OTTER: There are two kinds of Otters -- river and sea. They both share an immense love of play. River Otters will make slides in mud or snow on the banks of rivers and spend endless hours sliding down, running back up and doing it again. Sea Otters can be seen chasing each other, leaping in the waves, playing what seems to be a game of tag. Sea Otters use rocks and shells as tools with which they open their favorite treats, abalone and mollusks. They will actually store a favorite tool in the same place on the sea floor for later use. Otters do not have an insulating layer of fat, as do other mammals. Instead, they rely on a very thick coat of fur.
They keep their front paws, which lack fur, out of the water when they are floating on their backs so that they remain dry and warm. They are good parents, and their young remain with them proportionally longer than do the offspring of most animals.
Otters give us the all important gift of laughter. They are joyful, talkative creatures who float in the womb of the Earth, enjoying her bounty and playing much of the time.
Otters have little fear of people since creatures busy having fun do not have time to fear. Unfortunately, that made them easy targets for trappers wanting their furs. Otters are protected now, but at one point they were almost extinct, especially the Giant Otters of the Amazon.
The lesson from Otter about violence and exploitation teaches us that, while joy and laughter will heal and bring us together, we still need to take seriously the well being of the Earth and her children.
If Otter has come to you in dream or vision, see what areas of your life can do with a bit more laughter and lightness.
OWL: There are 135 species of Owl (17 in North America), varying in size from 6 inch Elf Owl to the 3 foot long Great Great Owl.
Owls have many abilities which set them apart from all other birds. They have a greater range of motion in their necks than any other animal with a spinal column. They turn their heads rather than their eyes, which are stationary. Owls are mostly nocturnal, and they eat everything from rodents and insects to other birds and fruits. Their wings, which are extremely soft and thick with fuzzy edges, allow them to fly almost silently so they can swoop down on unsuspecting prey. Their night vision is so powerful that some can see prey when the light is equivalent of a candle burning 2500 feet away! Their power of vision are matched by their hearing abilities. They can and do hear so advanced, that with absoluteness of no light, can detect a mouse and pinpoint it for the kill. They can conceal themselves extremely well when they are sleeping, to the fact they seem to melt into their surroundings.
The Night Eagle is a messenger from the darkness and a guard through all mysteries that it contains, including death. Owl has been believed to be nothing but a messenger of death in many cultures. But Owl is far more than a bearer of bad news. Owl does bring good tidings of great events in one's life and is a protector from all evil. Owl will fly across ones path warning you and to protect you from harm.
Many Natives peoples do not see Owl and will not work with it, feeling that Owl is a bad omen.
Zuni being one who believes that Owls are associated with witchcraft and the holding of unnatural powers of the Spirit world.
The Cherokee on the other hand go both ways, the older traditionalists remember being called the "Owl People" because they had rounded shaped eyes like the owl. Also believed that Owl was the protector of the night from all evil. If one heard the owl hooting outside their windows, they would feel safe and sound that no evil would befall them during the night.at Owl medicine can only be used for healing and for good. Example, the left foot of an Owl, was the first "Lie Detector" when placed in the left hand of the one suspected of not telling the truth, and asked a question, if they told another lie, the claws would come to life and the very sharp talons would go deep into the flesh! and would not release until the truth was actually told.
Now, the younger generations that has lost a lot of the older ways, and believed the "Newer Ways" and what others wrote in books that we fear the owl like others. On a good note, there are still some older ones still about that believe in Owl and his wisdoms, and uses only good medicine of what Owl gives.
Another Nation the Hopi, have taken the more positive attitude towards them, seeing them as teachers in the medicine of the night.
If Owl has come to you in dream, vision or physical...You can be certain some part of you will be changed, in a big way. Do not fear, though, for this does not mean physical death as much as it means the letting go of some part of you that needs to change for the better. Owls, are spiritual walkers between the physical and spiritual world, they teach us and guide us through the dark tunnel of fear and change to the certain light shining at the other end. Owl should be thanked not feared for its willingness to guide you through its shadowy realm.
PARAKEETS/BUDGIES: There are over 5 million individuals and only of the wild ones, they first originated in Australia in the total wild, but are found in also Australia being their Native home, they are found in the wild still in great abundance today. They have been brought to the America and England, and have developed from there.
The "Normal" colour for a Budgie/Parakeets are bright green and a yellow head. They were the only colour ever found in the wild. These colours helped camouflage in the leaves, other multi-colours came from America and England through cross breeding that achieved the varieties you see today.
The American is slightly different in size from the Australian, it is larger, but then the English is larger than either of the Australian or American.
The word "Budgie" is the shorten version of the actual word "Budgerigar" in ancient Australian language, which horrifically means "good to eat". The Latin name of this species of parrot is: "Melopsittacus undulatus."
