[Vilturj] Glider totem
Mar. 31st, 2008 11:39 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
moonvoiceGlider - Soaring Through Life
Keywords:
Soaring through life. Comfort. Letting others in. Being helped and helping others. Bonding. Tree magic, worship and healing. Marshall your focus. Know your destination. A good chat. Sharing your problems and praises.
General Description:
Gliders in Australia consist of the arboreal, marsupial gliding possums, from the wrist-winged gliders to the greater gliders. They are known for their ability to glide from tree to tree by extending flaps of skin between their forelegs and backlegs. This gliding is called 'volplaning', and some gliders and volplane up to 150 metres. Gliders also tend to have a prehensile tail used to help them balance. Their diet is diverse depending on the species featuring leaves, flowers, nectar, insects and small vertebrates.
Most gliders live in social groups of 3 to 10 animals and often scent mark each other for identification purposes. This social network also enables them to keep warm in winter, where they often sleep together in tree hollows. Gliders are often very vocal and gregarious, and gurgle, hiss, scream, shriek, yap and snort when communicating, they are also usually quite smelly.
Lessons and Challenges:
The glider has a warm and gregarious energy, and teaches us how to interact with others in ways that benefit and comfort us. Glider is a great animal spirit to work with if you want to focus more on your ability to bond meaningfully with others; particularly if your insecurities or fears are holding you back from opening up or allowing others to give comfort to you.
Glider represents a time of helping others, and being helped by others. At best, it represents true community development and involvement on the small scale, where families and/or friends are brought together to share a common goal or aim. Whether this is coming together for a job or development, or whether it is coming together to provide aid or assistance to someone in need. Glider reminds us that no person is an island, and that it is through our interactions at this time that we will be nourished.
Letting others in, or giving ourselves permission to be vulnerable around others is something that many people struggle with. Glider can be a powerful energy in learning how to trust in ourselves and others, so that we may open up to receive the full benefit of relationships and friendships.
Friendship is not just about sharing your problems with someone else, it's also about sharing the good times. Glider reminds us that a balance in our friendships is crucial for their health. Don't just laugh with your friends, be strong enough to cry with them too. Conversely, don't just always talk about your problems, or their problems; remember to go out and have a good time as well. Share more of yourself emotionally, in a balanced manner, and you will find that your genuine friends will return the favour.
There is obviously an emphasis on friendship and bonding with glider energy, and at a more mundane level, glider brings into focus the benefits of a good chat. Sometimes it's good to just sit with a friend, or friends, and talk for hours. If you find it difficult to meet with people in real life, consider talking online or on the phone. Talking can be healing, as simply the act of allowing yourself to sit down and relax with a friend and chat, can be beneficial and help to strengthen friendships.
Glider is not a scatty energy. Gliders in real life must be focused in order to be aware of exactly where they will land before leaping. Likewise glider energy teaches us that it is important at this time to concentrate and marshall your focus; particularly in regards to any important decisions you are making (either internally or externally). Make sure you are aware of what you are leaping into, before you do so!
Glider tells us to be savvy, we have the skills to see what is going on around us, and we even have the skills to take comfort in our friends, there is no reason why we cannot be fully prepared before any major decision.
There is a sense of comfort with glider energy. Those who want to work with animal energies or guides but feel a bit scared or insecure will find glider energy to be tremendously reassuring. Glider energy provides comfort, and encourages comfort. Glider can also teach the skill of self-soothing, for those who are not very good at taking it easy on themselves.
One of the more joyous lessons of glider, is that it teaches us how to soar through our lives with a sense of freedom and empowerment. It is only once glider knows its goal (i.e. the tree it is aiming for), that it can soar freely on the winds, dancing its body masterfully through the air. Likewise, once you start to know more about yourself, your destinations and the reasons behind the decisions you are making, you will find yourself in a more empowered position. You will be able to soar through your life.
Glider draws attention, holistically, towards tree worship, tree magic and tree healing. Consider looking into the symbolism of trees that you like, or that you take notice of. Consider investing in the future of trees by planting some with local groups, or by helping those trees you see around you every day by nourishing them with water or pruning, and saying a hello and thank you. Trees shelter us, support us and nourish us, but we often forget to remember just how important they are in our lives. Glider prods us gently in the direction of remembering that we can be grateful for trees, even as we exploit them.
