River Otter - Another Spirit Animal

 North America River Otter – picture from Wikipedia… 

 

Last night, in my dream, several river otters were transformed from carefree, playful creatures into an ankle length fur coat.  I could only see the back of the coat, and every once in a while, it seemed that an eye would open on the back of the coat and look at me.  I woke up this morning with this image in my head.  Years ago, when I worked for Hudson Bay Northern Stores, we would get in shipments of cured furs, including otter.  The pelts were very soft and warm.  Most often, the pelts would be made into coats or jackets.  I wondered why I was getting this sequence of events.  Then I realized that I needed to talk about spirit animals today, and Otter was telling me that I should write about her.

Otter was born with a great curiosity, and will investigate anything that strikes her fancy.  She brings a message that we should indulge our curiosity about all things, and take no ones word for anything. Otter also looks at things from land, the surface of the water and from beneath the water.  Perspective may change, depending on the angle one views life from… so do not limit your self to one view point.  Explore many.  

We hear the words “go with the flow” and do not really know what that means because humans are constantly trying to control everything around them.  Otter drifts on the water, and follows the current, truly moving as one with the environment.  When in this state, it is easy to relax, and enjoy life.  The message is that we humans should not take life so seriously.  

Otter’s ability to be on land or deep in the water – it will hold its breath for up to four minutes – is a message about learning to get in touch with one’s deepest emotions.  It gives the example of going deep in the water to get food and this tells us that delving deep into our emotions to free up pain is food for our soul.  

Family has deep meaning for Otter who takes care of her offspring for as a two years.  Additionally, Otters love company and live in social groups.  Conservationists have found Otter to be very gentle and trusting.  She will come up on the bank to visit.  Her openness teaches us that we too need to be more trusting, and to embrace new adventures with enthusiasm.  

I wish you “Otter” filled days!

Blessings,

Judy

Sea Gull is a Spirit Animal

Sea gulls live in seaports and around big water.  There are many gulls in Calgary as they follow the river system.

What do we know about gulls?  Well, many of us are fans of the book “Jonathan Livingston Seagull” because it was about following your heart and achieving as much as you could achieve.  It was inspirational and a heart warming story at the same time.  Yet, Sea Gull is often chased away and regarded as a nuisance bird.  Why is that? 

                                                           Picture is from unsplash.com

  

Sea gulls live in seaports and around big water.  There are many gulls in Calgary as they follow the river system.

What do we know about Sea Gull?  Sea Gull eats rubbish, pulls apart garbage bags if they smell good, eats dead fish as well as live ones, eats dead meat that washes onto shore or is road kill, eats vegetation, and makes messy nests out of whatever garbage it can find.  Sea Gull is noisy – she talks all the time to all those in the flock around her. There is a very loose social structure in the flock, and yet it is honoured.

So, if Sea Gull shows up in your life, what message is she bringing you?  It may be several messages or one message that will resonate with you.  Sea Gull shows up because:

1. She finds garbage around your house/yard and she is telling you to start recycling, reusing, and rethinking what you are eating and buying and throwing away.
2. She says you are eating out too much or eating too many packaged foods.  She eats what is immediately around her – the original 100 mile diet.  Are you eating healthily?  Sea Gull does – even if we consider it garbage.
3. Sea Gull flies around and soars and wheels and has fun.  She asks you to lighten up and go out and try new things – yell a little.  Making noise is good for your primal self.
4. Are you too quiet?  Do you need to find some friends?  Sea Gull has a lot of friends and is quite comfortable expressing herself.  Perhaps you need to take lessons about communicating and about relationship building from Sea Gull.
5. Sea Gull treats her flock members with fairness and respect. Situations like first come, first served are common and the others wait.  Are you too pushy?  Do you respect others, or do you consider yourself above the common Gull?

Enjoy the teachings of Sea Gull.  She does not usually show up often.

Blessings,

Judy

Otter on Fear - A Spirit Animal

Otter has a happy view of life.  Wikipedia says, “Otters are playful animals and appear to engage in various behaviors for sheer enjoyment. Different species vary in their social structure, with some being largely solitary, while others live in groups – in a few species these groups may be fairly large.” 

Otter tells us that she knows what it is like to have fear.  She and her family are hunted by humans, big cats, eagles, and sometimes wolves, and coyotes.  Being hunted has conditioned Otter to keeping a close eye on the landscape and to looking over her shoulder to see what might be watching or sneaking up on her.  Each den has an escape route, and often, that escape route takes her right into the river where she can out swim most predators.

However, Otter does not hide away.  Instead, she explores her territory and knows where she can hide if need be.  She is wily and quick.  Even in the coldest of times, she plays because playing helps her forget to be fearful.

If Otter is your guide, then some of the questions that you might answer are:

1. What is your biggest fear?
2. What happens to you if this fear does manifest?
3. Is this the worst that can happen?
4. Have you tried to create the situation so that you can deal with the fear for once and forever?
5. What do you do to protect against it?
6. Otters do not worry.  Do you worry about your fear most of the time?

If you want to know more about otter, check out this other post about her/him. https://www.lightstationwisdom.com/2023/08/the-story-of-otter-saving-animals.html

Many Blessings,

Judy

Penguin & Black & White - Spirit Animal

 

This blog is in answer to several readers who have sent in questions about Penguin showing up in their dreams or during the day in a picture or on television.  And, this blog is a partial answer to why some guidance seems to be in black and white.

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Penguins have been around for 30 to 40 million years as verified by the six foot fossils found. This makes Penguin one of the older spirit guides.

When Penguin first appears to you, do not be surprised if she bows. As well as looking formal in their black and white attire, Penguins have an intricate social pattern that includes bowing to one’s mate upon leaving and arriving in the nest, bowing to others as they move throughout the society. Bowing represents a tool for appeasement and to maintain social structure. Those who have Penguin as a guide are encouraged to become more polite and attentive to how the social structure around them is holding together. Perhaps you are being called to pay honor to your mate or to your friends. Perhaps you need to appease someone where you have been harsh with your words or actions. Penguin also moves in straight lines when they are gathered in groups and moves with orderliness and a sense of purpose. They are determined and focus. If you lack determination and focus, ask Penguin to assist you in strengthening these areas.

As Penguin has become smaller over the centuries, and more aquatic, its ability to see out of water has diminished. It sees best in the water. As water also represents emotion, then Penguin has the clarity to see through the emotion and get to the heart of the issue. Additionally, Penguin moves through the water with the style of an acrobat or ballerina. They may be awkward on land, but Penguin is graceful and fluid in the water, twisting and turning and shooting upward, achieving speeds of 25 miles per hour. Penguin then teaches about tuning to your inner rhythm, and how to move with speed through emotions, shortening the time you would otherwise spend there.

Pay attention to Penguin’s color. Black and white, ying and yang, magic and mystery! The whiteness of the Penguin represents the awakening spirit and the light of all that is – as does the whiteness where it resides. The black represents the unknown, the density, and the different dimensions. The balance in Penguin’s color shows you how to balance and merge the darkness and the light, and to move between worlds as the Penguin moves between the sea and the land – two different worlds. Feel honored that Penguin is your guide for your journey of magic and mystery is moving in a new direction.

Many blessings.

Judy (email her at lightstationwisdom@gmail.com)