Ceremonies and Spirit Animals, Oh My!

On a search for meaning, I decided to put into practice a few ceremonial acts to usher in the new year. One of which was a early morning walk on New Years Day to find my "spirit animal" for the year. My walk started later than planned, as usual. Everything starts later than I plan. A resolution I've pretty much abandoned at this point. I can't get ahead of the ball with this one. Into the woods I went in search of some furry little something or other. As it goes, the first animal I see will be the animal that unlocks the mystery/meaning/substance of the new year. I walked for over two hours into every wood I could find and did not see ONE animal. Not one. I thought there was a woodpecker beckoning me at one point but the further I went to find him, the more I realized it was the trees creaking in the wind and not much of a spirit animal after all. I walked until my legs hurt and my belly rumbled. I looked with laser vision into every woodsy spot I could find, not an animal would appear. They must've felt my desperation. I returned home without any totem for the new year. My family warned me against walking through those woods, "There's Fisher cats out there and they can be vicious!" Decided to declare the Cardinal in the tree outside my home as my animal of the year, even though this was a bit of cheating from my ceremony, I was over it. I forgot about the whole thing. 

Next day, out for a quickie walk to get my blood flowing and mood lifted, at the top of a hill I saw a fisher cat. Or so I thought. My family had me paranoid about this creatures now. I walked on and at the top of the hill discovered three of the most magnificent creatures. At first I thought they were ostriches. They were tall and graceful and glimmering. But then I could tell they were wild turkeys, redheaded wild turkeys to be exact. One stopped and looked at me. I stopped and looked at him. Afraid for a split second not sure if the thing was going to run at me. It was gigantic. Instead like some sort of graceful dinosaur it glided around the back of the house. I couldn't move. He was mine. Some would call this silly. This spirit animal and I. But I like to ascribe meaning to things. Mundane things. It makes me feel alive. It taps me into the wonder and mystery of it all. The older I get, the less I understand about life. Sure, it could be a bunch of bullshit, the meanings behind creatures and stars and nature. But what if there is some sort of magic, some type of alignment in the whole thing. Maybe every leaf, every life, every bird does have presence and value. I like to look at life through that lens. It makes me feel connected. Connectedness, I seek. Even more, the whole seeking thing took me by surprise. Only when I wasn't seeking it did those beautiful wild turkeys find their way to me. Is everything like that? Just live as aligned and as bright and as truthful as you possibly can. The rest of it will fall down on you like rain. 

Hey Turkey! Listen up... 

The Turkey is a spirit animal closely associated with honoring nature and the Earth. Symbol of abundance, this totem animal encourages us to honor our sources of nourishment, whether they are physical, emotional or spiritual. The turkey reminds us to develop a harmonious relationship with the land and our environment and consider them as foundations to our well-being and sustenance. The Turkey totem is a powerful guide to unlocking the fullness of life and feeling content with what we have instead of accumulating material belongings to seek happiness.

Turkey Symbolism

The symbolism of the Turkey focuses on the connection with the Earth and the abundance it provides. Generally, it symbolizes:

• Abundance
• Connection with the spirit of the land, with Mother Earth
• Blessings from the Earth
• Forms of nourishment in our life
• Harvesting the fruits of your efforts and your work
• Importance of community
• Generosity, sharing
• Having enough in our life, satisfaction