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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

SPARROW MEDICINE
By CinnamonMoon

*Ted Andrews/Animal-Speak:
Keynote Awakening and Triumph of Common Nobility
Cycle of Power: Year-round

The sparrow has not always been considered the pest it is today. It is a perky, assertive bird that
can hold its own against many forms of predation. The sparrow lives in all habitats. In the United
States there were no natural checks upon it, and thus it multiplied at a fantastic rate.

The sparrow has its share of lore, as with many birds. One story tells of how it was the one bird
present throughout the crucifixion of Christ, making it a symbol of triumph after longsuffering. It
was a symbol of household divinities in Britain; and during the Middle Ages, it was a symbol for
the peasants and lower classes throughout Europe. Peasants, at this time, were often helpless
under the power of overlords. Because of this, they loved to hear tales of how the insignificant
sparrow triumphed over such powerful enemies as wolves, bears, and eagles--the traditional
symbols of nobility and those who mistreated the peasants.

Its ability to multiply and assert itself in spite of predation reflects the idea that nobility of the
common person is inherently strong. For those who have a sparrow as a totem, look about you.
Are you allowing others to take your dignity? Have you forgotten your own self-worth? Have
you begun to think that you would always be under the heel of some tyrant--human or social?
The sparrow will show you how to survive. It will awaken within you a new sense of dignity and
self-worth, helping you to triumph in spite of outer circumstances.

The song sparrow is very symbolic of this. It has three spots in the form of an inverted triangle
on its throat and breast. There is a dark spot on each side of its throat and a heavy spot in the
middle of the breast. This reflects a drawing down of energy to awaken the heart and throat
centers. It is the assertion of will to bring out the inherent dignity so it can sing forth in your life.
This is what the sparrow can teach.

*Mary Summer Rain/On Dreams:
Sparrow corresponds to a gentle intellectual.

*D.J. Conway/Animal Magick
This species of small songbirds is combined in the genus Passer of the family Ploceidae or
weaverbirds. In the United States and Canada, the ame sparrow is applied to a variety of finches
in the family Fringillidae. The best known species is the P. domesticus, or English sparrow
which ranges from Britain to Burma; it was introduced into the United States in 1850.

To the ancient Greeks the sparrow was a creature of Aphrodite, goddess of love; it was also
associated with Lesbia of the island of Lesbos. Probably because of its connection with love
deities, the sparrow came to symbolize lust, wantonness, and fertility.

Superstitions: The sparrow was consecrated to the Roman Penates, making it sacred. Today there
is still the belief in many countries that killing this bird brings evil upon you. Never catch or cage
a sparrow or you will be unlucky. In several areas of Britain, the sparrow is regarded as a symbol
of the friendly spirits of the household and is cherished.

Magickal attributes: love, desire, fertility. Getting pregnant. Bringing love into your life.

*Zolar/Encyclopedia of Signs, Omens, and Superstitions:
Tradition holds that a sparrow present at the crucifixion of Christ repeated, "He lives, he lives,"
thus encouraging the Romans to make Christ suffer. As punishment, God tied its feet together
with an invisible string, which caused it to hop and no longer walk.

Should one catch a sparrow and keep it, this omens death in the house, according to a Kent
tradition.

In Brittany, belief is common that a sparrow spreads news from one tree to another, and that,
when killed, someone will be denied news of a loved one. Another tradition holds that, when the
bird dies, its tree dies as well. Sparrows are said to predict rain by chirping. In Britain it is said
that a sparrow is symbolic of one's household gods and, therefore, deserves special attention.

*Lady Stearn Robinson & Tom Gorbett/The Dreamer's Dictionary:
These busy birds featured in your dream are harbingers of lean times ahead, unless you chased
them away, in which case it signifies good business news.

Mouse:
Sparrow's Wisdom Includes:
• Desire
• Fertility
• Manifesting new love in ones life
• Understanding the aspects of race
• Ability to use the power of song
• All aspects of color

From: www.geocities.com/~animalspirits/index30.html