It is the people you meet that matter most. This is true throughout life, whether on a trip, settling in a new location, or choosing to stay in the county where you were born.
It is the People You Meet in…
The Library
While seeking help learning about the local history, I met Lee. She and I found common ground with our family names. Actually, my older sister was named for aunts on each side of my parents’ families. Similarly, Lee’s name is a combination of her two grandmothers, ‘Little Elizabeth Ellen’, a perfect diplomatic solution. Pictured is the local history book Lee pulled from the reference stacks, a delectable, detailed history.
Mt. Jefferson State Park
Hoping to find a recommendation for a plant identification book, I chanced upon Wildlife Officer McIntyre in the park office. As I explained my deep appreciation for wildflowers, he was busy writing notes, his blue-green eyes smiling above his mask.
Sharing my photo of a roadside flower near my home, we keyed out great lobelia, Lobelia siphilitica. Consequently, my copy of Newcomb’s Wildflower Guide, is on the way. Another employee showed me how to use my own photos for easy identification in iNaturalist, now an app on my iPhone front screen.
The NEIGHBORHOOD
Neighbors are easy to meet when walking, either for personal exercise or combined with your dog. Sugar and I walk daily along the road in front of the house.
We’ve met Joe and his dog, Bailey, our closest neighbors with a home on our street. Walking the opposite direction, we met Alex and his rescue dog. As rural residents, we are each eager to open our mailbox for the mystery contents. That’s how we met Scooby, the German Shepherd, and his owner, Alex, at an intersection of the South Fork of the New River lined with a row of mailboxes. In fact, the FedEx truck was also there. Yes, we love our delivery people too.
Would you consider walking barefoot today? You may respond, “Why?” Walking barefoot is a way to connect to the Earth and is called earthing or grounding. If you are an empath, you may have heard these terms. I was surprised to find this article with scientific evidence of the benefits of earthing.
I know it is winter in the Western Hemisphere and I give you some alternative earthing techniques below.
What is Earthing?
Earthing is contact with the earth’s surface electrons by walking barefoot outside. Alternatively, you can sit, work, or sleep indoors connected to conductive systems that transfer the energy from the ground into the body.
The article from the Journal of Environmental and Public Health goes on to say, “Emerging scientific research supports the concept that the Earth’s electrons induce multiple physiological changes of clinical significance, including
Reduced pain
Better sleep
A shift from parasympathetic to sympathetic tone in the autonomic nervous system (a reversal of the fight or flight stress syndrome)
If you are an empath, earthing is your connection home. It brings you back to center. And it’s a wonderful way to practice being in the moment.
During my walk barefoot on a natural path through a native forest in Florida, I enjoyed the different sensations the multitude of sensory points in the soles of my feet sent to my brain. The tiny grains of sand almost tickled me. Then the hard clay felt rough. Finally, the coolness of the grass made me smile.
I determined my barefoot walking distance based on the availability of benches. After removing my socks and shoes, I gingerly stepped on the well-worn grass and then sank into the soft sand. My footprints obscured the many shoe prints along the way.
Tips on Walking Barefoot
Although I preferred walking around my yard barefoot as a child, now my feet aren’t used to the complexity of the ground after years of wearing shoes. Safety is always the first concern when walking barefoot. Here are some tips.
Inspect the area first with shoes on
Remove obvious debris that can injure your feet
Consider starting with a concrete area that is in contact with soil
Choose a location that is quiet
Keep your eyes open, scanning the ground
Perhaps walk with a partner who understands the sanctity of silence
Start very small, a few minutes at first
Being Practical Too
Perhaps it isn’t possible to consider walking barefoot today where you live. What can you do to adapt in your situation? Even standing on the Earth is a type of grounding. Refer to my ground and release exercise while sitting and use it while standing.
In Conclusion
Consider walking barefoot today, enjoying the healing aspects for your physical body, energy body and delighting your Inner Child.
Three animals made themselves known to me this week, prompting me to share with you some information on understanding animal symbolism.
Basic Animal Symbolism Information
For me, signs from nature give me personal insight. They help me sit in the moment, look inward for meaning and ponder whether to adjust my behavior for my well being and the greater good.
Unless the animal is particularly special to me, I first look for recurrences of three, such as 3 individuals in a day or week, a bird call repeated exactly 3 times, or groups of three. Secondly, I look for something unusual. Is the butterfly fluttering all around me? Did the hummingbird stop during their flight to stare directly at me? Lastly, I notice situations that are repeated often like the call of a hawk that seems to vibrate in my body. Although I know she is stating her claim of territory to other hawks, she has chosen to do this precisely when I walk out to get the paper, even though it is at a different time each morning.
