Issue #23 The Magic Heron Newsletter – What animal teaches us about our shadow selves?
Welcome to the 23rd issue of The Magic Heron Newsletter, a fortnightly newsletter with a focus on journaling, writing, and learning nature’s wisdom through midlife. Thanks for being here. I appreciate you.
Texas, January 2, 2022
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Hi there!
The New Year is here! Are you one that makes goals and resolutions? Or do you go with the flow of the new energy?
I’m a little of both. I am spending some time planning out the books I want to publish this year and the new products I want to put in the Etsy shop. I have lots of good stuff planned and can’t wait to get started.
Society pressures us to make big goals and resolutions, and sometimes they really aren’t achievable if we haven’t developed the mindset and habits to follow through.
The Winter Season however, tells us to slow down and rest. To go inward and reflect over the past year’s successes and failures and to take mindful steps for personal growth in the new year.
This year, I am tuning in more with each season and each newsletter will reflect that season. It’s time to dive deeper into each season without … and within … as we gain more meaning and wisdom in our lives.
This week’s Spirit Animal for the newsletter is Black Panther. As I’ve been deep cleaning the house, images of black panther have come to me several times. And then I found a keychain in one of the boxes I unpacked. It had a picture of the black panther on it. I bought it at the Panther Creek State Park in Tennessee last summer on my last road trip with my son. It brought back good memories of our time together the last 2 years.
The black panther teaches us to acknowledge the darkness and shadow within ourselves. Just as the winter season is a time of darkness as we welcome the increasing light each day.
Happy New Year and I wish you blessings for a good year!
This week’s newsletter Spirit Animal
Black Panther Symbolism and Meanings:
The black panther has a very powerful and protective energy and is a fierce guardian totem.
Cultures in South and Central America associate the black panther with the sun and solar vibrancy. It is a symbol of courage, valor, and power.
Panther calls to us to acknowledge and work with our darker shadow side, to analyze this part of ourselves and determine its motivation.
Mysticism is associated with the black panther. It is also a symbol of the mother, the dark moon, and the power of the night and encourages us to understand the shadow powers and how to eliminate our fears of the darkness.
When black panther shows up, it brings a message to release your passions and start a new phase of your life. In this phase, you will discover your desires and live your dreams.
Questions Black Panther will help you answer:
- What is my Shadow Self trying to tell me?
- Are my passions helping me? Or are they hindering me at this time?
- Am I suppressing desires that are hidden or buried within me?
- Am I putting the needs of others before my own to the point of self-neglect?
- Am I being mindful of my movements? Am I fully present both physically and emotionally?
- Am I being defensive? Am I protecting something or someone? Why?
Those with the panther spirit guide come into this world with a deep spiritual knowing, an understanding of spiritual matters. They are usually very intuitive and psychic. They are also talented artistically.
If panther comes to you (whether it be real sightings or repeated images), pay attention to the strength of your inner being, internal fortitude, and valor.
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Recently Published . . .
2. Octopus — Watercolor — Printable Letter Writing Paper – Stationery
Other Promotions That Might Be of Interest . . .
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Interesting links . . .
Here are some interesting links I came across on my ventures through Internet Land this week that I thought you might enjoy:
1. 13 Savory Pie Recipes That Are Perfect for Chilly Winter Nights
2. How to Make a DIY Silverware Suet Feeder
3. Lessons learned from an ice storm
4. 10 Best Plants that Repel Roaches | Natural Cockroach Repellents
5. HERBAL CHAPSTICK RECIPE FOR DRY WINTER LIPS
***I use Mountain Rose Herbs for ordering all the herbs I use. Every order I’ve received has always been fresh and gorgeous. Click here to order the herbs you need for your teas, infusions, spices, and other ingredients for your kitchen:
Journaling Inspiration . . .
1. How to Make Simple Junk Journal cards from Nature Field Guides & Old Book Pages! The Paper Outpost!
2. Why You Should Replace Your New Year’s Journal With a Spreadsheet
3. 5 Creative Journal Pages to Try Out
4. Using Distress Inks to Create Journaling Cards
Random Nature Fact . . .
There are more than 12,000 different ant species. That makes up a total of 1 million billion ants living on Earth!
Nature Journal Video . . .
What phenomena can you explore on cold winter days? What strategies help you teach when the temperature drops? Learn from the pros.
Nature Journal Prompt . . .
Native to Asia, Africa, and the Americas. Panther is not a distinct species, but a general name that refers to any black colored big cat, namely the Leopards and Jaguars.
Lifespan: 12-15 years
Scientific name: Panthera pardus, Panthera onca
Weight: Males: 66-200 lbs Females: 15-130 lbs
Habitat: tropical and deciduous forests, marshes, swampland, grasslands, deserts, mountains
What it eats: carnivorous—deer, warthogs, wild boar, tapir, antelope, birds, rabbits, etc
What eats it: lions, hyenas. Populations reduced by deforestation and hunted for their fur
Did you know?
A black panther is the melanistic color variant of the leopard and the jaguar. Black panthers of both species have excess black pigments with their typical rosettes also present.
What I’m watching . . .
We were gifted the 1st 3 seasons of Yellowstone on DVD and have been enjoying a few episodes every night this week.
We also started watching 1883 and really enjoying it too. Who doesn’t love Sam Elliot?? Part of 1883 was actually filmed right here in the Texas Panhandle at the Four Sixes Ranch (6666). The producer of the series recently bought the ranch and will keep it as a working ranch as well as to use for filming movies. 1883 is the prequal to Yellowstone.
1. Here’s the website for the ranch if you are interested in reading their history
A Family Legacy Of Cattle, Horses, Oil and Stewardship
2. Yellowstone Season 1 Trailer | Rotten Tomatoes TV
3. 1883 | Official Trailer | Paramount+
What I’m reading . . .
I’ve started using the Pomodoro app set for 25 minutes to get some early morning reading in. It is helping me get back my concentration and enjoy reading again!
1. I’m still reading Magic Lessons by Alice Hoffman.
2. In line with Panther/Jaguar spirit animal, I’m thinking about finding my old copy of Jaguar Woman by Lynn Andrews this winter and rereading it.
Quote I’m pondering . . .
“It is the life of the crystal, the architect of the flake, the fire of the frost, the soul of the sunbeam. This crisp winter air is full of it.”
— John Burroughs, Winter Sunshine
Questions I’m considering journaling on . . .
Winter is a time for acknowledging the shadow parts of ourselves and eliminating our fears of the darkness. What fears do I need to release this year?
Journal Prompt . . .
We are entering a new year, a turning of the wheel into winter and it’s time to make room for the new life to come. For that new life to manifest, you have to clear out whatever is still holding you back. What do you need to finally clear out of your life?
What are you manifesting in the year to come?
Happy Journaling!
. . . Shanna
P.S. Is there something you like or would rather see in the newsletter? Hit reply and let me know!
I’ll be back on January 16th.
P.P.S. If you like this newsletter and want to support it, buy a book or notebook. Or forward this newsletter to a friend with an invitation to subscribe, right here.
Links
Shanna Lea Author website
Books on Amazon
Magic Heron Creations Notebooks on Amazon
Magic Heron Creations Etsy Shop
. . . Shanna Lea Author
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