If you know me well, then you are aware of my oracle card addiction which includes pulling a card for guidance at new moon and full moon time. Yesterday, I drew the dreaded Armadillo!
Again, if you know me, you likely remember I’m from Texas whose state small mammal is the armadillo. So, you might wonder why I called it “dreaded.” Well, the armadillo is not known to be the smartest creature in the animal kingdom. Also, just look at it!
First, the thing has tiny, beady eyes and doesn’t see well. It also sleeps most of the time. Does that mean I am asleep to the reality around me? Blind to the messages I should be receiving?
Second, it has a hunched, closed-up looking posture. Dear god, I’ve spent the last six years of my life repeatedly encouraging my yoga students to elongate their spines and to drop their shoulders away from their ears! Not to mention all the nagging my daughter hears from me about standing up straight. Surely, I practice what I preach. Is this armadillo badgering me?
And then there is the body armor. Armadillo is a Spanish word that translates to “little armored one.” To protect itself, an armadillo will burrow into the dirt and expand its shell to wedge into the hole. Some types of armadillo can even roll themselves into such a tight ball that the predator has only armor to deal with. Is the armadillo suggesting that I am too walled up or perhaps closed minded?
The answer to all my questions is “maybe.” The beauty of oracle cards is their ability to make me slow down and ponder. So perhaps I am blind to something I should be noticing, maybe I do need to be a better role model, and I possibly could be more open. But there is also something else.
This ugly, sleepy, unintelligent creature has much to teach me–and maybe you–about self-love and self-care.
Armadillo magic screams, YOU MATTER! Protect your boundaries and your time. It’s okay to say “no.” In fact, doing so creates more space for what brings you joy, which is your sacred work. Setting limits also affords us time to rest just like the armadillo does. We can’t do our sacred work if we are exhausted and burned out. The armadillo’s limited external sight reminds us to rely on our inner knowing to guide us. And viewed another way, being hunched over could give one a clearer view of her own heart.
These reminders will serve me well as I transition out of my Covid burrow and into the world at large. Armadillos are smarter than I thought. And the cards never lie.
