"Everything really is equal. The Creator doesn't look at me any better than He looks at the trees. We're all the same."

----Janice Sundown Hattet, SENECA

"We know that in all creation, only the human family has strayed from the Sacred Way."

---- OJIBWA Prayer

"If people are going to get back into balance, one of the things they have to do is seek the truth. They have to start really speaking the truth themselves, and that's a difficult thing to do. The way it is now in the world, we don't mind lying."

---- John Peters (Slow Turtle), WAMPANOAG

"Sometimes, life is very simple, but it is we two-leggeds, we who are thought to be smart that make it complicated."

---- Larry P. Aitkin, CHIPPEWA

"When we become hollow bones there is no limit to what the Higher Powers can do in and through us in spiritual things."

---- **** Frank Fools Crow, LAKOTA ****

"So, with the Native way, it's not whether people find out about what you've done or not... that's not nearly as strong as having your source of morality within you, having your morality arise out of an inner perception of what is wrong, ridiculous, or shameful. You are your own judge."

---- Eunice Baumann-Nelson, Ph.D., PENOBSCOT

"Our circle is timeless, flowing, it is a new life emerging from death-life winning out over death."

---- Lame Deer, LAKOTA

"People have to be responsible for their thoughts, so they have to learn to control them. It may not be easy, but it can be done."

---- Rolling Thunder, CHEROKEE

"The way of knowledge is like our old way of hunting. You begin with a mere trail - a footprint. If you follow that faithfully, it may lead you to a clearer train - a track - a road. Later on there will be many tracks, crossing and diverging one from the other. Then you must be careful, for success lies in the choice of the right road."

---- Many Lightenings Eastman, SANTEE SIOUX

"From Wakan Tanka, the Great Spirit, there came a great unifying life force that flowed in and through all things: the flowers of the plains, blowing winds, rocks, trees, birds, animals, and was the same force that had been breathed into the first man. Thus all things were kindred, and were brought together by the same Great Mystery."

---- Chief Luther Standing Bear, SIOUX

"Male and female is fundamental to life; partners in work to be done."

---- Oren R. Lyons, Spokesman, Traditional Circle of Elders

"Peace... comes within the souls of men when they realize their relationship, their oneness, with the universe and all its powers, and when they realize that at the center of the Universe dwells Wakan-Tanka, and that this center is really everywhere, it is within each of us."

---- Black Elk (Hehaka Sapa) OGLALA SIOUX

"In our story of Creation, we talk about each one of us having our own path to travel, and our own gift to give and to share. You see, what we say is that the Creator gave us all special gifts; each one of us is special. And each one of us is a special gift to each other because we've got something to share."

---- John Peters (Slow Turtle), WAMPANOAG

Beautiful~

Aren't most of these..

Yes they are...

I'll throw a few in here and there.. These are just very basic and general concepts, that you can find in many reading sources... I highly suggest a book called: Animal-Speak.., by Ted Andrews, to understand the basics.. The rest needs to be learned through Oral Tradition.., and form personal experience..

TOTEM ANIMALS - (EAGLE)

Eagle Medicine

*Mary Summer Rain/On Dreams:
Eagle defines the self confidence of intellectual freedom to pursue unconventional concepts or issues.

*Patricia Telesco/The Language of Dreams:
American: Freedoms and liberties in which everyone deserves to share.
Soaring with an eagle: a type of flying dream.

Many solar gods are equated with this symbol, giving the eagle associations with the lifting of depression or a more conscious awareness.

Lofty ambitions that require great skill to achieve.

Jungian: Your father or another masculine authority figure. Leadership skills. Among the Romans, this bird became a kind of totem for the emperor, who was thought to reincarnate as an eagle.

Alternatively, this may also symbolize traditionally masculine characteristics like pride and fierceness developing.

An alternative lightning emblem. In ancient Greece, people placed eagles on temple rooftops to protect the building from lightning, as they felt this creature controlled the fire from the sky.

Riding on the back of an eagle represents a spiritual voyage, possibly an astral journey or OBE.

*Timothy Roderick/The Once Unknown Familiar:

Key Words: Powerful, thoughtful, intense

Magical Influences: Spirit flight (astral projection), acute vision, monogamy, attainment of high aspirations; mastery of the element of Air, evokes aid of sylphs.

Personality: Eagles are commanding presences. Whether they want to or not, they attract attention.
Those with this animal personality have strong leadership skills and take swift action when it is needed. They also tend to mate for life and cannot understand how others can be happy with relationships that are anything but monogamous.

*Brad Steiger/Totems:

Among ancient Mediterranean people, the eagle was associated with the sun god, fire, and lightning. Zeus, the father of the classical gods, took the form of an eagle when he carried his young lover Ganymede to Mt. Olympus. For the Romans, the eagle became a symbol of the soverignty of its emperors, and the image was carried before the Empire's legions as they set about conquering the known world.

The eagle became a popular symbol of power among the Germanic people because the great bird was representative of Wodan, the ruler of the gods. As with the Romans before them with their Caesars the eagle's mastery of the heavens came to symbolize the sovereignty of the German kaisers.

Because the eagel could appear to fly so close to the sun, the Medicine priests of all the tribes regarded the large bird as a very special messenger of the Great Mystery.

In India, the Vedic tradition also portrays the eagle as a messenger of divinity and as the bearer of soma, the favorite drink of the Vedi gods, from Indra.

An old Aztec folktale tells of the ciuapipiltin, spirits of women who died in childbirth, who returned to the earth to snare the children of living mothers. These entities could appear in the form of ghostly women or as an eagle, swooping down from the sky.

Psalms 103:5, "so that thy youth is renewed like an eagle's"; and Isaiah 40:31, "They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles," both allude to the old Hebrew belief that the eagle had the ability to plunge into the sea and regenerate itself every 10 years.

Over the years in Christian iconography, the eagle has represented a special messenger from Heaven, the spirit of prophecy, a prayer rising swiftly to God, and even the Ascension of Christ. St. John the Evangelist is identified with the eagle.

In the old days, eagle feathers were used whenever possible on Native American war bonnets, rattles, shields, pipes, baskets, prayer sticks, and all kinds of ceremonial costumes. The very style in which the feathers were clipped, colored, and arranged on a chief's or warrior's clothing would reveal his rank in the tribe and the deeds that he had accomplished to earn that rank. Today, of course, with the eagle on the endangered species list, psuedo-eagle feathers are created from crow, chicken, and turkey feathers.

And speaking of turkeys, if Ben Franklin had had his way, the turkey would be the official fowl of the United States, rather than the bald eagle. Franklin considered the eagle to be little more than a scavenger, while in his opinion, the turkey was an honest, decent bird.

The origin of placing such high esteem on eagle feathers was told in an old Native American folktale that recounts how all the birds met one day to decide once and for all which could fly the highest. Some flew up very swiftly, but soon became tired, but the eagle flew beyond them all and was about to calim the victory when the crafty gray linnet suddenly emerged from its hiding place on the eagle's back and, fresh and rested, succeeded in flying the highest.

When the birds came back to alight on the Earth Mother, the great council of fowls still voted to award the prize to the eagle, for not only had it flown closer to the sun than the other birds, it had done so with the linnet on its back. Hence, from that day forward, the feathers of the eagle were esteemed the most honorable adornment for the warrior, as it is not only the bravest bird, but it is also endowed with the strength to soar the highest.

If the eagle has appeared to you in your dreams or visions and revealed itself as your totem animal, you may expect to receive renewed strength of body, mind, and spirit. At the same time, you will find your meditations becoming more profound and your visions more prophetic in content. If you maintain a harmonious and balanced lifestyle, you will feel a stronger connection with the Great Mystery than ever before in your spiritual pilgrimage on earth.

Just as the eagle can soar high above the earth and rise above its companions and its competitors, you must guard against the powerful eagle vibrations causing you to withdraw from your family and friends and grow aloof from your community. If you listen carefully to your spirit helper, it will instruct you in the sacred responsibility of sharing your prophetic insights with others and show you how to become the most effective kind of spiritual teacher.

*Bobby Lake-Thom/Spirits of the Earth:

Eagles are always very special and good signs. They represent protection, wealth, wisdom, foresight, strength, and spirituality. If one or more should approach while you are praying or performing a ceremony, then you know your prayers have been answered. If I see an Eagle sitting in a tree, on a telephone pole, or alongside the road while I am traveling, I know it is telling me that I will encounter a spiritual person up ahead, such as a medicine man or a ceremonial leader. Or if I am planning on performing a ceremony somewhere and the Eagle comes in, I know that it will be a good group of people and a good ceremony. Sometimes the Great Creator sends in an Eagle just to check up on us, so when we see this, we always give special thanks to the Creator and the Eagle. The Eagle carries our prayers directly to the Great Creator.

