Welcome! Come here to explore different tools that you can use to shift your emotions, shift trauma, alleviate pain, and handle the challenges that pop up regularly.
As I sat in meditation. I asked what animals wanted to come in, and what they wanted to talk about. One of the first animals through the archway was a beautiful black horse. It was as though a great wind was blowing through my room.
The Black Horse said:
People talk about freedom and the most common thing in the conversation is that there are a whole lot of things that they do not want to do. Horse has always known that freedom is about making the choice to keep the community – the herd – together and to protect one another. Horse has learned that freedom means nothing if you are open to attack from the wolf. Freedom is only a benefit if you can feed, water, and have young.
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For more wisdom from horses, see the following blog posts:
Yesterday, when I went out to my vehicle, there were three prairie chickens in the middle of the cove, pecking away at seeds. They scurried away when I walked too close to them. Then, today, when the I took my dog walking in the park, at the exit, there was a small flock of six prairie chickens. This time, they flew away instead of scurrying, I think, because of my dog.
It is apparent to me, that Prairie Chicken has a message for me because it is appearing two days in a row, and the number of critters is multiplied by two. This really illustrates how message totem animals work.
“A Message Animal Totem usually is bringing you a self growth, spiritual message, or a cautionary warning. It is often a wake up call or slap in the face. It will usually be a very unusual experience making it very powerful at that time and very impartial. A Message Totem is a brief period of time, a day, a week, and occasionally as much as a couple of months but can be immediate for just a few hours.”
Now, it is up to me to figure out what the message is because the animals did not stay around to give the message to me directly. Prairie Chickens, and many chickens and quail, and even grouse, are about community, about feeding or nourishment, and about protection – especially fleeing at the first sign of danger. This means that chicken is also about being ultra aware of one’s surroundings.
The message that resonated for me as I meditated on Prairie Chicken and the chickens’ actions is:
When the unknown approaches and it feels threatening, simply flee and then observe it from a distance. Warriors are careful.
Finding the best place to eat and creating the best food will keep your group very strong. Nourishment is part of spirituality for the body must be kept healthy.
Feeding people is a small sacrifice that shows that you are in service.
As we drove home from the mountains Thursday, we saw a wide variety of animals and birds. I was surprised to see a big badger run away from us, and across the road and into the grass.
Badgers are typically dawn and dusk beings as they are very much a loner type animal. This badger, however, was on a mission, and ran across a busy two lane highway. The irony of me writing this story is that one of the characteristics of badger in all the legends is that Badger is the Keeper of Stories. Before the written word was so prominent, all traditions handed down their history by story telling. In each family was one member who could recite the family lineage right back to the oldest memories. We lost our tradition of story telling in the 1700’s with the growth of the Industrial Revolution and its need for written instructions to keep the spread of machines growing.
Back to Badger! Badger is an underground dweller. It reminds us to stay grounded. She also reminds us to dig deeper into the issues that are occurring in our lives because the surface problem is not at the root – the root is generally always hidden beneath the layers – of dirt, or of stories, or of self deception.
Badger likes to be by herself because she is very strong and self confident. Her questions are:
Are you lacking confidence in something?
Are you seeing only the surface of a story? Do you need to dig deeper?
Are you using your stories to cause harm? Are someone else’s stories causing you harm?
Do you need to tell a story to teach something?
Does your story need to be told so that you can let go of it?
May Badger come to you in your dreams and give you a way to get to your roots!
Have you noticed that some people just seem to think that it is their right to judge and convict others for attitudes, actions, or beliefs that do not align with the one that is judging beliefs?
I am amazed when I watch videos of different animal species like a cat and a bear, becoming friends for years. An amazing video showed the friendship between a sea lion and a dog. I am sure that you have seen other videos like the friendship between a bear, a tiger, and a lion. The animals are all different and still accept the other animal with all of its personality and actions.
Why do people react so differently to others? Yes, there are exceptions where two different individuals will become friends but those seem to be less frequent.
I believe that when we shine our light, our goodness, our kindness, and our personality, that we intimidate others. The others make up judgements, sometimes lies, and spread rumours about us to make themselves feel bigger/better.
By continuing to be ourselves and ignoring the issues that the other people have, we become our best selves. Our light shines.
I know that an animal wants to talk to me and give me a message when a picture pops up of it, over and over. This has been happening with Giraffe. I will open a magazine, and there will be a picture of a Giraffe. Or, I will open an email slideshow, and the first or second picture will be a giraffe.
