animals as oracles

More Reflection on Firefly Symbolism from an Intuitive Art Experience

Posted by Barbara Techel

Firefly sure seems to be flying alongside me these days!

I recently shared the cover reveal of my Animal Reflections Healing Oracle deck and how firefly is represented in the design and why.

Then early last week someone by the name of Hello From the Cocoon left a comment on a post I shared about my donkey card from my upcoming deck. One thing led to another quite quickly and with many synchronicities, and I ended up taking the self-paced online workshop to do a firefly painting facilitated by an inspiring and sweet woman named, Laurie who is from Hello From the Cocoon.

After painting the top half and then the bottom section with most of the reflective pond I turned off the light, closed the Victorian screen door to Joyful Pause Cottage studio, and went into my house for the evening.

Early the next morning the painting was on my mind. I could hardly wait to get out to my studio to work on it some more!

Shining the ott light onto the painting once again I realized how small I’d made my reflecting pond. Huh. That is interesting, I thought.

My Animal Reflections Healing Oracle deck is about helping others deepen their own insights and heal parts of themselves that need attention. It’s also about reflecting on situations and issues they feel challenged by and doing the inner work to discover why.

So why had I made the reflecting pond so small? This was an intriguing clue for me to ponder about. But one thing I knew was I needed to make that reflective pond larger. What was it I didn’t want to see as a reflection?

While Laurie’s tutorial was all about painting, I felt called to add elements from nature as I like to do in my own artwork I offer for sale.

After adding dried florals I collect on my walks plus a few stones, it was then I intuitively felt called to add a frog to sit along the water’s edge and a moth to hang out around the flowers.

When the painting was complete I know that Firefly is about continuing to shine my light out into the world (even when at times I wish to stay too long in my cocoon out of fear) and helping others do the same. While frog for me represents change and moth speaks to me about letting go – as in the sense of the death of something.

While I don’t have complete clarity about this yet, I will continue to simmer in the healing waters of that reflective pond and pay attention to any additional insight.

For now, I’ve hung the painting on a wall in my cottage and look forward to what may be revealed next.

XO

Barb

    

Animal Wisdom Oracle Reading – Creating More Magic – Week of May 9th

Posted by Barbara Techel

This week’s animal wisdom oracle reading talks about how we can create more magic in our lives…kind of perfect on the heels from last week as Frog’s message was to clean out the clutter (mental and/or physical).

Click here to watch this week’s reading or click on the graphic below.  Enjoy!  XO,  Barb

The Magic of the Season and Cats, Rabbits and Elephants in Tree’s?

Posted by Barbara Techel

What took me so long, I don’t know. I’d been wanting twinkle lights around at least one of my windows in my Joyful Pause Cottage for many years. It finally happened! And now I want another set for the window next to it. Hopefully, it won’t take me another few years to make that happen.

It’s such a simple thing that makes me happy and adds to the magic of the season (though I plan to keep them up all year to evoke even more magic!). Speaking of which, I’ve had two back-to-back magical moments that involve animals in trees that I thought you might enjoy hearing about.

Yesterday afternoon after waking from a short nap, I glanced at my Christmas tree. Still lying on the couch I was admiring the lights and looking forward to hanging the ornaments later that afternoon. My eyes moved up the tree and when I got near the top I saw the shape of a cat face. Feeling amused I starred longer and noted that part of the face looked like the shape of a rabbit’s face. A cat rabbit?  

Enjoying what I was seeing I then noticed that a paw was over the cat rabbit’s mouth as if containing a giggle. Looking at the cat once again I saw mischief in those steel black eyes! I silently laughed to myself and then eventually got up from the sofa. I sensed the message was to not take life too seriously.

Then this morning out on my morning walk, which I try to approach as a walking meditation and stay in the present moment, I’d realized my mind was filling with a million different thoughts. I reminded myself to stay in the present moment.

As I said this, I looked up to see a tree to the right of me and immediately saw what looked like the shape of an elephant head with a large eye and his trunk swaying upward. Within seconds I looked to the next tree and saw another elephant in the same way! Again, just like the cat rabbit I saw the day before it made me laugh silently to myself.

This year has been one big practice of remembering to stay in the moment and not get pulled into the chaos. And I know the animals are here guiding us and reminding us. While perhaps some may think what I saw was an illusion, I say not. I welcome the messages from the animals that keep me living in the magic and mystery of life.

xo,

Barbara

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