Lunchtime Companions

I often have lunch at the nearby Point State Park in Pittsburh. Yesterday, I sat down under my usual tree and these two Canadian Geese headed right to me. They were quite beautiful.

Plus, I've lately become appreciative of the elemental inspiration that can be drawn from waterfowl. (There is in facts a group of ducks that live in the stream next to my T stop.) Much of their life is spent in either water or air, so to me they represent compassion and inspiration.

However, as anyone who has been around ducks and geese knows, they're not always compassionate. That is, they can be very territorial and aggressive. (In fact, not too soon after I took this video, another pair of geese landed nearby, and they all put up quite a noisy and aggressive display.) But, the site Animal Totems does have some interesting things to say about Ducks. (You'll have to scroll a little down their page.) Here's a excerpt:

Affectionate and community oriented duck medicine people love and are loved deeply. They often feel a great need to be of service and make excellent healers. Because the coloring of ones personal duck is symbolic, healing with color can be beneficial.

Ducks are graceful as they glide through the water reminding us to be gentle with ourselves as we heal, learn and grow into our perfected self.

Pets and Ritual

There's an interesting post on the Pagan and the Pen about children in rituals. Well, I don't attend community rituals, and my stepdaughter is in college. But, I do have lots of pets. A sheltie and 5 cats to be exact.

When I started doing ritual at my altar, my cats were obviously intrigued, what with all the plants, burning candles and shiny objects, as well as an edible offering. When they first poked their heads around the stuff on the altar, I had the quickest impulse to nudge them away. But then I thought how wonderful that they are getting involved. Most of the time they sit next to me and I occasionally pet them. And if they want to eat a bit of the offering, they're welcome to it. They too are divine, aren't they? It really makes me think how free and beautiful the pagan/druid/wicca world is. It's not about how perfect, ordered, serious and quiet your ritual is. It's how much it comes from your heart.