Cradle, hickory nut and the Shrew

Cont.

Yesterday it was a day to working on reconnecting and in the morning I walked before the down pour of rain hit us, only shortly but I would have been soaked if I stayed out in the woods.  In the afternoon I order one of this.  "bookbinding cradle for punching holes for sewing book signature together."  I was given one from Ann Hupke a dear art friend some time ago and it broke...and can't be fixed...so I feel a bit lost with out one...needing to make some more journals.

 

 When I got home from the walk, I went right up stairs to my studio and did some simple yoga for my back issue I'm having from all the set up and take down of the tents and hauling all the boxes and art around. ( can do that now that the studio is clean and open)  While on my morning walk I was gifted with a few natural elements to ponder upon.  One was a hickory nut I've draw them before when I took part in the Sketch book project (floating around the world somewhere)...and I remember it's shape and how it made me feel whole, warm and secure.  I thought while walking that when I got done with the yoga I would be in the studio and sketch the nut in my sketchbook...Well so easily I can get distracted and let go of tending to my own personal needs and jump into busy and go have to do the dishes or put a load in the laundry or run to the video store for the husband...etc. but I stayed and sat down and really pushed myself to sketch out the nut...I know when I sit there and let go I'm in a meditation...it was only 15 minutes by the time I was done with this little sketches and that was all I needed.  Realizing at that moment these are the things that answer to my heart, the walking and caring for myself first but they are the first things to get tossed to the sidelines... After this was all finished I had breakfast and then did go out to the post office and meet the clerk at the desk...she hurt her back to and was hopping in her chair again to take care of me behind the desk and adjusting her little electric fan...as she's having her personal summers too...connection we are not alone.

 

Now to this little creature....

The Shrew

God, Great Spirit or as Julia Cameron say's "Good Orderly Direction" has always help and guided me though nature.   Yesterday on the walk and a few days ago too the Shrew has been present on the path. Not in the best way though, I've witnessed  little baby Shrews dead.   Tiny thing with barely any eyes this long nose and soft looking fur.  When I spotted it I thought of it's natural abilities, close to the ground and most of the time under ground safe, using it's sense of smell and inner knowing to find it way...I was thinking about following a intuition more then anything else.  Which for me when I'm connected and listening to my intuitive side I'm walking a good path. 

The book Animal-Wise, Ted Andrews
Back in the 1700's the Shrew was thought to be an omen of evil and bad luck...The shrew is a mouselike animal. It does have poor eyesight, some may be blind. They do have good hearing, and acute sense of smell. The Shrew teaches us not to trust what we see. Trusting in what we hear, especially in the undertones and expressions used will be more reliable.  Even more reliable still is trusting what smells right and what doesn't. (I'm going to be working on this)  Trusting our inner vision rather than the outer is what shrews teach best.

Shrews have a constantly high demand for energy. Each day a shrew must eat it's own weight in food...(well that explains my problem) up to half an ounce.  This task is most difficult for shrews in the winter because there is a shortage of food and many die in the winter because of this. The only way shrews can survive cold winters is to keep eating to provide them selves with energy.

If the shrew has shown up in your life, you must prepare for the winter. You must find ways to nourish yourself and your life. Winter is not a good time to start or expand projects or endeavors. ( I've got somethings I was thinking of getting all busy like in and my gut is cautioning me before even read this all.) A shrew's life span is about a year, and thus the cycle of its energy in our life when it appears will be about the same. (there's a hint there)

Sorry got to share more....

As soon as possible, baby shrews begin supplementing their mother's milk for insects. Shrews are not very big and feeding a litter is draining to the mother. For those to whom the Shrew is a totem or messenger we may need to wean ourselves as quickly as possibly from someone or something around us. (Oh another hint of direction there)

Shrew families travel in a single file, each member holding onto the previous member's tail. In this way, the mother shrew can keep track of her young. Part of the shrew's lessons has to do with organization and keeping track of all that we initiate....

(Initiate means: to cause the beginning of (something) : to start or begin (something)  

Synonyms

begin, constitute, establish, inaugurate, found, innovate, institute, introduce, launch, pioneer, plant, set up, start

Keynote:

• vision in the dark
• acute hearing and smell
• early weaning

Are you taking things on first sight?

Are you ignoring inner promptings?

Are you hanging onto things that no longer nourish you?

Do you need to bemore organized?

So if you've hung with me this far...thank you so much.  Typing things out like this feeds my inner soul, I get hints, sightings, connection from the Natural world and when I seek more understanding I find information like this that leads me to understand where I am and where I'm going and the changes are upon me now and how I need to adjust, be flexible, my friend coyote and answers to the inner visions I have and with that I'm more authentic to me, this is what I get into and understand so much more then the other work of putting on a mask and being what is expected and what you should be....now not to sound ungrateful at all with the many events, show's and other things that have been support by creative souls such as yourselves.  I'm so grateful...it's just me that I have to be friends with all the time and understand where I need to be so that I can live a true and happy life. all this garbly gook get brought to the morning pages and then filters out through my art which keeps me going...and not that I'm all that...I'm not by far... just love to be in a humble state closes to the ground....

Not sure if it makes sense to anyone but it wholly makes sense to me and that's where it's important. I wish that we all can find that good orderly direction and stay on track to seek the happiness we so deserve to be in.