Spirit Lodge - Totem Animals - Page 104

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Totem Animals

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Bear Medicine	Birth Totems	Coyote Medicine	Dragon Ranks	Dragonfly Medicine	Eagle Medicine	Four Animal Helpers	Grey Wolf Medicine	Hawk
Heron Medicine	Horse	Magpie	Raccoon	Salmon Medicine	Spider Medicine	Swan Medicine	Thunder Being Medicine	Totem Loss Disc

MOOSE
By Cinnamonmoon

Taken from Ted Andrew's "Animal-Speak"
Keynote: Primal Feminine Energies and the Magic of Life and Death
Cycle of Power: Late Fall and Early Winter (November) ---The Time of Approaching Shadows
To the Athapaskan Indians of Alaska...there was a tremendous relationship between Raven and
Moose. The hunters would protect and talk constantly on their hunts to Raven who they knew
helped shape the world. They would pray to Raven to assist in the hunt for Moose. Thus when a
moose appeared, it was a special, sacred gift. Moose opens a unique and sacred energy.

An animal of contradictions: strange and majestic, awkward yet graceful, making us smile and
catch our breath. Those with this Medicine will elicit those feelings in others. Except during
mating season it is predominantly a solitary animal making use of its territory, having an
uncanny ability to camouflage itself...powers of invisibility and shapeshifting. This unique
"shapeshifting camouflage" is reflected in the life of the historical Merlin. When he was
summoned by kings or needed desperately to recruit other allies, he came silently, disguised as a
poor shepherd, a woodcutter, or a peasant. Even sovereigns failed to recognize him in his various
disguises. He practiced concealment habitually.

Moose moves silently with speed. It is the deception of its appearance that enables it to survive
so well utilizing its excellent depth perception as an additional aid. It can move through great
depths of snow and marshes that would trip up many others. This same ability can be
strengthened, awakened, and even taught to those who align with the Medicine of Moose.
Associated with feminine energies, the maternal forces of the world, and awakening within those
with this Medicine. Partly due to the association with Water, a primal symbol of the feminine
fores of the universe...a symbol of creativity and dynamic forms of intuition and illumination.
The Penobscot Indians of Main relate tales of how the Moose was once the Whale, the greatest
mammal of the waters. The MicMacs of Nova Scotia tell how when the Moose is too persistently
hunted, it turns to the sea. The sea is the point from which all life comes and to which all life
returns. It is the great womb of the universe.

Moose have the unique ability to plunge to the bottom of lakes, and can remain there feeding for
up to a full minute before surfacing in a burst with fresh greens dangling from their mouths. It
reflects the ability of the individual to learn to go back into the depths and draw new life and
nourishment from it. The Moose can teach the ability to move from the outer world to the inner.
It can teach how to cross from life to death and back to stronger life. It teaches how to use the
thin thread that separates life and death to one's advantage. Soul retrievals and Mediumship of
working with the dead are part of this Medicine.

The Athapaskan Indians "potlatch" is a memorial ceremony to help dispatch the spirit of the
dead. The belief is that when people die, they do not leave right away. They stay another day,
then once a week and so on for a year--at which time a memorial potlatch is served. This potlatch
involves a sharing of special food, particularly moose head soup, sacred because it is not always
available. This service then sends the spirit on.

The female Moose is very protective of its young with a primal strength. With a highly
developed sense of smell and hearing it has the metaphysical counterparts in emotional idealism
and spiritual discernment. The hearing lends to the human the abilities of clairaudience and
spiritual comprehension. When a Moose aligns with a person (which is usually how it happens,
rather than an individual aligning with a Moose), the individual should pay more attention to that
inner voice and that sense of smell. Do things smell or sound right--even if you can't define why?
Trust those feelings for they will define themselves shortly.

Moose calves are born with their eyes open, thus those with this Medicine come into the world
with their inner eyes already open. It is not unusual to find such individuals getting discouraged
when they work to "click on those inner lights", as so many others describe their own awakening
psychic and intuitive capabilities. These individuals must understand they came in with their
inner lights already on, so there will be no clicking. Learning to trust what they so often think is
simply the imagination, etc. is part of the task of maturing into full Moose power.

