Post by Spirit of the Lynx on Jul 4, 2007 18:37:18 GMT -5
From: ScrëämïngËäglë™ (Original Message) Sent: 6/30/2003 11:12 AM
Eagle animal totem
Among ancient Mediterranean people, the eagle was associated
with the sun god, fire, and lightning. Zeus, the father of the classical
gods, took the form of an eagle when he carried his young lover
Ganymede to Mt. Olympus.
For the Romans, the eagle became a symbol of the sovereignty of
its emperors, and the image was carried before the Empire's legions
as they set about conquering the known world.
The eagle became a popular symbol of power among the Germanic
people because the great bird was representative of Wodan, the ruler
of the gods. As with the Romans before them with their Caesars, the
eagle's mastery of the heavens came to symbolize the sovereignty of
the German kaisers.
Because the eagle could appear to fly so close to the sun, the Medicine
priests of all the tribes regarded the large bird as a very special
messenger of the Great Mystery.
In India, the Vedic tradition also portrays the eagle as a messenger of
divinity and as the bearer of soma, the favorite drink of the Vedic gods,
from indra.
An old Aztec folktale tells of the ciuapipiltin, spirits of women who died
in childbirth, who returned to earth to snare the children of living mothers.
These entities could appear in the form of ghostly women or as an eagle,
swooping down from the sky.
Psalms 103:5, "so that thy youth is renewed like an eagle's"; and
Isaiah 40:31, "They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings as eagles," both allude to the old Hebrew
belief that the eagle had the ability to plunge into the sea and regenerate
itself every ten years.
Over the years in Christian iconography, the eagle has represented a
special messenger from Heaven, the spirit of prophecy, a prayer rising
swiftly to God, and even the Ascension of Christ. St. John the Evangelist is
identified with the eagle.
In the old days, eagle feathers were used whenever possible on Native
American war bonnets, rattles, shields, pipes, baskets, prayer sticks, and
all kinds of ceremonial costumes. The very style in which the feathers were
clipped, colored, and arranged on a chief's or warrior's clothing would
reveal his rank in the tribe and the deeds that he had accomplished to earn
that rank.
Today, of course, with the eagle on the endangered species list,
pseudo-eagle feathers are created from crow, chicken, and turkey feathers.
And speaking of turkeys, if Ben Franklin had had his way, the turkey would
be the official fowl of the United States, rather than the bald eagle. Franklin
considered the eagle to be little more than a scavenger, while in his opinion,
the turkey was an honest, decent bird.
The origin of placing such high esteem on eagle feathers was told in an
old Native American folktale that recounts how all the birds met one day to
decide once and for all which could fly the highest. Some flew up very swiftly
but soon became tired, but the eagle flew beyond them all and was about
to claim the victory when the crafty gray linnet suddenly emerged from its
hiding place on the eagle's hack and, fresh and rested, succeeded in flying
the highest.
When the birds came back to alight on the Earth Mother, the great council
of fowls still voted to award the prize to the eagle, for not only had it flown
closer to the sun than the other birds, it had done so with the linnet on its
back. Hence, from that day forward, the feathers of the eagle were esteemed
the most honorable adornment for the warrior, as it is not only the bravest
bird, but it is also endowed with strength to soar the highest.
If the eagle has appeared to you in your dreams or visions and revealed itself
as your totem animal, you may expect to receive renewed strength of body,
mind, and spirit. At the same time, you will find your meditations becoming
more profound and your visions more prophetic in content. If you maintain a
harmonious and balanced lifestyle, you will feel a stronger connection with
the Great Mystery than ever before in your spiritual pilgrimage on earth.
Just as the eagle can soar high above the earth and rise above its companions
and its competitors, you must guard against the powerful eagle vibrations
causing you to withdraw from your family and friends and grow aloof from
your community. If you listen carefully to your spirit helper, it will instruct
you in the sacred responsibility of sharing your prophetic insights with others
and show you how to become the most effective kind of spiritual teacher.
Eagle animal totem
Among ancient Mediterranean people, the eagle was associated
with the sun god, fire, and lightning. Zeus, the father of the classical
gods, took the form of an eagle when he carried his young lover
Ganymede to Mt. Olympus.
For the Romans, the eagle became a symbol of the sovereignty of
its emperors, and the image was carried before the Empire's legions
as they set about conquering the known world.
The eagle became a popular symbol of power among the Germanic
people because the great bird was representative of Wodan, the ruler
of the gods. As with the Romans before them with their Caesars, the
eagle's mastery of the heavens came to symbolize the sovereignty of
the German kaisers.
Because the eagle could appear to fly so close to the sun, the Medicine
priests of all the tribes regarded the large bird as a very special
messenger of the Great Mystery.
In India, the Vedic tradition also portrays the eagle as a messenger of
divinity and as the bearer of soma, the favorite drink of the Vedic gods,
from indra.
An old Aztec folktale tells of the ciuapipiltin, spirits of women who died
in childbirth, who returned to earth to snare the children of living mothers.
These entities could appear in the form of ghostly women or as an eagle,
swooping down from the sky.
Psalms 103:5, "so that thy youth is renewed like an eagle's"; and
Isaiah 40:31, "They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings as eagles," both allude to the old Hebrew
belief that the eagle had the ability to plunge into the sea and regenerate
itself every ten years.
Over the years in Christian iconography, the eagle has represented a
special messenger from Heaven, the spirit of prophecy, a prayer rising
swiftly to God, and even the Ascension of Christ. St. John the Evangelist is
identified with the eagle.
In the old days, eagle feathers were used whenever possible on Native
American war bonnets, rattles, shields, pipes, baskets, prayer sticks, and
all kinds of ceremonial costumes. The very style in which the feathers were
clipped, colored, and arranged on a chief's or warrior's clothing would
reveal his rank in the tribe and the deeds that he had accomplished to earn
that rank.
Today, of course, with the eagle on the endangered species list,
pseudo-eagle feathers are created from crow, chicken, and turkey feathers.
And speaking of turkeys, if Ben Franklin had had his way, the turkey would
be the official fowl of the United States, rather than the bald eagle. Franklin
considered the eagle to be little more than a scavenger, while in his opinion,
the turkey was an honest, decent bird.
The origin of placing such high esteem on eagle feathers was told in an
old Native American folktale that recounts how all the birds met one day to
decide once and for all which could fly the highest. Some flew up very swiftly
but soon became tired, but the eagle flew beyond them all and was about
to claim the victory when the crafty gray linnet suddenly emerged from its
hiding place on the eagle's hack and, fresh and rested, succeeded in flying
the highest.
When the birds came back to alight on the Earth Mother, the great council
of fowls still voted to award the prize to the eagle, for not only had it flown
closer to the sun than the other birds, it had done so with the linnet on its
back. Hence, from that day forward, the feathers of the eagle were esteemed
the most honorable adornment for the warrior, as it is not only the bravest
bird, but it is also endowed with strength to soar the highest.
If the eagle has appeared to you in your dreams or visions and revealed itself
as your totem animal, you may expect to receive renewed strength of body,
mind, and spirit. At the same time, you will find your meditations becoming
more profound and your visions more prophetic in content. If you maintain a
harmonious and balanced lifestyle, you will feel a stronger connection with
the Great Mystery than ever before in your spiritual pilgrimage on earth.
Just as the eagle can soar high above the earth and rise above its companions
and its competitors, you must guard against the powerful eagle vibrations
causing you to withdraw from your family and friends and grow aloof from
your community. If you listen carefully to your spirit helper, it will instruct
you in the sacred responsibility of sharing your prophetic insights with others
and show you how to become the most effective kind of spiritual teacher.