Messages are all around us

Change, change, change.....wow, how quickly things can change when we ask and are ready to receive. How fast and furiously the messages may arrive when we ask for them. The universe always says "yes", and so do our animal friends.

Very recently I ended a relationship with an ex-boyfriend. His departure from my home was long overdue, but I was doing my best to preserve what I thought would be a valuable friendship. Change is sometimes hard for me, and this was particularly tough. I knew that we had long been in a rut, but the familiarity of it all kept me safe (or so I told myself). And of course if one hangs in there, there is always the possibility that the relationship might get better! This was not to be the case. And if the relationship is not right for one person, how can it be right for the other, even when they think it is?

But back to my point of our animal compatriots. My live-in male friend moved on, and it was a difficult parting. At almost at exactly the same time, another person whom I thought was a dear friend got over reactive about a past experience, extremely angry, and ended our friendship. Interestingly, several hours later I walked out my front door and learned that my Catrium contractor had just found a 6 foot long rattlesnake. It had been hiding under a tarp in my driveway, along with three mice. The snake scurried away when uncovered, but I did not overlook his significance as a messenger from the animal kingdom.

All animals have wisdom for us. Snakes are symbolic of death and rebirth, because they shed their skin as they outgrow the old. In ancient times, snakes signified the mysterious; they were primitive symbols of the Great Mother Goddess. When a rattlesnake appears in your path, there will be significant changes in some area of your life, and you will go through a major transitional period.

I am extremely afraid of snakes of any kind, not just rattlesnakes. But I must say that the snake's message was sheer perfection, as was his timing. What about the three mice? Were they relieved to escape as the tarp was lifted? Did they have a message for me as well?

Mouse wisdom is examining life's lessons, shyness, understanding details, seeing double meanings in things, stealth, discovery and the ability to be unseen. As I thought about these little mice messengers, I couldn't help but see one of my biggest life lessons. Now that I had let go, imagine the discoveries I could begin to find in life! The three mice got out alive, and so did I!

These unusual creatures appeared in front of my home for good reason, and I received their messages loud and clear. If you find yourself having unexpected encounters with animals, I encourage you to visit websites on animal wisdom and shamanism. You might be surprised to see your own life's lessons staring back at you.

We are ultimately not separate, not from one another or any living thing....the flower, the tree, our crops, the cat, the dog, the snake. You can sense yourself in them, the essence of who you are.