8 - Otter - Woman Medicine

8

 Otter

Woman Medicine

Otter . . . 

So playful!!!

Coquette playing by the stream

The medicine of Woman

The Realized Dream.

The medicine held by Otter is a set of lessons in female energy. 

 This applies to both men and women, as all of us have female sides. 

The Otter's hide is very often used to make medicine bags for powerful women because it represents balanced female energy.

Otter is very caring of its young and will play for hours, performing all types of acrobatics. 

It lives on land, but always has its home near water. 

The elements of Earth and Water are the female elements. 

At home in both of these elements, Otter is the personification of femininity: long, sleek, and graceful. 

Otter is the true coquette of the animal world.

Otter is always on the move and is very curious. 

Unlike other animals, Otter will not start a fight unless it is attacked first. 

This joyful little creature is adventuresome and assumes that all other creatures are friendly - until proven otherwise.

These character traits are the beauty of a balanced female side, the side of ourselves that creates space for others to enter our lives without preconceptions or suspicions. 

Otter teaches us that balanced female energy is not jealous or catty. 

It is sisterhood, content to enjoy and share the good fortune of others. 

Anchored in the understanding that all accomplishments are worthwhile for the whole tribe, Otter people express joy for others.

Long ago, in tribal law, if a woman were widowed, her sister would offer her own husband to the widow as a lover to keep her from drying up and not using her creative urges. 

This is Otter Medicine, too. 

Envy, or the fear of being replaced has no space in Otter's balanced understanding of sharing goodness.

Woman energy without games or control is a beautiful experience. 

It is the freedom of love without jealousy. 

It is the joy of loving other people's children and their accomplishments as much as you love your own.

It may be time to examine your feelings about sharing the bounty of your life with others. 

Otter may be saying that the finer qualities of woman need to be striven for in both men and women so that a unity of spirit can be achieved. 

This would involve the destruction of jealousy and all the acts of anger which stem from that fear.

It would mean keeping a Hawk-eye on your ego and maintaining total trust. 

It would mean a world full of people coming together to honour the right of each person to be.

If you have drawn this symbol, Otter may be telling you to become the playful child and to simply allow things to unfold in your life. 

It may be time to stop your addiction to worrying.

 Otter also teaches the importance of not hanging onto material things that would bind you or become a burden. 

In looking at how you can learn from Otter's habits, you might look at the joyousness of the receptive side of your nature. 

Have you given yourself a gift recently? 

Have you received any messages in your meditations?

Become Otter and move gently into the river of life. 

Flow with the waters of the Universe... this is the way of balanced female- receptive energy. 

Honour it! 

 In doing so, you will discover the power of woman.

Overview:

Otter is a playful, joyful animal that is very protective of its young and is at home on land or in water. 

As a power animal, Otter stresses the need for compassionate understanding, balanced judgment and generous sharing. 

Otter helps you not only to be willing to share the good things of your life with others, but also to find pleasure in other people's achievements and good fortune. 

If you are happy for others you will find more joy in your own life.

Otter is an antidote to worry and anxiety. 

It emphasizes how important it is not to concern yourself too intensely with acquiring more material "goodies" or advancing your position career-wise. 

Otter encourages you to find satisfaction in what you have and to enjoy life rather than to merely tolerate it. 

Enjoy.Laugh at your antics. Balance work and play.

Reclaim vulnerability.

Contrary:

If the Otter card appears reversed, you may be running from one idea to another without focus.

 This could also imply that you have forgotten how to receive, and are blocking a gift from the Universe with your male side. 

If this is the case, you may be embarrassed to receive compliments, to have someone hug you, or to allow your genuine personality to come out.

Fear of being rejected is the contrary message of Otter. 

Drop the seriousness on all levels and play at life so that the fear rolls off your back. 

 Realize that the only flow is the flow of love from the Great Spirit to you, from you to others, and from others back to you.

Source: 

Sams, Jamie and Carson, David. 

