I bought some new walking boots from a shop I’ve been wanting to visit for years – being a 5 hour drive away is what’s caused the long wait. I’ve got difficult feet, so finding shoes that are comfortable and wide enough is tough. Anyway, this shop, Whalley Warm and Dry, specialises in an excellent fitting service and has a good range of wide fit boots. So when on a trip up North, I decided to make an appointment and drive up to the shop. And I’m soooooo glad I did – now I finally have a decent pair of walking shoes with specially chosen insoles that supports my specific, if somewhat unusual, foot shape. And I can tell you it does make a difference to how comfortable I am when walking, not just in the feet but in my lower back too – I can walk a lot longer without pain in that region.
After getting my boots, I was eager to try them out on a walk, so hubby and I ventured out. We decided to head for a large grassy area that I’ve walked past for years on my way to the train station. Some time back, a path was laid through the grass and I’ve always wondered where it led to. Was there a park at the end of the path? Was is a thoroughfare? Time to find out.
It turns out the path leads to what looks like a school – not very interesting to me. However, just before you get to the school there is a track that leads off into what looks like woodlands, with this interesting character standing guard………
Well, I couldn’t resist, especially seeing the arrow pointing towards ‘spiral home’. I had no idea what it was but I was envisioning a spiral that I could walk while contemplating life, nature and all things Goddessy.
It turns out I was wrong, the words ‘spiral home’ were a clue for what the next wooden sculpture would be. Burtsed Wood is a small and beautiful woods that has a circular path, sign posted with five stunning wooden sculptures of creatures that live in the woods. Each sculpture has a clue and an arrow pointing in the direction of the next one. Spiral home referred to a snail.
Walking around this beautiful woodlands, made so much more interesting by these sculpted treasures, got me thinking about how often I take for granted the things that are on my doorstep. Overlooking them for interesting places and things to do that are further afield. It’s only now, when I am actually getting ready to leave this area that I am feeling inspired to explore it. How crazy is that? I’ve lived here for 7 years and never really made the most of what’s around me, all these wasted years and opportunities for local pleasure and enjoyment.
Anyway, back to the animal sculptures, as I sit here writing, I am inspired to research a little into the symbology of these five creatures and also think about what they represent to me.
Snail
To me a snail is an incredibly gentle creature, slow and steady and self sufficient but retreating quickly into it’s shell for protection. Carrying its home with it wherever it goes – seemingly able to travel far and wide without worrying about making it back ‘home’ come bed time.
Home is so important to me, safety is important to me and the ability to go places and see things is important to me. The snail embodies all of this (in my opinion) and so I have a bit of a soft spot for them.
A quick internet search tells me that seeing snails in dreams or visions is a sign to slow down – not sure of the reliability of that but it makes sense to me.
Squirrel
Ah the cheeky squirrel, industrious, agile, swift, playful, clever and constantly alert. With its beautiful bushy tail and cute little face – what’s not to love? Well, there are people who don’t like the common grey squirrel because it causes damage to woodlands and has sent our native red squirrel into decline. While these are true and sad facts, it’s not the fault of the animal is it? After all, they were introduced from America by a man who brought a pair over in the 1800s – and nature just took its course from there.
One of my favourite sources of information about squirrel symbology was this webpage – here’s a small snippet but it’s well worth reading the whole post:
‘The squirrel totem animal represents rebirth, renewal, energy, positivity, hard work, duty and balance. While squirrels consistently guide us towards working hard and being prepared, the squirrel totem specifically guides one’s attitude. The squirrel totem represents positivity.’
To me the squirrel’s most inspiring qualities are their hard work and preparedness combined with a playful almost care free demeanour – reminding me that there can be a combination of both in ones life. Work hard, play hard, as the old saying goes.
Crow
When I was growing up, the predominant message about crows in society seemed to be that they were disliked as bad omens and bringers of death. I remember being told as a child how a gang of crows had killed a neighbours cat after it had attacked a lone crow. They seemed to be vengeful and scary to me then. But as I grew up, I began to really love the crow, with its jaunty way of hopping along and its loyalty to the flock (a group of crows is actually called a ‘murder’ but I’m not using that word to describe them). The old story from my childhood no longer seemed scary but instead showed me how protective the crow is of those it loves – slightly mob like maybe – but still protective and caring to the ones they consider family.
Then as I became interested in a more nature based form of spirituality, I realised there was a whole other side to the symbology of the crow – wise, witty, prophetic and mischievous (think trickster crow), they were important and not considered a bad omen at all.
A quick internet search reminds me that the crow is linked to the Celtic deities, Mebd – a war Goddess and the Morrigan – often known as the Goddess of death. Perhaps that’s where crows got their bad omen status from, when Christianity strived to subsume the native spirituality and mythology of this land and turned them into something slightly more sinister.
Hedgehog
It strikes me that ‘hedgehog’ is such a strange name for these cute little spikey creatures. Maybe because I’ve rarely ever seen a hedgehog – probably less than a handful of times in my life – I feel like they are elusive and secretive animals, almost magical. I don’t know much about them other than the obvious – a spikey coat of arms to protect their soft and vulnerable underbelly. But when I close my eyes and think of the words that come to mind, I find wisdom, strength, tenacity, caution and lovability.
The hedgehog has been in decline for years in the UK and we really do need to do more to protect and create habitat for these wonderful beings. Especially the gardeners among us because hedgehogs feed on one of our common foes – the slug. I don’t mind sharing a some of my food with the wildlife but when they decimate entire beds of crops – well that’s just disheartening.
Parakeet
These newcomers to our Isles are, like the squirrel, are received with mixed feelings by some. They are noisy and marauding but being the only parrot living in the wild in this country – well they certainly stand out and bring a smile to my face. They too were released into the wild, intentionally or accidentally, having been brought over as pets. When will people stop capturing wild animals and caging them for their entertainment? I cannot imagine how it would feel to be ripped out of my home and caged up for the rest of my life in a strange new place with another species that scares me and doesn’t understand my needs.
I’m saying that as a parrot companion myself – which may make me seem like a terrible hypocrite as her ancestors would have been ripped from the wild also. But I took her in as a rescue so I’m cutting myself some slack on that one! She is cantankerous, boisterous, funny, intelligent, engaging and sociable and when I watch the parakeets bouncing around outside my windows, I get the feeling they are exactly the same. Well maybe not cantankerous, but the rest, definitely.
These funny, opportunistic, adaptable creatures remind me to live in the moment, make the most of what’s around me and have fun with my own ‘flock’ of loved ones.
As well as the 5 main large sculptures, there are other smaller ones dotted around the place for the observant walker to find. A boy peeking over a trunk to look at an owl on another tree stump and a woodpecker – I’m sure there are others that we missed and will find on our next visit.
I leave you with my absolute favourite – this one of what I like to think of as the wise crone. She looks freshly carved and it makes me wonder if there is someone doing a bit of guerrilla carving into the trees. If so, I love their choice of this wise old woman with her beautiful, kind smile.
Leave a Reply