Rituals are a wonderful way in which we honor the milestones in our lives. Our rituals are as varied and rich in meaning as we are as human beings. Celebrating the day we were born, our birthday, is one of the most meaningful and celebrated of all.
Why do we do this? Why do we celebrate the day of our birth? Is it to help us mark the passages of our lives and to take a moment each year to be mindful that our lives are being lived? To celebrate that our journey has continued for another year? To stand in our truth as human and spiritual beings and make a conscious decision on the direction we will be taking going forward?
I believe it is all of these reasons. The recognition of what has passed and an opportunity to move forward in our lives. And with movement, comes change. As conscious beings we know that change is inevitable. It can be thrust upon us or it can be sought after. Change can be thought of as a blessing or as a curse. But change will come. As we evolve as spiritual beings, we can look on change as an opportunity for growth. Growth requires shedding of the old and embracing the new.
To honor my birthday and the changes in my life, I am celebrating the animal that has been most persistent in the messages of change for me. The animal that was once the one I most feared. The animal that showed me it was time for me to start the process of my spiritual rebirth. Today I am celebrating the bat.
Bats are powerful totems and their message is one of promise after a
change, a rebirth. Since bats are “reborn” from the earth’s caves each night, the
bat message is one of death of an old way of life and rebirth to a new.
Bats I believe, are feared by humans for many reasons. Bats are nocturnal animals flying at night, the time that most fears arise in humans. They are not typically thought of as cute furry animals like so many others we see and are often depicted with their mouths open and teeth bared. Even though there are over 1200 species of bats, and only three species of bats ingest blood for nutrition, we often think of them as blood thirsty vampire like animals associated with Halloween.
However, studying bats you realize that they are extremely helpful animals. The fruit eating bats fly long distances at night over large open areas of land, spaces that other animals are afraid to cross for fear of being out in the open. While flying, they propagate the earth on a much greater scale than birds or primates, dropping seeds and defecating as they go. Their droppings called guano, is also a wonderful fertilizer.
If a bat flies into your life, the message is to face your fears and see what part of your life is not working for you any longer. Spiritual and emotional growth cannot happen without change. It is time for that old part of your life to die, so that you can be reborn, stronger, healthier, and happier than before.
Change can be very scary, just as bats can be scary, but without death there is no rebirth, or promise of new growth like the plants that they help to germinate. Go inward, and be honest with yourself. Is your life all that it should be? Or is it already dying around you and you’re too busy or scared to notice? Embrace the transition, listen to that still small voice within, your God voice, and you will soar to new heights.
Yes! In celebration of me, and all of you on your spiritual paths, let's embrace this moment. Stand in our truth and see what our soul is saying to us. Step forward confidently knowing that God leads us exactly where we are supposed to go. A toast to new beginnings!
Monday, Monday! Feeling a little stressed? Wish it was still Sunday
morning and you could relax with a cup of coffee and your favorite blog?
