The bear, the eagle, the wolf...all spirit animal totems, all well known and identified with by many. However there is one virtually unknown and quite an unexpected totem: The jolly Sea-Monkey!
Recently, my brother, my cousin and I visited Toys'R'Us out of pure curiosity. It had been so long since I had been to that magical land: after all, that's where I first got my super-nintendo, Dragonball Z action figures and pokemon cards...ahh...what a fantastic and innocent period of life that was.
This time I walked past much of what would have caught my eye years ago and found the
"Fun Science" section in the back of the building. There in front of me was a packet of Sea-Monkey Eggs. I recalled that I did have some when I was a child but the memory was vague and I couldn't remember what their fate was. So I bought a packet and decided to embark upon the journey to raise this fascinating specie of brine shrimp.
After about five days I was happy to find a few little specks swimming around the little glass bowl I put the powdery eggs in. It became a bit of an emotional rollercoaster though, as after a few days only ONE little Sea-Monkey remained. This was the beginning of the legend of Astrix.
Though a lone survivor, Astrix was vigorous and joyful: illustrated by his swimming patterns that consisted of loops, zig zags and sudden dives. However as the days past, I felt bad that he had no companions and thought I should get him some friends the next time I was near Toys'R'Us.
A month had past and I still hadn't made it to the land of toys...but one day I found out that I wouldn't need to. As part of my daily routine, I was putting in the tiny sprinkle of the spirulina and yeast mix Sea-Monkey food and pumping some air into the bowl with a pipet to keep the water well oxygenated. By this time Astrix was HUGE (by Sea-Monkey standards). As I watched him swim I felt that pang of sadness, thinking he was all alone in his little water world. Then suddenly I noticed a speck.
Was it consciously swimming?
But wait!
There were more...and of varying sizes!
Could it be?!
No wonder Astrix had an extra pep in his paddle these days, adding a corkscrew trick to his repertoire! I was ecstatic. This meant so much to me; too bad I was't immersed in water, otherwise I'd pull a few of Astrix's moves. What an example of perseverance, a ray of hope and a sign of abundance! Astix had been alone for so long and though I found it sad, that little shrimp know its potential all along! This was so uplifting and a great sign of fruitfulness in my own life. I stood up straight after staring at the aquarium for a while and looked around my apartment filled with plants, art, instruments, healthy foods, and a dear friend and partner going about her business.
What more could I ask for in that moment?
So...it so happens that the large sacs that had appeared on Astrix's body were egg sacs! I looked up some info on Sea- Monkeys and found out that they can asexually reproduce. I realized Astrix wasn't a "she" or a "he," just pure inspiration.
Let's see...how are those totem descriptions written?
If the Sea-Monkey has come into your life look out for fun and abundance! The Sea-Monkey reminds us to persevere even if the odds are stacked against us. The Sea-Monkey can asexually reproduce if it needs to and this teaches us to integrate the masculine and feminine within us, so that we may meet our challenges with the wholeness of our being. With this approach even the most hopeless situations become harmless detours along the way to our destination. So play a lot and enjoy life as it is in the moment. And if you are alone, collect who you are and refine yourself; as a conduit for life, you are the potential and endless inspiration from which more life may spring.
That'll do I think ;)
This time I walked past much of what would have caught my eye years ago and found the
"Fun Science" section in the back of the building. There in front of me was a packet of Sea-Monkey Eggs. I recalled that I did have some when I was a child but the memory was vague and I couldn't remember what their fate was. So I bought a packet and decided to embark upon the journey to raise this fascinating specie of brine shrimp.
After about five days I was happy to find a few little specks swimming around the little glass bowl I put the powdery eggs in. It became a bit of an emotional rollercoaster though, as after a few days only ONE little Sea-Monkey remained. This was the beginning of the legend of Astrix.
Though a lone survivor, Astrix was vigorous and joyful: illustrated by his swimming patterns that consisted of loops, zig zags and sudden dives. However as the days past, I felt bad that he had no companions and thought I should get him some friends the next time I was near Toys'R'Us.
A month had past and I still hadn't made it to the land of toys...but one day I found out that I wouldn't need to. As part of my daily routine, I was putting in the tiny sprinkle of the spirulina and yeast mix Sea-Monkey food and pumping some air into the bowl with a pipet to keep the water well oxygenated. By this time Astrix was HUGE (by Sea-Monkey standards). As I watched him swim I felt that pang of sadness, thinking he was all alone in his little water world. Then suddenly I noticed a speck.
Was it consciously swimming?
But wait!
There were more...and of varying sizes!
Could it be?!
No wonder Astrix had an extra pep in his paddle these days, adding a corkscrew trick to his repertoire! I was ecstatic. This meant so much to me; too bad I was't immersed in water, otherwise I'd pull a few of Astrix's moves. What an example of perseverance, a ray of hope and a sign of abundance! Astix had been alone for so long and though I found it sad, that little shrimp know its potential all along! This was so uplifting and a great sign of fruitfulness in my own life. I stood up straight after staring at the aquarium for a while and looked around my apartment filled with plants, art, instruments, healthy foods, and a dear friend and partner going about her business.
What more could I ask for in that moment?
So...it so happens that the large sacs that had appeared on Astrix's body were egg sacs! I looked up some info on Sea- Monkeys and found out that they can asexually reproduce. I realized Astrix wasn't a "she" or a "he," just pure inspiration.
Let's see...how are those totem descriptions written?
If the Sea-Monkey has come into your life look out for fun and abundance! The Sea-Monkey reminds us to persevere even if the odds are stacked against us. The Sea-Monkey can asexually reproduce if it needs to and this teaches us to integrate the masculine and feminine within us, so that we may meet our challenges with the wholeness of our being. With this approach even the most hopeless situations become harmless detours along the way to our destination. So play a lot and enjoy life as it is in the moment. And if you are alone, collect who you are and refine yourself; as a conduit for life, you are the potential and endless inspiration from which more life may spring.
That'll do I think ;)
