BY MICHAEL HAUSER

Riding on the Wings of Dragonfly

This past New Year’s Eve I attended a four-day silent meditation retreat in Joshua Tree. The sky was a deep shade of blue, the sunbeams were warm and comforting and the snowcapped mountain range looked over me. The winter desert is alive with silence, magistracy and one precious dragonfly that had information to download to me.

In the shamanic tradition, it is believed that everyone has a power animal who resides with them, adding to their power and protecting them, similar to a guardian angel. They believe everything is alive and carries with it power and wisdom. I believe this too.

So, when I was sitting by a reflecting pool during my retreat, soaking up the rays of the sun, contemplating the insights and revelations I encountered the past few days in meditation, Mr. Dragonfly’s small fragile body cast a large shadow across my closed eyelids causing me to open them.

Softly I gazed upon his golden wings as he skimmed the water. He made his way over to the stone edge of the pool for a moment before landing on my lap. Mr. Dragonfly has never been so close and I was aware that he had a message for me, just like so many times before.

Like during the summer of 2005 when I was in New York City producing a TV show for TLC. The city was hot and sticky, so I took the subway to Central Park and headed to Sheep’s Meadow. I walked among hundreds of city dwellers enjoying the lazy days of summer seeking to cool off on the lush grass. Overwhelmed with possibilities of where to sit, I scanned the terrain and immediately spotted nine dragonflies flocked together, all flying against the wind. To me, the dragonflies were summoning me, so I obeyed; I laid my body beneath the shinning, shimmering insects and bathed in what knowledge they had for me.

Again, in San Francisco, while working on another TV series, I took a break from my office, went outside and was affected by the several dragonflies hovering over my car. This past summer, the beefy dragonflies of New Hampshire filled me with vast wisdom every day, and the transformation they intended for me demonstrated itself a few months later as the long-distance relationship I was committed to dissolved.

Today, entering the new year, with new possibilities, the dragonfly settling down on my lap was very powerful—living wisdom was very close indeed, and since the dragonfly species is over 180 million years old, I was all ears.

A message totem usually brings you spiritual insight of either self-growth or a cautionary warning. This will typically be an unusual experience, making it very powerful at that time and very impartial, like the dragonfly landing on my lap.

Some of the qualities that the dragonfly carries are the following: power of flight, power to escape a blow, understanding dreams, power of light, breaking down illusions, seeing the truth in situations and change.

Power animals are an essential component of shamanic practice. Even if you’re not a shaman, you can glean from this healing tradition by investigating what power totem speaks to you. We are all fabric in the weave of life, interwoven for reasons seen and unseen. By using all means that speak to us we have keys into where we came and from where we are directed to go.

I’m enthusiastic about the wisdom of Dragonfly for ’09 and beyond, and I invite you to investigate how nature is pointing the way for you to produce a life that is meaningful. Spirit is constantly giving us answers and infusing us with a living intelligence that is just for us. I invite you to take a look at nature, see what’s visiting you throughout your day and in your dreams. You’ll be surprised on how close you are to guidance and wisdom.

Once you identify the animal spirit that calls to you, check out it’s message for you on shamanlinks.net.

Michael Hauser is a spiritual teacher and television producer. He can be reached at livingvertically.com.