Tag: spirit animal

Osprey – a spirit messenger

There is a quiet joy alive in my heart this morning, a sense of gratitude for the gentle breeze resting against my skin and another beautiful grey day. Inside, I hear my inner voice chant the words ‘thank you, thank you, thank you…’ And with that gratitude comes the openness to what magic the day may bring.

Last night, when I was reading just before going to bed, my eyes came to a halt on the word ‘osprey’. It hit me that I’d come across the word four times yesterday, all in different places. It felt like a sign. A spirit animal message. So naturally, I researched the meaning of osprey. It carries many meanings. The osprey teaches about precise timings, clarity of vision, challenging comfort zones, setting boundaries, inner authority and confidence among other things. It is also connected with solar energies, which I found interesting considering that I’ve been doing work on my solar plexus chakra and meditating with a Sunstone crystal lately.

solar plexus

It amazes me every time how these spirit or power animals come into my life with messages that resonate so strongly with the space that I’m in.

Stacey LL Couch, the author of Gracious Wild: A Shamanic Journey with Hawks, put it very beautifully when she mentioned that:

“Simply put, a power animal is a guardian angel. A power animal is an animal in spirit form that travels with us, offers guidance, and protects us.”

I mentioned in yesterday’s post that I’d be featuring her here this week. I had the opportunity to ask her a few questions about her connection and shamanic relationship with Nature, so I’m really looking forward to sharing what she had to say on the blog tomorrow.

In the meantime, have a blessed day.

Keepers of the River

My husband and I took a walk down to the river in my neighbourhood yesterday morning. A chilly breeze blew off the water. It smelt of autumn. The sun hid behind the grey clouds, peeping out here and there to comfort the earth with its warmth. I stood on the river bank and let the soothing sound of the flowing water carry me to a tranquil inner sanctuary of stillness.

There are times when I’ve put my feet in river water just to see what it’s like to be a river rock, the coolness of the flowing wetness rushing over my skin. It’s so refreshing and a part of me wants to flow with it all the way to the end of its course just to feel the joy of the river’s journey. To be part of the mysteries that it carries with it.

Flowing water is liberating somehow. I’m aware that on a metaphysical level, it’s is said to break up stagnant energy. In my experience I find this very true because when l relax into the vibration of flowing water, I sense myself coming unstuck. I love knowing that this river is there. This little piece of wildness meandering amongst domesticated constructions of city life the way my wild essence meanders within. It takes me back to the that place of freedom in my childhood, when I lived in rural Kwa-Zulu Natal and my cousin and I used to go down to the river and play. Those were such blissful times of simplicity.

When we crossed the bridge to the other side of the river, we saw a pair of African black ducks – a monogamous pair bound as life companions for eternity. They are a species of river ducks that nest in the riverine forests. They are like keepers of the river who are always sailing the currents and they rarely stray away from their watery home. The black ducks prefer the fluidity of rivers and rapids more than the placidness ponds and lakes like most other ducks.

Over the past year, I’ve spotted numerous pairs of these black ducks in various rivers and Nature spots within and on the outskirts of the city. This is the first time that I’ve seen them close to my home, so it felt like an encouraging sign somehow. It’s as if they are following me. I like the idea of these ducks watching over the wild flowing river and listening to the language of the water. I imagine them as keepers of its ancient stories, recording in their hearts all the wisdom that the river has to tell.

Yesterday, I remembered that the African black ducks are cousins to the mallard who are spiritual symbols of grace, commitment and protection. They are connected to our emotional body, the watery feminine element and Goddess too. Some ancient African tribes believed that they were rainmakers, carrying the wetness of Goddess’s love and tears under their wings. That’s a beautiful thought, although I suspect this is because we are more likely to see them around the rainy seasons when the rivers are flowing.

I haven’t been going there as often as I could. I’ve been exploring different Nature spots elsewhere. But having re-connected with spirit of the river, I feel the need to make time to visit there more often. I know that the river and its keepers have wisdom and healing to offer me. And who knows, perhaps I have something to offer it too.

African Black Duck

Night Flowers and Owls

When the sun starts sinking on the horizon and the first stars of night slowly begin to emerge, there are whispers outside my writing window that call me out to play. The evening primroses in their buttery yellow splendour open up and fill the air with fragrant beauty.

Did you know that some flowers only open at night?

I’d almost forgotten until these mysterious evening primroses began to charm me with their magic. Like elusive little creatures, they spread their petals to greet the dark starry sky, coming out to dance in the moonlight. They take me by surprise every time, because I keep forgetting that they are there, until I see them when I’m take my evening tea and watch the last light of day fade away.

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The nights have been alive with an enigmatic sense of sacredness lately. I feel the unseen world creeping mischievously, lurking in the shadows, stringing together charms from the moonlight and writing spirit poems amongst the stars. A few nights ago, for the first time in years, I saw an owl. It flew right over us while we were enjoying a lovely supper outdoors at a friend’ place. It felt so special, this feathered symbol of wisdom and Divine feminine intuition gracing me with its presence. And then yesterday evening, I discovered a little friend in my bedroom – a frog. He too brings special messages, ones of transition, transformation and cleansing.

So, I’m left with the feeling that something is happening behind the scenes, though I don’t fully understand what as yet. I’ll thus do what I’ve learning to do best in recent times. I will remain open to what is coming my way and until then I will surrender, trust and flow with the grace of Goddess.

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