I have had a recurring thought about a turtle running around in my head. It is like a native american spirit guide has come for me, and I don't know why, exactly. I have read about spirit guides and have read much about the Lakota and visited lakota holy places. Yet, nothing ever bothered me the way this turtle seems to be.
Anyway, it seems one way to go about these things is hoping that someone will come accross this post and know what I should do next. I am open to many different spiritual experiences. From my reading, and my own beliefs, I have not found Christianity and belief in the Great Spirit to be exclusive of each other. The more I've read about animism and the Native American belief in the spirit-ness of nature the more I've come to that point of view.
Yet, again, I urge that the turtle thoughts are out of nowhere.
Maybe its nothing, but it is nagging.
Serious responses encouraged.
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9 comments:
Michael,
If you do have a turtle as a spirit guide you are indeed fortunate. The turtle has come to teach you patience and perseverance. He is grounded in the earth and sea and carries great knowledge. He is a steady and reliable guide.
You need two more turtles for "Three Shell Monte".
I'm anxious to hear how this progesses, as I explore my own spirituality, as well.
Following a turtle seems like an exercise in protracted exasperation. At least it seems to be leading you towards an optimistic bearing. It could be worse you could be like the digitalshaman whose captivation with Zen seems to be leading him towards the more remorse and darker visions of life.
http://digitalshaman.wordpress.com/
It's more that I feel like something is coming. Way off. There are a lot of immediate issues that seem important, but these are not so. Far, far down the road there is something...better perhaps (though I hate to put such a qualifier on it...different, perhaps, not as concerning...not better so much)
I wanted to share a bit of my own experience with spirit guides with you, if I can. I had a spirit guide for a while as a child, a wolf. It came to me unbidden, just as yours did. I followed it for four years, and during that time I grew steadily to distrust people, became withdrawn and went into depression. I did not draw any connections between this change and the wolf, though, until I decided to stop following it in 9th grade (I stopped mostly out of fear of possibly being teased for having a make believe friend, though I knew he was real). I have read that many others have had similar negative experiences when following spirit guides, where things seem good at first, and then they find they are being controlled by the spirit that promised at first to help them.
What is interesting, though is that it seems that it was God who led me to walk away from the guide (though I really didn't know Him yet). And soon after this someone encouraged me to ask God how to pray, like the disciples asked Jesus. So I did, and I found that He spoke to my heart, too. My life completely changed! Through my relationship with Jesus I discovered all the things that I had longed for and had been promised (but never given) by the wolf. I can see from many of your other posts that you know Jesus. I would encourage you to seek to know Him more, both through prayer and through reading His word, and to let the Holy Spirit be exactly what Jesus promised - your Guide, your Counselor, and your Comforter - the Paraclete (Greek for "the one who walks alongside you"). Enjoy Him! He really is everything our souls need and desire!
Wow, I am sorry that my post was so massively long!
What the Turtle may mean in your life.
The Turtle
The turtle is a creature of the water. Because of its great age and its slow metabolism the turtle is associated with longevity. Turtle medicine can teach new perceptions about time and our relationship to it. It can also help us grow old gracefully and in harmony with our environment. When the pace of life becomes too hectic the turtle shows us how to slow down and go with the flow.
Turtles have amazing survival skills and strategies. They sense vibrations in the water through their skin and shell. Turtle totems hold the mystery of awakening the senses on both the physical and spiritual levels and can stimulate clairaudience.
Turtles carry their homes on their back. The shell is actually the backbone and ribs of the turtle and serves as home and shelter for it. Those with this medicine should remember not to acquire more possessions then they actually need. The burden of responsibility can become a heavy weight for you to carry.
When turtle is flipped on its back it uses its strong neck to right itself. This can be a reminder to use your own head and inner knowledge to right yourself when your world gets topsy-turvy.
All turtles must come ashore to lay their eggs and they are usually buried. When the eggs hatch they make their way to the water. The link between water and land especially for the purpose of reproduction has great significance.
When turtle shows up in your life, it is time to get connected to your most primal essence. Go within your shell and come out when your ideas are ready to be expressed. The turtle cannot separate itself from its shell and we cannot separate ourselves from what we do to the earth. The way to heaven is through the earth and both are interconnected.
Oh a turtle guide! Yay!
I like turtles. =)
On my first shamanic journey I was afraid to go to the underworld (indoctrinated as I was about hell being down). A tiny turtle appeared to help me. When I accepted its help, it turned into a huge turtle and let me climb on its back and carried me through the cave to the underworld.
Since my first shamanic experience, I have "run into" many different animal guides. They appear in all sorts of ways and come and go. Some stay longer than others. Lately I "see" them in my mind during my daily prayer and meditation.
You might consider asking your turtle to come to you during meditation. You can ask it what it wants to show you. As several posts have indicated the turtle can be a great teacher. Best of luck to you!
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