this was published last winter at www.llewellynjournal.com
With the return of winter, are any of these animals appearing in your backyard or daily route? Here is the article as originally published. If you have another wild animal in your midst, consult the book Animal Speak as a guide.
Winter Animal Totems
Red Fox
They’re fast and startle easily, so you may only catch a glimpse of a red fox, perhaps near dawn, as he hunts for mice or rabbits or as he looms outside a chicken coop at dusk, hoping for a chance to steal your fowl. Red fox are curious and sharp witted. Traps may not fool them. In fact they often make up games of exposing traps and leaving droppings or other signs showing they’re not easily outsmarted. Leaving traps uncovered may also be a way of communicating with other foxes as a means of survival, decreasing the chance another could be caught off guard. If the red fox appears to you, it may be time to outsmart your competitors or detractors and band together with your own kind. Using all your senses and being observant may help you escape traps you could fall into. The red fox tends to prefer open areas with good visibility. Their eyesight is excellent and they use their senses of smell and hearing to avoid danger and find food as well. You could say the red fox is almost always on alert. Sharpened senses and quick reactions may also keep you or a loved one out of harm’s way if the fox appears to you.
Sexuality and feminine energy are also the domain of red fox. This creature is long associated with the female in folk tales and legends. The fox may enter to stimulate your second chakra, opening you to sexual energy, the energy of life force and procreation. For a woman, the fox may also be a sign to bring home and children back into focus since the female is very domestic, often returning to and improving the same den year after year as she prepares to give birth. The fox is generally monogamous as well, reminding both husband and wife to honor their commitment and bring playfulness and spontaneity back into relationship. Male and female foxes do work together as father/hunter and mother/caregiver to new litters, so parents raising young children may take the fox as a sign of surrender into traditional roles, at least until their “pups” are old enough to leave the den.
Geese
The Snow Goose, the Canada Goose, and his salt water cousin the Brant make winter appearances in farm lands and at the coast. If geese show themselves as your totem, consider your role in your family, workplace or community. Geese form strong family units that stay together beyond the breeding season, traveling to winter territory and later returning to familiar grounds. Could it be time for a visit home? Their usual flight pattern in the "U" or "V" shape is no coincidence of nature. The formation conserves energy as each pulls the weight of the group by reducing drag. In fact, geese can expend up to 50% less energy this way! If the goose is your winter totem, it may be time to reach out for help or support and work together to accomplish more than double what you can do alone. Geese travel in groups that can reach the tens of thousands, so joining a large organization and striving for the greater good may be your charge now. Some, like the Canada goose, have a distinctive marking. The white band on the Canada goose's throat and face help us distinguish him from other species. Are you also identifying yourself in a similar way with a ribbon, armband or other physical representation of your clan? The message of the goose is to band together and enjoy the benefits of cooperation and belonging.
White Tailed Deer
A deer totem signifies a time of blending physical and spiritual energies. When the deer appears as your guide, you might consider how you take in food since the deer is an herbivore and often reduces consumption in winter to conserve energy. If losing weight or eliminating animal fats or toxins is one of your objectives, the deer may appear as a source of encouragement. Like the deer, being more mindful of what you eat may help you achieve better health and energy.
Deer with antlers also represent spiritual attunement. The white tailed deer sheds his antlers each year, and for the first five years, he grows a larger and larger pair with an annually increasing number of points. The antlers are like antennae, sensitive to signals and external energies. When the male deer appears you may be reaching new levels of psychic awareness or developing a more spiritual outlook. Your heightened awareness could mean you’ll be more easily overwhelmed by noise, commotion or tension. At the same time you can benefit from strong powers of observation and subtleties in communication. The deer can help you tune in to what is unspoken and read between the lines. Could you be gentler with someone’s feelings? Or do you need to accept and acknowledge your own emotions? When the deer appears as your totem, pay attention to the simple things, clear out useless clutter and chatter, and listen to what your body, spirit, and relationships really need to grow and thrive.
Porcupine
Considering their reputation as nuisances and their sharp quills, the porcupine is probably not the totem you were hoping for. However, if this rodent takes up residence or leaves his distinctive path in your back yard, you may benefit from his lessons. Let’s begin with that path he retraces every day. The porcupine finds a simple den and feeding area, and that is all she really needs. Life is uncomplicated in the porcupine’s world. He is not particularly fearful, nor is she especially adventurous. Curiosity and a savoring of the moment seem to be the porcupine nature. Their eyesight is very poor, so they may not see you approach and unless you pose a particular threat, the porcupine may not pay you much attention. Observe a porcupine climbing a tree, slowly shuffling down his usual path, or rocking back and forth in her distinctive way, and you will see that very little disturbs him. Do you need to be more like the porcupine? If you’ve reached a point when every little thing irritates you or you’re too preoccupied to stop and smell the roses, the porcupine may appear to remind you of the joy in everyday routines and experiences. Porcupines are mainly solitary and entertain themselves. They use their quills as defense when threatened. You may want a little more distance from other’s opinions or interference when the porcupine is your totem. A time of developing independence and self-reliance may follow. Finding your own hobbies and enjoying free time without intrusions from the outside world are ways of incorporating porcupine energies.
