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Whenever I decide to begin a post for my Animal Symbolism series, I don’t always know what animal I want to write about, just that I have the urge. And it never fails that the animal wanting an audience makes itself known to me, as if by magic, a day or two or three before I actually sit down to write. So I waited for a sign and later that same day a leaf blew across the grass in such an odd way that it caught my attention. It looked just like a butterfly. “Ah hah,” I thought to myself. “Could this be the one?” To reinforce the message sent by the Animal Gods, I began seeing commercials for butterflies. I even overheard two conversations in passing about them. The coup de gras happened on my way to B&N to write this post. En route to the bookstore, I stopped at Kmart to get a few things and while I waited in line to purchase my goodies, I looked up, and there, sitting in a mason jar was a mechanical butterfly. With a wide grin on my face, I pushed the little black button on the bottom of the jar and watched it...

Sparrows like to frequent my bird feeder often, voraciously eating the seeds like a bird twice its size. It’s a common bird, the Sparrow, and not as pretty as a Cardinal or an Indigo Blue Bunting (my favorite), but like every animal on this planet, each has its gifts to share with us. And don’t let the size of this feisty little brown bird fool you either, for it is a survivor, and according to Animal Symbolist, Ted Andrews*, it symbolizes the awakening and triumph of the common nobility. Sparrow has come to symbolize humanity for me and whenever I see a few of them gathered around my bird feeder, I am reminded of the great changes that are taking place on our lovely blue planet, changes that are cooking nicely in the alchemical cauldron, and will continue to do so at an accelerated rate. Humanity, the common folk, is about to experience a new level of freedom, a freedom that has never been experienced before, except by a few Mystics. The natives are restless. Just read the news and you’ll notice that something big is brewing. I believe that people are starting to awaken to their own power and their own inherent...

Below is a dream that I had, full of symbolism, and a great example of how powerful dreams can be. At the end of the dream, I will show you how I interpreted it, and how I uncovered the hidden messages. First, let me give you some background on my life during the time that this dream took place. I had left my full-time job as a graphic designer to pursue my dream of being an artist. I had planned to support my creative endeavors by continuing to do graphic design on a freelance basis. But at the time, I was struggling with my lack of self-confidence. Could I really live my dream, and how was I going to do it? What if I failed? The lack of success in my life, especially in my career, has plagued me all of my life. I have often felt like I was forever climbing up the same mountain, only to slide back down again, and never being allowed to reach the summit. Then I had this dream… THE FARMER An ex co-worker and I are on bicycles, trying to cross a road. She is yelling at me because I am hesitating, but my timing is...

[caption id="attachment_1996" align="alignleft" width="300"] Bald Eagle[/caption] While kayaking on the Delaware River one summer I watched a Bald Eagle fly overhead, knowing instantly that a Spiritual Test was coming my way. Unbeknownst to me, I was about to go through some major relationship tests. Eagle was my symbol for an initiation into these tests and it started in earnest that summer. I had some major Fox lessons to learn. My homework turned into honing my skills in discrimination as I entered the world of online dating and relationships. Eagle flies so close to the sun, that as a child I often wondered if her giant wings could actually touch the orange ball of fire. During meditations I sometimes fly on the back of this magnificent bird of prey, and gaze at the Earth below with a sense freedom that stays with me long after the meditation. This majestic, proud and lofty raptor deserves great honor, since it is the symbol for Divinity. The Indians of both Americas believe that Eagle is the symbol for the Great Spirit. True Shamans will often dream of where to find the body of an Eagle so that its feathers can be used. Eagle feathers are very sacred...

One morning I walked into my office at work and found a stick leaning against my desk. It was a beauty and approximately 6 feet in length. It also had bite marks from a Beaver all over it. A friend and coworker had given it to me as a gift. I call it my Beaver Stick now, and feel a little like Gandalf, from The Lord of the Rings trilogy, walking through a mystical forest whenever I use it for my hikes. The significance of Beaver did not escape me. In fact, it just drove home the message I needed to hear at the time. DO NOT GIVE UP YOUR DREAM. Beaver is a great builder. Just look at all of those dams. Busy beavers, yes they are, and all you have to do is watch them work in nature to see how true this is. I knew I had to get busy with building my dream of writing, illustrating and publishing a book. No small feat, but with Beaver around, I knew that I had a superb ally by my side. I felt assured that I would accomplish my goals no matter what difficulties lay ahead. Below is a narrative on the Beaver,...

Owl is a lifelong animal totem of mine. She sits on my left side, the feminine and the intuitive side. I am very comfortable with Owl medicine, but some people are not. Owl can literally see in the dark and metaphorically speaking it can see in the dark, the kinds of places where people hide things, like the truth for instance. Owl cannot be fooled, for it sees through deception, lies and whatever else may be hidden from you. Owl has wisdom because it can see what others cannot. Owl is also the medicine of witches and sorcerers, of both black and white magic. I do not condone or practice black magic; never did and never will for I do not believe that stealing energy from another will improve my life, but will in fact create just the opposite. The Night Eagle (Owl) has visited me on quite a few occasions (I will share more tales in future posts), and for the most part she appeared as a reminder to use my intuition to perceive the truth in some situation. Owl has been a great teacher and friend to me and I am forever grateful for her timely guidance. Most recently, Owl appeared...

As I stood in line at the post office, waiting to get my package off to its destination, a tiny spider floated on a an even tinier thread in front of me. Delighted to see an old friend, I watched the spider as it was gently tossed around by the warm air currents coming through the heating vent in the ceiling above me. Hmmm, I thought, as I left the post office, seems Spider wants my attention. But I forgot all about her until later that night, as I sat down to dinner at a Mexican Restaurant and twisted the cap off my Snapple. The inside of the cap said, “A Spider’s silk is stronger than steel.” So what does Spider want with me? The main message of Spider was telling me to Create! We are ALL Creators, and as such, it’s our responsibility to manage our energy, which is to say, mind your thoughts and emotions for they are the very things that are creating your world, life, and happiness or unhappiness. Spider has eight legs which is very significant, because eight is the number of manifestation, creation and power. Spider also weaves a web. This web is similar to the...

Here kitty, kitty. Big kitty. Nice kitty. Well, sometimes he’s nice, but at other times this kitty can roar. Mountain Lion is a symbol for leadership and is not an easy totem animal to have. I should know. It is one of mine. He sits on my right side and reminds me about the true nature of leadership. I also believe that Mountain Lion is a symbol for the right use of power. This cat can put you in the unenviable place of being a target for the issues of others, and you could become the perfect reason for their troubles and lack of self-confidence. Mountain Lion will give you tests in the use and abuse of power if you are in a position of leadership or have influence over others. The best way to handle these tests is to create a balance of power by using clear intention coupled with right action. Mountain Lion could also be telling you to believe in yourself, dream or purpose and let your heart lead the way. Being a leader sometimes means that there will be followers, which may involve more tests in leadership. You could also be seen as a Queen or King and...

I love the sound of the Cicada. It’s the sound of summer; the sun, heat and humidity accompanied by the explosion of plant growth. I found one the other day while walking through my apartment complex. It was on the ground, and dead of course, probably killed by a Cicada Killer (big nasty hornet). Cicada is a great omen and I was thrilled to get it. It means that my energy has shifted to a more positive vibration (everything in the Universe vibrates at a specific frequency). I have recently reconnected with some old friends and it’s been a wonderful experience. The appearance of Cicada can indicate a happy time with old friends and renewing old ties. And this has certainly been the case for me. When Cicada shows up in your life, a gift or opportunity that could surprise you is coming your way. It will bring you much joy. Also, we will tend to attract the opposite sex (or same sex if you are gay) much more easily. There will be more offers and invitations that could come out of the blue. Sometimes Cicada reminds us of the need for change. Perhaps we are stuck in the past and reliving old...

