HALLOWEEN 101

You can surf the Internet until you’re blue researching the origins of Halloween, but this is how it was explained to me, while attending fifth grade in Catholic school.

Halloween began as a Catholic tradition.  Parishioners would dress up as their favorite saint, and then go door to door and collect money for the poor.  Considering the name, “Hallow” means to make holy, and the occasion is celebrated on the eve of All Saints Day (also known to some as All Souls Day), I tend to believe that Halloween began as a Holy day.  As humans evolve, so do our holidays.

When I was a kid, we use to steal Farmer Brown’s field corn.  His field was only a block from our house.  All of us neighborhood kids would get together and collect ears of corn, then take them back to my house and spend a few hours shucking the corn from the cob.  It was really hard and rough on your hands, because the corn was very firm and fixed.  Still, we stood over a trash bag and all of us did our part.

When the night would arrive, we would fill little paper lunch sacks with the corn, and begin our little adventure.  We would run up and down the streets throwing the corn on the front porches of our victims, who were relaxed and cozy in their homes watching prime time television. 

CRASH!  The corn would explode loudly against the aluminum screen doors and siding, as it bounced along the porch.  If you were on the other side of the door, it would scare the ba-Jevus out of you!  I know, because there were times when I was grounded and not allowed to join my friends, and they would corn our house.

Those were the best days of my life as a kid.  People would get mad and chase you down the street, only because you scared the crap out of them.  The corn didn’t do any damage to the house.  It was good clean entertainment.  Our parents even knew what we were up to and most times they did not object. 

When I reminisce on the experience today, I know it was wrong to steal Farmer Brown’s corn, but other than that, it was fun!  Farmer Brown would even sometimes sit in his field with a salt gun and shoot at us.  I never was hit, so I can laugh about it.

Still, I do not know of anyone who corns houses today.  It was one of those traditions that quietly slipped away.  Just like a holy custom becoming a tradition of terror and hell raising. 

I’m much older now.  As close as I get to scaring people these days is sitting in a dark house by candle light allowing my imagination to run wild while watching horror flicks.  If I’m in an ornery mood, I’ll dress up and scare the kids who come a knocking for candy.  Blow their little minds away!

I use to play scary sounds on cassette tape, but then most of the kids were too frightened to approach the house.  So I toned it down a bit after that.  Not many kids trick or treat in our neighborhood as it is.  Most of the little trick or treaters don’t even wear a costume anymore.

Come as you are . . . the real world is much more scarier anyway.  Who knows?  Maybe it’s the birth of a new Halloween custom.

 

 

 

THE MYSTERY & MAGIC OF THE CAT

The people of ancient Egypt attributed magical powers to cats.  When a cat would die, the Egyptians honored the cat as any other member of the household.  Cat mummies have been discovered in ancient tombs.

 

The prophet Mohammed was said to love cats.  One time his cat fell asleep in the sleeve of Mohammed’s robe.  Instead of disturbing the cat, Mohammed simply cut his sleeve off.

Christian legend says it was a tabby cat that kept Jesus warm at the time of his birth.  With gratitude the Virgin Mary marked the cat with an M on the forehead.  In addition, it is said to dream of a tabby cat is a sign of luck for the home and all who live there.

Some say to dream of a black cat is lucky, while other interpretations say it is an indication of fear using your physic abilities and trusting your intuition.

As dream symbols in general, the cat could indicate that someone is being deceitful towards you.  Even old dream interpretation says a cat is a bad omen, and you can expect deceit from those you trust.

I found this to be true long ago when I dreamed of a cardinal sitting on the bed.  The cardinal hopped off the bed and went under it.  When I flipped the mattress, the cardinal turned into two cats.  One week later, my lover left me for another.  I was totally clueless to the affair. 

 

(The following is from the book Animal-Speak, by Ted Andrews):

Although a domesticated animal, it would be unjust not to at least touch upon the energies and essence of the cat as a totem.  Many of the larger cats are examined in this dictionary separately, but cats in general - wild or domestic – have certain qualities in common.

In myth and lore, the cat predominates.  In ancient Egypt they held a position of special privilege.  The goddess Bast was often depicted either as a cat or with a cat’s head.  In Scandinavian lore, the cat was associated with the goddess of fertility, Freyja.  In the Hindu tradition Shasthi, the goddess of childbirth, is depicted riding upon a cat.  Cats appear frequently in the tales of the Brothers Grimm and many other folk stories from around the world.

To cats have been attributed a wide variety of traits – often contradictory.  Curiosity, nine lives, independence, cleverness, unpredictability, and healing are but a few.  A witch’s pet was unusually regarded as her familiar – a spirit in the form of a cat.  It was often believed that witches could take the form of cats.

Cats are at home after dark, and yet most humans want them to be traditional pets during the day.  When they do not respond in this manner, they are accredited with independence and unsociability.  Because the dark is the home of fears and those things humans do not want to see and can’t see, the cat has come to be associated with magic and mystery.  The truth is that cats have more rods in the retinas of their eyes, which enhances light perception.  It enables them to see effectively in the dark.  The traditional prey of the cat is the mouse, but it is by no means limited to it.  Cats still effectively hunt birds and rabbits.

The traditional enemy of the cat is the dog, but this is not its only enemy.  For anyone with a cat totem, the study of the qualities of the mouse and dog will be beneficial for helping you understand the magic and the balance of energies with the cat.

Examine the colors, the character, the behaviors of your own cat.  Everything about it will be significant.  Many books exist on the lore and the character of cats.  Whether domesticated or wild, anytime a cat becomes predominant, look for magic and mystery to come alive.

THE RAVEN & THE WICKED PRIEST

Off and on through the month of October, I have blogged about things that go bump in the night, not to scare you, but to give you a better understanding of spirits and the animals associated with fear.  Chief Dan George once said, “If you talk to the animals, they will talk with you, and you will know each other.  If you do not talk to them, you will not know them, and what you do not know you will fear.  What one fears, one destroys.”

(The following is from Ted Andrew’s book, Animal-Speak)

The raven is one of those birds that has a tremendous amount of lore and mythology surrounding it, and it is often contradictory.  It is a bird of birth and death, and it is a bird of mysticism and magic.

In the East, the raven was considered unclean – because it is a scavenger.  It is one of the foods listen as forbidden in the Bible.  The raven is on of the birds that Noah sent out after the floods, but it did not return to the ark.  On the other hand, also in Biblical lore is the tale of how a raven fed the prophet Elijah when hiding from King Ahab.

In Scandinavian lore, the raven played a significant role.  The Norse god Odin had a pair of ravens who were his messengers.  Their names were Hugin (thought) and Munin (memory).  Odin was known to shape shift as raven himself. This reflects the idea of raven being a messenger of the great spiritual realm. 

The raven has a long history of being an omen.  During the Middle Ages the croak of the raven was believed to foretell a death or the outcome of a battle.  It was even thought to the common folk in Christian communities that wicked priest became ravens when they died.  Even today, some old timers tell how you can expect hot weather when a raven is facing a clouded sun.

The raven is a member of the corvids family, to which belong crows and magpies and other such birds.  In truth, the only really significant difference between the crow and the raven is the size, the raven being much larger.  It would be beneficial to study the information on the crow for anyone who has a raven as a totem.  Much of the same information that applies to one, also applies to the other.  It is simply a matter of degree.  Rather than repeat that information here, I would like to give some information not generally associated with the crow itself.

The raven has a wealth of myth and lore surrounding it.  In many ways it is comparable to the coyote tales of the plains Indians, the Bushmen tales of the mantis and other societies in which an animal plays both a significant and yet confusing role.  The coyote was both trickster and wise being – fool and wise one.  This was true of the mantis in the tales of the Kalahari Bushmen.

In the Pacific Northwest, the raven has this same aura about him.  In the Pacific Northwest, raven brought forth life and order.  Raven stole the sunlight from one who would keep the world in darkness.  Nothing could exist without raven.  Raven is honored in art and on totem poles, reflecting the tales and mysticism that have developed around it.

With raven, human and animal spirits intermingle and become as one.  This is reflected in its deep, rich shiny black.  In blackness, everything mingles until drawn forth, out into the light.  Because of this, raven can help you shape shift your life or your being.  Raven has the knowledge of how to become other animals and how to speak their languages.

Ravens are great at vocalizations, and they can be taught to speak.  They incorporate and mimic the calls of other species.  In the Northwest are tales of the Kwakiutl Indians who offered the afterbirth of male newborns to raven so that when they grew up, they would understand their cries.  Raven can teach you to understand the language of animals.

