The Goose Spirit Animal
Posted on Apr 24, 2020
By Ellie Laks, Founder of The Gentle Barn
Have you heard that we have a gosling at The Gentle Barn? A man found a goose egg on a golf course. It was washed away in a rainstorm but was still warm. The man searched but could not find the mommy goose or the nest. He then called several wildlife rescues and was told that they don’t take in eggs, only actual animals, and was told to throw the egg away. But the man could not bring himself to discard the egg. He felt the possibility of precious life and wanted to save it, so he called us. We picked up the egg and got an incubator from one of our wonderful neighbors and just like that, Jay and I turned into mother and father geese!
The hero who found the egg had kept the egg overnight under a heat lamp that he had for his lizard. The following day he brought the egg back to the golf course with him while he made calls for help. He wrapped the egg in a sweater. By the time he had called us, and we retrieved the egg, it was cold. We had no idea if it was viable. But after a week in the incubator, we candled the egg and sure enough, something was growing inside. At first, we could just see the yolk, but soon the yolk turned black, and the black part grew bigger and bigger, until it was clear that it was a goose, and the goose started to move inside the egg. We could even see her eye.
I am always astonished at how simultaneously fragile and resilient life is. Just as we unexpectedly lost 2 pigs in the spay, which has never before happened to us or our veterinarian who has spayed thousands of pigs, this cold and alone egg made it through being washed out of its nest, lived without a mom or an incubator for twenty-four hours, and yet it is growing, thriving, and living. My only conclusion is that when it is our time, we transition, and when we are meant to live, nothing can stop us!
The goose spirit animal carries the magical totem powers of synchronicity. In-flight the goose has to synchronize itself with the communal mind of the entire flock to survive. The flock becomes one mind as it travels the long journeys on thermal winds. The synchronization of the mind is one of the goose’s greatest powers. It is from this power of synchronicity that they draw their strength and abilities of endurance. As the goose synchronizes the body and motions in flight to other geese in the flock, it also synchronizes its mind. It, therefore, can partake in the experience of the other geese, and gain strength from it, creating a group mind for the benefit of all geese.
It is symbolic that we now have a goose at The Gentle Barn. I believe that it is our time to synchronize our minds not only to each other but to all living creatures. Nature has been trying to awaken us for a long time now. When we shut our hearts to animals, we developed heart disease. When we blocked our energy with other beings, we created blocks in our bodies, like cancer and diabetes. When we continued to enslave and exploit animals, we got zoonotic diseases like the avian flu, mad cow disease, and the swine flu. Even though the United Nations has been urging us to global veganism, and even though the World Health Organization has deemed meat a carcinogen, we have continued to eat what we are used to. And finally, we now have a worldwide pandemic, caused by eating animals. And the question is still posed: when will we awaken to love? When will we open our hearts and minds? And when will we synchronize with each other, to animals, and to Mother Earth so we can gain strength from it and create a group mind for the benefit of all beings? Like the goose, our synchronicity with each other is our greatest power! And while we are separated in quarantine, perhaps it is time to think about how we can come together more and become one. While this little gosling, Angel grows, I hope so does our synchronicity for love, gentleness, and unity; it starts with each one of us to take the first step!