Personal contact and messages with the animal kingdom

I thought I'd share a couple of the more profound experiences I've had in my life with animal and the signs and messages they'v ebrought me.

Around 5 years ago I was really getting into Shamanism, practising every day, really enjoying my journeying. I come from a Celtic background (I'm Scots) and really struggled with the Roman Catholic faith I'd been born into. After travelling the world I discovered Shamanism and it felt really natural and right for me.

I'd moved into a new house with my future wife and we were enjoying life together. I had been looking for a new job and got lucky through a friend of the family. The day before the interview, my girlfriend and I were driving the usual five kilometers to her parents house and took the usual shortcut through a commercial estate nearby. As we turned off the main highway into a darkened street we were the only car on the road. As we drove up the road towards the corner we could see something shiny on the road directly before us, perhaps 100 meters away. We drew closer and closer and realised it was a pair of huge eyes looking at us. My girlfriend flicked on the high beams of our car and fully illuminated the creature that sat in the middle of the road.

An owl.

Now the area we live in (we're still in the same area) isn't known for owls at all, so this owl was something of a shock to my girlfriend who had grown up in the area since she was 5 or 6 years old. As we drew up close to this owl it refused to move, we had to stop the car a couple of feet away from it. The owl sat there, staring straight at me, unblinking, unnerving me. My girlfriend started to get creeped out and whispered that the owl seemed weird, "Why is it looking at you?" she asked.

I was mesmerised and continued to stare at it. After about 10 seconds of eye contact the owl turned it's back and with one glance over it's shoulder took off into the night. We sat in the car for a couple of seconds before resuming our journey.

My GF was busy telling her mum all about this "Creepy owl" while I had a cup of coffee and pondered what I'd experienced. Through my shamanic practise I knew that the owl was a messenger of change, it was a magical bird, it was a serious and powerful totem. I thought about it all night and fell asleep thinking about it.

Next morning. Interview. I turned up to the offices of the engineering company 15 minutes early. The secretary smiled and motioned for me to take a seat whilst handing me the company brochure. I sat waiting for the interviewer and thumbed through the brochure not really paying it any attention. My mind was on the interview and all the experience I'd had in my field, the things I'd speak about, any possible questions I might be asked.

Then I saw it.

In the centre of the magazine, in a two page spread was a two page wide picture of an owl in full flight, it's yellow eyes staring straight out at me. There and then I knew the interview would go well, that it was a sign. I had faith in myself and my answers and breezed the interview.

Now, almost 5 years later I'm still at the same company having survived the global financial crisis when all around me were dropping like flies.

That was the first run in with what seems like the power of nature.

The second came about a year later...

My (now) wife and I moved into a new house. It took the whole day and we were totally exhausted but we'd managed to get in and put a load of washing in the machine and hang it outside during the day. Outside we didn't have a backyard, more of a small - 6 foot by 3 foot - concrete square with a place to hang washing. We continued unpacking and had some food etc. My wife had been feeling Ill for a couple of days and was due to visit the doctor the next day, so I told her to take it easy while I finished unpacking the truck. That night, around 7pm, the sun had already long since set and night had settled into it's usual quiet rhythm. Then we heard the tip tap of rain on the roof and my wife jumped up declaring "The clothes are still outside!"

We both ran to the laundry and went to go out the door. As we turned the yard light on, it illuminated the laundry and my wife screamed in shock. All over the back door (which was a sliding door made of glass) were dozens and dozens of frogs. The rain got heavier and became torrential as we stood and marvelled at this horde of frogs clambering and sliding over each other. I cracked open the door and looked outside. The concrete square of a patio we had was teeming with them, all hopping and jumping around. There was no way to get out to the clothes without stepping on them and squashing the little dudes. I refused to allow my wife to go outside and we agreed (reluctantly) to leave the clothes as they were probably already soaked through and also to save the lives of the little frogs. We watched the frogs for about 30 minutes as the storm got worse, then we turned the laundry light off and went inside. I checked to see if the frogs were still there before we went to bed, which they were, and imagined how we'd manage to get rid of them the next day.

Well, morning time came and even before grabbing a coffee I went to the laundry to check out the frogs.

Concrete patio was bare. No frogs in sight. My wife asked my what Frogs mean as a symbol. I told her they sometimes were a symbol of change and were a symbol of new life too, but neither of us could figure out what how that applied to our lives, my wife suggesting that perhaps it was just a good luck message. I agreed but kept on thinking about the frogs as the day went on (always having my encounter with the owls in the back of my mind).

That day my wife went to her Doctors appointment and I met up with some friends. An hour or so later my mobile phone rang and my wife was sobbing into the phone. I calmed her down and asked her what the doctor had said. I admit I got scared thinking what horrible diagnosis the quack had given her. Turns out she was six weeks pregnant. My son is now 4 years old and leaves trails of destruction everywhere he goes.

The symbol of New life, the totem of the frog had turned out to be highly prophetic.

So now, when I see animals crop up and their presence seems significant, I always research the meaning of each totem animal. I see them in dreams and also in real life. My affinity with real animals and contact with them has increased, friends dogs wont leave my side when I visit, friends cats come up to me and touch noses with me and stare into my eyes before curling up in my lap. A couple of years back my wife and I visited a beach south of where we live where you can hire boats and go on dolphin tours. We declined to take part in the tour as it was pretty expensive and decided to swim in the water while the tour boat went out. As we swam we were met by a large grey bottlenose dolphin who came up and circled us, allowed us to touch it. Then we noticed it had a baby dolphin with it which stayed out of reach but the mother was comfortable enough to come near us with her calf. Other people on the beach tried to swim out to us but by the time they made it out, the dolphin decided it was time to leave and turned tail, taking the baby dolphin with it. We were left humbled by the experience and the tour staff were gobsmacked that the dolphin not only came close to the beach but did so while having her calf with her.

These experiences have marked my life in profound ways. To some people they may seem like nothing more than random occurences, but to me they were special.

Thanks for taking the time to read my posts and allowing me to share these experiences with you.

Cheers,

Tom.