Spirit Lodge - Totem Animals - Page 64

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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

GAZELLE MEDICINE
By CinnamonMoon

Animal-Wise/Ted Andrews:
Keynote: trust intuition and respond quickly to avoid trouble or complications. Follow through
on all you do. Overconfidence creates complications.

The slender and graceful gazelle, part of the antelope family, is found in Asia and northern and
eastern Africa. The Thomson's gazelle is the most commonly known and at one time great herds
of these once roamed the African savanna. The gazelle is one of the ancient emblems of the soul.
From primitive times, it frequently was depicted in flight from danger or in the jaws of a lion,
leopard, or panther. Similar images were used in art to symbolize the persecution of passions,
and sometimes they even represented self-destructive aspects.

Males have sweeping horns and females either have small spikes or no horns at all. Horns are
often symbols of higher perceptions. It is not unusual for those with gazelles as totems and
messengers to have great leaps of visionary insights. Remember, though, that the vision of
something is not the same as the real thing. If we wish to manifest the vision, we must employ
effort and sometimes suffer droughts in some areas of our lives to achieve the dream.

All antelope, including gazelles, are usually specialized for living within their particular
environment. Gazelles thrive in dry country and can go without drinking for long periods of
time. This hints at the stamina and persistence sometimes required in life's situations. We may
find ourselves at times doing without what would replenish us. Although things may seem to be
drying up around us, when the gazelle appears, we will be able to survive the droughts more
easily and effectively than most.

Gazelles are fawn colored, enabling them to blend into their environment and among each other
more easily. This makes it more difficult for them to be picked out by predators, an important
behavior for those to whom the gazelle appears. Now is not a time to stand out. Doing so will
create problems or complications.

For anyone with a gazelle as a totem, there may be a need to insulate and blend into the crowd a
little more at this time in order to accomplish what needs to be done more successfully.
Sometimes, though, the gazelle's appearance may indicate a need to come out of hiding. Take a
look at the past several months. Have you been more exposed or more hidden?

Gazelles, impalas, and springboks will pronk or stot (leap straight up in the air) if they see a
predator. Some believe this is a way of letting the predator know it has been spotted and it will
be a hard chase. Others believe it is to see over the tall grasses so it will know the best way to
run. Still others believe it is warning to other members of the herd.

When it does run, the gazelle tries to get a good jump and zigzags wildly, making it impossible
for the predator to reach full speed. The cheetah's top speed is nearly 20 mph faster than that of
the gazelle, but with the gazelle zigzagging, the cheetah can never reach top speed. Keeping
pursuers, competitors, and antagonists in your life off balance is the best defense. When
confronted, do not run blindly. Get a head start and zigzag, changing your direction frequently.
Sometimes when endangered, gazelles do not use their natural speed and leaping ability to
escape. They will instead dart around for several hundred yards and then stop to look back at
their enemy. Sometimes they discover their enemy is still behind them and the time taken to stop
and look was all that was needed for the predator to pounce. Leaving things half done,
uncompleted, and stopping to rest before the work is truly done may create complications and
problems.

When gazelle appears as a totem or messenger, it promises great vision and great ability to
achieve that goal in environments where others would suffer.
Are we counting our chickens before they are hatched?
Are we not following through on our vision?
Are we giving up when it becomes difficult?
Are we hesitating once we have committed ourselves?
Are we overconfident?

Mouse:
Thank you Cinn! So if I understand correctly, if Gazelle is a kind of Antelope, then Antelope
medicine needs to be studied too?

I am seeing the similarities with Gazelle in my ability to do so many things at once - dashing off
in this direction, then that, then another one - without losing sight of the vision, or the awareness
of the chase. If I stop to *think* about what I am doing, then I can easily get overwhelmed and
want to "give up". But mostly, I keep going, and if one direction starts to feel "dangerous", I
move direction. I can do bursts of studying, bursts of mothering, bursts of moving, bursts of ...
It does feel as though there is a single goal, that I am not just running for the running. Even
though it does feel like Big Cat stirred this zig-zagging path in me, and now I've come out of
hiding and am acting on that Vision. It's not a predator/prey thing, but it's what keeps me going,
the motivation of Big Cat. Big Cat came "prowling", startled up the Gazelle who initially jumped
into awareness, and then started moving fast into that zig-zag path.

I loved reading this, and I am sure that it will give me further insights as time goes by and with
some journeying.

And for everyone: www.harunyahya

CinnamonMoon:
Oh yes, study Antelope too! I know what you mean about the Big Cat initiation into matters.
LOL They prowl around and then get us through the door where the teacher steps in often to take
over. In this case Gazelle/Antelope. *Smiles* Since Gazelle is from Africa, and Antelope is here
in the Americas the variations really are somewhat slight and more similarity than difference.
Glad this helped you out a little. If you need me to look further into things just let me know. I'm
sure I've got more somewhere, just onto other things at the moment.