I love to fall asleep in the arms of a cricket song. The sweet sound slips through my open window on a velvety night breeze and then carries me on a magic carpet into the dream world, my favorite place to be. Cricket made its appearance to me in the film, Pinocchio, in the guise of Jiminy Cricket, the lovable character and conscience of Pinocchio. I didn’t realize that cricket had a message for me until the next day, and seeing it was a sign. As I watched the movie, Pinocchio, in my living room that night, one of my favorite scenes opened on the TV screen — the Blue Faery that comes into Geppetto’s bedroom to give Pinocchio life. The song, "When You Wish Upon a Star,” began to play and I started singing along with it, and right at that moment a tiny flash of brilliant blue light appeared in my left eye. I had been getting this “flash of light” for about 12 years now, but when it first started happening I thought that my retina was detaching, or worse. I got a check up with a clean bill of health, but I was still left wondering what could be...

Late one afternoon, I drove a friend and myself to a favorite park by the Delaware River to hang out and enjoy the sunset. We brought our cameras along and took shots of the surrounding area not expecting to have a visitor. Mr. Hawk arrived just as we were getting ready to leave. He landed on a fence and allowed us to get within ten yards of him, which gave us an unlooked for opportunity to get some close up shots of this dapper fellow. With silent grins on our faces we zoomed our lenses and clicked madly away! Hawk is a Messenger and to see one means that a message is coming your way. Being ‘hawk eyed’ means to be aware of what’s going on around you. That is the true essence of Hawk. It’s important to notice the signs, symbols and synchronicities that are appearing in your life for they are trying to tell you something. The message can come in the form of a dream, person, T.V., book, thought or feeling. When Hawk shows up its time to pay attention. This magnificent bird has shown up in my life on many occasions. Some messages were easy to figure out...

I have several Spirit Guides and one of them I call Two Feathers. He’s male, Native American, and somewhere in his early thirties. He first came to me in a dream when I was going through an amazing transformational period in my life, which upon reflection was relentless and painful as well as enlightening. The entire process was akin to forging steel into a blade. Imagine being thrown into the fire, then pounded with a hammer, and doused with water, only to have it repeated over and over again. It makes a beautiful sword, this gleaming blade of steel, but to achieve this type of transformation much work must be done. Needless to say, I don’t wish to repeat it! In the dream I was walking down a long hallway wearing Two Feather’s clothes; moccasins, long leather pants and shirt made of deerskin, as well as many necklaces and medicine bags that bounced across my chest as I walked. But what was different was the way that I felt. Never in my life did I feel as confident in myself as I did in that dream. I also understood what it was like to be Two Feathers. He was showing me how to...

What does it mean when a Great Blue Heron (GBH) shows up in your life?  Well that all depends on how it shows up and when. For a period of time it was appearing in my dreams and waking life in strange ways. And whenever I see it flying overhead these days, I thank it for reminding me to stay on my unique Path. Whenever an animal makes itself known in my dreams, conversation, TV, articles, real life, thoughts or daydreaming, especially if I see it several times, I know that it is trying to get a message to me. Each animal has its own unique talents and abilities that help it to survive in the world. We humans can learn a lot from them by observing how they live, adapt and thrive, and then apply the same abilities to our own lives. The appearance of GBH indicates that it is time to assert our own authority and to follow our own unique path in life. We need to listen to the inner calling of our hearts and not the ideas of others. There may also be a great opportunity coming our way and to grab it quickly when it comes. The GBH...

The first time I encountered Fox was in the Pocono’s for a weekend trip of camping and hiking back in 2003. At the time I was searching for my biological father and using the Genealogy sites offered on the web to try and track him down. I had contacted a few promising names and hoped for a response. When I got home an email was waiting for me. It was from my half brother, and he said in the letter that he believed we were related. It later turned out to be true and Fox lesson number one had been administered. What did I learn, you ask? I believe that in this case Fox was teaching me to use its skill in cunning and the prize was my father. Fox has been with me ever since and I believe it is a power animal of mine. Sometimes he lies dormant for quite awhile, and when I think, “Yep, he’s gone now,” he shows up again. Lately he’s been very active and sniffing around my hen house more than unusual. Power animals arrive when you need them and depart when the learning/helping is done. Totem animals are different because they are with you...