The totem of Mountain Lion can sometimes be a hard one to work with but the benefits when you have learned the lessons are great. I should explain that depending on the area or region that you live in the Mountain Lion may be called different things. You might know it as a Cougar, a Puma, or even a Florida Panther. All are the same big cat but just known by different names. The mountain lion is the largest of the big cats found in North America.
So why is the mountain lion a hard totem? Well, for one thing you are often put into positions where you can become a target for the problems of others. Their insecurities justify blaming you because of things that have gone wrong or that you will take charge when others would not. Leadership is the main lesson of Mountain Lion and due to that leadership quality in you, others try to knock you off the proverbial mountain.
This big cat gives us lessons or medicine in the power of leadership. The goal would be to learn to lead without insisting that others follow your lead. Observe the graceful pounce of a Mountain Lion and you will see a connection between the balance of power, intention, physical strength, and grace. To convert that to human relevance it would be a balance of body, mind and spirit. You will never see this giant feline waste anything, not its energy or its food. It will only take what it needs for survival.
If Mountain Lion is working with you right now, it is time to stand to your convictions and lead yourself where your heart takes you. If others choose to follow it is a great thing. Do not let the choice of others deter your journey. You might need to look at the purpose of your own beliefs. Is your plan to have a pride of cubs who will share your dreams and want to be like you? Perhaps you are already leading some cubs, is it time to push them out of the cave? Having cat medicine can have its pitfalls because being the “king of the mountain” does not allow for being human or vulnerable.
Being a leader does not mean that you will always be able to keep everyone happy while you are trying to maintain peace. So, your first responsibility is to always tell the truth. When you know it and live it, your example filters down to the tiniest of cubs in the pride.
~Mitakuye Oyasin~ We are all related
About 8 years ago I took a beginner shaman class and the black panther appeared as a strong totem animal for me. Somehow that was comforting, gave me strength, yet was also feeling strange and mysterious.
I was always in the middle of helping out a troubled son – a strong, addicted, loving man. A few years later he actually came upon a mountain lion and her 2 cubs while hiking in the back country. They were lounging and frolicking on a rock face. He froze, got out his cell phone and took photos. He shared them with me, telling me that he felt like he could die now and it would be ok. He’d been given the greatest gift. He was expecting a baby with his girlfriend. The baby came, his personal life got worse, and now he has died, either of overdosing or foul play. He was trying so hard to be a good father. He loved his “cub” more than himself. I kept trying to help him, but it was so painful.
Last night I watched a show about a traumatized panther who found healing from a knowing human. Seeing that panther brings me a deeper insight into my son, somehow. I feel like the panther/puma/mountain lion spirit is caring for him.
They are just as you are in this world, with every care and memory of him.
In my dream, my guides whispered in my ear, “You speak the language of the mountain lion now.” I had no idea what that meant, but the leadership makes sense. Thank you!
This is a weird one. I dreamt of a cougar in my house. I have no idea where she came from. She was injured, missing a leg, shaved, with IVs all over her. She wanted me to comfort her. I held her and showed her love. She went to my son and loved him and so on to everyone in my house even the dog. This is not the first time she came to me. This is just the worst condition she ever came to me in. I am now worried about her.
I hit a mountain lion with my car last week after it ran right in front of me! I feel terrible for the cat. I wonder what the symbolism could mean in the reality that I may have killed the mountain lion, although it may have survived. I was stranded that night and slept in my car. I had been traveling back home from Visiting my sister. That next morning I received a letter of acceptance to an apprenticeship I applied for.
Oh my goodness! Bad indeed. You should step back and evaluate where you think your trying to take charge
I sure appreciate this right now. I’ve had cougar presence in my life for the past couple years. Everything from finding tracks where I used to run (in the city).. to fur where I now live (in the mtns). Today, while on a hike with the family, we came upon one, while it was drinking from a pond. It watched us for a moment, then bounded away into the brush.
I understand the medicine surrounding cougars, and have flooded my mind with the knowledge on the symbolism surrounding this beautiful animal, yet I am wondering what the meaning is behind this beautiful creature presenting itself to us today 💜
Beverly how do you know for sure what animal is you spirit and totem animal because I find myself attracted to several like the bear, wolf,hawk, tigers,mountain lion how can I find out which one is my true spirit or totem animal, can you help me find out? Thanks Teresa
I saw a mountain lion today across the road from my house. He was lying there just watching my place. It got up and walked off. This has been a dream of mine to see one.
I dreamt that a mountain lion attacked someone outside my window. My sister and I heard the commotion and looked out the window. Right at that moment a mountain lion jumped into view and tore off the lower part of the womans facial skin and then left. She looked right at us and said, “Ugh. You guys!” As if she was angry that we didnt stop the mountain lion. Then I was in a living room with a bunch of family members. We were talking about the attack when the mountain lion walked into the room. I wasnt afraid at all. I was once again observing its behavior. It came to me snuggled up to me. I pet it and it began purring. I felt great love for it. Everyone else was fearful and wanted it gone. I just wanted to be in its presence. An elderly woman came up to it with a set of shackles and tried to put them on the cougar. The cougar jumped up and ran out the door. A moment later someone outside the door shot and killed the cougar. I was sad, but I didn’t cry. I knew in my heart it was bound to happen because if the nature of cougars in general. I also knew that nobody else was feeling the intense love I was. What do you think this dream could be about?
