Spirit Animals: MYSTICAL WHALE

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When exploring whale meaning it is important to understand that there are two distinct suborders of whales. There are the toothed whales (Odontoceti) and baleen whales (Mysticeti). There are 26 species of toothed whales including the famous orca (or killer whale), beluga, narwhal, and sperm. The 10 species of baleen whales includes the humpback, gray, blue, right, and bowhead whales. Determining if your whale spirit animal is toothed or baleen will help immensely because they carry differing symbolism.

Paleontological records and molecular data indicate that all whales lived on land and migrated into the sea over 50 million years ago. Whale is a mammal like us. She must come to the surface to breathe air through her blow-hole and nurse her live-born young. Whale evolved spindle cells in her brain as long as 15 million years before us. These cells relate to self-awareness, compassion, and linguistic expression. As a warm-blooded animal living in cold oceans, whale relies on a thick layer of blubber as insulation. Legends say that whale spirit animal carries the history of the world, remembering back to the time when she was on land.

Magnetic Meaning of Whale

Whale is known to have a substance in the retinas of her eyes called biomagnetite, which causes sensitivity to the electromagnetic field of the Earth. She reads the electromagnetic field like a map and this helps her migrate across oceans. Whale symbolism speaks of the ability to find your way through the abyss using the pull of your soul’s compass. Others may think that somehow you magically “see” the way, but you know the map is coming through a different channel. You may not know how to explain this pull, but it is there.

True practitioners of the law of attraction don’t have to think of where to go, they are mysteriously drawn. Whale spirit animal brings a time of being “in the flow” with the law of attraction. She is where she needs to be when she needs to be there.

Generally, the electromagnetic fields follow coastlines, but in some locations these fields turn directly into the coastline. A significant amount of whale beachings occur in these locations. If you feel like you’ve followed your guidance onto the beach and now you’re stuck, wait. Either the high tide will come to haul you back in or you will experience a time of letting go. You are now at the mercy of fate. Before the rebirth must first come a death. Dive into the mouth of the whale to move through this process.

Belly of the Whale

[ct_focus color=”light” background=”lightgrey” style=”normal”]”Allegorically… the passage into a temple and the hero-dive through the jaws of the whale are identical adventures, both denoting, in the picture language, the life-centering, life-renewing act.” – Joseph Campbell[/ct_focus]

The motif of the hero entering the belly of a behemoth is so prolific in mythology, that Joseph Campbell dedicates an entire chapter, titled “The Belly of the Whale,” of his book The Hero With a Thousand Faces to it. When a transformative process begins in our life we often expect that our outer world will shift. We think we’ll move to a new town, start an exciting new career, or meet someone who sparkles.

If whale spirit animal is with you, now is the time to adjust your expectations. This metamorphosis is going to happen inside the dark, wet belly of the beast. There is no use to fighting the process. You’ve already made it past the rows of sharp teeth. Like Jonah, put your time to use in quiet contemplation. The rebirth will come.

Sonar in Toothed Whales

Here is where we begin to make the distinction between the toothed and baleen whales. Toothed whales are closely related to dolphins and porpoises, and like their cousins, they use echolocation. The whales emit sounds, possibly using a nasal plug or their larynx, and then focus the sounds using a bulbous-shaped melon on their foreheads. The melon “points” the sound. This sound travels through the water until it hits a solid object and bounces back. The toothed whales then receive the sound in their lower jawbone and inner ear. Based on how quickly the sound returns and at what pitch, the whales can tell what is in front of them. Echolocation is so accurate that it can replace sight all together for navigation and hunting fish.

If you are working with a toothed whale spirit animal, bouncing ideas off of others may be a useful strategy. The ideas from your mind are like sounds coming from the whale’s melon. Putting your ideas out in the world to see how they are received will help you make sound decisions. Be sure to wait for the response before acting. Don’t get greedy with your ideas. Sound them out. It is not the ideas that will bring a reward, but the response to them that will tell you what opportunities are swimming around you at this time.

Sonar pollution from military activities is thought to interfere considerably with whales’ abilities to echolocate and, thus, efficiently hunt. This is one major environmental crisis among many threatening the lives of these beautiful animals.

Songs of Baleen Whales

Baleen whales have huge, flexible keratin plates in their mouths in the place of teeth that are used for filtering krill and small fish from mouthfuls of seawater. All whales have complex languages via which they communicate over long distances, much further than elephants. Sound travels efficiently through water, so animals who appear to be traveling solo are often coordinating their movements with other whales over thousands of miles of open ocean. Baleen whales go beyond chirps and clicks to songs.

[ct_message type=”info”]”The rhythms and refrains of the humpback whale, with a million information-carrying changes of frequency, represent the single most elaborate vocal display in the natural world” – N. J. Saunders in “Animal Spirits”[/ct_message]

Humpback whales are likely the most famous of baleen whales because of their elaborate, beautiful compositions. I had a tape recording of humpback whale song that I listened to as I went to sleep as a child. I still remember every note. There is emotion in their songs of many stanzas. There is something that calls us back to the origins of who we are, to love, and expansiveness.

The meaning of whale is getting caught up in the flow of a moving, uplifting work of art. The scientific name of the suborder of baleen whales is “Mysticeti” containing the word “mystic”. This speaks to the knowing that being moved by song is a mystical experience.

 

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meaning of bear spirit animal

Spirit Animals: MOTHER BEAR

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There are 8 species of bear around the world that live in everything from tropical to arctic habitats. Bear behavior varies from aggressive, as with the grizzly and polar bear, to passive, i.e. the panda bear. The meaning of bear spirit animal is closely tied with the archetype of the cave. Every species of bear uses a cave or den during their lives be it for hibernation, bearing young, or retreating from stormy weather.

Introspection in the Cave

A naturally formed cave or den dug in the ground symbolizes the womb of the mother. Bear meaning speaks to us of retreating into the womb of the Great Mother, the earth, for rest and protection. Creativity is born during this time of retreat as we see when the mother bear emerges with her bear cubs. We think that maturity happens when we leave the womb, but bear symbolism teaches different. Going back into the great womb, the void, where all of creation is born actually brings maturity. If we are constantly out in the world doing, doing, doing we never turn our experience into wisdom. The meaning of bear is to turn inward for moments of silent retreat, meditation, and contemplation to synthesize ideas and reflect.

This coming into the core of who we are to find the infinite knowing of the cosmos is the essence of bear spirit animal. People with the archetype of the hermit will understand how fruitful and critical this “cave time” can be.

Hibernation

There are actually only three species of bear that hibernate, the black bear, grizzly/brown bear and Asiatic black bear. If you are exploring the symbolism of these species, now is the time to consider what pace you are going at. These bears can go up to 7 ½ months without eating, drinking, urinating, or defecating. All of their energy goes to turning inward and slipping away into a trance. Bear spirit animal may be asking you to drop all worldly concerns at this time. They will adjust the length of their hibernation based on climactic factors and in the winters of warmer zones or years they may emerge multiple times during the winter to feed.

Now may be a good time to consider either slowing down if life has been fast-paced or waking up and emerging from the den if your retreat is near an end. It is important to remember that the bears do not instantly fall into deep sleep nor do they jump right out of the den and go straight about living.

