In the middle of last October, I wrote a poem for OctWriPoMo about protection. The following is most of the post and the poem I wrote:

Thinking about this briefly, it was clear that there is nothing comparable to the protection outlined in the 23rd Psalm of the Christian Bible.  I use it daily and it is the unfailing blanket coverage for me.  What I did with my offering today was to paraphrase it to personalize. Also, I wanted to say a word or two about the image accompanying. I’m about halfway through a 6-week leisure course, Gifts from Psyche’s Garden, being offered at the local branch of the area district library.  It is about studying ancient symbols, images, religions, and seeing how these images connect with our collective unconscious, which is where a lot of the images we see in our dreams come from.  Today we learned about the Gods and creation myths of India.  Did you know that the Hindus have 32 MILLION different gods and goddesses?  Impressive!  I learned that Durga is one of the Hindi goddesses of protection.  I’m not sure she carries a rod and a staff, but she has plenty of other protective devices.  There is something so very liberating about having so many gods and goddesses to choose from.  I’m choosing to have Durga be the goddess I think of when I recite the 23rd Psalm.

shining benevolent protector,
you make me rest when i’m weary.
you show me a way of peace and calm,
filling up my emptiness,
when my wandering leads me astray;
then you lead me back to the fold
with my full awareness and appreciation.
when dark elements approach,
from without and from within,
i am confident that you will shield
and keep this darkness from
damaging me too badly.
you can kick ass when needed.
your strong guidance is
a shield in and of itself and is
of great comfort to me.
you show all that you care
and that you provide. i sit
in a cherished position, under your protection.
you have blessed me in so many ways!
this cherishing and these blessings
are not of a temporal nature.
i live in your house, under your watchful gaze,
for eternity and beyond.
* * *

What I learned afterwards, from Punam is that the day I posted the poem was the 7^th day of the annual festival honoring Maa Durga’s return to Earth in India. To me, this was magical serendipity, to write a poem honoring the Goddess, only to find out it was the time she was visiting the planet.

I went back to my dream class the next week and shared the serendipity/magical coincidence with them and they were as amazed as I was.

Reena is the host of Reena’s Exploration Challenge.  Reena says:
PROMPT
A sudden event that feels magical in its impact
Write a poem or story or anecdote about a character or event… absolutely anything that is surreal or mystical and difficult to explain.