The Tormented Turtle
For most of my life, my chosen totem has been turtle. It showed up early in my life and its spirit
and presence has traveled with me over the years. I have turtle symbols all over the house, and
as much as other animal spirits have come into my dreams and reality, it is the
turtle that has had a constant presence.
Such is the reason for this blog that I share with you today.
On a quiet Sunday afternoon recently, my wife and I
sat in the car by the side of a pond in Seneca Park. She read aloud from a book we are sharing
while I watched people walking, feeding the ducks, and sitting quietly fishing.
As she read I noticed a man at the edge of the pond
holding onto a struggling creature that I thought at first was a fish he had
caught. Then I realized he was holding a
large turtle by the tail and the turtle was trying to escape his hold. The more the turtle struggled, the more
agitated I became. I wanted to run over
and tell him to let the turtle go. I
watched as a second man brought a plastic bucket with a lid and the turtle was
thrown into it. I was angry but didn't
make a move.
I began to wonder what would happen to the
turtle. Did it know its fate? Would the man take it home to eat or give it
to his children as a pet? Either way it
was a dismal scenario. I thought about
offering them money for the turtle, but what if they wanted more? If I walked over to the men, my companion,
who is an animal activist, would rear up and challenge them to let the turtle go. I suppose that would not be a bad idea if it
weren't for the thought we could be maimed or shot. People have been killed recently for lesser
or no reason, which ironically may be the same for the turtle.
I am feeling guilty for not trying to rescue the
turtle. I spoke to my wise son about
this experience and his warm, generous ways suggested that maybe the man had
hooked the turtle with his fishing pole and it would have died anyway. I’m thinking that’s just a kind excuse. We talked about how many people see aquatic
animals as food. Animals are always
being taken by humans for food or the sport of game. There are tons of “what ifs,” and
“maybes.” Still, I did not act upon my
heart’s pain. I turned away and did
nothing. Now I lament.
Some
of the symbolism of the turtle totem is staying grounded, even
in moments of disturbances and chaos, emotional strength and understanding, and
an affinity to the ancient wisdom of the earth.
The wisdom of the turtle totem
teaches us about determination and staying strong despite obstacles or
distractions. This animal encourages those who have it as totem to listen
deeply to their guidance and trust their path no matter what.
Even as I neglected to
act on her behalf, turtle has given me her wisdom to go forth responsibly and
to do the right thing the next time I have the opportunity. She has never let me down. Thank you to beautiful turtle.
