Animal Energies for Fairy Wren and Numbat

[moonvoice.livejournal.com]

Numbat - Details

Keywords:

Details. The unconscious undergrowth. Energy from daylight. Scrutiny. The social introvert. Beauty in the arid. Caring and being cared for. Threat. Scrub wisdom.





General Description:

The numbat is a small, insectivorous marsupial, it is the mammalian emblem of Western Australia and only live in small pockets in South-Western Australia. Its primary diet is termites, of which they can consume around 20,000 a day. They have characteristic black and white banding down their backs, and a 'bottlebrush' tail. Its tongue which is long and sticky is half as long as its head and body combined. Numbats are often solitary during the day and will not share their territories with members of the same sex. Numbats nest in hollow logs, tree hollows and burrows. It was nearing extinction some years ago, but due to intensive rehabilitation efforts has now been downgraded to Vulnerable, there are only about 2000 left in the wild. Numbats are threatened by habitat destruction and foxes.

Lessons and Challenges:

Numbat comes into our lives to teach us to pay attention to the finer details of our lives. It is time to look closely, at our homes, our relationships, our workplace, our finances and any other aspect of our life that nourishes us. Are there small flaws in the house that could be fixed, like grouting or painting? Do them! Are there small details in a relationship that could be added to make it more enriching, like telling your partner what you value about them, or giving a friend some flowers? Numbat encourages you to nurture the details so that the bigger picture will be even more rewarding.

Numbat's focus on detail leads to an inevitable scrutiny focusing on whether we are being satisfied by life at this current time. Ask yourself if there are things you can change in your life, and things that you want to change. Numbat gives you the power to focus, and dissect the things that are no longer helping you from the things that are.

We each have an unconscious undergrowth, it consists of the thoughts, feelings and ideas that rarely get uncovered and see the light of day. Numbat helps us to go within ourselves and dig out the old ideas and thoughts that we'd abandoned. You may find you start having unusual dreams when numbat visits you, or unusual ideas and thoughts. Pay attention to them, because chances are if you follow or listen to them, they will help to nourish you.

Numbat helps you to enjoy the sun more. It is time to spend some time out in the sunlight (though not too long, and remember to be sun-smart). Numbat shows us how to get energy from the sun by simply spending time under its light. This energy can be stored and used later, or it can help us to get through the day.

It is time to become more socially introverted, if numbat has come into your life. Sometimes we need to take a break from socialising, sometimes because we don't enjoy it, or because we just need 'us' time. Take time to celebrate yourself, and do not punish or guilt-trip yourself for not feeling up to seeing friends, family members, or even your partner.

The dry and hot lands of Australia possess great strength and energy. Numbat encourages you to visit the warm and dry regions of your land, if you have any. Look at the plants, listen to any birds, and feel the heat on your skin. There is a scrub wisdom to be found with the presence of numbat, and simply visiting bushland - or visualising the bushland - will help you to discover more of numbat's wisdom.

There is an element of 'threat' to numbat's teachings. Numbat can often warn you that something you care about (people or projects) is being threatened by external forces. It might be time to look hard at everything you care for, if it doesn't seem stable or secure, see how you can better look after it.

Numbat also teaches us the value of caring and being cared for. It is healthy to nurture our relationships with others by caring for them, but it is also healthy to let ourselves be cared for. Do you feel you have a balanced relationship of care with your friends, family and partner? If not, it might be time to become more caring of others, and to let those who do not care for you gently out of your life.

The Shadow Aspects:

Those being challenged by numbat may find that they resist applying the skill of scrutiny to their life. This might be for many reasons, but usually it is because the querent is frightened or challenged by the prospect of changing many details in their lives in order to live a healthier or more nourishing existence. Stop and take stock of your habits and routines, can you save more time for yourself? Can you better manage your day? Are you paying enough attention to your home and the people you love? Scrutinise your life, you will find many things that need changing. Numbat lends you the energy to be able to restructure your life from the small details up.

Communion:

Like all animal helpers, this animal will only appear when right and appropriate, and cannot be forced to visit you, commune with you, or share messages with you. Numbat can be a secretive guide, and may sometimes only come into your life subtly. However, you can better connect with numbat energy during the day, in drier habitats. If you live in a wet environment, or its Winter, consider visualising deserts and dry bushland filled with tree hollows and dens to better encourage numbat energy to come through to you. Numbat energy also responds to techniques that involve enveloping yourself in dark places, this might be going into literal caves, or shutting the lights off in enclosed spaces like your room, and it might simply involve closing your eyes and imagining yourself in a dry, warm, log, gently resting. Gentle and quieter techniques are more useful in contacting numbat, who is often a calm speaker and sometimes shows us more through its actions than what it says to us.