 

Find your spirit animal workshop. Painting of red-tailed hawk.

 

Transitioning

There is an intensive period before hibernation called “hyperphagia” which is a period of excessive eating and drinking way past the point of hunger to fatten up for hibernation. The bears may eat five times as many calories as needed to survive. Bear spirit animal doesn’t suggest you run to the kitchen and start stuffing your face, rather that you gather as much knowledge and experience as possible before turning inward.

When hibernating bears emerge from the den, they go through a “walking hibernation” for 2-3 weeks. Those of us that have taken an intensive spiritual workshop know this as “re-entry”. This is a time when the bears eat less and move slowly. When we return home from retreat,  we have to gradually come back into the mundane concerns of the world.

Whether going into contemplation or coming out, the meaning of bear is to do so gradually and with thoughtfulness.

Mother Bear

Bear symbolism is linked to the “mother bear” archetype around the world. Even the less aggressive species are still known for their tender and highly attentive treatment of their young. In the Greek story of the princess Atalanta, Atalanta is left in the woods by her father, the king, because she is not a boy. The Goddess Artemis is said to have sent a mother bear to take in Atalanta as her own. When Atalanta was grown, a party of hunters discovered her and the mother bear came to her defense. Similarly, the Wabanaki Pueblo people have a story of an abandoned boy who was adopted by a mother bear that later came to his defense.

Grizzly bears are famous for attacking and sometimes killing humans that get between them and their young. If you are a mother, you likely have had the experience of protecting your young. For others, the mother bear meaning is symbolic and you can work with the mother archetype. What creative projects or innocent beings are you in staunch defense of? Bear spirit animal teaches about using aggression as a healthy defense of the weak or abandoned parts of ourselves.

The 8 Species of Bears

Black Bear

Known as an adaptable generalist, the black bear is the most abundant and conspicuous of all bears. Once corrupted by the taste of human food, black bears can become obsessed. Think of your own associations to the temptations of the “civilized” world (digital gadets, TV, coffee, sugar, etc.) and ways you can remain one-in-yourself. The cave time will be an especially important retreat for those with this spirit animal.

Grizzly/Brown Bear

People with the grizzly bear spirit animal as a guide should study the mother bear archetype within themselves and be sure they are utilizing their aggression judiciously. This bear is found in wild places and does not coexist well with humans. What aspect of you is still wild and untouched? How can you protect that aspect?

Asiatic Black Bear

Known as the “Moon Bear of Tibet”, this bear has a distinctive crescent moon on its chest. The moon is related to feminine and intuitive qualities. This bear spirit animal can help you curl up around this part of yourself in the cave and find much needed nurturance in the darkness.

Sun Bear

The sun or honey bear lives in the warm, tropical climates of Southeast Asia and is a forest dweller. It is the smallest and rarest of all bears. Forests are commonly seen as the realm of our unconscious, our inner “wilderness”. In the tropics, the forest is abundant, moist and rich. The sun bear naps in nests it builds in trees and adores eating honey. The sun bear spirit animal brings tidings of your own inner riches.

Spectacled/Andean Bear

The spectacled bear lives in the Andean Mountains of South America and has distinctive white spectacles over its eyes. An inhabitant of the cloud forest and other uninhabited places, this bear teaches about what we can see and what vision we can bring back from a foyer up the hero’s mountain and into the dense forests of our inner landscape.

Sloth Bear

A lesser known member of the bear clan, the sloth bear lives in humid forests in India and Sri Lanka. These bears are nocturnal, sleeping in trees during the day and seen hanging from trees like sloths. The meaning of bear here involves moving at a slow pace all of the time and maintaining a gentle mindset.

Panda Bear

Distinctly different from all other bears, the docile and glamorous panda bear speaks of seeing the world in black and white. Quiet and reclusive, the panda symbolism teaches about a detached, gentle way of contemplating the polarities of the world without judgement or irritation.

Polar Bear

You can read all about this bear by going to the article on MASTER POLAR BEAR

Some great information on bear behavior and biology is available here:
http://greatbear.org/bear-species/
https://bear.org/bear-facts/black-bears/hibernation/
https://survivalmag.net/bear-safety-guide

 

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with the mother archetype…

The “Nurturer Archetypes” Online Class

All three archetypes love to care for others and pour their energy into giving. They reach their full potential once they complete the journey through the self and into their unique form of service. The divine mother aligns with the cycles of life. The loyal companion softens the hardened heart. The humble servant embraces service to all.

 

elephant symbolism

Spirit Animals: EARNEST ELEPHANT

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The Matriarchy

Elephant society is female dominated, what is otherwise known as a matriarchy. Each herd is lead by an elder female who is at once the older sister, the eldest aunt, the mother, and the grandmother. She travels with her sisters and all of their offspring. There is a deep sense of community among elephants and they mourn the passing of their loved ones. Mature males travel alone or in lose bachelor groups. They only join the females during mating.

Elephant symbolism speaks of the wisdom in the trinity of maiden, mother and crone. By encompassing all generations of females and venerating the matriarch, feminine wisdom is rich in the world of elephants. Elephants are known for their altruistic and compassionate treatment of each other. Whenever you’re feeling the need for empathy and nurturance, elephant spirit animal can help you come home.

Natives of Vibration

Elephants have the ability to hear low frequency sounds, known as infrasonic sounds, better than any other animal we’ve tested.  They can also communicate over long distances (at least 7 km and possibly up to 70 km) with their infrasonic rumble calls.  We cannot hear the sounds they make, but we can feel the vibration of the rumbles. Infrasonic sounds travel through air farther than higher frequency sounds, and this gives elephants the ability to coordinate their movements over long distances.

The law of vibration states that everything in our world is actually moving, vibrating at a molecular level. It is the rate of this vibration that determines what form the molecules will take. In a moment of Divine revelation, we have the opportunity to feel the vibration of all life. This experience is completely breathtaking. Anyone who’s fully entered the law of vibration is irrevocably changed.

Elephant symbolism brings us into contact with this universal law and opens us up to a life of service of the whole. Once you understand the grandeur of the world through the law of vibration you can’t help but come into service of it.

There is no evidence of territoriality in elephants and this may be because the family herds are in continual contact with each other over long range. In talking, they avoid going to the same area to graze when resources are limited. Elephant symbolism teaches us how to take our neighbors (both literal and figurative) into account when making decisions about how to obtain and utilize resources. So many of our decisions are short sighted and it is time we take into consideration everyone that is affected by what we do. With the help of elephant spirit animal, we have the opportunity to truly live our lives in a more “global” way not only taking our fellow humans into account but also the earth and all her children.

Studies have found that elephants call more at night when a temperature inversion makes their sounds travel farther. This shows an acute awareness of the density of air. The element of air is associated with our thoughts. Elephant symbolism brings us into knowing that even our thoughts have a frequency, a vibration, that affects everything around us. When we get busy thinking in private, in the dark, elephant symbolism says we may have the most wide reaching effects.

Elephants are in contact with vibrations in other ways. They may be able to detect seismic vibrations from thunderstorms through their feet. They can detect vibrations of running animals through sensitive nerve endings in tip of their trunk when they place it on the ground.

Complex Cognition

Elephants have a similar brain structure to primates (humans, monkeys, chimps, and apes) and cetaceans (dolphins and whales) and they have advanced abilities for problem solving and tool use. Their communication is highly intricate which is another sign of complex thinking. Scientists have discovered that elephants are able to recognize their own reflection in a mirror. Self-recognition indicates a very high level of awareness only found elsewhere in cetaceans, magpies and primates.

The meaning of elephant is therefore linked to self-awareness and heightened thinking. There are all kinds of intelligence in the world, but elephants have the kind of intelligence we most closely relate to. Relating with elephant spirit animal can indicate a time of heightened awareness and thought.

Tactile Trunk

The most distinguishing characteristic of elephants is their enormous trunk. The trunk is the nose and upper lip combined into a single appendage. The trunk is used for many, many things including breathing (70% of their breath comes through the trunk), smelling, sucking up water to deliver to the mouth, sucking and blowing dirt to cover their backs as a sun protectant, gathering food, snorkeling while swimming, communication (much like we wave our arms in gestures), sensing vibration, and manipulating tools.

The trunk is strong enough to uproot trees and refined enough to pluck a flower. The trunk in elephant symbolism teaches that with great power comes great responsibility

African Elephant vs. Asian Elephant Symbolism

There are a number of difference between the two species of elephants. To start, African elephants are much larger than Asian elephants. The African elephant’s ears are twice as large and shaped like the continent of Africa. African elephants have two fingerlike appendages on end of trunk used to grasp objects, while Asian elephants only have one. The males and females of African elephants both have tusks, while only the male Asian elephants have tusks.

Besides these obvious physical differences, there is a distinct difference in disposition of the two. Asian elephants are easily domesticated and have been beasts of burden for millennia (dating back to 2000 BCE). They help with logging, farming, building and transportation. They’ve also served in the less palatable role of war machine. Asian elephants are worshipped, richly adorned and elaborately painted for ceremonies and festivals throughout Asia. This is the species we see in our circuses. Like the horse, the Asian elephant has played a key role in the advancement of our civilization and has suffered immense atrocities as a result of domestication. The bond between an elephant and a human can run very, very deep both emotionally and archetypally. Our past is linked inextricably with theirs.

African elephants are not easily domesticated, so we rarely see them in captivity aside from zoos.

When exploring the meaning of elephant in your life it is worth determining which species of elephant speaks most to you. The Asian elephant will tell of a rich and tortured past of servitude full of the paradox of intense reverence and great trial. This very similar to the plight of the horse, but different in that it is mind boggling to consider that such a giant animal would so gently and generously submit to a small human’s demands. The African elephant will demonstrate a wild nature that cannot be tamed and has been left untouched.

A Note on Land Clearing

Being the largest land animals, long living (they live to 60 or 70 years), and invested in future generations, elephants must be aware of the impact they have on the land and their ability to shape their environment. In shamanic work, elephant spirit animals are brilliant helpers with land clearings. They have the power and strength to clear away what is no longer needed, the wisdom to use restraint and the foresight to prepare the land for future generations.

 

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Spirit Animals: FLEXIBLE FOX

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Foxes are versatile and diverse. Did you know that there are five species of fox in the continental United States alone and over 20 worldwide? Some species like red foxes cover many habitats and commingle with human habitation. Other species like the swift fox remain in a particular habitat. Let’s review a few species to get a glimpse of the unique power and symbolism of the talented fox.

Gray Fox Spirit Animal Camouflage

The most prolific and common fox native to North America, the gray fox, is a fairly secretive creature that prefers to stick to woodlands and rarely venture into the open. She is identified by the black stripe down her back and tail, gray and black peppered coat on her back, and black-tipped tail. Her coat does include other colors such as white, red, and orange and works as great camouflage. Gray fox symbolism speaks of disappearing into the background and the costumes we wear. If you are exploring the ways you go unnoticed, the gray fox is a great companion. There is power in being invisible.

Gray fox the only fox that can climb trees. Her strong association with trees reminds us that we need deep roots to climb to higher heights. As places that provide shelter and protection, forests can symbolize darkness and chaos or sanctuary and introversion. The gray fox blends right in to calm or chaos and helps us navigate the gray areas of our lives.

Red Fox Symbolism & Kitsune

The widest ranging of any fox species, the red fox is native to Europe and Asia and was introduced to North America by European settlers. She is distinguished by her red coat, black socks on her front feet, and bushy tail with a white tip. Red fox is the fox most commonly pictured stealing from the hen house and she is very comfortable in urban environments. Chances are if you saw a fox in your neighborhood that it’s a red fox.

Red fox is commonly the clever trickster in fairytales that makes away with some prize or another. Her clever and swift nature are so strong that she is the main focus of fox hound hunts. It takes an entire pack of dogs and herd of men on horseback to have a chance at tracking her down. If red fox spirit animal has made it into your life, now is a good time to examine your own cleverness. Who are you outsmarting today? Sometimes we are too clever for our own good and other times we need to think way outside the box.

Kitsune is the name of two species of red fox in China. In Chinese folklore, kitsune are magical beings who are extremely wise. These are the foxes that guard the temples of the goddess Inari and travel with her. There is the belief that kitsune shape-shift into beautiful women at the age of 50 years. There are fairytales of hunters who discover that their wives are actually foxes. These lady foxes exhibit seductive cunning that is associated with the Don Juan archetype.

Island Fox Isolation

Descended from gray foxes, the island fox is a rare species of fox that is making a comeback from the brink of extinction. She looks very similar to the gray fox, but like many island natives, she is smaller and genetically distinct. The island fox spirit animal teaches us how the camouflage we wear can cause great isolation. This is both beneficial and challenging. If you are feeling alone, now might be the time to drop all the costumes you carry and come out of hiding. If you need some alone time, camouflage is the perfect medicine. Isolation reminds us of our own uniqueness and brings us closer to our true self. This is the species of fox I write about in Gracious Wild: A Shamanic Journey with Hawks.

 

Find your spirit animal workshop. Painting of red-tailed hawk.

 

Swift & Kit Fox Symbolism

The swift fox is native to the grasslands of North America and does not adapt well to other environments or human impact on the land. The kit fox is a close relative and is native to arid habitats such as deserts and chaparral landscapes. Such specialization in habitat makes the swift and kit fox examples of the power of getting specific. Both species live in open habitats, but are hard to spot because they are nocturnal and in remote areas.

Swift foxes are dependent on their dens as hiding spots from predators. In looking at the meaning of these foxes, the need to find sanctuary and hide away in the dark will be more prevalent. You will likely see one of these foxes on a visit to a national monument, state park or some other protected wild habitat.

Mixed Species of Fox

Different species of fox hybridize and create crosses. The fox pictured at the top of this post is likely a hybrid of a gray and red fox as she carries characteristics of both. This shows us that all of the qualities mentioned above may come in when considering fox symbolism. It is up to you to use your discriminating nose to determine which qualities most resonate with you.

Adaptability and Home

One of the most fascinating things I learned about foxes during my 10 month tenure caring for a group of them is that they are extremely adaptable in their diets. They eat everything from fruits to bugs to carrion to eggs to quail to mice and rabbits. One of the best parts of my day was making up different meals for them. This adaptability has contributed to their worldwide success and helps them fill an ecological niche apart from their close cousins the coyote and wolf. They are closer to skunks or raccoons in their eating habits, which makes them less dog-like than we might think. This shows that adaptability and the ability to blend into different environments leads to success. How can you cultivate your own adaptability?

