What I learned from "Namaste Phoebe" and a Palmetto Bug

For many years now, an Eastern Phoebe (flycatcher) has lived under the cover of my front porch near the door. She has even created a nest on the backside of the porch light. Most of the time when I spot her, she is sitting on my old, rusted Namaste hanging ornament that has greeted visitors in my last three homes.

It’s so corroded that I probably would’ve thrown it away years ago was it not for it being Phoebe’s favorite place to sleep at night. I don’t often open the front door after dark to go outside, but when I do, she is almost always sitting on the Namaste chime and will fly over to the tree until I return inside, and the porch light is off again. Thus, I began the tradition of greeting her by saying “Namaste Phoebe”, which then became her name.

Last week, an incident happened with Namaste Phoebe that I won’t soon forget. I’m still counting my blessings that no one happened to be walking by that night to witness what occurred, as it surely would’ve invoked many belly laughs.

Hours earlier, I’d taken my trash out to the street in preparation of it being picked up the next morning, and then later discovered a couple more items I’d forgotten to put in the recycle bin. So, I turned on the porch light and opened the door to head to the bins. I was surprised and taken aback when Namaste Phoebe flew directly at me in quite a state of panic and frustration versus her typical behavior of quietly existing the area. She kept flying around me until I’d gotten maybe ten feet beyond the front porch area.

As I turned around to look at her, she had already returned to sitting on the namaste ornament. I implored her to answer my question of what the heck was that about? That’s when I noticed there was a very large palmetto bug crawling on the wall of the house directly above the front door. Palmetto bugs are the not-so-cute 2-3” nocturnal bugs that those of us who live in the warm weather southeastern states unfortunately know quite well.

Eastern Phoebe’s typically eat small flying bugs, but they will also eat palmetto bugs. Surely for this small to mid-sized bird dining on a palmetto bug could be likened to stuffing oneself silly on Thanksgiving Day. In other words, it would be quite the prize!

After depositing my garbage in the bin, I discovered that the situation at the front door had not changed. She was still laser focused on the very alert insect located right above the door that I needed to walk through. Phoebe would fly towards the bug and somehow it repeatedly dodged her attempts. I stood there for quite a while assessing the situation… even asking their permission for a pause in the action so I could get inside.

Ultimately, I decided to just make a go for it and hope for the best. With quick, intentional steps I walked across the porch and pulled open the door. At the exact moment when my body was over the threshold of the doorway, the palmetto bug did a Hail Mary jump and landed squarely on top of my head. Once inside, it quickly fell to the ground. I don’t recall my exact reaction, but I’m fairly certain I jumped and screeched in horror. Palmetto bugs move quickly, and did I mention that they have wings and aren’t afraid to use them?  

Like most self-proclaimed bug relocators, I have finely tuned my go-to method to get any unwelcome insect visitors back to the outside world. The poor bug looked in quite a state of shock, and I implored it to stay put for five seconds while I grabbed a glass to secure it so I could relocate it back outside. I feared it would suffer greatly overnight at the paws of two cats who would see the new visitor as the most exciting thing they’d had to play with in some time. Thankfully, the bug heard my message and had barely moved.

As I slipped the postcard under the glass that covered the bug, I took a step towards the door to set it free. Then I abruptly heard the bug scream “NO, NO, NO, not that way”. Yes. Of course. Namaste Phoebe was on the other side of that door. I stopped in my tracks, apologized, and then went to the back door to gently set it free.

Then it was time to practice what I teach. The experience had literally landed on my doorstep, which meant that I needed to reflect on the teachings so I could garner their gifts for my soul growth.

The Teachings

When we have these types of unexpected experiences that are in our face, or on top of our head, there are always messages for us. The key to securing any soul souvenirs from these types of incidents can be found through observing and noting the critter’s actions, and the emotions and feelings they trigger within you. Then try as best you can to connect it to something that has been “up” in your life and/or thoughts so you can discover why the universe went out of its way to create the seemingly out-of-the-blue encounter.

As I reflected on Phoebe’s actions, I noted how focused she was on her goal to meet her needs and how brave she was in defending her territory. And palmetto bugs have one undeniable trait that no one would refute; they are survivors. And this particular one was courageous beyond any I have ever met… intuitively choosing to take a huge leap of faith, with the objective of surviving and thriving. However, in the moment the experience transpired, their actions felt very invasive to me.

Earlier that day and the previous one, I’d been down and out and was having lower vibrational thoughts around digestive limitations I'd been experiencing. I'd been unable to pivot out of it and had been beating myself up about that, which is what their invasive actions showed me. In addition, they had both modeled a way of being that I could emulate that felt empowering! Suddenly I was able to have compassion for myself and make the shift from victimhood to empowerment.

As long as we’re in a body, we will continue to manifest these types of experiences for our growth. It’s helpful to remember that they are happening for us, not to us. It’s extraordinary how our animal companions and nature kin intermingle with us for our shared growth. There are always many levels to these types of encounters. For example, it is likely that I had a karmic soul contract with the palmetto bug to save its life, and there were several symbolic soul agreements at play as well.

Afterwards, I found myself laughing out loud when reflecting on the entire incident, and I was full of gratitude to these incredible beings that brought forth the much-needed shift in my heart. My hope is that you awaken to the magic and soul messages that are sure to arrive on your doorstep by observing your unexpected experiences (and visitors) from a higher vantage point and seeking their gifts. Don’t forget to thank the beings that your soul called upon for assistance!

Namaste Phoebe's Perch