Owl
A large shadow swept across the yard. I looked up, searching for the source. A huge Great Horned Owl silently soared by, perching itself at the top of a tall pine tree. He turned his large head toward me and I looked right into his enormous, yellow eyes. We stared at each other, for only a few seconds, before he took flight again and was gone. I took a deep breath and knew that I had just been given an answer to my dilemma.
I had been upset for the entire weekend over a situation at my son's school. I had allowed my anger guide me and felt that I wasn't seeing the situation clearly. So, I stopped pacing around the house and tried to focus on the true problem. My had been put on a ?time-out? at school and was left unsupervised for over an hour. That was the main issue, and I need to focus on that to get through the meeting with the teacher on Monday morning.
How does the Owl fit in? Well, the Owl means that you need to trust your gut instincts and that someone might be deceiving you. In my situation, the teacher kept avoiding the fact that he left my son in the hallway, unsupervised, for a long period of time. He continually changed the subject back to why my son was put in ?time-out? to begin with (deception). This is when I allowed my anger and frustration to guide me, and I became obsessed with the teachers attitude.
Seeing the Owl reminded me that my initial questions concerning the amount of time my son was in ?time-out? were correct and needed to be addressed. I knew that if I could control my anger and go into that meeting focused on that issue, everything would work out. And it did! The teacher in question got his slap on the wrist and the administration held a staff meeting that afternoon to design a better discipline plan.
Opossum
Have you ever just had one of those days? One of those days where everything you do and say
causes a stir? It seems as though you offend the world with your crazy ideas and thoughts? That, unfortunately, happens to me all too often.
The other day, I was asking a friend some questions about some strange events that have been happening to me. I was comparing my new situation with an old situation and asked for her opinion (big mistake because I really wanted an answer, not an opinion). She immediately started telling me that I was dwelling on a situation that did not really exist and that if I was truly using The Secret (she's part of my Secret Circle) that these things would not happen. And further more, she said, no one has done anything to you to begin with! You are bringing this on yourself through your thoughts! (Classic!)
Now, I am not one to dwell on things (for more than a week). I do, however, take these situations, think about why they may have happened and take action toward preventing it from happening again. (Something I learned from my study of The Secret) So, needless to say, I was a little bit upset about what she said. And since I have a very hard time holding back my thoughts, I let her know how mad I was. Not a great move, because along with my mouth I was guided by PMS! (Hmmm, I should have thought about that little problem before I e-mailed her back!) Now, since she is my friend, you'd think that she'd know all about me and my mouth and to take it all with a grain of salt. Nope. Not what happened. Instead, she ignored my e-mails (explaining why I said what I said) and phone calls. (Did I just get kicked
out of the Secret Circle?)
Well, anyway, I heard through the proverbial grape vine that she was talking about me. Everyone knew what I said, everyone thinks I'm a Bi-Bi-bad person! Okay, so now I'm just feeling stupid. I mean, if you can't tell your friends how you really feel, were they ever your friends to begin with?
Enter Opossum! I went outside the morning after this
little incident and there was an Opossum in my front
yard! She was laying there, playing dead, as my Labrador
stood over her, sniffing and pawing. Yep. Ya Gotta love
this little guy! The Opossum tells us to play dead to
rumors! How convenient for me! There is no point in
dwelling on this situation. I tried to fix it, but she wouldn't
listen. I tried to explain where I was coming from, but
she refused to call me back! Now all I can do is ignore
the rumors. I mean, rumors are just that; rumors.
And who knows, she may not have even started the
rumors! Maybe she was just venting her feelings to
another friend, who then started the rumors! You just
never know how it all begins, but the way to end it, is to become the Opossum and play dead!
About June
Who am I? I am a 40 something mother of four, a wife, a two-time business owner, a certified herbalist (thanks to Celia Avitable, owner of the Herb Corner in Melbourne, Florida) and a writer of children's picture books and these articles. My heritage is mostly of Scottish descent with a bit of Cherokee. I have been Methodist, Presbyterian and Catholic only to find out that I really didn't understand anything that had been taught to me. In my quest for spiritual enlightenment I met a solitary witch who told me about Medicine Cards by Jamie Sams and David Carson along with Animal Speak by Ted Andrews. For me, this was like coming home. I understood the meanings of the animals and the Universe was revealed to me. Then came a very talented astrologist and psychic (Yvette at the Herb Corner) who helped me understand the planetary movements and that I was destined to write about and live by this new found religion I have named Animal Spirit Guidance. I began to find my balance.
I started writing these articles for many reasons. First it was because it came to me so easily. It's best to write from your heart, so that's what I did. I contacted Andrea de Michaelis (Editor and owner of Horizons) and asked if I could write for her magazine. As a writer of children's picture books, I also needed publishing credit. This was the best of both worlds for me. Andrea liked what I wrote for her and offered me a monthly column. I actually became a published author! To my surprise, people started reading my articles. I know that probably sounds funny, after all people do read! I just didn't realize that readers would recognize me, e-mail me for advice and be happy to discuss the meanings of animals with me. It never occurred to me that people would really be interested in what I had to say. What started as fun became a way of helping others. I am incredibly grateful for everyone!
My husband and I own a cabinet shop and a plant nursery called Key Largo Blue. My husband is a master craftsman and can build just about anything you want. Our plant nursery is very small but is getting bigger. We carry Florida Native plants, butterfly attractors, trees, etc? You know, we have plants. We are currently working on building a Medicine Wheel garden in the center of the nursery where anyone can come and sit, ponder, pray.
My oldest son makes meditation wands and staffs with crystals on them. My second born son makes wooden spears and small dragon sculptures. My daughters make necklaces and Native American talking sticks. You might even find my youngest daughter collecting flower petals throughout the nursery to give back to Mother Earth. She throws the petals into the air and spins in a circle as the petals cascade around her. (She's like a faery.)
I like to make outdoor art and have a few yard signs and some palm art for sale. I also have a lot of medicinal herbs in my freezer for sale along with ceremonial sage, frankincense, myrrh and dragon's blood. If you need spiritual help, I use Medicine Cards for divination and would be happy to help you. I normally do readings for myself and my family but would love start doing readings for you as well. I can do them via e-mail or in person. Contact me through
moonmother8@gmail.com
As I am sure that you all know, I love animals. I own a German Shepherd named Gretchen, a lab mix named Onyx, an orange and white striped cat named Ruby and 14 hens that I call "The Mamacitas".
I am offering anyone who comes to Key Largo Blue Plant Nursery a 10% discount (on plants only) if you mention my articles or Horizons Magazine when you get here. We are located in Grant-Valkaria at 100 Valkaria Road. Go South on Babcock Street to Valkaria Road, take a left, first house on the left.
A big thank you to all my readers and to everyone who has helped me on this incredible journey.
June