This book was recommended to me a few years ago, and I have been making use of it quite often. The book shows readers how to identify his or her animal totem and learn how to invoke its energy and use it for personal growth and inner discovery. There are stories about animals, natural history, and animal folklore. Readers will also learn magical animal rites and how to read omens. Essentially, I use it to read omens.
Think what you will about the possibility of animals speaking to you, but I do and I believe I live a much richer life because of it. Imagination is a wonderful thing, and it's too bad that we're only encouraged to have one while we're a child.
I had been working on an exercise through another book I bought when I first moved to the TS. The exercise was to just listen and pay attention to the animals around you. I took a break and thought about it and remembered that I was very excited about my suet feeders and seeing woodpeckers. The woodpecker happened to be the first and only bird so far (that I have seen) to visit my suet. During my break from the book I heard tapping on the TS. No way did a woodpecker just arrive to me when I was working through an exercise telling me to pay attention and look for signs. A coincidence? Definitely not! I looked through my Animal Speak book and read about the Woodpecker omen and it told me that the woodpecker has showed up to stimulate new rhythms and to drum some new rhythms and changes into my life.
Excited about my connection, I continue to look and listen.
The Northern Flicker is a member of the woodpecker family and B and I have been seeing a lot. Animal Speak says that seeing the flicker has introduced a time of rapid growth and trust. One flicker in particular has been pecking a hole in the side of the TS and has pulled the insulation out to make a nest. While I love listening to birds, waking up to hammering at 6am is becoming a nuisance.
This morning while B and I were laying in bed waiting for the alarm to go off, we heard a couple of taps on the window about 2 feet away. I raised my head to look and it was the flicker! He was perched on the windowsill looking in and only a couple of feet away! If that isn't a sign or an omen than I don't know what is!
He let us look at it him for a minute or so and then flew off to the nearest tree. Amazed, we talked about it in bed and heard some more noise at the window. He flew back to the window and stayed there for a little while longer.
Male Northern Flicker
This morning B seen 3 wild turkey's with a coyote hot on their trail and after that parade, a deer coming out of the trees. Lucky guy! I was down at the house showering.
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We've filled our raised beds with triple mix and sheep manure and have planted pea seeds and spring onion bulbs. We had B's dad dig us a new hole for the outhouse that is closer to the TS. We'll have to move it this weekend or when we get a chance. Other than that, we've been enjoying every damn minute of being there!
A visit from my brother, B filling the raised beds and cold beer!
Dave diggin'
Our cold frame with arugula and mixed greens planted
A partridge nest that we found under a rock with a couple of eggs
Life at the TS
Livin' the Dream
B workin' hard
B and the TS in the background
Dave
