It’s Time to Fly…the Wisdom of the Woodpecker

Labor Day Weekend Already

I’m sitting outside at the round white plastic table with the red, white and blue starred cotton tablecloth on the wrap-around porch that we painted a fresh shiny white in early July…listening to the birds, seeing beautiful black-eyed Susan bushes poking through the porch rungs and spying a huge spider web on the clematis trellis…just taking it all in…barefoot on the concrete porch floor…sipping coffee in the late morning.  I feel grateful to be sitting here, experiencing this peace and calm at this moment of my life…grateful for my supporting family…for the great energy connections that exist between all of us and the universe…grateful that we have found each other in this life…grateful for the opportunities I’ve had this summer to travel, to have my allergies discovered and cleared, grateful to have developed relationships with friends and deepening ties with family, that I found quiet times to write in my journal and developed the discipline to do so.  I am even grateful for the piles of mail and papers strewn across my desk because they are all connections to new and exciting possibilities.  I am not feeling saddened or anxious as summer draws to a close and my vacation ends.  I am looking forward to the next phase…to what comes next.  New challenges, new chances to grow…wow…just saw a downy woodpecker…new chances to find peace within, to get rid of ego, to share what I know and have learned, to heal and be healed.  As I write this…a big bumblebee is circling around my head…the circle of life.  I can hear the woodpecker pecking, here comes a yellow jacket, I hear the footsteps of the kids next door running up and down their driveway.  While I sip my coffee with cream…a mourning  dove begins to coo.  Bright red cherry tomatoes and bright, shiny, red hot peppers on the vine glisten in the sun…ready to eat…sun-ripened…the best kind of produce…grown with love at home.

What will the new season bring I wonder?  I go inside and find my copy of Animal Speak by Ted Andrews.  I find the page about woodpeckers to see what message this beautiful bird brought to me this day. 

“Sometimes the woodpecker will show up to stimulate new rhythms.  Rhythm is a powerful means of affecting the physical energies.  Sometimes it is easy to get so wrapped up in our daily mental and spiritual activities that we neglect the physical.  This can be when the woodpecker shows up.  It may also reflect a need to drum some new changes and rhythms into your life.”  “The black and white reflects the need to see issues and aspects of life clearly.  It reflects that things are fairly clear if we look closely.”  “The red reflects a stimulation and wakening of new mental faculties.”  “It (the woodpecker) flies in a manner and rhythm unique to itself.  All of this serves to emphasize the fact that it will become increasingly important for you to follow your own unique rhythms and flight.  Do what works for you in the manner best for you.  When the woodpecker comes into your life, it indicates that the foundation is there.  It is now safe to follow your own rhythms.”

It’s time for me to celebrate my uniqueness..to find my own path…to be myself…to find my own rhythm…to realize that my foundation is solid…that I am safe.  It’s time to fly!

The Call of the Crow

What is a totem?  In his amazing book Animal Speak…The Spiritual and Magical Powers of Creatures Great and Small, author Ted Andrews tells us that “a totem is any natural object, animal, or being to whose phenomena and energy you feel closely associated with during your lifetime.”

One of my totems is the crow.  It’s an animal that has fascinated me over these past years.  After the last of my grandpeople died…4 crows that I had never before seen on my property came to pay my family and I a visit.  They circled and circled our large front tree, cawing and cawing…trying to get my attention.  Here they were…my grandpeople…letting me know that they were still with me in spirit.  Ever since then, I have noticed the crows around me…I pay attention to there cawing…I take the time to watch them…and even talk to them.  There is an enormous crow that I see from time to time sitting on the railing outside my work site.  It seems to come by, flap its wings and cawing loudly to get my attention.  This usually happens when life gets hectic, I am feeling uptight, need to laugh and basically need to stop taking life…and myself so seriously!  I believe that this is the spirit of my grandfather trying to tell me to lighten up!  He was always fun-loving…creating his own life…always deciding on the high road of optimism over negativity…always having the most fun despite the many challenges that he confronted.  Then I laugh and remember his positive energy and remind myself to remember the message of the crow… “the secret magic of creation is calling”…it’s time to create my own life…my own story…to keep minor problems in perspective and keep my eye on the big, glorious picture.

In Animal Speak, each animal’s characteristics are described…as well as this animal’s role in the folklore of many of the world’s cultures and what they can mean in your life.  All quotes used in this blog are from the book Animal Speak.  Here are some ideas brought up for those who have the crow as a totem…

• “Black is the color of the womb, the color of creation.”
• “The crow is a daytime bird.  Its cycle of power is all year long.  It reminds us that magic and creation are potentials very much alive during the day.”  This reminds me that I work best in the day and nights are best spent relaxing, reading…replenishing myself for the creativity opportunities of the next day.
• “The crow is a symbol of watchfulness…a reminder of what can happen if we are not watching for magic and creation every day.”  When these are not present in my life…boredom, fear, negativity and depression set in….a sense of not being connected to my soul and to my higher purpose in life.
• “The crow has great intelligence. They have an unique ability to communicate with each other and to work together.”  This helps me to realize that I need to use my natural intelligence to learn more about spirituality or other issues of interest to me and to express what I have learned to others…to share the wealth.
• “The cawing out of the crow should remind us that magic and creation are cawing out to us every day.”  The supply of creativity and magic is endless…wow…it seems so simple…it’s always there…just go out and get it!  Children know this inherently…but when we get older…we forget…or fear creeps in…or we think that there are more important things to do…but… what is more important than the magic of life and creativity/creation? 
• “Wherever crows are, there is magic.  They are symbols of creation and spiritual strength.  They remind us to look for opportunities to create and manifest the magic of life.  They are messengers calling to us about the creation and magic that is alive within our world everyday and available to us.” 

Even if the crow does not speak to you…make a list of 5 magical moments that you’ve witnessed recently and 5 creations that you plan for the future.  The next time you hear a crow cawing…remember that you are in charge of creating your own happiness…of seeing the magic that is all around you…all the time…so start  looking for the magic and let the creative process begin.

Is there an animal that you relate to or that you think about or that you always happen to see around you?  Why not check out Animal Speak and see what messages await you.  It’s fascinating!  Take a look.