Two Egyptian geese

Ever since my profound encounter with a pair of Egyptian geese at Zoo lake in Johannesburg a few months ago, I am conscious of the lessons of this remarkable creature. Implicit in these facts is the migratory behaviour of geese. Drawing on the belief by many ancient cultures that animals often act as symbolic messengers, it is perhaps significant that “long distance travel” is precisely what has manifested since that first goose-encounter – I am at present on a flight to London. On a non-physical level, there is also a suggestion of searching new possibilities, directions or perspectives. I am certainly on a steep learning curve in my work area of environmental management, but I suspect something a bit more fundamental is being hinted at – a new soul journey?

Animal-speak: The spiritual and magical powers of creatures great and small, by Ted Andrews, refers to the Keynote of the Goose being “the call of the quest and travels to legendary places.” He notes that the goose was a sacred bird in Rome’s temple of Juno, was associated with Boreas, the North Wind in Greek mythology, and is also the totem for the winter solstice in the Native American medicine wheel. To my great delight, Andrews also suggests that “the goose can be a totem to aid one in communication, especially through the use of stories. Its feather for a long time was the standard writing instrument. Those wishing to write – be it stories or anything – can facilitate this process by working with the goose as a totem.” Coincidentally, I have already begun to do this. In fact, I feel the calling to write a little book on “Inspiration by Urban Creatures”. This would be a self-exploratory process, but also, I believe, help to bring back the relevance of animal messengers to many people living in cities, who are open to guiding signs from the universe.