A Compendium of Shaman Animals, Page 2

  "How do I do that?" asked the Farmer.

  "Energy is sensitive to light. It feeds on light energy. Have you not felt better on a summer day by just walking fifteen minutes under the sunny sky? It reinvigorates your spirit. So it is with all things. True masters do not need the sun - they open up their heart to the light and call its energy forth. Try it and see if things shift."

  Frog

  "I come singing a song of change for you, Farmer," said Frog.

  "What sort of change?" asked farmer.

  "Change that sheds the skin of negative relationships you have held onto. Stop holding onto old patterns and old emotions. We all share a common journey, born as we are into murky beginnings, swimming towards the light through water that becomes clearer as we get closer."

  "I am not sure I understand what I should do?"

  "This week set aside a special time to sit in your bath. Perhaps sprinkle in some rose petals or healing salts. Let yourself cleanse not just your body but whatever negative emotional thoughts are holding you down. Let them sink into the water and wash away. See what change emanates forth."

  Goat

  "Follow me carefully, farmer, put one foot in front of the other."

  "This trail is really steep, Goat," exclaimed the farmer. "Are you sure it's safe? I am already tired of climbing."

  "Let go of everything holding you back, farmer, so you can rise higher, seeking new heights well beyond your comfort zone."

  "Like what?"

  "Guilt, guilt often holds you back, especially for many trauma survivors."

  "What else?" asked the farmer.

  "Slavish devotion to material possessions and the false security they represent. In letting go we find true abundance and independence, as we become sure-footed in our spiritual path."

  "I often do feel guilty," said the farmer. "Sometimes in focusing too much on my work here, I do not have all of the time for some other people in my life, at least not as much as they wish I would spend."

  "Farmer, if someone does not understand what really matters is your spiritual journey, then that person neither understands nor cares about you. Trust what your soul wants to nurture what it needs. No need to hold onto false guilt imposed by others."

  Golden Eagle

  "I am the reincarnation of the Great Thunder Spirit," exclaimed Golden Eagle.

  "What are you here to teach me?" asked the farmer.

  "Are you prepared for insights coming at you in flashes like lightening?"

  "Do I have a choice?"

  "You can't allow the illusion of limitations ground your thinking. Osprey already showed you the potential you have when you soar to the heights to which you are capable. Now, we need to soar even higher, so that we have completely clear vision, so clear we can begin to understand the cycles of the sun, and with it, all truth will be revealed. In this place, you will kindle inside your heart the true light of courage, which will illuminate your path wherever you go. Fly with me now, farmer. Fly."

  Goldfish

  "I see you are still trying to find peace, farmer," said Goldfish.

  "It is a constant search for me, Goldfish," said the farmer. "I seem to see peace just around the corner, but never seem to get there."

  "That is because peace is not a destination. Every time you look for it, you will find it gone. What if I keep looking for the sun that touches the water? Every time I swim towards it waiting to land on the sun, it is a bit further away. If I get caught up in the illusion instead of being in the water, I lose it. So it is with your searching for peace."

  "I guess I am looking for peace that way," replied the farmer. "How I can find the elusive peace I seek?"

  "Peace is found when you find the place of balance in yourself by sitting still. Opening yourself through prayer or meditation to find the place between the mind and the emotions, to the place where your soul sits. In that moment, you will find peace. Only there will you find peace. Try it this week and see if peace finds you."

  Grasshopper

  "Do you know who I am, farmer?" asked Grasshopper.

  "You're Grasshopper," said the farmer a bit puzzled.

  "We, Grasshoppers, are reincarnations of your soul family. We are immortal and come to help support you on your journey. Are you ready to learn what you need to do this week?"

  "I guess so," stammered the farmer.

  "It is time to jump not knowing where you will land. Leap over all of the obstacles standing in the way of your success. Not your monetary success but your soul success. In fact, your biggest obstacle is this fear you have of being penniless. Lose it. It is outmoded. As you take a leap of faith so big that you jump the astral plane, only then will you lose the fears that are holding you back. Only then, will you discover what we Grasshoppers already know and are waiting to share with you. Leap, farmer."

  Heron

  "You seem very down, farmer," said Heron. "You keep burning the candle at both ends, trying to do too much and be too much."

  "I always try to do too much," said the farmer. "I really don't know how to stop."

  "There are several things which would help you find better balance, farmer. First of all is to stop being so self-reliant. Independence is a wonderful quality, it helps us to survive and withstand many hardships. Taken to extreme, independence may mean we become so self-reliant that we fail to ask for help, even when we desperately need it. Not everything should or can be accomplished alone."

  "I can work on that," said the farmer. "What else do I need to do?"

  "Set boundaries for yourself. That is not so easy to do for those of us whose boundaries were once violated. It starts with self - love; remembering those basic lessons of self-esteem and self-care. Realizing that you need to take care of you, and some things or people need to wait for you to deal with them. And if you make yourself your own first priority, all of the others will fall into balance."

  Hummingbird

  "I am flitting into your life for a mere moment, farmer, to teach you something important," proclaimed Hummingbird.

