reach from the looking glass house, and the Red Queen shows her competence in being able to run incredibly fast without so much as breaking a sweat.  Yes, the Red Queen is an accomplished matriarch, though somewhat imperious. The Red Queen offers Alice the key information she needs to become a Queen herself, including the inspiration to become a queen in the first place.

The Red Queen has marched her way into your reading as a symbol of some sort of mentorship or help in becoming something amazing. There may be some old-fashioned values or hegemony involved, and you might not be in complete agreement with it all, but you are being offered an opportunity to learn something important. It might just be worth swallowing your pride and letting those tyrannical orders pass without letting them get you all out of sorts.  Don’t miss out on this opportunity to learn just because the teacher might be dictatorial.  Take a moment to think what you stand to gain by submitting to this discipline before you pass it by.

When it comes right down to it, even though it can be a bit harrying, the Red Queen is really here to ask us to be mindful.  The coat of arms at Cawdor Castle in Scotland (the home of Macbeth) bears those sage words: Be Mindful, so there must be some sort of value in it, wouldn't you say?  

Alice still manages to voice her opinion and doesn’t lose a sense of self-worth in the process, which is important to remember as you proceed in your apprenticeship.  Arguing for the sake of it is a waste of time, but maintaining your personal beliefs and values as you grow is the way to become a master.  Your unique self is essential to this transformation, so hold onto it despite the challenges.  Simply allow in the underlying advice: stay present with what you do and how you move through the world.

Parents, teachers, and mentors all have beneficial information that we can learn from if we can only see through the challenging and sometimes downright tyrannical personality that is wrapped around it.  Don’t get caught up in a battle of egos or personalities.  Focus on receiving the gift inside, and toss out the extraneous which doesn’t serve you.

Meditation #1:  Settle into a comfortable seated position and breathe into your belly.  Allow an image of your inquiry to emerge and become clear.  See the player(s) who is/are bossing you around or acting tyrannical.  If you take away the harsh delivery method, and your emotional resistance to this iron-handed experience, can you find any valuable wisdom or opportunities?  Focus on what it is you want.  Don’t let the packaging it comes in dissuade you from receiving this powerful and helpful gift.  Imagine unwrapping the valuable education and experience, and let the delivery method that surrounds it go into the trash, like old wrapping paper. Imagine holding the important learning in your hands like a precious gift.  Take the gift with you somehow (absorb it, eat it, rub it on like lotion, put it in your pocket . . .).  Now look at the situation.  Does it feel easier to deal with?  Can you see any positive attributes to your circumstances now?  Staying focused on the valuable gifts being offered will make this discipline more palatable.

If the gift that awaits you isn’t worth the difficult packaging, then say so.  Your voice is valuable and you might make a positive impact on this situation.

Meditation #2:  Imagine yourself speaking clearly about what it is you want out of this mentoring relationship.  Without reactionary emotions, without defensiveness, and without judgmental language, make your case for what it is you would like to see happen.  What is your teacher offering you?  What value do you see in this learning opportunity?  Recognize the gifts along with the challenges, and you are more likely to be really heard. 

Maybe it is you who is being asked to be a guide for someone else.  In this case, pay attention to how you go about it.  Are you falling on old and outdated hegemonic methods because you feel a need to be revered?  Is ego getting in the way of really making an impact on someone’s life?  It is time to be real with what it is your intentions are: helping someone to learn and grow or to be admired and rewarded?  It is likely that, if you teach from a place of openness and compassion, the admiration and reward will naturally follow.  Coercion and hierarchical homage yield temporary and inauthentic  merit.

Meditation #3:  Sit comfortably and focus on the breath.  Once this feels natural, allow yourself to feel into what it is you want as a mentor.  It’s okay to be honest, even if the answer isn’t completely laudable.  If you find yourself needing an ego boost, see if you can offer that to yourself instead of relying on external sources.  Take a moment to give yourself recognition for what you are offering.  How does that feel?  Is that enough?  What other rewards are possible if you let go of the need to be exalted?  What are the benefits of holding onto titles and formalities?  What is best left behind?  Is there a fear that you will be taken for granted if you don’t force your sense of superiority?  Can you feel into the difference between respect and fearful obedience?  Which has more value to you?  When you have looked at these elements and made your decisions, take a moment to imagine how you truly want to mentor.  Take your time until you can clearly see it in your mind.  Continue to hold that image and revisit it throughout the mentoring process.  Notice if it has an impact on your experience.  Journaling might be helpful during this time.

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