White Lions: "A Gift from God"

By Stano Novak (Own work) [CC BY 2.5 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5)], via Wikimedia Commons

 

 

A Note on White Lions:
Legends of White Lions exist in various oral traditions, in the Timbavati Region of Africa, from the time of Queen Numbi, who ruled about four hundred years ago. Tradition holds that once every century a White Lion appears. A gift from God, White Lions represent the good in all creatures. In the 1970s, White Lions were found in the Timbavati Region in South Africa. (They are now in South African zoos for protection from poachers.)

White Lion's Teachings Also Include:

“Championing righteousness and promise, White Lion Dreaming teaches us to look for, identify, and celebrate the golden glow of potential in others.” Copyright: “Animal Messengers” by Scott Alexander King

Lion Christian Symbols:

Lion: Christ

With Cross-Shaped Nimbus: Lion of the Tribe of Judah

Carrying a Book: Christ as the Teacher

Sleeping: Christ, the Divine Watcher

Winged: St. Mark, the Evangelist

EUROPEAN RABBIT: Trust

The ancestral species for Domestic Rabbits, European Rabbit is the only Rabbit of her kind. Originally living only in the Western Mediterranean area, European Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus (which means “hare-like digger”)) was introduced throughout Europe by the Romans. Later the Normans bought Her to Great Britain. Because of her popularity as a food source, European Rabbit has been introduced places far from Europe. She was brought to hundred of islands as food for hungry sailors. Unfortunately now, European Rabbit is now considered a pest in Australia, New Zealand, the U.K. and the U.S.A. These countries now have programs to rid their lands of European Rabbit.

Unlike other Rabbits and Hares, European Rabbit is quite sociable, living in large colonies. Preferring to live close to home, She shares burrows with her Friends. Her colony (warren) is a network of tunnels, dens, bolt holes, and entrances to live in.

European Rabbit has ways of expressing her many moods in her colony. Her grunts mean, “I am unhappy. LEAVE ME ALONE.” When She is mad, European Rabbit thumps her hind feet. Feeling sassy, She will twitch her tail.

Christians associate much with European Rabbit. She stands for vigilance as well as dependence on Christ. There is an Easter Story of a young Rabbit who waited for his friend, Christ to return to the Garden of Gethsemane. After Christ rose, He returned to the Garden to visit his faithful little friend.

Because of European Rabbit’s social nature, She was domesticated as a pet for people. European Rabbit places trust in them to keep her safe. In the wild, She and her colony trust each other for security. A part of trust is faith as demonstrated by the Little Rabbit who waited for his Friend Jesus.

Conservation Note: It is illegal to own Rabbits in Australia and New Zealand.

---

European Rabbit Christian Symbols:

White one at Virgin Mary’s feet: Triumph over lust

Rabbit’s Warren: Christ’s Tomb

Rabbits munching on grapes: Saints in Heaven

Three Rabbits in a circle with their ears creating a shape of a triangle: Holy Spirit

Synchronicities and Coincidences

By tracking synchronicities for one week, I became more aware of how much they do happen in my life. When I am working on a crossword puzzle, the word will be featured on a television commercial. Or I will be writing about a bird, and one would appear on a program. In fact as I wrote this paragraph, a commercial for “Pecola, the Penguin” came on.

As a Roman Pagan, I usually look for signs to see that my offerings have been accepted. The Gods usually send me little signs to tell me that They have heard me. For example, one of the emissaries of Mars, the God of War, is the woodpecker. These birds usually do not gather at my feeding table. However, this week I saw various species of them eating the peanut bars that I had put out. Mars has been letting me know that He will help me in my endeavors.

The God Mercury, who oversees money and commerce, prefers offerings of dimes. Often I find dimes in odd places to offer to Him. When I find a dime, I wonder is this a stray dime or an answer from Mercury? Am I setting up a matrix to see the dime in a certain way? Is Mercury really communicating with me? Would I have found the dime, if I was not looking for a sign from Mercury? Did I place a particular meaning on this dime?

To answer this dilemma, I consider Friday the 13th, which seems to be a day that everyone associates with bad luck. They pay attention to the awful things that happen on that day. Then they add to the idea that Friday the 13th is a day of bad luck. But is it? Would these awful things carry as much weight on Saturday the 13th or Friday the 11th? Would they have the same import? It does not seem to. Only on Friday the 13th do a lot of people focus on the happenings of bad luck.

As for the found dime, I choose to think that my ritual set something in motion. For me, it is a call and response. I pay attention to the dime, and see it as Mercury’s answer. We are having a conversation. I make offerings, and Mercury answers with dimes. Perhaps bad luck on Friday the 13th is another call and response. People set “bad luck” into motion and it appears.

I think what is happening is called “riding the synchronicity wave”. Being a good surfer is having the skill to understand the language of the Cosmos. For me, synchronicity is how the Cosmos speaks to us. (At least it is for me.) Finding coincidences and seeing them as promptings from the Cosmos enables us to understand it better.

Since doing this, I have become more open to the Cosmos speaking to me. Whenever, I am aimlessly thinking about something, it would pop up soon thereafter. Because I do pay attention now, we are having better conversations – the Cosmos and I. Synchronicity and my response to it have become sharpened and more focused.
----------

Meanings of Water: Fresh water

Freshwater regions include ponds, lakes, and rivers. Each has been endowed by people with their own particular meanings. People are purified in the River Jordan (Jordan) and the River Ganges (India). Springs have healing properties that people seek. Monsters live at the bottom of lakes ready to frighten people.

Rivers are water in motion. They start in mountains and flow to the seas. Since human commerce moves with rivers, people’s lives are closely tied to them. Human civilizations first rose along the banks of rivers.

In literature, rivers stood for the flow of time, ebbing, and flowing, but constantly moving. An animal metaphor for the river would be salmon. These fish swim from small pools to their rivers to the seas. When it comes time for salmon to spawn, they fight the river current to return to their home pools upstream.

Deep in many lakes are cold-loving fish that took refuge in the cold waters, when the glaciers receded. Birds may live on the banks and fish for the many frogs and insects, but refugees from previous ice ages live near the bottoms. The subjects of legends, prehistoric monsters are reputed to be dwelling in the bottom of deep water lakes.

Lakes are mirrors into the other world. Ladies of Lakes beckon people to dive deeper for enlightenment. A lake may seem inert, but power lies just underneath the still waters. Dive in and encounter a magical world.

Life is lived small in ponds. They provide breeding spots for small animals like salamanders and frogs. Ponds attract a unique collection of animals to their shallow fresh waters from dragonflies and water snakes. Ponds are friendly places for people to enjoy nature.

--------

If you want to know more about your nature guides, I can help you.

Inner Journeys: Nature Journeys:

http://www.funkman.org/innerjourney/journeys/nature/naturemainlink.html

("Jackson Creek" by Mary Ann Sterling)