Lizard Medicine

Yesterday, I was preparing for a party. I needed to put some yard tools away in the barn. As I neared the door, I startled a lizard. Normally, lizards disappear when startled.

This one moved closer to me, on to the glass door of the barn.

I stopped to take a good look at this tiny being. It had tree frog-esque toes, a pale underbelly and a light chartreuse back with a tan/beige stripe all the way down its spine. Neon green ringed its eyes. I could see its lungs moving as it breathed.

It looked back at me.

I settled in to watch. Surely, this creature would scuttle off at my slightest move.

It looked back at me.

I realized somewhere in here that this was yet another visitation by an animal teacher. I have a lot of avian and mammal medicine; not so much reptile or amphibian. What does this mean?

At length, and it could have been as much as five or ten minutes, I had to get moving with the rest of my tasks. I quietly walked through the door, deposited my tools and backed out of the barn.

Closing the inner door would surely startle the lizard, right? Nope.

Looking through the glass at my little friend, I hesitated; should I or should I not disturb it by closing the glass door? Yes. I won't be back, and our guests will be here soon. I close the door.

The lizard looks back at me.

I hear you, little one. Thank you for your teachings. Be well.

~

Later, I identified the lizard as a Green Anole, latin name Anolis Carolinensis. The males are territorial, and breeding season stretches throughout spring and summer. It is possible that this was a male protecting his territory, or a female protecting her egg. Interestingly, though, I did not observe any of the associated behaviors such as chin bobbing.

The animal medicine of Lizard is about detachment and observation. It encourages us to detach from current issues emotionally and do what must be done.

Also, from the interwebs:

"It’s time to take do an internal audit. Are you being ruled by your ego or are you coming from your heart? Be aware – simply because the ego is the master of deception and you will often have to peel back many layers to get at the truth – and to discover what your heart is really telling you. Take the time to really focus on your personal dreams."