Animal spirits/Spirit animals

Dear you,

The official national animal of Ukraine is the common nightingale.  In their folklore, the bird is a harbinger of spring and a sweet voice of joy. On the anniversary of Ukraine's invasion, we long to hear the nightingale's voice heralding victory.

Throughout the war, stories about wild things under siege, birds, cattle, cats, dogs, ducks, zoo animals etc., have moved us. Brave organizations like @k9rescue.org are on the ground there, doing miraculous work. They give us hope. We see reports of rescue as pictured above, one majestic lion in his cage in Odesa who made it out.  As reported by cpr.org in 2022: 

"Nine lions airlifted out of Ukraine have now settled in Colorado’s Wild Animal Sanctuary.

An 11-lion pride was rescued from the Bio Park Zoo in Odesa, a port city in southern Ukraine, during the early stages of Russia’s invasion. The pack of lions arrived in Romania in May after traveling more than 600 miles. Once there, rescue officials worked out a final destination. 

The Wild Animal Sanctuary in Keenesburg, a small town in Weld County, immediately offered to bring the lions into their facilities. A spokesperson for the sanctuary said their executive director worked with several global agencies to ensure the lions were resettled to permanent homes."

Thank you, Colorado.

This lion, the symbolic nightingale, the kittens and puppies we see wrapped in the arms of Ukrainian warriors, all remind us of how precious wild things are and how we should honor their spirits.  Some say we each have our own animal spirit. I thought mine might be a cat just because I like them. Was I right? Good excuse to play around on the internet when I should be doing something else. I logged on and took some quizzes.  One test revealed I am an owl. So not a cat. "The owl spirit animal is emblematic of a deep connection with wisdom and intuitive knowledge. When the spirit of the animal guides you, you can see the true reality and see beyond illusion and deceit." Gee, thanks for the compliment, but I never thought of myself as that deep and certainly not that wise. I took the quiz again to verify and once again got the owl result.  Still not convinced, I took another assessment on BuzzFeed.  Those results revealed my spirit animal is a Shiba Inu (a doggie with a permanently smiling face) because "You're very curious about the way things work, but that doesn't mean you don't have a smile on everywhere you go. You're friendly, loyal, and you have a certain fondness for misspellings."

Well, I do have a "certain fondness for misspellings." And I am loyal. Not so sure about the smile or the friendly thing though. My "elfin" grin often reflects a mischievous train of thought, more wicked than warm. Friendly? Does transactional friendliness count?

Overall, the smiling pup and wise owl don't seem to match my self-perception. There are other options. Check out a list of all the spirit animals online during your next procrastination event. While we all might want to be tigers, horses, or eagles, that list includes creatures like the inchworm or the jellyfish. Bummer.  But wait, even those less than glamorous beings represent excellent qualities. The inchworm is logic, transformation, subtlety, concealment, and transmutation. Cool! The jellyfish is faith, transparency, illumination, acceptance, sensitivity, protection and intention. Who knew?

It seems all creatures, great and small, are as significant as the regal lion or glorious nightingale. Thank you to all who work to protect those creatures, especially in Ukraine.  Ah, Ukraine; soon, soon, soon, I hope, your lions will roar and your nightingales will sing of victory.

#StandWithUkraine

Joyce