Fox is in the canid (dog) family, but in many ways she is more cat- than dog-like. She jumps, leaps, and strides like cats in that smooth and agile way. Her similarity to cats reminds us to not get too entrenched one group or the other. The old dispute between cats and dogs is remedied in fox.

For all her adaptability, fox is usually monogamous and she sticks to a territory near her den the majority of the time. Fox spirit animal reminds us that no matter what costume we wear or shape we’ve shifted into that it is important to know and tend our sense of “home” whatever that might be.

 

Find your spirit animal workshop. Painting of red-tailed hawk.

 

 

Spirit Animals: WOLF the WITNESS

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Wolf Symbolism

Wolf spirit animals embody a wide range of qualities in the human psyche. Just think of how many stories you’ve read and movies you’ve seen that have wolves or werewolves as characters.

Most obviously, wolf symbolism is about dismantling fears and not letting them control you. When wolves used to roam the habitat around our small towns, many people feared going out at night. Despite the myths, thank you Red Riding Hood, wolf is not a vicious man-eater. It is truly the stories in our heads about wolves that make them much more dangerous than they are. This is the case with other fears we own. They are illusions, blown out of proportion to prevent us from venturing out into the unknown.

Remember the saying, “we’ll feed you to the wolves”? This conjures up images of a ravenous pack tearing us to shreds. Over the centuries, there has been a projection onto wolf as being a malicious, mindless killing machine. Luckily, awareness about the incredibly complex and intelligent nature of wolves is expanding. We now understand their capacity for caring and nurturing young as well as the intricate, subtle communication that exists between them.

Wolf as a Witness

When we think of wolf we often think of him chasing down big prey with his pack. We picture him fighting with a pack mate over a carcass. We imagine him howling at the moon. We don’t usually think of wolf watching quietly in the background, but this is often what he does. Wolf is not born knowing how to behave or hunt. As a pup, he learns by watching and this habit carries over into the rest of his life. He will sniff out a situation before moving in. Wolf will lurk on the perimeter, watching, until he determines the best course of action.

Wolf spirit animal teaches us about the power of detachment. Many of you may have heard of the concept of being a witness in your life. This entails watching your life as if it were someone else’s. If you’ve studied your triggers you’ll know that being a witness means not being triggered by a situation. This doesn’t mean you don’t care or love or feel. It just means that you let go of trying to force a certain outcome. You let go of the need to be right. You stop trying to direct everything to serve your own needs. You stop distrusting others and trusting in the nature of the universe.

Forget the “Alpha”

How many of you are familiar with the term “alpha male” ? A scientist conducting studies on captive, unrelated wolves in the 1930’s and 1940’s developed our notions of pack structure. Many people are now aware that if you’re not an alpha, you’re a beta in the middle of the pack or, heaven forbid, an omega at the bottom. We’ve carried this term over into our own social structure. We see our scraping to get to the top as the natural order of things, and have used the analogy of the wolf pack to justify our behavior.

More recent research conducted on wild wolves has revealed something different. Packs are not dictated by a set of leaders who’ve fought their way to the top. Nor are they composed of a group of submissive followers, but instead packs are family groups that are run by the parents. This paper by renowned wolf researcher David Mech sure turns things on their head: http://www.wolf.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/267alphastatus_english.pdf.

Regardless of the true nature of pack social structure, we like to think of leadership as a static position. In reality, leadership in the natural world is a fluid notion that changes by the moment. Leadership seems to depend less on dominating another, and more on earning their following over and over again. The “submissive” member of the pack always has a choice whether to comply in the moment or not. Different leaders have different styles. Some are more quiet, others more gregarious. Leaders can be aloof or everyone’s best friend. We see this demonstrated in the wolf world and in our own.

If you have concerns over your role in a group and are tired of fighting for position, now is a good time to let go of the idea of the alpha. What qualities can you embody that will earn respect of others, and, even better, yourself? Part of being a witness is releasing concern over what other people think. What is your style of leadership? What do you look for in a leader? Wolf spirit animal offers you the opportunity to stop wasting your time thinking you weren’t born an alpha and start practicing the qualities you look for in a leader.

Wolf, The Guru

“At the beginning of the world, the Great Spirit sent the wolves out into the wilderness to measure the earth. They came back to the Great Mysterious One and told of what they had experienced and learned. Great Spirit said, ‘As you have named it, so it shall be.’ Wolves clearly interpret and impart the way to others.” – How to Find Your Spirit Animal by David Carson

“Because they wandered it was believed they knew everything.” – Animal Wisdom by Jessica Dawn Palmer

In many North American tribes, wolf spirit animal is the quintessential teacher. I go a step further an call wolf a “guru” because all great gurus are essentially great witnesses. Gurus are able to quietly watch their students struggle with tough questions and wrestle with uncomfortable truths. They have infinite patience, waiting for the student to come along at whatever pace they may. Gurus are willing to release the outcome and endure immense hardship without irritability. Gurus are also believed to know everything.

Teachers and gurus alike must be able to adapt their style of communication to match the student because not everyone learns the same way. Knowledge must come through different channels to be assimilated. Wolf has three ways of communicating: visual (body language), verbal, and scent.

Discerning Truth from Illusion

Gurus are incredibly good at discerning truth from illusion. To discern is to distinguish, separate and differentiate. My friend Margaret Burkesmith teaches that discernment is, “Sitting very close to something and allowing it to spontaneously reveal itself.”

Wolf has a superior sense of smell, and smell in religious symbology is linked with the skill of discernment. We don’t pass anything into our mouths without smelling it first just like we do not let any idea into our spiritual life without first discerning if it serves our path. Smell is likened to the ability to discern good from evil. Wolf spirit animal teaches us a great deal about the power of discernment.

The olfactory region of nasal cavity in wolf is 14 times that of humans and his nose is 1,000,000 times more sensitive to odor than humans. Wolf has somewhere around 280 million olfactory receptors. When a wolf stops to smell the marking of another wolf, he can tell how long ago that wolf was there, who exactly the wolf was, the gender of the wolf, and countless other things.

Now is a good time to pay attention to your own power of discernment. How much do you know, really, about what is going on in and around you? Can you take more time to sit with it and know more?

We so often picture gurus sitting cross-legged, in meditation for hours. They are allowing truth to reveal itself. Wolf spirit animal, our guru of the wild, watches quietly from a distance doing the same.

 

ONE WAY TO HELP THE WOLVES:
At Wolfwood Refuge in Ignacio, CO, I had the great fortune of meeting and interacting directly with wolves. Not only are wolves in the wild hunted and harassed due to misunderstanding, but wolves and wolf hybrids raised for domestication are continually discarded, mistreated and abused. Paula and Craig Watson offer these abandoned and mistreated animals a forever home where they have the chance to live outdoors in big enclosures with others of their kind. If you live nearby you can visit yourself. Anyone can donate to help out. http://www.wolfwoodrefuge.org

 

Want to learn more about spirit animals?
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Spirit Animals: RACCOON the BANDIT

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He sneaks about in the darkness looking for the slightest opportunity. Any tidbit hidden in a crevasse becomes a jewel in his hands. He is at home in the city or the country. No matter where we find raccoon spirit animal we will find a dose of both good humor and good conscience. Who thought such a common animal could bring such luck?

