SKYE stephenson

We are just over half way through the Chinese Year of the Wood Dragon. How are you doing?

Of the twelve animals of the Chinese Zodiac, the dragon is the only one that is not quite real. At least in the sense of being born, and eventually dying, in a physical body. Perhaps for this reason the Chinese honor dragon greatly in their cultural and spiritual traditions and practices. I once read that many Chinese couples strive to have a child born in a Dragon year, since such a child is thought to be blessed with good fortune and potent energy to make their way in the world.

So what is a dragon, really? And why is this mythical/magical creature so present in many tales and lore around the world? How might we understand dragon, as an energy, that is?

The answer may depend, in part, upon your beliefs and also your cultural upbringing. Because while the dragon in East Asian culture is highly venerated, in European traditions and lore the dragon is often a being to fear, and fight against. For instance, many of the knights in the Medieval tales set off to slay a fire breathing dragon who is causing problems for human-beings.

Think of St. George, the Patron Saint of England (as well as Portugal and several important European cities and provinces including Catalonia.) He is said to have killed a dragon in a town now in Libya. As a result of his courageous feat, St. George is often called upon for protection by those in need. It is rumored that St. George appeared to British soldiers during a battle in World War I, helping them withdraw from enemy hands.

Some people wear a golden medal of St. George around their neck for this reason. Here, the protection comes because George killed the dragon, which was causing problems. Most often in European lore, the dragon is synonymous with evil.

How different is the view of the dragon in Chinese and East Asian beliefs. For them, it is the dragon that is the protector spirit, A certain Chinese origin myths even claims that we humans were born from a dragon, making the dragon our mother.

A close friend named Andres once shared with me his personal story of healing. In his twenties, Andres developed a serious case of lymphoma. He was treated with several rounds of chemotherapy, that took care of the malady – for a few years, at least.

But in his mid-thirties, the cancer returned. This time, Andres decided to pursue alternative methods of treatment because he had found chemotherapy excruciatingly painful.

So he left his job and moved to a yoga retreat center. There he engaged in deep meditation and daily yoga, and ate very clean and pure food. He also contracted a Chinese acupuncturist for treatment. This man would go to the health center to treat Andres.

Several months went by, and his condition seemed stable. But then Andres began to experience rashes on parts of his body, and a general weakness. He was about to (reluctantly) go to the nearby hospital when the acupuncturist showed up. Andres explained what was happening.

“Let me think,” the healer said.

A few minutes passed. Then he asked Andres if he would be willing to try one more session. “Of course,” said Andres.

Out in the open air, Andres lay down on a yoga mat. The acupuncturist placed needles on certain points of Andres’ body, and uttered a series of prayers in Chinese.

Within a few minutes, Andres would later tell me, he felt a great mass of heavy dark energy lifted from him and float away. And when he opened his eyes and looked up at the blue sky, he saw a gigantic dragon hanging there – momentarily. And then it faded from his view.

The Chinese healer told Andres he had done a kind of exorcism of the disease. And yes, of course, the dragon was there to help.

Andres has been cancer free for more than thirty years now. Ever since that moment when he saw the dragon in the sky.

So I circle round to the question of what is the dragon for you and for us – collectively? Is it evil, something to be killed to protect us – or might the dragon offer its own kind of protection and healing, if we choose to view its energy and purpose in such a way?

A possible clue to these differing views of Dragon is alluded to in that Chinese suggestion that we are all from a dragon. Because even if a dragon has wings, and can fly in the sky, its true home is usually a cave. And a cave is the portal to Mother Earth. And yes, in a way we are all born from Mother Earth.

If we take this as one possible level of understanding dragon, then the slewing of a dragon by a metal sword wielded by male knights might actually represent the cutting, or separation, of our attachment and sacred connections with the Earth, and Mother Earth herself. This has indeed been a paradigmatic phenomenon in European, and European colonizing cultures for a long, long time.

It is rather interesting that this year, in the USA, we find ourselves in a Presidential election with an unexpected candidate for President. A woman who just happens to have been born in the year of the Wood Dragon. 

Surely there will be many more twists and turns in this transformational year at so many levels. But the Dragon is breathing hard upon us all this year – stoking the flames of change and luck and, hopefully, good fortune.

Printed in The Monadnock Shopper News Sept 11-17, 2024