Midnight Visitor
Sleep doesn’t come easy for me, and if you are like me, you are up and down several times during the night. I have a habit of looking out of the bedroom window — no lights on, just looking out to the magic of the silent obscurities of night. Depending on the Moon’s cycle and brightness of the night sky, shadowy silhouettes are clearly visible as they come out to play. Very often there will be a family of deer snooping around, a raccoon or two, always a procession of fireflies to help with the lighting and magic.
So last night, watching from the window, out of nowhere a butterfly appeared. Odd to see at that hour of the night. No sooner did I finish the thought, it flew right to my window as if to say hello. I knew it meant something — as butterfly is a strong totem for me. Message received, and I smiled and thanked the powers that be as I crawled back to bed, to sleep through the night.
Universe is bursting with messages for all of us, if you know where — and how — to look.
The Native American people strongly believed in the power of the animal totem and that each person is connected to nine different spirit beings that travel life with them as guides. It is more than choosing a pet — the spirit guide chooses you, on both a spiritual and physical level. You may wonder why you are drawn to specific animals, birds or insects, or why they seem to appear at a precise time in your life.
Birds are notable messengers:
Cardinals are believed to be deceased loved ones paying a visit.
Hawk appears to tell us to trust our intuition, and that victory is upon us. It shows up sometimes to let us know we are protected.
Owl brings a message of wisdom, intuition, insight, mystery. It can also warn of deception.
Crow — don’t be mean to them, as they can recognize a human face! Crow gets a bad rap because it is associated with bad omens, but Crow is highly intelligent, adaptable and a bit of a trickster. Perhaps it shows up at times we need to channel those traits.
Insects as well are spirit guides:
Butterfly is said to be the soul of the departed, but also appears to tell us to think transformation, balance, and that we each have the ability to accept change.
Ladybugs foretell of good fortune.
Dragonfly appears when a mystery is about to be solved.
Deer offer compassion. Turkey speaks to us of abundance. Don’t let that little mouse scare you — it may simply be showing up to remind you to be more organized.
This is just a small sampling. If you are interested in learning more, there are many great books on the subject — with Animal Speak by Ted Andrews being one of my favorites. It is helpful and interesting to keep a journal as you begin to work with these ‘power spirits’. Document when and how they appear, what circumstances occur surrounding the visits, time frames and — most important — the energy they convey to you. You will soon be on familiar terms with your guides and welcome their lessons.
It is comforting to know Universe communicates in such primal yet simple ways. When we step away from our obsession with the technical world and out into Nature, we open to intense magic. We learn to trust in a power higher than ourselves, and how exquisite significance can be found in the most unlikely ways.