My Spirit Animal – The Goose

When I was an toddler my mother used to put me in a car seat on in the barn while the rest of the family was working on projects near by. The farm animals, especially the poultry, would wonder in and out as farm animals are likely to do. The Geese, however, would always stop to chat with me. My mother remembers watching and listening to me coo back and forth with the Geese and have whole conversations. Sometimes the Geese would even crawl up into my lap. As I grew up this affinity for Geese grew. I helped raise them when I was little and even made them a apart of my 4-H and FFA projects. I can usually pick up geese with relative ease, especially those that I had imprint on me as they were growing up.

Therefore, Geese have always had a special place in my heart. I love the loyalty they show their mates and family groups. Nothing is more protective of young than Geese! One minute the Mother and/or Father are gently cooing to the youngsters until they hear the minute sounds of a trespasser. Instantly they turn into full-fledged hissing terrors. I’ve even heard stories of a hurt Goose needing to rest during migration and how a mate or fellow flock member will stay with the injured Goose while the rest carry on. If the injured Goose dies, the other Goose that stayed behind will rationally carry on and find the rest of the flock or join another group. I love how much Geese communicate. I’m not sure you’d notice if you saw Geese in the wild or zoo, but if you can observe a flock regularly you’ll hear a beautiful symphony of regular talking back and forth between all the members. I love that seasonal intuition that tells them when to migrate and when to stay. Not to mention, of course, their canny navigation skills. What is there not to love?!

My work, spiritually, with Geese have taught me the skills all listed above and more. Geese remind me of my roots and the trust I have in my ability to always persevere with loving grace. I am blessed to have such a wonderful teacher in my life!