The Shadow Aspects:
Those who fear or dislike gliders may find that they something blocks them from accepting the comfort and help of others. They may feel unable to let others in, they may fear how others will react to what they're really thinking, or they may simply see comfort as a form of charity and maybe an unwanted form of weakness. Glider challenges people to see what comfort and letting others in for support is not a sign of weakness, rather, it is a sign of strength. Having the courage to show others who you really are and what you really need will nourish you at this time. Talk to others, share yourself with them, know what it is to be looked after by others and the universe.
Communion:
Like all animal helpers, this animal will only appear when right and appropriate, and cannot be forced to visit you, commune with you, or share messages with you. Glider is a very friendly energy, and one that I would recommend beginners who are quite scared or fearful try to meet. Glider energy is chatty and vivacious. It is usually reassuring, friendly, and also very easy to read and understand. Glider in my own experience always 'talks,' whether it's in its own sounds, or in my own language. I have also met other people who find that glider in visualisation is charming, comforting and very tolerant of mistakes.
Glider has a joyful energy that reaches out to you, if you give it a chance. For those who have problems 'meeting' animals, glider is a good place to start. To really benefit from glider energy, consider visualising a forest of flowering eucalyptus trees at night time, or if you are able, offer eucalyptus blossoms to really cement a bond with the energy.
Keywords:
Soaring through life. Comfort. Letting others in. Being helped and helping others. Bonding. Tree magic, worship and healing. Marshall your focus. Know your destination. A good chat. Sharing your problems and praises.
General Description:
Gliders in Australia consist of the arboreal, marsupial gliding possums, from the wrist-winged gliders to the greater gliders. They are known for their ability to glide from tree to tree by extending flaps of skin between their forelegs and backlegs. This gliding is called 'volplaning', and some gliders and volplane up to 150 metres. Gliders also tend to have a prehensile tail used to help them balance. Their diet is diverse depending on the species featuring leaves, flowers, nectar, insects and small vertebrates.
Most gliders live in social groups of 3 to 10 animals and often scent mark each other for identification purposes. This social network also enables them to keep warm in winter, where they often sleep together in tree hollows. Gliders are often very vocal and gregarious, and gurgle, hiss, scream, shriek, yap and snort when communicating, they are also usually quite smelly.
Lessons and Challenges:
The glider has a warm and gregarious energy, and teaches us how to interact with others in ways that benefit and comfort us. Glider is a great animal spirit to work with if you want to focus more on your ability to bond meaningfully with others; particularly if your insecurities or fears are holding you back from opening up or allowing others to give comfort to you.
Glider represents a time of helping others, and being helped by others. At best, it represents true community development and involvement on the small scale, where families and/or friends are brought together to share a common goal or aim. Whether this is coming together for a job or development, or whether it is coming together to provide aid or assistance to someone in need. Glider reminds us that no person is an island, and that it is through our interactions at this time that we will be nourished.
Letting others in, or giving ourselves permission to be vulnerable around others is something that many people struggle with. Glider can be a powerful energy in learning how to trust in ourselves and others, so that we may open up to receive the full benefit of relationships and friendships.
Friendship is not just about sharing your problems with someone else, it's also about sharing the good times. Glider reminds us that a balance in our friendships is crucial for their health. Don't just laugh with your friends, be strong enough to cry with them too. Conversely, don't just always talk about your problems, or their problems; remember to go out and have a good time as well. Share more of yourself emotionally, in a balanced manner, and you will find that your genuine friends will return the favour.
There is obviously an emphasis on friendship and bonding with glider energy, and at a more mundane level, glider brings into focus the benefits of a good chat. Sometimes it's good to just sit with a friend, or friends, and talk for hours. If you find it difficult to meet with people in real life, consider talking online or on the phone. Talking can be healing, as simply the act of allowing yourself to sit down and relax with a friend and chat, can be beneficial and help to strengthen friendships.
Glider is not a scatty energy. Gliders in real life must be focused in order to be aware of exactly where they will land before leaping. Likewise glider energy teaches us that it is important at this time to concentrate and marshall your focus; particularly in regards to any important decisions you are making (either internally or externally). Make sure you are aware of what you are leaping into, before you do so!
