Spirit Lodge - Totem Animals - Page 141

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Totem Animals

Page 141

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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

ROADRUNNER
By SisterCyber

If you're on the highway and Road Runner goes beep beep.
Just step aside or might end up in a heap.
Road Runner, Road Runner runs on the road all day.
Even the coyote can't make him change his ways.
Road Runner, the coyote's after you.
Road Runner, if he catches you you're through.
Road Runner, the coyote's after you.
Road Runner, if he catches you you're through.
That coyote is really a crazy clown,
When will he learn he can never mow him down?
Poor little Road Runner never bothers anyone,
Just runnin' down the road's his idea of having fun.
I couldn't remember all the lyrics so I looked them up.

When reading that the Road Runner has a crest on its head, I remembered the "bobbing head of a
bird with plumes and open beak" that the branch of this one tree in front of my house looked like
on the night of the lunar eclipse, and made a note to search for a pic.

It resembled this: www.ibiblio.org/ephesus/rrun.jpg
Not so much this though: www.123-gift.com/images/large/3655.jpg
Here is another nice pic: www.ibiblio.org/ephesus/roadrunn.jpg

The Roadrunner
www.sayahda.com/cyc4.html

Roadrunners are ground dwelling cuckoos ranging in length from 20 to 24 inches from the tip of
its tail to the end of its beak. Legend has it that the roadrunner got its name from running on the
road alongside horse drawn carriages. Also known as the chaparral cock this legendary bird is
famous for its distinctive appearance, its ability to eat rattlesnakes and its preferences for
scooting across the American deserts as seen in Warner Brothers cartoons.

Because of its lightening quickness, the roadrunner is one of the few animals that preys upon
rattlesnakes. Using its wings like a matador's cape, it snaps up a coiled rattlesnake by the tail,
cracks it like a whip and repeatedly slams its head against the ground till dead. It then swallows
its prey whole, but is often unable to swallow the entire length at one time. This does not stop the
roadrunner from its normal routine. It will continue to meander about with the snake dangling
from its mouth, consuming another inch or two as the snake slowly digests.

Although speed is its ally time is irrelevant to the roadrunner. It can do several things at once and
isn't bothered with completing one thing before moving on to the next. This is partly due to its
great mental agility represented by the crest on its head.. Many native cultures believe a "crest"
symbolizes quick and efficient thinking capabilities. Those with this medicine have the ability to
think quickly on their feet, flow with rapid change and understand the proper use of speed.
The roadrunner is a large black and white mottled ground bird. It has strong feet, a long tail and
an oversized bill. It can run up to 17 miles per hour. When the roadrunner senses danger or is
traveling downhill, it flies, but it cannot keep its large body airborne for more than a few seconds
and so, it prefers walking or running. It has a clownish gait when running or walking and
reminds us to laugh with ourselves and not take things too seriously.

The roadrunner is a vocal bird producing a variety of sounds from crows, chuckles, clacking and
coos. Roadrunner asks us to use sound to benefit ourselves. Distract unwanted influences or say
the right thing at the right time. By listening to the roadrunner we discover the right tone to use
in any situation from a low coo to a screeching chuckle. Sound as well as speed can pierce
through a situation and change its energy. Shamans are known to use both to shape shift realities
when necessary.

Roadrunners are uniquely suited to desert environments and inhabit open, flat or rolling terrain
with scattered cover of dry brush, chaparral or other desert scrub. When spring arrives, the male
roadrunner acquires food for himself and then offers choice morsels to a female as an
inducement to mating. He often dances around her while she begs for food, then gives her the
morsel after breeding briefly. Roadrunner teaches us the importance of honoring our personal
needs first before giving to others. Some might think of this as a selfish act but in truth it is a
balanced one. Although roadrunner has an ulterior motive when offering the female food (that of
breeding) it carries the message of survival. Take care of yourself first and then assist others.
Because roadrunner is always thinking of ways to get what it wants it reminds those with this
medicine to use the ingenuity of their minds. If a problem occurs "think" yourself out of it.

Highly intelligent, roadrunner medicine people have the mental capabilities to fix or change any
situation. Procrastination is not part of this medicine. Roadrunner reminds us that mental
alertness, speedy action coupled with the right use of sound always produces harmonious
outcomes.