Power Animals

Power Animals

The concept of a Power Animal is universal to all cultures. Tribal cultures will recognize a Totem for the tribe, one for the clan one belongs to, and one for the family that one is born into. In the United States, and in other countries, the Tribal and Clan Totem still exists, although it is thought of in a slightly different manner.

There are also totems for our adopted cultures, such as clubs or societies which we may belong to, such as the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, the Loyal Order of Moose, and the Lions Club.

Even Christianity, the prevalent religion of this country, has maintained two Totem animals, these being the Fish and the Lamb. Specialized Totems are also seen in organized sports, their names being reflected in the team names. Example: Chicago Bulls, Atlanta Falcons

The next type of Power Animal or Totem is that which is personal for the individual. These Totems are protective spirits which help us in our everyday life. Everyone has such a Totem. Even today most parents give a special protective Power Animal to their children and tell the child that it will be protected over night by that Power Animal. 

We often unconsciously recognize the Power Animal affecting someone, and use terms which give away our unconscious recognition.

The first item of business is to learn your power animal. It may entail learning deep inner relaxation so your spirit self can speak to you, and then while in that peace-filled state you can  discover your Power Animal. That knowledge is necessary in order to start the long process of learning.

Power Animals are usually a reflection of your deepest self and also represent qualities which you need in this world, but which are often hidden or obscured. A mistake that people often make is to be dissatisfied when they find that their Power Animal is some non-ferocious animal like a mouse.

We tend to think that a mouse is not very powerful - that it is meek and afraid. What they forget is that spirits are not limited to physical reality and that size is irrelevant. Your Power Animal may be a tiny mouse, but in times of need this mouse can and will change its size and deportment to that which is appropriate to the occasion.

There is nothing weak of meek about a 500-foot tall mouse! Your personal Power Animal (as opposed to your family, clan, or tribal spirit) may change several times in your lifetime, depending upon your specific needs. If you are dispirited, your animal is far away from you and needs to be brought back, or a replacement found.

When you make your first exploratory journey you are likely to encounter spirits which may represent themselves as being your Totem or Power Animal. If you are already aware of your spirit that spirit may greet you and give you additional power.

All of creation has positive and negative energy. It is the individual who chooses to use that energy wisely or selfishly. Any animal spirit may be your Power Animal. Your Power Animal may also be a considered by some to be a mythical animal, such as a unicorn or Pheonix.

                                     Meeting Your Power Animal

We all have power animals - spirit animals - that are connected to us as protectors.

Many power animals are our spirit guardians that exist in other realms.

Some animals were with us from past lives but may have been another physical form. Example: We might have had a wolf or other wild animal as a friend or protector. In this timeline the animal incarnates as a dog.

Time to find your power animal.

Find or quiet place or just relax at your computer. . .

Relax your mind . . .

Feel the muscles in your body relaxing . . . your head . . . your shoulders . . . your neck . . . your jaw . . . the torso of your body . . . your arms . . .

Close your eyes . . .

Take 2 long slow deep breaths . . . breathing in through your nose . . . holding the breath as is comfortable for you . . . exhaling slowly through your mouth . .

Still your thoughts.

You are going to watch the screen just behind your eyes . . .

You may see a pretty color . . . or shape . . . coming into view . . .

Telepathically ask your power animal to show itself to you on the screen in your mind.

Be patient! Your third eye (pineal gland) must open before you can see images.

Soon the image of an animal will appear.

It may - or may not - be the animal you are expecting - so have no expectations.

The image may come all at once or appear to move towards you.

You may see the front view of the animal or see it at another angle.

The animal may not be your favorite animal!

Just allow the image to manifest before you!

Once you see the animal - watch it carefully to see what it does.

Listen with your thoughts to get a telepathic message from the animal.

It may seem funny to get a message in a human language - from an animal - but it can happen.

Your animal may appear in a scene that is significant for you.

Focus as best you can . . .

Note the colors around the animal - colors have significance.

When the image fades . . . slowly open your eyes and write - or draw what you have seen.

You may see more than one animal.

You may see an animal that seems mythological vs. animals in our reality.

You may find that another day brings a different animal with a different message.

The material above was taken fromthe site CrystalLinks and may be read in it's entirety there.I have individualized many aspects to apply for Native belief system as I have been taught  and not for other faiths or beliefs that may also use relaxation techniques and mental imagery.

CheyFire

Old Sayings Say it All

Remember when you do anything,

there will be someone that will find fault,

no matter what it is you do or what road you walk.

 

The pleasure of an unhappy person, is to find

something wrong in others to salve his own

discontent.

 

CheyFire

Poem: Gentle Butterfly

Gentle butterfly

     A poem written that speaks of the delicate butterfly, but it is the gentle Native spirit that it speaks of silently.

a gentle butterfly
lies upon the ground
where strength once walked on
Mother Earth for faith was there.

the breeze to carry
her is no more a mighty 
wind bringing solace, healing.

beating softly,
beneath the clouds,
she beats her last
and her wings fold in death.

and the heavens open
to weep for her
for, in truth,
her soul is broken.

Cheyenne

CheyFire

HERBOLOGY

Since the dawn of creation, plants have been the primary source of medicine for the human race.

Medicinal plants have been mentioned in the Bible, and in historical literature. Plants that are used as medicines have been referred to as "herbs" for over 4000 years by European and the Mediterranean cultures, hence the word "herb", being a derivation of "herbe" and the Latin word, "herba".

Originally, the term "herb" only applied to non-woody plants.

