Screaming at Squirrels
Moments in the Flow: Lessons From Nature
Hello again,
When I moved to the Upstate of South Carolina, it was the first time I had a home with a fenced-in backyard. I chose plants for the perimeter garden. And I bought a bird feeder. I’ve always been a bird lover and spent time taking photographs of wading birds in the Florida Wetlands, but here there were smaller birds that flew away on being noticed.
But a bird feeder changed that, and I had lots of time to see them, looking out from the glass paned French doors. I have a special memory of my first year here, and a gorgeous, regal male cardinal that would sit on the fence when I came to the dinner table. It took a few days to realize that he stayed there until I finished eating. Then, without another peck of seed for himself, he took off for his night somewhere in the woods behind me.
If you have a book like Animal Speak, or just google, you can find meanings given to animals and other creatures. Of the cardinal it is said they represent a visit from an ancestor. I couldn’t be sure, but I’d like to think it was my Grandfather, just helping me settle in.
I had a colorful and diverse mix of birds at my feeder. And I discovered that the tiny chickadee was the most assertive and bold of the lot. It would broadcast the need for a refill and once, sat on the fence near me the whole time I spent putting the seeds in so it would be first to get the benefit.
In time, and with different community gardeners, the trees came closer to our homes. I started seeing squirrels (trees are apparently their highways) and of course, they began helping themselves to the bird seed. The feeder hung near a cypress they had no trouble climbing to the right height, but they could also hop on the feeder from the fence or make their way up the pole.
At one point, I oiled the pole and it was amusing to watch their surprise when they slid down over-and-over again. But they had those other ways, and I got tired of oiling. Speaking to others, I learned that ways to foil the squirrel were a full-time occupation here in the Blue Ridge. Many feeders claim to be squirrel proof. But not for long. And so, I also found myself opening the back door to scare them away. They got used to that too. I added yelling at them. More effective.
Then came the day I was getting ready to ordain two ministerial students. The Alliance of Divine Love (a federally recognized Non-Profit 501(c)(3) interfaith ministry) has three levels of study and a year of internship, but only one major principle. These students would take a vow to always seek the ‘greatest degree of love.’
Crossing through the living room, I saw a squirrel filling its cheeks. I banged on the window. No change. And then I opened the door and screamed. Off he went but I finally realized what I was doing and how my own vow to this principle had not expanded to include a creature who didn’t understand anything other than their need to survive and that meant finding food where it presented itself. I felt I had to defend the birds but there was no contract between the birds and the birdseed, barring any others from eating them. And at least, the squirrel left some for them.
Not long after, I would discover how lucky I was that the raccoons hadn’t found my feeder yet. I went easy on the squirrels, but then the regular, noisy night marauding, take-it-all and destroying the feeder behavior of the racoons put an end to feeding the birds in my yard. Sigh.
Some of you may have realized that there was a metaphor, or for the psychology-oriented, a pattern activated in my rage at the bushy-tailed enemy. Lack of control had influence over several areas in my life at that time. And I couldn’t yell my way out of them. It took years, and lots of sessions with my friend Sammie who is an Emotion/Body/Belief Code practitioner, but I’ve recently noticed I am far less reactive in general. I feel the reaction but then I look at it, take some time to breathe and respond in a more positive way.
This week a simple event gave me more confirmation of my emotional growth. As I frequently do, I took some of the heels of my Ezekial sprouted seed bread and ripped them into small pieces. I usually toss them into the woods but on this day I took a small paper bowl and put them in it. I put the bowl on the cement slab, thinking I would see the birds having a good time.
When I came into the room and looked out there was a squirrel. It wasn’t what I wanted to see, but then I saw something else. The squirrel was in ecstasy with this treat. I could relate to having felt that way at certain mealtimes. I smiled. I laughed. I walked away happy.
If you look up the ‘medicine’ of squirrel, you’d find their meanings. And I think I could have learned more of this in my life. They are the masters of preparation for times of need. And here we are now, with the rising costs of everything and support systems being threatened. Some have learned the squirrel lesson of putting things away for times like this. Others haven’t or haven’t been able to do so.
But I also found out why the racoon is one of the only animals the Native Americans describe in a negative way. With their human-like hands, these are the thieves and their message can be to be aware of someone who may take from you. Their black masks can hint at someone who is hiding who they truly are. And while this raccoon pilfering was going on I was experiencing someone like that…but fortunately, I saw through some of it and didn’t stay in that relationship long enough for this to play out.
One of the first card decks used animals to deliver messages. Medicine Cards by Jamie Sams and David Carson. They had studied with a beloved Seneca medicine woman, Grandmother Twylah and teachers from other Native American traditions.
In the original deck there are 44 cards with animals, insects, fish, and there is a page for Squirrel. I have read that they now have 46 cards, and I noticed they added a page for Raccoon. When they call it a generous protector, they refer to the way they travel in groups and address their needs.
In another passage they say: “Raccoon carries the medicine of the protector of the underdog and provider for the young, infirm and elderly.” I can certainly relate to this, more now than when the raccoons were visiting. What we’re seeing here in the US is the taking away of this protection and revealing the nature of some of those aligned with these actions. Some of their masks are coming off.
Through it all, the birds still come to find food in other ways. At this time of year, they make nests in the woods and a few of my bushes in the front of my home. I get to hear their beautiful, uplifting songs. The squirrels still visit, too. And more lessons are on the way.
See you next time!
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