Neptune's Dolphins

 

As humans, we do have Gods who have animals associated with Them. For example, Odin has his Ravens while Bast has her cats. Meanwhile Anubis and Sekhmet are depicted as a jackal and a lion respectively. How are these animals intertwined with their Gods? I believe that they had a mutual understanding and an agreement of minds. They have an affinity for each other.

 

All my life, I have been able to communicate with animals. Before my brain injury, I was a professional pet physic. In talking with other communicators, I found that there is an informal hierarchy, that matches human preference for animals. That is: first mammals, then birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, insects, and on down to germs. This is because humans are mammals and prefer their own kind. Also, it is more difficult to communicate with a squid since squids are alien, living in an inaccessible environment.

 

The mind of a squid is foreign to humans, although the squid possesses a high degree of intelligence. Moreover, little is known about squid culture (and fish culture in general). I have pondered whether the squids have Squid Gods as humans have Human Gods. Are They the same Gods or different Ones?

 

To find answers, I asked the squirrels about their Gods. A squirrel’s mind differs from a human’s as they have different senses, different concerns, and therefore different perspectives. Ratatoskr of the Norse is a God to the squirrels, but a Spirit to humans. Humans see Ratatoskr as going up and down the World Tree spreading news. Squirrels see Ratatoskr as the God of Red Squirrels whose Consort is the Great Spruce. Other Gods are the Spreading Oak, Divine Acorn, Living Pine Cone, Big Yellow (Sun), and Big Green (Earth). Each are in a reciprocal relationship with the squirrels. These are the only Gods that as an human that I could grasp.

 

Among the Gods of humans, Herne the Hunter is the Hawk Who Preys upon the squirrels. Anubis leads the friendly spirits of Death to enable the squirrels reach the World Tree, when they die. Baba Yaga is the Goddess of the Forests, protecting their homes. These are the Gods of the squirrels of North America that they share with humans.

 

A squirrel’s world is filled with “Friendly Spirits” that people call the Land Spirits. Other Spirits are of the Sea and Sky. These Spirits interact with the squirrels on an intimate level. (Ancient Polytheists such as the Greeks had similar relations with the Numia.). Beyond that, squirrels have mysteries that modern humans can never know.

 

Other animals have their Gods, as well. The whales keep to themselves as to who their Whale Gods are. One Whale God that they have told the humans about is Moby Dick the Avenger, since humans hunted whales to near extinction. However, they seem more willing to discuss their relations with human Gods. Whales interact with Neptune and other Gods of the Seas. Humpback whales revere Apollo and other Gods of Bards for their songs. Meanwhile, the whales are private in their religion.

 

My conclusion is that since we live in a web of relations, that animals have their own Gods. Some animals are more willing to discuss their relations with human Gods than their own Gods. Moreover, we understand different aspects of the Gods, who we do share. Furthermore, humans and animals have separate Gods, that we keep to ourselves.

 

At various times during the day, two Ninja squirrels (Note 1) would come for the nuts. They would jump from the condo roof to the table. After eating the nuts, they would leap from the railing down two stories to the ground. Then, the Ninja squirrels would saunter away without a backwards glance. I was always amazed at their nonchalance.

 

I also had a party of blue jays (Note 2) who came and squawked at me. They would fight with the two squirrels over the food. Sometimes the jays would emerge victorious, chasing off the squirrels. As gifts for the food, they would leave colorful blue feathers for me to find.

 

Also, every day, at dawn and dusk, a charm of thirty sparrows (Note 2) would line up on the railing. While some roosted on the window sills and looked in, others fed their fledglings on the railing. While waiting, the fledglings would chirp loudly and flap their wings. Other sparrows took turns at the feeder.

 

I had a Downy Woodpecker appear at the window several times during the day and tap. Every time, it was because there was no Honey-Nut Chex. I found this all strange since woodpeckers prefer eating insects at tree trunks. This small woodpecker was black and white like all downies. However, this bird lacked the distinctive red spot on their head.

 

When I would sit outside on my balcony, the Downy would roost on the railing in front of me. Acting friendly and curious, the bird would cock their head towards me. I could feel bright and sparkly energy radiating from the Downy.

 

Since I had been a “pet whisperer” (before my brain injury), I decided to see if I could communicate with the Downy. Formerly, I would communicate with animals by sending them mental pictures and colors. In return, I would receive similar images. This Woodpecker was too bouncy for sustained contact, but they did send some images.

 

According to Morgan Daimler in “A New Dictionary of Fairies,” the Fae will shapeshift into birds from time to time. However, I could not find anything that connected woodpeckers with fairies. Therefore, I decided to mediate on the glimpses that I received from the Downy. I came up with “sprite” as a working name for this Being.

 

Teresa Moorey in “The Fairy Bible” said that Pixies are thought to be the souls of prehistoric peoples in England. Living in North America, I decided that the Downie was something similar, and could be called “pixy.” Moorey also pointed out that Pixies liked to dance on the ridge tiles of roofs. This particular Downy would grab the tiles of the condo roof with their feet (Note 3) and do a little jig.

 

Daimler said that Pixies have red hair. Over the two weeks, the Downie’s red spot would emerge and disappear. I believed that the Downy was a shapeshifted form of a Fae. Daimler also said that Pixies find people to be entertaining. The Downy tapping at my windows, watching my reactions certainly found me to be amusing.

 

John Kruse in “Beyond Faery” presents the idea that the Fae resemble humans, while Fae Beasts are more animal-like. He says that Hobs and Hags are Fae Beasts because they are hairier than the usual Fae. He concludes that it is “hard to draw hard and fast boundaries” between supernatural entities. Kruse does think that one difference is that Fae Beasts only interact with people and are solitary. Perhaps, the Downy is a Fae Beast instead of a Fae.

 

Notes.

Note 1. They were eastern grey squirrels.

Note 2. Flocks of jays are called “parties,” while those of sparrows are “charms.” This group was a mixed group of song and field sparrows.

Note 3. Woodpeckers have zygodactyl feet of four toes. The first and fourth face backwards, while the second and third face forwards. Their feet enable woodpeckers to climb vertically up trees.

 

Works Used:

American Bird Conservancy, “Types of Woodpeckers: All Native Woodpecker Species of the U.S.” 2021. https://abcbirds.org/blog20/woodpecker-species-united-states/.

 

Bird Feeder Hub, “17 Woodpecker Species of North America (Pictures).” 2012.

https://birdfeederhub.com/woodpeckers-of-north-america/, .

Cornell Lab of Ornithology, “Woodpeckers Browse by Shape.” 2019. https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/browse/shape/Woodpeckers,.

Daimler, Morgan, “Fairies: A Guide to the Celtic Fair Folks.” Moon Books: Winchester (UK). 2017.

…,” A New Dictionary of Fairies: A 21st Century Exploration of Celtic and Related Western European Fairies.” Moon Books: Winchester (UK). 2020.

…, “Pagan Portals: Fairy Witchcraft.” Moon Books: Winchester (UK). 2014.

Kruse, John, “Beyond Faery: Exploring the World of Mermaids, Kelpies, Goblins & Other Faery Beasts.” Llewellyn: Woodbury (MN). 2020.

Moorey, Teresa, “The Fairy Bible.” Sterling: New York. 2008

Sanchez, Tara, “Urban Faery Magick.” Llewellyn: Woodbury (MN). 2021