I am sad to say that I inadvertently ran over a turtle crossing the street the other day. I know folks, there is an old saying that “if you meet the Buddha on the street, kill him”. However, I like to interpret the meaning behind this Infinite wisdom as killing in the sense of randomly frequent acts of kindness. Tempted as I was on going Straight Outta Woodland on myself, with my Nervous Woodland Creature (NWC) energy, I remembered to tweet to my Peeps in the Trees, begging  forgiveness from above. On the ground, I took a deep breath and allowed myself to cut back to Inner Peace by offering a silent blessing and thanking my reptilian friend for coming out of Her hard shell, gravely dangerous and crunchy reminder as it was.

More importantly, after marinating on my encounter with Turtle I remembered the potential that Turtle medicine might offer Us, as We are becoming New Humans her on Mothership Earth. Rather than getting stuck in the mud by going Rocky on Ourselves, dare We  remember to focus what Turtle represents by borrowing Her traits of Wisdom, Longevity, Patience and Perseverance . . . “Turtle . . . Great Mother, Feed my spirit, Clothe my heart, That I may serve you too” . Ah, in death there is rebirth, just as breathing in and breathing out my attachments to seductive negative energy loops between my reptilian brain and amygdala hijacks.  In staying calm and heading my Inner Voice, I am welcoming the awakening to opportunities in becoming a New Human. In this Chinese year of the Rabbit, I think it is especially wise to balance out this auspicious sign with the Turtle.  Nothing wrong with leapin’ and hoppin’ o’er MoonShadows, so long as we stay grounded and remember a slow and steady pace as well.  “The slow one now will later be last . . .”.

Finally, as I look Back To The Future and stay tuned into the here and the Tao, I remember the spirit of the story of the Tortoise and the Hare. Moreover, I Sea that striking a balance of their collective energies is what matters most, in much the same way as the Yin and the Yang always swim in relationship flow with one another. It isn’t that Feminine is superior and/or Masculine is inferior. Rather, finding a synergistic balance between the energies is where spirit resides and ego dies. And there is no cookbook for this—If we are to survive and thrive as a species, then we need to turn inward, find a healthy balance in living and develop an Inner Knowing for when to move fast, when to slow down, when to watch and when to act.   

In These Changin’ Tides, I Hopi You Come About–Or Whatever Floats Your Boat,

Ari