*Barbara G. Walker/The Woman's Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets:

Classic soul-bird, symbol of apotheosis associated with the sun god, fire, and lightning. Greeks thought eagles so closely akin to the lightning spirit that they nailed eagles to the peaks of temples to serve as magic lightning rods. Hence the name aetoi, "eagles," for the pediments of Greek temples. These were ancient forerunners of the "weather-@#%$" on the rooftree of a barn or house.

Cults of fire and sun made the eagel a bearer of kingly spirit: the god's soul returning to heaven after a period of earthly incarnation as the king. It was the Roman custom to release an eagle above the funeral pyre of each emperor, just as an Egyptian pharoah rose to heaven on the wings of the solar hawk.

Zeus himself took the shape of an eagle to carry his young lover Ganymede to heaven. This was often interpreted as a symbol of the father-god's reception of men's souls when they were initiated into the solar Mysteries.

The eagle was connected with rites of calling down "fire from heaven," probably with a burning-glass, to consume sacrifices on the altar. Such "fire from heaven" came down from Yahweh to consume the sons of Aaron (Leviticus 10:2), who died like sacrificial victims to the solar gods of Tyre. Such victims "passed through the fire" as offerings, and rose to heaven in the form of eagles.

Quote:
We must bear in mind that in the East, whence all these beliefs and cults derive, not only was fire regarded as an all-powerful purifying agent, but death by fire was looked upon as an apotheosis which raised the victim to the rank of the gods..."Fire," says Iambilchus, "destroys the material part of sacrifices, it purifies all things that are brought near it, releasing them from the bonds of matter and, in virtue of the purity of its nature, making them meed for communion with the gods. So, too, it releases us from bondage of corruption, it likens us to the gods."

The eagle was often identified with the fire bird or phoenix, who underwent a baptism of the fire that "burns all sins" and was reborn from his own ashes. The eagle also stood for the soul of Heracles, who passed through fire into heaven at seasonal festivals of Tarsus, and inspired St. Paul's belief in the virtue of giving one's body do be burned (1 Corinthians 13:3). The eagle was the totemic form of Prometheus, who "stole" fire from heaven, like the eastern fire-lightning-sun hero, man, or angel embodied in the Garuda bird. Garuda flew to the mountain of paradise to steal the gods' secret of immortality. Later, he assumed the golden body of the sun. American Indians had a similar hero, the thunderbird or lightning bird.

As the royal bird of Rome, and the embodiment of deified emperors, the eagle was worshipped by Roman legionaries. Each legion had its sacred eagles, carried into battle like banners. If a legion should lose its eagles, the disgrace was unbearable; another whole expedition might be mounted to recover them.

The Roman imperial emblem was inherited by the Germanic "Holy Roman Empire" and its Kaisers, derived from Caesars. Thus the eagle became a Teutonic symbol of soverignty.

*D.J. Conway/Animal Magick:

The eagle is a bird of prey and feeds on small mammals, fish, reptiles, and other birds. A member of the genus Aquila, this bird occurs throughout the world, except on small islands far from other land. In the United States, there are two major eagle species: the golden eagle, and the bald eagle.

The eagle has very keen eyes and powerful wings. This bird can soar at great heights, yet see what is happening on the ground. It takes advantage of air currents to get where it wants to go. Armed with razor-sharp talons and beak, the eagle can swoop down on its prey at great speeds.

Since ancient times, it has been a symbol of war and courageous qualities. The eagle has long been considered a solar bird and a symbol of sky deities. it represents majesty, authority, spiritual power, victory, courage, and strength.

Ninurta, a war god of Assyria, Babylon, and Canaan, used the eagle as his emblem, as did the god Marduk. This bird was alo shown with the Assyrian storm god Asshur as a symbol of lightning and helpful rain.

The eagle was the royal bird of ancient Egyptian pharaohs and the jGreek Thebans. It was the only bird said to live on olympus with the Greek deities. Originally, this bird was an emblem of Pan, who gave it to Zeus. Later, Roman emperors put the eagle on their legion standards as a symbol of bravery. When an emperor died, an eagle was released at his funeral. Among the recovered treasures of Crete are several gold pins with eagles on them; many modern coats of arms depict eagles.

Because of its connection with sky gods, the eagle was also associated with lightning, the Sun, and fire itself. Prometheus, who stole fire from heaven to give to humans, was connected with the eagle. The pediments of Greek buildings were called aetoi ("eagles") because they were believed to deflect lightning.

In the East, the eagle was the bird of Indra. Garuda, the solar storm bir-mount of Vishnu, resembles an eagle in many ways. In the Persian religion of Mithraism, both the eagle and the hawk were symbols of Mithras, the Sun deity. To the Chinese, however, the eagle represented the warrior, carnage of war, fearlessness, and keen vision.

In the legends of Scandinavia, an eagle sat at the top of Yggdrasil, the World Tree. Odhinn once took the form of an eagle when he stole the poetic mead. Finnish tales say that the Supreme God could turn himself into an eagle. The Finnish-Ugrian people of Siberia considered holy any tree where an eagle built a nest for several years. Celtic talke all call the eagle a bird of wisdom and long life.

In North America, the eagle was considered great medicine power. to the Native Americans there were different kinds and divisions of eagles. The golden eagle had a very high rank. The most potent and magickal was the sky eagle which the Iroquois called Shadahgeyah. Among the Hopi, the eagle god was called Kwahu. According to Hopi legend, this great bird seldom came below the clouds; only the holiest of shamans ever saw it. Even the Aztecs said this bird represented celestial power and the rising Sun.

Nearly every Native American tribe had an eagle clan. They had songs to the eagle, eagle dances, eagle ceremonies, and even eagle secret societies. If an eagle was seen or dreamed of during a vision quest, the seeker gained special medicine or spirit power. That person then had the privilege of using the eagle symbol on a medicine shield. The eagle had the greates power of all birds and was associated with the Sun. They believed it could live in both the spiritual and the Earth realms.

Alchemists used the symbol of the soaring eagle to denote the liberated spirit and double-eagle to represent mercury. A crowned eagle shown with a lion symbolized quicksilver and sulphur.

Superstitions: An ancient Irish legend says that Adam and Eve did not die, but changed into eagles and went to live on an island off the coast of Ireland. The Egyptians believed that every ten years the eagle flew into the fires of the Underworld, lost its feathers, but gained a new life. The Welsh say that when the eagles of Snowden (an ancient sacred mountain there) fly over the plains, disease and death will follow. A stolen eagle egg brings peace of mind. Please don't do this! Eagles are a protected species. The eagle has each of its chicks stare at the Sun. If any do not, they are destroyed.

Magickal Attributes: Swiftness, strength, courage, wisdom, keen sight; knowledge of magick. The ability to see hidden spiritual truths. Seeing the overall pattern of life. Rising above the material in search of spiritual direcction; connecting with powerful spiritual beings. Creating a stronger connection with spirit guides and teachers, deities.

*Denise Linn/The Secret Language of Signs:

This is a sign of great significance. To native peoples around the world, the eagle was a symbol of the Creator. The eagle connects you to the Great Spirit above. In ancient Egypt, the eagle was the symbol of the day and the full light of the sun, and was therefore considered emblematic of illumination. In ancient northern Europe, the eagle was associated with the gods of strength, power, and war. In many ancient cultures, the eagle was considered a messenger from the heavens. On Roman coins it was the emblem of imperial power. Listen carefully when this sign appears for you; it can signal a time of power and strength in your life. An eagle can be a sign of soaring freedom, of seeing life from new heights. If you find yourself mired in a situation, look at it from a new height.

*Zolar/Encyclopedia of Signs, Omens, and Superstitions:
For Christians, an eagle is a symbol of resurrection, as it is the only bird capable of looking into the sun. Should it be nailed to a brn door, it will keep away evil spirits. Should one eat is brain while it is still warm, it is said to grant fantastic illusions. So great is the power of an eagle that, should its feathers be mixed with those of other birds, it is said to burn and spoil these.

Should one eagle's egg be boiled and eaten by two persons, it is said to kkeep witches and other evil spirits away. Should an eagle be seen flying about for any length of time or should its screech be heard, it is said to be an omen of death.

One should never steal an egg from an eagle's nest, according to an old Welsh tradition, or he will never find peace again.

One tradition holds that Adam and Eve didn't die but were turned into eagles who would live forever on an island off the coast of Ireland.

An ancient Egyptian belief was that, every ten years, the eagle soared through the fires of hell and plunged into water in order to acquire a new life.

Among the American Indians, the eagle appears as a major animal character. Its feathers were often used for costumes, headdresses, and other ceremonial objects. Only the bravest tribesmen were worthy of wearing eagle feathers.

