Animal Totems

As you arrive here, take a moment to check in with your energy. How would you describe it? It is high and fast. Slow and grounded? Nonexistent? No judgment. Simply honest observation. Inhale. Exhale. Welcome to a Hit of Hope. I’ve been thinking about different kinds of energy lately. I was recently walking in the woods, because that’s what I do, to ground, to recharge. Suddenly, I heard a slight rustle to my right. A deer stared at me from 20 feet away. The rest of the herd materialized.

Transcript

As you arrive here,

Take a moment.

Check in with your energy.

How would you describe it?

Is it high and fast?

Slow and grounded?

Non-existent?

No judgment?

Just curiosity?

Honest observation?

Inhale.

Exhale.

Welcome to a hit of hope.

I've been thinking about energy lately.

Recently I was walking in the woods because that's what I do to ground,

To recharge.

Suddenly I heard a slight rustle to my right.

A deer stared at me from maybe 20 feet away.

The rest of the herd materialized behind her and after a few breaths,

The doe who had locked eyes with me turned and bounded away with the others.

Inhale.

Exhale.

I wondered what other beautiful things are hovering at the edges of my life,

Waiting for me to slow and widen my gaze.

I kept walking and bouldering,

Letting the solid granite energy move from my feet up into my body.

I looked up and once again,

There was another deer staring at me,

This time from the path right in front of me.

It stood not 10 feet away.

I couldn't help but feel she was trying to tell me something.

Then she swished her white tail and gently bounded into the brush.

Okay,

Weird.

I mean,

I see deer often,

But never that close,

And they're never looking at me as if to tell me some great secret.

Some people believe that a deer staring at you means you have a strong intuition and the ability to read other people's emotions.

Or that if a deer crosses your path,

It's a reminder to check yourself,

To make sure you are living not in the past or in the future,

But in this now.

Inhale.

Exhale.

Do you ever need that reminder to connect with yourself in the present moment,

To live where your feet are?

About a week later,

I was getting ready to mow my big lawn.

I was distracted,

Stressed,

And let's be honest,

A bit pissy when I yanked open my shed door and stalked inside to grab the lawnmower.

I started to move it and once again,

I noticed something out of the corner of my eye,

This time on the ground.

It was a nest of baby bunnies.

They were old enough to have their fur,

But young enough to have no fear.

They snuggled together in the brown grass nest and blinked at me.

Inhale.

Exhale.

I just so happen to be reading Watership Down,

Which is about rabbits,

And I have a feeling the book is not going to end well.

And it's easy to cast rabbits as helpless victims.

They are always,

Always on the buffet of the animal kingdom.

But rabbit as a spiritual animal can mean a prayerful life because they put their paws in prayer position each time they wash their faces.

They live close to the ground.

They are creative in how they avoid life's dangers.

They are a symbol of whimsy and abundance.

Inhale.

Exhale.

Whether you believe in animal totems or not,

For me,

One of the big takeaways is that the natural world gives us a whole host of visions for different ways of being.

The deer is a reminder about how important it is to live in the present.

Do not let the past or the future tear you apart.

The rabbit is a reminder to live close to the ground,

Getting creative in how you escape danger so you can find your way to the sweet,

Sweet clover.

Or find your own animal or flower or pond,

Something that manifests what you seek more of in your life.

Meditate on that.

Feel the energy of that infusing you,

Body,

Mind,

And soul.

Inhale.

Exhale.

Live Light.

Reviews

Over the last few years, I have done a few guided meditations aimed at revealing my animal guides, and have consistently been shown two; the butterfly and the elephant. Both make great sense, given where my path led and the obstacles it contained, and even today, with a new love and a new job in a new city, the butterfly resonates perhaps stronger than ever.
But I see guides everywhere. Life shows me what I need to see, and as my eyes and heart are drawn to the animal kingdom, those are the tools it uses to communicate with me.
The more I listen to it, the happier and more fulfilled I am.

I recently had a doe experience in the woods. She was so close. We just looked at each other. I gave her a teeny bow and went on my way. I liked your analogy. Am heavy right now. Loved hearing you say Live Light. Thank you as always. 🦋

Fun little talk and meditation about animals. Thank you for the reminder that we are connected to the animal world on earth, our home.

Lovely message 🙏. One of the great treasures of my life is the memory of seeing not one but two bobcats in the front yard as I was rushing to leave for work one morning. After listening today, I looked up the bobcat totem symbolism. Patience while pursuing goals, a sense of playfulness, smart and cunning and aware. But not solitary in my case, because it's a very rare gift to see more than one bobcat at a time. I never really thought about that event much, other than to feel a deep sense of appreciation for such a wonderful present. I think I'll mull over the significance now, though.

🦌 & 🐇 are two of my favorite reminders when I’m in the woods. I followed one bunny one day for a long time and couldn’t help but feel like Alice. Kept wondering, where are you taking me? Thank you for this beautiful picture, Betsy! Blessed Be!

This is so funny ..... as every time I open my door ....a fantail either follows me around inches away from me or omg flies into the house to see what insects are up in the ceiling that is high pitched. The latter is not meant to be a good omen 😔
I was yet again driving down to Whangarei for a hospital appt and picked a post from Davidj re dharma.....
I, like you, am happiest in my bush /gdn.....as David says where time seems to "stop"
Recently our Community was successfull 😁in convincing our council to consider NOT proceeding with plan! They say the "present" is called that because it is a gift...as one gets older I think you become more aware of this......thanks again for your posts! You are the "gift" that has come to us over the very difficult year and a bit🎁⏳

Interesting stories. I can never seen to figure out if I have an animal totem or not. Thank you!