"Yes, it's sad and foggy, that's because I'm working on something and its not quite ready yet. Yes, I know the curiosity is killing you and you want a snoop! Just wait - patience is virtuous."
Just a few weeks ago, I was doing yoga on a beach in Mexico when right in front of me - a hole opened up in the sand and out crawled a hoard of baby turtles … About 60 or so evacuated their sandy nest from somewhere deep below the surface - and all at the same time began crawling instinctually towards the water. They were collected in a large white pail by the local environmental 'turtle watch' officer - to be put back in after sundown when the hovering gulls above were fast asleep.
Turtles are a totem animal for me. I'd been sitting right on top of them for a few days (maybe all the yoga and chanting helped them to hatch). More likely, it was a full moon and a splendid day to be born.
2013 has been like digging a big hole and waiting for something to hatch. I look at it as a good omen that so many little turtles came to the surface. The odds are against baby turtles. The mother lays 50 - 200 eggs of which only a few may actually make it to full maturity.
Interesting facts about sea turtles:
-they are very SLOW on land and the females only come to shore to mate
-they have no need for fresh water. They have the ability to metabolize sea water
-they may swim to depths of 3,900 ft. seeking jellyfish for prey. In order to do so, they have a high concentration of red blood cells which store oxygen in muscle tissue.
-they can see well underwater, but are short sighted in air and their colour preference is ultra-violet, violet and blue-green light
-they have an acute sense of smell in water
-they are generally NOT social animals but gather together to mate
-eggs take 45 - 70 days to incubate and after hatching, the young turtles may take 3 to 7 days to crawl their way to the surface.
-most young turtles remain 9 miles from land and are rarely seen the first year - called the 'lost year'
-sea turtles live 50 -80 years.
-human impact can include beach noise which inhibits nesting, mistaking plastic for jellyfish, injuries from boat propellers and shrimp nets and egg collection for their alleged aphrodisiac effect.
As an animal totem the sea turtle symbolizes:
-new beginnings and endings. Turtle people often feel like their life is a series of endings and new beginnings.
-for turtle people, home is where they are at the present moment
-turtle medicine calls us to slow down and just BE where we are
-turtle people are strongly intuitive and need to dive deep into the quiet within themselves
-they lay eggs that give birth to their future - but they must come 'ashore' to do so where they feel awkward, don't stay long and abandon their mothering duties or feel abandoned by a mother
-turtle medicine helps one to get in touch with the heart energy and emotions represented by the water element.
-turtle knows that by moving slowly the door to intuition opens
-turtle teaches us about boundaries, patience and willingness to slow down and watch for the answers as they come through you.
-turtles are wonderful navigators of the waters of life and accumulate wisdom.
-turtle lives in the realm of the Creative and knows that for life to continue, things must constantly change. The only real death in life is stagnation. As one door closes, a new an better one is opening.
If turtle appears:
-the completion of one phase leads to a new cycle of opportunity opening
-great success and recognition for hard work and painstaking effort (may come in time and with patience)
-international travel/business
-feeling connected to the flow of the Universe and the sense of having a personal cosmic mission.
more about turtle totems: - http://morningstar.netfirms.com/turtle.html
What I learned from the baby turtles:
-pull your head in when you want to meditate
-its ok to dive deep
-to be at home within the waters of creativity
-don't worry about your eggs - not all of them are going to hatch anyways
-how to be quiet and alone
-to oxygenate the blood regularly with exercise
-be reassured - you have all you need with you
-when you don't know what to do - just float
Many blessings for the New Year - There is a freshness in leaving the old behind and in allowing in the NEW.
Happy NEW YEAR!!
Race to the water:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8eGw1oyYoQ