For the Cherokees, obtaining eagle feathers for their "eagle dance" was an arduous task. The eagle killer had to go alone into the mountains for four days, fasting and praying. By using a deer's carcass to draw the agle and by uttering proper magical songs, it was believed the bird could be killed. Once killed, the eagle would be left at its death place until rites could be performed. The eagle killer would return to his tribe claiming that a Spaniard had done the deed and that "snow bird" had died to protect them. Members of the tribe would then go to collect the feathers they desired.

In ancient times, especially in Mesopotamia, Horus, the jFalcon God, was held in great importance. As far back as the third millenium B.C. in Babylonia, the double-headed eagle was associated with Ningursu of Lagash, the Fertility, Storm, and War God.

Among the Mexicans, the conflict between the bird that was believed to soar the highest and the reptile or serpent, which creeps into holes in the earth, is graphically depicted.

In Greek mythology, the eagle is an associate of Zeus. In the Old Testament (Daniel 7:4), we read of a lion with eagle's wings. Aristotle, Plato, and Pliny noted that eagles who could survive infancy would indeed live a long time.

Auguries drawn from the eagles were used by both the Greeks and romans. Tradition holds that, in 331 B.C., a soothsayer, riding close to Alexander the jGreat, assured him that he had divined by an eagle that Alexander would be victorious over Darius. It is said that an eagle had appeared when Alexander was born.

In the sixth century, the Christian saint, Saint Medard, Bishop of Noyon, was said to be protected during a tempest by the outspread wings of an eagle. Likewise; an eagle has long been the symbol of Saint John.

King Arthur was said to have lived in a cavern guarded by eagles. In bad weather the Welsh would often say, "The eagles are breeding whirwinds on Snowdon."

Last, one must be reiminded of the use of the eagle as a symbol for the United States. However, it is said that Benjamin Franklin wanted a turkey (an American "only" bird) to have this honor!

*Lady Stearn Robinson & Tom Gorbett/The Dreamer's Dictionary:

If you see an eagle flying, your business prospects are very rosy indeed. And should this noble bird happen to be percehed in a high place, you will have fame as well as fortune. If you see it on a mountaintop, you will achieve beyond your highest ambitions. However, should the eagle attack or frigthen you, you will have to overcome some difficult obstacles before reaching your goal.

*Jamie Sams and David Carson/Medicine Cards:

Spirit. Eagle medicine is the power of the Great Spirit, the connection to the Divine. it is the abilty to live in the realm of spirit, and yet remain connected and balanced within the realm of Earth. Eagle soars, and is quick to observe expansiveness within the overall pattern of life. From the heights of the coulds, EAgle is close to the heavens where the Great Spirit dwells.

The feathers of Eagle are considered to be the most sacred of healing tools. They have been used for centuries by shamans to cleanse the auras of patients coming to them for healing. Within the belief systems of Native American tribes, Eagle represents a state of grace achieved through hard work, understanding, and a completion of the tests of initiation which result in the taking of ones personal power. It is only through the trial of experiencing the lows in life as well as the highs, and through the trial of trusting one's connection to the Great Spirit, that the right to use the essence of Eagle medicine is earned.

If you have pulled this symbol, Eagle is reminding you to take heart and gather your courage, for the universe is presenting you with an opportunity to soar above the mundane levels of your life. The power of recognizing this opportunity may ome in the form of a spiritual test. in being astute, you may recognize the places within your soul, personality, emotions, or psyche that need bolstering or refinement. By looking at the overall tapestry, Eagle teaches you to broaden your sense of self beyond the horizon of what is presently visible.

In learning to fiercely attack your persaonal fear o fthe unknown, the wings of your soul will be supported by the everpresent breezes which are the breath of the Great Spirit.

Feed your body, but more importantly feed your soul. Within the realm of Mother Earth and Father Sky, the dance that leads to flight involves the conquering of fear and the willingness to join in the adventure that you are co-creating with the Divine.

If Eagle has majestically soared into your cards, you are being put on notice to reconnect with the element of air. Air is of the mental plane, and in this instance it is of the higher mind. Wisdom comes in many strange and curious forms and is always related to the creative force of the Great Spirit.

If you have been walking in shadows of former realities, Eagle brings illumination. Eagle teaches you to look higher and to touch Grandfather Sun with your heart, to love the shadow as well as the light. See the beauty in both, and you will take flight like the Eagle.

Eagle medicine is the gift we give ourselves to remind us of the freedom of the skies. Eagle asks you to give yourself permission to legalize freedom and to follow the joy your heart desires.

Contrary:

If you have pulled Eagle in the reverse, you have forgotten your power and connectedness to the Great Spirit. You may have failed to recognize the light that is always available for those who seek illumination. heal you rborken wins with love. Loving yourself as you are loved by the Great Spirit is the lesson which the contrary Eagle brings.

On some level, Eagle is telling you to seek higher ground on which to build your nest. the nest is the home of the heart and cannot remain in a swamp. If your nest is in a swamp, this may be connected to your belief that your wings are clipped by an impossiblity in your present status.

Eagle's nest is high in the mountains, where the air is clean and the movement free. It may be your time for a Vision Quest so that you can commune with the Great Spirit. Fasting and praying will surely bring an answer. Seek lofty ideals, and illumination will be close at hand.

"The power and ways are given to us to be passed on to others."
...........Fools Crow, Ceremonial Chief, Teton Sioux

Ted Andrews/Animal-Speak:

Keynote: Illumination of Spirit, Healing, and Creation
Cycle of Power: All seasons and during daylight

The eagle is one of the greatest and most admired birds of prey. It has served as inspiration to many societies. Their ability to soar and hunt amazes and thrills those who are witness. Eagles, in fact, are so good at getting food they spend very little time hunting. The fact that they are good at feeding themselves from the land and still soar to great heights in the sky reflects much about the hidden significance of the eagle who comes as a totem. They will teach a balance of being of the Earth but not in it.

Every society whech has had contact with eagles has developed a mythology and/or mysticism about them. In the ancient Aztec tradition, the chief god told the people to settle at a place where they find an eagle perced on a cactus eating a snake This place would become Mexico City.

The eagle was sacred to Zeus, who often changed into the form of an eagle to help himself control thunder and lightning. The Sumerians worshiped an eagle god, and the Hittites used a doubleheaded eagle as a symbolic emblem so they would never be surprised. The eagle has also been associated with Jupiter, and it was a strong emblem for the Roman Empire. In Egyptian hieroglyphics, the eagle is a symbol for the vowel "A"; and also a symbol for the soul, the spirit, and the warmth of life. In early Christian mysticism, the eagle was a symbol of resurrection.

The Thunderbird, to the Native Americans, is most often depicted in the form of an eagle. This was the great spirit who controlled lightning and rain, punishment and reward. To the Plains Cree all eagles had mystical power, and these powers could be shared by anyone who possessed part of the bird.

To the Pueblo Indians the eagle was a bird of the sky with the ability to spiral upward until it passed through a hole in the sky to the home of the sun. It was associated with all the energies of the sun--physical and spiritual. The Pueblo Indians honored six directions--north, south, east, west, zenith (above), and nadir (below). The eagle was the symbol of the zenith because of its abilty to soar to great heights. From these heightes it could survey all four directions. They became symbols of greater sight and perception.

To the Hopis, the golden an dthe bald eagles were the greatest of all birds of the sky, but these are the only two eagles that live upon our continent. Some groups of Hopis also included the red-tailed hawk as an eagle, referring to it as the Red Eagle.

There are 59 species of eagle, and they are often divided into one of four categories: 1 Fish and Sea eagles, 2 Snake eagles, 3 Harpy or Giant Forested Eagles, and 4 Booted Eagles; but there is always a great deal of variety within these four groups. When it comes to coloring and feather patterns, every eagle is unique and beautiful in its own way.

Fish and sea eagles are those who live primarily upon a diet from the sea (fishes, etc.). Upon the North American continent, the bald eagle is part of this category. Those who have a bald eagle as a totem need to look at the symbolic associations of water. Water and fish are often symbolic of the psychic aspects of life and the creative energies. Water is also an area that separates land from the heavens. Thus a bird of the water, such as a fish or sea eagle, reflects an awakening ability or need to learn to walk between worlds.

Water is the creative source of life, and living near natural water sources may be imortant to the health of those who have a bald eagle as a totem. An eagle hunting in the waters must be able to penetrate the waters, grasp what it requires and then rise out of them. All this reflects increased ability and need to learn to work with emotions, psychism, and all aspects of spirituality with greater control. It reflects teachings about true mediatorship being able to enter and exit the more etereal realms at will.

Snake eagles often have crests of feathers upon their head. Their toes are short and strong to enable them to grasp and hold onto wiggling snakes. Those who have a snake eagle as a totem would do well to study the section on snakes within this text. The snake eagles swallow the snakes whole, reflecting the swallowing and digesting of higher wisdom--the serpent knowledge.

