Barsanuphius the Hesycat
Well, it's "hesychast" morphed to hesycat, so there you are, pick your spelling!
Once upon a time there was a woman who heard voices. The voices told her to keep the kitties locked in the shed. She fed them and gave them water, but they never got out of the shed.
Then one day, people helped the woman go to the hospital and they rescued the cats. One of them, a beautiful orange cat, went to the house of some people I know.
The cat was very frightened and hid when he was let into the house. They put food and water out. The lady of the house tried feeding him ice cream. Eventually, the cat got almost a little brave and ate ice cream from the lady's hand.
The cat was so quiet and (at first) ate so little, that the couple thought he should be named after a famous quiet hermit who hid away and fasted a lot. That was Barsanuphius the Hesychast, so the cat was named Barsanuphius the Hesycat (or, Barsi).
Barsanuphius had short little legs and walked in a crouch. He looked deformed. But a wonderful thing happened. After some months living in a safe place, he started walking like a normal cat! He wasn't really deformed, he was just conditioned to walk in a deformed way.
One time, Barsanuphius got out of the house. He sat under a bush near the door. He looked like he wanted to come in but stayed just out of reach. A trap was used to bring him inside the house again, where he continued to improve.
Eventually, Barsanuphius learned how to go in and out of the house! He was learning to feel safe and to act more like a normal cat. How's about that!
Barsanuphius lived a loved life until he passed on from an illness. We cried when we heard about it because we loved that cat so much.
Now I will tell you what that wise cat taught me. It's that a creature needs time and tender care to recover from the effects of awful events. It can't be rushed, but it can be done. And they can't do it by themselves. Someone has to be there who can constantly show they are loving and safe and trusting for a long time, even though the creature cannot respond.
The best is to have several safety and loving-kindness options, because things can go astray with one or the other. Creatures of all sorts need a safe contact.
There you go. I think I'll go give my doggie a hug! Thanks, Buster!
Once upon a time there was a woman who heard voices. The voices told her to keep the kitties locked in the shed. She fed them and gave them water, but they never got out of the shed.
Then one day, people helped the woman go to the hospital and they rescued the cats. One of them, a beautiful orange cat, went to the house of some people I know.
The cat was very frightened and hid when he was let into the house. They put food and water out. The lady of the house tried feeding him ice cream. Eventually, the cat got almost a little brave and ate ice cream from the lady's hand.
The cat was so quiet and (at first) ate so little, that the couple thought he should be named after a famous quiet hermit who hid away and fasted a lot. That was Barsanuphius the Hesychast, so the cat was named Barsanuphius the Hesycat (or, Barsi).
Barsanuphius had short little legs and walked in a crouch. He looked deformed. But a wonderful thing happened. After some months living in a safe place, he started walking like a normal cat! He wasn't really deformed, he was just conditioned to walk in a deformed way.
One time, Barsanuphius got out of the house. He sat under a bush near the door. He looked like he wanted to come in but stayed just out of reach. A trap was used to bring him inside the house again, where he continued to improve.
Eventually, Barsanuphius learned how to go in and out of the house! He was learning to feel safe and to act more like a normal cat. How's about that!
Barsanuphius lived a loved life until he passed on from an illness. We cried when we heard about it because we loved that cat so much.
Now I will tell you what that wise cat taught me. It's that a creature needs time and tender care to recover from the effects of awful events. It can't be rushed, but it can be done. And they can't do it by themselves. Someone has to be there who can constantly show they are loving and safe and trusting for a long time, even though the creature cannot respond.
The best is to have several safety and loving-kindness options, because things can go astray with one or the other. Creatures of all sorts need a safe contact.
There you go. I think I'll go give my doggie a hug! Thanks, Buster!
posted by Auriel Ragmon | 10:51 PM
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