I saw one on a back road a few weeks ago, about 15 min after I saw a buck at 3ish PM in a clearing. Then the most unusual rain broke. Not a cloud in the sky it seemed and there was sudden downpour from seemingly white fluffy clouds.
Then in a journey state I had toad, otter, and aligator show up. So I had asked who I was supposed to be working with. I noticed each of there were aquatic but not fully.
Last night I had a dream. I was driving and saw one again. Then as I went further down the road I was thinking how many more do I have to see before I get it? Then in my dream I saw like 5 more! Some womans cages were opened and they roamed a neighborhood. I just rolled my windows up lol
This is all new to me but I know for a reason. One day while walking along the bank of a small Reservoir a large male mountain lion showed himself to me look and just walked off. I had my phone out recording my walk when everything went silent and the recording sped up then went back to normal after the cat disappeared. a few months later while at the same Reservoir I saw what was the smaller cat assuming a female. i shined my light in her eyes when she jumped from a small Hill onto the road. She moved towards me about 40 feet away while I shouted at her and backed up as fast as I could . she snarled then walked away. 2 weeks after that while walking up a small hill after a fishing trip at the same Lake she ran from one side of the street across and down a small hill without noticing me whatsoever .this was about a distance of 50 feet. My name is Mike samora.. I stay in Spring Valley San Diego and this Reservoir is named Sweetwater. This is Where I’ve had theses three encounters …
It seems that most are posting about dreams. I just had a dream and about the time I woke, I had just seen a mountain lion on a scroll in the sky with other writing. The only word I caught was “dung”. Yes, I know what dung means, but I’d love any thoughts about the dream meaning. The interesting part is that I do hypnotic dreamwork for others, but this message was meant directly for me and I’m wondering it’s meaning.
Hi Jennifer. I have meditated on your question about your dream but honestly don’t have any answers for you. Nothing really came to me but I think it is because there wasn’t enough for me to meditate on. If you could describe it more, it might help.
Maybe the word was not English but a part of something else like ojibwe ‘odinaan’ meaning ‘he says’…dream totems don’t always come in English when they’re trying to speak to your consciousness. Sometimes we have to think outside the box and what we think they were trying to share. A person of another aboriginal language might have a different understand for dung–might refer to specific kind of dung-used for something. A quick google says all big cats and mountain lions always bury or hide their scat for various reasons. Maybe a little study of cougars might help you with your dream’s meaning. The word itself seemed clear. That’s your lead to look deeper.
This cosmic message from on high. Higher than a mountain… to refrain from ego or prrsonal power that forgets Great Mystery. All false power recycles back to the beginning to fertilize a mew seed that grows in fertile seed toward creator.
Then the mountain Lion won’t merely be an image in the sky..
Humility first… humble sincerity then tge reward.
Thanks again Beverly Two Feathers for your ‘bridging’ of ancient knowings for our present!
This was helpful. Just awoke from a dream that, at its end, an older mountain lion cub was caught by people i was with and they were going to release it away from the small town we were in. Gonna use this pay to determine the meaning.
You have made peace with the vest part of yourself!
Your independant fortitude and quiet power reins.
Love and affection fit in perfectly with who you are and patience and sence of humor will always be tools of warmth for you!
I ran face to face into a mountain lion on a hiking trail the other day. Afterwards I thought about how rare that was and that there must be a spiritual significance. Reading this has given me the clarity I asked for that day before starting that hike. It has helped me get back on my life path I’ve been ignoring for too long. Thank you for sharing this
I had a dream last night. First, I was handing a white spider to a man, who would not take it because he was afraid of spiders. Then the dream shifted, and I saw a Cougar stretched out on a table or ledge of some kind only a few feet from me. I was startled when I saw it, and was afraid at first. It was so big, and so close. I was afraid it would attack me, but it didn’t. It seemed to be very comfortable with my presence. As I realized it was not going to harm me, and became more comfortable with it so close, I started feeling drawn to it. Then he spoke to me. I don’t remember what he said, but I know that he actually spoke to me. Then at one point, I asked him if I could give him a hug. I got the impression that that question amused him. He looked so regal and confident…..and relaxed. I don’t remember whether or not I actually hugged him, but I did get close enough to touch him, and he seemed okay with that. Somehow, we seemed to be very comfortable with each other, even though I was afraid of him at first. By the end of the dream, I somehow developed a strong admiration for him, and now feel an inexplicable desire to be more like Cougar.
I have had occasional dreams about Cougar in the past, but in them, he was usually fighting something, usually another cat, and I always saw them from a distance.
Once, several years ago, I saw a white Lynx watching me in a dream. She acted as though she had not seen me, but I could tell she was keeping an eye on me and was letting me know she was there.
“Being a leader does not mean that you will always be able to keep everyone happy while you are trying to maintain peace. ”
I think there’s a reason why I just happened to land on this post about the Totem of Mountain Lion 🙂