The Harpy Eagles are the largest and most powerful. None of these are found upon our continent. They have huge claws that can be used for grabbing larger prey, including deer. An examination of the particular food preference of the individual harpy eagle will provide further insight.

The other type of eagle found upon this continent is the golden eagle. It is part of the Booted Eagle group. Booted eagles, in general, usually have a majestic mantle of feathers on their head and neck, and their legs have a heavy covering of feathers so that they look as if they are wearing boots.

The two that are most important to those upon this continent are the bale eagle and the golden. The bald eagle is larger than the golden, but it cannot fly as high nor is it considered as graceful. The bald eagle is often a symbol of th femiine, while the golden symbolizes the masculine. The white feathers of the bald eagle especially are often treasured as they are links to Grandmother Medicine--tremendous wisdom, healing, and creation.

The feathers of eagles are sacred to the Native Americans, and since the eagle is protected by the United States government, it is a felony for anyone to possess such who is not of Native American blood. The feathers, though, are used in powerful healing ceremonies (cleansing the aura) and even for shapeshifting. White and black tipped feathers were often used on the masks of the Pueblo Indians to give the appearance of white and black clouds. Again we see the ancient connection to the mysteries of the sky and all of its phenomena.

Both the bald and golden eagle have come to symbolize heroic nobility and divine spirit. These eagles are the messengers from heaven and are the embodiment of the spirit of the sun.

They are also symbols of the rediscovery of the inner child. There once was a belief that as old age approached, the eagle's eye would grow dim, and the eagle would then fly so near th esun that it would become scorched. It would then seek out a pure water source and dip itself three times into the clear water and its youth woud be destroyed.

This reflects much from a mystical point of view. It hints of resurrection, but it also hints of alchemy. The fire of the sun and the clear water are opposite elements brought into harmony in a manner that elicites a change. It reflects several needs for those with an eagle totem:

1 There must be involvement with creativity. Three is the number of new birth and creativity.

2 A willingness to experience extremes in a controlled condition and thus facilitate the alchemical process within your life.

3 A willingness to use your passions to purify (flying into the sun) and to use your abilities even if it means being scorched a little.

4 A willingness to seek out the true emotional aspects of oneself and immerse yourself within them, and by doing so rediscover the lost child and awaken a higher sense of purity, passion, creativity, healing, and spirituality.

An examination of the individual characteristics and behaviors of the eagle will reveal even more of the medicine and power attunement will bring to you.

The feet of the eagle have four toes. four is a traditonal symbol for keeping oneself grounded and laying a solid foundation for oneself. Even with th eagle's magnificent ability to fly, it stays connected to the earth. The talons of the eagle are meant grasp and to hunt. This reflects the need to stay connected to grasp and utilize the things of the earth. Without an ability to grasp powerfully and utilize what it grasps, it will not survive.

The sharp beak is designed to cutl tear, and crush. eagle has strong jaw muscles. The jaw is important to dgestion and speech with humans, but there is a difference with eagles. Although vocally the eagle is weak, its jaws are one o fits morst powerful musckes. For those whith eagle totems, it will be important to know when to speak, how much, and how strongly. I twill be important to remember that unless this is controlled, it will be very seasy to inadvertently husrt someone with words (cutting, tearing, and crushing).

For those with eagle totems, new vision will open. This vision will be far reaching to the past, within the present and to the future as well. The eyes of the eagle are set closer to the front of the head, and they have a 3-D or binocular vision, just like humans. They can see forward and sideways, and their vision is 8X's greater than humans. Meditation on the number 8, especially its figure (or the symbol of infinity) will reveal much about the kind of vision that eagle can awaken.

The ears of the eagle are not visible, but it hears very well. It can hunt as much by ear as by sight. To those to home eagle comes, the ability to hear -- spiritually and physically -- will also increase.

Many eagles mate for life. The male will collect the material for the nests, but the female will be the architect. These roles should be considered by anyone working with eagle medicine. The nests are always large and built high up for safety. Although the roles in the construction of the nests are separate, the task of feeding the young is shared by both, teaching the lesson of cooperative responsibility.

The mating ritual of the bald eagle is one of its most mystical and intriguing aspects. A powerful form of sky dancing occurs. The birds soar, loop, and plunge into deep dives. At a certain point, they grab each other's feet and lock talons, rolling and falling, until the mating is completed. Then they separate and soar upwards to repeat the process over and over again. This reflects some of the mystical joy, danger, excitement, and power of the sexual energy experienced by those with eagle medicine. It can open them to new heights and thrills.

The eagle is a true predator, and as with all predators, it helps to keep the world in balance. Predators capture the weak and the sick, helping to keep the natural world healthy by preventing the spread of disease. This healing role is one that will awaken in many forms for those working with eagle totems.

They have a powerful sense of energy conservation in their hunting. They will often perch and wait, biding their time through joyful soaring and aerial acrobatics--all the time using their great vision to let them know when to take flight and capture their prey. This sense of confident energy conservation will be necessary for those with eagle medicine to develop.

They are also opportunists, and they will let other birds do the hunting for them, often stealing the food from other birds or predators. Whenever eagle flies into one's life, opportunities (even those thought long lost) always arise. Those with eagle totems must learn to see their opportunities and snatch them as they arise.

Eagles don't always swoop down to kill. They hae tremendous control over their powerful wings and they can glide slowly and silently down so that the prey does not hear them coming. They are also known to be able to stop their movement and just hover in the air for brief moments to make the strike more accurate. A new sense of timing and movement will begin to develop with those of eagle totems. You will learn to swoop, to soar, to dive, and to hover--to use the winds within your life and your own developing wings to ride them to your own benefit.

Large eagles don't just kill with their beaks or talons. Some can hit their prey with great force--this alone being enough to stun or kill their prey. A bald eagle can strike with twice the force of a rifle bullet. This reflects the primal force inherent and easily awakened in those with eagle medicine.

Eagles are symbols of great power, a power that goes beyond their actual size. An average bald eagle will weigh 8-10 pounds, about two pounds less than the average house cat.

To align yourself with eagle medicine is to take on the responsibility and the power of becoming so much more than you now appear to be. From a karmic aspect, it reflects that the events will now fly faster, and the repercussions for everything you think, do or say (or fail to think do or say)--positive and negative--will be both stronger and quicker. To accept the eagle as a totem is to accept a powerful new dimension to life, and a heightened responsibility for your spiritual growth. But only through doing so do you learn how to move between worlds, touch all life with healing, and become the mediator and the bearer of new creative force within the world.

TOTEM ANIMALS - (MOUSE)

*Lady Stearn Robinson & Tom Gorbett/The Dreamer's Dictionary:

Discord among friends and/or family is the main keynote in most dreams concerning mice, but this is altered in some circumstances by the action. If you scared the mice away in your dream, the indication is that you will overcome your difficulties and/or outwit your enemies; if, in your dream, you felt a mouse in your clothes, it is a warning that someone you trust is maligning you. To be frightened by a mouse portends a social embarrassment; to kill one signifies financial gain; and to catch one in a trp indicates unwelcome news (or visitors) from a distance. If your dream concerned a mouse (or mice) being chased or killed by a cat, it is a warning not to allow others to meddle in your affairs; listen to advice but act only according to your own judgment.

*The Wordsworth Dictionary of Phrase and Fable:

The soul was often anciently supposed to pass at death through the mouth of man in some animal form, sometimes a mouse or rat. A red mouse indicated a pure soul; a black mouse, a polluted soul; a pigeon or dove, a saintly soul.

Mouse is also slang for a black eye, and was formerly a common term of endearment, like bird, birdie, duckie, and lamb.

"It's a bold mouse that nestles in the cat's ear." Said of one who is taking an unnecessary risk.

"The Mouse Tower" was a medieval watchtower on the rhine, near Bingen, so called from the traditon that Archbishop Hatto was there devoured by mice. Actually it was built by Bishop Siegfried 200 years after Hatto's death, as a toll-house. The German Maut means "toll" (Mouse is Maus), and the similarity of these words together with the unpopularity of the toll on corn gave rise to the legend.

*D.J. Conway/Animal Magick:

A small roden belonging to the genus Mus, this creature is usually a soft brown color. They have twitching whiskers on each side of a slightly pointed muzzle and sharp gnawing teeth. They have keen hearing and eyesight.

Some type of mouse can be found in nearly every area of the world. The most beguiling is the jAmerican harvest mouse, which is found in fields searching for seeds and grass. it has a very long tail, builds its spherical nest in tall grasses, and swings like an acrobat on the grass.

The common mouse of older European traditions was not always held in low esteem as it is today. It was believed to be the form taken by a soul when it escaped the lips of a dead person.

