I saw Hedgehogs a lot where we used to live, but I’ve not seen any in over two years – not since we moved to our new home. This may seem a little odd as we used to live near marshland (where I wouldn’t have expected to see many hogs), while now we live just a few paces from woodlands and green open spaces, where I would have expected to see more. However, when I look at the symbolism and spiritual meaning of Hedgehog, I can see why they showed up more for me when I was living at my last house.
Hedgehogs, as we all know, curl themselves up into a ball to ‘protect’ themselves. Their prickles have no barbs or poison and so this defence mechanism is totally non-aggressive or threatening. When I think about this symbolically it makes perfect sense as to why they showed up for me more often when we were living in our old home. I was regularly offering mediumship readings back then and often did house or energy clearance for my clients too. The area we lived in was also full of ‘heavy’ energy and a lot of, shall we say, ‘dark history’.
When you are sensitive and empathic this can really impact your energy, so it’s important that you look after yourself vibrationally. It’s equally important that you look after yourself physically too, otherwise you end up feeling drained and unable to assist anyone. These were lessons I learned the hard way and perhaps I would not have had to experience them with such ‘difficulty’ had I been more aware of Hedgehog’s messages to me to look after myself physically and vibrationally - and also how to handle ‘negative’ energies. Hedgehog reminds us too that we must nurture ourselves through any shifts.
When feeling threatened or triggered by others, Hedgehog asks us to respond to the situation, rather than react with ‘aggression’ i.e. don’t allow yourself to get into a heated debate or physical confrontation. We must all do what we feel is right for us but in the process try to be loving towards others and respect the decisions they make. Some people are just being curious with their questions or interactions, so try not to be too prickly!
As Hedgehog 'hibernates' but isn’t fully asleep when doing so (it actually goes into a state of torpor - reducing its temperature to match the surroundings), it might indicate that if one turns up it could be a good time to meditate and ‘go within’. It can be beneficial to be introspective and take stock of all the great things (and maybe not so great) that have happened in your life. Learn from it all. Remind yourself of how far you have come and acknowledge what you have already accomplished.
Hedgehog reminds you to keep grounded too and to sniff out, and be discerning of, the best things to nourish yourself with (e.g. food, opportunities, time with others, books, therapies etc) - that way you can come back into the world as the best version of you. So, remember to feed yourself lots of healthy and energising things and take time out when you need to so that you can enter into the next cycle with vigour and vibrant health.