Robin Ivy is a radio dj, writer and astrologer in Portland, Maine. She has written for Llewellyn's Moon Sign Book, Herbal Alamanac, and Starview Almanac, as well as horoscopes for a variety of publications. You can find her daily and monthly forecasts and Rock Star astrology at www.robinszodiaczone.com.
favorite new music
Muse, My Chemical Romance, Saosin, Thursday, Brand New, Tool, Coheed and Cambria, Secret machines not necessarily in that order
most played in my ipod
30 Seconds to Mars, both albums
My Chemical Romance Bullets and Revenge
From Autumn to Ashes various songs
Muse
Thursday, all 3 releases
Incubus, various mostly from SCIENCE and Make Yourself
best, most memorable live shows
(in no order) NIN, 30 Seconds to Mars on various dates, the best being Saratoga Winners and at CBGBs for MTV2, Godsmack, Live, The Cult, Billy Talent at Warped, Thursday and Circa Survive, Danko Jones, My Chemical Romance
Click the video to see Behind the Scenes with 30 Seconds to Mars. It's a short portion of the From Yesterday video shoot done in China in October. It's pretty cool to see them work with authentic Chinese martial artists, and the costumes/traditional dress are beautiful! If you like, see the video at MTV2.com. MTV sites are not formatted to work with MACs so you have to have a PC to view it. They made some mistakes in the video posted at MTV2. It says "The Kill" at least once, and they put labels over the screen, AND they interrupt it in the middle for some advertisement of course. Still, take a look, and give yourself some time. It's a short film and it's like 10 minutes long. See it before they decide to only show the short video version. That's all for now...
I used to be The Sun, but right now I'm the Empress
You are The Empress
Beauty, happiness, pleasure, success, luxury, dissipation.
The Empress is associated with Venus, the feminine planet, so it represents,
beauty, charm, pleasure, luxury, and delight. You may be good at home
decorating, art or anything to do with making things beautiful.
The Empress is a creator, be it creation of life, of romance, of art or business. While the Magician is the primal spark, the idea made real, and the High Priestess is the one who gives the idea a form, the Empress is the womb where it gestates and grows till it is ready to be born. This is why her symbol is Venus, goddess of beautiful things as well as love. Even so, the Empress is more Demeter, goddess of abundance, then sensual Venus. She is the giver of Earthly gifts, yet at the same time, she can, in anger withhold, as Demeter did when her daughter, Persephone, was kidnapped. In fury and grief, she kept the Earth barren till her child was returned to her.
What Tarot Card are You?
Take'>http://www.flarn.com/~warlock/tarot">Take the Test to Find Out.
My good friend Amy sent me this excerpt today. I can't tell you how much this means to me right now. Plus the room I'm staying in this week has an owl painting done my someone I love very much.
I have something important to tell you that I read about OWL.
>
> It's from Doreen Virtue's hubby's book...Power Animals.
>
> Owl's Message for You:
>
> I live in the night, but not for the fear of the light. All my senses are
> geared to the world of shadows. Some say that I'm a portent of death, but
> that's not necessarily so. Death is only one aspect of darkness. The
> shadowy remains can be kind of scary, yet there really isn't anything to
> fear. The darkness is just as sacred as the light and in it there is
> magic,
> mystery and ancient knowledge. You can't have one without the other, and
> light will always dissipate the darkness.
>
> You have the ability to be aware of your own shadows and see the shadows
> of
> others, which is truly a powerful gift--so powerful that it can be
> intimidating to others. Use this ability with compassion, discretion and
> sensitivity. With your heightened powers of perception, you are able to
> see
> through appearances and illnesses without judgment. Notice also, any
> darknesses in yourself that inhibit the full expression of your heart and
> soul's destiny. Just observe these without shame or judgment. Clear the
> darkness by first sitting with it for a brief time, eliminating it with
> the
> inner light of your awareness. Then call on me to remove it and I'll
> carry
> it into the night and transform it. No need to live in darkness and
> shadow;
> simply heal any shadows with the light.
If you're reincarnated, what do you think you'll come back as?
Submitted by Diana.
I think I could come back as some kind of a bird. In this life I got a bird name and I feel connected to the owl and hawks and also small birds like hummingbirds and yellow finches. The bird is the messenger and my chart has a strong Mercury and Mars in Gemini and both are the messengers, like Hermes in mythology. I think our lives now have clues to the energy we'd be reincarnated with, if that is what happens.
yea, the food group
Harvest Moon in Aries @ 11:13 pm on Friday, October 6th. Aries is a fire sign, and this Moon is about creation, competition, newness, youth, spirit, wildness, and spontaneity.