Glider tells us to be savvy, we have the skills to see what is going on around us, and we even have the skills to take comfort in our friends, there is no reason why we cannot be fully prepared before any major decision.
There is a sense of comfort with glider energy. Those who want to work with animal energies or guides but feel a bit scared or insecure will find glider energy to be tremendously reassuring. Glider energy provides comfort, and encourages comfort. Glider can also teach the skill of self-soothing, for those who are not very good at taking it easy on themselves.
One of the more joyous lessons of glider, is that it teaches us how to soar through our lives with a sense of freedom and empowerment. It is only once glider knows its goal (i.e. the tree it is aiming for), that it can soar freely on the winds, dancing its body masterfully through the air. Likewise, once you start to know more about yourself, your destinations and the reasons behind the decisions you are making, you will find yourself in a more empowered position. You will be able to soar through your life.
Glider draws attention, holistically, towards tree worship, tree magic and tree healing. Consider looking into the symbolism of trees that you like, or that you take notice of. Consider investing in the future of trees by planting some with local groups, or by helping those trees you see around you every day by nourishing them with water or pruning, and saying a hello and thank you. Trees shelter us, support us and nourish us, but we often forget to remember just how important they are in our lives. Glider prods us gently in the direction of remembering that we can be grateful for trees, even as we exploit them.
The Shadow Aspects:
Those who fear or dislike gliders may find that they something blocks them from accepting the comfort and help of others. They may feel unable to let others in, they may fear how others will react to what they're really thinking, or they may simply see comfort as a form of charity and maybe an unwanted form of weakness. Glider challenges people to see what comfort and letting others in for support is not a sign of weakness, rather, it is a sign of strength. Having the courage to show others who you really are and what you really need will nourish you at this time. Talk to others, share yourself with them, know what it is to be looked after by others and the universe.
Communion:
Like all animal helpers, this animal will only appear when right and appropriate, and cannot be forced to visit you, commune with you, or share messages with you. Glider is a very friendly energy, and one that I would recommend beginners who are quite scared or fearful try to meet. Glider energy is chatty and vivacious. It is usually reassuring, friendly, and also very easy to read and understand. Glider in my own experience always 'talks,' whether it's in its own sounds, or in my own language. I have also met other people who find that glider in visualisation is charming, comforting and very tolerant of mistakes.
Glider has a joyful energy that reaches out to you, if you give it a chance. For those who have problems 'meeting' animals, glider is a good place to start. To really benefit from glider energy, consider visualising a forest of flowering eucalyptus trees at night time, or if you are able, offer eucalyptus blossoms to really cement a bond with the energy.
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no subject
Date: 2008-03-31 03:57 am (UTC)I've got quite a few of them in the folder that rotates on my desktop once a minute to random images. Yay for wonderful, colorful animal art!
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Date: 2008-03-31 04:01 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-03-31 04:02 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-03-31 04:14 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-03-31 04:22 am (UTC)This is Laylah, the squirrel glider. (Hard to tell she's a glider when she's all tucked into her dinner and curled up like that, but she is. And excuse her bald spot, that is all healed up now.)
Laylah would like to say something; I'll translate.
*growly miniature chain-saw noise*
Laylah says" "Thank you for so accurately and lovingly representing glider-kind!"
*More growly noises*
"i r not THAT smelly!"
*Growly growly growly snort*
"u r mah friend. i has mealyworms. u can has mealyworms too."
That's quite a compliment coming from a glider! ;-)
Seriously, the picture is lovely. Well done!
no subject
Date: 2008-03-31 04:23 am (UTC)Excellent, as always.
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Date: 2008-03-31 04:25 am (UTC)And yeah, I can tell she's a glider, all those little skin fold wrinkles. They are so adorable. The place where I will be moving will have western pygmy possums. That makes me incredibly happy.
I love how 'chatty' they are, even when it's along the lines of 'I'm grumpy, feed me, no really, I need food, wait, oh my god, wait, are you going to NOT be feeding me?! Are you serious???'
no subject
Date: 2008-03-31 04:29 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-03-31 04:36 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-03-31 04:43 am (UTC)OHMYVARIOUSGODS- you are spying on us. :-) I swear, Laylah said that just this morning, 'bout 5am!
