Badger shows itself in the seventh spot as it tells us to stand our ground even when things seem a bit overwhelming. We can handle it, sometimes we just might have to take a breathe. Badger says bring about the changes you need to evolve into a more positive you, thus opening doorways and windows of opportunity that will propel us in the right ways by not getting caught up in all the negativity that is out in the world around us today.
Badger also speaks to checking in with allies to validate your choices when in doubt. So live life to the fullest today ad keep an eye on the prize!
Badger also reminds us that guilt is a human factor that for some crazy reason even if we don’t need to hold on to it, we do. So time to release it, fix it, apologize for it…. whatever it takes to re-balance ourselves in positive manners!
Badger shows up reminding us that we all must trust in our abilities utilize them to take on challenges that show up in our journeys. It is time to step away from our hiding places we have created and show the world what we are made of. Remember what is important to us and who we are as unique individuals that have a place in this world.
The message Badger brings is loud and clear… walk your own path to the beat of your own drum. Have faith in yourself and your talents and abilities. Know that you handle any challenge that shows up. Who cares what others say. Come out from hiding and start taking names and numbers.
Aggressiveness and the willingness to fight for what you want in this life and that is what Badger has to teach us. Just how to temper it and apply the right kid of pressure when needed and when to make a stand. Badger teaches us to use our healing abilities to push forward in positives in life and to aggressively move the obstacles that are in our way even if we are the ones that have placed them there.
I am bear Medicinewalker and I am dedicated to Educating and sharing the lessons, teachings and culture I have been taught by my Elders and journey with the World. It is not enough merely to learn the ways of our Elders. We must honor those traditions by sharing and educating the World. Inspiring others …Inspiring our Youth. Through the Music… the Arts…the stories…”
Blessings to you All!
~ bear
Music provided by Chris Ferree and available at http://www.chrisferree.com as part of the Wolf and the bear Network @2024
Before people were on the Earth, the Chief of the Great Sky Spirits grew tired of his home in the Above World because it was always cold. So he made a hole in the sky by turning a stone around and around. Through the hole he pushed snow and ice until he made a big mound. This mound was Mount Shasta.
Then Sky Spirit stepped from the sky to the mountain and walked down. When he got about halfway down, he thought: “On this mountain there should be trees.” So he put his finger down and everywhere he touched, up sprang trees. Everywhere he stepped, the snow melted and became rivers.
The Sky Spirit broke off the end of his big walking stick he had carried from the sky and threw the pieces in the water. The long pieces became Beaver and Otter. The smaller pieces became fish. From the other end of his stick he made the animals.
Biggest of all was Grizzly Bear. They were covered with fur and had sharp claws just like today, but they could walk on their hind feet and talk. They were so fierce looking that the Sky Spirit sent them to live at the bottom of the mountain. When the leaves fell from the trees, Sky Spirit blew on them and made the birds.
Then Sky Spirit decided to stay on the Earth and sent for his family. Mount Shasta became their lodge. He made a BIG fire in the middle of the mountain and a hole in the top for the smoke and sparks. Every time he threw a really big log on the fire, the Earth would tremble and sparks would fly from the top of the mountain.
Late one spring, Wind Spirit was blowing so hard that it blew the smoke back down the hole and burned the eyes of Sky Spirit’s family. Sky Spirit told his youngest daughter to go tell Wind Spirit not to blow so hard.
Sky Spirit warned his daughter: “When you get to the top, don’t poke your head out. The wind might catch your hair and pull you out. Just put your arm through and make a sign and then speak to Wind Spirit.”
The little girl hurried to the top of the mountain and spoke to Wind Spirit. As she started back down, she remembered that her father had told her that the ocean could be seen from the top of the mountain. He had made the ocean since moving his family to the mountain and his daughter had never seen it.
She put her head out of the hole and looked to the west. The Wind Spirit caught her hair and pulled her out of the mountain. She flew over the ice and snow and landed in the scrubby fir trees at the timberline, her long red hair flowing over the snow.
