A few weeks ago, I pulled up and parked down the block from my apartment. I was walking up the street, trying to control my baggage, and looking at my phone. When I arrived at the steps to the Judgmental Gardner’s house, I looked up, and was face to face with four baby skunks.
We paused for a moment, eyeing each other up.. Then they went traipsing into their den, located directly under the Judgmental Gardner’s front porch. Cute little tails flitting above the ground cover.
I fricking love those stocky little bodies, short legs, and fuzzy furs. I am trying not to think about how you can have those things as pets if you remove their scent glands, because that sounds too awesome. And like a really bad idea.
While I was up in Pickerel, I smelled at least five skunks, and saw a couple dead on the road.
My Native friend looked into the appearance of skunks in our lives, and it’s got me on this whole animal meaning thing. And horoscopes. I’m reading that kind of mumbo jumbo again.
The skunk, I’ve decided, might be my spirit animal. (I CAN DECIDE THOSE THINGS IF I WANT. GET OFF MY BACK.)
“If skunk appears to you it is to help you build confidence in yourself and to develop more strength of will and independence. Skunk people are not pretentious and feel compelled to be who they are without the need for approval of others to define them. Skunk appears to help you develop trust in yourself (intuition) and to trust your instincts.”
Also, I was right about the skunk poo. I can now be considered a tracker, thankyouverymuch.
When Jessica and I were on one of our adventures in Nicolet forest, I made her do some off-roading with me. Made her, as in, I was driving her car, so she had no choice. There are these ATV roads that are just marked plainly, “Forest Road” with a defining number behind it. Like “2412.” We took one of those.. The issue with these roads is that there’s no way to turn around on them. The forest comes right up to meet you on either side of the car.
This picture is one of the actual roads, and not an ATV road.. It’s paved, and has a bit of room to move around..
On this particular journey, we came face to face with a coyote.
The coyotes symbolism resonates with my current direction in life.
“Shoshoni believed the Coyote as an indication of an ending. The sighting of the Coyote was said to bring natural shifts in balance, causing an end (which, of course, simply makes way for new beginnings, and so on). Essentially, the Coyote is like a “way-maker” of new direction as it went about its symbolic role of representing the cycle of life/death in nature.”
I saw a list of animals on my trip.
Like this eagle here.. There has been an eagle’s nest on a particular tree on Pickerel Lake for 20+ years.
“When an eagle appears, you are on notice to be courageous and stretch your limits. Do not accept the status quo, but rather reach higher and become more than you believe you are capable of. Look at things from a new, higher perspective. Be patient with the present; know that the future holds possibilities that you may not yet be able to see. You are about to take flight.” I like this one a lot. Eagles.
Also, this.
“I’m gonna rise up, I’m gonna kick a little ass. Rock, Flag, And Eagle.”
Now I’m hyper aware of every animal that crosses my path.
Last night, I went on a walk with my friend, and sat down at the lake to watch a lightning storm above it, and downtown Milwaukee. My friend was sad. During our conversation, two bats came within 4 feet of our heads.
“Bats as totems represent an ability to discern the hidden messages and implications of other people’s words. Listen as much to what is not being said. Trust your instincts. The nose is the organ of discrimination, and with its sonar located in its nose, the bat reflects the ability to discriminate and discern the truth in other people’s words.”
Nature shit, guys. I’m into it.