I finally slowed down and asked Giraffe what it wanted to tell me. She asked me to close my eyes, and imagine that I was in Africa. She then asked me to open my eyes and see the scrubby bushes and grasses that give lions and cheetahs something to hide behind.
Then she said,
“Life is a lot like the scrubby bushes that cover the savannahs in my world. We often get so used to seeing the bumps and the valleys, that we soon ignore them. In the beginning, we do watch them so that we don’t trip or stumble. We make sure that we are not taken by surprise by predators.
Then suddenly, we seem to forget about these parts of the environment. We look beyond them, and forget that at some point, we must deal with them. They are like the details in life that we must take care of – car payments, mortgages, food, shelter – details that are taken for granted, and therefore not treated with the attention, and perhaps respect that they require. Soon they catch up with us.
Giraffes know that at all times, especially with the young about, that we must keep our heads up. We must look beyond the immediate, to the distance to see what is coming. You, too, need to do that!”
I have been paying attention to what is around me and ahead of me.
When we talk about going into the desert, the first animal that springs to mind is the Camel. The desert means that the climate is hot and dry, and perhaps with out food or water for several days. How is it that Camel survived her fifty million years without going the way of extinction? Why do the Bedouins call her “Allah’s Gift”?
Camel has some physical properties that human kind would love to have. She is able to eat anything – even thorns. Excess food is stored in the humps as fat, and, as she requires water, she metabolizes the fat into water. The longest Camel has been known to go without water is two months. Her dry dung gives the Bedouins their fuel for fires. Her milk and meat and hair provide food and clothing. She carries great burdens for the nomadic tribes, and even provides entertainment in the form of camel racing. She is truly a gift!
Many spiritual leaders – prophets and shaman – pilgrimage in the desert because it is believed to be a magical place that can shift out of time to different worlds and dimensions. Camel then, is one who can walk between worlds, or walk out of time. Some believe that she can go so long without water because she slips between dimensions and never changes.
Camel’s great, large, two toed feet keep her firmly grounded on the top of the sand and in contact with Mother Earth. She “hears” from the Earth where water is available. Her colour is great camouflage for blending into the shifting dunes, or even into the dry mountain tops where she may make her home. The white shading, sometimes on the muzzle and above the feet indicate that Camel is enlightened.
When Camel looks at you directly in dream time or in the physical, know that she is telling you that a journey is in store. The journey may be physical travel as well as a quest or pilgrimage of the spiritual kind. Know too that Camel, who travels out of the ordinary, is preparing you for a time where you leave behind all that you know. The constant is the great Unknown. Camel says – do not fear. Great Spirit always provides, and if called upon, Camel will show you how bountiful Great Spirit is in the unknown times.
May you carry all that you need with you, and may you travel lightly!
Several years ago, I was at a conference where a very fascinating lady, called an Animal Whisperer, gave a talk on how we in the audience should be treating all animals as sentient beings. She said that each animal had a role to play on Earth, and that humans interfered with this natural talent all the time. She then told us the story of the Elephant. She was headed to Africa to do some workshops. As soon as she made the arrangements, she started to dream about a large tusked elephant, in the wild, that wanted her to come and see him (in the wild). When she got to Africa, she made arrangements with a guide to take her to the place to meet the wild elephant. She sat on the hood of the jeep and waited. The elephant arrived at late afternoon. The following information comes from the wild elephant as he told the story to the Animal Whisperer.
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Elephants were charged with keeping the rhythm steady for the beating of Mother Earth’s heart. When the world was new, and there were lots of elephants (and whales), this was an easy task. Now, however, the Elephant has fewer and fewer members of the tribe that can do the work that is passed down through elephant memory.
Elephant is now looking for other ways to fulfill its commitment to Mother Earth. Nightly, Elephant walks in Dream TIme, looking for humans that will walk with him and the others in the herd, and learn the ways of the Elephant. Elephant is not just about being strong; it knocks down trees, and has pushed railroad cars off the railway tracks – it is about being smart and remembering. Elephant looks for people that are compassionate and kind. They look for people that have a strong sense of duty. There is power in having a cause and sticking to it. Elephant may come to you tonight, or the next night.
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Welcome him or her, and ask how you can help. You will become part of Elephant Power.
