The Turtle Had A Message.
But what was it?
The Turtle Message
I stared at the turtle for a long time, and he stared back. It wasn’t a stare-down to see which of us would blink first.
It was communication from the turtle to me.
You are just too busy, too distracted, too interested in acquiring things, too caught up in manipulated messages, too afraid of what isn’t working, and too tired (who wouldn’t be after all that) to notice, let alone listen.
That was the message the turtle was conveying to me.
Slow down—one step at a time.
It was a good message for the turtle to bring to me at that time. He arrived at our front door just after we had moved into a new home, and I was exhausted.
We never saw him again, but I think of his visit whenever I feel tired and overwhelmed.
Consider the Turtle’s skill.
It lives both on land and in the water. It is always home. It is not distracted. It is purposeful, resourceful, observant, patient, and persistent.
Turtles listen.
Through their skin and shell, they sense vibrations in the water. They see well and pay attention.
The turtle knows it has all the time in the world.
What a difference from most of our lives, where we move from one task to the next without much awareness other than getting it done.
For the Seneca Indians of northern New York State, the Turtle is the animal for October.
Tree Messages
This is a perfect fit because October trees have a message, too: “Let go of what you don’t need.”
Trees demonstrate that letting go is not painful. Their letting go is stunningly beautiful as they release their green and reveal the underlying color essence of each leaf.
It’s not the end. It is a new beginning.
The Umbrella Message
As I waited for an appointment, I wondered why one Starbucks umbrella was spinning, and the other was not. I asked, “What is the message?”
It took me a moment to notice that the spinning one was not fully inflated.
This allowed the wind to catch it from beneath and spin it while the other was fully inflated, fully itself, and therefore stable.
The message was, “Be fully yourself, and distractions have less chance to gain a foothold and spin you in the wind.”
A Well Message
We visited some friends who use a well for their water. Due to the drought in their area, they were extra cautious with water because they didn’t know how much water remained in the well.
What was the message?
I imagined the difference between a well in the ground, tapping limited water supplies, and the well within, spoken of in the Bible that delivers “living waters” because it taps the unlimited Infinite.
The message from the well brought the message from the turtle, the trees, and the umbrella to a full circle.
A Full Circle of Messages
Dropping our awareness deep into the understanding that Life is a calm stillness, ever-expanding into newness, and recognizing our full identity as an expression of Life, we are not easily distracted from our purpose.
We shall never thirst or find ourselves in need.
This awareness eliminates the idea that we must be busy to succeed or hold on to what we have.
It reminds us that fully expressing our unique spiritual identity and given talents keeps us stable.
Messages Are Symbols
Everything that we see is a symbol of the presence of the Divine or the One Infinite Intelligence.
That means everything carries a message—if noticed—that leads us back to the awareness of the Infinite Intelligence of Love’s presence.
Don’t be fooled by a counterfeit or inverted message, which leads to fear and lack.
This is a misinterpretation, guaranteed to spin you in the wind.
It’s easy to tell the difference.
The counterfeit message or symbol distracts us from the One who is all Good. The real message always refers back to the One.
Messages don’t have to take days to figure out.
It can be quick and easy. All we have to do is pay attention and follow.
Our Choice
Let’s be like the turtle, undistracted from our purpose
Let’s take one step after another, pausing to establish where we are going.
Let’s be like the trees and let go of what we don’t need.
Let’s fully live our purpose so we cannot be manipulated and distracted.
Let’s trust in the guidance that leads us all to the well of “water springing up into everlasting life.” - Luke 4:10-14
Messages, they are all around us. All we have to do is pay attention.