Spirit Lodge - Totem Animals - Page 154

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Totem Animals

Page 154

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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

SNOW LEOPARD
By Mouse

Role ~Guide to the Higher Realms~
Lesson: Self Reliance
Element: Air
Wind: North ~Land of the EIders~
Medicine: Messenger
Keywords: Perceptive self-reliance, balance, power of silence and mystery, psychic,
understanding the Shadow.

Self Reliance
Snow Leopards (like all members of the Leopard or Panther Family) are solitary creatures that
hunt, feed and live mostly alone. In fact, the only time that a Snow Leopard will interact with
another of their kind, is when the female is in estrus, or when she is raising her cubs. Yet as soon
as the female is no longer in estrus, the mating pair will disperse with each going their own way.
Likewise, once the cubs have reached sufficient maturation, they will be driven off by the mother
(generally the next Spring, around one year after their birth) to face life on their own, and the she
leopard will once more return to her solitary existence. ***Snow Leopard Souls are here in part
to learn the lesson of Self Reliance. Like this Totem Spirit that has a mostly solitary life, the Two
legged beside whom Snow Leopard strides, will face many encounters and situations in their
current incarnation which develop the ability to rely upon and trust the inner Self.

This does not mean that these individuals are devoid of the desire to have a mate, what it does
suggest, is that they often do their best thinking and problem resolution alone, and in fact do
require some time alone with their own thoughts and feelings. If this ~Solitary~ time is not
taken, there is the tendency for the Snow Leopard Soul to feel a stifling of the spirit, which in
turn may leave them snappish or short tempered with their mate. The lessons experienced that
assist in the development of Self Reliance, can take many forms, though the most common
manifestation is through abandonment as a repetitive issue. This sense of "rejection" can come in
either the form of actual abandonment (as in a partner leaving), or with the physical ~transition~
of loved ones. Regardless of how this manifests itself, the end intent behind these lessons, is to
teach Snow Leopard Soul the importance of trusting their inner Self. ***Through these lessons
in Self Reliance, we are reminded that it is our Inner connection to the Divine that is the true
source of our Strength. Then, in listening to that still, small Voice that speaks volumes to our
Soul, we come to realize (through tuning into that Inner Knowing and following its urging) that
we will never be led astray, nor are we ever truly Alone.***

Understanding the Power of Silence & Mystery
All Leopards are closely linked to Shamans, Medicine Workers and psychics or intuitives, as it is
believed that the Leopard Spirit walks effortlessly between the plane of the ~Physical World~
and the Blue Road of Spirit. For the Snow Leopard, this seems even more the case when one
considers the breath taking peaks and ranges that this splendid creature calls home. Snow
Leopards live in the high mountains of Central Asia, including the mighty Himalayan
Mountains. For millennia, indigenous Peoples have believed the Mountains to be the home of the
~Gods.~ Hence, all animals that live within the embrace of the Great Stone People, are held as
sacred brothers and sisters, having a special Role as Messenger between the realm of the Gods
and the realm of Man. ***How this relates to one with Snow Leopard as one of their Personal
Totems is that one beside whom the Leopard walks may possess an inner knowing, reverence
and respect for the mysteries of Life, Death and Rebirth. This attribute is often marked by one
whose Theme Totem is Leopard as possessing an aura of mystery or penetrating intensity. These
are the natural born sleuths of the Medicine Wheel, as their keen powers of observation make it
difficult for others to keep secrets from them, though they are excellent repositories of secrets
untold themselves.. Think here of the light eyes of the Snow Leopard, burning as twin green
flames that seem to peer to the very core of one's Being, yet always in Silence kept.

All members of the Leopard family are known for their stealth and stalking ability. In fact, Snow
Leopard will stalk his/her prey, gliding through the trees and along craggy rocks by stepping on
the outside of their paws first, then slowly and carefully distributing their weight upon the rest of
the feet. Walking in this manner, they avoid snapping twigs or leaves underfoot and thus alerting
prey to their presence. Then, once they are within striking range, the Leopard will leap, grabbing
the prey animal by the back of the neck and severing the spinal cord, thereby rendering the
animal defenseless and in a state of paralysis. In a two legged, this attribute of stealth is a double
edged sword, for when it is translated to the positive manifestation of this energy, a confidence
relayed by another is closely kept by these individuals and they are reliable and non-judgmental
friends who can always be counted on to keep their silence at the appropriate times. Yet, the
Contrary medicine can be manifested as a ruthless streak in the individual who has not fully
integrated the ~Shadow Side~ of their nature, thus making a fearsome and vengeful adversary.
Ultimately, when one chooses to operate from Contrary Medicine, there will be an exceedingly
high cost to be extracted from such vengeful and ruthless behavior. Thus, it is wise to make
certain that the Contrary Medicine has been integrated so that the true beauty of Snow Leopard's
silence and mystery may manifest.

