Spirit Touching Briefly into Form: Wisdom from a Damselfly
Image by PublicDomainPictures


Narrated by Marie T. Russell. 

Video version

It’s spring in the desert…and that means it’s finally warm enough for the first swims in the magical creeks that give the Verde (“Green”) Valley its name.

I am blessed to have Oak Creek just a short walk away from my home…and on Sunday, I went for the ceremonial “first swim of the season.”

The cottonwood trees are “snowing,” creating a magical fairyland of pollen in the creek and in the air. As I waded into the cold water, I noticed the body of a blue pond damselfly floating on the surface.

I picked her up, and held her gently in my hands…at first to see if she may still be alive, and then, when I realized she was dead, I couldn’t put her down. I looked at her beautiful form, and asked her spirit if I could communicate with her.

Spirit Touching Briefly into Form: Wisdom from a Damselfly
Image by Psubraty 

Immediately I felt the beautiful, pure presence of this wonderful being filling me, surrounding me as I held her still form. She infused me with her essence…a translucent, radiant wash of light, clarity, and sweetness.

I wondered about her experience in her body, coming into form for such a short time. Pond damselflies lay their eggs in the water, and then emerge in the larval stage to the stream bank, where they then transform into their winged bodies. Their life span is a few weeks, during which they mate, lay their eggs back in the water, and then die. I’ve always loved them, and have been fascinated by the experience of being born in the water and then emerging to fly.


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As I considered all of this, the damselfly in spirit transmitted her experience to me in a complete wash of feeling and understanding:

"We are spirit touching briefly into form."

She had no awareness of “time” or having lived a “short” life in the way that we humans perceive lifespan and time. She had full and complete understanding of herself as a spiritual being, coming into form for a time, and then returning to her life in spirit. The experience of physical life and the body was a focusing of her energy and light for a time into form, as a way of experiencing energy and an experience of life infused by her spirit.

With gratitude, I laid her body gently back in the water, and watched it float downstream, as I pondered her wisdom.

We are spirit touching briefly into form.

Our task as humans is to remember this. How often we forget.

So many times our beautiful animal friends remind us…of our essential nature as spirit, much greater than our physical lives and experiences. We bring our energy to our lives in our bodies as a way to focus our light, to learn, to grow, to discover.

And then we return to that which we never really left…to spirit, to oneness.

This article was reprinted with permission
from Nancy's blog. www.nancywindheart.com 

About the Author

photo of Nancy WindheartNancy Windheart is an internationally recognized animal communicator and interspecies communication teacher. She teaches courses and training programs in interspecies communication for both lay people and those who wish to practice professionally. Nancy also provides animal communication consultations, intuitive and energy healing sessions, and professional mentoring for clients worldwide. She is also a Reiki Master-Teacher and a certified Yoga teacher.

Nancy’s work has been featured in television, radio, magazine, and online media, and she has written for many digital and print publications. She is a contributor to the book, The Karma of Cats: Spiritual Wisdom From Our Feline Friends.

For more info, visit www.nancywindheart.com.

Related book:

The Karma of Cats: Spiritual Wisdom from Our Feline Friends
by Various Authors. (Nancy Windheart is one of the contributing authors)

book cover: The Karma of Cats: Spiritual Wisdom from Our Feline Friends by Various Authors. Both revered and feared throughout history, cats are unique in the mystical truths and practical lessons they share with us. In The Karma of Cats, spiritual teachers and writers reflect on the wisdom and gifts they’ve received from their feline friends?exploring themes of radical respect, unconditional love, our spiritual nature, and more. Loving companions and wild spirits, our feline friends have much to teach all who welcome them into their homes and hearts.

With an introduction by Seane Corn and contributions by Alice Walker, Andrew Harvey, Biet Simkin, Brother David Steindl-Rast, Damien Echols, Geneen Roth, Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson, Kelly McGonigal, Nancy Windheart, Rachel Naomi Remen, Sterling “TrapKing” Davis, and many more.

Click here for more info and/or to order this paperback book. Also available in a Kindle edition.