Articles » Animals are guiding us by their presence
Animals are guiding us by their presence
Animal are guiding us by their presence and messages
Are we taking notice?
We share mother earth with the most wonderful animals, both domesticated and wild. Each of us experience these beings differently and each being has its own unique gift to share with us on such a personal level. Animals have their own unique abilities, their own unique talents and special gifts that allow them to successfully interact and survive in the natural world, some in parts of the world untouched by humans.
Humans also have this uniqueness and these gifts. We have these gifts inside us, we all do and sometimes we need reminding of them. When we feel we need direction in our lives and we have forgotten our uniqueness, then we can look to the animals for direction and they can show us the way to approach and deal with the many challenges that we may face. At the other end of the spectrum, they can allow us to lighten up and laugh at ourselves and teach us to enjoy every moment we have.
The art of skill of mindfulness allows us to wake up to the messages of the animals that are all around. It allows us to notice in great detail the animal activity not only in the parks and in the wild, but also in our very own backyards. The birds, the spiders, the ants all have answers and we need to see them and listen, we need to be still within ourselves to allow the answers to come to us. We need to notice what we are noticing when we notice the animal kingdom around us. Mindfulness is being aware of our every move, our every action, our every feeling in any given moment. It is allowing us to sit in a moment’s reflection and feel the warmth of sunshine on our backs, the cool breeze upon our face and the feel of the grass beneath our feet. It is allowing in that moment to notice the ants that may have shown themselves, showing you one ant carrying an immense burden, yet members of his community and family are sharing the burden with him and helping him carry his prize back to the colony. They could be showing you that the burden you are carrying doesn’t need to be difficult if you allow others to help.
Is there a particular problem troubling you, do you need direction or are you simply craving an answer to life’s direction? Simply ask and hold a question in your mind and start being mindful, start noticing the animals that show themselves to you. You may get an immediate response. We need to be mindful that the universe does not run on our human created time frame. The universe runs on perfect timing and when we ask our question and have released it into the universe’s care, we trust that an answer will come and an animal messenger will deliver the answer, or the inspiration we seek. We must prepare ourselves by being open to the receiving. We need to align ourselves to the perfect rhythm of the universe, the perfect rhythm of nature and shift our perceptions so that we will be ready for the perfect universal timing which will deliver that answer to us.
The sound of the kookaburra’s laugh may just be telling us we have been too serious and to lighten up and laugh at ourselves more often. The job offer that we are too scared to take because we have to step into the unknown may be answered by the lone bird soaring high above us, signalling to us that the offer can allow us to soar to great heights and to lift our vision higher. Possibly it is the snake we see slither in front of us is the reminder to step out of our fear.
How many times have we sat and watched a spider weave the most intricate web in the hope of feeding herself and then realise, that come morning the web did not snare a single morsel. Her vision of the perfect web needs adjustment. The spider will then carefully take the web down, make adjustments or abandon the web for a better location and rebuild. They keep building webs until they have the perfect web, the web that gives them the abundance they need. Web by web, strand by strand, they see the whole picture – you don’t see them getting angry or frustrated, they build on the experience and just do it better next time. Do we need reminding of this in our life? Do we need to look at what we have in life? Ask ourselves whether what we are doing is serving our purpose or be honest with ourselves and see that it is not serving our needs and simply let go and rebuild our web.
What do the animals and their representations mean to you and how many times have you been noticing the same animal over and over again, on the television, at the movies, a shape in a tree trunk, before you actually wake up to the messages you are receiving. The message and the symbolic meaning is the same to you, no matter where the experience of that animal may be. The question is are you noticing, are you paying attention?
Animals are absolutely in tune with the rhythmic cycles of mother earth and universal energies and go about life doing what it is that they do best, without the time restraints, without the judgments, without the fear and the stress. When we open ourselves up to the magic that they behold, they are the perfect messengers to us when we need the wisdom of universal energies. If we allow ourselves to fully connect and engage our mind and bodies to this source of infinite resources then we can understand that we are truly nurtured by it in every moment of our lives.
Are you awake enough to receive this gift?
Mary Hitchcock
Sacred Whispers
