Turtle has been talking with me a lot this summer. I have seen an inordinate amount of turtles along the side of the road, some thriving, some injured, some dead or dying. I have assisted injured turtles, as well as said a benediction for the dead and dying turtles. I was at a shop the other day and was immediately attracted to the hand carved turtles. I’ve noticed that people have been ‘talking turtle’ when I’m around. Recently I attended an eWomenNetwork luncheon and Patty McLain of RMG Residential Mortgage Group, Inc, shared this story:
One morning I went downstairs to get a glass of water. As I looked outside my front door I saw what looked like a big clump of dirt in my flower bed. I thought maybe one of my flower pots tipped over. As I looked closer I discovered a rather large turtle in my flower bed. I thought here we go again as a turtle a few years ago laid eggs in my flower bed.
I watched the turtle from my window along with my 3 kids. It was quite a job as the turtle was digging with his hind legs one leg at a time. He or should I say she she would raise one leg and then push it further and further into the ground digging and digging and then she would switch legs. Then after about an hour the miraculous happened she began to lay the eggs.
She would lift her left leg up and up as high as it would go and at least one egg would pop out sometimes two. Then she would rest her left leg and then start all over again. I counted at least 17 eggs and that was in-between getting ready for work. After about an hour of that she pushed the dirt over the eggs and crawled back to the pond in our backyard. ( My kids did not see her go back to the pond but that is what we are guessing she did) I fixed my flowers and finished covering the place where she laid the eggs. Someone told me it took 9 weeks for them to hatch. We will be watching.
When an animal appears so frequently and consistently in my life in an extended time frame, it is my invitation to listen to the animal and discern her/his message for me.
This summer’s recent bout with Turtle reminds me:
- It is time to come out of my shell
- To connect with Mother Earth
- To trust that I am cared for
- Slow down, use and enjoy my increased sensitivity
- Take my time and go with the natural pace of life
OK, I’m alive with curiosity! Has anyone else had Turtle appear in their life this summer? If so, what is Turtle telling you? How has Turtle appeared to you? Like Patty and her kids, has anyone else taken the time to watch a turtle lay eggs? If so, you’ve experienced one of the gifts from Turtle – the gift of slowing down.
Leave your stories, leave your comments. We look forward to reading them!
Harmony,
Janet Roper
