Thoughtfulness and the Dragon of Intolerance and Indifference

"What shall I draw, Mom?" my thirteen year old asked as we waited for our food to arrive at the table.  I heard him earlier that morning humming a tune in preparation for our Michaelmas festival.  "Draw a dragon," I suggested. Without hesitation he doodled up dragon.

Ah, yes, the Dragon! September brings to our family this wonderful imagination of St. Michael victorious over the Dragon.  It's a picture that reminds me to tame the lower nature in myself that rears its ugly head with the light and strength of St. Michael.  Today I revisited David Newbatt's beautifully illustrated book, Twelve Aspects of Michael.  I did a watercolor study of his September picture with the sun in Leo.  The positive aspect is the radiant light of Archangel Michael contrasted by the lower human nature's negative qualities of indifference and intolerance.

Thoughtfulness lives in that radiant light.  After a couple of really extremely difficult days, I was the lucky recipient of thoughtfulness.  It shifted everything.  As I stood in the act of another person's kindness, I became more relaxed and aware of myself in relation to the problem I was facing.   As a result, the dragon was quieted, tamed and, I think, grateful to go back to sleep.  Thank you thoughtfulness.