  "What lesson do you have for me, Hummingbird?" asked the farmer.

  "We hummingbirds carry a message from a dead person's spirit and bring it back to earth to help a person complete their healing journey. I have a special message for you this week from someone who loves you from beyond."

  "Thank you Hummingbird. What is the message? Who is it from?"

  "Patience, farmer. You will know who sent the message once you hear it. It was the same message given to you when the person's soul was living with you. No one is given the curse of trauma without also the gift of endurance. You that you are meant to use that gift in your writing to help others heal and bring them to happiness. Don't give up just because things do not seem easy. Endurance is part of the journey, as you need to work with the ebb and flow of energy in the universe, not just act when it is easy, instead persist when it is hard. That is what you need to remember, farmer."

  Hyena

  "It is time for you to tap into the cooperation of the community, farmer, in order to find new sources of strength."

  Of course, Hyena, I care deeply about the community," said the farmer.

  "You need to move beyond caring now, farmer. Find the deep strength from sharing your innermost secrets. When a community defends its boundaries against intruders, and also from sickness from within, it is incredibly strong. It is not just one farmer facing that all alone. It is all of the farmers united together that make it so."

  "What else can you teach me, Hyena?"

  "People may believe all sorts of things erroneously. Hurl things at you. If your community finds its collective strength, nothing can break it. People used to think we, Hyenas, dug up corpses, when nothing is further from the truth. They have tried to hunt us down, yet here we are, ever strong, thanks to our tribe. Be a part of your tribe, farmer. Be proud and strong of who you all are."

  Jaguar

  "I have come to you now, farmer, as it is time to move without fear into the
darkness of your soul. In you, this is found in stressful times of chaos," said Jaguar.

  "I certainly need your wisdom this week, Jaguar," said the farmer. "It feels as if everything in my life is up in the air, swirling - at work, at home, with my family. How can I stop the madness?"

  "Concentrate on one of the areas of chaos. Do you see there are roads within in? Just as in other times of your life, farmer, there are many paths in front of you at each step. Chaos happens when many paths are chosen very close together."

  "How do I know which path to take when I am so stressed?" asked the farmer.

  "Breathe. Focus on selecting those paths, and only those paths that are on your soul's journey. So often the other paths lead to more confusion and stress - when you choose paths of material gain or power, you lose your center and get further from what is important. Empower yourself. You have the wisdom inside you to choose. And once you start choosing your soul path in a time of chaos, the universe will reward you with clarity and peace."

  Jellyfish

  "I heard that you are feeling overwhelmed by issues in your life, farmer," said Jellyfish. "It seems that you continually need help with this issue so hopefully I can teach you something different."

  "Yes, I get stuck a lot," said the farmer. "I just get so many emotions flying at me at once that I cannot seem to process them."

  "We Jellyfish are composed of all water energy which is emotional energy. You may wish to look at how we move through the water, to understand how you might through move through your emotional times."

  "How is that?" asked the farmer.

  "We float rather than swim through the currents. We allow them to ebb and to flow. We trust the universe to get us through to the place we really need to be. Try it farmer. I think you will get through this emotional crisis better than if you keep striving and trying and wasting energy and effort."

  "How do I do that?" asked the farmer.

  "Don't be rigid. It does not have to be your way. This is a time for softness and gentleness. Softness with yourself - take care to sleep right and eat right. Softness with others - don't expect anything from them; just try to love. Often, when we soften ourselves, we find somehow all of the problems just untangle themselves. Try it for once farmer. See if you can float through the crisis and it will disappear."

  Kite

  "It is a time of great movement in your life, farmer," said Kite.

  "Help me Kite, to see how you do. I sometimes do not see any movement at all," said the farmer.

  "You need to see things from a distance as I do to gain perspective."

  "How do I do that?" asked the farmer.

  "When you meditate this week, let your soul take flight. Ask to see clarity of vision. Often, your spirit guides will grant you a vision or prophecy of how things are and will be. Sometimes things are moving and changing, but we fail to see them under our nose. If you see how a seed eventually becomes a flower, you start to see and believe in the changes. If all you see is the seed in the dirt, you sometimes fail to recognize the portent change within."

  Koala

  "Are you feeling stuck again, farmer?" asked Koala. "My fellow shamans seem to see this theme in you."

  "Things just never move fast enough," said the farmer. "I keep having setbacks. Why can't I make things move more quickly?"

  "Slow movement is a gift. Sometimes people wonder that we sleep 18 hours a day. Why we don't do more? But what would we do, zipping about the trees faster? We would eat more eucalypts perhaps but then we would need to exercise. Instead, we focus on what is important. We can climb the one tree that is tastiest, climbing over any trees in our way, to reach our desired goal. In doing so, we see the big picture, above the tops of the trees. You need to consider that, farmer, when spending your energy. Do you need to go racing around or just focus on the one obstacle to conquer and eliminate that moves everything forward?"

