animal wisdom

The Royal Hummingbird – A Bridge Between Sky and Earth

The Royal Hummingbird - A Bridge Between Sky and Earth
Hummingbird from Animal Wisdom Tarot Card deck

This time of year feels bittersweet when it comes to my favorite bird – the hummingbird. I simply adore these little ones so much. But this time of year they are gearing up to head south. The flurry of “juicing up” on the feeder which hangs right outside my writing cottage screen door, and I can see from my desk, brings me so much joy all summer, and especially this time of year when there is an abundance of action.

But at moments I feel melancholy anticipating their departure soon. I hate to see them go. The hummingbird has great meaning for me having connected me to the other side after my dachshund, Frankie passed away in 2012. I’m quite positive two weeks after she died that she came to me as a hummingbird assuring me she was doing well, and that I too, would be just fine. It is a gift from Frankie that I still carry in my heart to this day – and I always will.

So thinking about the hummingbirds I’m reminded that letting go is part of life and we have many, many moments of them. That in doing so, we trust that what we love and enjoy returns – maybe not always in the same way, but it does return. Just like my little hummingbird friends will return in the spring.

I’m also recalling an online program I listened to a few weeks ago with Shaman don Oscar Miro-Quesada talking about the Royal Hummingbird. In part he shared:

In Peruvian shamanic traditions, the ruby-throated Royal Hummingbird symbolizes the ability to act as a bridge between Sky and Earth – – the traditional role of the shaman. By lovingly pollinating flowers and crops, the Royal Hummingbird gracefully weaves connections between terrestrial ecosystems and spiritual and material worlds.

The Royal Hummingbird shows you how to journey into the higher realms of consciousness and come back with guidance for your daily life. This special communication between worlds provides you with inspiration to manifest and express your greatest dreams.

You can get the free recording here if you wish to learn more. I found it fascinating.

And in honor of all that the hummingbird has been, and is, in my life I want to also share with you the wisdom of them from my friend, Dawn’s beautiful Animal Wisdom Tarot Card deck (picture of card above in photo). May Hummingbird’s message resonate with you in some way that guides you and enriches you, too.

Six of Branches acknowledges personal triumph, happiness, and healthy self-esteem. Gleaming with presence, sparked with joie de vivre, you may experience sudden illumination and a desire to share your brilliance with the world. Life feels balanced and good.

Hummingbird shares beauty, wonder, and joy as it pollinates flowers and spreads the sweetness of life. Dazzling and iridescent, with an amazing ability to fly backward, sideward, and upside down, Hummingbird’s small body holds the big energy of a free-spirited warrior. Enlivening and uplifting, Hummingbird encourages us to shine our magnificence while remaining grounded, in harmony with self and others.

Receiving this card may signify spiritual insight, expansion, or breakthrough. It cautions us, however, not to lose poise. A flash of arrogance, conceit, or out-of-control pride can ignite a wildfire within. Know that you are capable of success and inherently wonderful, whether at home, alone, or in the midst of an adoring crowd.

Like Hummingbird, align yourself with nature, Earth and Spirit; be fully present as you express radiance. This is how we inspire others and energize the world.

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Wisdom of the Butterfly

Wisdom of the Butterfly
Photo credit: Paula Pipping Hirschmann (my sister)
This morning I had the impulse to randomly open one of my journals where I collect quotes because I wanted to share one with you today.
It so happened (synchronicity!) to be one about the butterfly. This made me think of the beautiful photo of a butterfly my sister posted on her wall yesterday.
We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty. – Maya Angelou
This got me thinking about the wisdom of butterfly that feels fitting for me and perhaps it may for you too.
I think oftentimes we forget how far we have come and about all the positive changes we’ve made in our lives. How easy it is to think we are not enough, haven’t done enough, and need to be and do more.
This has been a practice for me to know that I am enough…no matter what. All those years I was in the “spotlight” so to speak with my work with my disabled dog, Frankie, and now I’m in a place where I’m content with more solitude.
But yet, I still have this need to make a difference in the world. And the butterfly reminded me that I am…no matter what…just as long as I honor my true heart and live from that space.
All the different layers of myself I’ve peeled away and shed over the years have brought me to this place called me that I am right now. A place, I for the most part, am quite happy about. I’m happy with the changes I’ve made for myself, though not always easy.
And so the butterfly reminds me to pause and remember all I’ve done to get to this point. All the little steps I’ve taken along the way (and will continue to). And as I sit for a moment to look at the photo of this butterfly I see it coming in and landing ever so softly on the flower. In my minds eye I see it opening and closing its wings in the most graceful way – reminding me that there is beauty in the pause and there is beauty when we take flight once again…and that there is beauty in each moment and stage of our lives.
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Guest Post with Author Erica Tucci: Spirit Animal Messages

standing up for yourself
First book in Sarah’s Gift series

Today I’m taking part in a blog tour for author Erica Tucci who has written many books. Her most recent venture has been the Sarah’s Gift series, chapter books for 7-12 year olds – about a young girl with psychic abilities, which speak to the children with special gifts, helping them deal with different life situations.

What especially piqued my interest is that her books each have an animal friend that helps guide Sarah through challenges and accepting her gift. You can read my review of her first book, pictured above, on Amazon.

saras gift
Second book in Sarah’s Gift series

Spirit Animal Messages by Erica Tucci

ericaSince I was invited by Barbara to write a guest post for her wonderful blog Joyful Paws, I found it very appropriate to talk about the inspiration behind my children’s book series Sarah’s GIft, which is about a young girl with psychic abilities and how she uses them harmlessly to deal with different life situations. My inspiration was Dr. Steven Farmer’s Children’s Spirit Animal Cards, which is a set of 24 oracle cards, each one of an animal and its special message for children.

In each of my books in the series, a spirit animal comes to Sarah as a guide to help her with whatever predicament she is in. For example, my second book that was just released July 18th is Believing In the Magic, which is the message that Crow conveys to Sarah when she meets another young girl who has telekinetic powers. Crow teaches the girls that their thoughts are powerful and that they should believe in the magic of their thoughts.

In the back of each book, I include activities to reinforce the story and its associated messages. One of the activities is a full description of the spirit animal messages in the story. I am also developing a guide/journal for each book that takes the spirit animal messages and fleshes them out to provide further guidance on how a child might use them in his/her life in appropriate ways.

Animals are a part of nature, and their symbolism and messages can have a very profound effect on our lives. They can bring meaning into our lives. A butterfly crossed my path recently, which was a very rare sight where I live. Butterflies to me mean freedom and transformation. I took the presence of the butterfly to indicate that I would be breaking out the chrysalis I have been confined to for a very long time, and spreading my wings. You see, I had a stroke five years ago that changed my life completely, as you might imagine. And in the past few months, the metamorphosis that I have been going through has been propelling me back into the world at a very fast pace. I have made some major breakthroughs, just like breaking through the chrysalis and becoming a butterfly.

It’s important to connect with animals in some way and pay attention to the messages they may be giving you. If an animal appears to you, either in reality, during meditation, in a dream or a vision, ask yourself what the messages might be that it is trying to give to you. If you aren’t sure, look up the symbolism of the animal for insights. You may be surprised at the synchronicity of its appearance with what may be happening in your life, and how its message may guide you through the circumstance, just as the animals in Sarah’s Gift guide Sarah.

To learn more about Erica and Sarah’s Gift book series:

www.ericatucci.com

www.sarahsgiftseries.com

tour header

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