If a Moose calf lives through its first month, it will most likely survive to become an adult. It is
not uncommon for those with this Medicine having had their most difficult (and sometimes
traumatic) lessons in life during their childhood. The survival through this reflects that innate
ability to draw from the creative force of the feminine waters of life to strengthen and sustain
them. The two most powerful parts of the moose are the paws, which will cut like a knife, and
the antlers which are both decorative and defensive. The head and the feet---these two areas are
parts of the body most sensitive to those with this Medicine. Foot reflexology and head, neck,
and upper back massages are important to release stress. Cranial sacral work would facilitate
healing and release most beneficially.

The Moose is herbivorious and it should be a strong part of the diet of those with this Medicine.
The body will respond most strongly to herbal alternatives rather than traditional chemical medicines.

The antlers of Moose are the largest of all antlered animals. They are an ancient symbol of
antennae--of crownings that activate the upper chakras of the head. Only the male of the species
grows antlers, unless there is a hormone imbalance in the femal. The male must attune even more
strongly (through the antennae) to the intuitive promptings. The rubbing of the antlers to remove
the velvet covering has a lot of significance as well. It reflects the need to massage the head area
to release the past for the antlers are shed each year.

A symbol of sexual energies as a physical reflection of the primal creative energies. That energy
has its cycle within the body and within the rhythms of the year. Autum is the power time, and
late October and November especially is the month for honoring Moose. The hunting season is
over. The mating is being completed, and a new cycle is about to begin. For those of this
Medicine the autumn is a powerful time. The smell of dry leaves, the sound of their crunch as
they are walked upon, touches a primal core, stirring life forces anew within the individual. In
many ways it is aligned with Samhain, All Hallow's Eve, All Saint's Day, Harvesting Rituals and
all the traditional energies associated with this season.

A powerful omen. When it appears in dreams, it reflects a long, good life. It was known to give
strength, and more than one Indian tribe believed that you could travel three times as fast and
three times as long after a meal of Moose. They mystical association of 3: the creation, the new
child born from the womb of the mother. The hoof was known as a cure for epilepsy. Moose was
known to banish headaches and dizziness and Moose Medicine considered a cure for snakebite.
It has no enemy it fears other than a Grizzly Bear, but even then it can outrun and outswim it. It's
maneuverability and intuition, along with its highly developed senses sustain it. Almost all
northern Indian tribes have legends and tales of the Moose--reflecting its universality and its
great mysticism. The Menomini of Wisconsin even had a Moose phatry or clan at one time. The
Dog-Rib Indians south of the Arctic Circle (near Great Bear Lake and Great Slave Lake) speak
of Hottah, a two-year-old Moose who was the cleverest of all northern animals, and who helped
create the Rocky Mountains.

When Moose comes into your life, the primal contact with the great feminine force and void of
life is being awakened. It is an invitation to learn to explore new depths of awareness and
sensitivity within yourself and within your environment.

*Mary Summer Rain/On Dreams:
Moose implies a spiritual burden.

*Timothy Roderick/The Once Unknown Familiar:
Key Words: Community-oriented, graceful, hospitable
Magical Influences: Power to shed the past; heightens one's social graces.
Personality: The moose can live to be quite old. It will live and work in a community setting, but
prefers to be alone with nature. As a result, the moose occasionally disappears from its usual
haunts to spend time in the forests, mountains, or wilderness. It is maternally oriented, and you
will never hear a moose complain about his or her mother. The moose is sensitive to the rudeness
and crudeness of others and strives to appear cultured and polished.

*Lady Stearn Robinson & Tom Gorbett/The Dreamer's Dictionary:
If you dreamed of moose in its natural habitat, you can expect a beneficial change of
circumstances; unless you shot it, in which case you can expect some family trouble which has
been brewing to boil over. A baby moose in your dream means a lucky break--probably in
connection with a journey.

*Patricia Telesco/The Language of Dreams:
A solitary personality with tendencies toward being very territorial. The ability to camouflage
yourself and move quietly behind the scenes. In metaphysical traditions, the moose is regarded as
aligned with the feminine, watery, maternal nature. Allow this to develop within your life.
Alertness. Moose are born with their eyes wide open. A portent that speaks of a long life lived fully.

