One of the many aspects of living in the Pacific North West that I am so enamored with is hearing the frogs in the spring time. (I’m sure this happens other places but not where I lived before) We have a creek and a pond in our backyard and every year in the spring we are honored by the pleasing symphony of the frogs song. I heard them last night for the first time this spring, the night before the new moon, and I remembered once again, how much they help me to connect to the earth and her cycles of seasons, change and growth.
When I was a little girl in Southern California I used to fill up my dad’s wheel barrow with dirt, plants, water and sticks to make a habitat for the frogs and toads I’d find. I thought I was helping them, of course, by making them this nice safe place to live. I’d get my Noah’s ark that I’d collected piece by piece from Arco service stations and add that to the scene for fun. I spent hours, days playing this way. I’d let them go at the end of the day because as most moms do, mine told me I had to. In my memories I spent a great deal of time playing with my arc and the frogs. I’d forgotten until I moved up here how much I was fascinated by frogs when I was a kid. I guess that’s true for a lot of people, as we get older, go to school, then college or a job, we lose touch with some of the nature we treasured as a child. Moving to the Olympic Peninsula has helped me to get some of that admiration back. I don’t have to fly or travel to nature, it’s right here in my yard again, all around me wherever I go here.
It always amazes me how the frogs all start-up their earthly singing at the same time with one little guy or gal leading the way, then end all at the same time. Robert and I sit up in bed listening, enjoying the natural melodic hum of their reverberations. In spiritual circles it is said that frogs are the pulse of the earth. That they feel the energy from the earth and through their night sounds are relaying to us what is going on with the weather, with the earth and even with us. When doing research on frogs I read stories such as in China, where a huge frog migration was seen as a bad omen by many of the local people. The government told them it was a normal propagation migration. Seven days later they had a large earthquake and thousands of people were killed. When civilians were angered by the scientists not being able to predict the earthquake,as the frogs did, Chinese scientists stated that animals have a much better sense of detecting natural disasters.
In Feng Shui it is said that a family of frogs living in your garden will bring good luck to your home and it’s occupants. In Chinese culture frogs and toads are symbols of immortality, healing, money, the moon and frivolity. In the North West Coast People’s beliefs frogs are considered good luck as well and it is not considered wise to demean or injure them. And they have native stories about little children who have done this with negative repercussions. In the Bible many of the stories of frogs speak of them being unclean, dangerous spirits and not to be trusted. I liked this Hebrew translation of the stories of frogs from the Bible that I read on this website best. You can read about that at this website if you like. She does a much better job and is more an expert than I am. It is extremely interesting.
“The frog does not drink up the Pond in which he lives.” Sioux
If you enjoy the sounds of the frogs as much as I do and feel frogs may be one of your totem animals then read on. I have enclosed a transcript from my favorite animal totem book by Dr. Steven D. Farmer, “Animal Spirit Guides.” Enjoy.
If Frog shows up, it means: (choose only those that apply to you) (shows up means, in life, dreams, meditations, a story you hear, etc.)
- If you hear a frog during the daytime, it will rain very soon.
- Do a physical cleanse to detoxify your body.
- Do an emotional cleanse by letting yourself really feel your emotions, and cry as much as you need to in order to clear and release any emotional toxicity.
- Singing or chanting out loud will help you feel more balanced, at peace, and connected to the divine.
- You’re entering into a time of plenty and abundance.
- This is the start of a slow and steady transformational process for you, a movement from an old life to a new.
- It’s time to cleanse your life of people, places, or things that no longer fit in with your present lifestyle and who you are.
- You’re in the midst of any life change, whether small or large, and you need the emotional sustenance and strength to go through it in a fluid and graceful way.
- You’re planning to do a clearing and blessing ceremony for your home, office, or a specific space.
- You feel intimidated or hesitant about honestly stating your thoughts, feelings, or opinions to someone.
- You simply feel overwhelmed with negativity and want to clear it up.
- You’re a very sensitive and compassionate person, and readily express deep feelings in words and actions.
- Your voice, and especially your singing, can at times arouse deep emotions, yet at the same time soothe anyone within its range.
- To others you initially seem rather remote and self-absorbed, yet once they get past their first impressions of you, they discover the depth and nobility of your character.
- In your work, you seem to plod along very slowly and have trouble getting started, but you stay with it and get the job done. You enjoy the study of ancient mysteries and particularly the art of magic.
Thanks for the neat story about frogs. I have always been enamored with frogs since I was a little kid. Then when I grew up I started to collect frog items from places I travelled to and so forth–it was a part of my decorating. Then I kind of grew out of that phase, but I still love frogs. It’s really interesting how they (and most creatures on Earth) can sense things like natural disasters before they happen. I’ll remember this article the next time I hear frogs croaking outside my window. 🙂
Hey Joss…just finished reading the post and this is really a great subject. It’s interesting that you mentioned the same thing my mom always used to tell us when we were kids… that when frogs croak during the day it meant rain.
The verses in the Bible that I know about frogs is that they were sent to rid or punish wrong doers, and I have never looked at them to represent evil but to counter evil (in my understanding anyway).
One of my nephews has always had a affinity for frogs while growing up, he had a few different varieties like an albino, and some others I can’t recall. I am wondering if his Animal Totem may be the frog. I know he loves them.
My mom also loved frogs but I think her interest came soley through Michigan J Frog and a few little novelties statues of them.
Anyway for anyone who is intersted in the Animal Totems…I firmly believe they are quite accurate and highly recommend the book. I have three very amazing an accurate animal spirits which coincide with my different cycles or parts of my being I think that’s what it’s called but unfortunately the frog isn’t one of them. my totems are the The Hawk, Pronghorn Antelope or White Tail Dear and the White Swan. I have actually had the privilage to encounter all 3 since moving to Northern California and they each had an unspoken message for me that I will cherish.
Thanks for this special topic Joss….I love it!
Thank you ladies for letting me know that my little blog on frogs spoke to you. I write what I feel moved to write and when I heard the frogs for the first time this spring it brought back all sorts of memories for me too.
With totem animals, remember, we have some main totem animals that stay with us most or all of our lives and then we have different animals that come and go with different events where we may need extra support and guidance from them. The frog represents, quite often, a major change or transition in a person so anytime you are going through an important transformation in your life the frog may be there to support you. There are other totem animals that represent transformation of the person too, they are: butterfly, eel, ibis, lobster, python, rattlesnake, salamander, salmon, scorpion, snake and toad and frog! There is an even longer list for transitions within life. I’ll keep writing about the animals I see and encounter if this is a topic that interests people. Love and Light to you both!
Rhonda, another message for you and others, on the part in the Bible about frogs, to tell you the truth, it was all negative what I found, like you did. I didn’t care for or connect with that translation. But, if you click on the link to the Hebrew version, she has translated the Bible passages with her own common sense that I admired and she has come up with explanations that made sense to me and I liked very much. They are quite interesting to read about. I am not an expert on the Bible so I didn’t not try to paraphrase or explain what I had read, I rather put a link so people could read it for themselves. I pray many do and that they get something out of it. Thanks for bringing that up.
I enjoyed reading this. I remember the arc but not the frogs in the wheel barrow. Carol
[…] Frog Totem (I have to say, this is one of my favorite blogs. Not only did I meet a dear friend because of it but I just love frogs. I’ll be writing more about animal totems in the future.) […]