Spirit Animals – Deer

  © S. Roger Joyeux September 2007

The first awareness that many of us have of deer is through Walt Disney’s wonderful animation film, “BAMBI”. We watched, (or have watched our children or grandchildren sit) spellbound as the story of this gentle creature unfolds. We marvel at all the lessons in the film. First we see that the deer are very gentle and seem to get along with all animals. That trait is true in real life. The next thing we notice is that we don’t always see deer! Deer has the knack of blending in to its surroundings, and keeping still, even in broad daylight. This is one of the first lessons that the fawn learns. We also see the way the mother protects the young, and how the animals alert the Deer to danger. This is also true in real life as magpies, crows, ravens, and even four legged creatures will create noise telling the Deer that a hunter or danger is near.

The very large ears assist Deer in “hearing” both the sounds in the immediate environment, and the sounds far away that are carried by the winds or breezes. The ears act like radar antennae and provide the Deer with an uncanny ability to discern what is going on in the world around them. Antlers on the bucks are believed to be receptors for information from the heavens. Many early peoples believed that the Deer was sacred to the Gods, and because it appears at dawn and dusk, was actually a messenger from the Gods. Diana, Goddess of the Hunt, held the Deer sacred and nightly killed a deer with a bow and arrow so that it might be reborn again in the morning. This then is a symbol of death and rebirth, and of transformation.

Deer graze in the early morning and evening. However, a doe with two young fawns may graze during the day time as well. The deer will be sure to be in an open place where it can see clearly all around it. The Deer readily defends its young as Roger and I witnessed this spring in Fish Creek Park. A coyote decided to hunt a fawn to feed its young. As it stalked towards the site where the fawn lay, the Doe was alerted. We watched as she bounded towards the coyote. We thought the coyote might attack her! Never get between a Mama and her Baby! That coyote had one good swipe from Mama’s hooves and he was running. We watched Deer chase the coyote for a good twenty minutes. We think it passed on fast food after that.

Those with Deer as totem or power animal are very fortunate because the gifts Deer brings are clairvoyance (seeing) and clairaudience (hearing). Deer also brings great gentleness, kindness, courage, skill at blending into the surroundings, and a strong sense of family loyalty. Deer travel in herds that may include several generations. Some of the tribes of The People in Canada and the United States believe that Deer is a guide to the Sun (Deer appears at dawn and dusk) and as such, that Deer is a part of the cycle of life. When Deer appears to you, watch to see what message it brings, and how to be gentle to yourself.

We all honor Deer at Christmas as the wonderful animals that pull Santa Claus through the sky. We know that it is Deer’s place to do this since they are favored by the Gods and have been given the ability to fly between the worlds.

-©Judith Hirst- Joyeux. Judy is a sage, seer, shaman-healer. See more on www.angelsandancestors.com

Fear of the Supernatural

"The supernatural is the natural not yet understood." Elbert Hubbard

When I saw this quotation, I was struck by how accurate it is, and that even though he is deceased ( he died during 1915), how applicable the quotation is today.  A friend of mine was in the checkout at the supermarket, and had at the top of her buggy the book, "Spirituality For Dummies". 

As my friend was unloading her shopping cart, the lady in front of her said, "You shouldn't be reading that! Anything that you can't see comes from the Devil!"

As you can imagine, my friend was quite taken aback, and was absolutely speechless!  Imagine, if all the things that you cannot see come from the Devil, then there is a long list of things that we all take for granted that we can't "see" but that we know are there.  Some of those things are God, Love, Wind, Kindness, oxygen, carbon dioxide, the sound of a symphony, anything one hears over the radio because let's face it, you can't see all those things that come through the radio. The list could go on and on.

I wondered what it would be like to live in fear of all the things that you can not see.  I could not imagine a life like that!  The beauty in the unseen compliments the visual beauty of what we see with our eyes.  And, even then, do we really see it?  We see so little of the world as it is because our perception is always being adjusted by our mind, to something that we have seen in our past.  So, do we really see what we see or do we bring forward what we saw before?  It really is a strange thing, that five people may look at the same accident, and that they all saw something similar but different. 

As for not seeing the supernatural, well, I'd like to define "supernatural" first and use the Wikipedia definition - The supernatural (Latin: super- "above" + natura "nature") pertains to entities, events or powers regarded as beyond nature, in that they cannot be explained from the laws of the natural world.  Having said that, if we "see" the entities then they do exist!  Just because one person does not see them means that their mind cannot pull up a memory of seeing that object before.  The other part of the definition - explained from the laws of the natural world- simply means that we have not yet discovered or acknowledged the laws that do govern the entities.  Scientists, researchers, astronomers, and physicists have been discovering new principles of being and planets over the last decade.  Does that mean that up to the discovery, the principles and planets were supernatural?  It does depend on one's point of view.

I would love for everyone to see all that is around them, and not fear it!  I would love to have people be able to experience something new and move to the experience with love in their hearts instead of fear.  I would love if all the people in the world would just let other people be!

Where did we go wrong? 7 Blunders

"Seven Blunders of the World"
1. Wealth without work
2. Pleasure without conscience
3. Knowledge without character
4. Commerce without morality
5. Science without humanity
6. Worship without sacrifice
7. Politics without principle
—Mahatma Gandhi

A Tale of Loving Kindness

My friend Aleda sent me this wonderful story that has been circulating by email.  I believe it is a grand story that has a lesson for everyone.  Please post your comments about the story as I would love to read them and respond to them.

Judy

 

This story has brought me incredible joy and peace.

Here is the story written by a thankful Mom!

I have no way to know who sent it, but there is a kind soul working in the dead letter office of the  US postal service. Our 14 year old dog, Abbey, died last month.  The day after she died, my 4 year old daughter Meredith was crying and talking about how much she missed Abbey.   She asked if we could write a letter to God so that when Abbey got to heaven, God would recognize her. I told her that I thought we could so she dictated these words:
Dear God,
Will you please take care of my dog? She died yesterday and is with you in heaven. I miss her very much. I am happy that you let me have her as my dog even though she got sick.  I hope you will play with her. She likes to play with balls and to swim.  I am sending a picture of her so when you see her you will know that she is my dog. I really miss her.
Love, Meredith.

We put the letter in an envelope with a picture of Abbey and Meredith and addressed it to God/Heaven.  We put our return address on it.  Then Meredith pasted several stamps on the front of the envelope because she said it would take lots of stamps to get the letter all the way to heaven.  That afternoon she dropped it into the letter box at the post office. A few days later, she asked if God had gotten the letter yet. I told her that I thought He had.

Yesterday, there was a package wrapped in gold paper on our front porch addressed, 'To Meredith'  in an unfamiliar hand.  Meredith opened it. Inside was a book by Mr. Rogers called, 'When a Pet Dies.' Taped to the inside front cover was the letter we had written to God in its opened envelope. On the opposite page was the picture of Abbey & Meredith and this note:

Dear Meredith,

Abbey arrived safely in heaven.  Having the picture was a big help. I recognized Abbey right away.  Abbey isn't sick anymore. Her spirit is here with me just like it stays in your heart.  Abbey loved being your dog.  Since we don't need our bodies in heaven, I don't have any pockets to keep your picture in, so I am sending it back to you in this little book for you to keep and have something to remember Abbey by.
Thank you for the beautiful letter and thank your mother for helping you write it and sending it to me. What a wonderful mother you have. I picked her especially for you.

I send my blessings every day and remember that I love you very much.

By the way, I am wherever there is love.

Love, God

Moving Into Death

 

Picture Courtesy of Barbara Hirst (c) 2006

Do not pass by my epitaph, traveler.
But having stopped, listen and learn, then go your way.
There is no boat in Hades, no ferryman Charon,
No caretaker Aiakos, no dog Cerberus.
All we who are dead below
Have become bones and ashes, but nothing else.
I have spoken to you honestly, go on, traveler,
Lest even while dead I seem loquacious to you.

-copied from a Roman Tombstone

Rising - Slowly!

This picture arrived in an email and it made me sad.  We see the sun in so many negative, destructive ways.  And yet, here it is!  Beautiful! Exciting! And full of the promise of the beginning of everything!  What a gift the sun gives to us each day.

When you see the world from a different perspective, and it looks small- one needs to realize how completely insignificant we are, and yet how absolutely necessary we all are, as well.  If we did not exist, we would not see the beauty in the world and want to share it with our village, our global village.  If we did not exist, we would not celebrate the animals and their lives.  We would not have found that one can learn from cats and dogs, and all of the wild things, that there is a present moment. 

We would not know about life flowing and ebbing, and rising slowly from the ground, up to the sky, to touch the sun.

About Anger and Releasing It

As I was sitting and pondering, my guides directed me to this wonderful story by Osho. They asked me to share it with all of you as a gift; a gift that will help you cope with anger if it should appear during the holidays.

Picture from Microsoft Clipart

“A Zen student came to Bankei and said, "Master, I have an ungovernable temper. How can I cure it?"
"Show me this temper," said Bankei, "it sounds fascinating."
"I haven't got it right now," said the student, "so I can't show it to you."
"Well then," said Bankei, "bring it to me when you have it."
"But I can't bring it just when I happen to have it," protested the student. "It arises unexpectedly, and I would surely lose it before I got it to you."
"In that case," said Bankei, "it cannot be part of your true nature. If it were, you could show it to me at any time. When you were born you did not have it--so it must have come to you from the outside. I suggest that whenever it gets into you, you beat yourself with a stick until the temper can't stand it and runs away."
Even while anger is happening, if you suddenly become conscious, it drops. Try it! Just in the middle, when you are very hot and would like to murder--suddenly become aware, and you will feel something has changed: a gear inside, you can feel the click, your inner being has relaxed.” OSHO

The following information on OSHO is adapted from biographyonline.net.

Osho was born Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh in 1931 in Central India. He died in 1990. His philosophy was a type of Monism that God was in everything. All human beings were in essence divine; it was just that there were different manifestations of that divinity. He introduced a new type of meditation that involved letting go of all attachments to the past and future and ego. If a seeker could attain a consciousness where there was "no past, no future, no attachment, no mind, no ego, no self.” Then he would attain enlightenment.

Blue Heron Brings Information

Picture provided by Microsoft ClipArt.

I had just completed a three day course in Shamanism and I had lived through the three day juice fast. I was thinking that life was pretty good! I was out in the park, walking my dog, Magic, when this very big and very tall heron walked out of the tall grass along the river. He had extremely long legs. It did not walk toward us, but angled away from us, watching us all the time. We were both silent and a little awed. I was awed because of the beauty and Magic simply because he'd never seen anything like this before. Then Heron stopped, and turned. A second Heron walked out of the grass. They looked at us, then slowly spread their wings and flew up, in different directions. They then both flew over the river. However, they flew opposite to each other, and seemed to fly across each other's path in a figure eight formation. After almost flying over us, they flew down the river and disappeared.

I have never seen anything like this! I believed that Heron was bringing me a message that tied into my Shaman weekend. When I arrived home, I contemplated what I knew about Heron. I grew up on a farm, and during the summer, a pair of great blue herons lived at our dugout (pond). We had an abundant supply of tadpoles, minnows and frogs. Their visits lasted for about ten years while I was growing up.

I knew that the long legs were about balance, and about progressing and evolving. If the legs are long, Herons can wade in deeper water. The meaning for me is that I could move forward in exploring life and Shamanism and other healing arts in great depth. The legs are also about standing on one's own without having a big support structure. If you have ever seen a Heron fish, you will notice that they stare at the water for an extended amount of time, almost like they are mesmerized by the water. This implies a connection to the Earth, and also the ability to look deeply into one's emotion (water) and contemplate without interruption. There is also a message about standing balanced in one's own emotions. This fisher bird is also a message about being able to be alone and complete tasks successfully.

Herons are solitary birds. To see two of them together is unique. Since one was smaller than the other, I believe that they were male and female. So, it seems the message is about being balanced in one's masculine and feminine energy, and that having a mate to fly with is a good thing. The Heron's S-shaped neck is a symbol of strength and innate knowing and Heron travels life on its own path. The quick strike of a hunting Heron gives guidance that one needs to act quickly when opportunity arises. The action may be quite assertive. This is a message about allowing one's power to flow and not trying to stifle it. The message is also about determining one's own road and not following or listening to what others are doing. The flight path of a looping figure eight seems to indicate that life is infinite and one has an infinite amount of tine to move through it.

Much may be learned by watching the Heron for both its actions and its inactions teach us about taking advantage of events in our lives. The Heron represents grace, agility, and quiet power. The balance it uses in its life is a reminder to all to follow balance in all things.

-©Judith Hirst-Joyeux August 2007. If you have had an experience with Heron, we'd love to hear about it, and please let us know if we may publish your story in a future newsletter. Email judy@angelsandancestors.com.

About The Great White Brotherhood

There are many books written about the Great White Brotherhood with the earliest being written about 1912. Before that time, the different groups including the Great White Brotherhood, Ashtar’s Command, Councilate of Ascended Light, and other fellowships that worked with humans were closely guarded secrets. Working with these groups was taught only in Mystery Schools, and then only by special invitation. The laws of the different countries at that time classified working with “mysteries” as “Devil’s Work”. Those involved with the Mysteries were called witches, devil worshippers or Satan’s Guild. It was a dark time! Practitioners were both persecuted and prosecuted.

Times have changed, and we are all learning that there is much on Earth and in our solar system and further out in our galaxy that we do not understand. The group, The Great White Brotherhood (GWB) teams up with individuals on Earth to provide details of cosmic information, specialized healing techniques, and concepts of use and understanding of natural laws. GWB seems to show up for people in meditation, in visions, in dreams, and even during channeling whether it is written or oral. Members of GWB include ascended masters and beings from the heavenly realms (archangels, angels, spirits, guides, ancient ones) who have dedicated their purpose to working with beings on Earth. The group is called “white” because of their great white light and the essence of goodness that they work with. Membership in GWB is not restricted by anything other than the desire to help beings on Earth move forward in evolution. GWB has teams that work within arts and entertainment, education, healing, and enlightenment. The teams transcend race, religions, and politics.

GWB has healing teams, writing teams, and enlightenment teams that will assist the person in improving or expanding the work the individual is currently doing. The GWB team that works with me is the healing team who work with humans mostly through a program called the Medical Assistance Program. (Note that the Medical Assistance Program is also part of the title of a book written by Machaelle Wright). The individual may ask to have assistance when experiencing an illness and the GWB team shows up. The “asking” may be done either through meditation or through an invocation. Each individual will receive their own specialized team. The healing process initiated by GWB is unique to each individual.

The stories of healing, of writing, and of “knowing” profound truths through association with the Great White Brotherhood have been recorded as articles and books. These teachers come when we need them and leave us changed forever.

The Message From Pigeon

Pigeons are often regarded as pests. In some cases, they are regarded as a delicacy for eating (squib). Some people revere them for their racing abilities. Most of us think of them as the birds that people feed in the parks and squares in the cities. We seldom think of them as a totem animal that may have something to teach us. If Pigeon is appearing in your life, you may be assured that he has a reason. Take into consideration that Pigeon was used by the Chinese for hundreds of years to deliver messages. Europeans adopted this technique and used pigeons to deliver messages in times of war. Pigeons have great courage and may fly 500 miles per day at speeds of 100 miles per hour for 100 miles! So what is Pigeon coming to say? Some of the messages might be:

-have courage and keep focused on the goal at hand.

-how to value the qualities of home, security, and the caring that a loved one provides. (Pigeon often appears as a totem or guide for people that have had a troubled or unsettled childhood, and who seem to have difficulty in finding a solid foundation in all areas of their lives.)

-how to know "true north" (we would call it the compass of integrity), and how to always find one's way home - to the place in their heart where they know there is truth.

-how to always know where you are and to know where "home" is.

Pigeon's big message when it first appears to you is to remind you that you must keep your sights and your actions focused on what it is that you want in life. It is reminding you to use all of your senses equally and thus stay balanced. Mostly, Pigeon says focus on where you want to be and start moving to that goal using your inner guidance so that you will always find your way, regardless of the journey.