Ravens are playful, and they are excellent tool users.  They will use stones and anything else that is available to help them crack nuts and such.  They are birds not intimidated by others, and they are very fast and wary.  Because of this they are not easy prey for other animals or birds.  This implies the ability to teach you how to stir the magic of life without fear.  They are also known for their amorous behavior, reflecting the strong creative life force to which they have access.

According to legend, if the ravens leave the Tower of London,
the fortress and the British kingdom will fall.

This creative life force can be used to work the magic of spiritual laws upon the physical plane.  It can be used to go into the void and stir the energies to manifest that which you most need.  All this and more is what raven teaches.  If raven has come into your life, expect magic, linking it with your will and intention. 

Raven speaks of the opportunity to become the magician and/or enchantress of your life.  Each of us has a magician within, and it is raven which can show us how to bring that part of us out of the dark into the light.  Raven speaks of messages from the spirit realm that can shape shift you life dramatically.  Raven teaches how to take that which is unformed and give it to the form you desire.

The winter solstice and winter season is the time of greatest power for those with the raven as a totem.  The solstice is the shortest day of the year.  The sun shines the least on this day; thus it is the darkest.  From that day forth, the light shines a little more each day.  This is symbolic of the influence of the raven.  It teaches how to go into the dark and bring forth the light.  With each trip in, we develop the ability to bring more light out.  This is creation.

SNAKES & SERPENTS

Did you know that North America snakes appear in the fall more than any other season?  There are a couple of reason for this - one, most snakes are born in August and September; two, it begins to get cold, and they are looking for a warmer place to spend winter, so you may see them near your home.

In Native American culture, the Hopi Snake Dance is a nine day secret ceremony held in August, where performers dance with live snakes in their mouths.  It is a rain dance.  The Hopi regard the snake as guardians of the springs.  They are considered to be sacred.

There is even a Blackfoot legend that links the snake with the moon.  I only bring this up because yesterday I blogged about the moon, and keeping with the spirit of Halloween, today I introduce to you the snake. 

 

(The following is from Ted Andrew’s book, Animal-Speak)

Of all the reptiles – and maybe even all animals – the snake has been the subject of great controversy and paradox.  Religious sources argue over whether it is the symbol of the higher or the lower.  Sometimes seen as devil and sometimes seen as healer, it is an animal that truly has earned the mythical reputation.

In the Americas, the snake served as a prominent symbol in art and lore.  To the Native Americans, the snake is a symbol of transformation and healing.  Snake ceremonies involved learning to transmute the poisons within the body after being bitten multiple times.  Survival of this would then enable the individual to transmute all poisons – physical or otherwise.  It activated the energy to kill or cure, ultimately leading to dramatic healings.

In Meso-American societies, the serpent or snake was depicted as feathered and flying.  It was a symbol of their greatest god and hero, Quetzalcoatl.  Quetzalcoatl’s story is the myth of a dying god who would someday return.  In many ways he was the patron god of the Toltecs, and it was said that the heavens and stars and all the motions of the universe were under his dominion.  “He was the master of the winds and of the clouds and the protecting genius of his people.”

In Greece the snake was also a symbol of alchemy and healing.  The god Hermes carried a staff upon which were entwined two snakes.  This caduceus symbol is the primary symbol of modern medicine and doctors.  It is a symbol of wisdom expressed through healing.

In India the goddess Vinata was the mother of snakes and a symbol of water and the underworld.  Also in India there were demigods, Nagas and their beautiful wives, Naginis, who were usually depicted as half cobra and half deity.  The god Vishnu is often depicted sleeping on the serpent of eternity called Anata.  Shiva wears snakes for bracelets and necklaces, representing sexuality.

The serpent and the snake has long been a symbol of the sexual/creative life force within humans as is taught in Eastern traditions.  The kundalini or serpent fire lies coiled at the base of the spine.  As we grow and develop, the primal energy is released, rising up the spine.  This in turn activates energy centers in the body and mind, opening new dimensions and levels of awareness, health, and creativity.

In Chinese astrology one of the every twelve years is named for the snake.  Those born with that year are believed to have the qualities of compassion, clairvoyance and charm.  They usually need to learn lessons associated with forgiveness, superstitiousness and possessiveness as well.  A study of Chinese astrology will help you with this.

