Here I am again, playing catch up from September here in October. Time zips by and I sometimes feel like I’m in a whirlwind! That’s usually when I’m reminded, somehow, to find ways to slow down. have fun, and get more rest and relaxation. I welcome Autumn!
In September and October, I’ve been involved with fundraisers, football games, sick pets, planning for my autumn garden, preparing for colder nights, planning meals, musical events, meetings, picnics, dinners and the list goes on and on. I began to wonder, “When do I get time for ME!?” I’m not being selfish, I’m being mindful of the amount of time I’ve been spending doing the things “I” love and the things “I need” to be doing. I want time to savor the beautiful autumn days, taking pictures of the mountains, exchanging summer clothes for winter clothes in storage, making jewelry and spending more time out in nature listening and watching for her messages.
In September, fox came to me at my house in the woods. I’m always a little startled by their calls to each other, because it sounds odd and a little un-nerving when you first hear it. I’m beginning to get used to it the more I hear it. Fox is one of my favorites and I consider them one of my closer totems along with wolf, which are in the same family. Fox is the protector of the family unit, user of camouflage, being able to blend into the background and master of shape shifting. Fox tells you to be invisible and pay attention to what’s going on when no one sees you are watching. The fox has a long history of magic and supernatural powers. They are often most visible at times of dawn and dusk, the “between time,” when the magical world and the world we live in intersect. It lives at the edges of the forests and open land, the border areas. Because it’s an animal of the “between times and places” it can be a guide to enter the Faerie Realm. I love this message they had for me, which has proven to be very true. When we take time to be quiet, watch and listen, it’s amazing what we learn and what comes to us!
Another messenger has been the cat. We live in the mountains and there are cats everywhere! My family hasn’t had cats for years because we have several dogs and they were not raised with cats. We finally broke down and started feeding a litter of kittens that made their new home under our lower deck on the front of our house. When the nights were warmer, we would sit on the upper porch swing and talk, enjoying the quiet and with each day and night they would get closer and closer to us. They then began sleeping on the soft porch swing and now we can touch them, a little, but they are still cautious, like the fox, watching, paying attention to us too. Cats are about independence, magic and mystery. Watching cats around us can help us to understand them better and see their strongest traits. Cats are very curious, playful, clever, and they hold much magic and healing within them. Cats have been familiars for people in stories and folklore from all around the world for centuries and in many traditions are associated with childbirth and family. Whenever cats become predominant in our lives, look for magic and mystery to come alive.
Just a few days ago, right before the New Moon, I was out on the front porch putting up harvest decorations and I noticed another spider’s web and something drew me to look closer. It was under the eave of the porch and a bit dark, so I had to look closely to see the spider, which looked like a Black Widow. We have hundreds of species of spiders out here in the woods, but I had never seen one so close up! My Grandmother had been bitten by a Black Widow and it caused her some residual health problems. I was cautious, but curious and took a couple of pictures to help me when I looked on the internet to identify her better. I also wanted to know her message for me; since I was the only person in the house that took an interest in her. I wasn’t able to see the defining red hour-glass on her under belly, but the markings on her top were definitely close enough for me to want to know more and be sure of her message. I’ve shared the pictures I took, which are a little fuzzy, but the next day when I went back to take more, she was gone. Here is her message, which ties in very closely to that of the fox and cat, including family.
The Black Widow Spider I found near the front door of our house!
Spiders have eight legs and their body is in two sections, giving them a figure eight appearance to their bodies. This links to all the mysticism associated with the form of the figure eight and the symbol of infinity, the wheel of life, flowing from one circle to the next. Spider teaches about balance, between past and future, physical and spiritual, male and female. Spider is associated with mystics and mythology with three prominent expressions of magic. The first is the magic and energy of creations, the symbol of creative power. It is also associated with assertiveness of that creative force, of keeping the feminine energies of creation alive and strong; this has ties to the female black widow, which will kill and eat the male after mating, which has to do with death and rebirth. The third predominant magic of the spider is associated with its spiral energy, the links with the past and the future; the spiral of the web, a central point. Spiders are a combination of gentleness and strength and they have learned to combine both for successful survival, just as many “females” or those with feminine energy.
I love the synchronicity of each of these messages and also the similarities! Each speaks of feminine energy, magic and creativity in some form! I am always amazed and thrilled when I receive these kinds of messages, which come exactly when I need them and are always spot on! Each gives us something to ponder, meditate on and food for thought and ways to be creative, magical and bring out the best within us.
Shared with love,~Mysti-Fran~
Most of the information about the animal totems and animal messages came from the book, “Animal-Speak” by Ted Andrews. I’ve added a little of my own thoughts and wisdom, here and there, as always. *smile*
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