  Ladybug

  "Sometimes in trying to move ahead in our spiritual healing journey, we need to understand the larger context of our soul's journey, across lifetimes," said the Ladybug.

  "I am struggling enough in this lifetime. Does that mean I was a bad person in a former life, carrying forward that karma?" asked the farmer.

  "Not necessarily," replied the Ladybug. "Sometimes the golden path that leads into the center of divine love requires a deliberate choice to live in and understand suffering. We see that in the choices of many great teachers, Christ, Buddha, Abraham. Spiritual enlightenment comes in fully being present with and finding the meaning in our existence, even if it is daunting, and in accepting the full wheel of death and rebirth."

  Lion

  "It is time to let go of your anxiety and stress, farmer, and find anew your energy," said Lion.

  "How do I do that?" asked the farmer. "I have always struggled with anxiety. Right now, I feel particularly alone and afraid."

  "Silly farmer," said Lion, "have you learned nothing from all of the shamans visiting you over the years?"

  "I guess not enough," replied the farmer.

  "What you believe becomes self-fulfilling. Instead of focusing on fear, which brings more fear to you, focus on strength and courage. Like a lion. You will soon see what a difference it makes, farmer."

  "I'll try."

  "Then look around you. We, Lions, are always a part of a pride, a brotherhood with strong family ties. Yet a pride is not a family of DNA, it is the family you create, the loving bonds you share. Your soul family in other words is your pride, farmer. With them at your side, you will always have strength. Even when their spirit passes beyond, they are with you. Look at all of wonderful members of your spiritual pride and renew your strength with them to safeguard you."

  Lizard

  "Sometimes, farmer, you just need to fully face your fears," announced Lizard.

  "Sometimes I don't even know what I am afraid of. I wake up at night in a cold sweat from my nightmares. I worry about everything. How can I overcome these fears?" asked the farmer.

  "It is important to examine your dreams. Often, if we can learn to control our fears in dreams, those actions translate into our real world experiences. In fact, it is often easier to face down a fear in a dream as you also possess a greater scope of power. You have the power to regenerate what is lost or the power to manifest what you need. Before you enter your dream, write down the powers you will possess in your dream and how they will protect you as you face your fears. Then enter the world of dreams and vanquish them. You will soon see a difference in your waking life."

  Llama

  "Climb with me, farmer," said Llama.

  "Why is it that I am always stuck climbing up steep mountains with shamans?" asked the farmer. "I hate climbing and I hate heights even more."

  "Do you even know why Llamas have a special place in the universe of shaman animals?"

  "No, please tell me, Llama."

  "A Llama was told by the stars at the top of the mountain that a great flood was coming, and he warned two brothers. They moved their families to a cave high at the top of the mountain. When the torrid rains came for more than forty days, they waited, protected, until the waters receded. They blessed us and told us we are always welcome. But we, Llamas, still prefer to be near our friends, the stars, who live at the tops of the mountains."

  "Please teach me more, Llama."

  "I can teach you at last how to overcome hurdles and adversities, farmer, and how to face your fears. You still seem to get stuck in familiar patterns, holding onto material possessions as if they can protect you, instead of hurtling yourself completely in pursuit of your spiritual destiny. We, Llamas, know more than how to withstand cold thanks to our long journeys on the mountainside. We know that overcoming adversity starts with fanning the inner embers of the spiritual fire within, then using that warmth to comfort others on the climb, against the cold winds of adversity that blow against all of us at one time or another. Learn to fan your inner flame, farmer, and send its comfort out into the world."
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  Lynx

  "Lynx, are you coming to see me this week?" asked the farmer.

  "Well done, farmer," said Lynx, "You are finally developing your latent psychic senses."

  "I am trying to be more tuned in, Lynx, but still have much to learn from you. What lesson are you here to teach me this week?"

  "Insight is both developed by the keen sight of paying attention to the world around you and also in meditating to reach the secrets and mysteries of your inner heart wisdom. Sometimes we are so focused on the heart wisdom that we forget to look around us at the tiny movements of time and space that may also be important. Remember to look at the little things that happen and what they can tell you. Sometimes the most important messages may come from strangers: the comment from your clerk at the store; the animal that comes on your lawn giving you a shamanic message. Pay attention farmer. The universe is always trying to teach you if you will let it."

  Manatee

  "Walk gently upon the earth, farmer, and listen," said Manatee.

  "What is that about, Manatee?" inquired the farmer.

  "You need to conquer now with gentleness rather than strength. As you walk more gently, listen carefully to what the earth is telling you. All of the messages you need come out to help you on your journey, yet we so often ignore them, as the voices of the flowers and the wind are faint, unless you have ears attuned to hear."

  "What will I discover?"

  "Many things you cannot even imagine. We, Manatees, were often mistaken for mermaids singing to our young by sailors at sea. The lullabies we sung gave many sailors great comfort, and to others, changed their direction and therefore their fortunes. So you too might change your destiny by listening to the guidance of the flowers, or the wind or the trees. Listen, walk softly and gently, and hear what Mother Earth is whispering to you this week."