Budgies/Parrots are found all over Australia, mostly found though in the desserts, farmlands, and woodlands. They are no threat to anyone or anything, though large numbers die during droughts, they do reproduce quickly and make up the loss quickly. The do gather in large flocks, that can actually cloud up the skies. Budgies/Parakeets are normally very active during the day and love play! and sometimes very hard play that looks as if they will hurt one another. They do not mean to be mean to one another, it is just their way hard and fast!
Bonding with them takes time to earn their trust, but when you and the Budgie does it is lasting and hard as they play in life.
Native and non-Native have believed having a "Budgie/Parakeet" are like having a built in warning system for a number of things. On the physical level, they will alert you of smoke in the house because their instincts tell them it is dangerous to both animal and mankind. Same with snakes that may get into the house..they will chirp very loudly going off and flap their wings hard to set the alarm off of danger.
Spiritually, is the same to them too, as they are so sensitive to intruders within the home environment that are a potential threat.
Note: Pay close attention how they may act if someone comes into your home that may not be on the up and up..they will let you know if that person is good or bad...physically or spiritually.
Budgies/Parakeets teach us patience and perseverance in all things.
If Budgie/Parakeet comes to you in a dream/vision, take heed of their warning as they are trying to tell you of impending danger to you physically or spiritually.
Penguin: Different ones of this species can be found all over the world. But the one most thought of is the ones found in the colder regions of the Antarctic.
The grand Emperor Penguin is one of the largest and boldly coloured. They are as noble as their name given to them. When they come down to the ultimate Father, their love and care of the offspring is one to be commended indeed! After the mating, with one whom they can identify one another by sound alone..is so remarkable!
Then when the time comes, the egg is entrusted to the male to protect and keep warm at the risk of his own life through some of the harshest weather that the Antarctic produces, huddling close to one another and shifting positions to help keep the next one to them warm and alive.
While the mother goes off to feed in the sea..
The time is long and hard, and some eggs and fathers do not make it. But all said and done, the mothers do return and give the first feed to the hatch ling and the majority of the flock does survive.
The gift they give us is: The WILL to survive and to protect.
If Penguin comes to you in a vision or dream, they are trying to show you that your will is strong and that you are a good provider for your family.
PIGEON:Originally, Pigeons lived on the wild cliff faces of European and Asian sea coasts. Homing Pigeons find their way back to their roosts by orienting on the Earth's magnetic field. They are able to do this, it is believed, because they have tiny bits of magnetically sensitive material located in their heads and necks. Pigeons were used by the Chinese for hundreds of years to send messages, until the invention of the telephone, they carried money exchange rates between banks in Canton and Hong Kong. Early navigators took Pigeons to sea, in hope that, if they became lost, the Pigeon would show them the way to land.
Pigeons have been used extensively for delivering messages in times of war. During the siege of Paris in 1870, it is estimated that 115,00 official dispatches reached Paris through the blockade, attached to Pigeons' feet. Pigeons can fly for 600 miles in one day, and can travel in bursts of speed up to 60 miles per hour.
Pigeon's gift to us is the ability to accomplish. They do not get lost even in storms, because they are in tune with the natural ways of Earth, and always aware of their goals.
If Pigeon has come to you, it is saying to keep your sights and sensitivities clearly set on where you want to be , and start moving, even if you do not know exactly how to get there, by following your inner guidance, you can and will find your way.
PORCUPINE: Porcupines cannot move fast at all. Their bodies are quite well protected by the 30,000 quills that they can raise for security. Some people claim that Porcupines can shoot their quills out but this is not true. They do come out very easily though. Once embedded in the skin of a would-be predator that gets too close, the quills swell from moisture and warmth. They are shaped in such a way that they work their way in deeper, usually causing a fatal infection. A Porcupine can kill a bear or cougar in this way. Many times, a dog which gets quilled must be anaesthetized before the quills can be removed. Porcupines will actively defend themselves by swishing their tails and backing towards an aggressor. They are slow but excellent climbers, and can walk up a tree almost as fast as they do on land. Porcupines are preyed upon by fishers, large weasel-like animals, which slip underneath them, flipping them over on their backs so they can attack their soft undersides.
Porcupines gives us the power to reflect aggression back to its source.
If you find yourself under attack at some level, be it physical, emotional, mental, or spiritual, call upon Porcupine for help to turn the aggression back on itself.
If Porcupine comes to you in vision/dreaming, take it as a message that something is trying to slip in to feed upon you and that you need to see it and rid yourself of it. If you are feeling safe and secure, you still need to be watchful of what could be around the corner so you do not get flipped upside down.
Porcupine is not unassailable. Similar to Achilles, who could not be harmed except for his heel. The message is this: Everyone is vulnerable in some way, so do not let your ego make you feel invincible.
