Posts Tagged ‘animal medicine cards’

When you see a raccoon, be it live or in a picture, what comes to mind? Is he cute and innocent looking, or does he remind you of a little outlaw? Or do you fear the creature you see?

Raccoons are indeed considered to be night varmints and scavengers. They can destroy property and be a real nuisance. However, spiritually the raccoon has a much more constructive significance and they are the perfect animal totem for Thanksgiving.

Traditionally, the raccoon, when it comes into your life, is referred to as “the one who carries the medicine of the protector of the underdog” and “the one who provides for the young, infirm and the elderly.” Because of its mask-like features, it is often unfairly referred to as The Masked Bandit, but when a raccoon comes into your space, you are being asked to contact your inner warrior, to become a protector and generous provider for those in need. Read the rest of this entry »

Animals send us messages of wisdom and healing if we are intuitive and open to receiving them. Entrenched in both the Celtic and Aboriginal spiritual traditions is the belief that animals have been gifted with lessons to pass on to mankind when needed.

Native American peoples refer to it as animal medicine. The term “medicine” does not suggest modern medical science or drug treatment, but instead refers to achieving balance and harmony within ourselves and with nature. Mother nature is a powerful ally and teacher. There are several ways to discover your animal guides. One way is to have an animal card reading, which is similar to a Tarot reading. Through this process you will discover that we each have nine animals that walk with us in our lifetime. Seven of them stay with us forever and walk by our side, while two may change as our life journey progresses. Animal medicine readings can take you on a deep and enlightening spiritual journey. Animal medicine is powerful. Read the rest of this entry »

Seeking some inspiration for this blog from animal medicine, I shuffled the deck of Medicine Cards by Jamie Sams and David Carson. The card that came up, the animal that is here to teach us today is dog.

Dog is all about loyalty, and protector, guardian, being a best friend.

So, the message today is about being a best friend to yourself.  We often times look outside of ourselves for that friendship, that connection, that loyalty and protection.

The medicine today is to look within, look to your own truth.  And also, by relying too much on what other people are saying you are putting too much faith and trust in other people’s opinions and it’s affecting you. It’s affecting your own decisions and how you interact with the world. Read the rest of this entry »

They say that when we are born, the only fear we have is the fear of falling and loud noises. That being said, where do the rest of our fears come from? As we grow up, our parents, friends, co-workers and society all contribute to our belief system, including some of their fears.

There are meanings behind everything we fear. In my family, the top of the list was spiders – creepy and scary was what most people taught me. One day, I looked up the meaning of spiders and what they represent in Native American animal medicine.

I discovered that the spider represents creativity and that she teaches us to weave our lives. As spider weaves her web, so we weave our realities and our fate. This medicine teaches us to remember that we are the creators of our own life experience. So, when spider appears in your life, think about writing down your thoughts. Read the rest of this entry »

The origin of Tarot cards has been debated for centuries. In 1299 AD in Italy the first appearance of Tarocchi, an Italian card game, was recorded. The cards, and their artistic interpretations, began spreading and evolving throughout Europe.

Historians still debate whether the Tarot evolved from traditional playing cards. Early British history points to this possible evolution. Perhaps the oldest playing cards came from the Middle East.

My understanding is that the imagery on the cards contained hidden meanings (as they do today), because governments saw fortune-telling as practicing magic, which was considered a crime. The Church viewed the cards as blasphemy and a threat against its doctrines. So the ‘true’ meanings of the cards had to be hidden using symbols. Read the rest of this entry »