Today, "herb" refers to any part of any plant used for flavoring or medicine. Although the term "herb" can also be equated with food spices, it is generally used in reference to any plant, or any part of a plant, having nutritional and / or medicinal value(s). Additionally, an "herb" may be a fruit, a bark, a flower, a leaf, or a root, as well as anon-woody plant.

There are several types of herbal medicine systems that are used today; European, Native American, Chinese, Ayurvedic, and Western herbalism are the most prevalent systems. Despite differences in terminology and in the herbs used, there is a common thread that joins these systems: all of these systems treat the body as a 'whole', and they each utilize the energy of plants to 'work as needed' in synergy with the natural energy in each individual.

Because there are many different herbal systems, there are also many different ways of classifying herbs. Some systems being used over the years tend to classify herbs by 'plant part'; by humoral theories; by botanical family; by color; or by morphology. One example is the Chinese system, which has a complex classification system based on 'chi', or 'body energy concepts'. This classification scheme is very successful at correlating the human body to proper herb usage, but does not provide for easy substitution of one herb for another.

There are many other ways to classify herbs. Another simple method is to identify five (5) major herbal categories:

Aromatic (volatile oils)

Astringent (tannins)

Bitter (phenol compounds, saponins and alkaloids)

Mucilaginous (polysaccharides)

Nutritive (food stuffs)

This category system makes it easy to identify herbs using 'taste' and 'smell', and becomes useful when needing to substitute herbs for one another.

There are many ways to grow, gather, and harvest herbs. Herbs are considered the "best" by some practitioners when they are naturally grown in the wild, untouched by industrial pollutants. Others prefer herbs that are cultivated indoors, away from all contaminants, in a controlled environment. Some herbalist's recommend gathering only certain herbs (depending on the seasons, the weather, and the time of day) to achieve the highest level of medicinal qualities. And still others may disregard this practice, and will purposefully plant herbs 'out of season' so that they will be available for sale year round.

Many believe that the energy with which the herbs are gathered is also very important, and should always be done with great spiritual awareness and prayerful thankfulness. And others feel that herbs should be handled with reverence and respect.

In addition to growth and gathering techniques, harvesting practices vary as well. Recommendations may include taking the whole plant at once (buds, roots, seeds, leaves and blooms), or taking each part of the plant in a particular order, and only using younger, or older, plants.

There are also several ways to dispense herbs. The most common methods are herbal pastes, juices, decoctions, hot or cold infusions, powders, pills (tablets, capsules), aromatics, tinctures or extracts (alcohol or glycerol bases), liniments, syrups, poultices and fomentations, medicated oils, salves and ointments, lotions, teas, and whole herbs. Each type is good for specific ailments, and often may be used together (i.e. internally and externally for an external wound) to take full advantage of the healing attributes of each.

All these choices, like others, should be integrated with both your personal external needs and your internal ideals for the best possible results. An experienced herbalist can help you decide which system is right for you. Please be aware that herbs are foods. And like any other food, herbs should be taken in moderation. Always follow the manufacturer's directions for use.

In Chinese medicine herbs are associated with the major organs of the body. For example - certain herbs are used to heal lung ailments and the meridians associated with the lungs. The practioner will always provide the patient with 2 herbs. One is called the guiding herb that gets the healing herb to the right spot. The second herb is the healing herb. Much of this is intuitive - as the body will crave the food, tastes, or herbs that it needs.

In plant spirit medicine the practioner not only administers the healing herb but he has a relationship with the Spirit of the healing plant. He can actually communicate with the spirit of a powerful healing plant to heal the patient. This can be done as a remote healing - with patient and practioner in two different parts of the country. In this case the spirit goes to the patient. According to author and shaman, Eliot Cowan - Plant Spirit Medicine -

"Some people find it difficult to accept the concept of plants communicating with earthlings. Such plant communication can be in the form of a plant speaking directly to an individual, or quite often, an individual seeing a plant spirit. For many, such an occurrence would be outside their boundary of reality. He takes the leaves of a plant to make a tea, and then with different forms of meditation, communicates with the plant to produce a healing for the patient. This is accomplished regardless of whether the disease is physical, mental or both. In my opinion, this in itself would certainly be worth writing about.

"After introductions, the healer asks the plant spirit to teach the Shaman how to use this plant. The teaching comes in many forms that may even including a non-verbal transfer of the information. When the transfer is complete, the shaman then returns to a normal state of consciousness and immediately starts to record the entire experience. Next there follows an interpretation of the dream and as is generally true for dreams, the dream may or may not be self explanatory. As the author states, "If I can make that relationship with the spirit of the plant, I don't need the leaf or the root with which to heal.... instead, I ask the messenger (the plant) to bring the spirit of whatever plant that person needs. So instead of having or harvesting dozens of plants that I have to take with me, I just have pills or capsules made out of the messenger plant."

This ability to communicate with a messenger plant is revolutionary. Presently the practice of wildcrafting is drawing more and more criticism because it encourages the over harvesting of medicinal plants. I am personally aware of "over harvesting" as I witness the identical situation occurring with the medicinal plants of ginseng, and especially goldenseal. Under present circumstances, goldenseal is even now at the point of being an endangered species.

This wonderful ability to communicate with a messenger plant, which in turn eliminates the need of harvesting unnecessary plants, puts Eliot Cowan in a special place in the realm of plant spirit healing. This is an arena which even Cowan admits, "we don't control the spirit or even understand it. Humility is the way."

source for this information:

Crystalinks Metaphysical and Science Website

CheyFire