Nursery Rhymes, the Bible, and the Mysteries

Wynken, Blynken, and Nod

Eugene Field 1850 – 1895

Wynken, Blynken, and Nod one night
   Sailed off in a wooden shoe,—
Sailed on a river of crystal light
   Into a sea of dew.
“Where are you going, and what do you wish?”
   The old moon asked the three.
“We have come to fish for the herring-fish
   That live in this beautiful sea;
   Nets of silver and gold have we,”
            Said Wynken,
            Blynken,
            And Nod.

The old moon laughed and sang a song,
   As they rocked in the wooden shoe;
And the wind that sped them all night long
   Ruffled the waves of dew;
The little stars were the herring-fish
   That lived in the beautiful sea.
“Now cast your nets wherever you wish,—
   Never afraid are we!”
   So cried the stars to the fishermen three,
            Wynken,
            Blynken,
            And Nod.

All night long their nets they threw
   To the stars in the twinkling foam,—
Then down from the skies came the wooden shoe,
   Bringing the fishermen home:
‘Twas all so pretty a sail, it seemed
   As if it could not be;
And some folk thought ’twas a dream they’d dreamed
   Of sailing that beautiful sea;
   But I shall name you the fishermen three:
            Wynken,
            Blynken,
            And Nod.

Wynken and Blynken are two little eyes,
   And Nod is a little head,
And the wooden shoe that sailed the skies
   Is a wee one’s trundle-bed;
So shut your eyes while Mother sings
   Of wonderful sights that be,
And you shall see the beautiful things
   As you rock in the misty sea
   Where the old shoe rocked the fishermen three:—
            Wynken,
            Blynken,
            And Nod.

Nursery rhymes have always come across the same way as the Bible to me. They seemed like beautiful poetry, but I couldn’t make a lick of sense of them. Growing up as a preacher’s daughter, I had a constant deluge of literalist Bible interpretation which I tried mightily to take to heart, even convincing myself for a time that it made sense.

And then I went to college and received a whole new set of propaganda. It’s taken most of my life to sort it all out.

Did you know that this nursery rhyme is referring to astrology and the alchemical transformation of your soul? At one time even children were taught these concepts. That is actually what the Bible is all about, as well as are many nursery rhymes. As adults, we can become childlike again and embrace the joy of learning these things… of remembering who we are and where we came from. My goal is to play a small part in this process of pointing young and old back to their North Star.

Here are a couple of hints to get you thinking:

Photo from The Gnostic Church and Academy of Lord Jesus Christ

Photo from The Gnostic Church and Academy of Lord Jesus Christ

Recently I learned of someone (whose work in the herbalism world I greatly respected) taking his own life. He had been fighting insomnia for years, was in deep depression over the state of politics, worried about the loss of natural habitat, and was recently separated from his wife. His vast herbal knowledge and connection with nature did not save him. This is not to say we cannot find God through a connection with nature. But these mysteries and truths were written down for a reason. They are there to help us find our way when confusion sets in.

The majority of what we are told in these times is an inversion of the truth. Deep inside yourself you feel this unease and incoherence. You are made to feel that the anxiety inside of you means there is something wrong with you. It is a gaslight.

But there is a Way. It is The Way, or the Tao… or the Christ. When you understand it, it lights a fire within you. You know your purpose. It allows you to transform the lead in your life into gold. Because there is not one of us who does not have horribly heavy burdens to bear. But there is a way to transcend from that place of heaviness and live a life of meaning and service.

So I look forward to exploring this together with you at our meetups through stories, songs, nature, and art… And also here, as I continue to write and share about The Mysteries.

Thank you for being here. It means the world to me to be able to share these things. Don’t ever hesitate to reach out if you would like to talk or come and visit.

Much love and many blessings,

Jean