Are you a Penguin, Squirrel, Eagle or Butterfly?

Sometimes naming where you are in life and having a metaphor or word picture to describe it is really helpful! I know that not everyone is an animal lover like me but try considering whether any of these creatures and their habits reminds you of yourself or of qualities you would like to develop. Naming where you are in life is powerful as you can then, come up with a plan to navigate that season gracefully.

Let’s start with the penguin. Emperor penguins of Antartica are amazing. They instinctively know where to go and they leave their familiar ocean habitat to walk inland to the breeding grounds of their ancestors. They find a mate and are then, able to hatch a chick. To enable the chick to survive both penguin parents must go through an arduous journey between the ocean and the breeding grounds in order to feed their young chick and themselves.

Some qualities I notice about penguins are: they know where they are going, they take huge risks to get there, they are faithful and loyal to the call on their lives to reproduce. They work as a team with their monogamous partner. They patiently endure long  and dangerous journeys. And, let me re-iterate, they know where they are going and are led by a deep instinct. Can any of you relate to the penguin?

What about the squirrel? By the way, squirrel appreciation day was January 21st in case you missed it! Many people are not fans of squirrels. I remember being at Indiana University and getting the sense that the squirrels were way too tame and imagining they might attack me?  Whatever your view on squirrels, they are seemingly everywhere and they are first-rate survivors. They are resourceful and adaptable, able to dodge cars and other dangers elegantly. They are masters at getting food creatively and food that is not even meant for them- like bird food in feeders. One very admirable quality is that they gather nuts such as, acorns, by the thousands. They are careful about burying them in places where they won’t be stolen and sometimes pretend to be burying them to throw other animals off their track. Do you see yourself in some of the qualities of the squirrel? Are you a problem-solver and a person who prepares to make sure you are able to survive?

Next, let’s discuss the eagle. Eagles are one of my very favorite animals. Having lived in Washington State (near Canada) for 15 years, I had the pleasure of seeing many bald eagles. In fact, at my wedding, there was a bald eagle perched above us in a tall evergreen tree during the ceremony. I am no longer married and much of my marriage was very challenging. Throughout that time period, I would see bald eagles regularly. In fact, one day, I saw 13 of them. It would often be in moments of deep prayer and pain and I’d look up and a beautiful bald eagle would be right there. This led me to love them and investigate a thing or two about eagles.

The bald eagle is unique to North America. They are majestic in that they have a brownish/black body and a white head and while tail feathers as adults. The eagle mostly soars through the skies only occasionally flapping its wings. As our national bird, they symbolize freedom, power and often transcendence. Eagles are able to see very far distances and are very aware of their surroundings. They are opportunist when it comes to food. One of the coolest things is that eagles love storms. While other birds fly away from storms, eagles fly into them and use the winds to fly above the storms quickly. In this way, they are able to rise above. Do you relate to the eagle? In what ways?

Last but not least is the monarch butterfly. Let’s talk briefly about how they become butterflies. The four stages are: egg, larvae (caterpillar), the pupa (chrysalis), and the adult butterfly. Once the egg hatches into a baby caterpillar- the hungry caterpillar eats voraciously until it is fully grown. Then, it finds a suitable place to attach itself and begin the process of morphing into a chrysalis (how cool is that?). Once the chrysalis is formed from the outside it looks like nothing special is happening, but inside it’s a different story. This internal metamorphosis is crazy- inside the caterpillar turns to a sort of gooey gush. Then, from its imaginal discs and tissues something completely new is formed. How amazing!  I don’t know about you but something deep within me resonates with the letting go process of the caterpillar and the trusting of the re-invention process. Once the fullness or time has come, the butterfly emerges slowly and after their wings dry off, they are able to fly. Monarch butterflies are not able to survive cold winters and therefore, they migrate south and west. In what ways can you relate to the monarch butterfly? Perhaps, you are in a major change and feel like you are being re-formed through the pain of it all. Or, maybe you’ve come through a major change and are wiser for it almost ready to fly.

I’d love to hear your story and together we can find metaphors for you to relate to in your current life story.