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Jumping Mouse: A Story About Inner Trust
The story of Jumping Mouse, from the Native American tradition, is a compelling tale about the journey to acquire inner trust--the ability to trust the path of our own hearts. We travel along with Jumping Mouse as he is challenged by the stages and initiations one must face in order to trust paradox, ambiguity, betrayal, doubt, the leap of faith, the pull of consensus reality, and the subtleties of discernment.Juxtaposed with contemporary analogies and gentle teaching, the story guides us in our quest to learn when to, whether to, and how to trust. As Jumping Mouse journeys to the Sacred Mountain--the heart of his true self--and discovers that which gives his life meaning and purpose, we feel the reawakening of innocence and the birth of trust in the moment and in ourselves. And as he learns to totally trust the promptings of his heart, our spirits take flight and soar far beyond the pages of the book to the heart of our own truth.
- GenresFiction
192 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 1995
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
May 29, 2018
Awesome book... Teaches about inner trust.
November 27, 2023
Excellent analysis of the Native American myth, bringing it into present day context and spiritual/personal growth.
November 18, 2007
A great story to have read to one - take it from me!
The mouse leaves his village where everyone is busy being busy, because he hears a roaring in his ears that none of the other mice say they can hear. Venturing out, he meets a racoon who knows what the roaring is: the river! The racoon leads him to meet his friend the frog, who lives in the river. The frog tells him that if he jumps high enough, he can see the high mountain. Instructed how to jump by the frog, the mouse jumps - but lands in the river and nearly drowns trying to get out! He gets mad at the frog, but the frog asks if he saw the mountain. Hearing yes, the frog gives him a new name: Jumping Mouse.
The mouse - all wet - returns to the mouse village where no one believes - even though he's all wet - his story. Again he leaves, settling briefly with Country Mouse, who lives alone and at a slower pace, but actually not very differently from the mice in the village when you think about it. So Jumping Mouse moves on. He decides to try to find the mountain. He sees eagles soaring overhead and is afraid (because they eat mice). He meets a buffalo and a wolf who help him on his journey, but he has to give each of them one of his eyes to heal them of serious suffering. In the end, he is transformed into an eagle.
That's all from memory. (Read the book and see if I got it right!) There are other published tellings of this Native American tale, but this is the one that was read to me and so is my favorite.
Since childhood, frogs have held a special place in my imagination. I have a notion that if I have a totem animal, it's the frog. So it fascinates me that the frog in this story is in my line of work. He instructs the mouse in spiritual practice, and affirms the mouse in his practice (giving the name is both affirmation and a handle for the mouse to make this spiritual practice part of his identity). And then, of course, it's up to the mouse. The frog's job is to stay in touch with the river, keep the mountain in sight, and teach others how to do likewise. The frog doesn't take the journey, but his instruction launches it and gives it direction. His spiritual practice comes naturally to him, and it helps the mouse, but it is not what comes naturally to the mouse. None of what the mouse does comes naturally to him, except his awareness and reflection and striving for growth (and courage!). Once he commits to that, he is on the path to transformation.
The mouse leaves his village where everyone is busy being busy, because he hears a roaring in his ears that none of the other mice say they can hear. Venturing out, he meets a racoon who knows what the roaring is: the river! The racoon leads him to meet his friend the frog, who lives in the river. The frog tells him that if he jumps high enough, he can see the high mountain. Instructed how to jump by the frog, the mouse jumps - but lands in the river and nearly drowns trying to get out! He gets mad at the frog, but the frog asks if he saw the mountain. Hearing yes, the frog gives him a new name: Jumping Mouse.
The mouse - all wet - returns to the mouse village where no one believes - even though he's all wet - his story. Again he leaves, settling briefly with Country Mouse, who lives alone and at a slower pace, but actually not very differently from the mice in the village when you think about it. So Jumping Mouse moves on. He decides to try to find the mountain. He sees eagles soaring overhead and is afraid (because they eat mice). He meets a buffalo and a wolf who help him on his journey, but he has to give each of them one of his eyes to heal them of serious suffering. In the end, he is transformed into an eagle.
That's all from memory. (Read the book and see if I got it right!) There are other published tellings of this Native American tale, but this is the one that was read to me and so is my favorite.
Since childhood, frogs have held a special place in my imagination. I have a notion that if I have a totem animal, it's the frog. So it fascinates me that the frog in this story is in my line of work. He instructs the mouse in spiritual practice, and affirms the mouse in his practice (giving the name is both affirmation and a handle for the mouse to make this spiritual practice part of his identity). And then, of course, it's up to the mouse. The frog's job is to stay in touch with the river, keep the mountain in sight, and teach others how to do likewise. The frog doesn't take the journey, but his instruction launches it and gives it direction. His spiritual practice comes naturally to him, and it helps the mouse, but it is not what comes naturally to the mouse. None of what the mouse does comes naturally to him, except his awareness and reflection and striving for growth (and courage!). Once he commits to that, he is on the path to transformation.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews