gaia and mo walk on by each other at first

On Memorial Day we took Gaia, my amazing little Russian Tortoise, out to beautiful Camarillo where we spent the day with family and this is their pictorial and video story documented (click on photos to enlarge). I had Gaia with me on a towel in the car by my feet and she was in her normal spunky mood, excited for the day ahead.

The plan was to introduce her to Mo (short for Mojave) the Desert Tortoise who has a beautiful outdoor sanctuary she lives in on the property. Mo has never seen another tortoise, as she hatched straight from an egg on her home grounds, and Gaia only saw little ones when she was a wee one herself, but hasn’t since for the last 6 years.

buh bye….for now. gaia keeps walking on by mo

Gaia is 10 years old and Mo is 17 years old. We had no idea what would take place, but what did was such a beautiful bonding ritual that was an honor to watch.

At first when I placed Gaia in the sanctuary she marched on by Mo, not giving her a second thought or glance. Gaia is very very focused and seemed to be on a continued mission to explore these new grounds. Mo also did not give Gaia a second thought. Mo had just woken up however and Gaia, well, she simply was going to take things in her own stride.

gaia decides to rest and reflect before her next move

We left them to do as they wanted and when I returned about 20 minutes later, Gaia had found a resting spot and she was in her famous snooze position with head propped up against the wall. Mo had retreated to her shaded pot to continue her nap.

So I let them be and then returned maybe a half hour to an hour later. And to my amazement, Gaia had left her resting spot to seek out Mo and the two of them were nose to nose communicating and nuzzling – Mo still in her shaded pot spot.

gaia goes straight to mo’s resting spot after she’s had enough time to reflect and the communicating begins

From that moment forward, for the rest of the time we were there, Gaia wouldn’t leave Mo’s side and persistently tried communicating (in her Russian Tortoise way) with her by bobbing and twitching her head in a vibratory dance. I kept saying it was like “Morse Code,” which made perfect sense because Gaia is so extraterrestrial and communicates in binary-like language and is very tapped into the electrical currents and sound vibrations – a very complex little one she is. I happened to be talking with my faery sister Laura Bruno at the time and she jokingly said, “Mo – rse Code.” 🙂

lots of love was shared between the two of them ❤

My sense was that Mo did not understand Gaia and Gaia, being the relentless persevering soul that she is, was eager and unwilling to give up trying. She had so much to share and was so excited to connect with Mo. Mo seemed very happy to be with Gaia too and regardless of the lapse in communication, their language of love was all that was needed to keep them connected and happy.

I even caught Mo one time, when Gaia walked away briefly, pump her own neck up and down slowly as if to try to imitate Gaia’s language and tell Gaia not to leave. It was adorable. And come back Gaia did and the two never left each other’s side for the rest of the day.

gaia starts following mo

Gaia would follow Mo where ever she went, just two steps behind. If Mo moved forward, Gaia would too. If Mo stopped, Gaia stopped. If Mo took one step forward, Gaia mirrored the same. It was like a reflection of each other in perfect synchronicity. So, so cute.

And when they would stop, they would both explore each other, but mostly spent time nose to nose in deep communion of trying to communicate, and then just giving in to love nuzzling.

and follows…and follows… 🙂

They are a good example of how unconditional love knows no boundaries, bridges hearts together, and exists without fear or judgment.

Tortoises and turtles teach us about turning within to listen to our instincts and that there is no such thing as time. We are simply experiencing the moment and to take it in stride and with patience, smelling the flowers along the way. They are ancient ones that have seen the shifts of ages and are deeply connected to Mother Earth and the cycles of life.

You may enjoy this post of mine about Turtle/Tortoise symbolism: Gaia – Earth Mother and Turtle? Ancient Wisdom For Conscious Living

best buddies

It was so amazing to see these two ancient ones come together and interact. It was as if I was taken back into a timeless space and was getting the opportunity to remotely view, like a fly on the wall, this intimate little gathering.

I hope you enjoy the photos and short videos I took, so that you can experience the energy of this beautiful bonding that took place. It was sad to part them, but they are forever connected and will see each other next time we visit for another play date.