posted July 28, 2005 12:16 PM         

Now, how do you tell someone that your grandmother is out of town and you have to go water the spiders???

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Last week my boyfriend was in the hospital with kidney stones. I woke up at 5:30 the first morning he was gone, and went to let his beautiful terrier out. As I opened the door to the landing to go out back, there was something furry on the rug. I shut the door, retrieved my glasses, and went back to find a small brown mouse.

Now, I'm not scared of mice or anything, but between his dog and my Scottish Terrier... I'm not cleaning up after whichever dog eats it. So, a few hours later, I came back with those mouse glue traps. I figured after thinking about it, and watching the mouse jump into a plastic bag on the top step, that the mouse had had plenty of opprotunity to get either in the kitchen, or out the back door... but it was stuck! So, it wasn't it's fault that it was in there.

I placed a trap on the landing and closed the door. Opened it a few minutes later, and the dang thing is standing there looking up at me... soooooo.. I told it "Hey! Just go over and get on the trap, okay?" very nicely...and it ran over and stepped on it!! OH MY GOSH! I was between laughing and crying, because it started crying. Of course, that started up the dogs!!!!

I took the trap out on the driveway and dumped vegetable oil all over it and the mouse, and then pried it off with a pencil. The mouse stood there in the driveway, completely coated and missing some of its hair still in the glue, and I SWEAR it TOLD ME OFF! The noises coming out of it...the whiskers moving, the fists raised in the air! It eventually ran back in the direction of the grocery store that it came from down the street... it looks as though it came home in the bag that was on the top step. There was evidence in it.

So.... an animal totem of a mouse or rat? I think mouse sounds better. I've always been partial to leopards/lions/tigers or maybe polar bears or dolphins. Now rodents? My dog would LOVE that!

posted July 30, 2005 10:28 PM         

My strongest and oldest bond is with the orca. I feel this was my toten animal at birth (I was born on the west coast the US), and that its spirit foresees the arc of my life journey and will greet me intimately at the end my life and guide me through death and into the afterlife. The orca represents my spiritual yearnings and wounds, and is particularly significant in my understanding my own mystic and psychic gifts. Most native legend asoicate the rca with creation and the cycle of life and death, and it is said to be capable of spiritual healing and mystical vision. It was the first totem I grew to recognize as my life guide and guardian, and through the orca I've discovered my other animals guides.

The second most significant totem for me is the coyote. In the pst 10 years I have seen the coyote frequently in meditation and dreams. Once in a dream about a departed friend, my friend "gave" me his totems to look after me, which were the coyote, hawk and hare. In the dream he told me teh coyote was the most important one and whenever I see a coyote, in life, dream or meditation, I can know his spirit is with me. He also instructed me to "follow" coyote in spirit whenever it appeared to be walking away from me, telling me that the coyote knows paths that will keep me from harm. The coyote signifies a trickster, a spirit that outwit fate and escape entrapment. It's also a loner capable of making long journey on its own. The coyote is sometimes seen as a "shapeshifter" - a spirit that can assume another form for protection or deception - and it is said by many shaman its song illuminates and heals the soul.

The hawk and hare are somewhat less prominent totems. I know the hawk signifies vision and clairty, and the hare security and wise counsel.

The butterfly and cat are also very significant to me. The cat is a longstanding spirit guide for me - it represents my need for independence and my creative spirit. The buttefly also represents my creative spirit as well as my need for change and self-trransformation.

posted August 02, 2005 05:43 PM         

Rabbit's Wisdom Includes:
*Guile
*Paradox and contradiction
*Living by one’s own wits
*Receiving hidden teachings and intuitive messages
*Quick-thinking
*Humility
*Moving through fear
*Strengthening intuition http://alltheseyears.net/soulmates/rabbit.htm

