Episode 1 The Rabbit - Why They Matter More Than You Think

Welcome to a weekly podcast.  Animals are everywhere in our lives - yet we rarely stop to think about them.  In this foundational episode of Animals Sacred Wisdom, I explore a simple but powerful idea:  what if animals are not background to human life, but part of the experience of it?

Through observation, reflection and research, this episode invites you to begin noticing animals differently - without requiring belief, only awareness.

Because sometimes the most important shift begins with simply paying attention.

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Listen to what the natural world has been saying all along!

Transcript

Carol 0:00

Animals are everywhere in our lives. We pass them on the road. We hear them outside our windows. We see them in brief moments. Sometimes so quickly we barely register that they were there. And most of the time, we don't think much about it. They're just part of the background. But what if that's not true? What if animals are not just part of the scenery of human life, but part of the experience of it? In this podcast, Animals Sacred Wisdom, I'm not asking you to believe anything. I'm asking you to notice. Because over time I began to notice something that didn't quite fit the way we're taught to think about animals. Certain animals appearing more than once. Moments that felt intentional. Encounters that stayed with me longer than they should have. And I started to wonder, are animals really just passing through our lives? Or are they part of something we haven't fully understood yet? This podcast is an exploration of that question, not as a belief system, but as an awareness. Because animals are not background to human life, they are part of it, and possibly teachers within it. I've always observed bunnies and rabbits around me wherever I've lived. I thought they were fragile. It wasn't until I studied animal medicine cards that I realized how I had underestimated them. Often, when a friend of mine became disappointed when a rabbit showed up in their card reading, I corrected their opinion. Instead of being associated incorrectly with fear and weakness, it became clear to me that rabbits are one of the most courageous animals in our world. Rabbits get up every morning, knowing they are prey to almost everything around them. People hunt them. Coyotes, wolves, snakes, even dogs, and oh yeah, cats, chase them for food or pleasure, and the end result is often death. Rabbits will wake up every morning and venture forth without letting fear paralyze them with dread. I'm a believer in the more you know about anything, the more you appreciate it. Before I get into the deeper meaning of rabbits and some emotional insight, here are a few facts about wild rabbits and pet rabbits. Carrots are not a favorite food. They are high in sugar and not easily available. Rabbits can get overgrown teeth if they don't get enough hay, grass, leafy greens like spinach, watercress, or dandelion leaves. Baby rabbits are called kits or kittens, and female rabbits are does and male rabbits are bucks. The babies are born with their eyes shut, no hair, and they're extremely vulnerable. Rabbits will dig burrels and create separate rooms which are called warrens, that's W-A-R-R-E-N-S, underground where they are highly social. An exception is our cottontail rabbit. They don't typically dig a burrow and they live in depressions above ground called forms. And this is what the larger hair does. Now I want to mention the hare because many people use the word rabbit and hare interchangeably. Hares are larger. They are born with hair, their eyes are open, they're able to move about almost immediately. They are much faster than rabbits with longer legs. And hares are not social like rabbits, they are solitary. As mentioned, hares live above ground in forms. It's just a depression in the earth. While a rabbit can run fast at 18 miles per hour, the hare is larger and faster, running up to 40 or more miles an hour. Pet rabbits with great care can live to 12 years old. Wild rabbits, if they're lucky, live one to three years. Pet rabbits and wild rabbits are very social. And if you have pet rabbits, the best combo is a neutered male and a fixed female. Pet rabbits need lots of space to hop around or their bones get broken. And their secret powers. Rabbits are born with their eyes shut, but as they grow and mature, they open and they have almost 360 degrees vision. Helps them stay safe. Additionally, having ears that rotate 180 degrees helps them immediately locate and identify a sound. All rabbits are on survival alert. Most do not like being picked up or handled because being grabbed reminds them of their predators like a hawk. Their communication is basically through clenching facial muscles and changing their body position. You'd have to be staring at them to see this, and it usually means they're worried. In Britain in the 17th century, rabbits were once transported across channels as food, and as legend has it, they ate through the hull of a ship, suck it, and drowned sailors. To this day, rabbits are not allowed on ferries. Rabbits are surprisingly clean and cute to watch, especially when they pull their ears over their faces to wash. If you ever see poo around the rear of a pet rabbit, it's likely a health issue, get them to the vet. Otherwise, rabbits, wild rabbits, will eat their own droppings because of their unique digestive system that allows the second way of getting the most nutrition out of what they eat. If you've heard the phrase multiply like a rabbit, then you'll be interested to know they can produce over 1,000 descendants in 18 months. And that means having 1 to 14 kits a litter, although the average is five. And lastly, a fun fact: if you see a rabbit or bunny suddenly jump and twist, it's called a binky. It's when a rabbit twists, kicks their legs, pops their head in the air. It signals happiness and excitement, usually accompanied by the zoomies, which is hopping really fast. They typically feel energetic, safe, and comfortable when they do this. Let's get into the deeper meaning. When you see a rabbit or dream of one, the message is have courage. It is meant for you to conquer fear and teaches you not to focus on fear because you attract what you think about. Instead, it's a time to focus on abundance, love, health to attract them. Staying in the present now is a