The Messages That Waterbuffulos and Turkey Vultures Bring As Animal Guides.

First, let me say that I don't profess to be an expert in the field of Shamanic practices. 

However, I feel that I am evolved enough spiritually or energetically to acknowledge that there are very special "age-old relationships" which exist between us and the animal and plant kingdoms.

We are all interconnected.

As humans living in our modern, often sterilized realities, I believe many of us have become removed from honouring these relationships. As a direct result, ancient knowledge continues to be eroded and lost and our entire planet suffers as a whole.

For our planet to survive, there should be a strong mutual respect and cooperation between our human species and all the other species that we co-habitat with. As a species we need to fulfill our duty to be responsible stewards of the earth and all her beings. 

If a person feels removed from the animal and plant kingdoms, one of the easiest ways to re-establish a link  is by taking the time to really observe what's naturally already happening in the environment around them.  This means a person need only to go OUTSIDE and look around and then take responsibility for the choices they make as the result of the new information that they have discovered. 

Often, when I'm observing what other humans are doing outside these days, it seems a larger and larger portion of the population are intently looking down, completely mesmerized by their smart phones. Yesterday was no exception. I witnessed a young boy (of about 12 years old) riding his skateboard. I thought, great! there's a kid outside being physically active, then he stopped, pulled over at the edge of the sidewalk, sat down on his board and started texting. I sound old in my thinking, but here's the challenge facing us all; the human body hasn't changed much in its design in the last 10,000 years. If we look at it from a purely mechanical perspective, it was engineered to walk long distances every day, hunting and gathering. It wasn't meant to sit stationary without much movement for 10+ hours a day. This habit, (that has become the norm for many), is causing disease because our organs are cramped and are not being "massaged" from the inside, like they naturally would be with regular movement. This practice of spending less and less time outside in nature is what is disconnecting us and making us sick.

Getting outside and observing your environment while acknowledging the existence of the other creatures around you, is one of the main keys to living a healthful and happy life. It is fair to say that this let's us live in harmony with the earth, our selves and all creatures, big and small.

With animal totems or spirit guides, there are five animal groups based on the areas that form that species' natural habitat. They are as follows: insects, reptiles, water creatures, land creatures and birds. 

There are then four different types of duties or roles that these creatures are commonly reported to fulfill, for people who are "awake" enough to acknowlege the information that they bring. The roles are as follows:

1. They can be simple deliverers of messages that are time-sensitive and are warnings to keep you out of harms way.
2. They can be used to guide you through a major direction change in the path that you are following in your life's journey.
3. They can be with you as a guide for your entire life and provide reminders to you to honour your spirituality and your abilities.
4. They can be examiners of your resolve and sent to test you and push you into changing and conquering your fears. 

Animal Spirit Guides will present themselves to you with re-occurring frequency and will continue to be a regular feature in your life until you acknowledge that you have received the information they have brought specifically to share with you. 

Some people are drawn to wolves, bears, lions, and dolphins as their animal guides. They will report having a natural affinity for these creatures, often from a very young age. The natural abilities of the creatures and the feeling of "awe" that is evoked within the person when they think of these creatures is the draw. This would be an example of a "full life animal spirit guide." Often the link is so strong that a person would choose to wear "their animal guide's likeness as a tattoo. This illustrates that a person respects and honours their guide whether they realize that's what they are doing or not. 

My current animal guides are an incredible female named Yvette and a whole flock of black raptors with red heads. 

Yvette is a Water buffulo and the flock is a group of Turkey Vultures , that I have named "Patience". 

They both live just outside a small town called Stirling in Ontario, Canada. 

Yvette's a bit of a celebrity in her local area and when I get a chance to spend a few minutes with her, it has always been an incredible experience for both of us. It seems like it's just by chance that we find each other at events and festivals that celebrate locally produced food. 

Yvette's regular job is to produce milk everyday and she's really proficient at it. She can produce almost a litre or 33 ounces of milk per minute, when she's milked.

In my world she's like a great oracle and reminds me of my abilities to honour Mother Earth and Father Sky. 

Her message is clear:

• Be gentle to all sentinel beings and fiercely protect those that need it. Abundance is all around you, do your part and share it with all. 

I whisper to Yvette and she listens, then She whispers back and I listen. That's how our relationship works. This photo was captured of our conversation, just over a year ago on Sept. 2oth, 2015.

Yvette is the epitome of abundance and giving. She is a highly tolerant loving creature but her duality is found in her sheer size. At over a tonne in weight, if Yvette isn't happy with you and you aren't respecting her or her wishes, she's got the strength to crush you in the blink of an eye. She can also read energy extremely quickly and if she wasn't happy with me on her back, she would've simply thrown me off or pinned me. 

As you can see, we get along well and her caregiver was telling me that I was the first adult who actually wanted to get this close to her. He didn't know that she and I have...well, we have a thing, is all I can say. This picture was taken on July 9, 2016.

My other Animal Spirit Guides are a flock of Turkey Vultures.   

This is a close-up picture of a young male, Turkey Vulture named Tony. I included it, for those folks who may not have ever seen a vulture before. Tony is a captive bird and he lives in the care of the Canadian Raptor Conservatory. He has a 6 foot wing span and weighs in at 3 pounds. Vultures are considered scavengers. They predominantly eat other dead animals and do not hunt living prey. They have adapted to have bald heads so that they can put their heads right into a carcass and pull it out relatively cleanly. They are the best environmentalist and recyclists because they are forever cleaning up waste as they go.

This is some of the 50+ feathered members of the flock that I regularly interact with. I've named the flock "Patience" and I see them almost everyday from May to the end of October. Very soon, they will be migrating to Central America for the winter. I took this photo from my backyard on Oct. 18, 2016.

(Here's a couple in flight. They can soar on thermal winds for up to 3 hours before they have to flap their wings.)

I have included this picture that was taken just after 9 a.m. in the morning. It was a really warm October day, (even that early in the morning) and you can see how high in the air these bird can soar on thermal winds.

I took this picture on Sunday, October 16, 2016. It's some of the flock, busy working at a small local dump about 2.5 miles away from where we both live.

As an animal spirit guide, the Turkey Vulture's message is:

• Be patient and take your time to think things through. Let your higher self guide you by helping you to see situations from a different perspective. Be protective of those in your care and do no harm. Leave the earth better than you found it.

If an animal spirit guide is trying to give you information they will typically cross your path and you'll visual see them and remember that you saw them. Usually it will be a creature you don't normally see and it will feel like a special moment, because of it's rarity. For example, it is quite common to see plain-looking birds around us, but to see a brightly coloured purple one, or to see an owl in the daytime, that would be special and worthy of some animal spirit guide investigation.

A quick search of the web using the words "animal, spirit, guide, and owl" will produce 1.7 million results.

As long as you include animal, spirit and guide in your search, you can look at the "meaning interpretations" of a multitude of animal guide creatures. 

I hope this will inspire you to go outside and take some time to acknowledge the creatures you notice around you. Then, I hope you have some fun looking up the messages that each creature brings.

I welcome any comments and encourage you to join me on my journey by following.

~RebeccaRyan