In a rare event we have a very early animal guide posting for today! Last night I was lulled into couch potato-ness by Netflix and Xbox so the mild insomnia bug hit and here at 5:30am in Southern California it’s still dark and there’s still a chance I could get some sleep! But before I do I wanted to give you all today’s guide for your contemplative enjoyment!
Today’s Animal Spirit Guide is…
Goose! (or geese as we see here)
What can you say about the Goose? They are amazing birds really. They travel great distances during cold months of the year to be in warmer climates, they have beautiful, thick plumage, and they are one of the animals in the wild who mate for life. Though, is has been documented that there is a low percentage of “divorce” among Geese as some do separate and find another partner over time but it’s not common. It is also interesting to note that it’s been found that not all Geese are heterosexual and there are pairings that have same-sex life partners while some heterosexual pairs never breed. When eggs are laid both partners protect the next and the young which helps to add to the high survival rate that Geese have, especially when they are babies. And if you’re ever wondered why Geese migrate in their familiar “V” shape, also known as an echelon formation, it actually helps them save strain and energy while traveling, allowing them to take advantage of the wind current and energy produced by the birds in the front of the “V” to carry them great distances allowing to travel longer and farther.
So what is the message of the Goose?
“Take time to rest and recuperate rather than continuing your striving.”
Here is an interesting lesson to take from Goose. Keep in mind that Geese are waterfowl; they work tirelessly under the surface of the water to keep themselves moving along, paddling with their webbed feet, when what we see on the surface is a peaceful and graceful bird gliding across the glassy surface. But, think again about where you mostly see a Goose when you see them. They’re usually on land. Geese spend a great deal of their time on land, not straining themselves in the water or in the air, and can often be seen waddling around eating grass, leaves and flowers and, over all, just hanging out. Geese eat vegetarian diets and are known to be able to spend up to 12 hours packing in the food before making a long journey.
Now is a good time to start planning some much needed rest time. For many people getting time away from work, school, and even home and family can be really difficult. The sad thing is it’s one of the most important aspects of our overall health. This is something a bit more understood in some parts of European culture but here in our American society if you’re not finishing one task and moving right into the next you can be seen as lazy and complacent. Have you been jumping from one project to another without stopping to look at the fruits of your labor? Have you been on a non-stop spree of work and other responsibilities without any down time for just you? If you have then it’s time to start planing something for you and just you. It doesn’t need to be a week long vacation, though if you haven’t had one of those in a while then maybe that IS what you need, but even if you’re able to just plan a day off for yourself, one that you can spend either alone or with a friend doing something calming and relaxing, then that’s just as good! As much as you may love your kids, make this a “kid free” day. Do some adult relaxing where you can either just lay back and get a massage or be alone for a while. If you have kids and you haven’t had a “me day” in a while you’ll be surprised how much you may need one after you’ve actually had one!
The point with Goose is that before you can really move forward to reach your big goals or start working toward something new you need to make sure that you’re taking a little down time for yourself between ventures. Enjoy the work you have done and the thing that you have accomplished before jumping right into the next thing. Approaching things from that perspective will give you more of a chance to build your own self-esteem as well; instead of always feeling like you’re going-going-going and getting nowhere you’ll have the chance to really look at something you’ve accomplished and feel good about it before heading off to the next project.
Other keywords associated with Goose are:
perseverance, migration, levelheadedness, loyalty, family, determination, resourcefulness, quest, integration, purposeful, imprinting, compassion, conservation.
on your Kindle!
