SACRED ANIMAL MYTHS

 Black Panther's medicine allows human beings to face their fears and dark behaviors, exploring those internal shadowy aspects of being. Most of Panther's tribe had been stalked and killed by the other two-leggeds, who had come across the big water and who feared their own dark natures. Those people were in need of her healing medicine. The Caddo people called her clan the Black Panther, and her tribe was known as the Midnight or Black Jaguar to the Maya. The color black is honored by the red race. Darkness is the place for seeking and finding answers, for accepting healings and for accessing the hidden light of truth. Black Panther teaches us through out dreams to delve into the places within ourselves that need healing. She shows us how to track the unfamiliar territory found on hte journey of self-discovery and to fearlessly face the unknown. If the Black Panther has appeared today, it may be telling you not to worry about the future. Trust that you are not supposed ...

  The powerful gift of Alligator medicine is to fully appreciate and integrate all that life offers. Gator shows us the value of thoroughly digesting both the pleasures and pains of life. In many ways, Alligator's medicine is reflected in its behavior. When Gator rolls under the water with its prey, its message is to roll with the punches when being attacked by life's circumstances. Carefully storing its prey under a log until the meat is tender teaches us about patience and proper timing. Choosing to laugh when tangled in your own seriousness can immediately diffuse the strangle hold of anger and judgments, self importance and inflexibility. Once your rigidity is removed, you are free to again integrate the present set of circumstances, finding what you may have formerly overlooked. Then you can learn Gator's lessons on how to digest the value of any life lesson. Gator medicine people refrain from passing judgment until they have examined all the facts and seen a...

  Salmon is the sacred keeper of wisdom and inner knowing who, despite strong river currents, will always return to the place of its creation. Its determination is driven by the wisdom of instinct and inner knowing, which yields a sense of purpose that cannot be thwarted by external forces. Coming full circle, Salmon medicine people finish what they begin, bringing life's events and cycles to closure. Salmon medicine honors every encounter in life as a gathering of wisdom. It teaches that even when the flow of life seems to push you back, you can tap the hidden resources of your human spirit and personal inner knowing. The journey may not be an easy one, and the currents of public opinion may not be in your favor, but you can choose to honor the wisdom you carry and instinctively do what is right. If Salmon swam into your cards today, it may be telling you to trust your gut feeling and inner knowing at this time. Avoid the influence of those who may have hidden agendas or w...

  Raccoon carries the medicine of the protector of the underdog and provider for the youg, infirm, and elderly. Often called "little bandit" by southern tribes, this Robin Hood of the animal kingdom teaches us about generosity and caring for others. When Raccoon comes your way, you are being asked to contact your inner warrior, to become a protector and generous provider for those in need. Raccoon medicine people have the uncanny ability to assist others without allowing them to become victims or dependents. Like the tribal chiefs of old, Raccoon tends to the needs of the tribe before taking anything for itself. A troupe of Raccoons scouting for food is often a hilarious exercise in generosity. After rolling in teh cornmeal or flour, they finally settle on their favorite morsels, giving the best tidbits to their lookout. Racccoons leave a watcher behind when raiding a campsite or mountain cabin, usually the dominant male. He is always fed first byt he other raiders to hon...

  Heron medicine is the power of knowing the self by discovering the gifts and facing its challenges. It is the ability to accept all feelings and opinions without denying any emotion or thought. Heron flies over those who are unaware of who they are and where they belong in the world. Gently dropping a blue feather to them, Heron asks that they follow their intuition and begin the empowering journey of self-realization.  If the great Blue Heron has flown into your cards today, it is urging you to dive into the watery world of feelings to seek your truth. Heron teaches you to develop your self-reflective skills so that you may come to know yourself in an intimate way. Looking at yourself through the filmy lens of self-importance, the cloudy perceptions of low self-worth, or the myopic eyes of self-pity, you will never understand your true potential or appreciate the opportunities that appear.  Heron asks that you examine yourself with a cold eye to see what you wish t...

