In the last two weeks, I've walked Greenlake twice and encountered strange animals on the path. Tonight it was a dying bat that fell from the sky and a week ago, it was a turtle. On both of these walks, I was walking with someone who has entered my psychic space and heart, causing some amount of dis-ease. His totem is the fox. If our animals choose us, I embrace the bat.
Totemic meanings:
The Native American animal symbolism of the bat comes from a keen observation of this magnificent animal. These people recognized that the bat was highly sensitive to their surroundings and so therefore was considered a symbol of intuition, dreaming and vision. This made the bat a powerful symbol for Native American shamans and medicine people. Often the spirit of the bat would be invoked when special energy was needed, like "night-sight" which is the ability to see through illusion or ambiguity and dive straight to the truth of matters.
The bat is a symbol of rebirth and depth because it is a creature that lives in the belly of the Mother (Earth). From the womb-like caves it emerges every evening at dusk. And so - from the womb it is reborn every evening.
It is a symbol of communication because the Native Americans observed the bat to be a highly social creature. Indeed, the bat has strong family ties. They are very nurturing, exhibiting verbal communication, touching, and sensitivity to members of their group.
If you have the bat as your totem you are extremely aware of your surroundings. Sometimes you can be overly sensitive to the feelings of others. Additionally, you are quite perceptive on a psychic level, and are prone to have prophetic dreams.
If you work with the bat as your totem, you will be put to the test, because it is demands only 100% commitment to spiritual growth. The bat will never accept half-hearted or lukewarm attempts at self-improvement. Indeed, if the bat senses that you are slacking in your psychic/spiritual training it will likely move on to someone else who is more willing to learn the lessons the bat has to offer.
As with most of our hardest challenges, working with the demanding bat will reap some of the most profound rewards you could ever dream of. But be warned, the bat asks a lot of us, like:
* Dying to our ego
* Loving our enemies as ourselves
* Going within to touch our inner demons
* Exploring the underworlds of reality (which can be scary)
* Renewing our thoughts and beliefs on a moment-to-moment basis
When life is chaos and we are rushing from one project to another, this is the time we need to be grounded to Mother Earth the most. Turtle walks with purpose and intention because she walks on our Mother Earth. She hears Earth's heart beat and carries the wisdom to feel this beat. Turtle teaches us to SLOW DOWN. Just like the children's fable of the rabbit and the tortoise, we learn we will make the finish line just the same as the rabbit, but with less stress. Turtle also reflect the secrets of the moon with 13 scale plates on her back that represent the 13 moon cycles of the year. Turtle, with her beautiful shell reminds us we need to take our protection with us, wherever we may need to travel to. Home and safety is always around us, this way we can be free to travel into any adventure.
In Nigeria, the turtle was a symbol of the female sex organs and sexuality. To the Native Americans, it was associated with the lunar cycle, menstruation, and the power of the female energies. The markings and sections on some turtles total thirteen. In the lunar calendar, there are either thirteen full moons or thirteen new moons alternating each year. Many believe this is where the association with the female energies originated. Turtle is the symbol of the primal mother.
Because of its great age and slow metabolism, the turtle is also associated with longevity. Long life and groundedness within life is part of what is associated with the turtle. It does not move fast. It is as if, on some level, turtle knows it has all the time in the world. Turtle medicine can teach new perceptions about time and our relationship with it.
Turtles have amazing survival skills and strategies. They hear well. Actually they sense vibrations in the water through their skin and shell. Turtles are also to distinguish some colors, and they do not have a sense of smell. Turtle totems hold the mystery of awakening of the senses~ on both physical and spiritual levels. Turtle stimulates hearing and clairaudience. It can help with vision and clairvoyance. It heightens the sense of smell and higher discrimination.
If turtle has shown up, you need to ask yourself some questions. Are you not seeing what you should? Are you not hearing what you should? Are you or those around you not using discrimination?
