Sting Ray II

I have been thinking about that stingray and wondering what he could mean for that little girl. The water is a place for delving into or dealing with emotions and emotional issues.

A heron walks in the water and on land. Whenever I see one, I know that I will be mulling, dealing with and enduring deep emotions or emotional issues. A stingray lives in deep water normally. It looked like it was trying to hug her so I can’t help but wonder if this is an emotional or sensitive child.

According to Ted Andrews, a stingray has an electro-receptor on its snout which one uses to find buried food. Some emit low-level electrical pulses, which alert them to danger or lead them to food. “When stingrays are totems or messengers, people get tingling sensations to alert them to the presence of danger, treasure, etc. …When the stingray appears, trust in your own inner guidance (Andrews, 1999, p. 401).” Andrews talks about stingrays signifying gracefulness navigating in any setting. He also mentions a stinging tail which can be used for defense.

As I think about the stingray bobbing up towards the girl’s face, I think it really means something special. I think she is coming into her psychic ability and the stingray could sense it. Most creatures (cats, dogs, birds, horses, elephants, etc) are psychic. This little girl needs to be taught to trust her intuition and guidance, which we usually squelch in kids. I also wonder if she is special in any other ways. If I heard she worked for an aquarium twenty years from now, I would not be surprised.

Andrews, Ted. (1999). Animal Wise: The Spirit Language and Signs of Nature. (Dragon Hawk Publishing, TN).

Animal Signs: Sting Rays

On my day off, I went to my dentist in Groton. I drive an hour because I like the entire staff. Afterwards, I walked around the Mystic Aquarium nearby. While there, my intuition told me to stop by the metaphysical bookstore Mystical Horizons in Mystic on the way home.

It is $26 per person to get in to the Mystic Aquarium on a day visit, but $60 per person to visit all year round with a membership. I go all winter long sometimes just for an hour. I feel my energy rise just walking through the animal enclosures.

I can hear Paul Simon singing “It’s all happening at the zoo…” as I walk up to the penguin area. Sometimes I just sit on the stairs by the whale pond and wait for a beluga to rub against the glass for babystollers.

In the 1990’s, the whales were located inside the aquarium in the circular tank. One beluga followed me from right to left, then left to right while keeping an eye me as I thought I was walking around him. I am not special, the beluga whale liked to follow people. I thought I was imagining it until a volunteer confirmed it. I have not had this feeling at any other aquarium. The Mystic Aquarium is a special place.

On this visit, the penguins swam around; sometimes they just stand by their inner door. Two rescue seals dashed around their round pool, leaping onto a landing to look ready for what they thought was arriving food. It was all happening at the pools.

As I walked by the stingray touch pool, I noticed a little girl almost hugging a ray. Normally they swim in circular laps around the pool’s edge. A stingray was bobbing up (its head was two to three inches out of water each time) and down right on front of her as if to get closer to her. I was stunned. If ever there was a sign of a creature wanting to be noticed as a sign, this was it. I exclaimed! Unfortunately, the child’s grandmother snapped that they had been doing that to all her grandkids all day. She did not hear how special this little girl must be.

My intuition told me to go to Mystical Horizons. I stopped on my way home. I wondered what I was supposed to get. On a shelf, the title stands out to me, Animal Wise: The Spirit Language and Signs of Nature. It is a book on reading signs and omens in nature. I feel an electrical surge. I have been wondering if the birds mean anything and this book may have some answers, plus information that I do not know that I need. I also found tobacco to put in my garden as a thank you. Thank you!

Andrews, Ted. (1999). Animal Wise: The Spirit Language and Signs of Nature. (Dragon Hawk Publishing, TN).

Animal Signs- Geese

Again I heard geese today. They are migrating South so it is not unusual to hear them, but I think that there is more to it. I have had weird encounters with geese, enough to have to read Ted Andrews writings on geese many times. It usually means I need to start writing or start to link things together in writing.

“The goose is thus a totem reflecting a stimulation of childhood thrill and belief in stories and legendary places. The story(s) we most loved in childhood often reflect the life quest we have come to take upon us in this lifetime. That is why it resonated with us so strongly. … The goose can also be a totem to aid you in communication especially through the use of stories. Its feather for a long time was the standard writing instrument…. Individuals wishing to write- be it stories or anything-can facilitate the process by working with the goose as a totem. It will stimulate the imagination and help you move through creative blocks” (Ted Andrews, 2003, Animal Speak).

What is your favorite childhood story? Mine was The Secret Garden. It is the story of a young spoiled girl who moves to England to live with her cousin and uncle. The uncle is absent, typical of all children’s books. The little girl is lonely until she finds a key to a forgotten garden. She tends it, in a process which consumes her, bringing it back to life. She bullies her spoiled sickly cousin into activity and he is transformed into a normal healthy boy. There is a magical transformation of an overgrown garden into a beautiful place. The story also features a transformation in the relationship between father and son. What was distant is no more.

I have always loved transformations. I love painting rooms in a house just to see a before and after. To really transform any room, start with bright white ceiling paint first. I used to decorate for parties for a magical before and after. I also love it when people repair and patch up friendships and family relationships. To this day, I hate ending friendships even when the person is not really a friend just because I hate to sever things.

In the story, the girl tends a garden. I have had plants for 20 years. I really love each of them. Really, we are all transformed by our connections with earth and nature.

When I planted my garden, I just like to watch things grow. I want tomatoes with flavor, but in truth, it is usually cheaper to just buy vegetables rather than pay for the garden expenses like the water bill.

As a person, I tend to meet people when they are in a process of growth and need help getting to the next step. I did career counseling for a few years and enjoyed encouraging people’s career dreams. I spent a lot of time and energy helping people sort out their career needs. It was hard when some people could see their dream but were too lazy to do anything about them. I often run into people who need encouragement to go back to school. I like healing because I can help people feel better emotionally and physically.

What do geese mean? Stories can be powerful messengers in our own lives. What was your favorite childhood story? According to Ted Andrews, there is a key to your purpose in life or life’s work in the stories you loved as a child.

An update

In the spring, my intuition kept hinting that I should get a dog. Dogs are a lot of work if cared for properly so this was not a quick decision to make.

I brought home a rescued dog in August. He is about eight years old. Older dogs are great in that they want to sleep all the time. Puppies need and want attention all the time. Walking an older dog sometimes requires waking him. This is a wonderful thing. I have been walking him morning, noon and night with the help of my beloved. It is nice to be outside in the beautiful weather.

Walking a male dog means waiting for him to sniff and pee. I have been noticing a number of birds and insects. Some seem to call my attention. I also noticed squirrels collecting nuts in mid August which I think is early for them. I read once that animals collecting nuts can be a barometer for how bad the upcoming winter might be.

Animals can come to us as signs and messengers. In the past few weeks, I have repeatedly seen Blue Jays, and had a crow cawing at me from a roof top at 7am on a Sunday. The crow was cawing and cawing to the point that he was getting rude. Crows are usually helpful to me so I didn’t think twice about him but I might need to read about him. Crow usually means magic and transformation coming or in progress.

Two nights in a row, I heard Canadian geese flying overhead but could not find them in the sky. I heard the same thing this morning. Why can’t I find the geese? I am wondering if I need to read about them. Usually they are a message about writing, which I had been postponing, but I think that there is more to it.