In Egypt the snake has also had mystical significance.  The uraeus is a head band in the shape of the snake.  The head of the snake rests and sticks out at the brow area.  It was believed to represent a state of inner sight and control of the universe.  It was a symbol worn by those who were initiated.  Some believe it to be a variation of the eye of Horus, while others see it as the sacred eye of Ra.  It represented a certain degree of wisdom and understanding.

Because it sheds its skin, the snake has long been a symbol of death and rebirth.  It sheds its skin as it outgrows the old.  This death and rebirth cycle is part of what snake represents.  It has ties and significance to the ancient alchemists and their symbolic transmutation of lead into gold.  This associated with higher wisdom that comes with the passing of time.  This cycle of death and rebirth is often symbolized by the ouroborus, the ancient image of a snake swallowing its own tail.  It is a symbol of eternity.

Before the snake begins to shed its skin, its eyes will begin to cloud over.  It gives the snake a trancelike appearance.  To many mystics and shamans this indicated the ability of the snake to move between the realms of the living and the dead, of crossing over from life to death and then back to life again.  As the skin begins to shed, the eyes begin to clear as if they will see the world anew.  For this reason, alchemists often believed that wisdom and new knowledge would lead to death and rebirth, enabling the individual to see the world from an entirely new perspective.

The snake has often been depicted, along with its relatives, the serpent and dragon, as a guardian.  It is found in myth and lore guarding treasures, the springs of life, or sacred places.  The snake/serpent guarded the tree on which the Golden Fleece hung in the Greek tale of Jason and the Argonauts.

The snake is sinuous and fast.  Although many people think of them as slimy, their skin is very dry.  In fact, humans are slimier than snakes.  If a human runs his or her hand on the floor, it will pick up dirt.  A snake’s skin will not which is why it is able to slide and move in the manner it does.

A snake attacks quickly.  It raises itself up and strikes quick, hard and true to its mark.  It is not unusual to find that those with this totem can respond the same way if need be.  It is best not to anger snake people.  Although slow to lose their tempers, once lost, their bite is quick, sharp and direct.  They almost always hit their mark.  They may end up swallowing you whole or just poisoning you in some way.

Anytime a snake shows up as a totem, you can expect death and rebirth to occur in some area of your life.  This rarely reflects an actual death but rather a transition.  Look for a change in conditions and a movement to new life.  Examine what is going on around you.  Are you needing to make changes but aren’t for some reason?  Are you trying to force change too quickly?  Are you striking out at people and shouldn’t?  Are you not striking and should?  Remember that a snake not only uses it venom and bite to overcome prey, but also for defense.  What is needing to be healed?  What new opportunities are surfacing that you need to strake out for and take advantage of?

It can also reflect that your own creative forces are awakening.  The stimulation of the kundalini usually has physiological as well s spiritual consequences.  Physiologically it can activate the sexual drive, bring more energy, etc.  Spiritually it can stimulate greater perception of how to apply your insight and intuition.  Your own vision and intuition will become more accurate.

To understand the specific role your snake totem will play within your life, first begin by examining the form it takes.  This alone will tell you much.  Every snake has a head, body and tail, and there are a wide variety of snakes.  Some are poisonous, almost all can bite, and some squeeze and strangle their prey by coiling around it.  Examine your snake’s marking, and the patterns of its scales.  A diamond-back rattler is named for its pattern of scales.  Examine the significance of geometric shapes.  This will help you to define the role the snake will have in your life.

The rattlesnake, for example, moves around only during the cool hours of the night.  Extreme heat is deadly to it.  You may find for yourself that becoming more nocturnal would be of benefit.  It has a side-winding motion to its movement.  It also has a special sense organ, a small pit in the head that reacts to heat put out by other creatures.  This is how it senses its prey.  On a symbolic level this indicates for those with this totem an increasing sensitivity to the auras of others.  You may start seeing them soon, but you will definitely start sensing them.  Trust what you feel around others, no matter how strange it may seem.

Always examine some of the qualities and characteristics of the snake in general.  Snakes are carnivorous.  They swallow their prey whole.  To be able to do this, their jaws will unhinge.  The mouth is where we take in nutrition in the form of food.  This unhinging ability of the snake reflects the increased ability for those with this totem to swallow and absorb greater amounts of nutrition for the head, i.e., knowledge.  Learning opportunities, formal and informal, will surface frequently.  Usually with a snake totem, there is a little chance of overloading the brain circuits.  You will be able to swallow and digest whatever you take in.

