The Patient Wolf with a Big Heart

Posted by Barbara Techel
Patiently Waiting Inner Wolf potholder by Maria Wulf and wolf card as represented in my Animal Reflections upcoming oracle deck.

Three days had passed since I’d read the post on artist, Maria Wulf’s blog sharing she had some new potholders for sale she’d just created. She named them, Inner Wolf.

I couldn’t get them out of my head. Wolf spirit kept nudging me to go back and see if any of the designs were still available.

I believe that our spirit animal guides speak to us in a variety of different ways as I’ve had many different experiences over the years. And this time, though it may seem unusual, Wolf spirit, a guide who has been with me for quite a few years now, was trying to get my attention once again through Maria’s new creation.

With a final nudge from Wolf I revisited Maria’s post. It was the potholder Maria had named Patiently Waiting that spoke to me and actually brought tears to my eyes. I was happy when I reached out to Maria to find that particular potholder was still available. It was meant to be.

It was later, after receiving it in the mail, and had it sitting on my writing desk for a few days, that I’d realize why this one spoke to me. I reflected on when the spirit of a white wolf came to me during a guided meditation about seven years ago. She came at a time when my heart was shattered from the ending of a friendship I’d given a big piece of my time and heart to. The friendship ended abruptly feeling like it came out of nowhere, though looking back since then I came to understand with more clarity why it had to end when it did.

Wolf spirit was reminding me at that time when my heart was deeply hurting that I still had compassion in my heart, even though I wanted to shut it down so I’d never have to experience that kind of pain again. But white Wolf, while honoring the pain I was experiencing was encouraging me to keep my heart open because it would not only hurt me personally going forward if I didn’t, but could negatively affect my current and future relationships.

Reflecting back on this time and then thinking about the patiently waiting wolf potholder, I realized I was being reminded again about keeping my heart open and not protecting it so fiercely I don’t allow anything in. I felt such love and compassion coming from the image of the wolf on the potholder.

While I don’t wish to share personal details, I realized Wolf’s appearance in this way was about a friendship that is changing in the near future with a friend that will be moving many states away next spring or early summer.

I’d been struggling with my feelings about it, but Wolf spirit, as she has always been for me, was standing patiently by my side, loving me through every emotion that was being stirred within me. I felt her big heart radiating love to me encouraging me to be gentle with myself as I process what will be a new change in my life.

I took note again of the fact that Maria named the post, Inner Wolf. We all have a fierceness, protectiveness, and a loving aspect of ourselves. It’s important to acknowledge all of them and honor each of their processes in order to move through difficulties. So howl when you need to, but also be gentle and loving toward yourself, too.

So in honor of Wolf spirit I’m happy to also share that I have a card in my upcoming Animal Reflections oracle deck to represent her wisdom. You can see the card in the photo above with my now treasured patiently waiting wolf potholder. 

Another way I thought I’d also honor this recent reminder from Wolf spirit is to share an excerpt from my book, I’m Fine Just the Way I Am and the chapter about the white Wolf that came to me and how she eventually shared her name with me.

You can read that excerpt and see the collage card I created to honor that experience here.

XO

Barb

    

Lion’s Gate 8/8 Message – Letting Go & Stepping into Your Full Potential

Posted by Barbara Techel
8/8 Lion’s Gate. Lion card from my upcoming Animal Reflections deck.

I share with you a short video message about this important window of opportunity we have today on 8/8 – referred to as the Lion’s Gate. Even if you are listening to it after today, the energies are here to work with through the 12th. The message itself is one that can be visited often – especially when you feel stuck and forget the infinite power that lies within you.

Click here to watch video or below.

Have a beautiful week!

XO

Barb

                  

An Ending I Didn’t Expect

Posted by Barbara Techel
Photo Credit

It was the fall after our special needs dachshund, Frankie passed away that we went on a much needed vacation to Vermont. A place I’d always wanted to visit when the autumn colors are in their peak. It didn’t disappoint.

It felt like I’d been transported to another realm as we drove into the city we were staying (which I don’t recall the name now!) We were surrounded by oodles of trees with their leaves gloriously showing off their warm colors of burnt orange, crimson red, and golden yellow.

While there we stayed at a darling red cabin about five minutes from town. Just over the small bridge was a bookstore where I’d miss by one day seeing author Jon Katz.

But it was also while staying at the charming cabin that I fell in love with the black cast iron woodstove that sat angled in the corner of the living room. I just knew I’d have to have one. It was the epitome of cozy and what would now be deemed as a home and fashion theme called, “Cottagecore.”

It was about a year later that this dream came to fruition. Our woodstove, while used often for about the first two fall and winter seasons, but then not as much as I went through my menopausal years, eventually looped back to us once again enjoying it.

Yesterday afternoon with the breeze softly blowing through the living room patio screen door, I laid down for a short nap. I’d just drifted off to sleep when I heard a tapping noise. In my sleepy state I thought perhaps it was outside. After looking around and not seeing anything, I closed my eyes once again.

A few moments later I heard the same tapping noise. This time when I opened my eyes I caught a reflection of movement coming from inside the woodstove. My first thought was, oh no, a mouse is stuck in the stove!

As I moved closer I could see a creature sitting on the iron peg inside the stove, but still I wasn’t exactly sure what it was. But as I peeked in, I then noticed it was a sparrow! All these years we’ve had this stove and this was a first.

How was I going to help this little bird get out of there? I was distraught with concern. I texted John telling him about the situation. 

While I waited to hear back I decided to do a search on the internet for advice. A few different options were offered, but one thing was for sure. That sparrow was not going to go out the way it came in. One thing I didn’t know was that you shouldn’t shine a flashlight into the eyes of a bird as it can blind it. Check. Good to know.

But the little bird had gotten scared when I looked in and flew onto the shelf space that rests at the end of the chimney pipe.

John finally texted back a few moments later asking if the bird was still in the stove. Um, yes, because I wasn’t sure what to do. I also felt it may be best that we had a two person team to save the sparrow. He was on his way home to help.

Sitting back down on the couch my mind was filled with worry. Especially because the bird had grown quiet. I was concerned that perhaps it might have had a heart attack.

But then I stopped myself as my mind had been looping with racing thoughts of worse case scenarios. That wasn’t helping. So I made a conscious decision to calm down and get more grounded.

A few moments later, now more centered, I got up and closed the doors to our bedroom, bathroom, laundry room and John’s office. One suggestion I’d read was to open a front and back door to the house so the bird could find its way out.

But what if it didn’t? I reminded myself to stay calm and not drum up unnecessary bad juju.

John arrived home and at first suggested getting a large garbage bag and quickly placing it over the stove door once we opened it hoping the bird would fly into it and we could release it outside. But then he changed his mind and came up with what I’d originally found in my research and to open the doors on either end of the house.

Now that we had a plan we had to coax the tiny bird out of the dark hollow it was sitting in. So I grabbed a bamboo stick, slowly opened the front of the stove, shined the flashlight inside just enough to see where the bird was, and then gently nudged that sweet little bird with the end of the bamboo stick.

Before we could even react, out from that soot filled stove it came…

and straight as an arrow…

as if under the intense pressure of kicking the winning field goal in a tied Super Bowl game…

out into the land of freedom it flew once again! SCORE!!

John and I high-fived to an ending I didn’t expect, but was thrilled to have witnessed. 

The (HAPPY) End.

XO

Barb