mamagaea: (Black Eagle)
Hawks are visionaries and messengers. As a totem they help to open the higher chakras so that we may hear and see the visions and messages that Spirit and the Universe are always sending our way. There is never a moment when the Universe is not trying to get a message through to us but we are so often too busy or unaware of what it is we need to be watching for! Hawk helps us to not only be aware that we are receiving a message but how to interpret them. The realm of symbols is also the realm of Hawk for Hawk is able to soar high above the earth to soar on the breath of Spirit, to commune with Spirit and thus understand through the intuitive level what the message means and with their keen eyesight, how to implement it once they return to earth through seeing the broader picture below.
Many of the messages Hawk may bring are about freeing yourself of thoughts and beliefs that are limiting your ability to soar above your life and gain a greater perspective. If one remains earthbound, then the possibilities of life are limited! It is this ability to soar high above to catch a glimpse of the bigger picture that is one of the aspects of Hawk medicine that makes it so valuable: If one is undergoing a difficult passage to know that just over the next hill is freedom and liberation if one keeps going can be a Godsend in supporting the person to keep moving forward! Likewise, if the path is not appropriate, Hawk Medicine can alert one to this and point out a far more favourable path.
Hawk medicine unites Heaven and Earth. Because of their ability to soar, they are able to reach up to the heavens to extract needed information and bring it back to earth. Much of this information is also very practical for use on a daily basis! It is not only higher concepts or ideas that are relayed, but also information we need to make our material or mundane lives more prosperous and fulfilling. For those who have difficulty attracting financial well being due to false or negative beliefs about money and success, Hawk can help to understand the true spiritual intent and purpose behind money and guide one in establishing new beliefs that are more joyful and abundant in nature.
Hawk can alert us to those times when we should NOT take action because we do not yet have all the information we need. For example, someone is thinking of about becoming involved in a relationship, personal or business, yet they get the feeling that something is "not quite right". This needs to be heeded and Hawk sent forth to gather the appropriate information to help the person make the best choice. Sometimes the person finds that Hawk was telling them to steer clear for very good reasons!
Hawk can also help balance those who are more attuned to the lunar sides of their nature and have trouble expressing the solar side in pursuit of their goals. It helps the person to activate the positive aspects of their sun sign and to balance it with the lunar needs.

Hawk people have their own unique challenges in life. Often they feel misunderstood in that when they attempt to deliver an important message others may shy away from it or respond with anger. Sometimes the messages may not be what the other person really wants to hear and yet the Hawk person feels duty bound to relay the message, no matter the consequences. It is important however that Hawk people do be aware of how they are presenting the messages they receive. They need more than many others to try and deliver the messages as gently as they can, only becoming more forceful if their inner guidance absolutely says it is needed. Sometimes simply thinking through for a time what needs to be said can help Hawk medicine people find just the right words to use that will make all the difference and in this they should be encouraged to take their time and soar above for a while before speaking their truth.
Hawk medicine people like many who carry strong predator totems may be shunned by others who sense and fear their inner power. Others may sense that this is a person who can see straight through them and as many folks think in terms of judging things as being good or bad, they are afraid that the Hawk person will see who they "really" are and so they strike first in an attempt to keep the Hawk person at bay. Hawk people need to learn how to veil their energy somewhat, not as an attempt to deceive others but to allow people to get to know them and understand that Hawk has no interest in judging others. Often these people have seen so much of the best and worst in life that they find they have no need to judge. All is part and parcel of Spirit's plan and if Spirit sees fit not to judge, why should the Hawk person?

Some Hawk people may have a tendency because of their vast ability to see clear through to the heart of things to become arrogant and this should be avoided because it keeps them earthbound as well as turning other people off! Often this starts as confusion on the part of the Hawk person who cannot understand why others seem unable to be as aware of the larger picture and their own issues and projections. Especially when the Hawk person also has Mercury in Aquarius or in Mercury in aspect to Uranus which further enhances their ability to see and know, they may fail to understand that others are not as well developed yet in these areas and blurt out what they see and know without thinking of how it may impact another person. If they can keep in mind that their talents and abilities are gifts they have been given and that others carry medicine that the Hawk person may be weak in expressing it helps them to stay focused on Spirit as the true messenger and that they are the Hollow Bones for the energy to flow through. No totem is better than another! Each is part of the larger tapestry and as such all are powerful and important.

