Signs in Nature

Today on  my nature walk (and sometimes run) I asked the angels to give me some guidance.  I told them I would look for the signs and all they had to do was send them to me.  The angels love requests like this so I invite you to try this for yourself. The signs I saw were, in order, a squirrel crossing my path, a crane taking flight, an old woman with a walker on her own nature walk, and a dragonfly.

Squirrel teaches us about being busy and stockpiling resources for leaner times.  He asks the question of how is your activity levels? Are you doing good work or just busy playing?  He encourages playful activity but he is also a hard worker. Ironically I was thinking about buying a new rebounder (mine is falling apart) when I saw him and I immediately realized the message was to conserve my resources.  But a secondary message is also that there are many ways to be active and I can add more of those playful ways into my life instead of spending money right now. Squirrel also reinforces the general notion that being active is a good thing, a fun thing, a thing that we should all do more of, especially out in nature.

Crane taking flight from the water is a wonderful image, and especially popular in eastern cultures where crane represents longevity, it’s a reminder to plan long term.  When we build on the lessons of squirrel here we are being active for the long term in order to have excellent health throughout a long life. We also must invest in things that will benefit us over the long term, so that we see the ongoing benefit of the way in which we have invested our time, energy, and money.  Another way to look at this as water is our emotional well being, and here we are about to soar above our calm emotions. It’s a reminder to stay in balance and that if we are to be successful in our endeavors we must come from a place of emotional calm and grace.

The old woman walking on the nature path with her walker was a wonder to behold.  She was stooped to the point that it was quite an effort for her to raise her head in order to greet me on the path but she did so cheerfully and with gusto.  Her walker was one with wheels and a seat to sit and rest upon, if needed, but she was walking along at a healthy clip, even in the Texas summer heat. I can see that she probably has a million reasons not to go out walking alone in nature but the fact that she was doing so, and doing so with obvious joy, gave me incredible joy as well.  I realize the message here is that no matter where we are we can still do something to keep active, to push ourselves, and to embrace the natural world all around us. I am so grateful to have seen her today, and I will also say it’s not the first time I have seen her on that path.

The final sign I saw today was a dragonfly, in fact I saw several.  With dragonflies there is also a link between water and air, like with crane.  Rising above our emotions, getting a fresh perspective on an emotional issue, like a breath of fresh air, is one of the great lessons that dragonfly teaches.  He is also colorful and shines in the sun, a reminder to let our “true colors” show to the world.  

Have you had any encounters in nature recently?  Do you ask for guidance in this way? Do you pay attention to omens?  I would love to hear your experience! I keep saying, and I will say it again here, that Mercury Retrograde is a wonderful time for healing the past, and when we do that we are free once again.

Photo by Amos G on Unsplash