Animal Medicine #11
My Initial Conscious Spiritual Awakening started with the appearance of Turtle.
I was meditating in a meadow, surrounded by mountains, trees, a trickling creek when an image was shown to me of a turtle. But this one was a bit strange – it had eight legs!
As I watched the turtle shell seemed to open up, like the iris over the lens of a camera, and the eight legs, the head and the tail morphed into 10 people, holding hands and dancing together in a circle. Turtle is representative of our Mother Earth and she was offering me an opportunity to step onto my Spiritual Path.
Almost all my guides in the first couple of years of my spiritual journey were animals and there were so many of them, that I called them my zoo. Turtle was the very first member of my zoo.
Since that time, so much has happened, including my gaining qualifications as an Holistic Counsellor and Meditation Therapist, and I mainly work with people who are suffering from anxiety, worry, stress and overwhelm.
Overwhelm is a form of anxiety that we feel when things get really on top of us and we feel we simply can’t control our life or any aspect in it. There is too much being asked of us and we just want to stick our head in the sand and wait for it all to go away.
That’s why Turtle has paid us a visit. She is telling us that it’s OK to step back and take a pause when things get too much. It doesn’t mean that you are abandoning whatever you are working on, it simply means that you need to reset.
Turtle has a calm and peaceful nature. She avoids conflict by withdrawing – she just pulls her head in and closes out the world – just for a short while.
But Turtle isn’t telling us that we should be hiding from the world and waiting for it all to pass. We know that there really is no option but to be a part of the happenings right now and hiding away doesn’t serve anyone. Turtle is a creature who knows about enduring, about being persistent, about being in this life for the long-haul. Withdrawing from overwhelm for a short while is good only as long as you are using the time positively by working out what you want the outcome to be and what you can do to help achieve that outcome. Be brave. Let go of what you are carrying that is heavy – and MAN how many times has that one come up recently?
Gain wisdom and strength as you review and reset. Be ready. When you emerge you’ll know where you want to go and you should be ready to grasp at opportunities that float by. But don’t rush into things – if you jump in too hard and too fast you’ll make mistakes.
Turtle is a great navigator and drawing upon her Energy, her guidance, you will be able to find your way through.
Turtle is one of the Elder Animal Guides. She holds Ancient Wisdom and a deep connection to Earth. She says: Stay grounded. Stay strong. Withdraw when you need to, remember that you need to look after you. You are important in the lives all those you know and love. But most of all, you must be important to you.
So take time out when you need it, but remember to also take time to stick your head out of your shell and look around. When life is hard, we forget how much beauty there is in the world around us, and how many blessings we hold in our hands.