Road Trip: Visit from an Albino Squirrel and Elk
I just got back from a road trip to New Mexico with my husband. It was good to get away from my home and responsibilities for a while. This was the first trip for me and my husband since I was pregnant with my son. We both needed a vacation.
We spent two days driving and two days in New Mexico. We went deep into the mountains to a place called Apache Creek. This was where my husband grew up. I was told it was a "town" but it only really consisted of a store that was positioned at the intersection of two roads. Apparently "towns" like this are common in the area.
The first day in this town we did quite a bit of hiking and roaming about the land where my husband played as a child. We visited the site of his old house, spoke with the new owners and hiked to the top of a mesa. On top of the mesa was his father's grave. It was a somber and quiet hike. I let my husband have his distance. I knew he was going through a lot of emotions and I felt them. I also think I was picking up on Spirit as I got very clearly the message "Leave him alone". And that is just what I did I kept my distance and let him have his time with his father and his memories. More than once I found myself heavy with grief.
On the way down from the mesa my husband spotted an animal and yelled, "Look! A mink!" I looked and saw this blondish-white colored animal with a fluffy tail run up and over a rock. I instantly recognized it as a squirrel and told my husband, "That's not a mink, that's an albino squirrel". It had the fluffiest tail and was quite big. I wish I could have had a better look at it. It was not completely white, more blonde, but it was definitely not a "normal" squirrel.
I instantly recognized the squirrel's visit as significant. Albino animals are considered sacred and convey a strong spiritual message. The squirrel typically symbolized energy, play, prudence, communication and socialization and reminds us to stay balanced.
I also saw a herd of elk up close prior to climbing and after the descent of the mesa. This group of elk was a nursery group that was taking care of multiple baby elk. This is common for elk in the summer months and I could hear the babies and mothers talking back and forth to one another. The babies sound like squeaky toys! The picture to the right is of the actual nursery group we encountered. They were not very scared of us and I was able to get several close shots. You can see the four babies on the far right. They still had their spots.
The spiritual significance of the elk is that of stamina and strength. Elk reminds us to consider the pace of our life and if we are ready and able to complete life's tasks. Are we going to fast? Too slow? Elk reminds us to keep a steady pace in life and to remember the value of friends and family.
Interestingly enough, both the squirrel and the elk's messages make sense now that I look back on our trip. Both of their messages include reminders of the importance of socialization. We met up with many old friends while in NM. The night we saw the elk and squirrel, we met up with some of my husband's family's friends. The woman had some things his mom left with her and so my husband spent a lot of time rummaging through some old files, art work, books, toys and other things. The next day, we did some more hiking to a hot springs in the area and then spent some time with a school friend of his. I was exhausted each night by the amount of traveling, hiking and socializing we did. I should have heeded what the elk said and taken more breaks and rested more. I often forgot to eat and just went at my husband's pace. Unfortunately, my husband often skips eating and resting when he is excited (which he was) and kept pushing me to do more and more while often being irritated at me for being hungry. It caused a breakdown in our communication but in the end both of us realized the importance of communication and rest.
I did have some spiritual encounters while on this trip. For the most part I just sensed Spirit but sometimes I got messages or felt Spirit. I was unable to get much sleep on the trip. I attribute this to both being in an unfamiliar situation and to being ultra sensitive to Spirit.
The strongest spiritual energy was on top of the mesa. It had a very strange feeling. It was a mixture of grief and confusion. I believe there was more than one Spirit up there. If my husband's father was one of them, he did not make himself known.
Two times I was able to tune into a particular Spirit energy. The first was from a female Spirit at the store we visited in Apache Creek. I felt a woman's presence and got the message that my husband's father did a good job of raising his children there. I found myself emotional when she contacted me and felt a lot of love all around me. The second came at night when I was struggling to fall asleep. I felt Spirit touching my arm; again female.
Finally, when we visited a ghost town that was once a mining town, I sensed spirit in all the buildings I visited. I particularly felt a strong Spirit presence when I visited the museum and walked into one of the old tunnels (left). I took several photos hoping to catch an orb or light anomaly, but was unsuccessful. When I visited the old hotel, I sensed Spirit on the stairs (right). Interestingly enough, the caretaker told me that there was a ghost there and that they had heard him walking the stairs when they were renovating the hotel.
Overall, the trip was a good one. I was able to forget my problems while I was gone and get some "space" and thus, some perspective on life. I was able to focus on my relationship with my husband and learn more about his past and his family.Finally, I was reminded of how beautiful this Earth is and how small I am in the big scheme of things. It made my problems look so insignificant.
We spent two days driving and two days in New Mexico. We went deep into the mountains to a place called Apache Creek. This was where my husband grew up. I was told it was a "town" but it only really consisted of a store that was positioned at the intersection of two roads. Apparently "towns" like this are common in the area.
The first day in this town we did quite a bit of hiking and roaming about the land where my husband played as a child. We visited the site of his old house, spoke with the new owners and hiked to the top of a mesa. On top of the mesa was his father's grave. It was a somber and quiet hike. I let my husband have his distance. I knew he was going through a lot of emotions and I felt them. I also think I was picking up on Spirit as I got very clearly the message "Leave him alone". And that is just what I did I kept my distance and let him have his time with his father and his memories. More than once I found myself heavy with grief.
The spiritual significance of the elk is that of stamina and strength. Elk reminds us to consider the pace of our life and if we are ready and able to complete life's tasks. Are we going to fast? Too slow? Elk reminds us to keep a steady pace in life and to remember the value of friends and family.
Interestingly enough, both the squirrel and the elk's messages make sense now that I look back on our trip. Both of their messages include reminders of the importance of socialization. We met up with many old friends while in NM. The night we saw the elk and squirrel, we met up with some of my husband's family's friends. The woman had some things his mom left with her and so my husband spent a lot of time rummaging through some old files, art work, books, toys and other things. The next day, we did some more hiking to a hot springs in the area and then spent some time with a school friend of his. I was exhausted each night by the amount of traveling, hiking and socializing we did. I should have heeded what the elk said and taken more breaks and rested more. I often forgot to eat and just went at my husband's pace. Unfortunately, my husband often skips eating and resting when he is excited (which he was) and kept pushing me to do more and more while often being irritated at me for being hungry. It caused a breakdown in our communication but in the end both of us realized the importance of communication and rest.
The strongest spiritual energy was on top of the mesa. It had a very strange feeling. It was a mixture of grief and confusion. I believe there was more than one Spirit up there. If my husband's father was one of them, he did not make himself known.
Two times I was able to tune into a particular Spirit energy. The first was from a female Spirit at the store we visited in Apache Creek. I felt a woman's presence and got the message that my husband's father did a good job of raising his children there. I found myself emotional when she contacted me and felt a lot of love all around me. The second came at night when I was struggling to fall asleep. I felt Spirit touching my arm; again female.
Finally, when we visited a ghost town that was once a mining town, I sensed spirit in all the buildings I visited. I particularly felt a strong Spirit presence when I visited the museum and walked into one of the old tunnels (left). I took several photos hoping to catch an orb or light anomaly, but was unsuccessful. When I visited the old hotel, I sensed Spirit on the stairs (right). Interestingly enough, the caretaker told me that there was a ghost there and that they had heard him walking the stairs when they were renovating the hotel.Overall, the trip was a good one. I was able to forget my problems while I was gone and get some "space" and thus, some perspective on life. I was able to focus on my relationship with my husband and learn more about his past and his family.Finally, I was reminded of how beautiful this Earth is and how small I am in the big scheme of things. It made my problems look so insignificant.
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