These little bandits are ubiquitous across the whole of the North American continent. Found in swamps and marshes, on the banks of lakes, ponds, rivers and streams, in the vastness of the desert and prairie, in the seclusion of forests, on the tops of mountains and the bottom of canyons, and in cities and suburbs, raccoons have adapted to any environment. Raccoons are happy to den anywhere from a hole in the ground to a cubby in an attic. They are the quintessential omnivore and will eat anything, plant, insect, trash, or animal, that they can get their little paws on.

Raccoon spirit animal brings the message that you have the occasion to be at home and find sustenance, even wealth, wherever you are. He does not cover a wide range, but he utilizes and explores every nook and cranny of his territory. Raccoon symbolism is all about being flexible with what’s available.

Raccoon is marked from birth with that characteristic black eye-mask. He has a reputation for being a trickster and nighttime bandit in disguise.

Disguise

Raccoon spirit animal teaches us about the nuances of disguise and what we do when we think we’ll go unrecognized. In movies, cartoons, and drawings, the archetype of the thief is pictured so often with a black scarf with two holes for eyes. In many legends, raccoon is busy stealing things under the cover of night or out from under the noses of blind people. Raccoon symbolism is closely linked with what we might be blind to or what others are blind to in us.

When we wear a mask or watch a character in a movie wear a mask there is the unwritten understanding that the wearer is attempting to escape the consequences of their actions. Even if the thief is robbing from the rich to give to the poor like Robin Hood (i.e. stealing for “good”) they still have to hide and evade because they are operating outside the law.

In the end, raccoons in legends are always caught and marked as thieves as evidenced by their face mask and ringed tail. In our world, we may escape without any outer consequences, but we will still have the inner doubt that plagues us. What if someone did find out?

It is worth evaluating how you use a disguise to get away with stealing. When you go to pay for a service and remember that you didn’t bring enough cash along, do you pose as innocent to convince the other person to take less money? Raccoons have the sweetest, charming little faces and they aren’t above playing the innocent to get away with something they want.

There is a splash of white all around the edges of the black eye mask of the raccoon. This can point to an inherent goodness shining out, a need to be recognized for the light we are in the world. Sometimes the masks we put on aren’t necessary and can be born of a shame that requests healing.

Raccoon the Bandit

Raccoon has lightening quick paws to grab aquatic creatures, pluck mice and insects from hiding places, and invade bird nests to take tasty eggs. He is known for raiding campsites and trashcans when everyone is sleeping.

We all steal from time to time, be it something as simple as a pen or as invisible as the attention of another. Stealing energy or time from another person, or even stealing from their reputation by mentioning their name, wears away at the fabric of who we are over time. Raccoon spirit animal teaches us how to notice the telltale signs in ourselves of when we are snatching up little bits that might not be ours. He helps us come further into integrity.

This isn’t about looking at the ugly side of your nature and disliking what you see, not at all. It’s about developing a mature conscience. An immature conscience depends on the opinions of others or even the laws of society. Both of these conventions can be mischievously fun to break. A mature conscience taps into the value of one’s motives and understands whether we mean to do harm or do kindness. It’s that simple. When we come from a place of valuing kindness, mischief falls away.

Some questions to ask yourself when contemplating raccoon symbolism:

  • What are the things you tell yourself to justify stealing? (They’ll never find out. There’s enough extra. They don’t need it anyway.)
  • What motivates you to steal? (Maybe it is feeling like you aren’t worth something, like you can’t come by it honestly, or like you just can’t wait.)
  • What is conscience to you? How do you decipher right from wrong?

Trickster

Mircea Eliade, a well-known scholar who studied shamanic practices around the globe, talks about the trickster as a character that plays all sorts of jokes. He makes fun of others and is made fun of. Oftentimes in myths, the trickster is actually a demigod in disguise come to bestow blessings on the object of his high jinks.

We think we know the path and set out on it the way we’ve decided is best. Then the trickster comes and bumps us off our road. This is the flat tire when you’re running late or the hard drive crash right as you type the last word of an important document. We learn to laugh with a sarcastic, “ha, ha” at the trickster’s joke, but often we are at the very least irritated by the interruption or at worse absolutely derailed by the catastrophe.

Once it’s all over we find we are better off or we are brought to a gift we never expected.

In the legends, raccoon cons wolf into freezing his tail into the ice and deceives three blind women into breaking their favorite pottery. He is among the ranks in the animal world of other tricksters such as coyote, raven, and fox.

Thus, raccoon spirit animal has the potential to bring you great teaching and wealth, but it will likely not happen in the way you anticipate. When working with raccoon it is a good idea to keep a loose sense of plans.

Dexterity

Raccoon’s sense of touch is his most heightened of senses and the majority of the focus is in his front paws. He has “hyper-sensitive’ hands that have long whiskers known as “vibrissae” that assist with identifying objects before actually touching them. Nearly two-thirds of his portion of the cerebral cortex responsible for sensory perception is dedicated to the processing of tactile impulses. He thinks a lot about what he feels.

Raccoon will wash his food whenever he has the chance. It is thought that he does this to soften the thin horny layer on his paws, which makes it easier for him to feel his food. Whatever the reason, he loves to play in the water with his hands.

Raccoon can adeptly open jars, untie knots and turn door handles. His five toed front hand closely resembles ours. His lack of an opposable thumb doesn’t stop him from attempting to enter our world. Raccoon symbolism is about how we choose to handle situations. Will we “grasp” quickly for what we want or will we take the time to “wash our hands” of our wrongdoing before enjoying the incredible opportunity around us?

Working with our conscience is all about how we handle situations. Raccoon spirit animal is most definitely here to help.

 

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Spirit Animals: BUFFALO ABUNDANCE

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In the midst of the lowing of the herd, he takes a break from munching grass and saunters over to a bare patch of earth. The sun is rising and his breath is made visible by the steam that drifts from his nostrils like tendrils of smoke. His head sways ever so slightly as he walks, the bulk of his shoulders clearing the way as members of the herd part to allow passage. At the wallow he comes down to his front knees and the rest of his mass falls with a “thud” into the dirt. He rolls to one side pushing his entire body into the depression stirring up dust and frost at once. His grunts join into the contended conversation of the herd.

The buffalo spirit animal is a precious beast for so many reasons, some commonly known and others less so. What we most often call a “buffalo” is officially called the “American Bison”. There is only one other species of bison on earth, the European Bison. Both are considered ecologically extinct and the European Bison has come even closer than the American Bison to complete extinction. Bison are more closely related to cows than to actual buffalo, but in answering the question “what does bison mean?” this exploration will use the names interchangeably.

Abundance

Any study of North American history includes the grievous chapter on the decimation of the buffalo. In less than 70 years, the population of American Bison was brought from a reported 30-60 million to less than a mere 2,000 in 1889. This mass extermination was a gluttonous move by European settlers to win the west, a deliberate tactic to deprive the Native people of their livelihood. A number of Native Americans tribes relied entirely on the buffalo for food, clothing, tools, shelter, and more. They used every part of the buffalo in their daily life. Buffalo symbolism is directly tied to the idea of abundance because they literally offered an abundance of goods to the people that hunted them.

Freedom

Through various efforts, the buffalo has recovered to somewhere between 500,000 to 1 million individuals today, but the species is considered ecologically extinct because they no longer are able to range their native habitat like they evolved to do. They are kept in small parks and buffalo that wander out of the boundaries are shot. Did you know that wild bison are routinely rounded up and excess members are sent to slaughter? The plight of the buffalo today is strikingly similar to that of the wild mustang. The meaning of buffalo is closely linked to our ideals of freedom and how that freedom actually looks in practice.

Do you feel as if you have enough room to roam? Is someone or something curbing your range? Buffalo spirit animals roam the space they are given, but can be tough on fences. If you find yourself testing the boundaries of a relationship or circumstance, it may be time to focus on an area of your life where you have space to take more liberties.

A Keystone Species

Bison are known as a “keystone” species in that they have an impact on their environment that is disproportionately larger relative to their numbers. They affect the distribution of grasses, the way fire moves throughout the prairie, the cycle of nutrients, and the composition of grass and wildflower species. Their hooves aerate the soil which helps the plants better uptake air and oxygen for faster growth. Buffalo wallows are bare patches of dirt where they frequently roll. These round holes create vernal pools during spring rains which serve as mini oasis for wetland species of plants. The wallows remain in undeveloped areas for up to 125 years after buffalo have been removed from the land.

Ferruginous hawks used to create their nests entirely out of bison bone, fur, and dung. Prairie dogs preferred to colonize in areas grazed by buffalo because they could spot predators better in the shorter grasses. A whole host of animals from black-footed ferrets to burrowing owls to foxes rely on prairie dogs as a food source.

Bison not only provided a valuable source of sustenance for grizzly bears and wolves, but also for scavengers such as coyotes, eagles, hawks, and vultures. When their carcasses were left to rot, they would add enough nitrogen to the soil to make it 2-3 times more rich than the surrounding grassland. Even their urine mobilized nitrogen quicker than natural processes and added fertilizer quickly into the ecosystem.

Regardless of the fact that the buffalo is a key player in grassland ecosystems, they are also a part of a herd. Like any herd animal they find safety in numbers and their habits and days are affected by the movement of the herd. Buffalo spirit animal is a reminder that you are at once a critical component of the world AND just a member of the herd. It is important not to get too overblown in your own importance, and to plainly be yourself. Contributing to and participating in the whole is key.

By simply doing what they do, buffalo create variety and abundance wherever they go. Are you able to offer the same gift to the world? If we all could aspire to be so generous, the world would be a better place. Consider if your actions are contributing to the whole are taking from it. How can you tip the scales so that you are a source of grace for others while still standing in your strength?

Strength and Conflict

Buffalo are incredibly powerful animals that weight over 2,000 pounds. They can run up to 35 miles per hour and cross rivers over a half a mile wide. They easily lead barbed wire fences. In the winter they survive by pushing the snow from the grass using their massive heads. Built to survive warm summers and cold winters, they are at home in the stark, open landscape of the grasslands. They will fend off predators using their bulk and horns.

Buffalo spirit animals can lend us the strength to stand our ground, but they remind us not to crash around like a bull in a china shop. Only 5-10% of challenges between bulls lead to actual fights. The bulls compete for females by butting heads. They have special boney struts that reinforce their inner and outer skull as well as a thick matt of hair on their forehead to protect them from the force of the blows. This reminds us of the benefit of being “thick headed”. Sometimes it is necessary to know your truth and not give in to the shoves of others. Do be mindful although, because bulls easily gore their opponents by slipping off to the side. Remember that going straight on may leave you vulnerable.

Gratitude

Buffalo symbolism is also linked to giving thanks much in the same way as turkey spirit animal. When White Buffalo Calf Woman came to the Lakota people she did so with the teaching of right action and right prayer. Giving thanks was a part of her teaching. When considering the meaning of buffalo, remember that you are both the buffalo and the ecosystem that profits from their action. You have the opportunity to spread abundance wherever you go as long as you stay true to who you are AND now is the time to give thanks for the myriad of ways that the Divine brings abundance into your life.

Just now scientists are beginning to understand the immense impact that buffalo had on the vast grasslands that once covered the North American continent. They are just now seeing the connections between buffalo and their environment. All along, people who lived off the land and off the flesh of the buffalo understood that all was connected. They honored these connections and with an deeper understanding of the medicine of buffalo spirit animal so can we.

 

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rabbit spirit animal

Spirit Animals: RABBIT the MAGICIAN

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Waiting for the right time, rabbit spirit animal’s always waiting for the right time – the right time to dash, the right time to recline on his side and stretch his back legs out, the right time to hold his breath in a burrow. While he’s waiting, he sits back onto his hind legs and looks out over the open meadow. His warren-mates are having an evening silflay of sweet clover. He twitches his whiskers with a precious bob of his velvety nose. A female invites him to groom her with a quiet hum. He comes back down to all fours and sets to licking her neck as she nibbles the tip of his ear.

Social Rabbit Spirit Animal

The number of stories I read about rabbits as a child were many. They influenced my opinions on social behavior, play, fantasy worlds, and humor as a human. The book that had the largest impact on me was Watership Down by Richard Adams. Not only is this story a riveting tale about the social lives of rabbits, it is a commentary on the destructiveness of humans, the complexities of colonization, and the terror of war.

So often when we look up the rabbit spirit animal in various interpretation books their symbolism is watered down to represent fear and fertility. I remember Hazel, Fiver, Blackberry, Silver, and Dandelion, and my heart opens wide with the potential in these amazing creatures. They can be slow or fast, sharp or gentle, and calculated or calm. We shouldn’t be looking up rabbits in spirit animal books, we should be referencing stories such as Watership Down to understand the myriad powers rabbits embody in our collective consciousness.

Rabbits are highly social animals that live together in a city of underground tunnels called a warren. Rabbits regularly groom each other, and they circle and hum to one another as a sign of affection.Their mating systems can be very complex ranging from polygamy to monogamy depending on their status within the warren. Males and females are very territorial and can engage in intense fights that result in injury and even death. They mark their territories with dung hills. The bucks engage in additional battles over does.

Imagination in Rabbit Symbolism

Think of the white rabbit in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. He was always in a rush, worried about getting here or there, and he had the incredible gift of leading Alice down the rabbit hole that changed her life. No matter how much we think we know about the world, rabbit can always take us beyond our capacity to comprehend.

Going down the rabbit hole can indicate moving into a time of chaos when everything is turned on its head. This phase of our evolution is necessary to allow change. It is only once we lose the ground beneath our feet that we have the chance to become more. Once we go underground into our subconscious or into other worlds to see what lies there, there is no going back. We are forever changed.

Remember the rabbit in the story of the Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams. This was a dearly loved toy that had the benefit of genuine affection from a child that believed he was real. Again the theme of devotion and affection with rabbit spirit animal comes through here. This toy offered a sense of solace and comfort to the boy during a life threatening illness only to be rewarded by being cleaned out of his room as it was disinfected.

Left out in the garden, the wish of the Velveteen Rabbit is fulfilled. A fairy turns him into a REAL rabbit. Again, when looking at the meaning of rabbit we see the theme of reality and imagination come in. What is happening to your definition of reality right now? What reality are you wishing into being? Are you the REAL you?

Finding Rabbit Spirit Animal Sanctuary

Among the folklore of rabbit spirit animal, there is a beautiful story of Saint Francis of Assisi. Saint Francis found set a rabbit free from a trap. He named him “Brother Rabbit” before releasing him, but the rabbit would not leave and returned over and over to his lap. The rabbit knew he had found a place of sanctuary and peace. How can you set free the vulnerable, tender side of yourself?

Rabbits always need a burrow, even a temporary one or a hollow in the brush, to retreat to at night. Make sure you have space and time set aside for your own retreat. Using Brother Rabbit’s example, find a place of peace and nestle into a source of sanctuary.

Staying Alert to Rabbit Meaning

When thinking of rabbits as prey animals we think of how they can freeze or flee when a hawk flies overhead. We don’t associate defensiveness with rabbits spirit animal, but they will fight viciously to save their own lives. Their back legs are very strong and they have sharp claws.

Rabbits are acutely alert to their surroundings and have nearly 360 degree vision. We usually only think of owls seeing 360 degrees, but they have to turn their heads to see what is behind them. The rabbit’s eyes take in their entire surroundings constantly, without having to move their heads. Rabbit’s large ears also allow them to listen closely for predators. Rabbit spirit animal brings the ability to take in the whole of your surroundings and take in threats before the threat sees you.

Like Thumper in the movie Bambi, are you ready to warn the others about what you see? This energy is not about looking out for yourself, but the fulfillment in watching out for the whole tribe and the willingness to sound the alarm.

The Adventurous Spirit of Rabbit Medicine

And, who can forget The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter? Here a rabbit takes on a pioneering spirit much like the rabbits that follow Hazel out of the warren in Watership Down. This is art imitating nature. When buck rabbits mature they are often forced to leave their warren. The bucks wander far afield to establish or join a new warren. Does are regularly forced out, but they simply go to the neighboring warren.

Are you venturing out on your own to explore the riches of the world like Peter Rabbit or escape danger like Hazel? Is the danger out there or within you? Do you find gravitate toward home like Peter Rabbit or toward the unknown like the white rabbit? These are all of the questions that come up when a rabbit hole adventure takes a hold of your life.

It is likely that if you are reading this post that you have already started down the rabbit hole. There is no turning back at this point, but if rabbit spirit animal is accompanying you on the journey, take heart. You have countless tricks to pull out of your hat. You likely have what you need to build a sense of community around you and to sense danger before it comes your way.

 

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Spirit Animals: DELICATELY DEER

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Deer Spirit Animal

She nibbles grass by gathering at a few blades at a time with her gentle lips and clipping the greens into her immaculate, petite mouth. Nearby, another of her kind, a male with velvet dripping off his headful of antlers tenderly plucks leaves from a service berry bush. She senses her others also around quietly browsing, but the brush and their tawny coats obscures them from view. Everything appears halcyon, at peace, but this belies the sparkling tension in the air. With an unexpected crack from a small twig they know not to be born by one of their own, they all turn and take flight into the woods.

Deer are so commonly known in myth and in everyday life, and still there is a magic about them that startles the ordinary away. Their delicate yet tenacious manner has lead many hunter astray into other worlds and even to their death.

The Goddess Artemis & Deer

There is the myth of the goddess Artemis, huntress and protector of animals. Artemis was in a pond washing naked and swimming with her similarly unclothed nymphs one day.

A straying hunter came upon them and gawked at the site. In her anger, Artemis turned him to a stag and called his own hunting dogs upon him. He was killed by his own hunting party. Artemis was a virgin goddess and this tale reminds us of the importance of guarding our own innocence. Innocence and purity are at the heart of deer spirit animal.

Meaning of White Deer

White stags appear in legends from around the world, but most notably in the stories of King Arthur. He was never able to catch the white stag, but in his attempts to do so he was lead in to great adventures and mystical places.

By following the deer spirit animal into the woods of the mystery either within ourselves or within spiritual teachings we risk losing track of all time like the children of Narnia caught up in the wardrobe. And too we are invited into forgetting ourselves all together.

Stag Symbolism

There are three aspects to deer worth considering – stag (buck), doe, and fawn. Each has their own particular expression that is unique enough to explore independently.

Bucks are more independent traveling alone or in lose, unrelated bachelor groups. Their antlers symbolize connection to the heavens and intuition received through the mental plane. Their crown of antlers also corresponds to royalty and, thus, power. Bambi’s father was called the Great Prince or King of the Forest for this reason.

A mature buck with a 6-point rack in full rut strikes reverence in the heart of any man. There is a confidence and valor in a buck that rivals even the most fierce of predators. The biggest and strongest bucks in the forest mate with the most does and produce the most off-spring. They do so by fending off other suitors in battle. This is the quintessential Darwinian “survival of the fittest”.

Notice that for most of the year the bucks live peacefully side by side, but there is a season for competition with deer spirit animal. When in your life are you in competition? Are you able to enter into a test of strength when appropriate and then drop your weapons (antlers) and move on to coexist without strife the majority of the time? We sometimes judge against competitiveness, but there is a striving and refining that happens in these trials that carries us through tough times (winter) and births new energy into the world.

Stags can teach us that by knowing when to compete and when to drop our attachment to the game we can become the kings of our own inner wild nature.

Doe Deer Symbolism

Does stick together in groups related maternally year round. Their presence is of a drastically different measure. To understand the nature of doe energy simply think of the phrase “doe eyes”. Their eyes are big and soft, and any woman with doe eyes is known for luring you in.

There are many myths around the world of women who turn into animals or who are half woman, half beast. In some North American tribes there is a legend of the Deer Woman who is half woman, half doe. Some stories tell of how she lures men to their deaths. This relates back to the story of Artemis and how the gawking hunter lost his life. So, despite the fact that bucks are confident and courageous and does are soft and sweet, the two have a reputation for luring men into potential danger.

The masculine aspect of all of us (the animus) is our active nature, our “doing” way in the world. When we are caught up in the activity of our lives we easily go on auto-pilot. Then we are unknowingly subject to the luring energy of deer spirit animal. Before we know it we’ve wandered into an unknown part of our own inner forest and we think to ourselves, “I don’t know who I am anymore and I’m not sure where I was going.” This is when deer spirit animal magic has been at work in you.

Creativity and Deer Spirit Animal

Courtship and mating occurs in late fall, early winter (October-December) and the gestation period is 7 months. We often think of spring as the time for babies, but really fawns are not seen until summer officially arrives. This speaks to running on a later schedule than is expected, possibly even being prone to procrastination. This can also be a tendency to wait until you know what the picture is going to look like before moving forward.

By November, the deer have a good sense of how they will fare through the winter because they have seen the fall harvest and built up their reserves as best as nature will allow. The timing of their breeding depends on rainfall, temperature, and day length. Some species of deer will wait until January to breed.

