Seal – ever curious – stands up within the water gazing about together with her darkish, soulful eyes earlier than diving once more into the enigmatic, mysterious sea. Seal initiates us into surprise by her extraordinary presence stuffed with playfulness, adaptability and deep feelings.
Goals, Feelings
Seals are marine mammals of the Carnivora order – members of one in all three extant households of pinnipeds – walruses, eared seals, and true seals. With flippers angled backwards making land motion troublesome, seals are greatest tailored for dwelling in water. Their streamlined our bodies assist them to be highly effective and swish swimmers. Their nostrils shut underwater and the pupils of their broad, darkish eyes broaden, permitting them to see effectively within the darkness of the deep sea.
Probably the most extensively dispersed of the 18 species of true seals, the harbor seal, additionally referred to as the frequent seal, is discovered alongside the coasts of the northern Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, and the Baltic and North Seas
Water, the place Seal spends a lot time, symbolizes feelings and the world of goals.
Seal is a shapeshifter within the folklore of the seafaring people of Scotland, Eire, the Faroe Islands and Iceland.
Known as Selkies or Selchies – dervied from the early Scottish phrase for seals, selich – they’re seals within the water, who on land shed their sealskins and turn out to be human. Selkies keep on land solely briefly earlier than returning to the ocean and can’t return to human type once more for seven years.
However their light magnificence as ladies proved alluring to those seafaring people. Many tales have been informed of males who, after witnessing feminine selkies sunning on the seaside, would steal a sealskin. That selkie, nonetheless in human type, was then compelled by circumstances to turn out to be his spouse. In most tales he hid her sealskin, thus marooning her on land. Typically the feminine selkie got here to take care of her husband they usually had kids collectively. However she at all times longed for the ocean. Generally she discovered her sealskin herself, generally her baby revealed it to her, however finally as soon as donning her true pores and skin, she returned to the ocean. In some tales she took her half-selkie kids together with her. In others the youngsters had been left behind. Some report that the selkie, now a seal, got here to play within the waves close to her earlier human residence,
One story from the Faroe Islands recounts how a person, caught in a horrible storm at sea, was saved by his Selkie spouse who donned her seal pores and skin and saved his life, giving up her human life to avoid wasting her love.
Sometimes the tales contain male selkies. They’re very good-looking and seduce dissatisfied wives into amorous affairs. However they’re solely visiting lovers, sustaining their residence underwater. It’s believed the girl can name her selkie lover by shedding seven tears into the ocean.
Feelings of affection and loss permeate these tales. Seal reminds you of the significance of emotional consciousness and the way they have an effect on your perceptions of actuality for good or for unhealthy.
Believing that seals had been created from the physique of their Sea Goddess, Sedna, as an harmless younger lady – they turned symbols of innocence to the Inuit.
Playfulness, Curiosity, Creativeness, Creativity, Consciousness
Everybody loves seals. Cute and playful, with their huge, pet canine eyes and clown-like antics, Seal reminds you that laughter feeds the soul.
Seals’ insatiable curiosity probably results in its antics because it jumps as much as uncover who or what’s close by – kayakers, swimmers, divers. Seal has even been noticed hitching a trip on the again of a whale.
These charismatic beings convey a light-hearted power to us all which evokes our creativeness to larger creativity.
A seal’s whiskers, which stay unresponsive to its personal motion, are highly effective instruments of consciousness permitting a fast response to disturbances attributable to different swimmers. Geared up with as much as 1,500 nerve endings, they will detect the dimensions, pace and route of potential prey after which comply with their path.
Seals have distinctive ears which aren’t exterior like different mammals. Their internally positioned ears give a superior capability to listen to the route of sounds when underwater.
Seal knowledge brings an consciousness of the vibrations swirling round you and the power to interpret them, growing your understanding of the true that means discovered within the phrases and actions of others.
Abundance, Power, Safety
Seals had been a principal meals supply for indigenous folks of the Pacific Northwest Coast. Hunted on land and within the open sea, Seal got here to symbolize abundance and security on the ocean to those tribes. Photos of seals are discovered on each instruments and ritual objects reminiscent of amulets, golf equipment, and masks.
Seals may be adorably cute however they’re additionally very robust and will be fierce when threatened. Seals have been identified to efficiently beat back assaults by polar bears, one in all their most ferocious predators. Or they take the trail of least resistance and easily swim away.
Seal has pure built-in safety towards the frigid chilly waters of her habitat – thick pores and skin, dense fur and a really thick layer of fats referred to as blubber.
Seal knowledge presents the power to stay powerful within the face of aggressive or troublesome conditions – to remain emotionally centered and non-reactive.
Adaptability, Change
Seal navigates deep waters with ease and an inherent sense of adaptability. The Harbor seal usually dives 500 ft for its meal with some having been identified to achieve over 1400 ft. When diving the depths, seals are capable of sluggish their coronary heart charge and maintain their breath for lengthy intervals of time – drawing on oxygen saved in blood and muscle mass and leaving regular blood circulation to produce solely their sense organs and nervous system.
Seals like to roam about. Harbor Seals transfer inside their natal space and at instances journey nearly 500 miles in quest of meals. They’ve even been noticed over 100 miles upstream in a river they adopted in quest of meals. Harp seals, who can dive as much as 1,000 ft, journey even additional – as much as 3,000 miles spherical journey annually.
Although seals spend most of their lives within the sea, they’re mammals who give start to their pups on land. Seal, accepting its clumsiness, additionally clambers on shore to loosen up, sunbathe, and socialize with different seals.
Seal calls you to hunt steadiness within the face of reverse wants or conditions. Seal knowledge presents steadiness between the elusive Water ingredient of feelings and goals and the secure Earth ingredient of power and groundedness
Divinatory
When Seal seems bear in mind the significance of incorporating play and laughter into your life, utilizing this power to entry your individual creativity and to specific your true self.
Give reign to your curiosity and permit it to extend your consciousness of life’s complicated conditions. Seal’s present of cleverness presents an consciousness of latest alternatives. Strive on Seal’s thick pores and skin and layer of fats as safety towards the barbs and thorns of life.
Seal asks you to concentrate to your goals and helps in your understanding of their meanings, whereas calling for an acknowledgement of your feelings as a pathway to your internal soul.
Seal reminds you of the significance of steadiness – between creativeness and mind, your internal world and the exterior world, the artistic and the mundane.
Sources: A Pure Historical past of Britain, Icy Sedgwick, Pure Assets Council of Maine, kidcyber, The Atlantic
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Judith Shaw, a graduate of the San Francisco Artwork Institute, has been fascinated with fantasy, tradition and mystical research all her life. Not lengthy after graduating from SFAI, whereas dwelling in Greece, Judith started exploring the Goddess in her artwork. She continues to be impressed by the Goddess in all of Her manifestations. She is now engaged on her subsequent deck of oracle playing cards – Animal Knowledge. Initially from New Orleans, Judith makes her residence in New Mexico the place she paints as a lot as time permits and sells actual property part-time. Give your self the present of one in all Judith’s prints or work,
Classes: animals, Earth-based spirituality, Basic, Delusion, Nature