The white-footed mouse is an appealing creature with a strong curiosity. It lives in the woods and eats berries and nuts. it has a very musical voice (totally unexpected in a mouse) and often chirps.

Ordinarily a very shy rodent, the mouse can move quiety and inconspicuously through its surroundings; it can also move extremely fast if necessary.

The ancient Greek cult of Apollo Smitheus evolved from an earlier cult of the mouse; this creature is also associated with Zeus/Sabazius. In C.E. 77, Pliny the Elder wrote that roasted mice mixed with honey would cure measles, colds, sore throats, and fever. In Celtic folklore, the mouse is mentioned several times, as in the tale of Manawydan and Pryderi where a mouse was the shape-shifted wife of a magician. Some people have had excellent results in getting rid of mice by slipping a note in their hiding places, asking them to leave. They only ate my note.

Superstitions: Since mice are underground dwellers, they were thought to be connected with the Underworld an din touch with the dark powers of the deities there. However, in some cultures believed that the shoul too the form of a mouse at death or during astral travel.

There are several superstitions pertaining to the origin of mice. One is that the devil created the mouse to cause trouble in the Ark. Another says they fell to Earth from special clouds during a storm. In Germany, the people said that witches made mice. A mouse is considered a sign of bad luck in most places, especially if it eats your clothing. In the Highlands of Scotland, some people wear the teeth of mice as good luck chrms. They also make charmed water for cattle diseases by putting the skin, backbone, or teeth of mouse in it. IN Germany, a white mouse is thought to be lucky and to kill one brings misfortune. the liver of mice gets large at the Full Moon, and smaller at the New Moon.

Magickal Attributes: Secrets, cunning, shyness; the ability to remain inconspicuou; invisibility. Often, its appearance signals the need to watch small details, the fine print in contracts, or the double meaning in words. Watching for deception. stealth, initiative, trust, innocence, change, discovery, balance, harmony. For guidance before signining any papers or making any promises.

*Mary Summer Rain/On Dreams:

Connotes a negative aspect that has infiltrated one's life.

*Denise Linn/The Secret Language of Signs:
Do you feel insignificant or "mousy"? This can be a sign of timidity and fear. Do you feel the need for quiet, or a concern about being quiet? Are you being too quiet in your life? Is it time to let people know who you are? Mice have been associated with paying attention to the details in life. Attend to the small matters in life and the bigger things will take care of themselves.

*Timothy Roderick/The Once Unknown Familiar:

Key Words: Curious, fidgety
Magical Influences: Finding ways around obstacles, heightening one's hearing, ability to get beyond closed doors.
Personality:
Mice ar not really all that extroverted. They detest surprises and shocks of any kind and prefer the comfort of routine. They are able to find ways of getting what they want, but they are silent and swift movers on the job. Once they find a living space they like, they can settle in for the rest of their lives. Mouse personalities communicate telepathically with other people, and with animals as well.

*Patricia Telesco/JThe Language of Dreams:

Frugality and resourcefulness. Saving and recycling even minute things effectively. Someone overly soft in voice or who lacks backbone (e.g., being "mousy"). The size of this creature may reflect an underdeveloped sense of self-worth. Aesop's Fables portray the mouse as an emblem that makes weaknesses into strengths. A secret, well-hidden adversary of whom you should become aware. Not too tha tthis enemy may be within. Mousetraps have become an emblem of ingenuity and tackling a difficult problem with creative insight (e.g., "building a better mousetrap"). They may also be regarded as an alternative cage emblem, where you get caught by, or caught up in, technology.

*Brad Steiger/Totems:

Among the Rio Grande villages in the Southwest, the Pueblo fear that one of the meanest tricks of witches is to cause a mouse to grow inside someone's stomach. In old German folklore, it was beliefed that witches created mice out of scraps of cloth.

In the Christian tradition, St. Gertrude must have exorcised her mouse, for an old Christian folktale claimed that Satan invented the tiny four-legged to torment the other animals aboard Noah's ark. Another legend went that story one better by claiming Satan himself became a mouse and tried to gnaw through the ark and sink it.

Among many things that a mouse totem animal can bring to you is an appreciation of the importance of the smallest details. This spirit helper will alert you to the need for introspection and a careful self-examination of your strongest and weakest attributes.

If you have chosen the mouse as your totem animal, you have probably already learned to conduct your life in an attitude of trust in the Great Mystery. Although you may at first have considered the doorway to other dimensions to be too formidable to allow your passage, Mouse no doubt taught you that persistence and devotion will permit you to queeze through the smallest access to awareness.

*Ted Andrews/Animal-Speak:

Keynote: Attention to detail
Cycle of Power: Five to Six Week Cycles
There are many kinds of mice. Most have certain qualities in common. These will be examined in this section, along with a specific look at the common deer mouse (also called the wood mouse or whitefooted mouse).

The deer mouse has big eyes and ears, and has white gloves on its feet. Most mice are nocturnal, but this is especially true of the deer mouse. It sees well in darkness, but in sunlight it will act somewhat blind. This is not true of other mice. The deer mouse will nest in abandoned squirrel and bird nests, hollow logs, cracks and crevices. Its nest will often be glove shaped, and the entrance will have a plug or door which can be closed for warmth. The male and female work together to remodel the nest. Most mice change their nests often.

The deer mouse is fastidious about keeping its fur cleaned and groomed. This is not so with the more drab house mouse. The deer mouse is good about its appearance, but it is a sloppy housekeeper. This reflects that, for those with a mouse totem, there will be areas in which fastidiousness and attention to detail is highly concentrated, while in other areas there may be neglect. This paradox is often a source of confusion and sometimes irritation to those who live and work with mouse people.

Most mice store food, as well as search out food all year round. The deer mouse eats seeds, berries, and bark and is less destructive than the meadow mouse in regard to farmers crops and grains.

All predators feed on mice. to compensate for this, mice will have three or four litters a year. They survive because of their numbers. the deer mouse mother, as with most mice, will care for the young about five weeks. Then the young are on their own. Because of this, if a mouse has come into your life, its energies will be most strongly felt for about five to six weeks.

When mouse shows up as a totem, it is either time to pay attention to details, or an indication that you cannot see the forest for the trees. You may be getting so locked into details that you forget the big picture.

Ask yourself some important questions. Are you taking care of the trivial but necessary things in life? Are you getting so lost in the big dreams that you are neglecting other aspects of your life? Are you becoming so focused on one or two activities that you are neglecting to see the opportunities? Are you missing what is right in front of you? Is there something obvious that you are missing or need to focus on? Are you trying to do too many things at once and thereby scattering your energies?

Mouse medicine can show you how to focus and pay attention to detail. It can show you how to attain the big things by working on the little things. Whenever mouse shows up there are lessons associated with attention.

TOTEM ANIMALS - (BEAR)

*Ted Andrews/Animal Speak:

Keynote: Awakening the Power of the Unconscious
Cycle of Power: Spring and Summer

The bear is a powerful symbol and image in both myth and lore. Stories aboutnd of individuals turned into bears, bears into humans, and bears as gods. it has stirred imagination so much that even a constellation was named for it--Ursus Major, The Great Bear. jSeven stars of this constellation are probably the most easily recognized in the northern hemisphere. these seven stars form The Big Dipper, and they have links to the seven great rays of light of the Divine.

The bear has lunar symbology as well, giving it ties to the subconscious and even unconscious mind. It was an animal associated with the goddess Diana, a goddess of the moon. It is also a symbol for alchemy, the nigredo of prime matter. It relates to all initial stages and primal instincts.

Like birds, the bear is often considered among native American peoples as kin to humans because, like birds, it can stand and walk upon two legs. For many, the bear and the wolf are the last true symbols of the primal, natural world, and many ecologists believe that how humans respond and protect their lands and their future will be the most honest depiction of how serious humanity is about preservation of our environment and the natural resources within it.

The bear is the largest of the carnivores, but it will eat almost anything. it is omnivorous, eating both plants, fruits, and meat. It actually eats less meat than many smaller carnivores, such as the fox.

Contrary to popular belief, bears do not truly hibernate. They do live to a great degree on their stored-up fat. The body temperature will drop a little (around 13 degrees) and the breathing rate can be cut in half. The depth of their sleep depends greatly upon the amount of fat stored. This reflects the bear's ability to teach those with it as a totem how to go within to find the resources necessary for survival. The bear can teach you to draw upon all of your inner stores of energy and essence even those which have never been tapped or accessed. Meditating and working with bear will help you to go within your soul's den your inner sanctum--to find your answers.

During the winter sleep the black bear's kidneys shut down completely, and scientists are studying this activity, hoping it will provide clues to more successful kidney transplants. Physicians would love to find a way to duplicate this in humans so diseased kidneys would have time to heal. This is part of what bear medicine is about.