teaching. Getting rid of the usually unconscious what if is important because what you resist persists. Sometimes what you fear most is what you will become. Rabbit is the be happy, don't worry messenger. Take care of yourself and release your fears and worries. Use your energy to play in joy, not run from perceived dangers. Rabbits teach you to overcome your limiting beliefs and find your hidden talents. In ancient times and in mythology, rabbits and hares were seen as magical, elusive, supernatural, rather than just animals. Because rabbits were social, they often were viewed together as a magical circle. Because of reverence toward rabbits and hares in Britain, eating one was considered equivalent to eating one's grandmother at one time. Both rabbits and hares were considered otherworldly being in these times. They were associated with fertility, no surprise there, shape-shifting, lunar magic, and the spirit world serving as messengers between humans and deities. The lunar or moon connection came from their 28-day gestation cycle and nocturnal habits. Thus rabbits were seen as symbols of rebirth and immortality. Rabbits and hares were sacred to ancient Greek goddesses like Aphrodite and Hecate. Aphrodite, with the association of love, beauty, passion, and procreation, was a natural link to rabbits. To these Greek goddesses, the rabbit represented compassion, abundance, and sexuality. Some traditions of Native Americans saw the rabbit as a clever trickster, and sometimes a creator figure. African cultures often saw rabbits as sacred messengers. Because rabbits are most active at dawn and dusk, they were seen as creatures who lived in a transitional, in-between state that crossed between the human world and spirit. In folklore, rabbits were often linked with witches who were believed to transform into them to mood stealthily at night. Rabbits were associated with a full moon, acting as guides for spiritual journeys and navigating the subconscious. Because of where rabbits lived in burrows underground, they were considered creatures of the underworld in ancient Egypt. However, that being said, Egypt linked them to the moon, rebirth, and the goddess Winnet. This goddess represented fertility, new birth, and protection, and was associated with swiftness, alertness, and a potential for hidden power. In Japanese folklore, an old man was starving. Different animals tried to provide food, but the old man wouldn't take any. The rabbit knew that men eat meat and threw himself into an open fire in a selfless act. The rabbit didn't burn because God was in the disguise of the old man. God was so touched by the rabbit's selflessness that he drew the image of the rabbit on the moon so everyone would remember the rabbit's kindness. No one knows the true origin of calling out rabbit, rabbit, rabbit, on the first day of the month. It was first recorded in 1909 in England, where children called it out in order to bring good luck for the rest of the month. From the Celtic lore of the rabbit being a feared shapeshifter to the Chinese culture who regarded the rabbit as a cherished symbol of prosperity, in the story of the zodiac, the jade emperor, who was an important god in traditional Chinese religion, decided to invite all the animals to take part in a race. The rat won, so became first, and the rabbit came in fourth. The rabbit is still seen as a gentle, sensitive creature who represents abundance and prosperity. Rabbits were best known as early symbols of spring, signifying abundance, creativity, and new beginnings. The rabbit has occupied a unique and curious place in our imagination. Symbolic of the contrasts are fear and courage, life and death, good fortune, light and shadow. They continue to bridge the connection between our world and the mystical. Now here is how this information about the rabbit helps you. Every time from now on, and you see a rabbit, a bunny, or a hare, you will know you are being encouraged to move past fear, to expect new beginnings, abundance, growth, vulnerability, and quick intuition. You will sense that swift, positive changes are coming and to trust in your gut feelings. Seeing a rabbit will remind you that it's necessary for self-reflection. You are capable of overcoming fear by moving through it, maintaining humility and not letting fearful thoughts reproduce by dwelling on negative outcomes, that which you do not want to manifest. Due to their speedy breedings, rabbits remain a universal symbol of prosperity and growth, whether it be with new projects or families. New beginnings and rebirth, often associated with spring, signify rejuvenation, hope, and fresh starts. They will remind you that strength is found in softness and the need to protect your own vulnerability while navigating life. When a rabbit crosses your path, you might want to interpret it as a message to pause and evaluate whether you are moving too fast or maybe there's a sudden opportunity to jump on. And especially when you see rabbit in your dreams, it will represent good luck, success, and a need to become more organized. My rabbit summary is always a reminder to overcome your fear. Don't sacrifice yourself for others to live. Be mindful that what you fear most is what you will become. Do not resist or it will persist. Nurture yourself, you're worthy. Use your energy to play in joy, not run from perceived dangers. Engage with yourself and find your hidden talents, and this usually happens when you overcome your limiting beliefs. So for now, I'm not asking you to change what you believe. I'm simply asking you to notice. Notice the animals that cross your path. Notice the ones that seem to appear more than once. Notice what you feel in those moments, even if you can't explain it. Because awareness doesn't begin with answers, it begins with attention. And if animals are more than we've been taught to think they are, if they are part of how we experience life, not just background to it, then the way we see them begins to matter. In the next episode, we'll take a step back and look at something we've all accepted without question. Why animals are already woven into almost everything we create, from the names we give our cars and our teams to the stories we tell. Because once you see how present they already are, you may begin to see them differently when they show up in your own life. And that's where this really begins. Thank you for listening. Please follow and share.