Turtle Totems

Turtles love the water. In fact they spend a lot of time in the water and some go ashore only to lay and bury their eggs. There are some 250 types of turtles found in the world, 48 of which live in the United States. Turtle survival is highly based on their body structure. They use the shell (which is actually their backbone and ribs) on their backs as their home and can retreat into it when they sense danger. Another way turtles survive is by sensing vibrations in the water through their skin and shell. If a turtle is flipped over when hiding in its shell, it will use its strong neck to flip itself back over. Turtles have slow metabolisms which enable to live a long time.

Turtle teaches us to be careful in new situations and to be patient in reaching our goals. Turtle also teaches us to take things slow, for it gives us time to figure out if we need to protect our self or forge ahead. Turtle shows up in our lives when we need to go into shell and wait until our thoughts & ideas are ready to be expressed. He also teaches us to be adaptable to our environment so we can find the harmony within it.

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