Spirit Animal - Skunk

This lovely picture of a striped skunk comes from the posting on "Skunks" on Wikipedia...

 

One of the most feared and least understood animals is the skunk. Most of us simply know Skunk by reputation – it is small, black and white, and protects itself with a fearsome smell that takes months of washing with tomato juice to fully clear from your skin and hair or your dog’s skin and hair.

Skunk, with it’s black and white colouring, is about magic and mystery, from the very basic, dark mysteries (black) to the highest pure and good mystery (white). Skunk comes to us as a teacher. First, it teaches us about moving slowly, and being in command of our environment; of understanding what is around us fully. It teaches self confidence. Because it is very small and the prey of the very big (Great Horned Owl “loves” skunk as the feature menu), Skunk is very aware of what it feels. It teaches us to trust our instincts. If it feels threatened, Skunk stamps to give warning that it is not happy. Skunk teaches us to look beyond the physical site to “search out what is going on by using our inner site or third eye, and to trust this other vision”.

Skunk is unobtrusive and goes about its business quietly. It does not blunder around making loud noises or in any way drawing attention to itself. It’s scent warns others away from the area it is in, even if others cannot see Skunk. The message for those who are receiving Skunk Teaching is to go through your journey quietly, doing what needs to be done, and slipping away when the work is finished.

Skunk medicine is about being in balance. If the Skunk is feeling secure, the scent it emits is very faint and may be confused with the scent of the skunk cabbage which grows in small bush areas. Skunks eat a very balance diet consisting of insects and larvae, earthworms, small rodents, lizards, salamanders, frogs, snakes, birds, moles, and eggs. They also commonly eat berries, roots, leaves, grasses, fungi, and nuts. (Information on diet from Wikipedia) Skunk clearly shows that it eats what is in season and what is provided to it by Mother Nature. For those getting a lesson in Skunk Teaching, this lesson is about balancing one’s diet with the food readily available in one’s environment, and allowing the digestive system to process food that is compatible and not from wildly different geographic locations. Skunk loves honey, and therefore teaches us to enjoy the sweetness of life – to “take it as it comes, and have a good sleep to celebrate the feast of sweetness”.

If Skunk is appearing to you, pay attention to what is going on around you. Examine your environment, your food intake, and your spiritual journey. Perhaps it is time to make some changes. © October 2008 Judith Hirst-Joyeux. Judith is a Sage-Healer-Shaman who works with the Goddesses and Gods, Great Spirit, and angelic realms to move quickly to the source of issues or blocks.