Some people have been associated hypnotic qualities with the snake because of its stare.  The unblinking stare occurs because the snake has no eyelids.  Learning to use the eyes to mesmerize and look into the hearts and souls of others directly is part of what traditional snake medicine can teach.  It may even indicate a need to look more closely into your own heart and soul.

Snakes have a keen sense of smell.  They actually smell with their tongue, which is why it flicks in and out so much.  Inside the mouth of the snake in the roof is an organ called the Jacobson’s organ.  This organ enables the snake to assimilate the air around them.  This organ helps them to taste the air and its odors, helping them locate food sources.

The sense of smell is linked to higher forms of discrimination and spiritual idealism.  Individuals with the snake totem will find themselves extremely sensitive to smell and fragrances.  Aromatherapy may be a form of healing that is beneficial to explore.  They should pay attention to what is going on around them.  Do things really smell right around you?  Make sure that you are very discriminating about what you say and to whom – and with what you involve yourself?

Snakes are symbols of change and healing.  They have speed and agility, so those who have snakes come into their life will usually find the changes and shifts will occur quickly and are soon recognized and defined.  When snake comes into your life you can look for a rebirth into new powers of creativity and wisdom.

HOWLING AT THE MOON

 

If there is one thing that brings about the creepiness of a Halloween night, it is a full moon.  Wolves are often depicted as howling at the moon; the spider has ties to the waxing and waning of the moon; and witches gather for full moon rituals using the energy of the moon to cast their spells. 

 

 

People also seem to be more moody and down right crazy during a full moon.  Considering the moon has a definite affect on the tides, and humans are made up of ninety percent water, it is evident that the moon does have an effect people as well.  It is said that an ideal time to begin a new endeavor or to find a new job is when the moon is waxing.  When he moon is waning, it is a time of releasing and letting go.

 

The moon is a feminine energy making it a manifesting magnet, and a symbol of healing.  One time during a water blessing, I sat on the beach with my legs crossed and the palms of my hands flat against the sand.  I asked the moon to heal the Earth through me, and it was among the most incredible meditations I have ever experienced.  I could feel the energy of the moon penetrating the crown of my head, and I could feel the Earth through my hands rotating and breathing.  There really are no words to describe the total experience.  But I can say afterwards all I could do was smile. 

 

In Longfellow’s, the Golden Legend, the archangel Gabriel is depicted as the angel of the moon, who brings man the gift of hope.  The association is validated considering the moon lights up the dark skies of night.  And after witnessing the devastation of the largest environmental disaster in the United States, in the Gulf of Mexico, I can say without any doubt that the moon has certainly given me hope that we can heal the Earth of all the wrong we have done to her.

 

The following video contains information regarding the moon and Indigenous Prophecy:

 

 

THE WOLF

In the Spirit of Halloween -

(The following is taken from Ted Andrew's book, Animal-Speak)

Wolves are probably the most misunderstood of the wild mammals.  Tales of terror and their cold bloodedness abound.  Although many stories tell otherwise, there has never been any confirmed attack and killing of a human by a healthy wolf.  In spite of the negative press, wolves are almost the exact opposite of how they are portrayed.  They are friendly, social, and highly intelligent.  Their sense of family is strong and loyal, and they live by carefully defined rules and rituals.

Wolves are the epitome of the wild spirit.  Their positive characteristics are so numerous it is no wonder that Native Americans and others have practically deified them.  Many believe that the true test of America’s sincerity about protecting the environment will revolve around whether or not the wolf remains protected and is allowed to be reintroduced into areas of the country where it has heretofore been eliminated.  The wolf is the true spirit of the free and unspoiled wilderness.

There are several kinds of wolves in North America.  The red wolf is the smallest and it may ever be extinct in the wild, although there are efforts to reintroduce it.  Its territory was in the southern United States.  The Mexican wolf is a subspecies of the more common gray wolf.  It is found in the southwest United States and Mexico.  It was hunted almost to extinction, and is now part of a recovery and captive breeding plan.  The Arctic wolf is probably the purest breed.  Living in an isolated area around the Arctic circle has enabled its survival.

The gray or timber wolf is the most common.  Only in Alaska, Canada and the region around the Great Lakes area is it found today.  It was hunted to extinction in all other areas of the country.  The gray wolf is not always gray.  It may be black, gray, brown, white, or various combinations.

