“If one looks at a thing with the intention of trying to discover what it means, one ends up no longer seeing the thing itself, but of thinking of the question that is raised.” – Rene Magritte

Last Sunday, I found myself face-to-face with a sculpture that’s stayed with me all week: The Healer by René Magritte, on display at the Menil Collection. It stopped me in my tracks—something about the cloaked figure, the birdcage embedded in the chest, and the birds both inside and out. It stirred something ancient and knowing in me.

Later, I learned it was inspired by a 1937 photomontage called The Therapist. That makes sense. The sculpture felt like therapy. Or maybe prophecy.

This image became a mirror for the journal prompts I had been working through—prompts that unearthed both shadow and truth. The statue gave form to my inner dialogue. Each part of the sculpture seemed to correspond with a question I had asked myself—offering a quiet but powerful affirmation that the answers are not just in words, but in symbols, too.

🕊️ The Bird Inside the Cage

Prompt: Where do I feel trapped or restricted, and why am I still choosing it?
I saw myself in the bird, wings pressed against metal bars. The cage is the corporate environment I remain in for the illusion of safety. I recite lines I didn’t write, to support my family, to appease expectations that were never truly mine. It’s not that I can’t fly. It’s that I haven’t opened the door yet.

🕊️ The Bird Outside the Cage

Prompt: In what ways do I sabotage my own growth when freedom is available?
There’s a bird in the sculpture that’s free, perched gently outside. That bird is me too. The part of me that hesitates. That shrinks when she wants to expand. That stays silent when she longs to howl the truth. That hides behind habits and weight and distraction. Yet, even in this hesitation, there is movement—because I’m beginning to choose differently.

🕯️ The Cloak

Prompt: What would I pursue if I fully trusted my own intuition and divine timing?
If I trusted my sacred inner clock, I’d cast off this cloak of conformity and step fully into the vision that’s been waiting: I’d write. I’d grow my Reiki practice. I’d bridge science and spirituality. I’d lead forest therapy walks. I’d communicate with animals and trust the responses. I’d live in harmony with the rhythms I feel pulsing through my bones.

🎩 The Hat

Prompt: What truth about myself have I been avoiding or downplaying?
The hat felt like it held the truth I’ve tucked away: That I am powerful. That I am magnetic. That I am not completely fulfilled in my relationship. That I long to be seen as beautiful. That I often place my power gently to the side, instead of letting it rest boldly on my crown.

🪶 The Birdcage

Prompt: Who am I right now?
A compassionate, sensitive, poetic soul. A woman remembering her purpose. I want to help others heal. I want to tell stories. I want to bring animals and people into deeper awareness. My soul isn’t asleep. It’s just been patiently waiting for me to catch up.

🧳 The Baggage

Prompt: What belief am I holding that no longer aligns with who I am becoming?
That cages (literal or metaphorical) are kindness. I’ve told myself the animals I’ve worked with were fine. But I see now that my discomfort around their containment reflects my own. I’ve thought maybe it was time to move on from helping animals. But I know better. My hands move instinctively toward warm, furry things and I want to draw them close to me. My heart leaps at connection. My connection with animals is not ending, it’s transforming.

I don’t have all the answers yet. But I know the statue didn’t appear in my path for no reason. It’s a portal and a prompt. A reminder that healing isn’t linear—it’s layered. That I am both healer and healed. Caged bird and open sky.

If you’ve seen yourself in cages lately, know this: the key might be in your own pocket. Or maybe, just maybe, you’ve had the wings all along.