Balance
There are several genetic features of the Snow Leopard that gives them an excellent sense of
balance. The primary feature is their thick, long tail which is heavy enough to act as an
appropriate counterbalance when needed, with the length of the tail usually equaling the length
of the body from tip of nose to the base of the spine. Another key feature to their physiology are
their large paws that are webbed. These large, splayed paws act as snowshoes during the long
winter months and allow the Snow Leopard to move quickly across the surface of the snow. This
particular physical feature, coupled with their lengthy and weighted tail, assists them in keeping
balance on ice covered terrain or slick rock surfaces. In those moments when the Snow Leopard
Soul is experiencing great emotional turmoil, the sense of everything feeling off center may be
nearly debilitating. These are the moments when it is important for the one beside whom Snow
Leopard walks to call upon the Medicine of this Animal Ally, and request that he/she walk
beside them in Balance and Confidence. It may help as well to visualize Leopard leaping
gracefully from rock to rock, or from slippery rocks to secure perches, always maintaining
his/her balance and stability. In so doing, this Totem Spirit is being recognized & honored for
his/her Role beside you on this walk around the Sacred Hoop, and the Two legged also finds the
Center of Calm and Balance that is the Eye within the Storm.

Understanding the Shadow Within
The snow Leopard is an animal that has elicited much thought and speculation over the centuries.
Standing as a mysterious and solitary figure, he glimmers from the center of myths, legends and
ancient wisdom as a spectral figure dancing between the play of shadows and beams of light.
This beautiful animal treads as softly through our imagination as she does along the pathways
and jagged peaks of her Himalayan home. A ghostly embodiment of the dichotomy that is ever
present in our ~Human Nature~ whilst in flesh, she sounds the call to lead us toward the
integration between Personality and Soul, Shadow and Light, Unconsciousness and Conscious
Awareness. One need look no further than to the stunning coat of the Snow Leopard to see this
principle reflected. The primary color of the coat ranges from creamy white for most of these big
cats, to a light tan. This base coat of creamy white is then overlaid with black rings and rosettes.
While the dark rosettes and rings represents the dark realm of the Unconscious and our fear
motivated impulses, the light base coat reflects the promise of light to be discovered in
Conscious Awareness that is attained through acknowledgment and integration.

***For the Two legged beside whom Snow Leopard walks, what may at first appear as a conflict
or set of extremes, may later be seen as a merging of two polar opposites, that when
harmoniously conjoined, creates its own magical and mysterious energy that some philosophies
refer to as the ~Yin/Yang~ principle. The key in this instance is the removal of those things
which are counter-productive or harmful for the soul's growth, after the lessons that they
represent have been thoroughly acknowledged, learned and absorbed. There is a tremendous
surge of energy that is created when the Soul has truly integrated a lesson, one that is often felt
even upon the physical plane as an "ah-ha" or click. There exists within the Snow Leopard Soul a
tremendous reservoir of inner strength, determination and the awareness of the ~Shadow Self,~
which they will face with quiet determination and perseverance. Equally, they are able to see
both the shadow and the light of Others, a skill that can assist those who are not offended by their
penetrating insight. For one who draws this Totem to them, truth, honesty & integrity are
cornerstones of their fundamental being.

From: wolfs_moon.tripod.com/snowleopard.html (mind the pop-ups!)

Why the Snow Leopard Purrs (Kitty Story)
By Samara Williams

Have you ever wondered why the snow leopard purrs instead of roars? Well after you read this
story you will know:

Once a long time a long, long time ago, the snow leopard roared louder than any cat in the
world. The gods got very tired of it, the villagers always complained of headaches. The gods
decided to take something that was very precious to the snow leopard: his voice box. The snow
leopard was walking around and all of a sudden he tried to roar but could not. The snow leopard
was very sad that he had lost his voice. The bhural, the snow leopard's best friend thought
something was wrong with his friend so he said that he would take the snow leopard to the gods
to see if they knew how to fix what was ever wrong with the snow leopard. The gods knew at
once what was wrong, so they told him that he cannot have his voice back but they would give
him a different voice box. So the snow leopard could now purr, he was sad that he couldn't roar
but he was very happy that he could purr. The gods were happy to because they never got any
more headaches ever again. ((Purr))((Purr)) (Thank you snowleopardpurrs!! )