Spirit Lodge - Totem Animals - Page 67

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Totem Animals

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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

GOOSE
By CinnamonMoon

Goose Medicine represents wisdom, inspiration, joy, questing, and beginnings. Goose tells you
when change is about to take place. The transition of migratory flight heralds the changing of
seasons and thus the changes in your life. At such times it is important to put things in order and
prepare yourself for what is to come. Goose is a social creature and family oriented teaching the
benefits of working with others and the stability of the home. She will inspire with her stories of
the past, guide you to the lands of myth and lore, and call you to seek adventure. Snow Geese
speak of the Winter Solstice and the fullness of Grandmother Moon. They know the power of the
lunar time and the telling of tales that color the minds of children painting the way for vivid
dreams and reflections. It is well known that goslings imprint upon birth and from them you can
learn to imprint things in your mind through what you envision. Goose will teach the validity of
using your imaging skills and she will explain the many applications to doing so. Being of both
land and air she can use her voice to summon you to Otherworlds and signal a time for journey
work. She will teach the focus of shamanic flight and understanding the grey areas of the
between times.

*Lady Stearn Robinson & Tom Gorbett/The Dreamer's Dictionary:
The meaning of a goose in your dream depends on the circumstances and the action. If it was in a
barnyard, it is a suggestion to alter your diet; if your weight doesn't need to be increased or
decreased, then check on your blood pressure and/or blood sugar. A flying goose signifies an
unexpected trip; a swimming goose indicates an unexpected visitor; a quacking goose is a
warning against repeating gossip; eating goose is a forerunner of a happy social occasion;
plucking and/or cooking a goose is a sign of improving circumstances; and catching a goose
predicts sad news. To see them whether swimming, flying, or on the ground, is a forecast of
improving conditions; but if you heard them cackling, you are being warned that someone is
trying to con you with sweet talk.

*Mary Summer Rain/On Dreams:
Goose advises a need for more seriousness in life.

*Zolar/Encyclopedia of Signs, Omens, and Superstitions:
A Welsh tradition holds that geese leave the farm when a fire is soon to appear. Yet another
Welsh tradition holds that should a goose lay one soft egg and one hard one, or two eggs in one
day, ill fortune will overtake the household.

Eating goose on Michaelmas Day is thought to bring income for the entire year. In fact, goose is
the traditional dinner for Michaelmas Day (September 29). Should the breastbone of the roasted
goose be found brown, the coming winter would be mild, should it be white or bluish, it was said
that winter would be severe. In northern Africa, a goose is sacrificed on New Year's Day to
ensure a good year. According to American folklore, goose grease blended with turpentine is
excellent for coughs and colds, if rubbed on one's chest. It is also believed helpful for earaches
and will soothe rheumatism. When the goose flies high, it is considered an omen of excellent
weather; when low, bad weather would come. American Indians seeing the wild geese fly south
in early August predicted a severe winter ahead.

*Denise Linn/The Secret Language of Signs:
Similar to the duck and swan, the goose is associated with the Great Mother and often is found in
fairy tales in this regard. A goose can be a prod in the rear. Do you want someone or something
to get going? A goose can also mean acting foolishly, as in a "silly goose."

*D.J. Conway/Animal Magick:
This bird is the member of a number of species of web-footed swimming birds in the family
Anatidae. They are generally found in fresh and brackish waters around the world, particularly in
temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. A few species migrate to the tropics in the
Winter. They are larger than ducks, with a longer neck. The area between the eye and bill is
completely feathered, unlike swans. The inside edges of the bill have tooth-like ridges for
straining edible matter out of the water and mud. They usually are black, white, brown, and gray
in color.

The goose as a sacred bird has a long history. One Egyptian creation myth says that the Nile
Goose laid the Cosmic Egg which hatched out the god Amen. This may well be the source of the
folk tale of the goose that laid the golden egg. The Egyptian hieroglyph for the World Egg and
an unborn embryo were the same sign. This bird was also connected with Isis, Osiris, Horus, and
strangely enough, the evil god Set.

In Greece, the goose symbolized love and the good wife; it was an emblem of hera. Under its
meanings of wisdom, protection, and guardianship, it was associated with Apollo, Hermes, Ares,
and Eros.

To the Chinese and Japanese, the goose was a messenger of good news; an emblem of
inspiration, seasonal change, light, and married happiness.

This bird was taboo as food to both the Celts and the Norse. The horse goddess Epona was
sometimes shown riding a goose with horns. The North Germanic goddess Holda was associated
with the goose; an old children's story tells how she shakes her featherbed to make it snow. To
both the Celts and Teutonic peoples, the goose was also an emblem of war gods.

Superstitions: rubbing a bald head with goose manure will make hair grow. The English believe
that eating a goose on Michaelmas Day (September 29) will ensure that you never lack money to
pay bills. Some old fishermen believe that the barnacles on a ship's bottom turn into geese.
Magickal Attributes: New beginnings, wisdom, inspiration, happiness. For a happy marriage and
children.

*Patricia Telesco/The Language of Dreams:
The creative principle. In Egypt, a goose laid the cosmic egg from which the Universe sprang.
India: Representative of freedom, eloquence, and learning. Easter: A bringer of good news,
especially for lovers. Geese mate for life. An alternative wind emblem, having associations with
Boreas in Greek mythology, the god of the north wind. In the form of Mother goose, an
alternative goddess symbol, or reminder of youthful imagination and fancy. Modernly, a symbol
of foolish behavior (e.g., someone acting like a "silly goose").

*Bobby Lake-Thom/Spirits of the Earth:
Geese bring messages about the seasons, and they tell us when fall is coming or when spring is
coming. In this sense they are a good sign. They also serve as reminders that we need to get our
life in order, become more organized, and be more cooperative. They teach us the need for
supporting one another and the need to assume the role of leadership when the existing leaders
become too weak. For example, you can see them start to gather and fly south before winter
begins, or hear them return to the north when spring is about to arrive. In such cases stop and
study their behavior and you will see how they plan and cooperate in their flight patterns.

*Brad Steiger/Totems:
Far more than a quaint symbol for children's nursery stories, Mother Goose was the great mother
who laid the Golden Egg that hatched Ra, the sun god, into the world. In other even earlier
versions of creation, Mother goose laid the egg from which the entire planet emerged. For the
Hindu, the goose represents Brahma and the principle of creation. In traditional depictions even
today, Mother goose always wears the pointed hat of the Egyptian ruler, the Witch, the wise
woman, and she is never without her wand.

In the Middle Ages, the Jews believed anyone who killed a goose during Tevat and Shevat, the
tenth and eleventh lunar months of the Hebrew calendar (mid-December through mid-February),
placed himself at great risk unless he at at least a part of the fowl he had slaughtered. Geese were
associated with witchcraft, and it was said that at some specific time during those two months,
demons would attack anyone who killed a goose. Since no one knew for certain the precise
moment, geese were avoided for the entire period.

From the shamanistic perspective, the fairy tale that tells of Jack climbing the beanstalk to the
giant's kingdom in the sky to steal the goose that laid the golden eggs is a symbolic
representation of the Shaman who rises to the dimension of the Grandparents to earn the golden
treasure of awareness.

For the Chinese, the goose symbolizes traditional values and fidelity, and a pair of geese is a
welcome wedding present. In Christian tradition, the goose is the animal totem of three saints:
Werburga, Brigid, and Martin.

If you've always been attracted to the goose as your totem animal, you are quite likely a person
wh cherishes the traditional values of your ancestral heritage. You are probably attracted to
activities that center around your home, your community, and your school or church. A solid
family life is especially important to you.

As a spirit helper, you may always rely on the goose for inspiration, guidance, and stability. You
will gain strength from this ally as you spend time in the Silence.

*Ted Andrews/Animal-Speak:
Keynote: The Call of the Quest and Travels to Legendary Places
Cycle of Power: Autumn (for snow geese--Winter Solstice and Full Moons)
The goose is a bird with an ancient mythology and a mixture of symbolism. It was a sacred bird
in Rome's temple of Juno. The snow goose is also associated with Boreas, the North Wind in
Greek mythology. The snow goose is also the totem for the winter solstice in the Native
American medicine wheel.

Most people have heard of the legendary Mother Goose whose stories and rhymes were
designated to quiet children. Myths, fairy tales, and other stories capture the imagination of
children and adults alike. The goose is thus a totem reflecting a stimulation of the childhood
thrill and belief in stories and legendary places. The story(s) we most loved in childhood often
reflect the life quest we have come to take upon us in this lifetime. That is why it resonated with
us so strongly. going back and rereading the one or two stories you most loved will often help
you to see the patterns in your life.

These stories either reflected an imprint for this life or they may have even imprinted you with
certain seed ideas. This is reflected in the early life of a gosling. A baby goose is imprinted
usually by the first moving thing it sees.

The goose can also be a totem to aid you in communication especially through the use of stories.
Its feather for a long time was the standard writing instrument. Individuals wishing to write--be it
stories or anything--can facilitate the process by working with the goose as a totem. It will
stimulate the imagination and help move you through creative blocks. Writing with a goose quill
pen will help this even more. Many arts and crafts shops can help you in finding or making your
own quill pens.

