Buffalo, flew out of the cards while I shuffled today doubling today's Animal Medicine.
30
Rabbit
Fear
Sacred little Rabbit . . .
Please drop your fright!
Running doesn't stop the pain,
Or turn the dark to light.
A long time ago - no one really knows how long ago it was -
Rabbit was a brave and fearless warrior.
Rabbit was befriended by Eye Walker, a witch.
The witch and Rabbit spent much time together sharing and talking.
The two were very close.
One day Eye Walker and Rabbit were walking along and they sat down on the trail to rest.
Rabbit said,
"I'm thirsty."
Eye Walker picked up a leaf, blew on it, and then handed Rabbit a gourd of water.
Rabbit drank the water but didn't say anything.
Then Rabbit said,
"I'm hungry."
Eye Walker picked up a stone and blew on it and changed it to a turnip.
She gave the turnip to Rabbit to eat. Rabbit tasted it and then ate the turnip with relish.
But still Rabbit didn't say anything.
The two continued along the trail, which led into the mountains.
Near the top, Rabbit tripped and fell and rolled almost to the bottom. Rabbit was in very sad condition when Eye Walker got to him.
She used a magic salve on Rabbit to heal his great pain and mend his broken bones. Rabbit didn't say anything.
Several days later Eye Walker went searching for her friend.
She searched high and low but Rabbit was nowhere to be found.
Finally, Eye Walker gave up.
She met Rabbit quite by accident one day.
"Rabbit, why are you hiding and avoiding me?"
the witch asked.
"Because I am afraid of you. I am afraid of your magic,"
answered Rabbit, cowering.
"Leave me alone!"
"I see," said Eye Walker.
"I have used my magical powers on your behalf and now you turn on me and refuse my friendship."
"I want nothing more to do with you or your powers,"
Rabbit countered. Rabbit did not even see the tears his words were bringing to Eye Walker's eyes.
"I hope we never meet and that I never see you again,"
Rabbit continued.
"Rabbit," Eye Walker said,
"We once were great friends and companions, but no more.
It is within my power to destroy you, but because of the past and the medicines we have shared together I will not do this.
But from this day forward I lay a curse on you and your tribe. From now on, you will call your fears and your fears will come to you.
Be on your way, for the sweet medicines that bound us together as friends are broken."
Now Rabbit s the Fear Caller.
He goes out and shouts, "Eagle, I am so afraid of you."
If Eagle doesn't hear him, Rabbit calls louder,
"Eagle, stay away from me!"
Eagle, now hearing Rabbit, comes and eats him. Rabbit calls bobcats, wolves, coyotes, and even
snakes until they come.
As this story shows, Rabbit medicine people are so afraid of tragedy, illness, disaster, and "being taken," that they call those very fears to them to teach them lessons.
The keynote here is: what you resist will persist!
What you fear most is what you will become.
Here is the lesson.
If you pulled Rabbit, stop talking about horrible things happening and get rid of "what it" in your vocabulary.
This card may signal a time of worry about the future or of trying to exercise your control over that which is not yet in form - the future.
Stop now!
Write your fears down and be willing to feel them.
Breathe into them, and feel them running through your body into Mother Earth as a give-away.
Contrary:
The paralyzed feeling which Rabbit experiences when being stalked is Rabbit in
the contrary position.
If you have tried to resolve a situation in your life and are unable to, you may be feeling frozen in motion.
This could indicate a time to wait for the forces of the universe to start moving again. It could also indicate the need to stop and take a rest.
It will always indicate a time when you need to re- evaluate the process you are undergoing, and to rid yourself of any negative feelings, barriers, or duress.
Simply put, you cannot have your influence felt until you rearrange your way of seeing the present set of circumstances.
There is always a way out of any situation, because the Universal Force does move on.
It is the way in which you handle problems that allows you to succeed.
Take a hint from Rabbit. Burrow into a safe space to nurture yourself and release your fears until it is time again to move into the pasture, clear of prowlers who want a piece of your juicy energy.
Overview:
Rabbit as a power animal is concerned with fears and anxieties. Rabbit provides
the ability to know that something is wrong. You may have been attracted to Rabbit
because you are the kind of person who hops for the best, but fears the worst. Rabbit is
showing you that it is not a matter of pretending such fears do not exist, or even of trying
to resist them. You need to burrow down to bring them to the surface and then get rid of
them - give them to the Universe.
One way of revealing them is to write them down on a piece of paper, then
conduct a little fire ceremony and set light to the paper. You can see your fears and
anxieties vanish into the universe before your very eyes. Let the ashes of the burning
paper fall into a small metal container or bowl. Then go outdoors, dig a small hole in the
ground and bury them. This symbolic act shows that your worries no longer have a place
in your life. Nearly all your fears are imaginary; now they are buried and you can have
faith in the future. Rabbit, you see, can turn the weakness of fear into the strength of faith
if you will accept its challenge. Strength from weakness.
