Spirit Animal - Chinchilla

This picture of a grey chinchilla comes from Wikipedia....

 

Last night, in my dreams, a grey chinchilla climbed up on the table and gently bit my finger, and then sat back and looked at me.  He definitely was saying that he wanted me to pay attention to something.  I was so startled that this little animal would do that.  My first thought was that he was hungry, and I was trying to determine what he would eat, and I fell asleep again. 

The first thing on my mind this morning was the visit from this wonderful little fellow, and I knew that he had a big message for me.   I looked up Chinchilla in Wikipedia and found that they come from the ANDES which is where the Munay-Ki Rites that I teach also originate.  The explanation of the naming of Chinchilla says that they are named after the Chincha people who live high in the Andes.

Chinchilla has big eyes, round ears and thick silky fur.  It is watchful, playful, and not afraid to explore the world around it.  Chinchilla instinctively knows when to advance and to retreat by using their acute observation skills.  Their species survives because they understand timing.  The message to me is that I must choose the right time to act, and intuitively I will know the right type of action to take.  The acting is to be more instinctive than analytical.  Everything right now is about balance.  We are now in the time of change. 

Chinchilla knows what it is like to have the world change drastically around you.  For thousands of years, Chinchilla played high in the Andes, providing clothes to the natives in the area.  Then the white man came, and tried to capture them and to decimate the population.  Chinchilla makes a variety of clicks and chitters.  Each sound is a specific message.  Some of this language was developed while it was under siege.  One of its lessons, then, is about finding efficient communication to alert others and to exchange information.

Chinchillas make very loving pets.  They are very alert, and serve as a "watch dog" for families where a much larger animal does not fit.  The life span of a Chinchilla averages twelve years, but some live as long as twenty plus years.  The key to this longevity is that the Chinchilla eats mostly a vegetarian diet, absorbs nutrients efficiently, and does not regurgitate food.  It effectively works toxins out of its system over time.  Because Chinchilla is very food sensitive, it may be bringing messages that one must watch their food intake and avoid toxic items such as alcohol and nicotine, and over the counter drugs.  Chinchilla is about being in balance.  It comes when one is out of balance.

May your life return to balance and be filled with grace!

Judith