Animal Wisdom

9-11-2011                                                                  " Honor the sacred.

Honor the Earth, our Mother.

Honor the Elders.

Honor all with whom we share the Earth:- Four-leggeds, two-leggeds, winged ones,swimmers, crawlers, plant and rock people. Walk in balance and beauty."

                    Native American Elder

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August 2011

Kids are back in school and I am off to see my Ciropractor! been dealing with a herniated disk and sciatic nerve damage.  Really Ouching all week! not a fun time. but I have been able to beee buzy getting all my art work organized inbetween the siezues of pain in my back.  ( I always look for the silver lining)

Walking by my bush this morning there is a loud buzzzzzzzzzzzzzzing noise! 

Everybody loves this firebush by my front walk. 

I really do get alot of great photos from this bush. thank you bush!

and there is 2!

Why is it I always love the pictures I take of bees, but bees totally freak me out? 

Bees as an animal totem for me represent buzy, buzy, buzy!        they help mother earth pollinate and without bees we would not have the fruits and the flowers we enjoy so much.  they are constantly on the move collecting honey for the hive.   I wonder, Do they ever stop and enjoy the honey and all the hard work they do???  I think the message for me this week is to slow down. I tend to have many things going on at a time and we have had family health issues this summer with my husband and now with my back...   I know I tend to bury myself in work and more work and stop having fun!  just going  through the motions. This week with my back going out has made everything come to a screaming halt! but I am getting better, worked on my root chakra(security) listened to my music and meditated with gentle streatching and soon to start my walking up again on the beach! yeah! love the sound of the ocean! 

My Message: slow down, take care of yourself and remember the joy in  life and work.  Be buzy in the things that bring you joy. "The elixer of life is as sweet as honey, the bee is a symbol that promises us that the opportunity to drink of it is ours if we pursue our dreams."(ted andrews)

The difference between bumblebees and honey bees. Found the following here.

Yes, bumble bees are generally larger and are kind of fuzzy. Bumble bees do not lose their sting and die if they use it, as a honey bee will. Honey Bees tend to be more aggresive.That is right and the Bumble bee is of the genus Bombus, and includes various bees in the group. While the Honey bee is of the genus Apis, and includes several social bees that produce honey. Especially (A.mellifera), a widely domesticated source of honey and beeswax.

This I found on Bumblebee.org
So yes, in theory we can get honey from bumblebees as it is made by the same method as hive bee honey, but the quantity is so small that it would never be commercially viable to do so. Also, I believe, that it is thinner and more watery the honey bee honey, so ferments more easily. One average sized bumblebee making about ten foraging flights a day would bring back enough nectar to make about 3 ml of honey. But to recover the honey you would have to break into the nest, destroy the honey pot during extraction and probably destroy eggs and young in the process. Bumblebees nests are not neat organised affairs like honey bees nests, they are rather untidy and disorganised. 

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I love watching all the butterflies in my yard.  I have always been drawn to them.  Dancing in the breeze....love to sit and watch and catch with my camera...so many colors!  I hope you would be Welcoming them to your yard by planting a few butterfly plants. I have planted a butterfly garden everywhere I have lived and worked and we always have plenty of the beauties floating around.  Flowers are a great food source for them but don't forget to plant the host plants for the catterpilars to eat to become the butterfly.

Butterflies represent new life in many cultures.   Far from being a flighty, fluffy symbol - the animal symbolism of the butterfly is about profound changes of the soul.

Butterfly Wishes
Yesterday a butterflyCame floating gently through the sky.He soared up through the atmosphereThen drifted close enough to hear.

I said, "I'd love to fly with youAnd sail around the way you do.It looks like it would be such funTo fly up toward the summer sun.
But I have not your graceful charm.I haven't wings, just these two arms.I've been designed to walk around.My human feet must touch the ground.

Then magically he spoke to meand told me what his wish would be.
He said, "What I'd love most to doIs walk upon God's Earth with you,
To squish it's mud between my toes
Or touch my finger to my nose.
I'd love just once to walk around
With human feet to touch the ground,
But I have not two legs that swing,I haven't arms, just these two wings."
And so we went our separate waysIn wonder and surprise.For we'd both seen God's precious gifts
Through someone else's eyes.

Author Unknown

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  March 25th, 2011 I was walking around this morning in the front yard with my coffee and  I hear a rucus in the bushes and out shoots 3 blue jays...(they must have a nest or just playing...) I do love them...the blue is so pretty.  They love to find the peanuts I have hidden around my yard...they start talking to me first thing in the morning if I don't have any out...they are very demanding little things, with great personalities...they are one of my animal totems.
In My favorite book by Ted Andrew’s Animal-Speak: The Spiritual and Magical Power of Creatures Great and Small, look it up and see what the 3 blue jays are trying to tell me today...

from Ted’s book: “For those to whom the jay comes as a totem, it can reflect lessons in using your own power properly. It can also reflect lessons in not allowing yourself to be place in a position in which power is misused against you.”
My message for the day "I will allow the energy of blue jay to help me align my personal power for the highest good for all concerned."

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Feb 28th, 2011   Going to the Ren Festival is always the highlight of the year for us.  My daughter and I have been since she was 3yrs old.  Walking around and visiting the shops of artisans and people watching and looking for the fairies is always fun.  We love the falcons and always stop by the Falconer and watch the birds fly and pick up some things he teachs the audience about the birds of prey that we can add to our program... This year was no exception and I was able to capture a few good shots for you of the birds in flight.  They are so super fast and this is one of them coming right at us.  I looked up the Falcon as a totem animal...enjoy

Falcon   Providence is on your side, and the opportunity that has been presented to you is congruent with your soul's purpose. Even if you don't feel fully prepared or have doubts in your ability to manage the complexities that are inherent in tackling this venture, dive in anyway. ... Commit to your mission 100%, and fulfill that commitment to the best of your ability. This isn't a time for analysis, introspection or retreat, but a time for action. ... You can deal with whatever concerns come up without being distracted by them and without straying from the path you're on.

Associations: Focus, Speed, Agility, Gracefulness, Observation, Vitality, Enthusiasm, Precision, Adventurousness, Passion, Opportunity, Perceptiveness, Fluidity
 Excerpts from Messages from Your Animal Spirit Guides Oracle Cards, Steven D. Farmer

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It is so fun to step out my front door and see all the wildlife that is around.  Many cultures believe there is wisdom in these creatures if we would only listen.  Animal totems reach out to us and can offer an insight into our day.  I always try and see who is around me and listen quietly to what they are trying to tell me.

I am enjoying the Hummingbirds around my house for the past
month and I was able to capture this little one's photo for you!

I think this is a great animal totem for the coming year.   Hummingbirds represent Happiness. "They can teach you  how to find the miracle of joyful living from your own life circumstances." (animal Speak, Ted Andrews)**********************************************************************************

Are you interested in Discovering your power or totem animal????

I will be overing a 3 part meditation to help you discover what your power or totem animal is at this time in your life. Power animals most often come to us in dreams, meditations, initiations, and visions. You can have more than one power animal.

Your power animal can change at a given time depending on your lifepath at that time. Power animals are often attracted by the emotional needs of the person - viewed as protectors who help overcome fears and empower us.

There will be open discussion after the meditations to talk about how our power or totem animals help us and guide us in our daily life. I'll have animal 'Animal Medicine cards' and books there to help you understand some of the meanings of your totem animal.

Bring a pillow or two, blanket, air mattress, sleeping bag or whatever you need to be comfortable while laying on the floor during this intense series of meditations. If you prefer to sit, that's ok too.

Cost: $30  email for the details of when and where