The kidneys serve a vital function in the body, excreting urine, and also filtering the blood plasma. Metaphysically, the kidneys are symbols of discernment and discrimination. If bear has shown up in your life, ask yourself some important questions. Is your judgement off? How about those around you? Are you not recognizing what is beneficial in your life? Are you not seeing the core of good deep within all situations? Are you being too critical of yourself or others? Are you wearing rose-colored glasses? Bear medicine can teach you to go deep within so that you can make your choices and decisions from a position of power.

All bears are astonishingly swift. The black bear and grizzly can reach running speeds of 35-40mph for short distances. All bears, including the polar bear, can climb. Only the size of the tree will discourage the climbing. Bears are often associated with trees. Nature programs love to photograph bear cubs high up in trees or adults scratching themselves against them. There are even "bear trees," trees marked with claws as signposts along the well-worn and traveled path of a particular bear.

The tree is a powerful and ancient symbol, just like the bear. It is a natural antenna, linking the Heavens and the Earth. Different trees do have different meanings, but in general, it represents knowledge. It is a symbol of fertility, of things that grow.

A bear teaches you to go in and awaken the potentials inherent, the tree serves as a reminder that we must bring what we awaken out into the world and apply it--make our marks with it. Anyone with a bear totem should keep the cub in themselves alive and occasionally climb trees--if only to get a clear perspective.

For those with a bear as a totem, it is important not to hide away and try to hibernate all year-round. You must come out of the den. This is even reflected in the birthing process of bears. Female bears give birth during their heavy sleep, semi-hibernation stages. Usually two cubs are born, sometimes three. They are born helpless and semi-conscious. The cubs nurse in the safety and warmth of the den throughout the winter.

As spring approaches, the mother and her cubs will emerge. The cubs will have become strong enough to follow their mother. This is tremendously significant for those working with a bear totem. it often reflects a need to go deep within yourself, to have periods in your life when you can be more reclusive. During these times, you will be able to go within yourself and even give birth to two or three ideas or projects. They can be nursed through the winter, and then as spring approaches, emerge with your babies to help them grow.

Those who have a bear as a totem will find this cycle of semi-hibernation and reclusiveness during the winter very natural. They will also find that with the spring will come opportunities to act more assertively in regard to that which has been nursed through the winter months. Bear people should be patient though, as the cubs will usually stay with the mother for up to two years. This can reflect that those projects you nursed may not come to full fruition until the second year of the cycle.

Although distantly related to the dog, the bear is a closer relative to the raccoon. There are a variety of bears. The most common bear is the black bear. This is a kind of misnomer, as not all black bears are black. They can be brown, cinnamon, and various combinations. They are very playful, both as adults and as young cubs. This is a reminder for those with this bear as a totem.

The largest bear is the Alaska brown bear. A relative of the grizzly, the brown bear is relatively solitary. The grizzly has long been known for its strength and ferocity. Although it can be quite fierce, it is not naturally aggressive.

By far the most oustanding hunter of the bear family is the polar bear. This white bear has no fear. It is the most carnivorous and aggressive of all the bears. It is at the top of the food chain and has no enemy other than humans. It feeds to a great degree on seals, and those with this totem should study the qualities of the seal as well.

All bears have a great fondness for honey. Honey is the natural sweetness of life. It is usually found in the hives, located in trees, again reflecting a connection between bears and trees. It is a reminder for those with this totem to go within to awaken the power, but only by bringing it out into the open and applying it will the honey of life be tasted.

*Brad Steiger/Totems:

The bear is so highly revered as a totem animal that many Medicine priests have adopted "bear" as a part of their name. According to some tribes, the spirit of the bear never dies, and thus has become synonymous with supernatural powers and the ability to heal. Among nearly all shamans, the bear is reverently addressed as "Grandfather."

Throughout the globe and since the Neanderthal cave dwellers, humans who live in proximity to bears begin to make comooparisons to themselves and their powerful woodland neighbor. The Native Americans were no exception, noting that just like the people of the villages, the bear is able to live on fish, flesh, or berries. The lumbering giant was known for its great love of honey, and its keen sense of smell was able to detect the golden sweet treasure of a bee hive from miles away. The tribespeople watched in awe as their powerful brother snatched the honey from the hive without fear of being stung.

When the bear was on the hunt, it seemed to saunter in a leisurely manner, its huge feet placed flat upon the ground and turned slightly inward, thereby causing the forest giant to walk with a peculiar movement. When it stood upright on its two hind feet, it appeared very much like stout, powerfully built man with short, bandy legs. But the tribal hunters knew better than to confront a bear in such a position, for from such a stance it would attack its enemies, using the claws in its great forepaws to slash at the head and the belly with devastating results.

The Navajo regard the bear with as much respect as any of their human neighbors. They kill bears only when necessary, and under no conditions would a Navajo eat a single bite of bear meat. In their eyes, it would be like chewing on the spirit of their ancestors.

Among the old tribes of Northern Europe, the Nordic warriors, known as "Berserkers," wore bearskin shirts into battle in dedication to the Goddess Ursel, the She-Bear. To the Norse, the bear was a masterful martial artist, and the she-bear protecting its cubs was the worst nighmare a hunter could encounter under the Northern lights. Thus, the bearskin shirts were worn in the hope that the warrior could absorb the great beast's fighting prowess and its enormous endurance and strength. To the Viking warrior, the bear symbolized the lonely champion, prepared to fight in single combat.

The bear was a totemic symbol for St. Gall and St. Seraphim. In the Native American zodiac, those born from August 22 to September 22 are in the Medicine Wheel sign of the bear. Bear people are said to be slow, cautious, and quiet.

To have the bear as your totem animal is to be aware that you are being guided to assume a role of leadership. Your spiritual guardian will also encourage you to exercise your abilities as a natural healer.

You may also be placed in a position in which you will need to defend your beliefs in a firm and fearless manner, but your bear totem will give you the insight and powers of discrimination to present the truths of your lifepath with confidence and courage. Follow your bear as your totem guide, and you will be led to greater balance in body, mind and spirit.

*Patricia Telesco/The Language of Dreams:

The grizzly or domineering side of our moods (e.g., acting "bearish"). The wilderness within that wishes more expression. Heraldic: Among the medieval artisans, this creature provided the perfect vehicle for visual puns, and usually stood for for-BEAR-ance. She-bear protecting cubs: The maternal instinct fully developed; righteous anger or anxiety with real foundations. Hibernation: An alternative type of death dream. Also resting and storing up energy for difficult times ahead. Fearlessness. The term "berserkers" among warrior clans came from "bear sarks," a shirt originated by Artemis to give strength and protection to those defending her lands. Native American: Supernatural power and fortitude. Biblical: the she-bear, particularly, is portrayed as ferocious (noted in Samuel, Hosea, and Proverbs). To what project or relationship are you, or should you be, applying this type of fervently protective energy?

*Bobby Lake-Thom/Spirits of the Earth:

The Bear is always a good sign and special power. He represents wisdom, insight, introspection, protection, and healing. If you see a Bear while hiking in the woods or along the river, then you know that a very sacred place is nearby and that the spirits of that area are checking you out. Respect the Bear and don't intimidate it, pray and give thanks to it, and make a special wish. Because of their size and temperament they can be dangerous, so don't try to approach one, either Black Bear or Grizzly. If a Bear comes to the house or around the camp in late fall looking for food, it is usually a sign that a harsh winter is coming early.

*Timothy Roderick/The Once Unknown Familiar:

Key Words: Nurturing, loving , maternal, strong-willed
Magical Influences: Promotes healing, motherly love, guardian of emotional strength and mental stability
Personality: Bears can't help but intimidate others who may not know them, but the truth is that they can be very nurturing, open-hearted, and playful. Bears are highly intelligent and their curiosity is easily piqued. A bear always knows what everyone's weaknesses are and will strike the soft underbelly if threatened.

*Denise Linn/The Secret Language of Signs:

The bear represents the power of Mother Earth. Every winter the bear retreats into the womblike comfort of the caves of the Eternal Mother. If you are given a bear as a sign, this could mean that you need to enter into a time of introspection and subsequent renewal. A bear sign can represent the protective, mothering, female aspect of force and power. Very few animals display such aggressive power as a mother bear when her cubs are threatened. Is there a part of yourself, or is there someone in your life, that you need to defend passionately and aggressively? Many Native American peoples consider the bear a totem (or sign) of the healer. Each of us has the inner ability to be a healer. This could be a sign to step into your inner healing abilities. In Western culture the bear is associated with the teddy bear, which is cuddly and lovable. This could be a sign to take take time to be soft and cuddly and to return to the simple joys of life.