Probably the biggest misconception of wolves is about their size.  They are not nearly as large as most people imagine.  Their thick fur gives an appearance of greater size, but they are usually no taller than a good sized German Shepherd. 

Wolves are very ritualistic – in as many ways as human.  They live by carefully defined rules.  There are specific territories that are sacred.  Their social behavior is based upon a hierarchical structure.  Each has its place an function within the hierarchy.  There is an “alpha” male and an “alpha female.”

Wolves do not fight unnecessarily.  In fact, they will often go out of their way to avoid it.  Though they are extremely strong and powerful, disagreements rarely end in serious fights.  Often a glance, a posture, a growl is all that is necessary to determine dominance.  They don’t have to demonstrate it, but they are capable if it comes down to it.  This is part of what wolf medicine teaches.  The wolf teaches you to know who you are and to develop strength, confidence and surety in that so that you do not have to demonstrate and prove yourself to all.

Wolves have a complex communication system – using body language.  The movement of the head, and erect tail, direct eye contact – all have great meaning.  The postures are often subtle, but each wolf learns from the time they are pups how to read and respond.  The facial expressions of the wolf are varied and useful in conveying the mood to other members of the pack.  It is a most important visual center of communication.  It also uses it tail position to effectively communicate as well.  Usually those with wolf totems are very expressive with hands, posture, face or in some other manner.  If you have difficulty conveying your moods and ideas to other, meditate  and study the wolf.  It will teach you how to empower your verbal communications with appropriate body language.

Wolves also have a complex system of vocal communications.  They howl, whimper, whine, growl, and even bark.  Even the howls for which they are famous have a variety of meanings.  The howls may serve as a signal to call others of the pack or to locate the other members.  They may be a social expression.  They are used to greet one another and to define certain territories.  They even howl just for the joy of it.

Every member of the pack knows its position in relationship to everyone else with that pack.  The ritualistic behaviors that establish the wolf ranks are part of its magic.  Wolf packs are not entirely autocratic– under the supreme rule of the alpha member.  Neither are they democratic.  There are times when both occur, and it is this flexibility which adds to the success of the wolf government.  Wolf can teach the lesson of proper governorship – a balance between authority and democracy.  Wolf can teach you how to use ritual to establish order and harmony within your own life.  Wolf helps us to understand that true freedom requires discipline.

The alpha male and female often mate for life.  Breeding season is usually in late winter, with the female giving birth about two months later.  All members of the pack show great care and affection toward the playful pups.  They are extremely tolerant.  If the mother or father is unable to care for them, then another member will adopt the young.  Some wolves will even serve as babysitters.  Adult wolves are friendly and amiable toward pups, and wolf medicine teaches respect and honor for family and children.

Wolves become sexually mature at about age of 22-24 months.  For those who have a wolf come to them, look for its energies and influence in your life to take this same possible time pattern.

Wolves are, of course, predators.  Their prey consists most often of the sick, the young, and the old.  Deer is their most common prey animal.  Wolves will not waste much time on a healthy adult moose that stands its ground.  Wolves travel great distances in their hunting.  They have a stamina and strength that enables them to travel far, and for extended periods.  They have been clocked at 24 to 28 miles per hour.  Although the wolf can’t maintain that speed for any great length of time, it does seem able to trot indefinitely at about five miles per hour.  In winter wolves will use frozen lakes and rivers as travel routes and can travel 15-25 kilometers in a single night.

Wolves usually consume all that they capture, gorging themselves.  For those with wolf totems, this can indicate a need to make use of all that is available to you.  Sometimes wolves show up as a totem to remind us not to waste, as much as to remind us to keep our spirits alive.

 

The wolf has an extreme intelligence.  It goes out of its way to avoid trouble or danger.  Some believe that wolves even use ravens as aerial spotters for possible food sources.  The raven has a connection to the moose in Eskimo lore, and since moose can be a prey of wolves, raven is linked to them as well.  Raven will often follow wolves.  They will fly ahead, land in a tree and wait for he wolves to pass, and then fly on again.  Wolf expert David Mech reported a playful behavior relationship sometimes displayed between wolves and raven.  Raven should also be studied by those with wolf totems.

 

Wolves have extremely keen senses, particularly that of smell.  It is said to be one hundred times greater than that of humans.  The sense of smell endows it with great discrimination, and the sense of smell has often spiritual idealism in metaphysical circles.

