The Wolf fondly calls them Oscar’s…but they are known far and wide as the Great Blue Herons. They visit me here at the lake and I am often astounded at how patient they are at fishing for their suppers. They will take steps so carefully you never actually can see their legs move at times as they stand stoically watching at the waters edge. This is a story I was told long ago, and realized I had never ’til now shared it with you all. It also involves shhhh now don’t say it out loud unless you leave them a gift outside today…the Cherokee Little People…
The Cherokee Little People live among us, in gardens, lush forests and woods, along our marshes. They live in harmony with nature. Enjoying life, the Cherokee Little People love to play and laugh interacting with each other and sometimes the world around them. Every now and then however they do get bothered by occasional Winged Ones (birds) who can play havoc on village life. Because most often the Winged Ones (birds) are larger than the Little People and it causes them to worry that they might be mistaken for food.
One day in the day of our Ancestors, a Cherokee Hunter, whose name has long been forgotten, shared a gift with the Little People. He taught them how to craft little bows and arrows in order to defend themselves against birds and creatures of the outside world that meant them harm. They were very grateful to this friendly hunter and honored him with a great feast! Over the next hundred years the Cherokee Little People lived next to the marshes through out the countryside in harmony with the world around them.
One day a flock of Blue Herons came. The long legs of the Heron caused the arrows to fall short and they did not scare the Great Blue Herons away. The long beaks of the Great Blue Heron frightened the women and children and they fled, screaming into their homes at the sides of the marsh.
However the tiny warriors stood their ground facing their fears they held for these enormous creatures. The Great Spirit looked with admiration at how these Little Men were facing the challenge so bravely and using the skills they had been taught so long ago. So a punishment was chosen for Blue Heron as a result that they had terrorized the great nation of the Cherokee Little People.
This is the reason why the Blue Heron feeds alone and is never seen in flocks to this day. So as the Great Blue Heron steps into our lives it brings with it messages of self-reflection, and as it has to feed alone…so must we take the time for self in order to face fears, understand and use our gifts that we possess for the highest good, and be in harmony with our world for all is Sacred.
Heron medicine teaches us about the power of knowing ourselves so that we can discover our gifts and face life’s challenges. That we begin learning to accept all of our feelings and opinions, and accepting all the emotions and thoughts that accompany them. It is about following our intuition and taking that empowering step into self-realization.
This Sacred Water bird shares with us to not blame others or point a negative finger at the situations of life, instead claim responsibility for our own actions and to face the enemy within us all. Find a balance in our inner truths, work on our inner weaknesses, and develop the strengths needed to understand what it is we need to feed our own spiritual being. .
Mitakuye O’yasin (We are All Related)
~bear Medicinewalker
Joseph Strider music available at http://josephstrider.com/JosephStrider
