The Wood Duck

It was at Women's Wellness Weekend that symbols from

the in-between fell into my path. 

And I received.

 

 

 

 Kim held a workshop, a wellness circle, with the topic "no coincidences".  All of us who participated had stories to share of times in which we followed the leading of Something Greater without fully understanding it; but fully trusting that it was the right thing to do.  Meredith shared how she met her husband by traveling to a tiny town in Ecuador which someone shared the name of - she went to the smaller town of the same name, but there was obviously a reason.  Emily shared how she stepped out into the unknown by participating in a group gathering for women in business and met someone who became a great encourager to her.  Muni shared how she met her husband, who had come to Brazil to minister to the Baha'i faith community, and how she had dreamed of him.

 

I shared about the items I found over the last day, small things that were in my path and I collected, wondering of their deeper meaning and messages.  One was a wooden bead found under my bunk as I placed my suitcase and shoes underneath it.  Another was a safety pin, found outside on the dirt path leading to the hall where we ate our meals, attended workshops, and danced for Zumba.  The last was a little yellow wooden duck, obviously used for kids' crafts at the camp, which I found on the path leading down to the lake on my way to check out the archery and BB gun range. 

 

 

"I believe that animals can be spirit guides," Kim explained, after suggesting that the bead could serve as a reminder that I am part of things (which means a lot to me.)  I took this piece of information in my pocket as I left from the weekend, planning to research it more.  The bead also reminds me of the infinitesimal, which holds great meaning for me.

 

I believe that God, by His Spirit, sends us messages through the in-between, and that we can read the messages if we care to.  Think about dreams, the symbols, numbers, the word or bird that we keep seeing, that seems to be looking at us right in our face.  Think about why we are attracted to certain animals, like my grandmother who loved giraffes, or my grandmother who loved owls.  Why do we connect with them so, what does this tell us about ourselves, what we are striving for, seeking, and the characteristics that we connect with?

This yellow duck looked like a rubber ducky.  What could it possibly mean?  When I made the connection - it is a wooden duck... A WOOD DUCK!!  And it's YELLOW - colors have meaning!  I was then able to extract much more from the messages I was reading on the websites I searched and gleaned from.  The wood duck WAS featured as a character all its own on websites that gave insight into the meaning of dream symbols and of Native American spirit guides, totems.  There is much connection to a world beyond here.   A world in which the Spirit, very much alive and speaking, has not left us to navigate this world alone but has left us with "The Friend, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send at my request, will make everything plain to you. He will remind you of all the things I have told you. I'm leaving you well and whole. That's my parting gift to you. Peace. I don't leave you the way you're used to being left—feeling abandoned, bereft."

I know I am being spoken to, taught by, and guided by the One with whom I have entrusted my life.  And my desire is to keep my eyes and ears open to the message being sent through the in-between, the world beyond, and I will hold on to the meaning of the symbols that are sent to me.  I will listen to the messages being whispered in the silence.

I will notice that it is more than just coincidence when I log in to Facebook and see this posted, after I began to write this post early this morning...

These immature Wood Duck are a secretive bird commonly found in hidden ponds http://ow.ly/i/NRbS

Do you have stories of symbols that speak to you?

P.S.  I must share a little about what I discovered of the safety pin, too.  I read that it is a symbol of unity, and that it was used as a way for the Dutch to identify themselves when Nazi Germany was taking over their country.  The safety pin was worn by everyone who struggled for their freedom.  It was, as I read, "worn not just as an act of defiance but a symbol of hope and freedom."