Shifting Perspectives: Slugs

On Sunday I was about to clean our hummingbird feeder when I found these two adorable slugs, one is a baby. Not wanting to accidentally hurt them when I washed it- I (gently & carefully) coaxed them unto my hand with a leaf to transport them. When they started moving and using their tiny antennae eyes to sense and explore I could not resist the cuteness and had to take a few photos. Their energy felt very sweet and playful to me. Curious and innocent/open.

Please be gentle to these fascinating little creatures next time you see them in your garden & share some leaves with them. They eat a lot of decaying vegetation & help keep things clean. Pretend they are leaving a trail of sparkles instead of slime.They are basically snails without a fancy shell house.

Sometimes after having meaningful encounters with wildlife, after sensing their energy for myself and forming my own ideas regarding the message they shared with me, I also enjoy reading about traditional & symbolic meanings associated with each one I met. I just looked up the slug in Animal-Wise by Ted Andrews, and found two pages of wonderful information including that "When a slug appears as a totem or messenger, we are opening to higher vision....The slug's appearance reminds us that we will soon recognize and realize the illumination that is always present within us." (p. 286-287)