To prepare the tobacco fields of North Carolina, they are sometimes burned first to sterilize the soil and kill off weeds. This is usually done in the winter when the local box turtles may be hibernating. If they wake during the fire, turtles must scurry for their lives, rushing they hope toward safety, not from one frying field into another. Sadly, some of them don’t make it.

But in some areas their magnificent shells are rescued by children who are members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. The children have been taught to treat the turtles with honor and respect and they find other uses for the shells. Which is how about 20 years ago I came to have an eastern box turtle shell that I then made into a wearable shield and medicine bag. I wear it over my heart on special occasions and whenever I want protection in a challenging situation. Hidden inside the shell is a leather drawstring pouch, in which I keep special stones and other amulets. Fringing the shell are various beads and charm symbols that are important to me. Whenever I wear my turtle shield I think of the brave little animal who carried her house with her whenever she went, and who I hope had a good life for awhile at least. Box turtles commonly reach 25-30 years of age, and there are well-documented cases of them living to 40 or even 50 years, so perhaps mine already had a good long life.

Box turtles have a homing instinct that causes them to try to return to the place of their birth if they are moved, something I find remarkable. As someone who has uprooted herself countless times, that idea touches me. I wish I had a true home base to return to. The ability to carry one’s home with you is also appealing to the vagabond camper in me. Covering my heart with her home makes me feel safe, less vulnerable, impervious to other’s negativity. I call on her energy, her tough spirit—which still infuses the shell—to transfer itself to me, and in that way I keep this fragile turtle alive and vibrant and eternal. And now we keep each other safe.

CONTEMPLATIONS

• Have you ever rescused an animal?
• Have you ever preserved some portion of an animal?
• Do you connect with its spirit?
• What wisdom has it shared with you?
• What makes you feel safe?

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