Spirit Lodge - Totem Animals - Page 123

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Page 124

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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

PIG MEDICINE
By 2CrowWoman

*My dad asked me to "find out what pigs mean." Yesterday he looked out the front window and
there were TWO big pigs on the grass on the far side of the road. My dad called my mom
quickly. They live in a suburb so pigs are rather unusual!! My mom says that when my dad
whistled to them they ran away like naughty kids. I went looking online and found an interesting
bit on a website selling lucky pigs. Mann hat Schwein!

This common domesticated animal has long been a symbol of luck in many cultures. In
Germany, the phrase "Mann hat Schwein" is commonly used when someone comes upon luck,
literally meaning "You have pig".

The Greek earth fertility goddess, Demeter, kept a sacred pig which became a symbol of fertility.
Native American Indians recognize the pig as a symbol of the abundance of daily life and believe
that it teaches us to celebrate life and share it with others. Manannan, the Celtic God of the Sea,
kept a magical herd of pigs (which renewed itself as soon as any were eaten). Manannan hosted a
great annual "Feast of Age", where the gods acquired the ever-renewing qualities of the pigs, and
thus never grew old.

Keep a cute little carved gemstone pig on your desk, in your purse, or anywhere you would like
to have more prosperity, so that good fortune can find a clear path to your door!

CinnamonMoon:
I can share a little…Lady Stearn Robinson & Tom Gorbett:
Another example of the good news, bad news contrast in meaning type of dream omen signifying
vexation in family affairs but satisfaction in business or professional matters. However, the omen
is modified by the condition of the animals, intensified if the pigs were fat and diminished if they
were lean.

*Zolar/Encyclopedia of Signs, Omens, and Superstitions:
Domestication of the pig was reportedly first done by the Chinese. For the Buddhists, the pig is a
symbol of indolence; for the Europeans, the pig is a symbol of license; for most of us, it
represents gluttony and obstinacy.

For the ancient Egyptians, pigs represented Osiris at sowing time and Seth at the time of harvest.
Generally held as unclean, swine herdsmen attending pigs were not allowed temple entrance nor
permitted marriage outside their own class. Egyptians ate pig meat only at the Midwinter
Festival, and the animal could only be sacrificed at the time of the full moon. A remnant of this
ancient belief it the tradition that pigs should be slaughtered only when the moon is waxing, or
the meat will shrink in the pot!

Neither Jews nor Arabs eat pork; nor is it consumed in Scotland and in parts of Northern Ireland.

Philip II of Spain, a staunch Catholic consumed large quantities of pork during the time he had
lived in England. Hence, in 16th C Spain, anyone with a distaste for the meat was thought to be a
secret follower of Judaism and, therefore, placed themselves in danger of arrest by the Inquisition.

For the Celts and other Teutonic peoples, pork suggested hospitality and other world feasts. The
Anglo-Saxons and the conquering Normans enjoyed pork. No doubt this led to the common
English custom of serving it at Christmas time. A boar's head with an orange in its mouth was
traditionally brought to the table at Queen's Cottage, Oxford, during the Christmas season. In
Scandinavia at Yule, a loaf baked in the shape of a boar is made from the last wheat of the harvest.

For devout Christians, pigs are symbolic of both good and evil. The patron saint of swine herds,
Saint Anthony, was said to look after even the smallest pig of a litter, which came to be called a
"pantony pig." In the folklore of New England and Ireland, the black boar was long held one of
the possible expressions of the Devil himself. In 1457, a sow and her young pigs were
condemned to death, and only a last minute pardon, "due to their extreme youth," saved the
piglets. At one time, among the English agricultural class, pig racing was held an acceptable
pastime. Involved youths chased after a pig whose tail had been coated with soap.

A Scottish tradition says it is unlucky for a pig to cross one's path. In Ireland, pigs running
around the farm with straws in their mouths indicate a storm approaching. A pig is also held to
give a peculiar whining sound when its master is approaching death. In Ireland, too, it is lucky
to drive a pig into one's house on May Day morning. Should a pig enter at any other time,
however, great poverty is likely. An unusual Irish tradition is that pigs have the ability to "see"
the wind and are, therefore, a very useful weather prophet. in some parts of the United States,
people believe hogs can actually predict a coming tornado. According to a Welsh tradition, pigs
bathed in the same water that scalded previous pigs to death will grow better.

A general country belief is that a woman touching a pig during the curing process will cause the
bacon to turn bad. Pigs should be killed during the increase of the moon, or the bacon will
shrink and waste away in the pot, say many rural traditions. When one is preparing for a fishing
trip, it is unlucky to mention the word pig. Should a pig be struck with an elder branch, legend
holds it will die immediately, and one is said sure of coming success should he find himself in
front of a sow and her litter.

*Denise Linn/The Secret Language of Signs:
Pigs and Hogs are a sign of selfishness and overindulgence. Do you feel that you are not getting
your share or not giving your share? "He is hogging the toy." This can be a sign of being
unclean or impure. In nature, hogs are intelligent and powerful, yet humans have given hogs a
negative connotation. Is there something in your life that is positive and valuable that other
people have labeled as undesirable?

*Timothy Roderick/The Once Unknown Familiar:
Key Words: Noncommittal, freedom-loving, magical
Magical Influences: Channeling the Goddess, helps those who make promises to keep their
word.

Personality: Pigs are freedom-loving creatures. They don't want to feel obligated to others and
will therefore avoid getting caught in long-term relationships and commitments. As a result they
tend to have plenty of free time to work on themselves. They enjoy digging in the past and are
attracted to anthropology and archaeology. They can be easily made to feel guilty, and once they
start on that cycle it takes a long time before they are finished wallowing in self-pity. The Sow is
the animal of the Crone.

*Mary Summer Rain/On Dreams:
Hog cautions against a tendency to take on too much at once.

*Patricia Telesco/The Language of Dreams:
Figuratively, someone who is always "hamming it up." Among the Celts, an emblem of success
and overcoming the odds. Pig was the favored food for Celtic victory feasts. Norse: Rebirth,
honor, and new beginnings. In Valhalla, Valkyries feast on a reborn sow.
The Druid Animal Oracle by Phillip and Stephanie Carr-Gomm
Pig: Generosity, Nourishment, Discovery

Pig, with her huge litters, symbolizes abundance and fertility. It may mean that you are called
upon to be generous. Feeling connected to the love of the Goddess for all her creatures, you are
able to give freely, knowing that you, in turn, are nourished and sustained by her. You can open
yourself to the abundance that exists throughout nature. You can allow yourself to accept this
abundance, knowing that life perpetually renews itself, and that you need not worry about every
being disconnected from it. Allow yourself to feast on life--to enjoy its beauties and its sensual
delights. The goddess is generous, giving to all and renewing all.

Contrary it may indicate that you may need to revise your image of yourself. There is an old
saying in Gaelic: "When you thought you were on the sow's back, you were beside her in the
puddle." Although the sow symbolizes nourishment, fertility, and giving, she can also represent
greed and 'pig-ignorance.' You may need to work toward a greater understanding of the
subtleties of life, rather than relying simply on your looks or physique. Without wisdom even
beauty can be unattractive, as another Gaelic saying indicates: "As a golden jewel in a pig's
snout, is a fair woman without sufficiency of understanding." Pigs' bristles were used for
centuries for artists' brushes, and the leather of pigs is exceptionally soft--appearances can be
deceptive, so judge people or propositions on their true merits and intrinsic worth rather than
their outward appearances.