*Jamie Sams and David Carson/Medicine Cards:

Introspection. The strength of Bear medicine is the power of introspection. It lies in the jWest on the great medicine wheel of life. Bear seeks honey, or the sweetness of truth, within the hollow of an old tree. In the winter, when the Ice Queen reigns and the face of death is upon the Earth, Bear enters the womb-cave to hibernate, to digest the year's experience. It is said that our goals reside in the West also. To accomplish the goals and dreams that we carry, the art of introspection is necessary.

To become like Bear an denter the safety of the womb-cave, we must attune ourselves to the energies of the Eternal Mother, and receive nourishment from the placenta of the Great Void. The Great Void is the place where all solutions and answers live in harmony with the questions that fill our realities. If we choose to believe that there are many questions to life, we must also believe that the answers to these questions reside within us. Each and every being has the capacity to quiet the mind, enter the silence, and know.

Many tribes have called this space of inner-knowing the Dream Lodge, where the death of the illusion of physical reality overlays the expansiveness of eternity. It is in the Dream Lodge that our ancestors sit in Council and advise us regarding alternative pathways that lead to our goals. This is the power of Bear.

The female receptive energy that for centuries has allowed visionaries, mystics, and shamans to prophesy is contained in this very special Bear energy. In India, the cave symbolizes the cave of Brahma. Brahma's cave is considered to be the pineal gland that sits in the center of the fore lobes of the brain. If one were to imagine an overview of the head, the top of it would be a circle. The South would be the forehead, the North the back of the skull, the West would be the right brain, and the East the left brain.

Bear is in the West, the intuitive side, the right brain. to hibernate, Bear travels to the cave, which is the center of the four lobes where the pineal gland resides. In the cave , Bear seeks answers while he/she is dreaming or hibernating. Bear is then reborn in the spring, like the opening of spring flowers.

For eons, all seekers of the Dreamtime and of visions have walked the path of silence, calming the internal chatter, reaching the place of rites of passage -- the channel or pineal gland. From the cave of Bear, you find the pathway to the Dream Lodge and the other levels of imagination or consciousness. In choosing Bear, the power of knowing has invited you to enter the silence and become acquainted with the Dream Lodge, so that your goals may become concrete realities. This is the strength of Bear.

Contrary:

If you have drawn Bear reversed, your internal dialogue may have confused your peception of your true goals. In seeking answers or advice from others, you may have placed your own feelings and knowing aside. The time has come to regain your authority, for no one knows better than yourself what is proper and timely for your evolution. Reclaim the power of knowing. Find joy in the silence and richness of the mother's womb. Allow the thoughts of confusion to be laid to rest as clarity emerges from the West, nurturing your dreams as the Earth Mother nourishes us all.

Bear in the contrary position is teaching you that only through being your own advisor can you attain your true goals. Anything less than the doing of that which gives you the most joy is denial. to achieve happiness you must know yourself. To know yourself is to know your body, your mind, and your spirit. Use your strengths to overcome your weaknesses and know that both are necessary in your evolution.

Journey with Bear to the quietness of your cave and hibernate in silence. Dream your dreams and own them. Then in strength you will be ready to discover the honey waiting in the Tree of Life.

*Mary Summer Rain/On Dreams:

Bear characterizes an overbearing personality or situation.

*D.J. Conway/Animal Magick:

One species of bear or another is found from subtropical climates to the polar regions. They are generally large mammals, with coarse fur, a very short tail. and flat soles on their paws. Their non-retractable claws are used in digging and climbing. Although they eat almost everything from fruits and berries to fish and small animals, they are fond of honey. They tend to simi-hibernate in colder regions.

The black bear ranges over much of the United States and Canada. The grizzly frequents the wilder areas of the western United States and Canada; it does not climb like most bears. The huge Alaskan brown bear is the largest flesh eater in the world; some of them reach as much as 1,400 pounds. They are unpredictable in temerament like the grizzly. The white polar bear is found in all arctic regions.

The European brown bear is found in both Europe and Asia. The shaggy sloth bear is native to India. The short-haired Malay bear is a small tropical species. The Himalayan bear has a white crescent on its breast.

The bear usually minds its own business, but will protect its young with great ferocity. It is so attuned to the seasons that it knows when to prepare ahead for Winter. When attacked, it will often stand on its hind legs so that it towers above its opponent.

Countries as far apart as Finland, Siberia, and Japan consider the bear to be a sacred animal, an animal Master who teaches shamans. Siberian tribes always call the bear the Old Man, the Grandfather, the Chief's Son, or Crooked Tail. In the Finnish Kalevala this animal is referred to as the Honey-eater, the Fur-adorned, and the Forest Apple. As the Dog of God, it was thought to be ten times as powerful as a man and twelve times more intelligent. In parts of Japan, the bear represents benevolence and wisdom; in China, strength and bravery.

The Arcadians of the Mediterranean area considered themselves to be descended from bears. In Cretan myth, the the two bears sacred to Artemis cared for the infant Zeus and were later changed into the constellations Ursa Major and Minor.

Young girl-priestesses in the cult of Artemis were referred to as "cub bears." Once a year during the festival of Brauronia in Athens, they dressed in bear-skins and paraded to the Goddess's temple. Callisto, a companion of Artemis, was called the Beautiful She-Bear; she was said to be the guardian of the Pole Star.

The continental Celtic goddess Dea Artia of Berne was called a she-bear and was portrayed with a bear near her. Even among the Norse this creature was sacred; it belonged to Thorr, god of thunder and lightning, to Odhinn, and to Norse lunar water goddesses. The famed Norse berserkers originally followed the bear cult of Freyja; Odhinn later took over the role of the bear god. The word berserker comes from the words bear sark, or bearskin shirt. It is quite likely that these special warriors were initiated into an exclusive Mystery cult, one that taught them how to use trance or hallucinogens to produce the bearlike strength and extreme braery they exhibited in battle.

In the Celtic myths, the bear was considered to be a lunar creature. Although now extinct in Britain and Ireland, the bear lives on in legends. The word arth, which means "bear," is the root word for the name Arthur. The phrase "Son of the Bear" often appears in Irish and Welsh names.

Alchemists used the bear to symbolize prime matter and the dangerous aspect of the subconscious mind.

Into the 1900's, Eastern Slavs had a ceremony for a newborn baby; the grandmother laid the child on a bearskin to bring it good luck and health. Porphyry, in the third century C.E., mentioned the same practice.

In Native American lore, the bear was chief of all animals when it came to herbal knowledge. This creature was connected with healing and the underground earth energy of roots and herbs.

Superstitions: The bear breeds only once in 7 years, according to backwoodsmen in the United States. These same people say that a child can be cured of whooping cough if it rides on a bear. Bear cubs are born formless and licked into their shape by the mother. A sick bear will eat ants or mullein to be healed.

Magickal Attributes: Strength and stamina; can help you to find balance and harmony in your life. Patience, defense, revenge, wisdom, dreams, intuition, listening, introspection, death and rebirth, transformation. Seek quiet places for answers and harmony in your life. A creature of dreams, astral travel, visionaries, mystics, and shamans. To bring balance and harmony.

*Zolar/Encyclopedia of Signs, Omens, and Superstitions:

Superstitions about bears abound. Foremost is the idea that bear cubs are born shapeless and that their mothers lick them into a shape. Hence, unless they have been badly licked, bears are known for gluttony and courage. The painter, Titian, was said to use as his personal signature a female bear shaping her young.

In the 16th century, bear grease was considered a cure for baldness. It was also belieed to work against garden blight, if rubbed on garden tools.

Should a child ride on a bear's back, some say it will never contract whooping cough. A similar belief holds that riding on the back of a bear will cure a young child of fever forever, but an infant of hay fever only. The fur of a bear was considered an excellent talisman against blindness.

Country folk in the United States held a belief that bears bred only once every seven years. When they did, cattle about to calve would lose their young.

A bear's tooth was used as a teething implement for babies in rural America, and sleeping on a bear skin has been said to cure backache. Legends of bear ghosts appear in the American South and in some parts of Great Britain.

For the North American Indian, the bear was his greatest competitor. Various Indian tribes ceremoniously apologized to the dead bear, who was thought to possess great supernatural powers. Often its head and hide would be used in the ceremonies. In the mythology of the Sioux, Chippewa, and the Pueblos, the bear is often depicted as a healer. The shaman or medicine man often dressed as a bear. Tribal legends abound concerning a marriage of a strange woman who is later found out to be a bear in human form. Then, too, it was thought that a woman and male bear could unite to produce a divine infant.

The name of the English hero, Beowulf, was derived from "bee-wolf," or honey eater, in reference to the bear. In Finland, before one kills a bear, one must ask forgiveness.

Archaeologists have excavated skulls of bears placed by Neanderthal men on primitive altars. The ancient Greeks believed that a bear goddess named Callisto had been transfromed by Zeus into the constellation that came to be called the Great Bear.

