Boundaries as Shields: July's Animal Medicine Reading

A sacred Animal Medicine card pull reveals powerful boundary medicine for July through the wisdom of the Armadillo. 

Drawing from the respected Animal Medicine card deck by Jamie Sands and David Carson, Lizzy shares a profound reading rooted in Native American wisdom that speaks directly to our collective need for healthier boundaries this month. The Armadillo - with its natural armor as part of its physical being - teaches us about creating energetic protection that allows harmful words or intentions to simply roll off.

The reading explores how many of us struggle with saying "no" even when it means canceling our own plans, feeling like emotional sponges unable to distinguish between others' feelings and our own, and consistently putting everyone else's needs before our personal well-being. Through the Armadillo's medicine, we're guided to create a metaphorical shield that clearly defines what experiences we welcome into our lives versus what we'll accept only by invitation.

This episode offers practical reflections and visualization techniques for honoring your energetic boundaries. You'll learn how to recognize when you've been unconsciously absorbing others' emotions, reclaim your sense of self through intentional boundary-setting, and create space for what truly brings you joy. The Armadillo appears now because there's a part of you ready to awaken to this protective energy - to stop being a doormat and start honoring your authentic needs.

Ready to transform your relationship with boundaries? Listen now, then download the ModernZen Collective app to continue your journey with guided meditations, soulful workshops, and intuitive channeling - all created to support your spiritual and holistic wellness.

Thanks for listening to The ModernZen Collective Podcast.

✨ Want more support between episodes? Download the ModernZen Co App for guided meditations, energy updates, and soulful tools—available on iOS and Android for just $3.99/month. Click the link above or search “ModernZen Collective” in your app store.

💫 Looking for deeper guidance on your path? Explore our vetted, curated Collective of holistic practitioners—perfect if you're ready to deepen your practice or fast-track your transformation with expert support.

🌿 Follow us on Instagram @modernzenco & personally at @lizzysutton.co & @nikki.sucevic

Chapters

• 0:00 Podcast Introduction & Welcome
• 1:33 Introduction to Animal Medicine Cards
• 3:16 Card Pulling Ritual Explanation
• 5:16 Armadillo Card Reveal: Boundary Medicine
• 9:24 Questions for Reflection & Integration
• 11:35 Closing Thoughts & App Invitation

Transcript

Speaker 2: 0:13

Hi, I'm Lizzie and I'm Nikki. Have you ever felt that your life was missing purpose, joy or deep connection? Welcome to the Modern Zen Collective podcast, where we embrace holistic living for a joyful, purpose-driven life.

Speaker 1: 0:29

In this podcast, we'll explore holistic practices, consciousness expansion and spiritual alignment. We will dive into personal development practices that connect mind, body, spirit and share secrets that ancient cultures have known for centuries. Together, we aim to guide, educate and connect individuals eager to transform their lives.

Speaker 2: 0:49

Join us weekly on the Modern Zen Collective podcast and elevate your mind, body and spirit. And now on to today's episode. Hello, friends, and welcome to a very special episode of the Modern Zen Collective Podcast. Today, myself, lizzie, will be offering a sacred card pull for the month of July, using the Animal Medicine card Deck by Jamie Sands and David Carson. This is my favorite deck of cards that I have. It's the first card deck that I ever was introduced to when I was working at a place called Pacific Quest on the island of Hawaii. One of the other leads with me at this wilderness therapy program.

Speaker 2: 1:43

Read my animal medicine cards and it was a big realization and turning point in my life and my faith in things outside of myself, helping me discern what I needed to pay attention to in my life, and it was. It was just really, really cool and just really hit home for me. So I want to share this with you. These cards are really rooted in indigenous Native American wisdom and they offer guidance through the energy of animal totems. So they're messengers from nature that can reflect, awaken and activate something deep within us. Awaken and activate something deep within us, our fellow creatures, the animals you know. They often exhibit habit patterns that will relay messages of healing to anyone that is paying enough attention to observe their lessons on how to live. These precious gifts of this true medicine are free, and each lesson is based on one major idea or concept, and so, for the sake of simplicity, each animal has been assigned one of the lessons. But in reality, each animal in creation has hundreds of lessons to impart, and all of those lessons are powers that can be called upon. So today I will be practicing my own ritual of card pulling, and when I pull cards, whether for myself or a client, or here for the Modern Zen community, you know I'm not trying to predict the future. I'm really just opening up space and connection so that I can receive guidance and be a channel for the divine, so that I can listen to what they have to share, what they have to bring us for this moment in time, for the people that are here listening. It's really a practice of being quiet, being still being quiet, being still reflection, presence and really trust in something greater than ourselves and something that weaves throughout our lives.

Speaker 2: 3:56

So why I choose animal medicine is that I am just so connected to nature. I always feel so connected to spirit to the divine when I'm out in nature and that has been a through line throughout my entire life. And animal medicine really reminds us that we're not separate from nature, that we're not separate from Mother Earth and all of this around us. Each animal holds that unique rhythm, instinct and gift, one that mirrors something within us, something that we may be being asked to reclaim or remember this month. So each creature carries symbolic wisdom, but also energetic medicine. So it carries ways of being that can help us navigate our paths to be more aligned with who we really are.

