Blustery Thursday

A walk in the woods.

If turtle has shown up in your life, it is time to get connected to your most primal essence.  Go within your shell and come out when your ideas are ready to be expressed.  It is time to recognize that there is abundance out there for you.  It doesn’t have to be gotten quickly or immediately.  Take your time and let the natural flow work for you.  Too much, too soon, can upset the balance.  Turtle reminds us that all we need for all that we do is available to us, if we approach it in the right manner and time.

Turtles remind us that the way to heaven is through the earth.  In Mother Earth is all that we need.  She will care for us, protect us, and nurture us, as long as we do the same for her.  For that to happen, we must slow down and heighten our sensibilities.  We must see the connection to all things.  Just as the turtle cannot separate itself from its shell, neither can we separate ourselves from what we do to the Earth.

~ Ted Andrews, Animal Speak

I think this is a Terrapin. Hard to tell when the shell is so scuffed up and dirty.

I was out chanting and singing in the woods the other day when I heard a rustling in the leaves.  I’d called up a turtle.  A terrapin, I believe.  We have a lot of terrapins around here, usually swimming in the creek.  This one seemed to be crossing the woods to get from one side of the marsh to the other.  The turtle appears to be a good totem for this time in our collective lives, as we slow down and spend some time in our shells (homes).  The turtle is also associated with the way of peace, be that inner or outer peace.

The blueberry bushes in the rain garden are getting ready to bloom.

The turtle is also said to be able to help us ground. My Instagram feed is full of yogis and Buddhists all advising us to stay grounded.  Today I was out in the woods, staring at the ground, moving aside the mix of pine needles and last year’s leaves to see the dark earth underneath.  The ground, the earth, is clearly there.  And yet, it feels like the ground has somehow been pulled out from underneath us.  Life has thrown it up in the air, like the balls of a juggler, and we’re all just waiting to see where everything lands.

So, how do you ground when you feel as though there is no ground?  What if we aren’t supposed to be grounding?  What if we’re supposed to be up in the air?  I find some comfort in that thought.  It allows me to stop trying to find some kind of firm ground and just go with the flow of whatever life has decided to offer.  That said, it doesn’t hurt to touch base with Mother Earth.  Turtle is a good reminder of that.

Tiny pink flowers.

It is day 12 of the 40-day self-care challenge.  How are you today?

I am getting along fairly well.  Taking walks, doing my yoga and meditation practices, healing, and trying not to overdo.  There is no reason to overdo.

Here’s an audio meditation you might like:  The Monkey is the Messenger Bonus Meditation.  It’s about 15 minutes.

Finding flowers everywhere lately.

Thank you for visiting with me today.  I watched the sunset from the edge of the marsh yesterday.  While I was there, an otter swam by.  Let’s meet there for today’s sunset, scheduled for 7:27 PM.  We’ll have to approach quietly and stay quiet if we wish to see the otter or whatever else might show up.  It’s chilly and blustery.  You’ll need a warm coat, perhaps a hat and gloves.  You might want to wear boots or wellies, too.  We’ve had a lot of rain over the past week or so and it’s a little mushy out there.  Plus, we’ve been having some coastal flooding which adds to the mush and the watery terrain.

Be safe, be well.  ♥♥♥

A little buzzing around the yellow flowers.

A few of the 10,000 reasons to be happy:  1,316)  Cauliflower kuku for breakfast.  Yummy.  1,317)  The wind singing through the trees.  Or are the trees singing through the wind?  1,318)  Surrendering to the day.  1,319)  Thick, warm socks.  1,320)  All of the little lawn flowers creating a carpet of color.