Some with Hawk medicine find they have difficulty attracting the "right life Partner". Hawk people may find that they tend to attract more "earthy" types who find the Hawk person's need to "soar" disruptive or unimportant. This may occur because at a deeper level the Hawk person is fearful of soaring too high and crashing to earth Icarus like. In this instance, the Hawk person's real issue is one of learning how to trust themselves and their medicine. Hawk people can pair well with more earth centered people because the earthy person can encourage the Hawk person to stay on earth long enough to bring some of their visions and ideas to fruition before soaring off to the Heights again. It can be very easy for hawk people to want to stay high above the earth and never bring their wonderful ideas back to earth where they and others can put them practice.
Since Hawks mate for life, the Hawk Person may need to accept that it may take them some time before they find the person meant for them yet when they do, it is well worth the wait! Otherwise the Hawk person may find themselves tied to someone and unable to free themselves easily because of the deep entanglements they have created with this other person. Especially if children are involved in the relationship, the Hawk person may feel an extra strong sense of duty to stay in the relationship for the "sake of the children" as in many cases I have seen where the Hawk person ended up as the sole provider for the family . What the Hawk person needs is someone who can accept and honour their gifts and talents, giving them the space they need to soar high above.

In the Celtic tradition Hawk empowers a person to seek out their ancestral roots and to examine in depth that which is positive so that it may be integrated into the person's life and that which is limiting so it can be released. Tradition is only worth honoring when it supports joy and fulfillment in one's life! In this tradition Hawk also supports the solar side as stated above, helping a person to move forward in life and to seek out great quests to embark upon.

In the Egyptian Tradition Hawk was associated with Magic and shapeshifting. Isis is said to have shapeshifted into a Hawk to save Osiris. Horus also carried Hawk medicine which allowed him to see the "unseeable".

Among Native American traditions, Hawk served the role of Mercury, bringer of messages and portents of change. Hawk reminded the people they needed to be awake and aware.

One of the greatest gifts a Hawk medicine person can give the world is their visions of a better and brighter future. Visionaries are always ahead of their time and it's not easy seeing what others are not ready to see. Often these people are not honoured and recognized for their work and efforts until long after they have crossed over. And yet their work lives on to touch and enrich the lives of people the world over! Honour the Hawk people you meet in your life. Encourage them to soar so they may bring their visions and messages back to earth that all may benefit. If you are a Hawk person yourself, understand that Spirit can you an especial task to hold the energy of what could be, of potentials that are waiting to be envisioned and thus expressed through the mass consciousness. Seek out other Hawk people who can support you in your life and never allow others to cause you to lose sight of what is really important to you! Trust in the messages that Spirit entrusts to your special care and know that the expression of your visions will bring blessings not only to you, but also to all others!

Here is a brief expression of three specific Hawk medicines:

Red Tailed Hawk - An intensified Life force, often those who carry this Hawk medicine have Pluto and Mars strong in the horoscope. These folks are able to achieve great things through persistence and sheer strength of will. This Hawk can also help a person understand and overcome obstacles to prosperity and abundance.

Harris Hawk - represents cooperation and support from others. Libra or Venus may be strong in the horoscope or Venus in Aquarius or in the 11th house. A more Mercurial/Virgo aspect is also prominent with this medicine, also the North Node in Virgo or the 11th house. This Hawk helps one to spread the word about goals or projects to those people who can be helpful for you. For those who use music to help them soar high above, this is a wonderful totem to be working with as it helps to integrate music and sound as a healing modality.

Sparrowhawk - Awareness that opportunities that seem small on the surface have the potential for great growth and expansion over time. This Hawk helps us to see through to the heart of events and synchronicities that are trying to lead us to our greater goals and higher good. So often we ignore the smaller things in life because we can't see how they could possibly be of much use to us or help us to resolve a problem. Yet when we soar high above to see where they fit in the larger scheme of things, we see how they are a jumping off point that if it were not presented to us and pursued, we could not reach that we are truly seeking.

