Totem Animal--Squirrel Scout of the Totems

Photo by Patricia Herlevi

If squirrel has a message for us it is, "Be prepared, but don't go nuts over it."And a dead squirrel omen would ask us to slow down, meditate on our lives and ask what's next? Am I prepared for the months ahead? Do I have enough food stored in the cupboard? Do I have too much stuff or am I lacking in some way? Another question, am I running around like a crazy squirrel and not accomplishing anything?  Do I work too hard? Do I find time for play?

The main diet for squirrels is nuts and acorns.  And in recent nutritional studies, researchers have found that eating nuts does not cause weight gain and in fact, nuts contain healthy fats, needed vitamins, protein, and micro nutrients. Nuts are also a good source of magnesium which calms the central nervous system, especially in people who worry too much or work too hard.  Squirrels will also eat seeds which also contain healthy fats and omega oils.  So when it comes to diet, squirrels have done their research!

Squirrels are quick, wily, and excellent climbers.  They can leap from ledges to roofs or branches to roofs with ease and grace. They use their large and fluffy tails to keep them balanced.  They are also intelligent and have proven advanced cognitive abilities (and actually, rodents are smart in general).  They think on their feet and have survived urban sprawl while adapting to new situations quickly and adeptly.  If Squirrel is your totem, then you share some of these traits.  You are also cautious, resourceful and plan head.

I learned recently that squirrels also predict a cold winter when they build their nests high up in trees.  But I go with the amount of weight they gain as well as the thickness of their fall coat when predicting winter weather.  My squirrel family in Seattle never let me down in this regard and in fact, I learned a lot from those squirrels by sharing a garden with them.  And well, I'm also nuts about nuts!