Good day

I started my morning with a phone call from a friend who alerted me to three River Otters  that he was currently watching. I was able to get in the car and go watch those amazing creatures for an hour.  They are beautiful animals with such a zest for life.  We even watched one catch a large fish. There was also a gorgeous Red Fox on the opposite shore. What a gift. It brightened my spirits  after a couple of rough days. I decided  to look for more nature gifts. While out walking a dog I came across this beautiful little garter snake that was in the road. Afterwards I stopped up at the Hawk watch and watched two bald eagles, breathtaking!  Next onto Wickham lake and I just sat on the dock and looked at the water and went into a complete relaxed mode, that alone was a huge gift. It always amazes me how much Nature fills up my heart and makes me feel better. I need to stop forgetting to get out there when I don't feel good physically or emotionally.  I spent too much time inside this week it didn't help my mood or stress levels.  This past week while out walking dogs I did get to see another coywolf. Wildlife is everywhere if we open our eyes and hearts to the gifts of it.  

Otter Medicine:

Otter’s medicine includes woman’s healing wisdom, sensibility without suspicion, guidance in revealing ones talents, psychic awareness, faithfulness, recovery issues, understanding the value of playtime, primal feminine energy, joy, playfulness, prognostication
There are 2 kinds of Otter, the river and sea otter. They are linked to the primal feminine energies of life – the elements of both Earth and Water are present in Otter medicine.
Otters are regarded as the masters of play by the Native American and Celtic cultures. Observing an individual otter or a family of otters shows us that it’s possible to view life as a game to be enjoyed, rather than a burden to be endured. Living is not painful, it’s a gift. Life is too short to worry so much. When you were younger, like most children, did you feel like you didn’t want to become old and didn’t want life to get serious, or maybe you wished you could grow up and then once you became an adult wished you could relive your childhood as life was too serious now? Are you now too serious? If yes then otter is just right for you for you will be shown how to play again, it will help you find your inner child.
If you are wondering how you can give up your seriousness and learn to be lighten up, the otter’s behaviour can be a point in the right direction. The extremely curious otter often shows up alongside a human’s canoe or rowing boat in order to investigate those onboard. Curiosity means one is interested in their world and eager to explore it. What we know already is just information that can be kept or rejected when no longer relevant. As we discard information that is no longer relevant, we become lighter and more playful. don’t hang onto material things in your life that become a burden or bind you. The otter also shows us how to detach form our problems, yet be curious about them and find an answer. Allow events to unfold naturally. Having this perspective on life helps us find answers as easily as the otter catches fish, become like otter and move gently into the river of life.
The otter represents woman medicine. They are friendly, playful, and free of jealousy. If otter enters your life, always remember the beauty of a balanced female side, create a space for others to enter your life without preconceptions or suspicions. Otter teaches that balanced female energy is not jealousy or bitchiness, but sisterhood and sharing with others. Otter expresses joy for all. Remember that both men and women, have a feminine side. As both male and female humans start to display this medicine, the world will become a joyful place where all can reside happily, playfully and without jealousy, and not be afraid of being harmed or of loss.
Part of the otter’s vibrant energy is associated with its deep connection to water, where they spend most of their time, and in which they are very fast and agile. Often they are seen floating on their backs with their paws sticking out of the water, playfully sliding on their bellies or doing acrobatics. Water symbolizes receptivity and has also been long associated with emotional energies in man. Let life simply be, rather than stopping the flow by worrying about things which have happened and about things. Learn to be like otter, gliding through the emotional ups and downs of life with effortlessly.
Otters are very talkative. A frightened otter’s call takes on an eerie piercing sound, not unlike a baby screaming. They are unafraid of humans and have few natural enemies.
Otters are excellent parents, looking after their young much longer than most other marine mammals. Baby otters aren’t born knowing how to swim – they are taught by their parents. This shows that we too can learn to swim playfully and happily with the flow of life, not against it. The otter symbolizes the creative, nurturing energies residing within us and show us how to honor them. Enjoying the company of others of their kind, they are seldom seen alone. Otter people would benefit by living on, or close to, water and generally find comfort in group interactions.