Medicine Cards 

Santa Fe: Bear and Company, 1988

Because, I have never had this situation happen after some time and reflection; I am adding

 3 -  Elk - Stamina -  Reversed

  and

 25 - Fox - Camoflage 

and Tripling Animal  Medicine for Today.

After my usual shuffling method instead of  the deck being together, so I flip the top card as usual I had two cards left in my right hand and so here they are: 

 

 3

Elk -  Reversed

Stamina 

Elk . . .
     Your antlers reach for the sun.
Show me that strength
                       and stamina are one.

Contrary:

If Elk has appeared in the reverse position, you may be stretching the rubber band to the breaking point. 

Be careful of undue stress levels, or you might just create an illness to force you to take a break.

On another level, you may not be honouring your desires for companionship with the opposite sex, and you may have forgotten the excitement of mating season. 

If this is the case,you may find that your best option is to invite friends of the opposite sex for dinner or an afternoon outing. 

This is not to say that you would be sexually interested in these friends; it is merely suggesting that the exchange of opposite energies could be rewarding.

If you are in a relationship, it may be that the honeymoon is waning and that you need to

stir up some excitement. 

Persistently creating a "change of pace" is the kind of stamina needed for any relationship to last.

In all cases, Elk is telling you to look at how you choose to create your present pathway, and how you intend to perpetuate it to reach your goal.

Your best weapon is the same as Elk's: to stop when you need to, to persist when you need to, and to allow room for change and exchange of energies.

Non-Contrary:

Elk wandered through the forest looking for a partner. 

The mating season was in full swing, and the bucks that usually traveled with the other males had dispersed to find mates for the season. 

As Elk bellowed his mating call through the forest, his bugling alerted Mountain Lion that a feast could be in the making.

Mountain Lion circled Elk, getting closer to his prey moment by moment. 

Elk sensed the impending danger when the forest grew suddenly silent. 

He broke for the high country when he

spotted his pursuer, but Mountain Lion was far behind. 

As Elk made a running leap for the timberline, Mountain Lion gained on him, but Elk continued to run onward, displaying tremendous stamina.

 Finally Mountain Lion gave up, having spent his energy in spurts as he tried to jump over boulders to reach Elk. 

Elk paced himself, making headway as he climbed skyward toward the high country. 

Elk had no other defence except his ability to go the distance, setting a pace that allowed him to utilize his stamina and energy to the fullest.

Elk medicine teaches that pacing yourself will increase your stamina. 

Elk medicine people may not be the first ones to arrive at a goal, but they always arrive without getting burned out. 

If you have taken on too much recently, it might be a good idea to look at how you plan to finish what you have started without ending up in the hospital.

Elk have a curious kind of warrior energy because, except at mating time, they honor the

company of their own gender. 

They can call on the medicine of brotherhood or sisterhood. 

In discovering the strength which is gained from loving the gender that is your own, you will feel

the comradeship that arises from similarity of experience. 

This is a special medicine that allows the friendship of others of your same sex to overcome potential competition or jealousy.

If you have picked Elk medicine, you may be telling yourself to seek the company of your

own gender for awhile. 

You may need a support group to realign yourself with the stamina of the warrior/warrior-ess energy that you are a part of. 

This communication with others of your own

sex allows you to air your feelings in safety and to get feedback from others who have had the

same experience. 

You may need a new sense of community - communication in unity.

Elk could also be telling you to look at how you are holding up physically to the stresses

in your life, and to pace yourself so that you maintain an equilibrium of energy over the distance you plan to cover. 

Vitamins or high-energy foods may be one solution, along with some personal quiet time for replenishment.

Overview:

Elk stresses friendship and co-operation - the sense of unity that comes from belonging to

a group or community. 

It emphasizes the need to establish relationships. If you are engaged in some kind of competitive activity, whether in your working life or in a personal relationship, you may feel threatened and under pressure. 

You need some equilibrium. Elk shows the value of

friendships and of sharing your interests and experiences with others.

