The family who knew her best called her Shelley. Those of us who had to contain her for care affectionately nicknamed her Houdini. Shelley was a 30-pound, two-foot-long common snapping turtle who lived in a pond behind a home occupied by three generations of caring humans.
The family and their neighbors watched the road to make sure no turtles were ever smashed by cars, so the pond was a safe place for turtles to live. One day, though, Shelley came out of the pond walking with a limp due to a large growth on the bottom of her foot and the family was concerned.
That is how I met Shelley. The family reached out for help. I asked them to try to contain her for transport to me so we could treat her foot. Following my instructions, they went out with a big storage tub and, when they approached, back into the pond went Shelley, every time they tried.
The following summer, when the growth had doubled in size and limited Shelley’s mobility, they finally got her into the tub. While they were on the phone with me reporting their success, however, Shelley knocked the tub over and escaped into the pond again. The following morning, I answered another phone call from the family. They had her! She must have realized they were trying to help, because they found her waiting outside their back door. She allowed them to lift her into the tote and firmly close the lid over her. A volunteer wildlife transporter drove her to me.
Shelley stayed in care for a year and was with me except for the month she spent at the Janet L. Swanson Wildlife Hospital at Cornell University, part of their veterinary medicine program. She had four surgeries on her foot to remove the growth and treat abscesses which were deep underneath. During her year-long stay, she escaped her “hospital” tub so often, including one time at the wildlife hospital, that she earned her nickname Houdini.
I offer Reiki to the animals in my care. I have channeled Reiki to a variety of animals, from chipmunks to frogs to pigeons. Turtles are my favorite beings to work with. Shelley was receptive to the energy, so I would rest my hands on her shell for a bit, then direct it towards her swollen foot, watching her for any sign she might snap. Sometimes a rumbling sound would emanate from her, which I could feel as a vibration under my hands. That sound is a snapping turtle’s song.
To know a snapping turtle energetically is to know the ancient Earth. The common snapping turtle evolved 66 million years ago and lived alongside the dinosaurs on the land which is now North America. Most humans have neither the inclination nor the opportunity to know a snapping turtle well. I have had the pleasure of knowing several who required long-term care. Shelley’s human family have known her for much longer – nearly three decades – and cared so deeply about her that they helped her get well. After the year, Shelley went home to her pond and is again being lovingly watched over.
There are many ways to cultivate a sacred relationship with the Earth. I believe Shelley’s family would agree that one way is to know a turtle.