Image from 'The Elephant Queen' by Victoria Stone and Mark Deeble
World Elephant Day was this past Wednesday August 12, 2020. I've known for a little while that the elephant has wanted to come through and impart knowledge for those willing to listen, but when I saw that it was World Elephant Day I knew it was time to bring forth their messages. World Elephant Day was inaugurated on August 12, 2012, not so surprising considering that year was pivotal to the changes we are currently experiencing. The numerology for this year's celebration works out to 1212, balancing the energies of creation and new beginnings with harmony, devotion, and cooperation. All of these are traits of the elephant totem. To break this number down further leaves us at 33, a master number. A number that embodies expansion, broad-minded thinking, manifestation, compassion, bravery, and courage. This energy is asking us to step out of our comfort zone, release our fears, and move forward with the pursuit of our passions and true purpose on this earth.
World Elephant Day was started to bring attention to the dwindling numbers of African and Asian elephants due to habitat loss, illegal poaching, and the ivory trade. Elephants are the largest land mammals on earth and are a crucial component to the ongoing climate crisis. They help to keep the grasslands under control in Africa and the forests seeded in Asia. Elephants are considered a 'keystone species', meaning they have a huge impact on the environment in which they live. Without their presence, their environment would be dramatically different, or cease to exist altogether. It seems to me that human beings have much the same impact as elephants, without us our environment would be dramatically different. We also have the power to make our environment one in which we want to live and can thrive. The world that we are living in is a reflection of us, and if we want this world to be a place in which we can thrive we must reflect on ourselves and make internal changes before we judge those outside of ourselves.
Elephants live in a matriarchal society with multiple family pods living as a group. Typically, the matriarch is the oldest female in the group. All members of the elephant family are considered important. Loyalty and care of the family unit are prized, and those that are the weakest are not left behind, but cared for with great love and devotion. Death of a group member, or the birth of a
still-born calf is mourned, just as we mourn the loss of our loved ones. The elephants ask us at this time to recognize the importance of all members of our society; not just the rich, famous and beautiful, but the downtrodden, the rejected, and the old alike. Every single member has a role to play that is critical to the whole. We cannot turn our backs now because it is inconvenient, ugly, or painful, we must see the similarity in the duality and endeavor to leave no one behind. It is unconscionable to say that one life is more important than another because of economics, status, or some other man made justification. We need to see the world through the lens of love and wisdom as opposed to the lens of hatred, division, and separation. Elephants are the strongest animals on the planet, and they are imparting their strength to us now in order to break through these obstacles of our mind. Only when we open our heart can we expand into our true abundance.
The elephant symbolism is also linked with the rise of the divine feminine, ever gentle and wise, yet resolute of purpose and powerful. Compassion was easy to see when the Coronavirus first started and also last week with the explosion in Beirut. But once the emergencies fade, so too, does our compassion. It is time for us to expand our expression of both compassion and cooperation. The time for competition has spun itself out. When we come together and work in coordination we can accomplish great things in a much shorter span of time. It is now time to lay down our egos and work together to create a more unified and harmonious life. We need to become re-engaged with nature to understand the interconnectedness of all things. Elephants work in harmony with their environment, it is imperative that we embody the wisdom of their example and do the same now.
For more about World Elephant Day: