Spirit Animals –Bobcat

Bobcat in the grass!

Picture courtesy of Wikipedia Commons  Public Domain.

Bobcat is often associated with new lessons and with growth in spirituality.  Weighing in between 15 to 25 pounds, the Bobcat doesn’t move fast. However it can leap up to eight feet to land on prey. Bobcat will actually pounce on yearling fawns and antelope.  In November and December of 2007, bobcats were sighted by residents who live along Fish Creek Park in Calgary.

On January 11, 2008, a Bobcat walked into Paul Nicholas’s store in Whistler. The tourists had been taking pictures of the bobcat and it sought shelter in the store, “far from the maddening crowd”. Mr. Nicholas said that he and his customers were not fearful because the Bobcat was calm and went in and sat behind the cash register in a crouch very much like a house cat. In November and December of 2007, bobcats were sighted by residents who live along Fish Creek Park in Calgary. This reclusive animal is listed as a “sensitive species” in Alberta. So, why is it suddenly showing up in different places?

If you have Bobcat as a spirit animal, then Bobcat has a message for you. It is time to make a change. While Bobcats teach us to be alone without being lonely, and to quickly train our young to fend for themselves, these Bobcats are saying that it is time to come out of isolation and walk with people again. Bobcats show they carry magic and mystery by their black and white markings against their beige or brown fur. Because the animal blends so well with desert, plain, forest and mountain, the Bobcat is regarded as the keeper of secrets of wisdom. In Munay-Ki, we call them Wisdom Keepers. The Bobcat is choosing NOW to share the wisdom. One lesson it teaches is how to draw from the land to live. Bobcat eats carrion, mice, rabbits, squirrels, rats, and insects so it never wants for food. It is discerning in where it goes and who it allows to see it. This animal has keen night vision so sees equally well in the darkness and the light. Therefore, very little can be hidden from this animal. People with this spirit animal usually have keen psychic ability and are also very perceptive about other people’s body language and actions. This animal moves silently and often startles those that meet up with it. Are you cloaking or masking yourself? It has a very large yowling sound which sometimes paralyzes its prey. When the true you does emerge, are you startling those around you? Maybe now is the time to expand your knowledge and share what you know.

Spirit Animals - Peacock

Peacocks have the most glorious feathers and long have been used as an analogy for pride in appearance। Who has not heard the phrase “proud as a peacock”? What makes this bird fascinating is that the display is used for mating, or for anyone who shows interest in him – other birds, the person who feeds it. Mating starts in May and continues through the summer matching the seeding and growing season of the Northern Hemisphere. Observers of the mating ritual say that when the tail feathers are spread, the peacock seems to have hundreds of eyes on him.

Peacocks then, bring messages about standing proudly, with integrity, regardless of who is watching. Peacock is also about healing since their feathers are believed to have protective powers and are used by healers all over the world. For some, the “eyes” on the feathers watch for dark spirits that might inhibit healing. The feathers are also about seeing clairvoyantly and reminding the Healer/Shaman that the eyes can see at different levels. The iridescent blue and green and white have significance. Green relates to healing/heart; blue is about the truth/throat/communication; and white to the connection with the divine/crown.

The beauty of the peacock has different messages as well. Peacock stands with dignity and demands to be noticed. If you have this totem, this is a reminder to stand with dignity and allow your work and talents to be recognized. This is a confirmation that you may be called upon to lead in your field. The peacock shuts down his display in the late summer and keeps it humbly under wraps until the following year. If you have been full of ego and vanity, this is a signal to learn to temper the ego and learn to be powerful with grace and dignity. © April 2008 Judith Hirst-Joyeux। Judith is a Sage-Healer-Shaman who works with the Goddesses and Gods, Great Spirit, and angelic realms to move quickly to the source of issues or blocks. See http://www.angelsandancestors.com/.

Damona, The Divine Cow

The Symbol of the Goddess -Note that the symbol of the triple goddess used in Wicca in reference to the Goddess, is similar to the description of Damona, The Divine Cow."

In ancient times, before common era, Western Europe (Italy, France, Belgium, part of Switzerland, part of the Netherlands, and the west part of Germany) was called Gaul. The Gauls are believed to be a people similar to the Celts of Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. Like other ancient people, the Gauls had many gods and goddesses. One such Goddess is Damona, sometimes referred to as “the divine cow”.

The main temple honouring Damona was located at Alise-Sainte-Reine in the area now known as Burgundy, France. One of the features of the temple was a healing pool. Damona is believed to be a water Deity with powers of healing and procreation. Carved images of Damona show her with horns of corn, with a serpent coiled around her hand, and a cow as her favored animal. Sometimes she is seen too with the Moon as a symbol behind and over her head. Damona is associated with fertility, with healing (much like the serpents on the symbol of medicine). Damona was paired with Apollo, the healer or physician. Today, all doctors take the Hippocratic Oath which swears to “Apollo the physician”… and “takes witness to all the gods and goddesses”. Damona’s serpent was representative of shedding illness as a serpent sheds its skin.

The legends around Damona talk about the pilgrims that flocked to Burgundy, hoping to either lose their illness in the healing pools or to have a healing sleep. The pilgrims prayed to Damona to have her visit them in their sleep, in dream time, and that Damona would give them a cure. Damona was also associated with Prophecy, and it is believed that she could either direct the Fates to deliver a vision to a person’s dream or, that she would come and lead you to that time ahead so one would see what would happen as a movie, and know the circumstances and outcome of a situation.

If you see Damona in your dreams or visions, know that you are being blessed with fertility that may be translated as change, creativity, or healing powers for self and others. One should be gracious in their thanks to Damona, and spread seeds of corn or cornmeal on the Earth in thanks.

Creativity

The word – create – is a verb that comes from the Latin “crescere” which means “to grow”. (from Merriam-Webster.com) Many healers have found in working with their clients that a big “pain” area in people’s lives is blocked creativity. This block may manifest as a disease of the reproductive organs in both men and women. Or, it may show as a problem in the throat area as our creativity is our truth. If we are not able to

express our truth, we become stunted and cease to grow. Remember that creativity is not simply about art – it is about expression whether through gardening, designing a software program, cleaning your house, starting a new business, or taking classes to learn about something that interests you.

Our wish for you in May is that you discover a creative part of you that brings you an “ah ha” moment and sows seeds for your continued growth! Namaste, Judy and Roger.

Spirit Animals –Cow

By Judith Hirst-Joyeux - first published in "Tidings of Interest" April 2008 by Angels And Ancestors

- picture from Clipart....

The cow is being given a bad reputation these days in the way that scientists and environmentalists are blaming the cow for releasing methane gas that is causing the green house effect.

“About 60 percent of all methane in the atmosphere is believed to be caused by human activities. Fossil fuels, cattle and sheep, landfills, rice paddies and forest fires are the main human-related sources. Oceans, wetlands, gas hydrate deposits, permafrost, termites, freshwater bodies, and non-wetland soils are among the natural sources.” – from Rueters April 30, 2007.

The cow, however, is a very powerful Spirit Animal. When Cow appears to you in dreams, visions, or on your path to work or play, remember some of these strengths about the Cow.

1. Fertility, Nurturing - Cows are linked traditionally with the Goddess of Fertility such as Aphrodite (Greek Goddess), Bastet (Egyptian Goddess), Freya (Norse Goddess), Arianrhod (Welsh Goddess), Diana (Roman Goddess). The Cow is associated with motherhood and nurturing since it provides food for mankind. It also provides calves which may become food. Therefore, the Cow represents fertility through sacrifice. A Cow will always try to do what is best for itself and others, however, the herd needs are paramount. Drive by a pasture in the spring and see the Nursemaid Cows who watch over the new calves while the Mothers and other herd members graze.

2. Steadfast – The Cow is known as being able to stand its ground through weather and predator. Cow medicine is about standing one’s truth and not being influenced. It is also about mastering challenges.

3. Perception – As part of the food chain for large predators, the Cow is very alert and intelligent. Lead cows have led herds from pasture to pasture to avoid droughts and danger. Cows work with a sixth sense about danger and opportunity. Those with Cows as guides will be strongly perceptive, and the Cow will appear to tell you to pay attention.

4. Compassion – Cows have large eyes that see all. The stare may be hypnotic and will tear down one’s walls to find the soul. The Cow’s eyes are full of compassion since they are an animal of continuous sacrifice. Cow has learned to put the herd before self, to put the calf before self, and to move in a way for the highest good of the herd. Cows that are jumpers or rogues always end up on the other side of the fence and away from the herd. They become isolated.

The cow is a powerful totem and shows us how to nurture ourselves and honor others.  Those with this totem are usually service oriented and put other peoples needs before their own. 

© April 2008 Judith Hirst-Joyeux. Judith is a Sage-Healer-Shaman who works with the Goddesses and Gods, Great Spirit, and angelic realms to move quickly to the source of issues or blocks.

April and Diamonds

 

- picture from an email....

Although March is the herald of spring, it seems that April is the jewel of spring, for it is at this time that the Earth begins to truly breathe. The sap is fully running and leaks out of the small buds at the end of the branches. When the sun catches these drops of moisture, sparkles happen, and one thinks of little diamonds shining on the trees. As the water begins to run harder and faster, the chunks of ice floating in the streams seem like “little diamonds” finding their way to a new life.

In April, I wish you many happy days that will evoke happy memories that sparkle like diamonds in the years to come.

This article first appeared in "Tidings of Interest" published by Angels And Ancestors. The full publication is at www.angelsandancestors.com.