Author of Steamy Romance & Goddess Facilitator: Books, Divine Library & Services
Pelican
I have loved animals as far back as I can remember. I played with my "imaginary" animal friend as a child, not knowing at the time what a power animal was. I had vivid dreams and visions throughout my life. I also felt drawn to different animals at different times in my life and when I found out about power or spirit animals, I finally understood why. Reading up on those animals and then going on shamanic journeys and meditations afforded me the entry point into the world of animals on a spiritual level. The reason I prefer the term power animal to spirit animal is simply because it feels more grounded and manifested to me. You are, of course, welcome to use whatever term you like; power animal, spirit animal, animal guide...You choose. The important thing is to have a strong, loving connection and to trust and ask your animal to teach you and share its wisdom with you.
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Movement
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This article’s power animal is a bird, the pelican. The vision I had when I was asking for guidance and was shown the pelican by my inner being was that I literally saw the bird come flying at me, a sure sign that, although I had asked for an animal message to serve as a general inspiration for my readers, it was also very relevant in my own personal life at the time.
The pelican stands for movement, the breaking free of stagnation, mental and physical. Pelican tells us that it is the time for recuperation, but also for travel and physical movement as the main emphasis.
Human beings are intrinsically the same inasmuch as that they like the familiar and predictable, exceptions state the rule. But it also means, the danger of getting stuck and stagnant in our ways is a very real one. Don’t get me wrong, order, traditions, rituals and consistency are great things to have in your life, but at the same time, if we don’t stay open to the new, take new routes, new pathways, we get stuck in a rut and this is detrimental for our creative being-ness.
Stagnation is the opposite of creation because when energy flows, it moves. If you stem the tide and free flow of energy in yourself and your life, things can get nasty. At first, it creeps up on you so slowly that you don’t even notice. And one day, you wake up feeling stuck, unhappy, unhealthy, uninspired and as if your life passes you by.
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A Breath of Fresh Air
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Pelican has come to remind us to pay attention not to neglect our creativity in favour of predictability. This beautiful bird spreads its wings and flies to show us that physical movement is perfect to blow some fresh air into our lives to get unblocked on all levels of our being.
When we move, we heighten the intake of oxygen into our brains and every cell of our bodies. When this happens, we not only become healthier in a physical sense. Oxygen empowers the brain and organs to work more efficiently and it also helps to think healthier, more inspired thoughts. When you look at depression, for example, you will find that a greater percentage of people suffering from this condition is indeed not very active physically. They deprive themselves of movement and with that, of happiness.
Merriam Webster defines depress as “Middle English, from Middle French depresser, from Latin depressus, past participle of deprimere to press down, from de- + premere to press.”
Sounds heavy, doesn’t it? Heavy, slow and sluggish. Exactly the feeling a depressed person has.
But we don’t have to be clinically depressed to find some blockages in our lives, some parts or areas where we are stagnant and have indeed become stuck. So to start with movement, from going for a short daily walk to taking up a sport, or indeed moving house or temporarily travelling to other areas unknown to us, is a great way of blowing off the cobwebs and getting our juices – and energy – to once again flow freely. Try it – and be consistent!
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