Needless to say, I got up & fed her. Gliders have scary dangerous teeth!
no subject
Date: 2008-03-31 04:46 am (UTC)I have never - thankfully - been close enough to a glider to know how scary their teeth are, yikes! I've had enough as it is with the bigger cockatoos, yikes, like my favourite sorts of galahs that say 'loooook, scritch me, oooo I like scritches, that's right, that's right, come closer, come closerrrr, looooook..... CHOMP.'
Eep.
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Date: 2008-03-31 04:48 am (UTC)On the other hand, I find it awesome. But pets, all pets, even 'loner' cats need attention. Sometimes I feel like I'm the only one in our house that pays the right kind of attention to the cat, and we raised her to be really social, so...
(sorry, rant. Cat is begging for attention and I am holding her off by danging a necklace off the side of the computer desk.)
no subject
Date: 2008-03-31 04:52 am (UTC)Absolutely not, especially the trend of people in the USA keeping them outside of their native habit.
I'm dead against it. Especially after encountering one US citizen who seemed happy to let her squirrel glider subsist on ham. *shoots her*
In the case of
no subject
Date: 2008-03-31 04:53 am (UTC)I wonder if I should stop by for a formal hello?
(That aside, lovely colouring! Much more mellow than I was expecting, but I've always loved blues and purples. I'd forgotten gliders could be nocturnal...)
no subject
Date: 2008-03-31 05:04 am (UTC)Laylah is seven years old, was given to me by a member of the public who'd had her since she was a baby. She isn't releasable, so she will live out the rest of her life with me. (Perfectly healthy, just never been in the wild, and we don't know where she came from precisely. As per NPWS, I can only release an animal if I can put it back into its genetic region, and in the case of gliders, into unoccupied territory.) She has a big cage here in the house with her nest box, her hanging pouch, tree leaves, branches & flowers, and soon she will have a big climbing tree here in the lounge room. She is quite overweight- came to me that way- and the hair loss was also due to diet. But she's coming along well, the weight is starting to come off, and her hair has completely grown back. Her coat is so silky!
Gliders bottom teeth are about a centimetre long and razor sharp. They can actually go all the way through your finger when they bite. Fortunately that hasn't happened to me, I am careful, and Laylah and the other gliders I've cared for have only done warning bites- they sort of knock you with the flat of their teeth. I know to back off at that point, especially when it is accompanied by that unearthly growling.
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Date: 2008-03-31 05:06 am (UTC)Lovely!
^_^
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Date: 2008-03-31 05:06 am (UTC)*hugs*
Gliders teach hard lessons, but at least they have a fluffy energy to teach it with. ;)
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Date: 2008-03-31 05:08 am (UTC)They can actually go all the way through your finger when they bite.
Yay! *pulls face*
Unearthly growling. eheh. I wish I could hear it. One day, one day, I will get back into helping out animals, even if it's just to volunteer my data entry skills.
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Date: 2008-03-31 05:09 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-03-31 05:14 am (UTC)I love the soft look of the leaves.
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Date: 2008-03-31 05:15 am (UTC)do you use photoshop to color your work?
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Date: 2008-03-31 05:16 am (UTC)And thank you. :)
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Date: 2008-03-31 05:20 am (UTC)For example, Laylah's daily diet includes mealy worms (I raise them, they are like glider 'popcorn", not terribly nutritious, but apparantly delicious), apple, pear, rock melon, tomato, sweet potato, carrots, grapes (just a snack- no nutritional value), various flowering natives to nuzzle, eucalyptus branches & leaves (gliders drink the sap), crickets, spiders, roaches, grubs, and rolled oats. Oh yes, let us not forget glider shake made with raw egg, ground eggshell, vitamins, high protien mix, glucose powder, a touch of divetelact and sterilized water. Gliders also eat small birds and lizards, but I haven't fed any to Laylah. She occasionally eats rice, beans & pulses, regular potato and various unsalted nuts but I am trying to keep her intake on those low.