There Grizzly Bear found her. He carried the little girl home with him wondering who she was. Mother Grizzly Bear took care of her and brought her up with her cubs. The little girl and the cubs grew up together. When she became a young woman, she and the eldest son of Grizzly Bear were married. In the years that followed they had many children. The children didn’t look like their father or their mother.
All the grizzly bears throughout the forest were proud of these new creatures. They were so pleased, they made a new lodge for the red-haired mother and her strange looking children. They called the Lodge – Little Mount Shasta.
After many years had passed, Mother Grizzly Bear knew that she would soon die. Fearing that she had done wrong in keeping the little girl, she felt she should send word to the Chief of the Sky Spirits and ask his forgiveness. So she gathered all the grizzlies at Little Mount Shasta and sent her oldest grandson to the top of Mount Shasta, in a cloud, to tell the Spirit Chief where he could find his daughter.
The father was very glad. He came down the mountain in great strides. He hurried so fast the snow melted. His tracks can be seen to this day. As he neared the lodge, he called out for his daughter.
He expected to see a little girl exactly as he saw her last. When he saw the strange creatures his daughter was taking care of, he was surprised to learn that they were his grandchildren and he was very angry. He looked so sternly at the old grandmother that she died at once. Then he cursed all the grizzlies.
“Get down on your hands and knees. From this moment on all grizzlies shall walk on four feet. And you shall never talk again. You have wronged me.”
He drove his grandchildren out of the lodge, threw his daughter over his shoulder and climbed back up the mountain. Never again did he come to the forest. Some say he put out the fire in the center of his lodge and returned to the sky with his daughter. Those strange grandchildren scattered and wandered over the earth. They were the first Indians, the ancestors of all the Indian Tribes.
That is why the Indians living around Mount Shasta never kill Grizzly Bear. Whenever one of them was killed by a grizzly bear, his body was burned on the spot. And for many years all who passed that way cast a stone there until a great pile of stones marked the place of his death.
Cheetah shows to tell you to get back to doing, do not procrastinate as the time is now to move forward on your path. Cheetah are fast, making spilt decisions in order to survive, so be decisive and strike as this is the precise time to do so. For if you do not you may loose an opportunity you have been waiting for. Cheetah moves quickly and can reach zero to 60 mph in 3 seconds. So it is telling you no time to waste. It may also be bringing to your attention just how to use your energy in a balanced way so you don’t run out of it when it is needed most.
It is not unusual for the Cheetah also will appear when our emotions are heightened. . They will also remind us that we can cry and it is not weak when we do so. It is a means to cleanse and recharge. To release and begin again.
Walks with Bearsbrings in strong Sacred Insight for us All today… Speaking to All Humankind that we all must understand we are but guests on this journey we walk. We must bring about the changes needed within ourselves to set examples for others to follow.
They ask us … do any of you understand that we are also a gift upon this planet. We have been given the duty from birth to care foe not only each other but the Creatures large and small, the plants, waters, earth as well. We must not forget this as it will effect everything, it is truly a life cycle all dependent on another. This is how it is meant to be.
So help it to survive by taking a hard look at yourselves and seeing what we can do better, should do better, will do better as we walk side by side with each other. Walks With Bears is the symbol of Hope for around the world. They are a symbol of strength, nurturing, adaptation and being. They help cycles finish and begin anew. They add insight ad strength by showing us that Bears are mighty yet so are the Bee’s. All part of the same story, but each having a different purpose. A lesson we all can learn from. So Open to new possibilities that have been set in motion from the time you were conceived. Be part of showing that we can all coexist on a planet that has wonderous and amazing things. Be part of THAT cycle, journey, purpose and help to balance again.
A young girl, who was daughter to the chief sat crying. She cried because no one could give her what she wanted, a great shining fish. Neither her father, nor the wisest elders of the clan could give her the great shining fish, none of them had ever even seen such a fish. As his daughter continued to cry they soon discovered that she was making herself very ill, and soon because of it, the chief ordered a great council fire to be gathered.