*Jamie Sams & David Carson/Medicine Cards:
Self-esteem. Moose is found in the North of the medicine wheel, as is Buffalo. North represents
the place of wisdom. Self-esteem is the medicine of Moose because it represents the power of
recognizing that wisdom has been used in a situation and that recognition or a pat on the back is
deserved.

Moose is the largest member of the deer family, and has great strength. The call of the male
Moose is an awesome thing to hear on a musky spring night. His pride in his maleness and his
desire to share his seed with a Moose cow are displays of his sense of self-esteem. The bellow of
a male Moose can be viewed as a positive force, since it represents his willingness to "tell the
world" about his feelings.

This "tell the world" trait contains a joyfulness which only comes with a sense of
accomplishment. There is no greater joy than a job well done. This trait is therefore not a seeking
of approval, but rather an enjoyment of sharing because fo the spontaneous explosion of joy that
comes from the deepest part of one's being.

The wisdom woven throughout this scenario is that creation constantly brings forth new ideas
and further creation. Moose is telling us that joy should be shouted with pride. The wisdom in
doing this shouting is that the joy is "catching". In a sense, the bellowing is a way for all of us to
lighten up and give ourselves or each other a "well done!"

Moose medicine people have the ability to know when to use the gentleness of Deer and when to
activate the stampede of Buffalo. They understand the balance between giving orders to get
things done and having a willingness to do things themselves. The wisdom of Moose medicine is
akin to the Grandfather Warrior who has long since put away his war paint and is now advising
the young bucks to cool their blood.

Moose medicine is often found in elders who have walked the Good Red Road and have seen
many things in their Earth Walk. Their joy lies in being the teachers of the children, and in being
the first ones to give encouragement. This is not to say that Moose medicine people do not use
their wisdom to warn as well as give praise, because they do. Moose medicine people know what
to say, when to say it, and to whom.

The elders are honored in tribal law for their gifts of wisdom, for their teaching abilities, and for
the calmness they impart in Council. If you are wise beyond your years and have the gift of
Moose medicine, use this gift to encourage others to learn and grow. There are many facets to
the wisdom of Moose medicine.

If you have chosen the Moose card, you have reason to feel good about something you have
accomplished on your journey. This may be a habit you have broken, a completion of some sort,
an insight on a goal, or a new sense of self that you have fought hard to earn. It is a time of
feeling harmonious pride, and of recognizing those who aided you in the process.

One good exercise in Moose medicine is to write down things that you can love about yourself
and your progress in life. Then apply these same things to friends, family, coworkers, and life.
Don't forget to share the findings with others. They need the encouragement as much as you do.
Contrary: If Moose is upside-down when you draw it, you are being reminded that ego can ruin
your sense of accomplishment. Remember that others have the same potential you have, and do
not become careless in your appreciation of their gifts. Reversed Moose implies that in tooting
your own horn you have failed to be interested in others, and have therefore forgotten that
everyone teaches everyone else in some way. Contrary Moose medicine may be asking you to
grow quietly for a while, to calm your spirit and allow the strength and wisdom of silence to
enter your heart. This is the core of Moose medicine: knowing the wisdom of silence, so that
when it is proper to speak you can take pride in your words.

*D.J. Conway/Animal Magick:
This creature is known in Europe as the "elk". There are three kinds of Old World moose which
are found in the Scandinavian peninsula, Germany, Siberia, and Manchuria.

The moose is an immense black-brown or dark brown deer, which can stand as high as seven to
eight feet at the shoulder and weigh up to 1,800 pounds. Its antlers can have a spread as large as
seven feet. The cow doesn't have horns, and the bull is further identified by a hanging pouch of
skin under the throat. Both sexes have long legs, humped shoulders, and large muzzles.

Three or four varieties of North American moose range from the Rocky Mountains in the west to
Maine and north through Canada and Alaska. The moose is the giant of the deer family. It has
huge flattened antlers with numerous points.

In Native American legend, the moose is thought to represent a balance between gentleness and
strength.

Magickal attributes: Wisdom, strength, shared joy. Building your self-esteem. Creating a balance
between giving orders and doing things. Knowing when to say something and when to keep
silent. Guidance and wisdom when approaching any touchy confrontation.