Gliders are not terribly social, and tend to only connect with one person if kept around humans. They are no good with children. They can climb anything, have sharp claws, and dangerous teeth. Plus here in Australia they are protected, you have to be licensed to care for them. Not many people want to take that step, thus we rehabbers end up with gliders that often have to be euthanised due to being unable to rehab & relocate them. (They can't go just anywhere, they have specific territories, and specific gene pools thay have to stay in.)
I knew having Laylah would be a lot of work & extra expense, but because she is so rare (squirrel glider) and so cute I choose to take on her care. I'm glad I did; it took a while for her to bond with me, but now she loves me and is my darling. And apparantly I am her walking tree with long hair to hide in. ;-)
no subject
Date: 2008-03-31 05:24 am (UTC)*nods* That's where I'm at. Unless you're in a position, like yourself, to give them adequate care, diet, mental stimulation and deal with behaviours that other people might term problematic, why have them? I think my own feral cat is chore enough when he's going a bit crazy and needs some time out and solid 'play,' to get it out of his system.
Not many people want to take that step, thus we rehabbers end up with gliders that often have to be euthanised due to being unable to rehab & relocate them.
I think one day, when I have the time and space and money, I would like to get licensed so that I can care for those animals which can't be rehomed/released, but also would have a fairly decent quality of life if given diet / care / stimulation / space to thrive.
That day will not be for some time. But it's something I think I'm called to do in a way I'm not called to have children. Heh.
no subject
Date: 2008-03-31 05:25 am (UTC)That said, I love Laylah and would hate to lose her. I wouldn't have attmpted to keep one before now though, even though the vet I trained with in the states was a glider expert. They just take a lot of work & knowledge.
Now that your knee is back in shape, you'll be feeling better- maybe once the house is built you can do rehab volunteer work and have growly glider noises of your own at 5am. ;-) It's trippy, and even a bit scary 'til you get used to the sound.
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Date: 2008-03-31 05:25 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-03-31 05:28 am (UTC)When your day for rehab work comes, I will celebrate, because I know the animals in WA will have an excellent person on their team. :-)
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Date: 2008-03-31 05:30 am (UTC)In the meantime, I'll keep doing my totem files.
I'm drafting flying fox at the moment. Dear god they're weird looking animals!
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Date: 2008-03-31 05:41 am (UTC)Can't wait to see Flying Fox- that is an animal I am craving to care for, but can't yet 'til I have a rabies vaccine series. (Which I can't afford right now. Too expensive for my budget!) They are such dear, funny faced little monkeys! (Actually, the monkey label is more than just silly; there is some new genetic research that shows a link from Flying Foxes to primates- they may be Australia's only true native primate... other than Warwick Capper. LOL.)
At some point I need to discuss with you possibly buying some of your artwork- both for FAWNA and for my own home. And I know someone who will go nuts for the Flying Fox picture once it's done. :-)
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Date: 2008-03-31 05:44 am (UTC)Love you
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Date: 2008-03-31 05:44 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-03-31 07:19 am (UTC)pretty pretty pleeeeeease
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Date: 2008-03-31 07:42 am (UTC)And yeah flying fox has been heaps of fun so far. A bit challenging at first, but I heart them. They do have very monkey-like faces! Though I think it's their eyes which always remind me of primates.
I saw a whole heap at Healesville Sanctuary in Melbourne when I came over, man they really are strange looking. *grin*
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Date: 2008-03-31 09:51 am (UTC)I must get it once it's published.
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Date: 2008-03-31 09:52 am (UTC)Marshall your focus. Know your destination.
That sounds suspiciously like a motto ;-)
If you ever publish all this I'm buying one!
xoxox
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Date: 2008-03-31 01:01 pm (UTC)Will there ever be prints available? I'm making a list of prints of yours I'd like to buy soon.
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Date: 2008-03-31 01:52 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-03-31 04:26 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-03-31 09:22 pm (UTC)Rehabilitation, like I should have been able to guess, makes much more sense and removes my mild cognitive dissonance nicely.
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Date: 2008-03-31 09:26 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-03-31 11:05 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-03-31 11:28 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-04-01 12:45 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-04-01 02:08 am (UTC)The irony here is that it's illegal to keep them as pets at all, unless it's in the rare case that an animal can't be rehabbed into the wild and will still have a relatively good quality of life without it.
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Date: 2008-04-01 02:48 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-04-01 04:54 am (UTC)