Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Emma Byers: Outside reading 3


     A few weeks after my resident read my Terra cards, I was visited by a guiding spirit animal in a dream. I came across a thick forest in the middle of the night where a young girl dressed completely in white was standing looking up at me. I looked at her and all she said was “Don’t be afraid” and she vanished into the trees. I ran into the forest after her and came to a small clearing in which there was one tree in the middle of a great valley. I walked toward the tree and looked up and from the top branch swooped down a giant white bat that was half my size. I held out my arm and the bat grabbed it with its feet and hung there looking at me. I stood petrified from fear of the creature attacking me at any moment and when its face came closer to mine; my own fear jolted me out of sleep.
     In the book “Animal-Speak” by Ted Andrews, he describes the Bat totem as the symbol of Transition and Initiation. Although the bat is viewed as a negative sign in modern times thanks to movies and books, in ancient cultures it was viewed as a powerful symbol that represented souls of the dead, was a symbol or rebirth and, in medieval times, were looked at as miniature dragons. The bat represents the breaking down of one’s self through rigorous tests and facing your greatest fears. A part of your life must die because it is no longer suitable for you. People fear transition and change which is why the bat is a symbol of a difficult journey and looked at to be an extremely powerful totem. 

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