Is it possible that the Native American totem of brother Porcupine is working with you right now? It could very well be if you were drawn to this page or if you are noticing that porcupines keep grabbing your attention in some way. What is the medicine that you can receive from Porcupine?
Basically the the lesson from brother Porcupine when he is acting as a totem for you is Innocence. You are being gently reminded to remove yourself from the turmoil of your adult world that houses fear, greed, and suffering. Step away from the strictness of being a grown up and embrace the things that gave you joy as a child. Use your imagination like you did as an innocent child and honor the playful spirit inside you.
With the porcupine totem we see the power of faith and trust come to play. In the wild we see that this odd creature teacher has quills. If we observed porcupine for any length of time at all we would be aware that he only uses these quills when another creature has broken the trust of the gentle porcupine. He is actually a non-aggressive and loving animal when he believes or trusts that his surroundings are safe. Like him we need to cling to the childlike tendency to appreciate the wonders life gives us each new day and allow ourselves to discover adventure again.
Perhaps we can do something as simple as drinking our morning coffee from a mug like above so that we can remember to acknowledge our inner child each day, honor it, and accept the innocence we once trusted and believed in. Sometimes allowing our playful side to surface will allow us better creativity in our stodgy adult world. Allowing ourselves to observe a situation or a problem at work through the eyes of a child can often times give us the best solution.
The game of life is rarely won when we are too serious. When life deals us a hard blow it is natural to become mistrusting and feel hurt. If we think of the lesson of the totem of porcupine, we can overcome the difficult lesson with joy and begin to trust ourselves and others again.
~Mitakuye Oyasin~ We are all related
Thank you for this post – I was recently embroiled in a work dispute that caused resentment and began making me dislike being at the work environment that I had so loved at one time (at an outdoor place). In the midst of the confrontation, a porcupine meandered out the woods, leisurely strolled past me and climbed up an old cedar tree. I have never in my life seen a live porcupine and didn’t know that there were any in the neighborhood…..Instantly the situation was transformed and I was ecstatic to find this lovely creature amidst all the confusion and misunderstanding of the troubles. He let me photograph him and I just knew that the both of us were meant to be there at that very moment. At any other moment in time, I may not have seen him at all….I found your post and realized how truth came through the porcupine to me – I had allowed this job to rob me of much of the childlike wonder that I had always had – how it, of recent, has been lacking in my life….how I have let this job run me and how overly serious I was taking it all. I have released it now and will keep my porcupine encounter as a lesson to let my quills settle down and trust that all is well keep my eyes open with wonder.
Thank you so much for taking the time to tell us your story. How cool that porcupine worked with you in this way!