L—,
I was just thinking about you because of what I've been thinking through / up to this morning and how it segways with our visit last night. So I thought I'd walk you through some of my brain stuff this morning, so as to help provide you with more intel for your exploratory journey :)
So first, I love animals and since I was a kid I've generally preferred them to humans. The way I was talking about plants last night, and how they'll show up and say 'hey!' and that if you start interacting with them, you'll learn stuff from them, well the same is true for animals.
And they can show up in all manner of forms. Sometimes it's literal (like the rabbit that came to live in our backyard after Pepper died who has been a real balm to my soul! Rabbits are the animals I have the oldest spiritual relationship with), and sometimes it's figurative (like seeing an image of an animal anywhere out in the world that somehow catches your eye).
And so if we approach these appearances with the same curiosity that we do the plants and contemplate what we know about those animals (who they are: ie: where they live, what their behaviors are, etc) and seek more information about them, then we can learn from them.
So, for the last couple of years, I've been leaning heavily into the possum and its characteristics, but this morning, I was thinking through some insecurities / challenges and it led to me thinking about behaviors I've embodied that I've related to the possum that are no longer serving me well. And, to keep this story short, I realized that the main reason I was feeling limited by those attributes that I've been embodying from the possum, is because I'd only taken aspects of possum traits, not the wisdom of the whole creature. - I'd reduced it to my own narrow view (which I was also using as a device for shielding myself from feelings of discomfort and insecurity in both my internal landscape and outer social environment).
This realization helped me in a couple of ways. First of all, I've not been at all fair to possums. I've typecast and stereotyped them and used those stereotypes as defense mechanisms instead of working through my feelings of discomfort and insecurity. I need to do some inside work on myself to deal with those feelings. I also need to humbly re-approach the concept of 'possum' and learn from the whole animal... not just the parts I [unconsciously] handpicked for my own [maladaptive] benefit.
Which is how I found myself on my computer this morning doing a couple of searches. First of all, refamiliarizing myself with possums and their behaviors, adaptabilities, etc... not just what I've painted them to be in my own mind. Secondly, contemplating that maybe it's time to start working with another animal as well.
While considering what animal that might be, I started searching through a stack of animal illustrations I have. This activity didn't yield the answer directly (it's not like I was flipping through and then came across THE animal)... no, instead it allowed me a chance to free up my subconscious (I often like handling things in this manner... sorting, etc, as a means of letting subconscious thoughts poke through) and suddenly I knew exactly what animal I was curious to explore next.
Woodpeckers have been calling my attention for almost two years now, and it's only increased in frequency this summer. I hear the flickers outside all the time and I love hearing their calls! I love knowing when one is nearby and spotting them when I'm out on my walks. On a walk a few days ago a flicker flew by and straight-up landed on the side of a telephone poll and I marveled to myself 'how is that even possible?!' It seems too amazing... to come in at full flight speed and just land on the side of something so seemingly hard and solid. How??
So these contemplations and thoughts were what led me to the internet to brush up on what I know about possum behaviors (with a new humility of spirit... really being in a place to receive instead of putting my own agenda out there) and also to ask "how do woodpeckers land on the sides of trees."
Thus, this begins my journey of working with woodpeckers... I've already been noticing them for sometime. Then I had that curious question last week. Today when I was struggling with human/emotional/thought-pattern stuff, and I did my usual routine [ritual] of handling some illustrations in my hands, looking at them and contemplating them as a means of letting my subconscious speak up, it all came together... when I thought of the woodpecker, that curious question from the other day came back to me, and thus began my exploration :)
Other options available to me: I may watch some woodpecker videos on Youtube. It's a readily accessible place to observe animals in a concentrated form of study that would take a long time to track down in the wild. But this is supplemented with continuing to observe and listen to the flickers every single time I can in my daily life.
Also, I don't try to start from scratch (I'm not this strong yet at my practice) with figuring out what traits each of these animals has... I usually start with a quick google search about what symbolism others find in an animal and see what jives with me (some of it's esoteric bunk and doesn't seem to come out of anywhere but makebelieve, but some of it I read and I'm like 'yep, that jives with me from what I know about these animals from my own observations). - So, this morning when a google search suggested that a woodpecker "stands for strength, opportunity, wisdom, resilience, kindness, and determination. Never one to give up, it sees value in the most hopeless of things, including a dead tree and makes remarkable good come out of it." That gave me something I could start working with... I can see those traits myself (except for kindness, at this point I can't see what about a woodpecker's behavior could be interpreted that way), but the others I can see in the woodpecker's behavior).
AND, since those are traits I feel like I could use help with in strengthening my own character... I think it will be a good match for this next season as I reconcile with the possum and get to know the woodpecker better.
As I said last night, it's just recognizing that the plants and animals are our neighbors and then being curious and getting to know them (instead of othering them and placing ourselves above them).
ALSO, as one last nugget, I'll leave you with this tie-in. We talked briefly about ancestry and so that's also an element I contemplate and consider in different ways at different times. One way that I integrate that is that I remind myself that my ancestors in the British Isles would have been surrounded by different (yet similar) plant and animal neighbors than I am here. So again, I let myself be curious and I searched 'woodpeckers of the united kingdom' and in doing so, I learned that there's a gorgeous green woodpecker over there, in addition to a couple of other lovely varieties!
So I focus on being part of my local community by getting to know the plants and animals here. And I focus on being part of the global community by remembering that there's more out there than what's right in my face. It opens me up to more wonder (green woodpeckers!) and also to more need (the conservation efforts and struggles over there don't look so different from those here). It's a specific way that I can dial into caring for my non-human neighbors here and abroad - and it reminds me that I'm part of something bigger (and also not the center of the universe).
(Can you imagine if we all gave our time and attention to our adopted land and our lands of origin... which for me I count both as Texas and the British Isles... because they are the lands of my recent and distant ancestors)... how much healing that would bring to the planet and our relationship with it??)
So these are my thoughts of this morning and I wanted to share them with you in hopes that they can help light your path.
I'm so excited and hopeful for you for this grand adventure. Stay curious and open, my friend, and great things will find you! :)