Speaker 2: 4:43

So, before I draw this card for you, I would like to invite you to take a deep breath with me, maybe place a hand on your heart if that feels right, maybe one on your belly that's my go-to and just ask your inner self what energy am I ready to embody this month, what is ready to guide me forward? And let's see what the universe has to offer us. So the card that I pulled for us for the month of July is number 28, the armadillo. And the armadillo is all about boundaries Yay, our favorite word, boundaries. So I'm going to read you a little excerpt from the book. That's all about the armadillo, and this is something that you can pause and rewind and listen to this over. There's going to be different pieces of this that stick out to you and really feel like something that's meant for you, and there's going to be other pieces that you don't remember. So it's not about the whole thing. It's about what really instinctually allows you to feel that urge inside your body, something that awakens in you that says that is what's for me, that is what I'm supposed to be paying attention to. So again, number 28, the armadillo all about boundaries. Armadillo wears its armor on its back, its medicine a part of its body. Its boundaries of safety are a part of its total being. Armadillo can roll into a ball and never be penetrated by enemies. What a gift it is to set your boundaries so that harmful words or intentions just roll off.

Speaker 2: 6:38

Your lesson is in setting up what you are willing to experience. If you do not wish to experience feeling invaded, just call on Armadillo Medicine. A clue to how to proceed is to make a circle on a piece of paper and see it as a medicine shield. In the body of the shield, write all that you are desiring to have, do or experience. Include all the things that give you joy. This sets up boundaries that allow only these chosen experiences to be part of your life. These boundaries become a shield that ward off the things which are undesirable to you. The shield reflects what you are and what your will is to others on an unconscious level. Outside of the shield, you may put what you are willing to experience by invitation only. For example, a visit from a long-lost relative, maybe criticism from friends or people needing handouts. If Armadillo has waddled into the cards you chose.

Speaker 2: 7:36

It is time to define your space. You may have been too willing to let your home become a bus station. You may find that you cannot say no, even when you know that you will have to cancel plans to be obliging. This routine can get old in a hurry. It may be time to ask yourself the following questions Am I honoring the time I need for my personal enjoyment? Do others treat me like a doormat? Why do I always get upset when I'm taken for granted? Is there a reason for my being a yes person? All of the answers to these questions relate to setting up boundaries. What you will and won't do, what makes you feel uncomfortable and what is comforting to you, how you react in any circumstance has to do with your ability to be objective. You cannot be objective if you cannot tell where the other person's personality stops and where yours begins. If you have no boundaries, you are like a sponge. It will seem as if all the feelings in the room full of people must be yours. Ask yourself if you are really a sponge. It will seem as if all the feelings in the room full of people must be yours. Ask yourself if you are really feeling depressed or if this feeling actually belongs to the person you are talking to. Then allow armadillo's armor to slice in between, giving you back your sense of self.

Speaker 2: 9:00

Let's take a moment to breathe into the energy of this guide, the armadillo. You may already feel a connection to this animal, or it may be inviting you into something unfamiliar. Either way, its presence is never random and it arrives because there's a part of you that's ready to awaken to this energy. So here are a few questions for you to explore this month, inspired by the medicine of the armadillo. Where in your life is this energy already alive and asking to be honored? Where have you been resisting creating boundaries? How might embodying the medicine of the armadillo help you reclaim your power, peace or purpose. You can return to these questions anytime throughout the month. Also, the questions that I read straight from the book journal with them, sit with them or let them guide your decisions and presence. And if you want to deepen your connection with this animal medicine, you might try observing how the armadillo moves in nature or in stillness, maybe placing an image or symbol of the armadillo on your altar or somewhere secret, reflecting on dreams or synchronicities that bring the armadillo to you, or using the armadillo's traits to set your intention or energy each morning.

Speaker 2: 10:43

I'm sure many of you do not see armadillos out in the wild. I am actually one of the lucky few. I live in Texas now and I have seen an armadillo out and about and I have seen them in real life, and so I will be reflecting and hopefully being able to observe this animal out in nature over the course of the next month. But just remember that the armadillo, this animal, came forward for a reason. Trust that its message will continue to unfold in divine timing and let it be a gentle companion, a mirror or a guide for this month of july ahead.

Speaker 2: 11:23

So thank you so much for joining me today on this special podcast episode with yours truly, lizzie sutton, and I can't wait to see you guys on the next one. Thank you you so much. Love y'all. Thank you so much for joining us today on the Modern Zen Collective Podcast. If this episode resonated with you, we'd love for you to share it with a friend and leave a review.

Speaker 2: 11:54

It helps more conscious women like you find our community, and if you're craving a deeper connection to your practice, we've created something just for you the Modern Zen Collective app, a sanctuary in your pocket. Inside you'll find guided meditations, soulful workshops, energy updates and intuitive channeling, all curated to support your spiritual and holistic wellness. Plus, for just $3.99 a month, you'll receive timely push notifications with astrological insights and gentle reminders to realign with your highest self. It's rooted in ritual, made for modern life and always within reach. Just head to the App Store or Google Play and search Modern Zen Collective to download the app and begin your journey with us today. And, as always, any links or resources we mentioned in this episode can be found in the show notes. Until next time, keep trusting your path and honoring your unfolding.