In thinking about deer power animal, How are you approaching new creative projects right now? Are you holding out as long as you can to see what the environment will be like? Are you able to recognize a good or mild season when you are in one and move forward as to take advantage of the favorable conditions?

Symbolism of Deer Fawns

There is a doe that sets up residence around our house with her fawn(s) each year. As these things go, she just showed up for the first time this year, today, during the process of this writing. She announced her presence by chasing and charging our dog Diesel. Diesel was jumping and barking at her, and then she was in hot pursuit of him, front hooves lashing out.

We called him off and looked back in time to see a teeny, tiny little spotted fawn jump up and run the other way. The fawn had been laying down just feet from where we had walked. Our dog never saw her until she was on the move. By then he was back with us and stood and watched politely.

In the first three weeks of the fawn’s life, the mother leaves her young bedded down for up to 8 hours at a time while she wanders and grazes. The fawn is not yet able to run quickly enough to evade predators, so the best protection is to lay in hiding and wait until mom comes back with udders full of milk.

Deer Spirit Animal in Fight or Freeze

A combination of the defensive mother, the camouflage of a dappled coat, the ability to be completely still, and the lack of any scent is what keeps the fawns safe. The mothers clean their fawns immaculately, so no trace of a scent remains. All of these kept our keen nosed and eyed dog from spotting the little one.

Seeing how small this newborn was and thinking of it laying there frozen, waiting for danger to pass reminded me how intensely vulnerable these tender creatures are. We often think of freezing in the face of fear as a weakness, but the combination of the fiercely protective mother and the perfectly still fawn makes an incredibly strong pairing. I mentioned before that purity and innocence is at the heart of the deer totem, this is because as fawns they begin life pure (clean of scent) and innocent (unable to defend themselves or run from danger).

With deer spirit animal, what is your relationship to being vulnerable? Are you ashamed of the tender part of you that lays frozen in the brush? Do you over-emphasize the protective nature of the mother? All of this is necessary for your well being. Keep in mind a balance. Judge not your innocence, love the purity of your soul, and honor your own courageous spirit.

PHOTO CREDIT: David Anton. To view more of David’s beautiful photos visit his website: https://kitestream.wordpress.com

 

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Spirit Animals: HER MAJESTY, THE COUGAR

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I stayed at camp, alone, to journal and spend time by the low-flowing Gila river. The sapling cottonwoods I sat cross-legged underneath were failing to provide shade as the sun steadily moved across the sky. The round gravel of the riverbank was growing hot, and the grackles carried on in an otherwise quiet bosque. In a pause between written sentences I stared blankly off across the river and into the forest. The mosaic of green was strangely interrupted by the movement of a large beige animal. I scrambled to decipher what it may be. I ran out of time. A mountain lion walked out of the brush heading straight towards me.

How she didn’t see me I can only guess. All I know was that she had no idea I was there. Maybe she was in her own mind like I had just been, not really seeing what was in front of her. Somehow she was coming, step-by-step, closer to me. I realized she was approaching the river to get a drink of water. If she got to the river she would be just a few leaps from me. How was it that she didn’t see me? How was it that we had been brought together in this time and space?

I realized that I didn’t need to answer these questions. I needed to act. Calmly I focused on her and announced my presence. All I could think to say that would keep me from inviting any panic was, “Hey kitty, kitty I see you.” I absolutely knew she would turn and run once she heard my voice. Then the unthinkable happened. She came out of her mind, saw me , and came to a leisurely pause. That was strange.

I took in and let out a steady breath knowing that the choice I was about to make could mean life or death. The big cat was also deciding what to do about me. She was contemplating whether or not I was a meal. Her ears were forward, eyes bright and, most importantly, the absolute tip of her tail twitched thoughtfully from side to side.

“Hey kitty, kitty it’s time to go now.”

Twitch, twitch, and not a single flinch.

My focus, unwavering  remained on turning any adrenaline I might have into an intense power. Now was the time to get big and summon all courage. I rose, literally, to the occasion with stones in my hand. I was sizing her up and readying myself for a fight. Welling within me was the desire to take her head-on, but I was unconvinced I should be the one to break the tension. I knew that this was no fight I would win. Now at my full 5’2” with my arms boldly swinging out and above my head, I gave her one more opportunity to know how human I was, “Hey kitty, kitty it’s time to go now.” Mere seconds before rocks started flying from my hands, she turned and casually sauntered back into the forest.

What Does Cougar Mean?

For years I contemplated this encounter utterly unsure of what to make of it. I read about the meaning of cougar spirit animal over and over again in Medicine Cards by Jamie Sams and David Carson to absolutely no avail. “Leadership” sounded like it should make sense to me then, but on a deep, deep level I knew it didn’t.

For years, I have worked with her eminence in dreams and in journeys. Cougar spirit animal’s presence has been a constant companionship and limitless strength for me. I stopped asking what she was here to teach me and have learned to bask in gratitude of her support. Always when I remember my spiritual quest, I remember her call and I respond all over again.

 

Find your spirit animal workshop. Painting of red-tailed hawk.

How Leadership Relates to the Meaning of Cougar

Her majesty, the mountain lion is the authority of my soul. I have come to know this now, twelve years later. We so want the answers fast, but are we willing to wait for truth even if it takes an entire lifetime of listening? Are we willing to let others pose theories while our truth still eludes words? This is the essence of her grace, to hold us captive in her intense, predatory stare that strips away all thought. This is the truth of the fierce desire in our souls to live purposeful lives.

Cougars are solitary animals. The meaning of cougar teaches us that “leadership” is not out there, but in here.

Who is in charge of your actions? Your soul or your ego? Do the people you work with, your family members, and friends determine what you do? What I really mean is, are you living your life according to what they might think? Is your ego vying for attention at every turn feeding into the fear that you won’t be loved and accepted?

These are the kinds of questions you should ask yourself if cougar spirit animal has shown up in your life. Her majesty stalks her prey before she strikes. It is time to start observing yourself, not those you lead or those you follow. Now is the time to look at who you are giving your power to. Blaming others is an obstacle to your own authenticity. Feeling guilty or ashamed will also trip up the path.

The Power of Cougar Symbolism

Her eminence is extremely powerful, but she does not use her power to command a pack like the wolves do. Cougar spirit animal does not use her power to gain attention like the bison do. The meaning of cougar brings power as she moves through the world unseen, taking only what she needs, and silently marking territory so conflicts won’t be necessary. She is a ghost of the woods just like your soul is. Your soul does not thrive on accolades. Your soul thrives on silence. Your soul is not confused into thinking that community is everything. Your soul understands that ultimately we are alone in our experience, alone with Spirit.

At the time in my life that I encountered that beautiful big cat, I was right. It was not a fight I could win. I didn’t have the tools to live in my authentic self or to allow my soul to dress me in the morning. The path of cougar symbolism is not a short one with ticker-tape parades. It is a tumultuous and long path wrought with suffering and heartache, disappointment and doubt.

My ego, who ruled my kingdom then, thought the meaning of cougar’s appearance meant I was gifted and I was destined to do big things. I could never seem to define these “gifts” and “big things”. What I didn’t understand was that the validation I so longed for in her presence would not fulfill the desire of my soul. Luckily, her grace always patrolled the territory of my desire and informed my way to a greater love than my small mind could imagine.