Island animals

We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know that place for the first time.

-- TS Eliot

We're back!  And with some fresh wind in our sails!  Every Being should go on a journey like this once in a while-- sharpens the mind, lightens the soul, reminds us of our rooted flow.  Full moons and ocean tides and language without words: all animals need a little wilderness.  And it's almost Spring!  So you know my fox-coyote self is starting to feel frisky anyway, as per usual-- nose up, fresh dirt, smelling that chicken breeze.

True to form we got a few little animals out there that seemed just right-- cause they go where they go... 

So in Little Corn Island, Nicaragua, a fish went to a fighting, hugging, flip-flopping Russian.  This was a woman who would hug you one minute and threaten to kick you in the head with some kind of Thai martial arts the next.  She liked me, thankfully, because I would not have wanted to be on the wrong end of that foot!  But she got the fish because it was so clear that her emotions were swimming very close to the surface.  A lover AND a fighter.  So the fish jumped in her pocket to remind her that there are times to swim with the current, and times to swim against it-- and there are times to just swim away.  Fear and anger don't have to be the motivation: fight or flee, float or swim-- do it with intention, little Russian fish. 

And we placed a little rat, I think, in a banana shack being built by a gringo.  Mostly because this guy had a big toothy smile, a good line of bullshit, and absolutely no qualms about making out with drunk bar patrons-- he seemed to be a natural rat, and to be honest, I liked him.  He owned his asshole agenda.  He had a quick wit.  And he smiled a lot.  Some folks tend to be offended by the rat-- this guy knew better.  He embraced his smart rat self.  Also, I think he left me a cool heart shaped seed in return-- first time I have been tandem gifted.:)

I also gave away a little hedgehog with a heart on his chest.  This one landed right where it was supposed to go.  The woman who got the hedgehog told me it was having to do with her young son, that he had experiences with hedgehogs and collected hearts-- that it suited him perfectly.  And I believe that.  But there is something of a hedgehog in this woman, too.  Hedgehogs teach us that we can be gentle and vulnerable but still protect ourselves.  They teach us how and when to use our defenses.  They teach us how to discourage negativity without internalizing it.  I have never pretended to read people, but something... something...  protect that heart, Hedgehog-- and keep rolling on.

And there is still a little red fox somewhere in the jungles of Nicaragua, with some enthusiastic and awesome animal spirit people from Canada-- can't wait to see where that one ends up!

Back in the studio this week.  And back on the town.  With renewed love and light and appreciation for all my animal spirit friends!

Ready up, Spirit People!  Eyes and hearts (and pockets) open! 

A steady forward motion

March.  In name, it's one of my favorite months.  I mean, moving into spring, like it or not.  A steady forward motion.  Marching orders.  March march march.

I was marching a few animals around town last night.  It's maybe my last night out for a while.  So, a rodent.  Maybe a chipmunk.  People don't give rodents much credit.  But the truth is, they're smart.  And chatty.  They're external processors, liking to figure things out by talking things through.  And they're stealthy, too.  You don't notice them picking your pockets, whispering in your ear, running up your pant leg-- they do it anyway.  If you got this little non-descript rodent you're likely operating under the radar.  And this could be to your advantage.  But look around, there is a whole community of rodents doing the same thing you are.  Power in numbers, friend.  Don't isolate yourself.

And the seahorse.  Or maybe it's a seadog.  This is an animal who operates in both worlds:  the weird wet emotional dreamy realm, and also the hard firm and grounded realm of straight up reality.  Tricky.  Not just tricky for the seahorse spirit, but tricky for the rest of us, too.  People who live in the ecotone, the space where water and land meet, are special.  Like weeble-wobbles, they are innately balanced and it takes a lot to knock them down.  But it is maybe not always comfortable for them.  They struggle a little with where they belong, feeling a little out of place even when things seem to be exactly right.  And this one has something about perspective happening, too-- because when I mentioned that I was looking for a seahorse, I don't think this literal interpretation is what folks expected.  There is something unexpected about this spirit person.  More than meets the eye.

A few little buggers have made their wild way to the great North-- sailing around frozen Norway.  Possibly the furthest we've been from home (although one did wind up in Russia, somehow.  And certainly California has attracted a few.)
And this week a little bundle of spirit animals are headed to South America.  Wildbeings world tour.  Keep your eyes peeled and your pockets unzipped spirit people!   Happy MARCH!