Marie Curie once said, “Nothing in life is to be feared. It is only to be understood.”

This quote is so true when we think about salamanders. In Medieval France salamanders were considered to be dragons that could survive fire. The French believed just one salamander would poison a well. And yet, King Francis I adopted the salamander as his symbol. You can see the salamander images in the stained glass windows at his hunting chateau, named Blois. So what do we fear? Death? Old age? Illness? Not passing an exam? Not getting into the school we want? Not having friends? A family? We first have to just start understanding ourselves, our motivations, our kindness, our talents and skills. And, no, Salamanders are not dragons that survive fire. Probably when the peasants brought in logs from the moist forest, the salamanders were hiding inside and when the logs were lit, the salamanders had to flee. As for a well, I remember seeing so many little Red-backed salamanders in a well at a nature camp once. The water was fine to drink. Salamanders are amphibians. They breathe through their skin. They need moisture. So, if you are going to handle them, please be careful and use soy-based soaps - no hand sanitizer. You could poison the little creature. So go out into the world and start understanding things. You have nothing to fear but fear itself.