Elk People

Happy birthday to those of you who were born under the Earth Astrology sign of Elk (Sagittarius sun sign).  Within Sun Bear’s Earth Astrology, each of us are born with a birth sitting place animal totem.  This is just one animal from a wheel of eight animal totems that guide and teach us throughout our lives.

The birth sitting place animal totem sits in the south of this wheel and teaches us how to be in balance and write a life story of power.  Each of the twelve totem animals do this differently.  Elk are guardians of the gateways into the unknown (the nagual or spirit world), and as such, their ‘medicine’ awakens the unconscious and helps to bring us from fantasy into the light of knowledge.  Elk teach us to hear the lightning and see the thunder.  Also known as a master of rules and laws, Elk guide us to resolve our karma circles.

The compliment totem animal of the Elk is the Deer, who sits in the North of the wheel.  All compliment totem animals provide an opposite reflection and helps you coordinate how to actualize your intent.  The Deer, who is the compliment of Elk, does this by teaching us magick, magickal law and alchemy.  Deer also teach natural law and the power of swiftness.  The more we are aligned with nature , the worlds, the elements, and powers, the easier it is for us to accomplish magick in our lives and become awake as we walk towards enlightenment.

The Clan animal identifies which animal clan you belong to and guides you to see your greatest weakness as a strength and your greatest strength as a weakness. Its focus is your physical mastery and sits in the West of your wheel.  For the Elk, their Clan animal is the Thunderbird, who is the bringer of thunder, lightning and rain, the awakener of the voice of our Hokkshideh (higher self), and keeper of memory. The Thunderbird is the over-soul of all winged ones and thus is able to communicate with all the winged ones. It teaches mastery of elemental alchemy.  The astrology signs that have Thunderbird as their Clan Animal are Elk (Sagittarius), Red Hawk (Aries), and Sturgeon (Leo).

And in the east sits the Spirit Guide who guides your spiritual self-growth and development. The Grizzly Bear guides this development for the Elk through its ability to teach us to know ourselves through introspection of the dream and teaches us to sleep dream and actualize our reality.  A great dream interpreter, the Grizzly Bear teaches us how to survive turmoil and trauma, how to protect our home, loved ones and possessions. S/he teaches us to stand and walk tall, how not to give power away to tyrants, and how to pace our physical body.  The astrology signs that have Grizzly Bear as a Spirit Keeper are Raven (Libra), Snake (Scorpio), and Elk, (Sagittarius).

These four animal totems, sitting in the cardinal direction of this wheel, stabilize the energy.  The next four totem animals, who sit in the non-cardinal directions, move the energy.

The Southeast animal provides insight into your self-concepts and how you see the world while reflecting a proper attitude and approach to life.  Within the Elk’s wheel, it is the Raven who provides this through their knowledge of Sacred, Magickal, and Natural Law.  Ravens are incredibly clever, work through problems to find solution, and are always on the lookout for the shiny bits.  They also have the ability to eat many things that other animals would not go near and transform it into nutrients.

If you are looking for guidance about the symbols within your dream, look to the animal who sits in the Southwest of your wheel.  In the case of the Elk, Red Hawk does this brilliantly.  Red Hawk is the communicator and interpreter of language that helps us to hear the inner dialogue between our higher and lower selves.  Red Hawk also teaches us to see our own circle (that is, our patterns) both from nearby and far away, giving us a different perspective on what is reality.

The Northwest totem animal helps us know Sacred Law and our own Sacred Image (our true nature or authentic self).  This animal helps us to discern the patterns that are working and are good to keep and the timing to change the patterns that no longer work.  The Sturgeon, the oldest of all living clean water fish, known as the Keeper of Old Age, guides us to cleanse the depths of our emotional waters.  It is only through being able to see the patterns through clear, clean waters that we can acknowledge what patterns are working and what patterns need to die.

And, the final totem animal, sitting in the Northeast, teaches you how to relax and focus while assisting you to design and choreograph your life.  The wonderfully playful otter accomplishes this by teaching us how to play in our child shield and give with our heart.  The Otter also cleanses and purifies the sacred waters, that is, all emotional states of humans.

If you are born under the sign of the Elk or know an Elk or two, take a moment and add your knowledge of how each of these animals guide you or the one you know.

For your listening pleasure, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSpGd9p17n0

 

 

Wheel of Animal Allies

Each Earth Astrology sign has its own wheel of seven other animal guides that make up their Wheel of Allies.  So far, we have met four of them.  Your birth totem animal sits in the south of the wheel and teaches us how to be in balance and write a life story of power.  In the north sits the compliment to your birth totem, which provides an opposite reflection and helps you coordinate how to actualize your intent.  Your Clan Animal sits in the west and tells you which element you most easily relate to and have responsibility for.  It also guides you to see your weaknesses as strengths.  In the east lives your Spirit Keeper, the animal who are the guardians of your spirit and guide your self-growth and development.  These four animal totems in the cardinal directions of your wheel hold or stabilize the energy.