Because its feathers are the most commonly used in making bedding, it is also a symbol of
fertility and marital fidelity. To many people sleeping on bedding made of goose feathers will
help insure both fertility and fidelity.

The breast bones of a roasted goose also had superstitions in relationship to the weather. If the
bones were brown, it would indicate a mild winter. If they were white or bluish, they would
indicate a severe winter.

Geese are related to ducks and swans. They are more terrestrial than ducks, and they are
vegetarians. To those to whom the goose comes as a totem, it may well reflect a need for more
vegetables in the diet, and maybe even becoming vegetarian for a while.

Geese mate for life and they both share in the raising of the young. The fact that they mate for
life often reflects again that innate belief that there is one special person for us in the world. This
has ties to many of the fairy tales that we are often imprinted with as well.

There are eight species of geese in North America. This is very symbolic in that the number 8 is
so similar to the symbol for infinity. It reflects an ability to move forward or backward. It reflects
movement, and in the case of the goose, a call to the spiritual quest.

This is further exemplified by its migration patterns and behaviors. Their leaving in the autumn
stirs our imagination and makes us want to search out new worlds and dimensions. Their
incessant honking seems to be calling us to follow them on the great spiritual quest. Their return
is a harbinger of spring second only to the robin. It speaks of the fulfilled promises that great
quests bring.

The goose epitomizes the mystery of migration. They constantly shift formation, creating wind
drafts and easier flights for those behind them in the formation. This reminds us that as any one
individual makes his or her quest, it becomes easier for others to do so as well. They never fly
directly behind one another. Eash goose's view is unobstructed, reminding us that we should ot
undertake any quest in life without having a full view of what it entails. In this way the journey is
facilitated for others.

The V-formation is very symbolic itself. it reflects by its shape an opening to new possibilities.
It's like an arrowhead, pointing to new directions and new possibilities, and with one end open, it
also reflects an openness to new ideas. The "v" as a letter comes from the Hebrew "vau" meaning
"nail." This formation usually indicates we are about to affix ourselves to a new path. It is a letter
and symbol that reflects great fertility that should be acted upon if growth is desired.

The Canada Goose is the most abundant in North America. It has a powerful voice and great
strength in migration. The snow goose is predominantly white with black wing tips. Both species
have a very keen vision. for anyone with a goose as a totem, greater vision, physical and
spiritual, will occur.

As mentioned earlier, the male and female mate for life. Both share in the raising of the young,
alternating staying with the nest. Goslings are very quiet, especially in the first part of life, and
then they learn to break free. A goose as a totem can reflect that you are about to break free of
old childhood restraints and begin to come into your own. Anytime the goose comes in as a
totem, you can expect to have the imagination stirred toward new travels to distant places--
whether in the body or the mind.

The Druid Animal Oracle by Phillip and Stephanie Carr-Gomm
Goose: Vigilance, Parenthood, Productive Power
Goose may indicate that you are ready to take on the responsibilities of raising a family, or of
committing yourself to a long-term partnership. Goose brings creative and productive power. It
allows you to open to this power, secure in the knowledge that your relationship or family or
working partnership will provide a stable environment to act as a crucible for your creativity.

Raising children is one of the most joyful and worthwhile activities we can undertake, and the
goose, with its strong attachment to its family, combined with its ability to fly extraordinarily
high from one continent to another, shows us that it is possible to be both grounded and spiritual
in our daily lives.

Contrary may indicate that you need to be aware of being overly concerned about your rights,
possessions or territory. You may not need to strut and hiss quite so much, and you may not need
to be so possessive of your partner. Many geese mate for life, but not all humans do, and in the
end staying together may not be in your best interests. If the relationship is really to last it will
thrive on mutual respect and freedom, rather than jealousy and possessiveness.

The ancient Celts kept geese for their eggs rather than their flesh. They knew it was better to
keep the goose alive and productive, rather than destroying its productive capacity by eating it.
they kept their sheep in the same way--for their wool and milk rather than their meat. The lesson
for us is that if we want to ensure our productive power, our capacity for creativity, we must look
after ourselves. To make sure the goose keeps laying the golden eggs, we must keep the goose
alive--well fed, well rested, well exercised

Dragonfly:
Back in the early 90's a friend gave me a Canada goose that she found along the road, it had been run over and killed.
I skinned it with prayer and made a shield out of it.. That shield came with me to every event where we camped out
and it sat on a tripod in the west protecting our tipi/tent from anything bad. It had a beautiful pelt a winters fur type of feathers
and people always commented on it and wanted to stroke it. I always felt the energies of the goose expand when that happened
it seemed to love people making a fuss of it. I brought it with me when I moved back to England and she still protects me here.

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