Monday, June 14, 2010

Turtle Medicine

Yesterday when Steve and I were walking out at Coot Lake in the rain, we came across a beautiful turtle.  We were walking along the north side of the lake where we pass quite closely to some waters in the wetlands area, and I said outloud to Steve, "I would love to see the turtle again.  I haven't see her for years." The last time I saw her was 8 to 10 years ago and she was swimming in one of the water holes down below the path.   Still, there isn't a time I walk by that spot on the trail without remembering her.

Steve and I were talking about our relationship.  Steve had been sharing how distant he feels we are and that we are so separate.  I was sharing how I don't know how to be close and connected to myself and to him at the same time, when he said, "there's the turtle."  There she was, right beside the trail, up from the water and by the last pole of the fence that protects the wetlands.


Isn't she amazing?  Ancient and primal.  I wondered if she had come up from the water to lay her eggs. 

We were so close we could have touched her.  I acknowledged that we were being blessed by Turtle Medicine. 

What is Turtle Medicine?

I started with she seems ancient.  I could not see her path of where she came up from the water below, but where she was the mud had been moved and dug into with her powerful front legs.  She was very still, but not withdrawn into her shell.  She was right there for us, at the end of the fence, right next to the path.  What was she gifting us?  What message did she want us to hear?

I googled Turtle Medicine later in the day, and found some rich information very easily.

Icould include every word of the essay since it all felt to right, but here was the paragraph that stood out to me the most:

The energy of Turtle combines the energy of the sea and land or the emotions and the rational. While Turtles spend most of their time in water, they must come ashore to lay their eggs which for both Turtle people and for those that Turtle appears, indicates that they too need to come "ashore" from time to time in order to "lay the eggs" that will give birth to their future. At this time we can all begin to further understand the importance of both the emotional/intuitive and intellectual/rational process's that are required for greater access to a sense of our own wholeness and to create our lives from that sense of wholeness. Turtle is offering itself as a bridge so that we may cross between the two with greater ease and safety. Those who feel more inclined towards acting from their intuitive and emotional side may find that they are better able to work with the rational in actualizing their dreams and visions when Turtle appears. Those who operate primarily from the mental plane, may come to appreciate and value the importance of the intuitive as a guide to help them reach their goals more rapidly.  http://morningstar.netfirms.com/turtle.html
The turtle offers herself as the bridge between the either/or worlds.  She is showing me that I can access both sides and both perspectives to bring them together/  Not only that I can access both sides of the either/or, but that I must engage both sides.  Neither one is sufficient without the other.  The time is now for both/and.  The turtle is my guide and my medicine for weaving my wholeness.

As we came across her, I was sharing with Steve my split between loving and  being connected to myself and loving and being connected with him - another reflection of the split and how it shows up in my life.  I really feel that the Turtle showed up to show us that the split can be healed.  There is a way for me to be deeply connected to myself (that includes honoring the time and space I need) and to also be connected to and intimate with Steve.

Her medicine meets and honors me on every level of the inner work I am doing right now to heal the split, and to reconnect with my wholeness.   She is the reminder to slow down and not make big leaps across the split.  She is the one who will gently and slowly take me into the cavern to explore the dark cave within my belly. using the wisdom and intelligence I experience on both sides of split to assist in the exploration. 

The turtle is also the Navigator.  
They can help us to navigate to the shore we are seeking to land upon when they appear. There is a wonderful book on dreams written by Robert Monroe - Dreaming True. In it he discusses the Polynesian navigation system known as "Waymaking" which basically consists of the following: You set your sight on a goal, in their case navigating the ocean from point A to point B but for our purposes point A can be anything your heart desires. You then focus on using all your inner senses to picture yourself there, your goal realized and you living in the middle of it. The Polynesians say to "Hold the vision in your mind or else you will become lost" as you begin your own navigation process. Notice one important point: The Polynesians do not urge one to focus on HOW to navigate the waters to reach point B! It is enough to simply HOLD that vision as firmly and strongly in your mind as you can, write it down if need be including all the senses such as taste and smell if applicable. If you do this consistently and with patience, the "how's" will take care of themselves. You wil feel guided to take one small step here, another there, ideas will spring into your mind as to what actions to take. If you are truly committed and follow through on each step as it is presented to you, the navigation becomes effortless! As you complete one step, another will be presented. The timing will often depend on how fast you are willing to allow yourself to reach your goal. Rest assured that as each step is taken, more will be presented to you. http://morningstar.netfirms.com/turtle.html

This is such powerful medicine for me.  I am so grateful to have received it yesterday, to have crossed paths with this beautiful and ancient creature, who is her silent presence, gifted me, gifted us with medicine more powerful and healing than any herb or drug.  I trust that Steve will receive her medicine as well, for she was there for both of us.

I am in awe of the power of Nature and that when we open up ourselves and invite Nature is to co-create with us, She is right here to work (and play) with us in magical, synchronistic and unexpected ways.  I am so grateful.  I feel held and assisted.  I know that I am not alone on this journey and that my prayers are being heard and answered.  This feeling in and of itself is so healing and rewarding in its own right. 

I just took a big, deep breath into my belly.  I felt the air fill up the cavern, shine light on every nook and cranny, and bless it.  Thank you. 

I also want to include another image here - the image of the WEALTHYwoman.  She walks with the Turtle, has healed her split, and has integrated all of who she truly is into her being.  She has embelled into the cavern and and acknowledged and received her deepest gifts.  She is embellied.


The Turtle and the WEALTHYwoman are intimately connected as they walk together.  The Turtle is hidden in the grasses right beside her feet.  I was actually taking the walk on my way to meet Tania, the artist who created this beautiful image for me, when I came across the Turtle.  The animal realm is symbolized in this picture by the bumblebee who sits atop the flower on the right. 

The Turtle is showing me how to open up to the deeper parts within myself so that I may receive.  She is my guide to receiving which is the weak link for me in the law of circulation.  I give, I spend, I put out a ton of energy to create, yet I haven't received very well.  I have kept the lid to my container closed.  The paradox is the split is the opening to the cavern which is a huge container within me.  I haven't wanted to allow anything to go in there out of fear that some of the darkness and the shame would leak out.  I have been trying to receive with my mind, my hands, my heart.  Anything to avoid receiving with my belly.  Thank you, Turtle, for  walking with me into my belly, and assisting me to open up this beautiful chalice so that I can allow myself  to receive my gifts and inner wealth,  As I allow myself to receive these gifts, I simultaneously allow myself to receive the external gifts of beauty, bounty, abundance and financial income.  As within, so without. 

I feel so blessed, so held, so guided.  I give thanks, I give thanks, I give thanks.

Suseya!
Sahara

No comments:

Post a Comment