Finally, when writing or talking about specific animal symbolism, I use a singular capitalized noun. Looking at the catfish in the photo above, I refer to it as Catfish. I see this individual representing the collective soul of Catfish.
The Animals This Week
Catfish
Bald Eagle
Caterpillar
How the Animals Are Unique
Catfish landed on my concrete driveway two feet from a busy two-lane road. It was alive, it’s body perfect, no perforations or damage indicated. Furthermore, it disappeared later without a trace.
Bald Eagle exhibited unusual behavior, hunting along the lakeshore 25 feet above the ground, weaving back and forth three times before flying off. Seems like she chose to hunt when I had the perfect vantage point. I was laying on my exercise mat, at the end of my workout, looking through the tall windows on my downstairs porch.
Caterpillar caught my attention with three different sized individuals browsing close together. As I videotaped their vastly different eating habits, the youngest one moved too close to the ‘teenager’. Most noteworthy, I witnessed a first for me – aggression in caterpillars.
What Meaning Do These Animals Have?
Using methods in the next section, I select the words that resonate with me. How? I can feel a change in my chest, face, or arms when I read the explanation. Also, I consider what is going on in my life right now. Then I wrote these thoughts in my journal.
Catfish – “Know the power of words and going with the flow.” Make the best of the situation and trust your instincts. Discard what no longer serves you. Catfish indicates an opportunity for growth, emotional balance, and prosperity.
Bald Eagle – Eagle is my Spirit Animal. Therefore I always notice it. She brings me encouragement to stay balanced. “Stay grounded, even when you are soaring high.”
Caterpillar – Since this is the larvae of Butterfly, I receive a message of transformation and emerging. The aggressive behavior I observed reminds me to have strong boundaries around the influence of others.
Three Ways You Can Begin
Open your heart
Observe
Research
For one week, start each day with a simple exercise. Open your heart by sitting in a quiet place, close your eyes and place your non-dominant hand over your heart. Take three slow breaths. Breathe in through your nose and out through your relaxed lips. This will start to open your heart, beginning your journey toward understanding animal symbolism through being in the moment.
Observation is key. Paying attention to nature and your surroundings begins the learning phase of observation. Practice by taking walks alone in your garden, your neighborhood, even while shopping. Solitude and putting away your phone are key to developing this skill.
As you begin to observe nature, everything will seem new or unusual. Primarily, I use two methods of research; Googling ‘spiritual meaning of catfish’, substituting the name of the current animal for catfish, or looking it up in my favorite reference book, Animal-Speak Pocket Guide by Ted Andrews.
Start Small Learning Observation
Observation is a learned skill. Or you may possess an innate ability of observation. If it is foreign to you, start with small steps. Sit in a quiet, well-lit place where you will not be disturbed. Begin by looking at your hands. Start with your thumb. Ask yourself questions about it, using all your senses. Does the nail have a half moon at the base? Touch the nail. Are there ridges? Are the ridges uniform? Is the skin furrowed at the joint? How many furrows do you see? What does it feel like to flex the this joint? Does the joint connected to the bone in the hand move too? Can you move only the thumb joint?
Asking questions is a great way to learn how to observe. Now you are starting on your path to understanding animal symbolism.
I invite you to share in the comments, your thoughts or experiences in observation or anything else this article has stirred up for you. And if you particularly like this article or others, please sign-up for my newsletter where I share much more about my life.
While seeking help learning about the local history, I met Lee. She and I found common ground with our family names. Actually, my older sister was named for aunts on each side of my parents’ families. Similarly, Lee’s name is a combination of her two grandmothers, ‘Little Elizabeth Ellen’, a perfect diplomatic solution. Pictured is the local history book Lee pulled from the reference stacks, a delectable, detailed history.
Hoping to find a recommendation for a plant identification book, I chanced upon Wildlife Officer McIntyre in the park office. As I explained my deep appreciation for wildflowers, he was busy writing notes, his blue-green eyes smiling above his mask.
We’ve met Joe and his dog, Bailey, our closest neighbors with a home on our street. Walking the opposite direction, we met Alex and his rescue dog. As rural residents, we are each eager to open our mailbox for the mystery contents. That’s how we met Scooby, the German Shepherd, and his owner, Alex, at an intersection of the South Fork of the New River lined with a row of mailboxes. In fact, the FedEx truck was also there. Yes, we love our delivery people too.
