Stacey L.L. Couch's Blog, page 11

Spirit Animals: BLACK PANTHER POWER

Typically, I like to stick to explaining species (such as the red-tailed hawk or barn owl) or a general group of species (such as turtle or eagle) when writing spirit animal articles, but in this case, I am making an exception. Black Panther spirit animal looms so large in our psyche and mythologies that shewarrants unique treatment when considering interpretation.

Is Black Panther a Jaguar or a Leopard?

She can be either! Black panthers are not a distinct species, nor are they a group of spe...

Archetypes: THE CHILD

The childarchetype, along with thesaboteur,victimand prostitute, is one of the four survivor archetypes identified by Caroline Myss in her work onSacred Contracts. Each of us embodies the four essential survivor archetypes from birth to death. The lessons we gain from survivor archetype struggles are what bring us into our divine nature, our authentic selves.

The Inner Child & The Child Archetype

Any modern day discussion of the child archetype likely must start with our understanding of the...

Spirit Animals: BEAUTIFUL BUTTERFLY

Resurrection & Transformation

The spiritual meaning of butterfly spirit animal is widely understood as resurrection. Hindus take the butterfly’s time in the chrysalis as a reminder of the importance of meditation on the road to enlightenment. Christians see the emergence of the winged butterfly from the chrysalis as a metaphor for Jesus’s resurrection from the dead.

The meaning of butterflyas resurrection could be seen literally in the example of Christ or symbolically as our own rebirth into...

How To: Finding Soul Friendship

In my article on red-tailed hawk spirit animal I encourage peopleto identify and connect with theirtribe and for good reason.

You may be surprised to learn that many people I encounter feel disconnected from a sense oftribe. They feel alone. So many peoplelong for companionship. Often each person thinks, interestingly, that they are the only one that feels this way. There is a huge chunkof who they are thatthey both fear and yearn to share.

There are a fair shareof acquaintancesand ordinary f...

Archetypes: THE PROSTITUTE

Theprostitutearchetype, along with the saboteur, victim and child, is one of the four survivor archetypes identified by Caroline Myss in her work onSacred Contracts. Each of us embodies the four essential survivor archetypes from birth to death. They are the foundation of what it means to be human. The survivors tend to matters of, you guessed it, our survival, but also our evolution. The lessons we gain from survivor archetype struggles are what bring us into our divine nature, our authentic...

The Last Wild Fox: A Lost & Found Story

In every book that’s been written some pieces of the story don’t make the printed page. I kept what was cut from the manuscript of Gracious Wild knowing that someday I could post these bits for loyal fans to enjoy. I am delighted to say, that day has come. How amazing is that?

In this unpublished excerpt, I share the story of a mysterious wild fox that appeared and disappeared seemingly at will from the island I lived on. The there she is and now she’s gone again saga only covers a few hundre...

Spirit Animals: GREAT HORNED OWL

The great horned owl (Bubo virginianus)isa large owl native to both North and South America. The wingspan of the larger female great horned owl isas much as 5 feet. The presence of this owl is often made apparentby her characteristic hooting that sounds like the phraseWho cooks? Me too?.Despiteher excellent camouflage, the great horned owl is often spotted flying at dusk heading out to hunt for the evening.

Horns and Connection with the Heavens

The great horned owl doesn’t have actual horns,...

Archetypes: THE VICTIM

The Victimarchetype is one of the four survivor archetypes identified by Caroline Myss in her work on Sacred Contracts. Each of us embodies the four essential survivor archetypes from birth to death. They are the foundation of what it means to be human. The survivors tend to matters of, you guessed it, our survival, but also our evolution. The lessons we gain from survivor archetype struggles are what bring us into our divine nature, our authentic selves.

Beingthe Victim

Is there a difference...

Spirit Animals: TRUSTY TURTLE

The names tortoise, turtle and terrapin apply to different groups of turtles in the USA, but other countries either place them all in the same category or categorize them differently. All have the characteristic shell which is either made of bone or cartilage. There are over250species of turtles worldwide.

Eternal Life

Turtle spirit animal symbolizeslongevity and immortalityin many mythologies around the world.This may be due to the fact that turtle always looks old with her wrinkly, dry skin...

Problem Solving for the Soul

We adore logic. For many of us, we enter our spiritual practice with the fervor of a crime investigator trying to solve the mysteries of our lives, especially our past and wounds. This may be thedefault setting for most people in their spiritual practice. Many become brilliant scholars of the spiritual pathand make fantastic inroads to enlightenment through the faculties of the mind.

However, thegreat masters teach that reason and analysis are the enemies of a deep spiritual practice. Reason...