Month: September 2016

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Loud sounds like scraping on metal, banging and then a huge creature flying over my bed, slamming into everything! The curtains, the walls, the ceiling, then dropping down to the ground in front of my divan. Confusion from waking suddenly to this unexpected appearance fogged my brain. I thought it was a bird. Rapidly I jumped from bed as my cat Franchesca had bounced straight up into the air: as I awoke she did too! I thought she would kill the flying creature and rushed to save it.  No worries about that! She ran to the slight crack in the slider which she enters and exits..but it was closed. So she ran to hide under the coffee table in front of my divan. I exited my bed quickly as I still wasn’t thinking I had a bat visitor but a bird and wanted to keep my cat from attacking it. That wasn’t a problem as this bat had landed right on the ground in front of Franchesca, wings spread wide and they were staring at each other! She was up against the wall looking frightened. It was then I realized I had a bat in my room. It is interesting how the animal kingdom knows all. Franchesca has probably seen many bats on her nighttime escapades! My dog Marley was sleeping on his dog bed and watched everything unfold without moving. He appeared unaffected. Me, well I was unnerved, and that is because I have the same opinion of bats as most people: they carry disease, they look scary, and I sure wasn’t happy to have him in my room. I did some research because I love the bat rescues I see online: cute bats being fed by pacifiers and given fruit. This was different and this bat was large. He was not threatening, I want to make that clear. He was confused. They fly by sonar.

The bat was an adult male, black with his wings spread out looking quite large. Exactly like the image below. The TV light was on and I could see I had a bat in my bedroom not a bird. I opened the door and yelled for my partner, who came running inside the bedroom. I had no idea what to do. I was unnerved, I admit that. As a nature lover and advocate for all wildlife I knew I didn’t want to hurt it. But at the same time they are misunderstood creatures and they do carry disease:  they are also timid and there is no need to fear a bat ever, unless you molest it. Even then they are not known to bite a human on purpose. Vampire bats feed on livestock, and some do carry rabies but hardly ever pass it on to their prey.

All bats are super-heroes. They control the insect population on this planet. They are as important as bees, and other creatures that interact within our eco-system that keep our world from dying off. They become confused when they fly at night and see light…a street light, a light like mine from the TV and it affects the radar that is their guidance.  Their eyes are very sensitive to light, so if there is an open window or door with light inside, it may overcome their senses for a split second, and they may enter the house. That is what happened with the bat that entered my bedroom. A window had been left open and the screen not closed. The TV light was nothing but an image on Netflix..apparently this is all it took for the poor creature to become confused while flying by. He entered and was frightened. He flew and hung upside down on my curtains. He was not threatening at all. Just scared. He was beautiful, and I wish in that moment in time I could have comforted him.

My partner knew exactly what to do, he immediately turned off all the lights in the bedroom. I had turned on a bedside light which was harmful to my visitor. Then he opened both doors of entrance into the room. Lastly, he turned a light on outside of my room. He took a broom and just touched the wing and the bat flew around a bit as we ducked, and then flew outside to freedom. I learned something new in nature. I love to learn and experience new things, and this was no exception. An experience of a lifetime once I got over the image of that huge mammal flying above my bed in confusion.

So let us understand what bats represent in the spiritual world. They are revered in many cultures. “Bat’s wisdom includes shamanic death and rebirth, initiation, viewing past lives, pollination of new ideas, transition, understanding grief, the use of vibrational sound, camouflage, invisibility, ability to observe unseen, secrets.” They can also mean new and positive changes are coming in your life. ” A bat flying into your life signifies that transformation of the ego self is about to occur, the end of a way of life and the start of another. This transition can be very frightening for many, even just to think about. But you will not grow spiritually until you let go these old parts of you that are NOT NEEDED. Facing the darkness before you will help you find the light in rebirth. The bat gives you the wisdom required to make the appropriate changes for the birthing of your new identity.”

I will never forget the visit of this bat. One more thing, he was most likely a Vampire bat. I had never seen one like him anywhere ever here in Colombia. As they are nocturnal, and are only looking for food at night. Vampire bats are misunderstood and the myths and legends that portray them as blood sucking demons are false. Myths about Vampire bats are fueled by a lot of misconceptions. Bats are shy and gentle creatures.

I did learn I most likely have bats outside my Villa  every night. They go about their business without bothering anything, and I have animals. They are just part of the animal kingdom of the Rainforest in Colombia. They are nature, and I love nature. Even if they appear frightening. Any part of nature is part of the world for a reason. I live in the Rainforest, I give respect to the animals. We have to stop over building in this world. We are losing nature, we are losing so much more than that, perhaps even civilization.