The remaining four animals sit in the non-cardinal directions and deal specifically with the way you run your patterns on the Wheel of Life.  Since the non-cardinals of any wheel keep energy moving, these allies carry the medicine in those directions that will keep you out of pattern, out of the dark side favored by the “one who will not see”, your Shideh.

The animal who sits in the Southeast provides insight into your self-concepts and how you see the world while reflecting a proper attitude and approach to life.  The Southwest animal guides the symbols within your dream, both sleeping and waking.  This animal also teaches you about space and distance, when to approach, when to retract.  The Northwest animal helps you to know Sacred Law and your Sacred Image.  It helps you to discern the patterns that are working and are good to keep and the timing to change the patterns that no longer work.  And the animal ally in the Northeast assists in how you design and choreograph your life, teaching you how to relax and focus.

Over the next twelve days, we will explore the Wheel of Animal Allies of each Earth Astrology sign.

 

If you would like to learn more about Earth Astrology, visit the DTMMS bookstore or the Sweet Medicine Shoppe

Happy Birthday Snake People!

Happy birthday to the Snake! For those not familiar with SunBear’s Earth Astrology, those born from October 24 to November 21 have the Snake as their birth animal totem, which corresponds to the sun sign of Scorpio.

We can learn so much about our natural selves from the animal world, including how to be more efficient and balanced with our everyday energy.

Snakes are very adaptable to their environment, sometimes changing their color to blend more closely with landscape. They are highly sensitive to touch and vibrations. Snake is also the keeper of alignment with Grandfather Sun as it sheds its skin yearly.  Snake totem people are also highly adaptable and able to shed their old skin of thoughts, perceptions and philosophies when it’s time to transform into a new phase of life. Change may not come easily to a snake person, but when it does, it’s usually a permanent one.

Snake, especially the rattlesnake, is the teacher of the nagual (spiritual) enemies of fear and death.  Calling on the medicine of the Snake can assist the movement through fear and the many deaths that occur in life as a part of change and transformation.

Snake is also the protector of all the teacher plants and the healing herbs, and holds the secrets of spiritual sexuality, of Quodoushka. Snake totem people, contrary to a snake’s cold blood, can be highly sexual beings. Snake, along with the raven and crow, is a teacher of the Twenty Count, in that the sigils of the Twenty Count and the four Worlds are carried on its back. Along with communicating telepathically with other animals, snake is the protector of women’s lodges, and warns when you are out of alignment with the plant and mineral world.

Did you know that, throughout the world, there are approximately 2500 species of snake!  Living snakes are found on every continent except Antarctica, and on most smaller land masses; exceptions include some large islands, such as Ireland, Iceland, Greenland, the Hawaiian archipelago, and the islands of New Zealand.  Most species are nonvenomous and those that have venom use it primarily to kill and subdue prey rather than for self-defense.

What do you think? Where can you add a little snake medicine to your life?

If you are interested in being on our mailing list, please go to DTMMS and register.

Animals as Teachers

Animals are powerful teachers and have much to offer us because they possess natural balance, harmony, and alignment.  They do not have doubt, blame, shame, insecurity, and all the other blocks we experience.  A wolf does not worry because it is not an eagle.  A fox does not experience jealousy because another fox is bigger and has longer, shinier fur.  They don’t yearn to be something else.  The animal simply knows what it is and instinctively knows its purpose.  Animals teach us to accept ourselves for who we are because they are so in alignment with who they are.

One way to align with and communicate with the animal world is to go to your local zoo.  Spend time with an animal that you are attracted to, particularly one of your own totem animals, for they are the key to your own unique naturalness.  Do not stare into their eyes, as that is a signal of aggression or danger; rather, gaze at them indirectly or with soft focus.  Send your energy and your communication softly, with respect and honor.  Ask that animal to receive the energy and send its energy back.  They communicate in images, so see what you get.  Observe the animal in its catness, its deerness, its rabbitness, its crowness, its wolfness.  What makes it what it is?  If the opportunity presents itself, imitate the body movements, mannerisms, and sounds of the animal, just as you did with the trees.  What does it feel like, look like, act like in your own body to be a jaguar, a bear, an eagle?

Over time, you will want to get to know your own personal totem animals.  We encourage you to explore this arena by reading Sun Bear’s book The Medicine Wheel (New York: Prentice Hall, 1986).  His sacred vision, his Earth wisdom, and the love of Grandmother Earth that Sun Bear shared during his life were instrumental in bringing back the sacred Medicine Wheels and reawakening people’s connection with the Earth Mother.

