Animal Signs: Blue Jay

Saw another Blue Jay. He hopped from branch to branch making a scene. He dropped to the ground fifteen feet in front of us, then dashed back up to a branch. I can’t see any reason for him to touch down on the ground. That is acting weird for a bird. I assume I need to read about Blue jays.

Personally, I see the blue jay as a beautiful, quiet powerful bird. The blue color is always so striking. This fall, I have seen seven or eight quietly alighting on branches nearby.

According to Ted Andrews (2003), blue jays offer lessons in the proper use of power and the need to avoid dabbling in things. “(I)t can reflect lessons in using power properly. It can also reflect lessons in not allowing yourself to be placed in a position in which power is used against you (p. 121).” I know more than a few people wanting power over. Andrews continues with dabbling which I hope that I do not do. “Those with a jay as a totem usually have tremendous amount of ability, but can be scattered or it is not developed any more than is necessary to get by (p. 122).” I do have a lot of jewelry projects unfinished on my jewelry table. I also have sketches of jewelry ideas I have been shown. Have I started any of them?????? Am I a dabbler??? I have seen more blue jays this fall than any other time in my life. These blue jays are definitely signs for me, but meaning what?

“It is not unusual to find individuals with blue jays as totems being dabblers- especially in the psychic and metaphysical field. They know a little bit about a lot of things, and they use that knowledge to sometimes give the impression that they know more, or are true masters…(p. 122)” Ouch! Let us hope that is not my lesson!!!!! I am not wise enough to want to see it. Andrews writes that we must work hard and develop talents that we are given.

“If the jay has moved into your life, …you are moving into a time where you can begin to develop the innate royalty within you, or simply be a pretender to the throne. It all depends on you. The jay has no qualms. It will teach you either direction (p. 122). Andrews writes much more on blue jays and other interesting birds in all of his books.

Andrews, Ted. (2003). Animal Speak; The spiritual & magical powers of creatures great and small. (Llewellyn Publications, MN).

Past Lives II

We (my customer with the torque and I) talked about history. His favorite historical time period is set in Byzantium before the time of Constantine (300 CE). He actually liked Byzantine battles and knew famous generals’ names. He talked of battles involving a 100,000 men.

He told me an interesting story about Flavius the Delayer. He was successful because he never actually fought a battle.

In order to avoid spreading bad history or misinformation, I tried to google Flavius the Delayer. I did not find anyone historically referred to as such. I did find Flavius Gratianus (359-383 CE) whose uncle did not wait for him and went into battle with Visigoths (early Germans?) never to return. There were rumors that Flavius did not rush as his uncle was a potential heir to the throne (www.roman-empire.net/collapse/gratian.html) but in truth, his uncle faced such odds that there was never a likely happy ending whether Flavius Gratian appeared then or not.

I know nothing about military history in that area or in that time. I know the term Byzantium because I love the tile work in the ceilings of early Byzantine Churches. I also like the history of early Christianity. How and why did certain churches and religious traditions form? That area’s history is key to that answer.

They don’t teach about Byzantium or military history in the area of Turkey, Eastern Europe and the Middle East in any college classes. You have to know about the time and place to find books covering those areas. I believe that you have to already know about Byzantium to know that you are interested in finding out more. I have spent time studying history and no one has EVER mentioned this time or place as a favorite time period. I have worked with and run into faculty on the way to and from academic conferences; none have ever mentioned a research interest in this area.

On a military tangent, I never heard of the battle of Masada (74 CE) until I ran across a reference to it while study early Buddhism and maritime history. At Masada, Jewish warriors and civilians committed mass suicide to avoid giving Romans a victory after a long siege. There are no sculptures of dying Jewish warriors by Greek or Roman sculptors (in the tradition of The Dying Gaul) that I know of…

As I think about the interesting conversation I had, I have to conclude my customer is walking proof of past lives. He knows nothing about Hessians and Prussians who are mentioned in every Western Civilization class, but he has a depth of knowledge on the level of a graduate student in an obscure area that no other academic has ever mentioned. I can’t help but feel certain that he was in the military at the time. He was probably in the military many times and he has probably had many lives long ago.