In Chinese history, a calendar was created that differs from the calendar of the Western World. Of course we call it “The Chinese Calendar”. Each of the twelve animal cycles of the calendar relates to different animals and is associated with different year. Dragon years include2024, 2012, 2000, 1988, 1976, 1964, and 1952.
The Year of The Dragon has the power to focus change on the world. This power seeks out people that have lost or given away their power as well as people that have a strong conscience and love for the Earth and humanity. These are the people that will use dragon power to shift and stamp out the corruption and selfishness that we are seeing on the planet today.
There are many references that you can search for and read about the power of the dragon.
Feel inside your body to see if dragon power is “powering” you up.
On Sunday, in our Solstice Celebration, several people had an encounter with a jaguar.
Last night, as I was falling asleep, my Black Jaguar, who sits on my Sacral Chakra, popped in and asked, “Why don`t you write about jaguars as spirit animals?” So, today, I will write about jaguar.
Jaguar is sacred to indigenous people in South and Central America. They call it “the animal that kills with a bite”`because the Jaguar kills its prey with a single bite. Jaguar makes a loud coughing noise. She is unable to roar.
In Munay-Ki, Jaguar is a totem that reflects integrity, steadfastness, truth, and the ability to blend in with the day or the night. Her skills include climbing, running steadily for hours at a slow trot, and keen night vision. The people with this totem or spirit animal, are generally agile, loners and leaders, and very good orators. Most Jaguar people are writers and thinkers, and do something to change the world.
Jaguar likes to live in caves, close to water, much like the hermits or isolated monks do. If she appears to you, she may be reminding you that in the Northern hemisphere, people should be moving into a hibernation or isolation stage in their life. Winter is a time of regeneration. This is a time to heal, to refresh the mind, and to contemplate one’s next steps. When we don’t take this time, people get out of balance.
Badger in an inquisitive moment! Courtesy Microsoft clipart.
Did you know that badgers are by nature very playful? This trait is because Badger is part of the same family as otters (very playful!), ferrets (also playful) and weasels. Most of us though, tend to think of badger as grumpy and perpetually fierce. Most of what we know comes from Britain where they have lived forever, and are one of the favoured animals of the Green Man - keeper of the forest and all things wild.
Badger may be solitary or may live in clans of up to about a dozen members. They are very family oriented and will stop at nothing to protect their mates and their young. Badger's courage is widely admired as it has been known to fight wolves, bears and man, and send them all fleeing. For this reason, many European coats of arms feature badger as a prominent insignia - to show stamina and courage. In tribal cultures, the badger skin was a worn as a head dress to show that the chief or warrior was strong and full of courage, just like a badger. Indeed the black stripes on the badgers head, around the eyes is reminiscent of war paint used from the time of the ancients.
When Badger appears in your life, you may be sure that it is now time to put fear aside, and to take the step beyond compromise. Badger encourages you to stand your ground, to be firm in your boundaries, to speak your truth and stand in your power, and to disregard what others may think or feel about what you are doing. Be sure that when Badger appears you are in a place where all you love is being or going to be challenged. She says that you must fight now or risk losing all forever.
This picture of an owl comes from an email so the source is unknown.
Owl is a night-time creature so we do not expect to see it during the day. However, when Owl has pressing messages, she will fly at any time. Owl has these messages to share.
“Owls have very good vision. It is time to practice improving your vision. Do not look only ahead. Look to the sides. Increase the flexibility of your neck and shoulders, and learn to look behind you. What comes up behind you is as important as what is ahead.”
“Owls sit in the branches of trees and watch the ground to spot tasty morsels to eat. This is also a good way to observe the patterns of animal life on the ground. Take time to get up high or to step back ten paces from your life so that you can see your daily routine objectively. What is it that you do over and over that gives you no pleasure and no gain? Why do you do it? What old pattern drives this? Think about what you can do differently.”
“Owls operate best at night and in the early morning because that is our high energy time. Do you shun the night and the early morning? This is the high energy time for humans too. You feel the pull of the Sun and the pull of the stars and planets. This is the time to gather the energy of peace. Try changing your routine for three months to see when you feel like you have more energy and will. Do you feel better on your current routine or getting up earlier, for example, at 5:30am?”
A second 10-foot wide sinkhole appeared about a foot away from a 25-foot-wide sinkhole that appeared in January at Cape Kiwanda. May 8, 2023, Cape Kiwanda State Natural Area, Oregon.