Banish fear. Move beyond fear’s stagnation. Listen to your heart.
19
Buffalo - Contrary
Prayer and Abundance
Buffalo . . .
You bring us the gift of life.
Hear our prayers,
Smoke rising,
Like Phoenix,
We are reborn,
Within the sacred words.
In the Lakota tradition it was the White Buffalo Calf Woman who brought the sacred pipe to the people and taught them to pray.
The bowl of the pipe was the receptacle that held tobacco, an herb with male and female medicine.
The seeding life.
In the coming together of male and female, the connection to the divine energy of the Great Spirit was made.
As the pipe was loaded with Tobacco, every family in nature was asked to enter into the pipe and share its medicine as prayer and praise to the heavens.
The smoke was considered to be visual prayer, and was very sacred and cleansing.
All animals are sacred, but in many traditions White Buffalo is most sacred.
The appearance of White Buffalo is assign that prayers are being heard, that the sacred pipe is
being honoured, and that the promises of prophesy are being fulfilled.
White Buffalo signals a time of abundance and plenty.
Buffalo was the major source of sustenance for the Plains Indians.
It gave meant for food, hides for clothing, warm and soft robes for long winters, and hooves for glue.
The medicine of Buffalo is prayer, gratitude and praise for that which has been received.
Buffalo medicine is also knowing that abundance is present when all relations are honoured as sacred, and when gratitude is expressed to every living part of creation.
Because of its desire to give the gifts that its body provided, and because of its willingness to be used on Earth for the highest good before entering the hunting grounds of Spirit, Buffalo did not readily stampede and run from hunters.
To use Buffalo medicine is to smoke the pipe in a sacred manner, and to give praise for the richness of life to be shared with all races, all creatures, all nations, and all life.
It means smoking for others to that their needs are met, praying for the good of all
things in harmony, and accepting the Great
Mystery as part of that harmony.
If you have drawn the Buffalo card, you may be asked to use your energy in prayer.
You may also be called upon to be an instrument of someone else's answer to a prayer.
This could portend a time of recognizing the sacredness of every walk of life, albeit different from your own.
To honour another's pathway, even if it brings you a sadness, is a part of the message that Buffalo brings.
This may be a time of reconnection to the meaning of life and the value of peace. Most assuredly this time will bring serenity amidst chaos if you pray in earnest for enlightenment and the power of calmness and give praise for the gifts you already have.
Buffalo medicine is a sign that you achieve nothing without the aid of the Great Spirit and that you must be humble enough for that assistance and then be grateful for what you receive.
Contrary:
To receive Buffalo upside-down is a signal that you have forgotten to seek help when it has been needed.
If your hand is closed in a fist, you cannot receive the bounty of abundance.
In understanding the significance of the reversed Buffalo, you may well ask yourself.
(1) Have I forgotten my eternal partner, Great Spirit?
(2) Am I pushing myself too fast in the physical world and keeping myself from seeing the importance of reunion with the Source of all life?
(3) Have mI forgotten to honour the ways of others and to afford them the same respect that I wish to receive for myself?
(4) Am I feeling like my life is being used for the highest good at this time?
(5) Have I forgotten to be grateful for my life, my possessions, my talents, my abilities, my health, my family, or my friends?
(6) Is it time to make peace with another, or to make peace with some inner conflict I have so that I may walk in balance again?
Become Buffalo.
Feel the smoke of prayer and praise change your Buffalo robe to white so that you may be an answer to the prayers of the world.
Overview:
The Buffalo was the most sacred of all animals to the American Indian because it gave entirely of itself providing not only food, but also materials for clothing, housing, cooking utensils and equipment, and weapons. As a power animal,
Buffalo is thus concerned with provision and abundance, with sustenance and sharing. It stresses the importance of being prepared to share one's energies with others, and to recognize other
people's needs.
Buffalo is also symbolic of Wakan-Tanka - the Great Spirit in manifestation, who was also referred to as the Great Everything - and is a reminder that whatever talents and abilities we may have they all derive from the source of the Great Provider.
So Buffalo as a power animal serves as a reminder that everything we possess is but temporary, and that true happiness can never be attained alone; it comes through sharing what one has, and what one is, with others. Sharing and caring.
Make way for abundance.
Release fear of lack or scarcity.
Open yourself to receive.
Source:
Sams, Jamie and Carson, David.
Medicine Cards
Santa Fe: Bear and Company, 1988
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