Posts tagged Animal Spirit Guides

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.

Well well….this hasn’t happened yet, and it was bound to, so here it is…a repeat! Though it’s interesting that this is a repeat of one from this week!

Toady’s Animal Spirit Guide is…
The Shark!!

Thanks Shark Week! I’ll first just direct you all to Monday’s post on Shark for your basic info in case you missed it. But does Shark have anything different to say today than on Monday?

The message that I keep getting with Shark for today is something to the effect of:
“Be careful when you’re out for blood because it might be you that gets hurt in the end.”

Once in a while, and sometimes we know it and sometimes I don’t think we’re aware, but when we’re dealing with certain situations we might be “out for blood”. The Shark is always attracted to the scent of blood and this is what often pulls them into the fray of dangerous encounters with man and other animals of the sea. This is part of that instinct that the Shark carries I think; “oooh blood, it must be dinner time!” But at the same time it can be a trap to catch a Shark that is causing problems or is unwanted in an area.

So the message today with Shark is to always trust your instincts HOWEVER temper them with some focus and forethought, especially if you know you’re “out for blood” in a situation. And if you find yourself drawn into a potentially “bloody” situation, whatever it may be, really listening to your instincts; is this really where you need to be and is this something you need to be involved in…could it be a sort of trap?

The Animal Spirit Guide posts are back! It’s been a while and I’ve been feeling like they have missed you all so they’re back! Toady is quite a good one…

The Shark!

When we initially talk about sharks, in just about any situation, we tend to come to the subject with a bit of fear. Fear of a shark attack; fear that “Jaws” could be real. While it’s true that sharks are quite fierce creatures and can maim of kill in seconds, they are also one of the most beautiful and graceful creatures in the mighty sea. The energy that Shark brings through is that of instinct, keen perception, respect and survival. Sharks are able to survive because of their great ability to sense food sources from great distances and through their keep instinct that leads them to the best locations for hunting. Think about it this way; sharks have been in existence for about 400 million years, they outlived the dinosaurs! So there are some lessons we can take by calling on the power of this great fish (that’s right, sharks are fish, chondrichthyes, not mammals).

The message from Shark is:
“Trust your instincts to discern the truth of the situation.”

Often, as we grow up, we are somewhat conditioned by our surroundings, both environmental and other people, to believe or see things in certain ways. We often lose some aspects of our instincts becasue we are taught to believe a certain way or see certain people or situations in a certain way. Because of that we might find that we work more off of conditioning and programming rather than our true inner guidance at times. All is not lost though, we can learn to bring this back into our lives with a little work and effort as well as some help from Shark as a guide or totem.

The first place to start is by learning to listen to your own body once again. Many of us stop doing that at an early age as we are taught what is good or bad for us physically. We often come to a point of just letting our physical body run on autopilot until there is a crisis and it does something to really get our attention (such as illness or disease). By taking a little time each day to tune in and listen to our bodies we can begin to reconnect to our instinct.

Each day, maybe while you are getting ready for your day, maybe even while in the shower, close your eyes and give yourself a moment to settle yourself and then take three deep breaths. Then, once relaxed, take the time to listen to your inner voice and feel your physical body. Now by feel, I don’t mean by physically touching the body, but with your mind just scan your body. With your eyes still closed imagine yourself looking at your reflection in a full length mirror and ask that any areas of the body that need your attention be pointed out in some way. You might want to see a spotlight shine on the area or see it radiate a certain color. In your mind state your desired indicator and take your time to really look at the image in your minds-eye and see if your body needs to tell you anything. When you’re done make a mental note of the areas that may have shown a need for attention and then release the image; take another few deep breaths and come back to your waking sense. Now use that information to care for the body. Maybe you need to have less caffeine in your day, maybe you need more exercise…or maybe you need more rest! Listen and trust what you’re body is telling you.

As you become more comfortable by following your instinct with your body again you can use this technique in any area of your life where you need to let your instinct direct you. You can even use the same visualization technique \. For example, let’s say you have two people that you’re working on a project with at work. One of those people, you feel, is trying to cause some problems and you want to know who you should trust as you go forward. Deep breathe into a relaxed state and in your mind visualize on a large screen each of the two people and ask for your inner guidance to shine a spotlight on the one that is more trustworthy right now. Let yourself connect with this, don’t just take it at face value. When you see the person under the light, how do you feel, in your gut, about this person? Do you really get that feeling that this is the person to trust or is it really that this is the better of the two “for right now”? Listen and keep asking questions to get yourself on track and you’ll find that this inner guidance and instinct will help! It is your God/Goddess given survival mechanism, so use it!

Other keywords for Shark include:
confidence, secrets, protection, respect, survival, authority, focus, action, unpredictability, ancestors, shapeshifting, solitude, endurance, assertiveness, divinity.

Today’s Animal Spirit Guide is Gorilla!

I’ve talked about Gorilla previously in a personal entry when this was my guide for the day a while back. Here is the message of Gorilla:

“Take the time to listen compassionately to those you love, especially your family members.”

Gorilla’s are amazing animals. They are huge and powerful and quite impressive if you’ve ever had the chance to see on up close, but even with all their power they are quite gentle and, as a species, are quite family oriented. As male gorillas mature they are somewhat pushed out of the family unit with the intention of them finding a female to mate with and create their own family unit, however it’s been know that “bachelor groups” have been created in the while when males either don’t find females or when they are not ready to on some level and instead they find comfort in each other. These groups can last from a few months to a few years or longer. Newborns actually cling to their mothers hair immediately and the mother will continue to hold her baby for the first 4 months of it’s life, almost never letting go of it. Family and that family connection are very important for the gorilla.

So with this we receive the message of Gorilla. Family is important and they need to know you love them and are there for them since, while we seem to always expect them to be there, part of us knows that eventually they leave the nest, one way or another. Sometimes one of the best ways to let them know you love them is to be open within the lines of communication. By listening to those we love and care about rather than always trying to take center stage we are able to show another level of love and compassion. With Gorilla today use this as a message to either spend time talking to and sharing with a loved one or reconnecting with someone that you haven’t had open communication with for a while. Don’t just say “I love you” out of habit, do something to show it on a deeper level.

Other keywords for Gorilla include:
Intelligence, peacefulness, family, strength, nobility, generosity, gentleness, calmness, vegetarianism, loyalty, patience, dexterity, steadiness, scrutiny, conservation