Elk stresses the importance of finding time for refreshment and reflection, and of renewing one's strength. Elk has to do with stamina and the need to go to t hose of the same gender for support. Bonding and renewal.

Persistence brings rewards. Support your health and stamina. 

Honour your ability to endure.

Source: 

Sams, Jamie and Carson, David. Medicine Cards

Santa Fe: Bear and Company, 1988

   

25

Fox

Camouflage

Fox . . . 

      Where are you? 

          Under the ferns?

              Becoming the forest,

                    So I can learn?

Are you watching,

      Invisible to me?

Trying to teach me,

    To become a tree?

Wiley Fox has many allies in the woodlands, including the foliage, which offers protection and much medicine. 

Fox is seemingly able to vanish amidst the lush

undergrowth of the forest. 

This flora is Fox's ally. 

The ability to meld into one's surroundings and be unnoticed is a powerful gift when one is observing the activities of others.

Another natural gift of Fox is the ability to adapt to winter by changing colour, like the chameleon.

Its rich, white, winter coat allows Fox to blend into the snow when the leaves no longer linger. 

Fox medicine involves adaptability, cunning, observation, integration, and swiftness of thought and action. 

These traits may also include quick decisiveness, and sure-footedness in the physical world.

Fox's ability to be unseen allows it to be the protector of the family unit. 

If danger arises, Fox is johnny-on-the-spot. 

Nanih Waiya, Great Spirit in the Choctaw tongue,

honours Fox with the duty of keeping the family together and safe. 

This is accomplished through Fox's ability to observe undetected, without making others self-conscious. 

Fox is always concerned with the safety of family members and is an excellent talisman for those traveling far afield.

If Fox has chosen to share its medicine with you, it is a sign that you are to become like the wind, which is unseen yet is able to weave into and through any location or situation. 

You would be wise to observe the acts of others rather that their words at this time. 

Use your cunning nature in a positive way; keep silent about who and what and why you are observing. 

In learning the art of camouflage, you need to test your ability to pull this off.

One test of exercise that may be helpful to you is deciding to be invisible. 

In doing this exercise, you might try to visualize your body as part of your surroundings, full

of the colours of the location you are in. 

See yourself in your mind's eye, moving with

stealth and grace, unheeded by others. 

If you do it right, it works!

You can leave a party unnoticed or become as unobtrusive as a piece of furniture, watching the developing drama of the subjects you are studying.

While learning from Fox, you might also gain confidence in your ability to know instantly what will happen next. 

After observing for a while, you will become aware of a certain predictability in given situations and be able to quickly make your move. 

Fox medicine teaches the art of Oneness through its understanding of camouflage. 

This applies on all levels, from rocks to God.

With Fox medicine, you are being asked to see all types of uses for Oneness.

Much like the clowns at the rodeo, Fox can keep the raging bull from stampeding a friend or family member. 

Fox can use silly tactics as a brilliant camouflage move. 

No one could guess the sly power behind such ingenious maneuvers.

 Blend in.

Avoid being the center of attention.

Become protective when needed.

Overview:

Fox is associated with cunning, primarily because f its ability to observe the movements of others without being seen. 

As a power animal, Fox stresses the power of

adaptability and integration coupled with the quality of quick-thinking and decisiveness

when the time is ripe.

Power animals always express the positive aspects of the characteristics they share with their physical counterparts, and Fox is not exception. 

Fox as a power animal teaches not the cunning of deceitfulness, but cunning of discretion; not the wilyness of being sly, but the willingness of being unobtrusive. 

It also stresses the importance of waiting patiently for the appropriate opportunity to make your move.

It is possible that your principal problems derive from your desire to prove yourself, and to make your presence felt. 

If you are feeling threatened, or the victim of

controversy and criticism, or envy and jealousy, you are in need of Fox's help in becoming less noticeable and in achieving your aims unheeded and unimpeded by others.

Camouflage and be less noticeable.

Source: 

Sams, Jamie and Carson, David. 

Medicine Cards

Santa Fe: Bear and Company, 1988