Courtesy of Cape Kiwanda State Natural Area
Last week, a 10-foot-wide sinkhole appeared at Cape Kiwanda on Oregon’s north coast. This is the second sinkhole to appear at the cape this year, just inches away from the one that emerged in January.
A sinkhole is a depression in the ground that has no external drainage. So, when it rains the water stays inside, ponds up and then drains down into the subsurface.
I was wondering why there have been so many sink holes appearing all around the world in 2023.
The guidance that came to me is that humans have been pressuring the Earth for the last thirty-five years, and covering huge parts of her with cement in the form of roads, parking lots, big buildings, runways, and developments. These “coverings” have choked off the Earth’s natural ability to breathe. Even though, in some cases, Man has created huge craters in the form of open pit mines, the holes are not natural and do not allow the Earth to breathe properly.
As with any creature, the Earth is finally struggling not to choke and die. She therefore opens up huge breathing holes, similar to the whales opening their blow holes, where ever it feels natural and right. Earth pays no attention to what is on the surface.
If we saw another human cruelly choking an animal, we would cry out in outrage, and work to stop the human who was doing the choking. It is now helpful to have that same view around the sink holes that are appearing. Yes, it is too bad that people are loosing houses and garages. Maybe they are required to move elsewhere.
If you are having difficulty picturing the difficulty that Mother Earth is having with her breathing, take a few minutes to do this meditation.
Meditation on Earth Breathing
1. Put on some very tight clothes.
2. Sit as comfortably as you can in meditation position – perhaps full lotus.
3. As you start the meditation, breath in deeply for a count of seven, hold for seven, and release for seven.
4. Do this for a minute.
5. Notice how difficult it is to take a deep breath? Even after you have done several of them, the going seems to get tougher, and not easier.
6. Try it again to see if it easier the second time.
7. Now, go and change clothes and get into some very comfortable, loose clothing.
8. Try the same exercise again.
9. Do you see the difference? Do you feel the difference? Do you feel like stretching after you get into the looser clothing?
10. It is the same for Mother Earth.
11. Now, do the breathing, taking in very deep breaths, and imagine that you are harmonizing your breath to the Mother’s.
12. Feel your anxiousness subside. Feel the Earth become calmer. Feel the Oneness, and the peace.
13. Do this breathing exercise for ten minutes.
14. When you are finished, bow to Mother Earth nine times to honour her journey, and thank her for providing the greater home that you live on.
Oxen pulled the carts and wagons that helped the pioneers cross North America from the East to the West coast.
“Dependable, calm, methodical, patient, hardworking, ambitious, conventional, steady, modest, logical, resolute, tenacious. Can be stubborn, narrow-minded, materialistic, rigid, demanding.” This is the description for OX, in the Chinese Zodiac.
Ox is actually a bull that has been neutered either because of its very gentle disposition which makes it ideal for pulling work, or because the bull is not a good breeder. The best Ox is actually one with horns because the horns help the yoke stay in place. The horns also enable Ox to defend against predators.
Our Ancestors preferred Ox’s draft capabilities over that of a horse or mule where steadiness over speed was required. Ox is sure footed, patient, and generally gets along with anyone or any team-mate. Ox is also stronger, and not likely to injure itself because it is methodical in what it does, and does not jerk or rear against the harness or driver. Ox has also been used for riding because again it will go much longer in the day than a horse will travel.
As Ox is part of the family of cattle and bovines, it brings some of the same messages. If Ox is in your dreams, or shows up in pictures for you, then it does bring you a message. Some of these messages might be:
a) Are you pulling your weight in the world? Ox takes on huge loads and moves them, without protest. Have you been whining and complaining about your lot in life? Are you labelling yourself as a victim? Ox is here to remind you that everything is fair and for a reason. Put your back into what you do, and you will forget about being a victim.
b) Do you help others? Ox is in training for his part as a draft animal by age two to three, and usually will work for four to six years. Ox has committed his life to helping mankind move forward. If you are feeling low self worth, Ox suggests that you find someplace to volunteer. Helping others is the surest way to improve self esteem.
c) Are you working hard, and doing everything yourself? Do you feel unappreciated? Ox reminds you that most animals work better in a team. Why do you try to do it all yourself? Find a good team-mate, and split the work load. Bring your life back into balance.
Ox is a great example of being able to go with the flow in life, and not get excited or emotional.