History and Past Lives

If you are not a history buff, the following will read, “blah, blah, blah.” I know this because my young co-worker read it and blurted out, “Oh my GOD you are putting ME to sleep!!!!!” I am posting it anyway. I have been to many battle sites on the East coast- I love history. History at its best is a good story.

Do you believe in past lives? I have had much experience thinking about them. Western thinkers have good reasons not to believe in them but will have a richer experience if we admit to them.

A customer walked in tonight wearing a torque. He got it at a renaissance fair. I am sure that the desire to attend a renaissance fair is proof of past lives, but I digress.

A torque is a heavy 2 inch thick metal necklace or decorative metal collar with an opening in the front bordered by decorative metal ends. They can be quite ornate. I said, “Nice necklace.” The young man told me that it was a torque and was then surprised that I knew what he meant.

As an art history major (a very useful major), I remember the torques on display as examples of early metal work in Europe. They were heavy looking things in a museum in Ireland. I wondered how one put one on. I assumed that a torque was an Irish or Celtic thing.

I wondered what it would look like on a person until I saw the picture of the sculpture The Dying Gaul (220 BCE). In the sculpture, the man was naked except for the torque and had a noticeably somber look and battered face. Gaul then referred to modern day France.

The residents of Gaul were depicted by the Romans then as barbarians. Invading colonizers always call the rebellious barbarians. Back then, the Romans had a few bad days fighting the rebellious men of Gaul who would occasionally fight naked as a show of strength and fearsome bravery. The Romans were glad when they finally subdued the men of Gaul (hence the Greek copy of a Roman statue about a defeated soldier The Dying Gaul) so that they could move on to problem peoples such as the Celts and Druids in England. My customer talked about the role of Romans in everyday life back then.

Rome was a ‘civilizing force’ in history, but at the time, they were known as oppressive tax collectors. No one wanted the civilization they offered. Ireland was never colonized by Rome and one man (the author of How Ireland Saved Civilization) credits that fact for the great number of great writers from that country.

I talked to the young man for a while. He had a love of celtic culture. Had a celtic Irish pattern tattoo on his arm. In addition, he has a Scottish pattern of tartan that he has picked out as a favorite. (Ireland and Scotland have nothing in common but a former hatred of England as a force of oppression.) He told me that tartans only became a tradition in the 1800’s, not earlier history. Interesting detail, he was born in Germany and has no Irish or Scottish genes anywhere in the family gene pool. His relatives were Prussian. After he mentioned Germany, I mentioned the German Hessians who were the paid marksmen in the English army during the Revolutionary War. This young man had never heard of Hessians. He also never heard of the military might of the Prussian army just a few centuries ago. He loves military history but knows nothing about the military history of his current ancestors. Is this possible? Does it make sense? It struck me as odd that a history buff knew nothing about important historical talking points from his own country’s history.

In another way, it makes perfect sense that he has had past lives. I am sure that he had a past life in the middle East around the time of Christ and in Ireland a long time ago.

PS. According to Wikopedia,

“The Dying Gaul (in Italian: Galata Morente) is an ancient Roman marble copy of a lost Hellenistic sculpture that is thought[1] to have been executed in bronze, which was commissioned some time between 230 BC and 220 BC by Attalus I of Pergamon to celebrate his victory over the Celtic Galatians in Anatolia. The present base was added after its rediscovery. The identity of the sculptor of the original is unknown, but it has been suggested that Epigonus, the court sculptor of the Attalid dynasty of Pergamon, may have been its sculptor.”

“The statue depicts a dying Celt with remarkable realism, particularly in the face, and may have been painted.[2] He is represented as a Gallic warrior with a typically Gallic hairstyle and moustache. The figure is naked save for a neck torc. (The spelling ‘torc’ is what you get when you rely on Wikopedia). He lies on his fallen shield while his sword and other objects lie beside him.”

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.