 

The wolf also has an excellent hearing sensitivity.  Its hunting depends strongly upon its sense of smell and hearing.  This would be a reminder to those with this totem to listen to their own inner thoughts and words.  The intuition will be strong.  This idea is even further emphasized by the thick coat of fur the wolf has.  Fur and hair have long been symbols of psychic abilities.  The wolf has both an inner coat and an outer, giving it the ability to reflect the archetypal forces associated with psychic insight.

 

The wolf has a capacity for making quick and firm emotional attachments.  Learning to trust your own insights and to secure your attachments accordingly is part of what wolf medicine teaches.  The wolf can help you to hear the inner and guard you from inappropriate actions.  It will guard you as it teaches you – sometimes strongly, sometimes gently – but always with love.  When wolf shows up it is time to breathe new life into your life rituals.  Find a new path, take a new journey, take control of your life.  You are the governor of your life.  You create it and direct it.  Do so with harmony and discipline and then you will know the true spirit of freedom.

 

 

THE MYSTERY OF THE CROW

I love October and the Spirit of Halloween.  So today I’m going to blog about one of the most misunderstood birds, the black and mystical crow.  The crow is also one of my favorite birds.  Personally, I call crows “Watchers,” because they always seem to watch out for what is ahead, and then they warn me to keep an eye open.

Here’s an example.  One day I was on my way to work.  As I pulled onto an onramp that leads to the freeway, I saw a crow sitting on a speed limit sign, right there on the onramp. 

I thought to myself, I know there’s a cop sitting ahead; he’s there every morning.  So what are you trying to tell me crow?

As I pulled onto the freeway, I noticed the cop wasn’t sitting in his usual place, so I began to put the pedal to the metal.  And right at that moment, I thought, look behind you.  And as sure as the sun shines, there he was, a state highway patrolman driving directly behind me.  I gave thanks to the crow right away, because if it wasn’t for the crow, I would have had a speeding ticket for sure.

Here’s another example.  One day I pulled up to an ATM machine to get some cash, and all I heard the entire time I was at the machine was this crow calling out loudly.  I thought this is a sign for sure, because he wouldn’t shut up.

After I collected my money, I pulled out to where I could see what was going on.  And here’s this big boisterous crow shouting at this little bird who was only trying to protect his home.  The crow was within two feet of this little bird.  I yelled at the crow, “Dude, leave that little bird alone.”

The next morning I was standing outside wondering what the crow was trying to tell me, when I seen three crows in the top of a big live oak tree across the street.  It looked like they were nesting there.  Suddenly, the three of them flew north. 

Now I knew what they were saying.  They were warning me that someone back home, up north in was in trouble.

So I called my mom and I asked her if everyone was alright, and she said yes everyone was doing fine.  Still, I knew something bad was going to happen to a loved one.

And about a week or two later, my brother-in-law’s heart stopped beating.  He was sitting in the living room by himself, while my sister was in the kitchen cooking, and their nineteen year old daughter was in her bedroom.  He just stopped breathing; he didn’t have a chance ask for help. 

If it wasn’t for my sister following her intuition, he could have died.  Luckily there were two of them in the house to perform CPR.  It took EMS ten minutes to get to their home; and they still had to zap my brother-in-law to bring him back to life.

What is even more intriguing is that they had a friend who dreamed he had seen the angel of death looking into their living room window.  This was also foretold. 

Afterwards, I understood the crow was trying to tell me, a nest of three; the protector/man of the nest/home.  Like the crow stalking the little bird protecting his home, death had been stalking my brother-in-law.



Crows know that if an owl discovers their nest, the
 night time can become deadly.  Owls are the crow
worse enemy.

We are foretold things for a reason.  I began praying for the angels to watch over my family, when I first realized what the crow was trying to tell me.  And I’m sure my mom was praying at that time as well, because of the phone call I had made to her.  In addition, their friend who had the dream was also praying for my sister’s family, I’m sure.  All of these people praying for protection.  With all of those prayers being said before hand, I’m sure we may have all prevented a disaster.

So you see the crow has been a good friend to me.  They are very intelligent birds; they are not evil.  The crow is a symbol of creation, which fits the Halloween season.  Everyone gets creative with customs and decorations; imaginations run wild.  I just love it!

Happy Halloween!  Make it fun.