|
|
|
Keynote: Coming into Your Own Power Cycle of Power: Year-round Throughout its history the cougar has been known by many names: puma, mountain lion, cougar, catamount, mountain screamer, sneak cat, panther, and more. Cougar, panther, and puma are the most common. Cougar is its South American name and the name puma comes from the Quenchua language spoken by the Incas. The Florida panther is part of the same family, but it should not be confused with the panther of the leopard/jaguar family as it is described later. In your studies of the cougar, is there a name which draws you more? This may provide insight into past life connections with this totem. The early colonists mistook the cougar for a female lion. "Dutch traders in New Amsterdam (now New York City) asked the Indians why they only brought in skins of the female. The Indians relishing a joke on the ignorant white traders told them that all of the males lived in a distant range of mountains and were so fierce that no one dared hunt them. Thus the name mountain lion came to be." The cougar is the second-largest cat in the western hemisphere. It is also one of the fastest and most powerful of animals, but it tires quickly. It is powerful enough to kill with its bite or its claws. It can leap over forty feet. It is a stealthy hunter, and many of the qualities of the panther described later hold true for the cougar. If cougar has shown up in your life, it is time to learn about power. Test your own. Most young cougars learn how to use their power through trial and error. It strengthens them and hones their skills. When cougar shows up as totem, much of the trial has been worked through. Now it is time to assert. People may not like your asserting. They may try and keep you in the category they have always kept you. You can choose to remain so, or you can stretch your muscles and show your capabilities. Those with cougar medicine fall easily under attack, especially by those who have grown comfortable with the status quo and do not wish to see you come into your own power will ever acknowledge that you have. If a cougar has shown up, there is a choice to be made, and it should be made quickly and strongly. A cougar leaps at its opportunities. The deer is the cougar's favorite prey. Anyone with a cougar totem should also study the deer. One of the qualities embodied by the deer is gentleness. For those with the cougar totem, remember that power can be asserted gently. There is strength and power in gentleness. It is also a reminder that there are times to be gentle and there are times to assert your power forcefully. This is part of what the cougar teaches. The cougar also has connections to the porcupine, and its qualities should be studied as well. The cougar is on of the few animals capable of killing a porcupine without harm to itself. In fact, about one third of its food can be made up of porcupine. The cougar has developed the ability to flip the porcupine upon its back, exposing its vulnerable underside. The cougar teaches decisiveness in the use of personal power. When it attacks, it does not hesitate. When threatened, it goes for the most vulnerable place. The cougar can teach you how to bring out your power and fill your heart with it in a manner that will enable you to take charge of your life. You will find you can use it to defend yourself or to attack~ with equal effectiveness. Cougar teaches you how to take charge of your life and your circumstances most effectively.
|
|
Send mail to tammlynn@yahoo.com with
questions or comments about this web site.
|