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I will never forget the day
that a friend of mine asked if I would like to have my animal medicine read.
I snickered at her, thinking this was one of those palm reading sessions, but
when I looked into her eyes, I knew she was dead serious about what she had asked
and I felt that she was honoring me with her request, so I said "sure".
We made plans to get up before dawn and go up into the Jemez Mountains near a small
stream she knew about for the ceremony.Thus my journey began... It is early summer
in the year 1990, Cheryl and I are on our way to the mountains, it is still dark outside, but
the air promises a clear beautiful day ahead. We spent our time talking about small things on our way there.
Once we arrive at the place Cheryl has chosen, we build a small fire, and sit in silence as
we await the rising of the sun.
As the first rays of the sun pop up over the mountain and down through the trees, Cheryl asks
me to clear my mind of, any and all, thoughts but those of the nature around me. She asks me to
pray to the one I call God, the creator, the Great Spirit, that he will show me my
"teachers"...the ones that have walked and/or will walk with me through life.
I prayed very deeply, asking God "Please help me understand what Cheryl is trying to show me." As I prayed, I heard her begin
to read from a book she had brought with her. "To understand the concept of medicine in the Native American way,
one must redefine "medicine." The medicine referred to here is anything that improves one's connection to the
Great Mystery and to all life. This would include the healing of body, mind, and of spirit. This medicine is also
anything which brings personal power, strength, and understanding. It is the constant living of life in a way
that brings healing to the Earth Mother and to all of our associates, family, friends, and fellow creatures.
Native American medicine is an all encompassing "way of life," for it involves walking on the Earth Mother
in perfect harmony with the Universe..."
"When you call upon the power of an animal, you are asking to be drawn into complete harmony with the strength
of that creature's essence. Gaining understanding from these brothers aand sisters of the animal kingdom
is a healing process, and must be approached with humility and intuitiveness. Certain aspects of the lessons
given by these brothers and sisters have been chosen to reflect the lessons each spirit needs to learn on the
Good Red Road. these are the lessons of being human, being vulnerable, and seeking wholeness with all that is...."
I suddenly feel frozen in time, unable to move, just listening to the words Cheryl is reading to me. When finally she
finishes and hands me a stack of large cards. Cheryl is telling me not to look at them; instead I am to feel them, one
by one, until I feel a connection with one of these cards. "I don't understand what she is asking of me," my heart cries out!
So there I sit, seemingly forever, until I DO feel something...so I hand her that card. Cheryl places the card on the blanket
to the left of me. This same event continues until I have handed her nine cards. Cheryl tells me to open my eyes, and there in
front of me, from left to right in a fan-shape fashion, are the nine cards I have chosen.
I ask, "What now?" Cheryl says, "We
have a cup of coffee and relax for a while."
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***NOTE: How to best manuver through the totem animals: There are a couple of ways to did this. 1) If you are really in the mood to read, start at the top with the first one. On each of the animal pages is a "next" button that will continue you on your journey to the next then the next, and so on. Clicking on the "back" button will bring you back to here. 2)There will also be a button that says "home", that will take you to the site directory. From there you can choose to see any of the number of pages within this site. Don't forget to sign the guestbook, I truly do want to know what you liked or disliked about this site. Thank you.
EAST ANIMAL: "Horse" (Power)
SOUTH ANIMAL: "Turkey" (Give Away)
WEST ANIMAL: "Weasel" (Stealth)
NORTH ANIMAL: "Deer" (Gentleness)
ANIMAL FROM ABOVE: "Dog" (Loyalty)
ANIMAL FROM BELOW: "Fox" (Camouflage)
ANIMAL FROM WITHIN: "Dolphin" (Manna)
RIGHT SIDE ANIMAL (Male): "Mountain Lion" (Leadership)
LEFT SIDE ANIMAL (Female): "Snake" (Transmutation)
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