(note: this is the continuing story of the White Feather: Spirit of Lennon Exhibition - part I can be seen here.)
The White Feather Exhibit has been a catalyst for healing old wounds between father and son.
For Julian Lennon, it is the culmination of many years of harboring resentment and anger towards the father who left him and his mom when he was a little boy. John divorced Julian’s mother Cynthia in 1968 and married Yoko Ono in March of 1969, leaving Julian, age 5, fatherless, sad, and confused.
When his half-brother Sean was born in 1975, it confounded Julian’s healing process as he saw the attention John, (now dubbing himself “a househusband”), lavished on his new son. It was something he had to witness through the media, since he had very little contact with his father.
It’s been a long road for Julian emotionally and spiritually, and this exhibit is a newfound expression of love and forgiveness.
In an interview, Julian was asked whether the exhibit had allowed him to leave behind his bitterness. In response, he said, "I realise myself that hate wastes a lot of time and energy and I would rather re-direct any energy that I have to good and positive use…The idea is to work through all those issues and problems. I feel that we have reached that level at this point. It is part and parcel of what we are trying to do with White Feather.”
A father’s promise to his son comes true in a spiritual way
The theme of the white feather itself has its roots in a conversation that John once had with Julian. John told his son, “if anything ever happens to me, and you see a white feather floating evenly across the room, you’ll know that’s me” and said this would signify his promise to always look after him.
A lyric in Julian's song --"feeling the presence of the dead”—(from the song, Well I Don't Know) was an autobiographical reference to sensing John's presence while writing material for Valotte, his first album. But he never saw the white feather.
Finally, in 2007, twenty seven years later (note that 2 + 7 = 9, the number so significant to John during his life), as Julian was in Australia working on the film “Whaledreamers”, he received a visit from the beyond that he’ll never forget.
He was working with the aboriginal tribes there to produce the film in an effort to raise awareness about the plight of the earth’s oceans as well as whales. When a tribe elder invited him to participate in an ancient ritual ceremony with the tribe, Julian was presented with a white feather. Julian, stunned, was rendered speechless. The promise of the white feather had come true.
(for more discussion about John Lennon's afterlife communications, see our article at Daytrippin' here)
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