Spirit-Guide Sunday; Orangutan

I recently got a new deck of Oracle cards; "Animal Messages" by Susie Green.  It's a beautiful and fun deck with many different animals and the spiritual messages of each.  Today I was part of an online conversation with some friends about Spirit-Animals, Animal Totems, and spirit guides, so I thought it would be a perfect day to pull a card from this deck and share it on my blog.  Also, if you follow FlyLady, you know that Sundays are "Renew Your Spirit Day" when you are encouraged to take some time for yourself.  This is similar to pampering day; pampering can be a way to renew your spirit; but also a day to focus on doing something that rewards, relaxes, and renews you on the inside as well as the outside.  With all that in mind, I decided to draw a card from the Animal Messages oracle deck.  I asked for an animal Spirit-Guide to present itself, not only to me but to my friends who read my blog.  I asked for this animal to bring us all a message that will help us through this coming week.

ORANGUTAN

"Working to live joyously, not living to work."

"Orangutan, utterly content in his lush rain forest, sees no pressing need to swing on agile limbs from his soft arboreal bed at dawn.  He rises when refreshed, stretching great arms before breakfasting unhurriedly on ripe fruits, and only then carrying on with the business of his day.  For Orangutan understands the true value of time and counsels that you use it wisely.  Are you working to live, or living merely to work?  Adjust your priorities lest time slips silently away, taking pleasure with it."

For me, the sentence on the card really hit home.  How often am I living to work, rather than working to live?  I tend to base my entire day's schedule on whether I am working or not, often choosing to put off doing things I enjoy because "I have to work later", or "I just got off work."  That's not right!  Yes, work is a necessity, but I can't continue to put off what I enjoy just because I work, the whole point of working should be so to support the life and the joys that come before & after I clock out!

Another thought I am having here; Orangutan is telling me that I should take more joy and pleasure in the work that I do at home.  Yep, the housework.  Because it should be a joy to take care of my home and family... because I love them!  And when I get the basic and necessary things done, I will have more time for leisure!  Not that I need to rush around to get things done... (I don't think I have ever seen or heard of an orangutan being in a hurry for anything)... but more to simply enjoy each moment and live fully in the moment for each task that I undertake.  It's not about being lazy or slow, it's about being in the moment and really living each moment with joy and pleasure.  Even when we have an unpleasant task to do, we can take joy in it by remembering that; 1) it won't take forever, and 2) we will feel better and have time to relax once it is done.

Here are some tasks for you to undertake this week to embrace the message of Orangutan.

• Go to bed earlier!  You need your sleep!  Don't deprive yourself of this!
• If you need to, sleep in late!
• Eat more fresh fruits.  Take time to really be in the moment when you eat.  Let yourself be aware of the sensations and tastes of eating and nurturing your body.  Try not to be thinking about what you need to do next while you are eating; be aware.
• Turn on some fun and happy music while you are working or doing housework.  Just like with eating, try to live in the moment and be aware of the task at hand rather than thinking or worrying too much about what you have to do next.  Allow yourself to feel joy and pride at the completion of each of your tasks.
• Take pleasure in some simple pampering and self-care.  Nurture your body and spirit so that you can nurture others in your life.  When you reward yourself with relaxation and leisure, really enjoy it!

I hope you all have a wonderful week and allow yourself to Work To Live Joyously!  In the words of the Discworld's most famous Orangutan; The Librarian, "Oook."

Air Magick - Insect Guides

Like birds, Flying Insects are Spirit Guides and Totem animals that are related to the element of Air.  Many people have a strong dislike of these animal allies, but if you can put aside your fears and "icky" feelings you may find that we actually have a lot to learn from the amazing lives of insects!  Similar to the suggested exercise of bird observing, take some time to notice and observe the types of insects that you encounter on a regular basis.  Learn about their life cycles and how they live and interact with their environment and other insects and animals.  You might find that the insects around you on a daily basis have a message for you!!

Transformation

Most insects go through some kind of major transformation.  A caterpillar goes through a metamorphosis to become a butterfly.  Flies transform from maggots to flies.  Cicadas and Locusts go through a metamorphosis that can actually take up to 10 years to complete.  When you encounter flying insects, ask yourself what kind of transformation you are going through.  What stage of your transformation are you in?  Are you still a caterpillar, preparing to make a chrysalis?  Are you inside your cocoon, undergoing dramatic changes in solitude?  Are you emerging from your cocoon and learning how to spread your wings and fly?  Keep in mind that sometimes it's hard to recognize that we are undergoing a period of change, and even harder to see the end result when we are going through pain or hard times.  The caterpillar probably doesn't know that it will one day become a butterfly... it just knows when it is time to go into a cocoon.  The transformation of insects can teach us a lot about faith and trust in our own instincts and intuition.  If we fight the change and just continue along our path, ignoring our inner urges to transform, we might miss out on our chance to become a butterfly!

Community

Insects like Bees and Wasps can teach us a lot about community and communication.  Insects that live in colonies have a complex yet beautiful and simple structure in which each insect has a specific job.  They may be scouts, harvesters, protectors, or breeders.  We all have roles we play in our lives, sometimes for just a short period of time and sometimes for extended periods.  Think about the roles you play in your life and whether you are giving those roles the attention, dedication, and energy they need.  Colony insects also have a lot to teach us about communication.  A scout bee will locate a food source, fly back to the hive and communicate with the harvesting bees with a series of body movements and touch.  In a beautiful dance the scout bee will give exact directions to the other bees, who will then fly out to collect the pollen to bring back to the hive.  If you are encountering bees or other colony type insects, think about your own methods of communication, and how you are vocalizing or expressing yourself to the people in your family or work place.  Proper communication can make all the difference in our group interactions!

Insect Totem & Spirit Guide Meanings

If you are interested in learning about the spiritual messages of some insects, check out this page I found!  Remember to pay attention to your surroundings and you will find that the element of Air is speaking to you quite clearly and frequently, with the air, the wind, the weather, birds, and insects!