Fairy Wren - Promiscuity

Keywords:

Infidelity. Promiscuity. Not staying loyal to people or projects. Assessing many different options. Canvassing. Unable to focus on one thing at a time. Carnality. Lust. Moving on.





General Description:

Fairy wrens are endemic to Australia and New Guinea. They are small, insectivorous song-birds. The males often possess very striking black and blue plumage, the females are usually a drab brown with a pale blue tail. Fairy wrens have an interesting social relationship with one another, they are 'monogamous' in that one male and female will pair (the female will build the nest and incubate her chicks), but both are sexually promiscuous, each mating with many other males and females nearby. Fairy wrens will often pretend to be an injured rodent 'scurrying away' from predators when they come too close to the nest, deceiving predators away from offspring. Fairy wrens have complex, appealing calls. All fairy wrens are social, living in co-operative groups of non-breeding males, juveniles and a dominant male and female.

Lessons and Challenges:

There is an element of the promiscuous to the teachings of fairy wren. You may have been disloyal to a partner, friend, family member or even to a workplace or project. You may be thinking about abandoning one of these or many, in order to pursue bigger and better things. Or you might be entertaining the thought of maintaining relationships with different partners or workplaces at the same time. Fairy wren encourages us not to feel guilty, or to feel bad about wanting to put our eggs in more than one basket. There are times when it is important not to stay faithful to one thing or person only, as long as you are sure that you are not being destructive in your actions.

Fairy wren shows us the power in positive 'promiscuity,' and in positive disloyalty. There are times when we need to stray from one person or project or workplace. It might give us the inspiration we need to go back to our original project, or we may find that we are no longer being nourished by that which we left. Fairy wren is powerful medicine for moving on. But in order to move on, we must first consider

Fairy wren can be particularly helpful for people looking for work, whether they are already working or unemployed. Fairy wren teaches us how to canvas many different workplaces and not settle on the first place we see. It is up to us to make sure we know what we are getting into, and fairy wren says 'take the time and energy to check out as many places and options as you can!' The same goes for partners and friends. It is time to canvas other friends, and maybe it isn't time to settle down just yet. Fairy wren tells us to know what is out there before we choose to settle down, that we when we make the choice, we know we aren't missing out. Sometimes fairy wren even encourages to not miss out, by sharing its promiscuous energy with us and teaching us how to enjoy more than one workplace / partner / group of friends at the same time.

Fairy wren's energy can be quite scattered, so it can also show us why we might be unable to focus on one thing at a time at this moment in our lives. It might not be a good time for exams, tests, or big decisions like marriage proposals and accepting new jobs. While fairy wren encourages us to look around, constantly, it is not always adept at helping us to settle down. Therefore it is worth contacting another animal energy to see what will help ground you at this time too.

Fairy wren brings carnality and lust into our lives. This may manifest in self-love, or the loving of others. Or it might be manifested in more visceral intercourse with others. Whatever the way it expresses itself, give it healthy and respectful channels to find its way out into your life. Fairy wren's carnality can be extremely energising and helpful to you at this time. Do not be afraid of your body, or your hormones. If you are someone who avoids feeling lust or wanting, fairy wren will help you to learn that it can be okay.

The Shadow Aspects:

The human, in today's society, has created an institution where monogamy is respected above all else, but the shadow energy of fairy wren challenges this institution, and our assumption of its 'normalcy.' Not all couples are destined to be monogamous, some are even healthier and more successful in a polygamous setting. Are you the kind of person to judge these people? Or do you accept different forms and manifestations of relationship and sexuality? Fairy wren challenges us to rethink our perspectives on fidelity, relationships and sexuality.

Fairy wren asks us to start considering other options in our path in life. Don't have one dream. Don't have one option. Don't have one career. Make sure that you always have other options, ones that don't feel like 'giving away' your original dream. Fairy wren can challenge us to find new opportunity and pathways by taking away the ones that we place too much faith in, so never - as the old saying says - put all your eggs in one basket.

Communion:

Like all animal helpers, this animal will only appear when right and appropriate, and cannot be forced to visit you, commune with you, or share messages with you. Fairy wren is a flitting and fleeting energy that doesn't often stay for long, in-depth conversations. It's messages are often short and to the point, and it will often demonstrate what it has to teach you through its actions, rather than have a 'conversation' with you in a journey or visualisation. Fairy wren energy can be contacted more easily in bushland, and responds quite well to flute and woodwind songs. Fairy wren is constantly moving, and you may find that its presence is scattered and difficult to contact, patience and a sharp eye will help you to connect and commune with this beautiful bird.


Apologies if I occasionally mention 'this deck', or 'this card.' These descriptions are for an Animal Card Oracle I'm working on, hence the accompanying artwork. :)

x-posted to moonvoice and totem_animals