it felt love

I am ever grateful to Hafiz, the 14th century Sufi poet and mystic, who beautifully articulates in this poem what my blog (now) explores:

IT FELT LOVE

How

Did the rose

Ever open its heart

And give to this world 

All its 

Beauty?

It felt the encouragement of light

Against its 

Being,

Otherwise,

 We all remain 

Too

Frightened.

May we ALL feel "the encouragement of light against [our] being,” trusting the divine process of our hearts’ opening.

Oh, you TURKEY!

They're in my yard as I write this. I see two of them through my kitchen window, pecking the ground in the rain.

A few years ago, I noticed what looked like a wave of brown movement - some sort of animal family?- casually sauntering over the hill in my vast yard. I went out on my porch to investigate.

TURKEYS! And not just a few. There were EIGHTEEN of them at that time! A Mom, a Pop, and sixteen little ones.

They've been showing up for me ever since. Ted Andrews, author of Animal Speak: The Spiritual & Magical Powers of Creatures Great & Small, says, "Those who have a turkey as a totem can usually expect a year of harvest."

It's TOTALLY safe to say that I have turkey as one of my many totems.

I could hardly believe this encounter and photo opportunity this past April:

"Those who have a turkey as a totem can usually expect a year of harvest." I DO have turkey as a totem. And I am OPEN to receiving a year (and MORE) of harvest.

What's YOUR animal totem? (Or totems...I have many). What animals fill you with delight? Give you a sense of awe and wonder? Be open and curious about this - for me, this connection to animals has been a pathway to my authentic self.

the heron...and my internal compass

I pray to never stop gasping out loud in awe and wonder at the sight of a great blue heron. One just flew over my home on the way to the river. And for this I am grateful. So thank you!

A dear (or deer) friend recently described her spiritual process to me: "What we're really doing here, Liz, is learning to follow our own inner guidance system."

Come again?

As much of a stretch as it is for me to practice this internal listening, I'm doing it. I'm showing up for myself, with a little (a LOT) of help from the heron, who shows up consistently in my life as a reminder.

And what I'm finding is quite beautiful indeed: that this internal compass is sacred. Is divine, is God.

Silverwood Park surprise

The deer: part one

I began seeing them in the spring of 2007. Sauntering in the vast, wooded lawn just out my kitchen window. (Literally) peeking in the side window of my bedroom. Even a doe nursing her fawn along the frontage road in my backyard.

They have been coming, on their own schedule, ever since. In fact, seeing that first deer in 2007 was the beginning of my journey and exploration into animal totem signs, meanings, and wisdom. I happened to be on the phone with a good friend that spring morning and gasped in awe when the deer revealed herself. "Oh," she said. "There's a meaning that goes along with the deer totem." She paused, and I listened intently. "Gentleness," she said.

Fast forward to THIS afternoon. In all these years, I've never seen a deer in my yard in the middle of the day, much less on the heels of the riding lawn mower! But today? I DID. Leisurely strolling through the trees across the freshly mowed lawn.

And boy, did I need a prompting today. To tread gently across the current landscape of my life. For SO MUCH (internally) is shifting. I'm grateful to the deer for being a consistent reminder to be gentle with myself and my process.

I have MANY other deer stories to share in the upcoming weeks and months. As a little preview, take a peek at this photo taken just about 3 years ago, of my beloved Oz curiously encountering a deer visitor.

June 2, 2011, my yard

silent ways of knowing: the heron

The great blue heron has been communicating with me lately. Flying over my car while running errands near the Mississippi River. Wading in the marsh near Theodore Wirth park on my way to visit my family. Reminding me of what I can so easily forget: that I can be confident in my silent ways of knowing.

Spring - again referencing Ted Andrews in his book, Animal Speak -  is the cycle of power for herons, and thus, for "heron people," like myself. Absolutely. There's been SO MUCH activity in my life of late, both internally and externally, that it comforts me to know that another being is experiencing this time of power and movement as well.

Andrews summarizes, for me, the most important aspect of identifying with the heron: "a need for those with this totem to follow their own innate wisdom and path of self-determination. You know what is best for you and should follow it, rather than the promptings of others."

Amen. Here's to following our own paths today, guided by our silent ways of knowing.

Artist: Kari Maxwell, http://karimaxwell.com/

"They are coming..."

Elephants are profound creatures. In a recent sand tray session with my spiritual director, she asked who (surrounded by shelves upon shelves of beautiful symbols) wanted to travel off the shelf today, join me in the sand, and possibly speak to me.

It was this elephant. And, as it turns out, she was in good company.

"If she had something to tell you, what would it be?" asked my spiritual director. Immediately, the answer: "They are coming."

I mentioned the book Animal Speak, by Ted Andrews in yesterday's blog, here. Andrews says of the elephant on page 269:

"Mutual care of the young, respect for the elderly and the sick, being strong within your own self - these are the foundations of a great person or a great society. If the elephant has come to you, you will have the opportunity to work toward establishing this within your own life or the lives of others. If elephant has come to you, prepare to draw upon the most ancient of wisdom and power. You will have an opportunity to either help yourself or others reclaim your most primordial royalty."

Last summer, I had the distinct honor of being present with, and company to, a good friend's dog, Stella, who was in the process of dying. Meet Stella:

You see, her owner had to be at work. But dying is a sacred time. And my friend new this.  I laid beside Stella, adjusted her pillows and blankets, petted her, and mostly, just offered my presence. I let her be who she was, where she was.

Like the elephant, Stella was (and is) royalty. And she knew (and knows) it. I believe I helped her express her royalty that day. And, I feel called to offer this service to other animal beings who are in need of hospice companionship.

"They are coming..."

goose as storyteller

Sometimes, when something is so deeply engrained, so close to the heart, it’s difficult to know where to start the story. Why not start with today and move backwards? 

On my way home from a gathering in South Minneapolis, I witnessed two geese leading six yellow goslings along Cedar Avenue. Excited, I filed away a mental note to look this up in my (personal) bible: Animal Speak, by Ted Andrews, to see what possible meaning or symbolism this demonstration might have for me. And then I went on with my day.

Later, during a meeting with two friends (who are really more like life coaches), the idea was born for me to start a blog. “It’s important to tell your story,” they said. "To explore where you came from, why you’re here, where you’re headed."

Enter Animal Speak. Andrews says, “The goose can also be a totem to aid you in communication, especially through the use of stories.”

Bingo.

This is me sharing my story, with the help of those geese and goslings, of how animals inform and guide my spiritual process.