aRRiVaL of gRaSShOpper! yAy!

LoVe is HeRe. . . 

and HeRe, and hErE, and everywHERE!

07.18.12.

Dear Funfree Leapers & Hoppers!

Have you ever had an animal friend keep showing up for you over and over until it gets your attention!? Remember last month when I kept seeing buTTerfLies (a sign of transformation) absolutely everywhere--they even kept landing on me!

Sometimes animals serve as totems--- Webster's defines a totem as: "A natural object, usually an animal that serves as a distinctive, often venerated  [respected]  emblem or symbol, usually a means of personal or spiritual identity." So, when a special animal keeps reappearing to me, I usually pay attention and figure out the animal's message for me.

SO, the picture above--a grasshopper, of all things!-- is another animal that landed in my life last week . . . and guess what? It showed up in my house upside down on the ceiling! It kept leaping around my kitchen. Now, I know I'm not like most people (in a strangely unique way!), but I actually greeted the grasshopper and welcomed it into my home--seriously . . . ask my friend who was over! 
Now, please understand that I grew up with a dad who caught spiders and put them outside rather than killed them, and I actually do the same! I even open the door for flies so they can quit slamming themselves against the window of my back sliding door trying to escape back outside into nature! 

I do, however, admit that I slap mosquitos--'cuz they are just plain evil ;0) . . .

Anyway, when I loked up the grasshopper totem, this is one explanation I found:

Grasshopper "Uncanny Leaps Forward"

The  Chinese symbol of good luck and abundance, Grasshopper gives its totem people the ability to take chances. To move on hunches and take the leap forward. Things might not move for them as they do for other people; progress is not step-by-step, but rather extremely fast. Trust your own instincts on when to make the leaps.  Trust your inner voice. It will lead you to great successes. Don’t be afraid to leap – and remember that Grasshopper only leaps forward – never backward.* Wow! How cool is that!?  Thanks, nature and Universe for the  awesome sign!  That pretty much describes my life in a nutshell so  far this summer--things are changing superfast (like JimmyJohns . . .),  and the arrival of the grasshopper reminds me that I can trust the  timing of the changes. AND . . .  because things feel really speedy right now, I'm glad I am doing my meditation each day 'cuz it helps me S     L     O     W D       O           W               N and B         R         E          A         T         H        E So, here's another meditation from Chopra Center to try if you like-- it's super short--@ 4 minutes or so.  Worth every minute for your peace/piece of mind! GrOwNuP cOMmAnd: get off of FACEBOOK, TV, YouTube, MineCraft, eMail, texting, your iPod, your iPad, your iPhone etc.  (insert name of your fav technology)! . . . for only 4 minutes, yo-- OR ELSE, well, I'll just have to . . . uh, . . . (insert your worst fear here!)!  So tHeRe! JuSt KiDdiNg, ya! The Meditator: Episode 2 The Chopra Well Just so you know--meditation changed my life and helped gave me  the amazing gift of peace.  I didn't really know I had peace within me the whole time, . . . but I'll tell you THAT story later this week.  It's a good one! Lots of love and peace! ;) dana  p.s. I'm doing the Chopra 21-day meditation challenge! It's free and amazingly transfomative! If you're interested, click here! Chopra 21-day Meditation Challenge. Remember, you don't have to be perfect about it--even meditating once has amazing and lasting benefits! *from linsdomain.com. Some of the information on this webpage was derived from the following sources: Sans, Jamie & Carson, David.  Medicine Cards: the Discovery of Power Through the Way of Animals.  Santa Fe, NM. 1988.  Print. Andrews, Ted. Animal-speak: the Spiritual & Magical Powers of Creatures Great & Small. Woodbury, MN: Llewellyn Publications, 1993. Print. Andrews, Ted.  Animal-Wise: the Spirit Language and Signs of Nature.  Woodbury, MN: Llewellyn Publications, 1999. Print. D. J. Conway.  Animal Magick: the Art of Recognizing & Working with Familiars. Woodbury, MN: Llewellyn Publications, 2003. Print. Farmer, Steven D.  Animal Spirit Guides.  Hayhouse Inc., 2006.  Print.