Plant Totem Of Rose

Often we think of the rose as the flower of love but there is also a plant totem of rose. Did you know that? The main lesson or totem of the rose is one of empowerment. Finding a balance between love and power is key to learning the lessons of rose.

Our ancestors knew that seekers of love would also find the ultimate power and that seekers of power eventually find the ultimate love. There is no good way to have one without the other. People who possess power without love will be corrupt and cruel while possessors of love without power will be destroyed by martyrdom and victimization. Both love and power need to be in a perfect balance.

The rose, with its graceful beauty and distinct fragrance, opens our hearts to higher emotions. The thorns of the rose act as a defender from any affronts. We might think that the essence of the rose is female, yet it is typically given a male spirit. Although, this lovely flower in plant totem has both female and male qualities. The feminine shows in the softness, beauty, and fragrance. The maleness comes from the thorns and hardiness, a part of its warrior spirit.

The plant totem of Rose reminds us to keep balance in all things. We need to be loving and giving but we can not allow ourselves to be taken advantage of. While we keep ourselves grounded and create boundaries from the weeds of life, we must also freely share our inner beauty and our gifts of love. Just as the rose opens up to the loving kiss of the sun we must open our hearts to those around us. Knowing when to close our blossoms when we are encountering harshness. The plant totem of rose teaches us to trust with the strength of wisdom.

~Mitakuye Oyasin~ We are all related

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Native American Horse Totem

It has been said that the Horse was the first animal medicine given to civilization. And if you think about it all humans owe a great deal of gratitude to the gifts and medicine that Horse as a totem and animal has given us. In Native American traditions, the Horse totem is a lesson in power. At one time many tribal traditions had a saying that was in the order of “Stealing horses is stealing power.”

The horse has given a physical power to humans since the first adventurous soul mounted the back of one and domesticated it. Suddenly the burden of carrying heavy loads became lighter. A trip to see a relative that might take several days on foot, became easier to make on the back of a horse. If we think about it, Horse decided to let that human on its back to give the human a power like he or she had never known before.

There is a story of a medicine man who was traveling a far distance to visit a particular band of his tribe. He was on foot, carrying only his pipe and what few belongings he possessed. The feather in his hair pointed down to the earth which marked him as a man of peace.

He was greeted by a herd of mustangs as he walked. A black stallion approached him and told him, “I am from the Void where Answer lives. Ride on my back and know the power of entering the Darkness and finding the Light.” The man thanked the stallion and agreed to visit him when his medicine was need in the his Dreamtime.

band of one poster rf533f58e4aa2493fa1113941dabdaebd ix6 325 Native American Horse Totem
Band Of One by PhotoJunkyGeno online at zazzle.com

Yellow Stallion approached the man, next. This horse offered to take the man to the East where he would find that illumination lives. The man would learn what to teach and illuminate his people with. Again, the man humbly thanked the horse and promised to use these gifts while on his journey.

The man was playfully approached by the Red Stallion who explained the importance of balancing work with joyful experiences. Humor could be used to hold the attention of those he wanted to teach. The man thanked the Red Stallion for his gifts.

The man was then approached by the White Stallion who was the message carrier. Instinctively the man mounted the White horse as he represented the wisdom in power. “No abuse of power will ever lead to true wisdom, ” the horse shared with the man. “Power is not given lightly but awarded to those who are willing to carry a balanced responsibility.”

The medicine of Horse teaches us that true power is the wisdom found in remembering our total journey. You might be interested in reading my thoughts of the horse and it’s part in the Old West.

~Mitakuye Oyasin~ We are all related

 

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Eagle Art

When a creature teacher is working with us to give us totem medicine we are often directed to many different forms of that Animal Spirit. One way that Eagle may try to get your attention is in Eagle Art. I mentioned in my last post that I have been watching the Decorah, Iowa eagle nest via the camera installed above the nest, a calling for me, I think.

I am already aware that Eagle walks with me along my journey here on Earth. Brother and Sister Eagle keep me grounded as one of my power totems and Eagle is also my personal Spirit Keeper. So, I’m not surprised when I start to get strong messages from this majestic creature. My instincts say that if you have been drawn to this post that you are also being given some needed medicine from Eagle. Continue reading →

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Eagles In Iowa

What do eagles in Iowa have to do with Native American Totems, my regular readers might be thinking when they see this post today. My answer is that I believe seeing these eagles in their nest raising their newly hatched little eaglets has much to do with learning the lessons of the eagle totem meaning. Brother and Sister Eagle teach us that wisdom comes in many forms and sometimes strange ways but that wisdom is always connected with the Great Spirit. I honestly don’t see how if someone takes a few minutes out of their day that they won’t feel some connection with a higher being.

I got hooked a couple of weeks ago on viewing the live camera installed in a cottonwood tree in the upper northeast corner of Iowa near the town of Decorah. The eagle camera is on 24/7 and is rapidly approaching 5 million views. Obviously I am not the only person in the world peeking in on the life of Eagles in their nest. So many Continue reading →

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Native American Face Paint

The Native American face paint and body paint is so often presented in the wrong light. Many people often think of the painted face as being war paint. Although some Native traditions used warpaint it was more to frighten the enemy and to add to the Warrior’s expression of bravery.

The painted face is used in two types of personal medicine, the face paint of the warrior and his special gifts and the Ceremonial Paint which celebrated the individual spirit to all others of a tribe. Basically the ceremonial painted face was a form of self-expression. Never used as a way to disguise one’s identity but rather to make their identity known in a much more personal way.

The warpaint was used on the warrior and his horse to show their team spirit of working together. The medicine shown in the painted face and body was also used on the horse to protect it with the same medicine as the rider. A warrior would receive his special battle medicine from a medicine dream. Continue reading →

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