Meditation Monday: White Cat, Lion Mane

White Cat, Lion Mane

M. Rattigan c. 2015

Watercolor

Trying to breathe and focus on breath.  Losing the moment to future tasks. Attempt to bring it back and notice body sensations-- tingling in my head, ringing in my ears.  A high pitched hum and perhaps little ringing bells. Such is the life now with tinnitus from the concussion.  Despite this, I feel relaxed and aware.

For quite some time my mind does not conjure up any images -- I instead see blues and purples dancing and pulsating slowly along the dark shade of my eyelids.  Suddenly, a small white cat's head and piercing black eyes pop into the blank space.  It is a flash that happens only twice.  I notice a very large white mane surrounding the domestic cat's head.  Is it fur?  Is the texture hard like a statue?  I want to notice more, but my time ends with an abrupt and involuntary deep breath as if I gasp for air.

I am curious about the combination of domestic white cat and white lion's mane.  While I did not find any easy-to-access information regarding the combination, I found information about the symbols separately.  Except for the U.S., other countries (i.e., Japan) and other traditions (such as with the Celtic and Norse) refer to the white cat as good luck, happiness, purity, trust, goodness, and light.  Interestingly, the U.S. sees the white cat as lazy and cold.  The lion's mane is a symbol of health and potency.  In nature, the lion's mane provides protection during a fight and can also be used for intimidation.  In seeking information about white lions in particular, I learned that white lions in dreams may represent coming into awareness of one's own power.

I am intrigued by the possibilities of meanings: universal and personal.  I am not quite sure what to assess from the experience, but I do believe that I am regaining some of my strength after the mild TBI -- or at least, I'd like to think so.