Next up in the series of going through each animal card in the Wild Unknown Animal Spirit deck is the Turtle. The previous card was the Oyster, with the invitation to share your deepest inner treasures and to alchemize the pain in life into something beautiful.
You can go back, all the way to the Bear in the Earth element, if you choose, to read this series in its entirety. The Turtle is in the Water element of this deck, which means it will connect to your emotions, your intuition, and how you relate to the World. However, the turtle is also comfortable on shore and on dry land, so I invite you to make some intuitive connections to this animal based on that fact.
This deck has no numerical positions or stations; Krans decided that the animals would be placed according to the level of risen consciousness they each possess. You don’t have to read this card or connect with this animal with the numerical attachment, but I include it here to be thorough.
In this deck and this element, Turtle sits in the eighth spot. This means that there are themes of transformation, strength, evolution, empowerment, and connection to endless cycles and time. Click here to read more about the numerology of 8.
Grounding into the Home Within with Turtle
Turtles, similar to the already-discussed Beaver, find their home in both water and on land. This means that they have a deep connection to their emotions and intuition, but approach their emotions with a practical and grounded perspective on the external world.
The Turtle is an ancient animal. They have long lifespans and have been around since the time of the dinosaurs. As we will see in this post, they truly are the old souls of the animal kingdom.
The Turtle is a remarkable creature. Their connection to both earth and water not only gives them a grounded approach to moving with their emotions, as mentioned above, but it also gives them a deep connection to the intuitive knowing and awareness of what lies beyond the veil of this world. Their energy is not flashy, bright, or even beautiful in a conventional sense. But they are beautiful. They are beautiful because they call us into the deeper truths of life.
The Turtle energy is like a wise elder, giving treasured wisdom from years of experience. Those with Turtle energy might have had some fierce, fiery energy back in the day, but now they live by a deeper and wiser code. That code is this: It isn’t about you. The wisdom and truths we learn and hold onto from the experiences and situations we face in life is meant to encourage us to grow past ourselves, and into something bigger.
The Turtle invites us to consider not just ourselves in the world, but the world in us. How are we apart of bigger forces that could allow us to grow, trust, and engage with the world from a more grounded place. The Turtle is a very grounded creature. Their slow pace and hard protective shells encourage us to soften in our lives, let go of the rat race, and enjoy the present moment.
The Turtle, as an old soul, invites us to consider what we carry with us on our travels around the Sun. Are we carrying deep truths that direct and guide us from a source of belief or connection, or are we carrying resentment, anger, and shadow? What we carry tells the story for us. It reveals where we have healed, done the emotional work, or matured, or where haven’t. When you work the animal spirit of the Turtle, you are working with energies of story, for either good or bad. It is time to tell you story, and live by the narratives you carry, or want to carry.
Guidance from the guidebook
Some key references from the guidebook
Keywords / phrases: Ancient Soul, Grounded, Trusting, At Home in the Self
When in balance: peaceful, adventurous, and productive
When out of balance: slows down to a halt
To bring into balance: an adventure
Following the guidance from the guidebook, working with the Turtle is a lesson in growing beyond your years, yet staying youthful, open, and vulnerable. To be an ancient, or old soul, is to be connected to your truth so deeply that you don’t feel the need to follow trends, drama, or base pettiness. These things are shallow, emotionally immature, or simply not worth your energy. When working with the Turtle, it’s about taking the time to forget and lessen the need for validation from others.
Turtles use that grounded energy to move as they need, and intentionally. Are you moving with clarity? Do your actions speak to your truth or align with your purpose? If not, the Turtle says it’s time to get back in alignment with self, and the best way to do that is to give yourself an adventure. An adventure gives you something to marvel at and to have your heart moved. This is the best way to come back home to the self, to find the awe in this world.
As you take in the majesty of this world, see how it shifts the inner, emotional narrative of yourself. If you were to write about your life before and after your adventures, what changed? How does it feel? This homecoming into the self is a homecoming back into the wild Divine. Sit in this beauty, dear one; it is a gift to behold.