The Path of The Hare

I’ve found myself drawn to The Hare and its significance to every group of people that has encountered it throughout time. You can find it in storytelling, literature, art, music, and even religion. So, I know I’m not the only one who’s seen this fragile yet fierce creature and said, ‘I can relate to that.’ I find them not-quite-right in the most delightful way.
Maybe it’s just my aspiration to be seen the same way. I know I’m fragile in my own ways, but I try to be fierce to protect myself. And, I suppose I’d like to be considered “delightful” in my own “not-quite-right” way too.

The Hare is everywhere. The fascinating symbol depicting three hares in a circle, each sharing an ear, known as the “The Three Hares Motif”, has been found throughout the world over centuries. Each location and culture where it’s been found has created its own meaning and value for this iconic symbol; so much so that the actual origin of the symbol is still considered unknown. 
As with the Three Hares Symbol, societies continue to assign things meaning and value that bend to the time and place they’re in. This often includes people. Lucky for us, other people don’t get to actually decide our meaning or value. Like the symbol of The Three Hares people are different all over the world, yet somehow there always seems to be someone telling us we should be “normal” or meet some standard created by those with power and influence. They keep trying to tell us what is meaningful or valuable.

It’s been said, “The path of the hare is never simple. It is erratic, complex and much more ancient than people realise.” ~ James Crowden, Ancient Hare History

Much like the description of the “path of the hare”, I find my path is never simple, definitely erratic and really complex. I will never be the person who knows exactly who they are, where they should be and what they should be doing. I will never have a consistent image to present to the world so I can be “understood”. The society around us tells us we’re knowable - Tells us what our meaning and values are- Tells us they understand us. I don’t believe them. I barely understand myself. I’m walking ‘the path of The Hare’. It’s just not that simple. It’s not a straight line.

Like the Hare who fights being domesticated, I find my quiet place in Nature. I look at a lot of Nature photos when I’m seeking inspiration to paint. There’s something about natural light and the unfiltered body language of animals that I find refreshing and inspiring. Ultimately, that’s how I found myself drawn to the Hare. They don’t know they’ve been assigned such lofty meanings and values. So, it doesn’t bother them. They just roam about in Nature. They just are. They zig zag around just trying to stay alive.

When creating hieroglyphs, Egyptians used the symbol of the Hare over water (Unen (Wn) to mean “to be” or “to exist”.   

In an exhausting world where I’m told I have to know, have to keep up, and have to find meaning and value, I found myself both resonating with and challenged by the meaning of the Hare hieroglyph. In a world where ‘the path of the hare’ is described as ‘never simple…erratic, complex…’ I thought…that IS Life, isn’t it? To be. To exist… but along the erratic Path of The Hare. No straight lines, but still the simplicity of just being a creature in Nature.

Although the Hare may not know what’s happening all around the world, it does know what’s happening in its territory- its home. It does need to be aware of its surroundings, so it doesn’t become dinner to everything larger than itself. There are things that it should do to be safe or find food. But, it’s clever and it’s fast. Hares are born with all their fur and their eyes open. They live in the open, not in a burrow. The Hare has to be aware, but not worried. A lesson I try to follow.
Although I hold the Hare as a more advanced creature than myself in the art of “just being”, in my imagination there are things that bother it.
In my imagination The Hare is mostly bothered by being called a rabbit. No one likes to be labeled as something they’re not, and my imaginary Hare is no different. Hares are not rabbits. And the Hare I imagine holds a bit of resentment for being called one. So, (in my imagination) those over-the-shoulder glances, with bulging eyes and side-ways looks are letting us know it’s bothered. Kinda like me when someone tells me I’m something I’m not.
The Hare shows me that ‘to be’ or ‘to exist’ is a more peaceful state because of freedom from worry about things outside my control, not because “Nature” is simple. They understand The Path is erratic and complex, and that is expected and accepted. They also know it’s OK to be a little bothered sometimes.