In their natural habitats, animals maintain harmony and balance.  They exhibit alpha/beta behavior and assert their territorial imperative to maintain that balance.  That same behavior is exhibited by humans as well, since we are still two-legged animals, but we don’t create balance and harmony with our alpha/beta behavior.  More often or not, we dominate and try to take control, thus upsetting the balance in the environment.  When we enter the picture, we destroy the whole balance and suffer immeasurably for it.

Read how Reintroducing Wolves into Yellowstone National Park changed the Ecosystem as an example of this harmony and balance.

Check out the Song of the Deer by Thunder Strikes with Jan Orsi if you would like to learn more.

Animal Medicine Monday – Cougar

Yesterday began the month of the Cougar Earth Astrology animal totem, which corresponds to the sun astrology sign of Pisces.

Cougars are the Keepers of balance and harmony on one’s Path with Heart. They teach us how to have balance in movement and change; how to awaken the aura, increase orende (chi, ki, prana, life force energy) and make death an ally. Cougar helps to design and bring in what’s needed for our Path with Heart. They are a balancer and healer of muscles, bones, joints. A supreme survivalist, Cougar teaches us to stabilize and learn how to do any physical act without injury. They are also the Keeper of choreography. (This also includes all big cats like the puma, panther, and mountain lion.)

Animal Medicine Monday – Otter

We are now in the month of the earth astrology totem of otter, with Aquarius being the complimentary sun sign.  Otter helps us to cleanse and purify our sacred waters, that is, all emotional states, blood, and lymphatic systems of humans.  They teach us how to play in our child shield (our inner little girl for women and inner little boy for men) and give with our heart.  The otter also protects men as they learn to deal with the energy of women’s moon cycles.

If you want to experience the joy of moving through frozen waters, even when frozen, check out the first few minutes of this PBS America show on the Otters of Yellowstone, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_c_JOtZu4Q

Animal Medicine Monday – Coyote

The South Spirit Keeper, who guides your spiritual self-growth and development, in the Wheel of Allies is the Coyote. This gentle trickster teaches you about illusion and tricks you into the light by showing you your dark side with humor. As the south Spirit Keeper, Coyote is a teacher of trust, innocence, humor and love. S/he is also a teacher and protector of children and a master of disguise, camouflage and imagination. When you put on a coyote robe you can “see the world with a different eye”.

Animal Medicine Monday – Snow Goose

Snow Geese – Credit: Cephas, Wikimedia

Snow Goose is the Sweet Medicine animal totem within SunBear’s Earth Astrology that corresponds to the sun sign of Capricorn.

The Snow Goose is the Bringer and Keeper of the earthly, personal and tonal dream, meaning how we live our every day life. Do we have a roof over our head, food in the pantry, gas in the car?  Are our bills paid?  Are our bodies healthy?  They are also the Keeper of mirrors and the masks of self, our Book of Life.  Who do we know ourselves to be?  How do people, events, and relationships mirror our self-concept? Are we aware of when we wear a mask to fit in, conform or belong or as an act of controlled folly?  Snow Goose helps us to translate the screenplay our Higher Self wrote it in our Book of Life, bringing clarity to our awake dreaming.

You might recognize some of Snow Geese’s traits that you relate to… They don’t like to travel without the company of another couple dozen geese and can form flocks of several hundred thousand. Snow Geese stay with the same mate for life. During spring migration, large flocks of snow geese fly very high along narrow corridors, more than 3,000 mi.

Animal Medicine Monday – Elk

Elk, the largest and most regal member of the deer family, are the totem animal corresponding to the sun sign of Sagittarius.

Elk are fast, good jumpers, and considerate.  While traveling in gangs, they take turns making trails in the snow.

Elk are master teachers and healers, as well as the awakener of the unconscious. This keeper of thunder and lightning teaches us to “hear the lightning and see the thunder,” which helps bring us from fantasy into the light of knowledge.  Master of rules and laws; Elk teaches us to resolve our karma circles. They are also the guardians of the gateway into the unknown (the nagual or spirit world) and masters of physical sexuality and orgasm.

If you are interested in being on our mailing list, please go to DTMMS and register.

Animal Medicine Monday – Raven

We are soon to complete the Sun Astrology of Libra for this year…

We would like to share a few tidbits about the animal totem within Sun Bear’s Earth Astrology that coincides with Libra, the Raven.

Ravens are intelligent, group oriented, and love to play.  Some mate for life.  They can ride on the wind like a hawk.  They know the secret of our communication with nature.

The Raven is the keeper of magickal law and teacher of natural law. It dances with civil and social law in such a way as to teach us to see its foolishness. The raven cannot be deceived by religious law. The raven and crow both know the secrets of the Twenty Count, the power of light and our communication with nature. They are the messengers for sorcerers and shamans. They know Sacred Law.

If you would like to learn more about Sacred, Magickal or Natural Law, please visit DTMMS Bookstore.