[february 28, 2016] Life : Snails

On Snails.

In recent times… I’ve been thinking a lot about snails. In Israel, there are snails in February. Just after the rain, they emerge. You can follow their paths. Slow and steady.

I feel connected to snails, and to snail sisters, who were the first people who “turned me on” to snails (I’m smiling because my mom used to use that phrase, and well.. you know). It’s not something I’ve interrogated very much or explored at all. And I don’t think there’s any astrological data pointing to my connection. It just… is a real, felt, deep connection. Until now… Thank you, February blog, for these moments of opportunity.  I see the snail in many of you, and I mean that in the most complimentary way. I love our snail community.

Some things I’ve learned:

•       Snail signs are “deep thinkers and extremely devoted to those they love”
•       Snails have strong intuition, and “some Snails may find they even have a sixth sense or psychic ability.” Snails feel deeply.
•       “Members of this sign will need to learn how to let others help them if they are going to grow both emotionally and spiritually.”
•       “Members of this sign are all about family. Whether or not that family is blood related or just close friends, once you are considered family by a Snail, you will always be.”
•      “Patience. Water energy. Rain energy. Celebrating the Winter. Spirals. Protection. Letting go of deadlines. Letting life pass you by. Sensuality. Celebrating texture and minutiae
•       Some (Australian) snails eat (European) snails! (Maybe because they’re so cute that we could just eat them, you know? Or not…)
•       “Snail is often overlooked as a valuable guide (our loss, really), but has many important lessons to teach. Snail teaches us to cultivate patience in both our expectations of ourselves, others and life in general. There is a lot of emphasis on doing things fast these days, no wonder poor snail has been left behind as a powerful guide and teacher.”
•       “Snail energy is a champion of patience. It patiently waits for the rains to fall, sealing itself up safely in the meantime. It knows that its own journeying will take time, and snail energy is okay with that.”
•       “Take time to appreciate texture and minutiae. Literally start focusing on the smaller things. It might be learning to appreciate the smaller fauna and flora around the place, learning how to immerse yourself in touching different textures and learning how they feel.”
•       “Along with celebrating texture, snail teaches one how to appreciate sensuality. Snail is a tactile creature, its single 'foot' fully embraces every surface that it touches with the added benefit of mucous, making sure that it is as connected as possible to what it is attached to. It is worth reconnecting with touch and sensuality. See how touch can be pleasurable, how even sensations that you might associate with being unclean (like running your hands through dirt) can actually be a positive experience if you begin to change your perspectives about it.”
•       “Actively bring water energy into your life at this time. Consider having more baths or showers or, alternatively, take the time to stand outside in the rain. Water, when utilised in conjunction with snail energy, is a deeply nourishing and enriching force. It enlivens the spirit and heightens the body's ability to function…. Snail finds joy and growth in rain and Winter.”
•       AND THEN THIS: “In continuance with above, snail suggests that we celebrate the Winter, no matter what it represents for us. Whether we use Winter as a time to recharge, whether it is a time when our bodies slow down and we need to be gentle andpatient with ourselves, or whether we - like snail - are recharged during the colder, wetter months. Take the time to write down what Winter means to you, and see if you can find ways to make it more meaningful and enriching as a season.” 
•       “Learning how to listen to snail's messages is a skill that comes with learning how to listen to yourself and your body.”
•       According to the Aztec, the snail and its spiral represent the moon and the moon phases(!!!)

On Colons.

The thing about colons is how they help us pause.

I guess maybe the snails and the colons belong in different posts. But this is life…

Feb 17^th: I paused. I looked at pictures from another time. I rejoiced in them, and the palpable joy and love I can feel from them.

Feb 22^nd: I was at a joyous wedding. I danced my heart out. I felt my mom with me. And I missed her so much because… I also didn’t feel her.

Feb 23^rd:

the thing is that

the person really is gone

even when they (and i) say that they aren’t

it’s hard to wrap our minds around

f o r e v e r

because

you left.

Feb 28^th: I found this poem on https://readalittlepoetry.wordpress.com/, and exhaled. 

Atlantis — A Lost Sonnet
Eavan Boland

How on earth did it happen, I used to wonder
that a whole city—arches, pillars, colonnades,
not to mention vehicles and animals—had all
one fine day gone under?

I mean, I said to myself, the world was small then.
Surely a great city must have been missed?
I miss our old city—

white pepper, white pudding, you and I meeting
under fanlights and low skies to go home in it. Maybe
what really happened is

this: the old fable-makers searched hard for a word
to convey that what is gone is gone forever and
never found it. And so, in the best traditions of

where we come from, they gave their sorrow a name
and drowned it.

As always, so blessed by each of you, by this space to share, by your love, and your hearts, by the slow and steady ways you move through the world. You are family.

You are enough, you are beautiful, you are whole.

Always yours,

einat