Who? Aries, Libra, always Cancer, firefighters, rescue workers, paramedics, and any kind of emergency personnel, athletes, rock stars, military-especially army, kids, skaters, NASCAR, motocross, singles, fighters and warriors of all kinds
Do: think before you leap, start over, meet a deadline, clear the air, act like a kid, laugh, race, compete, begin, date, have a bonfire, barbeque, camp, move on, perform, wear your "crash helmet"
Avoid: dangers of heat and fire, driving too fast or unaware, doing something you'll regret, fights, crazy people
Aries rules the head and face, so protect yours!
Music: Tool (great for getting out aggressions, plus Maynard is an Aries), Jane's Addiction (Perry is an Aries too), AC/DC, My Chemical Romance "Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge", The Used, Bullet for My Valentine
Check your Full Moon 4cast at www.robinszodiaczone.com
On the eve of Evanesence's new release, here's something I wrote about Amy Lee back in the summer of 2004. It's part of a longer piece called The Venus Rock Star that was in the book Starview 2006, a Llewellyn almanac. It's funny I didn't think I liked Evanesence or Amy Lee, but I felt her influence was undeniable so I decided to include her. When you look at a chart, you really get a feel for who a person is, and when I looked into Amy's, I saw her in an entirely different light. The whole article is about the influence of women in rock during this astrological era, 2003-2010. So this is it. The Open Door is released during a forward thinking Aquarius Moon October 3, 2006.
Amy Lee
Amy Lee of the band Evanescence has quickly won legions of both male and female fans with her gothic looks, haunted lyrics, and outspoken attitude. Once a rock band with a Christian message, “God is Love”, according to early interviews, Evanescence has transcended stereotypes and spawned several singles from their major label debut “Fallen”, which ironically was released on March 4, 2003, days before Uranus moved to musical Pisces to herald change.
Amy is a Sagittarius born on December 13, 1981 on the West Coast. The voice of a new generation, she is one of the youngest women making a name for her self in the world of rock. Her vocals are both ethereal and strong, and the piano is her instrument of choice. Her lyrics are inspired by horror movies and nightmares which she claims to have suffered all through childhood. She is fascinated by vampires, shops in vintage outlets and designs clothing including the costumes used in one of the band’s videos. The music Amy writes reflects Neptune’s themes of deception, redemption and dreams. Her band’s spiritual roots are reflected in lyrics like “My god, my tourniquet, return me to my salvation” and “will I be denied Christ?”, though any religious affiliation the band once had was tempered as they were removed from Christian bookstore shelves in the spring of 2003 when “Fallen” was released. Nevertheless, the religious overtones are in sync with the influence of Uranus in Pisces. So is the band’s name which means to dissipate into a vapor or disappear, in a Neptunian, dreamlike way.
While Uranus occupies Pisces, Neptune’s natural home, Amy Lee’s fascination with altered states, dreams and things that go bump in the night will appeal to an audience more tuned in to the invisible world. More than half of the songs on “Fallen” relate to sleep or dream states, and arguably, death. Amy’s generation, with Neptune in Sagittarius (1970-1984), is not afraid to explore these realms, and Amy with her Sun, Mercury and Neptune lined up within a few degrees in Sagittarius, is the voice to express these ideas without inhibition. She is a bold risk taker with a deep need to express through her music. Evanescence may mean to disappear, but Amy Lee’s influence is only beginning to take form in this decade of musical change.
I'm wondering if at some point my whole life will be stored in computer files...it's getting close, now between myspace, livejournal, my web site, and all my music, video and personal pictures mostly sitting right here in the powerbook G4. So I started the vox account to make my weekly Zodiac Zones available in a new way. My podcast server was being a bitch, so this is one more way people can access the podcast I was making available there. It's totally free and open to the public.
The next thing I knew, I was downloading a few photos... and then for who knows what reason I decided to make my 30 Seconds to Mars visit from last December available too. Up until now, I really wanted to just keep this to myself. Last December 6, 2005, Jared and Tomo flew up to Maine and surprised me with a visit and a few songs! The audio is only for friends. Please don't try to download or share it if that's even possible. It's the property of WCYY, Robin Ivy, and 30 Seconds to Mars, and these versions are not to turn up in other places. Thanks.
I plan to post some retro photos soon. I have Dee Snider, Iggy Pop, and others I haven't scanned into my iphoto yet. The Michael Hutchence one was emailed to me by a friend not long ago, and it's given me the inspiration to dig up some others and share 'em.
Welcome to just another space Robin now occupies in the cyberworld.
Neighborhood
Explore friends, family, friends & family, or entire neighborhood.
Recent Comments
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Empress Befuddlement said:
[this is good]"Educated in the art of marshall." That's awesome. read more
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robinivy said:
Behind the Scenes in China with 30 Seconds to Mars"From Yesterday" off the cd A Beautiful Lie read more
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Jeremy said:
<p align="center"><img src="http://www.flarn.com/~warlock/tarot/chinese/8.jpg"></p><h2 align="center"><font face="Verdana"><b>You are Strength</b></font></h2><p align="center"><font face="Verdana">Courage, strength, fortitude. Power not arrested in the act of judgement, but... read more
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