WHAT IS ANIMAL MEDICINE?

If the first thing that comes to your mind is that animal medicine is some kind of substance which is harvested from animals to be taken as a medicine, you have a recalibration to attain. 

 Animals are fully and consciously connected to Source and are not toiling around with their egocentric promptings and desires like we are. Wild animals never worry about money or survival, they have everything they need to survive and thrive. They never stress unless they actually experience a stressful situation, and are not divided by politics and diversity of thought. Animal people are always aligned with Universal Natural Law, while the vast majority of Human people have no clue about these things and are blindly following rules contrived by some other people they don't know and will never meet. Animals are never afraid to die and will light up in their own full individual power whenever they are prompted to do so. They make spiritual contracts with the other animals in the 2D relationship to kill and be killed in the predator-prey game. Other than this brutal aspect of their 2D orientation, animals are our teachers and guides. The animals don't make mistakes with Humans, it is the mistake of the Human if he is attacked. Period. The following information I share here with you comes directly from Christopher Penczak's valuable work which expresses his deep Shamanic knowledge and wisdom of the ancient Celtic Druids, Norse, and Native American cultures. If you are interested in owning books about Shamanism, Christopher Penczak is a great source to begin with or add to your library.  

ANIMAL SPIRIT MEDICINE

Medicine is power and power is medicine. Medicine is the power to change, to transform what is into what is to be. Each animal embodies a certain type of wisdom. It is important to understand the message of it's medicine!

Let's begin with one of the most ancient of creatures: 

SNAKE:

Snake is the archetype of transformation, shedding it's skin and revealing new growth. Snake is strongly associated with both God, as a symbol of virility, and Goddess, crawling on it's belly so close to Mother Earth. Gaia held pythons sacred when honored at her temple in Delphi before Apollo's worshippers took it over, slaying it as the "snake of winter" Snake is sacred to Persophone, the underworld Queen. Snake represents the power of change and adaptation, incorporating wisdom into your new form.

WOLF

Wolf is the totem of protection. Wolves are clannish, living in a pack and taking care of the pack, so their medicine is about protecting the family and clan. Wolf's hair is sometimes used in protection spells and potions. Wolf is the totem of those who are teachers, sharing their knowledge with the pack. 

SQUIRREL

Squirrels prepare for the winter by gathering nuts. Squirrel medicine teaches us to prepare for the future by gathering resources. This energy helps us save, gather, and store for a future date. In Norse mythology, the World Tree is home to the squirrel Ratatosk, who runs up and down the tree carrying messages, fulfilling the function of a Mercury archetype.

TURTLE

The hard shell of a turtle is medicine for protection. The entire North American continent was once called Turtle Island. The land is on the back of the cosmic turtle, travelling through the cosmic waters. Turtle is low to the ground, granting the gifts of grounding, centering, and the mysteries of the Goddess. Turtles are the medicine of long life and the great wisdom that comes from living a long life. Turtle teaches us patience and how to enjoy taking our time. 

WHALE

The song of the Whale is the keeper of history and records. Song is key to Whale medicine, and those with this animal totem learn to sing their song and tell their tales. Whales live in a tight community, teaching us the value of community and togetherness. 

SPIDER

Spider medicine holds the keys to creative expression and communication, particularly writing, since the first letters were said to be woven in a spider's web. This creature is sacred to weavers, particularly the spider Grandmother, Athena, Ariadne, and Arachne. You can see spider weaver images in the triple fates of many cultures. Spider teaches patience and solitude, waiting silently in the center of the web for it's prey, carefully watching where it moves so as not to become trapped in it's own web. When we experience the arachnid response, the fear of something alien, the spider teaches us to get over our fears. 

BEAR

Bear medicine is powerful for anyone, especially the Shaman. In some tribal communities, tracking, hunting, and killing a bear was the Shaman's final initiation. Bear is power and strength. The bear's physical body is large, powerful, and dangerous, though unless provoked or hunted, bears lead rather quiet lives. A great portion of the year is spent in hibernation, a time of rest, regeneration, and solitude. In Humans, bear medicine manifests as a time of introspection, balance, and meditation. Bear has strong associations with the Goddess, in particular Artemis, the Greek huntress Goddess. She is linked to the crescent moon and the constellation Ursa Major. 

MOSQUITO

Mosquito is the medicine of learning how to deal with annoyance and fear. It is a great teacher of meditation, because during meditation we experience stinging distractions like the bite of a mosquito. 

MOUSE

Scrutiny is the key word for mouse medicine. Though it's vision is poor, the mouse navigates through it's whiskers, using it's sensitivity to scrutinize what is the right path and what is dangerous. Mouse medicine helps us deal with fear and the sense of powerlessness. 

PANTHER

The spirit of Panther is the spirit of grace, swiftness, and beauty. The black panther has underworld associations with it due to it's color, like the flip side of the Golden Lion archetype. 

LION

Lion embodies the qualities of leadership and royalty, and also the responsibility that goes along with them. Lions are known mythically for their courage, but also for their pride. Lion is the medicine of learning appropriate and inappropriate expressions of pride. Lions embody the passion of vitality and fire. Sekhmet, the Egyptian Goddess who is associated with both Hathor and Bast, is the lion headed destroyer. She embodies the destructive power of the desert sun. 

HORSE

Horse is the medicine of power, energy, and fire. We still measure mechanical power through the term "Horsepower". Horse is the power of swiftness as well as the ability to journey shamanically, as well as the ability to take long physical journeys in our waking life. The shamanic steed of the drumbeat is envisioned as a horse. Horses are sacred to the Celtic Goddesses, including Epona, Rhiannon, and Macha. Poseidon/Neptune lord of the oceans, holds horses sacred.

FROG

The spirit medicine of frog relates to the element of water and thus the realm of emotions and psychic ability. Those who carry the frog medicine are sensitive to their environment. Frog also teaches the lesson of finding your own voice, no matter what others might think of you. 

  

 

What can deer medicine teach us?

JK