  Hummingbird is associated with the Ghost Shirt religion, which taught that a certain dance done properly would bring about the return of the animals, and that white people would disappear. Once again the Original People would know the joy of the old ways. In Mayan teachings, Hummingbird can give us the medicine to solve the riddle of the contradiction of duality.  The song of Hummingbird awakens the medicine flowers. Hummer sings a vibration of pure joy. flowers love Hummingbird because nectar-sucking brings about the reproduction of their families. Plants flower and live because of Hummingbird.  Hummingbird can fly in any direction -- up, down, backward, and forward. Hummingbird can also hover in one spot and appear to be motionless. Great Spirit created Hummingbird to be slightly different from other feathered creatures.  Because of their magical qualities, Hummingbird feathers have been used for a millennium in the making of love charms. It is said that Hu...

  Spider wove the web that brought humans the first picture of the alphabet. The letters were part of the angles of her web. Spider's body is made like the number eight, consisting of two lobe-like parts connected at the waist, and eight lets. Spider is the symbol for the infinite possibilities of creation. her eight legs represent the four winds of change and the four directions on the medicine wheel. Spider weaves the webs of fate for those who get caught in her web and become her dinner. This is similar to humans who get caught in the web of illusion in the physical world, and never see beyond the horizon into the other dimensions. The web of fate also represents a wheel of life, which does not include any alternatives or solutions. It is typically human to get caught in the polarity of good or bad fortune without realizing that we can change it at any time. If we are not decisive enough about changing our lots in life, we may end up being consumed by our fears and limitat...

  Bat embraces the idea of shamanistic death. The ritual death of the healer is steeped in secrets and highly involved initiation rites. Shaman death is the symbolic death of the initiate to the old ways of the life and personal identity. The initiation that brings the right to heal and to be called shaman is necessarily preceded by ritual death.  Most of these rituals are brutally hard on the body, mind and spirit. In light of today's standards, it can be very difficult to find a person who can take the abuse and come through it with their balance intact.  The basic idea of ancient initiations was to break down all the former notions of "self" that were held b the shaman-to-be. This could entail brutal tests of physical strength and psychic ability, and having every emotional"button" pushed hard. Taunting and spitting on the initiate was common, and taught him or her to endure the duress with humility and fortitude. The final initiation step was to be burie...

Whale is very much like a swimming library. Whale carries the history of Mother Earth and is said to have been placed here by the Ancients from the Dog Star, aSirius . Biologists say that Whale is a mammal, and very possibly lived oan land millions of years ago. In tribal legend, Whale's move into the ocean happened when the Earth shifted and Lemuria, the Motherland, went below the waves.   All of our petroglyphs speak of the Motherland, Mu, and the disaster that brought the red race to North America from the West, beyond the great waters. The symbols in the petroglyphs speak of the rivers and mountains crossed by our ancestors when they sought solid ground as the water receded.   Whale saw the events that led to the settling of Turtle Island (North America) and has kept the records and knowledge of the Motherland alive. It is said that Mu will rise again when the fire comes from the sky and lands in another ocean on Mother Earth. The Native medicine people are wai...

Frog sings the songs that bring the rain and make the road dirt more bearable. Frog medicine is akin to water energy,and the East on the medicine wheel. Frog teaches us to honor our tears, for they cleanse the soul. All water rites belong to Frog, including all initiations by water.   Water prepares and cleanses the body for sacred ceremony. It is the element we understand best in the womb. Frog like ourselves, is a pollywog in the fetal waters, and only learns to hop after it experiences the world of fluidity.  The transformation into adulthood prepares Frog for its power to call in the waters of the skies: The rain. In knowing the element of water, Frog can sing the song that calls the rain to Earth. When the ponds are dry, Frog calls upon the Thunder Beings to cleanse and replenish the Earth with water. Like Frog, we are asked to know when it is time to refresh, purify and refill the coffers of the soul.  If Frog hopped into the cards you chose today, the "ri...