posted August 02, 2005 05:44 PM         

~~~~~
Mother Earth

Turtle is the oldest symbol for the Earth.
It is the personification of goddess energy
and the eternal Earth itself.

If you have a Turtle totem,
you must be mindful of returning to the Earth what she has given you.
Honor the creative source within you.
Use water and earth energies to create a harmonious flow in your life.
Ask the Earth for assistance and her riches will pour forth.

If a Turtle totem shows up in your life,
slow down the pace of your life.
Bigger, stronger, faster are not always the best ways to reach your goals.

Turtle is fine teacher of the art of grounding.
When you learn to ground yourself to Earth's power and strength,
you place focus on your thoughts and actions
and use the Earth's limitless energies rather than your own to accomplish your will.

Turtle is the keeper of doors
and one of the ways into the Faerie Realm.
http://www.linsdomain.com/totems/pages/turtle.htm

Turtle: symbol of Longevity, Heaven's Blessings

Learn these lessons from the turtle:

* Reliance on oneself
* Patience
* Balance in different environments

Turtles live to a very old age and so are often associated with long life. We can learn much about time and the perception of time by listening to the turtle. Slow and steady, the turtle grows old with grace and lives in harmony with its surroundings.

The turtle can make a home anywhere and does not become attached to any one place. It can teach us to seek out new experiences and opportunities. It is able to survive on both land and in water, and teaches us the lesson of self sufficiency in this way.
The Turtle protects by teaching the family to protect themselves. She brings the blessings of heaven to the home. Turtle symbolizes both the stability of earth energy, and the magical mysteries of heaven.
http://www.crystal-cure.com/protection-turtle.html

Keyword summary: completion, protection.

Turtles have been and are held sacred in many traditions. In the Far East the turtle shell is seen as a symbol of heaven while the squarer underside is symbolic of mother earth. And through other traditions such as Native American turtle is a symbol of mother earth and our ability to find happiness on mother earth.

The turtle is a slow moving creature on land and is never in a rush. All you need to do is find the pace that is appropriate. Like the knight of pentacles in a Tarot deck turtle energy is steady, earthy and always accomplishes what they set out to do. If you align with the energy of turtle you are assured completion. It teaches to go with the flow and be happy with the pace that your life is taking. Do not try to push it faster than is natural or you may reach your destination too early and feel you missed something along the way. Turtle teaches to try and enjoy the journey as much as the final achievement. To focus too much on the end of something means you will often find yourself dreaming of the future, which will leave you ungrounded and unhappy. So have around you the symbol of turtle when you wish to remain grounded and take joy in what you have been given.

Also because of their great shells turtle symbolise our ability to protect ourselves. When you have done a certain amount of personal development and thinking you come to realise that everything is connected. And we start to see ourselves reflected in the actions of others. But sometimes some people have their own history and their own anger and it is just best to get out of their way. That is where the shell of turtle may come in handy. You don’t have to take responsibility on for everyone. Sometimes just leave them to get on with it. And if they get too close use turtle energy to give them a little snap so they know you are there.
http://www.holisticshop.co.uk/dictionary/turtle.html

Turtle: nurturer, protector, mother energy

Many Natives refer to North America as Turtle Island, because their legends say that when the earth was covered with water, Turtle dove to the bottom of the oceans bringing up earth on its back so that the people could have a safe and dry home. Turtle is at home anywhere because it carries its home on its back. It does not become attached to places, for it is free to search for new opportunities wherever they may be found. When they sense danger, or are in uncomfortable and insecure settings, they withdraw into their shell, and are protected. If you have Turtle medicine, you value both the power of the earth, the waters of the earth, and the magic of the heavens, for Turtle symbolizes both the grounding quality of earth energy, and the magic of the mystical. Using Turtle energy can help you achieve real balance in your life and your spirit so that you don't get "stuck in the mud". Turtle's medicine includes a connection with the center, navigation skills, patience, self-boundaries, associated with the feminine, power to heal female diseases, respecting the boundaries of others, developing new ideas, psychically protecting oneself, self-reliance, tenacity, non-violent defense.
http://www.crystalinks.com/totemanimals.html

Turtle's Wisdom Includes:
*Symbol of the earth
*Connection with the center
*Navigation skills
*Patience
*Self-boundaries
*Associated with the feminine
*Power to heal female diseases
*Respecting the boundaries of others
*Developing new ideas
*Psychically protecting oneself
*Self-reliance
*Tenacity
*Nonviolent defense
http://alltheseyears.net/soulmates/turtle.htm

posted August 02, 2005 08:29 PM         

The Tiny Totem
Tomius Strauss

This is a true story about the mystery of Nature and the power of spiritual totems to teach and inspire us.

One evening towards dusk, when the sunlight was still bright enough to see the bird feeder outside my window, I was surprised to see two cute, tiny, little, gray mice feeding on the bird crumbs. They seemed at peace with the world and each other.

The bird feeder is actually a three foot long, four inch wide platform nailed and glued atop a four foot tall, four inch round wooden fence post (it looks kind of like a diving board). So the mice, in order to get to the bird crumbs, had to come out of their mouse hole at the base of the barn, cross a two foot long, open stretch of ground, climb us the post and walk out the plank.

Well, the next thing I saw was two more mice, medium size, joining the first two tiny mice. And, if that wasn't enough, up comes a very big gray mouse whose tail was longer than its body and hung way over the side of the plank some six inches worth, or so it seemed to me.

I felt so thrilled at this precious, peaceful scene: five, gray, furry, bewhiskered, betailed creatures cooperating and collaborating on the narrow plank and seemingly enjoying, most heartily, their evening meal. Then for a moment I felt a pang of sadness...Lonely Little Me was wishing his family evening meals were as peaceful, cooperative and as snuggly warm and furry soft as the mice's- but they weren't, not by a long shot!

As I was watching this heartwarming scene, suddenly something startled the mice. I didn't hear or see anything unusual but the mice went ascurrying and fur, whiskers and tails went flying in all directions at once. The commotion broke my reverie but when I becalmed myself, I noticed, to my surprise, that one of the tiny, little mice was standing its ground. There on its haunches it was surveying the situation all by itself. Its nose was wriggling, its whiskers twitching and its black, beady eyes were lively and dancing about. Somehow or other this tiny mouse had an inner fortitude, a strength of character that allowed it not to panic like a frightened robot and run crazily with the pack. No! this little creature used its own good senses and after a minute of testing for safeness, it decided, all by itself, to go on and finish its meal. I watched in amazement at the peacefulness and calmness with which the tiny mouse ate. When it was finished, it walked confidently back across the plank, down the fence post, across the clearing and disappeared into the hole at the base of the barn. I imagined it searching out a dry, comfy, dark corner, settling down in a contented, furry little ball and drifting off to sleep and dreaming, heaven only knows what kind of dreams a brave little mouse would dream.

Wow! what a totem scene! what a blessing to have witnessed this maravelous happening. There I sat, a sixty-five year old man, who had just been taught and inspired by a tiny gray mouse, probably no older than a month or two. My heart was filled with gratitude. Surely, I thought, if a tiny mouse can break from the pack-mentality and rely on its own inner and outer senses and discern for itself whether it was safe or not, I should be able to do likewise. And, by golly, I vowed then and there to become more like that little mouse, for surely Nature sent it to be my teacher and friend, my spiritual friend.

© 2000 Tomius Strauss

http://www.southerncrossreview.org/5/spiritualfriend.html