In southern France, an annual spring celebration would be held in which a man dressed as a bear. He emerged from a symbolic cave, frightened the townsfolk, and performed a mock abduction of a woman. In western European and somejSlavic countries similar ceremonies still exist. The bear's habit of hibernation has been likened to the phenomena of rebirth, since he seemingly "dies" and is "reborn."

Last, a tradition from the American Ozarks holds that, when you go bear hunting, you should injure the bear, but not cripple it. He will be so angry that he will chase you all the way home, thus saving you the trouble of packing the meat home yourself!

*Lady Stearn Robinson & Tom Gorbett/The Dreamer's Dictionary:

A caged bear signifies future success; a dancing bear indicates luck in speculation; fighting off or killing a bear suggests victory over hostile opposition.

TOTEM ANIMALS - (BUFFALO)

Abundance, prosperity, standing one’s ground and protection of resources are just part of what Buffalo represents on an energy level. In Ted Andrews book Animal Speak he says in reference to Buffalo that “The Lord helps those who help themselves” and that the Lakota Sioux believed that right action combined with right prayer resulted in the manifestation of all that is wanted or needed. How many times has anyone heard that someone wants something, be it money, a new relationship, a new job, etc. and yet the person wants someone else to do it all for them! When Buffalo appears to us, it is at this time that we ourselves need to take action on our own behalf and then and only then can we provide a channel for the manifestation to flow through to us from the Universe.

People who carry strong Buffalo medicine often find themselves called upon to shoulder some very heavy burdens by others. For some, this can be a joy, though even so, many end up feeling drained and exhausted if they find they are trying to do for everyone and leaving little time and energy left over for themselves. All of us need a shoulder to cry on or support now and again yet for Buffalo people too often there are simply too many folks who want the Buffalo energy to shoulder all their problems while they do little to help themselves. The tragedy is not only does the Buffalo person feel drained, but also those that rely on them never learn how to empower themselves through dealing directly with their own issues. Both parties lose in the long run.

It is important that Buffalo people in general learn early on how to teach others to be empowered and to rely on their own abilities and strengths. Buffalo people are outstanding at showing others how to clear doubts and fears out of the way so others can get on with things. Just as during the winter months a Buffalo will use it’s massive head and shoulders to move snow out of the way so it can feed on the plants below, so too do we need to learn how to move those things in our lives that are blocking what we are seeking. Buffalo medicine and people can teach us how to do this, though we must be prepared to shoulder the inner work ourselves if we are to gain maximum benefit.One of the ways that Buffalo people can teach others is by their own lives as examples. They simply get on with needs to be done, day in and day out, they perservere and always they stand their ground. They refuse to give in if they honestly feel that what they are pursuing has merit and possibility.

It is important that those who carry Buffalo medicine remember to use their energy and resources wisely. Often these people have a tendency to be overly generous, they feel so blessed in their own lives that their desire is to share what they have with others! This is a wonderful trait and yet the Buffalo person must also learn whom to share with and to what degree. Sometimes the best gift one can give another is a push to stand on their own two feet and learn from their mistakes. If one is always charging in to "rescue" someone, that person never has the opportunity to learn that they CAN do it on their own! Show support by helping people find ways to help and empower themselves. As the saying goes "Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he will eat for a lifetime". Buffalo people do have such a deep, innate sense of trust in the Universe, knowing that they have the power and strength within to manifest so much that is good and beautiful in the world! Affirming that belief to others can do so much more than you may ever know in terms of helping others to manifest more good for themselves.

Buffalo people often have great patience and strength of will as well. I remember years ago watching a small herd of Buffalo and was impressed not only by their size (they are enormous!) but also by the look of confidence and patience in their eyes. Yet behind that look was also a definite warning: Don't taunt Buffalo unless you fancy being smashed to smithereens! Buffalo people because of this may find that they need to learn to express their anger cleanly and cautiously. One may not realize just how awe inspiring one can be when angered, the energy that is coming through is not just your own but that of Buffalo as well! Some of you may err on the side of too much patience, allowing things to build up until you have a good head of steam going so its important to respond more quickly to your anger by examining where the source of it is really coming from instead of just the triggering person/event itself. Yet too, sometimes one needs to get really angry at an injustice or a situation that has simply been borne for too long! Using your heart as well as your head to determine what action is truly needed is the best route to take. If after taking action you find that things have not shifted, well, sometimes there is a need in the world for one to put their head down and charge!

Health issues for Buffalo people can include problems with the head and back. Migraines, muscles spasms in the middle of the back or neck, pinched nerves can be problems. General tightness in the upper shoulders (usualy from trying to carry too many burdens!) can also contribute to severe headaches including migraines. Feeling exhausted or depressed can also indicate that you have been trying to carry too big a load and its time to shake a few things or people off your back! B vitamins are often helpful for Buffalo people as are vegetables and grains of all sorts. Chewing your food thoroughly and slowly will maximize the nutritional benefits. I have also met a surprising number of Buffalo people with stomach ulcers, again an indication too much of a load is being carried coupled with some deep seated resentment. It really is okay to say "NO!" and mean it, though I know full well its not always the easiest thing to do! Many health problems are usually related to stress so it is vital that those who carry Buffalo medicine learn to allow themselves some "down time" at least once a day.

Some folks who carry Buffalo medicine have said to me that they feel they are "slower" than others in that they prefer to take their time when making decisions or have trouble grasping opportunities when they arise. While there may be issues within that are needing to be cleared or an outer circumstance in our lives that we need to take some sort of action on, this does not mean any old action will do. It also requires proper thought and attention to the signs and signals that the Universe is sending us. Again, when we look at the Buffalo’s massive head, it says to us we need to be more aware, paying more attention to what is going on within our own minds. We may have overstuffed our heads with thoughts that life is difficult and a struggle, certainly that will only attract more of what we don’t want. We may be so caught up in the belief that nothing will ever change and we are doomed to staying in the same old same old that our head on an energy level is swollen with these thoughts and thus blocking us from achieving more good in our lives.

We all tend to wake up each day expecting the new day to be as the past days were. We expect we shall get up, go to work if we work outside the home or for me, that I shall get up, have the usual round of emails to answer, the same housework to tend to, orders to fill, the same errands to run, children in need of what ever it is they need in the moment . Business as usual! Yet when I was asking Buffalo what message he may have for us I heard quite clearly “why not recognize that this moment right now is unlike any other that has ever been or ever will be? There are all sorts of possibilities and potentials right now that cannot manifest if you insist that today is like every other day you have ever had.

What would it feel like to just stop for a moment and allow it to sink in that right now, this day, is unlike any other? How does that feel to you?” It really struck me then that right at that moment anything could happen. There was a deep sense of a door opening and of looking into the very heart of the Universe and seeing all the possibilities, any one of which I could start attracting to myself right now. Such a simple, quick meditation, what would it feel like to really get it that everything is open to you right now? And how often can you do it throughout your day, just be open, ask for something new, anything that makes you feel excited or gives you a feeling of aliveness. Or do as I do, I ask the Universe to surprise me with something good from time to time, something that I might never have thought of before but would make me very happy. And then it comes right back to what am I going to do to help bring this about? Am I listening to my inner guidance, am I acting on information I have already received, have I really been doing all that I can to manifest something I desire or am I sitting here hoping someone else will come along and do it for me? Buffalo says we have the inner strength and will to achieve our goals if we are willing to keep pushing the “snow” in our own lives aside. It may not always be easy and at times we may believe we can’t do any more, but that’s when we need to stop and really listen, ask ourselves if what we are trying to manifest is what we really want or if it’s something we have led ourselves to believe we want. If we really truly want something, we can always find a way to achieve it. Yes it may take time, sometimes a very long time, yes we may have to work on fears or doubts or feelings of unworthiness, yes it may take some bloody hard graft to achieve. But if we truly want it we will find a way.

Buffalo brings many positive messages when it appears in our lives and for those who carry its medicine, these are a few of the things that can be focused on the bring greater abundance and joy into one's life.

Buffalo: Prayer and Abundance

Those who have a Buffalo totem must walk a sacred path, honouring every walk of life. You will achieve nothing
without the aid of the Great Spirit and you must be humble enough to ask for assistance and then be grateful for
those gifts. A Buffalo totem will seek to help you establish a deep connection to Mother Earth and it will ask you to
help the endangered species of our planet. He will bring you strength of character and an independent spirit. It is
the totem of abundance. Do not push or force, but follow the easiest path. Buffalo medicine knows that
abundance is present when all relations are honoured as sacred and when gratitude is expressed to every part of
creation. Buffalo medicine is prayer, gratitude and praise. Praying for the needs of all creatures, for harmony and
give praise for the gifts you have already received.