Spiritual PFM- Dragonfly: Unveiling Illusion

Pic courtesy of Animal Theory

life has been particularly stressful for me recently.  i have been feeling like i'm being pulled in a million directions while keeping a hundred balls in the air.  that being said, i've been known to exaggerate - blame it on my theater background lol.  regardless of the actual details - exaggerated or not, life has been throwing me for a loop.  most times i can attribute things and people being weird to a phase of the moon (look at that - there is new moon coming up).  ...but this all started last week.  i consider myself to be a spiritual person.  not the kind that goes to church every week, but the kind that feels a distinct connection to spirit - my inner spirit as well as to "god" (whatever you may call it).  i also believe that spirit talks to us and tries to guide us in small ways and, if we ignore the small ways, spirit will try again, bigger and in a way that we can't ignore.  though it's hard, i really try to be in tune so that i can be aware of the small, subtle messages; i'm not always successful, but this particular time, i have been looking for any kind of guidance i could get, to help me get through.  ...and after i asked for help, dragonfly appeared.  

i don't know if you believe in animal guides, but i do.   i believe that they are sent with the messages from spirit to help us.  i also believe that every person has their own particular animal totems but every animal or insect can show up depending on the message spirit wants you to get.  ...so dragonfly appeared to me.  as i was about to step outside my door, i saw a dragonfly was sitting on my step.  i didn't open my door because i didn't want to step on it and i also didn't want it to fly inside.  i watched it sitting there and waiting for it to move but it didn't.  i had to open my door and make a noise to startle it away but i couldn't ignore that i was being sent a message.  

the main symbolism of dragonfly is illusion.  they can symbolize that things are not always as they seem and that life itself is not always what it appears to be.  dragonflies are also associated with lots of movement as they flit about as well as the ability to hover while in flight- all due to constant movement.  i have been feeling like, while time is flying by, i have been stagnant in many different areas or at least that is how it has seemed.  i've also felt like i  have been handling a lot on my own with no one to help but i know that is also an illusion.  other  qualities associated with dragonfly are skill, relentlessness, refinement, and creativity.  in addition to reminding me that things aren't always as they seem, i feel that dragonfly was reminding me that i need to be relentless and find creative ways to force things to change.  just like i had to figure out how i was going to make the dragonfly get out of the way, i will have to find a way to force the obstacles to get out of the way in life.  i already feel like there has been movement in one area, specifically because i found another way to approach it.  i am thankful for dragonfly's message and for being open enough to receive it.

if you would like to learn more about animal guides, besides doing a google search, i suggest checking out the book, Animal Speak: The Spiritual & Magical Powers of Creatures Great & Small by Ted Andrews.