We have all the above Hawk energies as individual essences as well as a Hawk essence that embraces all the highest aspects of Hawk medicine while helping one to integrate the shadow aspect of the totem so it is used constructively.
mamagaea: (Default)
I dreamt of slugs last night. I was getting up for work. My alarm clock said 5:30 am, but the sun was already up and every other clock in the vicinity said it was 7. Mike was still at home and he was complaining to me that I had turned the tv off wrong last night. I got my things together, worried about having to call in to work that I was late. I almost couldn't find my phone. I got my shoes on and went downstairs. Shannon was there and she was asking what Mike was all upset about. I told her that I only used one remote to turn off the tv. All you have to do is hit the tv button and then the satellite button and that's it. She didn't understand why he was upset either. We went outside.

She called to me and said, "Hey, look at this." She had found a trail of slugs crawling up the support post up to the balcony outside of my room. I said, "Get some salt." She said, "No, you're supposed to eat them." I looked at her incredulously, though if you think about it, I have eaten escargot. The trails were entertwined with each other, there being about 5 slugs immediately noticeable. One had feelers out that looked like mini dishes; it was getting ready to mate.

There is more to the dream, involving a little boy making a mess in the kitchen, but I found the slug portion the most relevant, especially after looking up slug medicine. It spoke directly to events and feeling that have been happening in my life right now. Now all I have to do is work with the slug and incorporate it's wisdom into my life. I hope I am ready.

Slug's Medicine
A Slimey Spirit Animal

Slugs are gastropods and mollusks with a soft body and no shell, or only a rudimentary shell inside the body. The Slug spoken of here is the terrestrial slug, such as the banana slug or garden slug; not the Sea Slug, which would be looked at seperately. Slugs are hermaphroditic, and the gender-neutral pronouns "sie" and "hir" will be used for this page.

Slug is a very "mystical" sort of Spirit Animal. While animals like mountain lion or raccoon are very earth-based, Slug has a more ethereal quality to hir teachings. Slug leaves trails that are iridescent... seemingly magical. These trails are often interpretted to be signs and totems left by Slug, and can be interpretted. Slug is a great communicator, both mundane and spiritual. Slug is nocturnal and has ties with the moon.

Slug Medicine is in its most primal basic form that of a healer. Not too long ago, Native Americans used to let Banana Slug crawl around in their mouths when they had a toothache, because Slug's mucous is an anaesthetic. Slug's wisdom includes that of healing body, mind, and spirit, and represents the connections that must be healthy between these for overall well-being.

Slug can cling to glass, upside down, yet to the touch, the "slime" is slick and is used to rid hirself of gunk... like anything wet and sliming around in the leaves and dirt would collect. It just slides off of Slug (you can see it at the end of their tails sometimes). This is another part of Slug's wisdom -- letting go, or leaving behind the "junk" and garbage of life... rumors, bad feelings, stories, material ties, attachment and so on. Slug is of balance, represented by sticky mucous to help hir hold on when it is important -- a solid base -- versus slick slime to help hir shed the trivial things.

Slug is not very connected to the physical world. Slug may lose part of hir body during mating; this is for the continuation of the species and is not mourned (it does in fact help slugs in the long run). Slug sheds hirself of all material things. Sie eats on the move. Sie shelters wherever there may be shelter.

Slug's medicine also includes incredible strength. Particularly hidden strength. It may not seem like it, looking at that little squishy critter with no bones and only a rudimentary shell inside. But Slug is almost pure muscle. Sie moves by tiny ripples of those muscles. The foot muscles are the most evidence of this... you can see them moving watching a slug on a piece of glass, from underneath.

Slug also has the Wisdom of self-protection and hiding. Slug can pull hirself almost entirely under hir mantle, protecting most of hir vital organs. Sie protects hirself from predators in this way. Sie also protects hirself from the harsh sun and dryness by hiding under a stone or piece of wood or in a crack, emerging in the gentle night.

Part of Slug's teachings include simplicity. Slugs live simply (survival -- food/shelter/reproduction) and are simple organisms.

Also, Slug's wisdom is that of seeing the world of spirit and shadow -- seeing beyond the mundane and clairvoyance. Slug can't "see" in terms of shape and color. They see in pure light and shadow.

Slug has a great deal to teach us about gender and sexuality. Slug may be considered to be a combination of both male and female, or an independant gender. They can reproduce with any other Slug (and suffer no sexism!), and also by themselves if a suitable partner can't be found. Slug, like many other living things, challenges the duality of deity. Exceptionally fertile, many slugs lay hundreds of eggs at a time.

August 2008

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