All of the tribal elders and medicine people sat around the fire as the most respected of them began to speak. “The child cries for a thing which she has seen in her dream walks. Many fish have we in our great waters, but none resemble the one of which she speaks. This fish may prove to be good medicine for our tribe that is being sent by our Creator. He looked at those gathered around the fire, “Perhaps one of you may know where such a great gleaming strong fish with such medicine may be found.”
Only one of them stood turning to address his Chief and the council,”The Raven, who lives among the cedars, is my good friend. She is very wise and knows many things that the wisest among us know not. Allow me to return with her to this Council Fire, in order for her to share her wisdoms.” They all agreed to this and the chief gave his permission. Soon the warrior gathered his things and traveled to the cedars to find his wise friend. Raven seated on his shoulder began to speak, but only the ones of true medicine could follow her words. “What the girl is asking for is the giant fish, known as Salmon. In this full moon, they can be found far from here at the mouth of a mighty river, which flows into the other side of the lakes here.. Because those of your clan are considered friends, I will fly swift and far to gather one of these fish and return it to your village.”
Before the counsel could thank her, the Raven was high in the air flying far and fast until her keen eyes saw far beneath her, many Salmon swimming together at the mouth of the river. The Raven dived quick as a hawk and, by chance caught the little son of the Salmon Chief in his talons. Rising high in the air, with the fish held firmly in her claws, the Raven flew toward the distant village of her friends. Salmon Scouts that were leaping high from the water in great flashing arcs, saw the direction that the Raven was flying. A school of Salmon, led by their chief soon began to swim rapidly in pursuit. As quickly as the fish swam, the fast-flying raven reached the village far ahead of them where Raven placed the great fish before the little daughter of the chief, she smiled, and cried no more.
Then the Raven told the clan that many Salmon would be sure to swim into the river to the village in pursuit, to try and rescue the young Salmon which he had caught. They all decided to have the people of the clan to weave a huge net. This they did quickly so that when the Salmon came, all of the fish were caught in it. To hold them prisoner, a long, strong leather thong was passed through their gills. One end of the thong was tied to a big rock and the other end was fastened to this great totem pole, which then grew as a tall cedar.
Ever since, it has been called the ‘Nhe-is-bik’, or tethering pole. On this pole – a totem pole – there was carved a mighty Thunderbird, an Indian Chief, a Raven and a Salmon, carved in that order from the top of the great cedar pole. Year after year, from that time, the Salmon have passed on that side of the river and continue to this day. They are held as sacred with the people and the story continues to be shared.
In the beginning there was only blackness, no one could see anything. People kept walking into each other and stumbling around blindly. Soon they gathered to discuss the problem, “What we all need is to be able to see.” They all agreed but were not sure what to do, they needed to find light.
Fox said he knew others on the other side of the world who had plenty of light, but they were too greedy to share it with anyone. Possum said he would be glad to steal a little of it. “I have a bushy tail, I could hide the light inside all that fur.” It was agreed and decided he could try to get some light for them all, so he set out for the other side of the world. There he found the sun hanging in a tree and lighting everything up. He quietly crept over to the sun taking from it a tiny piece of light and stuffing it into his tail. But the light was too hot and it burned all his fur. Soon the people discovered his theft and took back the light, and ever since, Possum’s tail has been bald.
“I will try,” said Buzzard. “I know better than to hide a piece of stolen light in my tail, I will place it on the top of my head.” He flew to the other side of the world and swooped straight into the sun seizing it with his claws. He then placed it on his head, where it proceeded to burn all his head feathers off. The people seeing him on fire and trying to steal what was theirs, grabbed the sun away from him, and ever since that time Buzzard’s head has remained bald.
