A Dose of Moose Medicine

With a side of Woodpecker

All day long, I’ve been chomping at the bit to share with you what happened to me yesterday!

It was around 7:00 p.m., and I went outside to take yet another photo of my view of the Ossipee Mountains. It never gets old, although some Instagram friends might not agree. I just can’t stop myself from sharing it.

I never even got to clicking the pic when I heard a loud rustle on the hill in front of me. I peered into the tall grass and trees and saw a big black shape. I thought for sure it was a Bear. A really, really big Bear. I had just seen one a few hours before while running an errand.

I went and grabbed my good camera, which I always keep by my door, and stood in the doorway because, you know, anything could happen. :)

It was a Moose. A really, really big Moose.

The artist in me is kind of embarrassed that I couldn’t get a decent photo - I have an old iPhone and didn’t have my glasses on. I don’t even know what happened with my camera.

Well, I know what happened. My heart was pounding, my whole body was vibrating, and I knew that taking a photo was not what was important. And so, I put them both down. By now, the Moose was standing still, maybe twenty/thirty feet away. I don’t know - I’m a horrible judge of distance.

He was looking right at me. Right into my eyes. Into my soul. I can still feel it.

Then, he started down the hill towards the woods. I watched in amazement at the gracefulness of his walk. He went right for the path that I take into the woods, and he disappeared as if he’d been just a mirage.

Now, lots of people would just think, “Wow! Amazing! I saw a Moose!” Not me, of course. :) I recognized the significance of this sighting.

Not every animal sighting has to be a significant meeting or message. But I have some history around Moose.

In August 2017, I spent a week at a cottage in Northern Michigan with my friend Stacey and her family.

At the end of the week, I was flying home, and they were continuing their road trip back to NYC via the Michigan Upper Peninsula and into Canada. I remember thinking that I wished I was traveling with them because I wanted to see a Moose. I actually felt a little heartsick that I would miss an opportunity to see a Moose. I don’t even know where or why I had such a strong desire.

It wasn’t long after I returned home that they sent me a photo of…a Moose! I was so jealous!

About a week later, everyone was back in the city, and I went to one of the kids’ soccer games. I reiterated how jealous I was that they got to see a Moose. I noticed some side-glancing and giggling going on. Eventually, they couldn’t hold it in any longer - the kids told Aunt Barbara (me) that they took the photo in a visitor center. I’m not sure if it was cardboard or stuffed (it looked pretty darn real), but the joke was definitely on me.

Fast forward to the fall of 2020, when I moved to this little slice of paradise, where it’s common to see signs that say “Moose crossing.” I think I sent them photos of the sign, but they still thought they had the upper hand.

The day I met this little house and the land she sits on, there was a Chipmunk (later named Chip) who was scurrying in and out of the rocks surrounding the back of the house.

All winter long, I kept wondering, “Where are all the animals??” I went through the entire season only occasionally seeing Chip.

Spring came, and I was still wondering where they were. Did they know I’d come from the city? Were they shy? Or just letting me get used to being in the wild?

Well, in May, I got a phone call from a friend telling me that she’d just driven by my house and saw a Moose!

It was dusk, and I grabbed my camera and ran down to the road. I didn’t see the Moose. All I saw and felt were swarms of blackflies. I had bites on my forehead for weeks to prove it.

Just as I’d give up and turned back towards the house, there she was (I think she was a she!) Looking straight at me.

This time, I managed to get two decent photos before she gracefully navigated herself up the hill.

From not seeing any animals for months (well, there was Chip), I went to seeing the largest land mammal in North America!

Payback time! I immediately sent the photo to my friend. It took some convincing that it was real. It helped that my mailbox was in the photo!

The following summer, I was inside, windows open, and heard a splashing sound. I got my binoculars and looked across the road into the Audubon preserve. There I saw (and heard!) a Moose splashing in Atwood Brook.

That’s how quiet it is where I live. Blessedly quiet after having endured the sounds of the city for years.

So, seeing two Moose in one week, and this one so intimately, I have no question that Moose is now an animal Spirit that I need to connect with more deeply.

Now, I used to go run immediately to see what the books had to say, but I’ve learned to wait a day or two to try and suss it out myself.

There was something otherworldly about this encounter. Even when I look at the photo, I see a mystical creature. I know it’s a Moose, but there’s something almost interdimensional about him. I have no doubt that when I next journey to the Lower World, his Spirit will be there.

And so, eventually, I couldn’t help myself, and I grabbed Ted Andrews's “Animal Speak.” His book goes way beyond the simplistic messages usually found online.

There are four whole pages of Moose Magic, so I’ll just share a few tidbits:

The moose is one of the most ancient and unique of the power totems.

For anyone who aligns with Moose—no matter how it may occur—a unique and sacred energy is opened.

The moose has an uncanny ability to camouflage itself, in spite of its great size and power. Those who would align with the moose can also develop this ability. Part of this involves the ancient magic of invisibility, but it also involves an aspect of shapeshifting.

This unique “shapeshifting camouflage” is reflected in the life of the historical Merlin.

The moose is often associated with the feminine energies, the maternal forces of the world, and those who align with the moose will find these forces awakened.

The Penobscot Indians of Maine relate tales of how the moose once was the whale, the greatest mammal of the waters.

I don’t know if I’ve told you about my obsession with Merlin. :)

There is so much more on these pages, but I think I’ve shared enough. I really need to sit with all of this.

Meditate on it. Dream about it. Journey on it.

Simultaneously, yesterday, the day of the Moose visit, a Woodpecker kept coming and pecking at my house! She is back today, and I have to keep gently asking her to leave so she doesn’t do any serious damage.

This morning, when I went to the Spring to get water, a bird flew right in front of the Spring and was sitting on a branch watching me. Of course, she was a Woodpecker!!

So, here are a few gems about Woodpecker from Ted Andrews.

The woodpecker is one of those birds whose history is filled with myth and lore, much of it in connection with its most notable characteristics—the drumming.

In the European tradition, the woodpecker was often considered a weather prophet, its drumming indicating forthcoming changes.

In the Native American tradition, it is a bird connected to the heartbeat of the Earth itself. This drumming has many mystical connections, from new life rhythms to applications of shapeshifting. Many shamans learn to ride drumbeats into other dimensions.

Sometimes the woodpecker will show up just to simulate new rhythms. Rhythm is a powerful means of affecting the physical energies. Sometimes it is easy to get so wrapped up in our daily mental and spiritual activites that we neglect the physical. This can be when the woodpecker shows up. It may also reflect a need to drum some new changes and rhythms into your life.

This morning, in my astrology class, the teacher used my birth chart to demonstrate something. Everything she pointed out was like a roadmap of my life so far. It never ceases to amaze me.

When she started talking about my chart, the Woodpecker returned and began pecking at the house!

Oh, my goodness. I have so much to process! I have felt for the past few months that something big is about to shift for me. A few significant soul friends have come into my life, and it’s been such a blessing.

And it never ever fails. When I’m down or need something to shift, my animal friends always show up for me in dreams, journeys, or in “real” life.

Thank you for letting me share my stories. I was so busy this morning, I thought I would go mad because I needed to write this all down.

The animal Spirits are there for us, whether the animals live in our part of the world or not. Never forget that.

Much Love,
Barbara

P.S. Oh, wait! I was just getting ready to go out for the evening when look who came to check out a place to lay her eggs! Let the search for a safe spot begin.

I’ve been keeping an eye out for a mama-snapping turtle to show up like in the past two years. I wrote about it in “Turtle Tales.”

I got my new sign put up just in time!

That’s all I’ve got. Good night!