Post by Spirit of the Lynx on Jul 4, 2007 22:25:18 GMT -5
From: taraluna (Original Message) Sent: 1/4/2004 10:17 AM
COUGAR
Keynote: Coming into Your Own Power
Cycle of Power: Year Round
Throught its history the cougar has been known by many names: puma, mountain lion, cougar, catamount, mountain screamer, sneak cat, panther, & more. Cougar, panther, & puma are the most common. Cougar is its South American name & the name puma comes from the Quenchua language spoken by the Incas. The Florida panther is part of the same family, but should not be confused with the panther of the leopard/jaguar family. In your studies of the cougar, is there a name which draws you more? This may provide some insight into past life connections with this totem.
The early colonists mistook the cougar for a female lion. Dutch traders in New Amsterdam (now New York) asked the Indians why they only brought in the skins of the female. The Indians, relishing a joke on the ignorant white traders, told them that all of the males lived in a distant range of mountains & were so fierce that no one dared hunt them. Thus the name mountain lion came to be.
The cougar is the second largest cat in the Western Hemisphere. It is also one of the fastest & most powerful of animals, but it tires quickly. It is powerful enough to kill with its bite or its claws. It can leap over forty feet.
It is a stealthy hunter, & many of the qualities of the panther described later hold true for the cougar. If cougar has shown up in your life, it is time to learn about power. Test your own. Most young cougars learn how to use their power through trial & error. It strengthens them & hones their skills. When cougar shows up as totem, much of the trial has been worked through. Now it is time to assert.
People may not like your asserting. They may try & keep you in the catagory they have always kept you. You can choose to remain so, or you can stretch your muscles & show your capabilities. Those with cougar medicine fall easily under attack, especially by those who have grown comfortable with the status quo & do not wish to truly see you grow. Remember that there will always be some who will not wish to see you come into your own power or will ever acknowledge that you have. If cougar has shown up, there is a choice to be made, & should be made quickly & strongly. A cougar leaps at its opportunities.
The deer is the cougar's favorite prey. Anyone with a cougar totem should also study the deer. One of the qualities embodied by the deer is gentleness. For those with the cougar totem, remember that power can be asserted gently. There is strength & power in gentleness. It is also a reminder that there are times to be gentle & there are times to assert your power forcefully. This is part of what the cougar teaches.
The cougar also has connections to the porcupine, & its qualities should be studied as well. The cougar is one of the few animals capable of killing a porcupine without harm to itself. In fact, about one third of its food can be made up of porcupine. The cougar has developed the ability to flip the porcupine upon its back, exposing its vulnerable underside.
The cougar teahces decisiveness in the use of personal power. When it attacks, it does not hesitate. When threatened, it goes for the most vulnerable place. The cougar can teach you how to bring out your power & fill your heart with it in a manner that will enable you to take charge of your life. You will find you can use it to defend yourself or to attack-with equal effectiveness. Cougar teaches you how to take charge of your life & your circumstances most effectively.
Derived from Animal Spek by Ted Andrews
COUGAR
Keynote: Coming into Your Own Power
Cycle of Power: Year Round
Throught its history the cougar has been known by many names: puma, mountain lion, cougar, catamount, mountain screamer, sneak cat, panther, & more. Cougar, panther, & puma are the most common. Cougar is its South American name & the name puma comes from the Quenchua language spoken by the Incas. The Florida panther is part of the same family, but should not be confused with the panther of the leopard/jaguar family. In your studies of the cougar, is there a name which draws you more? This may provide some insight into past life connections with this totem.
The early colonists mistook the cougar for a female lion. Dutch traders in New Amsterdam (now New York) asked the Indians why they only brought in the skins of the female. The Indians, relishing a joke on the ignorant white traders, told them that all of the males lived in a distant range of mountains & were so fierce that no one dared hunt them. Thus the name mountain lion came to be.
The cougar is the second largest cat in the Western Hemisphere. It is also one of the fastest & most powerful of animals, but it tires quickly. It is powerful enough to kill with its bite or its claws. It can leap over forty feet.
It is a stealthy hunter, & many of the qualities of the panther described later hold true for the cougar. If cougar has shown up in your life, it is time to learn about power. Test your own. Most young cougars learn how to use their power through trial & error. It strengthens them & hones their skills. When cougar shows up as totem, much of the trial has been worked through. Now it is time to assert.
People may not like your asserting. They may try & keep you in the catagory they have always kept you. You can choose to remain so, or you can stretch your muscles & show your capabilities. Those with cougar medicine fall easily under attack, especially by those who have grown comfortable with the status quo & do not wish to truly see you grow. Remember that there will always be some who will not wish to see you come into your own power or will ever acknowledge that you have. If cougar has shown up, there is a choice to be made, & should be made quickly & strongly. A cougar leaps at its opportunities.
The deer is the cougar's favorite prey. Anyone with a cougar totem should also study the deer. One of the qualities embodied by the deer is gentleness. For those with the cougar totem, remember that power can be asserted gently. There is strength & power in gentleness. It is also a reminder that there are times to be gentle & there are times to assert your power forcefully. This is part of what the cougar teaches.
The cougar also has connections to the porcupine, & its qualities should be studied as well. The cougar is one of the few animals capable of killing a porcupine without harm to itself. In fact, about one third of its food can be made up of porcupine. The cougar has developed the ability to flip the porcupine upon its back, exposing its vulnerable underside.
The cougar teahces decisiveness in the use of personal power. When it attacks, it does not hesitate. When threatened, it goes for the most vulnerable place. The cougar can teach you how to bring out your power & fill your heart with it in a manner that will enable you to take charge of your life. You will find you can use it to defend yourself or to attack-with equal effectiveness. Cougar teaches you how to take charge of your life & your circumstances most effectively.
Derived from Animal Spek by Ted Andrews