Grandmother Spider said, “I will try!” So she set about the task of making a thick walled pot out of clay. Next she spun a web reaching all the way to the other side of the world. The fact that Grandmother Spider was so small, none of the people in the village of the sun even saw her coming. Quickly Grandmother Spider snatched up the sun and placed it in the bowl of clay carrying it back home along one of the strong strands of her web. Now her side of the world had light, and everyone rejoiced.
Grandmother Spider brought not only the sun to the Cherokee, but fire with it and she taught the Cherokee people the art of making pottery!
Talk to the Animals! If you are old like me you will remember the Movie Dr. Dolittle, Disney even made their own version with Eddie Murphy. However, I remember it in a different way as all my life I thought everyone could hear and talk with animals… all creatures for that matter. So much so my Mom started calling me Dr. Dolittle because I brought home every creature imaginable. From Bats and Frogs to Cats and Dogs, see I even rhyme the same! But seriously I always could hear and feel the emotions and thoughts they would share with me.
I often get asked, what does going on with my dog, or turtle? For me it is simple, because I see them and hear them… because all creatures matter to me. The thing is we can all learn a thing or two from the creatures of the world even the tiniest ant. So how can you hear them? Well the biggest challenge is to get out of your own way. What does that mean? It means that people in todays world are mostly wrapped up in self and don’t see the life around them. Sorta like they are missing the point, which is we need to find our compassion and empathy for all living things, not just the things that are about self.
Take the Elephants for example. Did you know that they are so intelligent and have emotions that match human feelings? Did you know they grieve and honor their members of their families? Do you ever stop and watch an anthill that ants created and wonder at how they are all working together to allow their community to thrive? So many lessons we could learn from them. There has even been instances when a animal takes in and cares for a creature of another species. It’s fascinating to say the least.
So how can you do it? How can you understand them talking or what they want? Well all you have to do is slow down long enough to understand their behavior, be willing to spend time with them and they will share with you many things. Some even have a sense of humor. What did I just say? Yes animas like to play, they also pout, grieve, love and dislike. We are all capable of it… it’s whether or not we want to take the time to.
Orcas for instance, they used to call them Killer Whales, I hated that name… they are Orcas an amazing creature that is fiercely protective of their pod, their young ones. They are the Guardians of the Oceans and Knowledge.
Their songs speak to us of healing from deep within our souls. Listen as they begin calling in positive vibrations of thought and sound. Orca’s guide us through the depths of our own emotions allowing us to explore and mend self more effortlessly by moving with the waves of life, rather than against. They help us access the Ancestor’s knowledge that is buried deep within our own DNA that is the key to all that is Sacred.
Orca shares about how we need to search your soul… looking inward is the only way that we can move forward in positive motions at this time. They teach us to understand self and give us a clear view to set our intention of what is needed in the situation for the highest good. Orca share that confronting our emotions that are out of control by making connections that are needed between our conscious and subconscious to bring about the balance we need in our Sacred Hoops.
Every Creature has purpose… has lessons that we can learn by listening and observing them as they go through their own daily lives. Another question I often get asked is, what is my totem? I am simply going to give you the response….”We don’t choose our totems. Our totems choose us!” This is one of the first basic concepts of Totems. Totems are hard to explain at times, but what we need to understand is what a totem is before we can comprehend what it means to follow their teachings. Once we understand the concept, it helps us to learn the messages they then have to offer and teach us.
Animals show up to us as a spiritual sign or entity. They come to share and teach the knowledge they hold to help and assist us with our own lives, how to relate to others and the world around us. Animals are not worshiped, we follow the teachings they offer, we incorporate the way they deal with life into our own to help us move in positive steps on our paths. We don’t control them and often it is difficult to explain our draw or affinity to them… yet there is a deep connection inside of us that responds to them when the show up in our lives. Why is this… because it simply is.
So look at your lives, open your hearts and cherish the things the Creatures great and small share with us. Look to them to assist you with your own lives, and every now and then Talk to Them because they love to interact!
