Totems / Gifts
Owl is my mother, Serpent my father,
Owl is my mother, Serpent my father,
both are my spirit protectors,
Owl at my left side, Snake at my right.
I was led to this knowledge years ago,
and liked it. 'Yes!' I said.
I said yes. I think that's important.
In some cultures owl
is a harbinger of death. To some
she means wisdom, to some deception.
I'm a Scorpio woman. I speak truth, see far,
cannot easily be deceived, and move
between life and death in a number of ways.
Serpent is wisdom too – a deep, hidden kind –
and healing, and transmutation. Its venom
has many uses. The shed skins proclaim rebirth.
I am a Scorpio woman; my still waters
run deep. I work as a healer and psychic medium.
I've lived many lives in one. I am a witch.
One night, soon after I was told, we drove home late
down a long road through trees. An owl, ghostly white,
flew in front of us slowly all the way, like a guide.
We arrived home, she glided off. A diamond-backed snake
lay sinuously along our verandah, dim in the dark
but visible, departing only after we'd seen.
Wise and winged, wise and serpentine,
transformers, agents of healing or death (the greatest healer?)
I know their presence and show this by many tokens.
(The silver earrings I wear, the figures on my altars....)
The wings of owl, the body of serpent later combined
in a new, overseeing totem: dragon.
More and more the outwardly-powerful people
push back and back on the habitats
of owls and serpents, whales and honeybees, and all.
We who love inner power, finding it hard to wield
(or working too mysteriously) against the onslaughts,
resort now to mythic protectors and to the fire they breathe.
May it be a cleansing flame of burning words,
an energy of passion and reason, fire and light
to wake the Angels and stem the flood!
What we are given, we must use.
I see us banding together around the globe,
a circle of held hands, a circle of firm stands.
(As the Four Horsemen begin their ride.)
Written for Brendan's Weekend Challenge: Totems at 'imaginary garden with real toads'.
This was magnificent to read. I love that snowy owl, flying before you as a guide. And love the idea of us banding together across the globe, a circle of firm stands. It will be we the people who effect change. Too many leaders have sold their souls.
ReplyDelete'Owl is my mother, Serpent my father', both symbols of wisdom. I love the refrain, 'I am a Scorpio woman...', the anecdotal lines and:
ReplyDelete'Wise and winged, wise and serpentine,
transformers, agents of healing or death'.
It is a deep pleasure to read from one who knows their totems deep in their bones. And still has faith in them, in themselves wearing these spirit masks and animal bodies. Thank you. Ride forth into fire!
ReplyDeleteThis is a most insightful piece. the totem says much about the person.
ReplyDeleteI am also a scorpio woman, we hold hands, I love your totem of wisdom.
ReplyDeleteReally fascinating back and forth between the two animals!
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed this very much! Very moving.
ReplyDeleteI used to wear a turquoise owl necklace a lot, and was surprised when some people were disturbed by it because they felt owls were bad luck. I love them myself.
ReplyDeleteThis is stunning, Rosemary. It has power, truth, and beauty.
ReplyDeleteVery enjoyable reading, Rosemary. You presented an interesting mating, the owl and the serpent. I'm sure the offspring is SUPER intelligent, like you. Me too for that result though I don't know how to tell who my parents were. I'm not sure what the child looks like, I like owls so I hope it will be a pretty owl that can crawl.
ReplyDeleteI too am a Scorpio but I don't know much about that and don't check my daily horoscope. It was interesting that you posted that the coming of the Four Horseman ride. Is it connected with the Revelation of John in the Bible.
Googling that presents some very interesting reading, there is a correlation according to much published investigations. Non though that I read did real life predictions. Even John hid his in secrecy which hiding is often toted as veiled to prevent it seeming religious and thus avoiding his further persecution besides being exiled. You probably know much more of that than what I picked up in a couple of hours.
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I always appreciate your attentive reading and thoughtful comments, Jim. Although I did once study the Bible as part of a self-imposed course in comparative religion (in my twenties) there is much of it which I don't now pay great attention to. I use the Four Horsemen as a convenient metaphor for the ills which are sweeping the world and the possibility we'll bring about our own annihilation.
DeleteI am not very well versed in Astrology either, except for character studies as expressed in the Zodiac signs, and I don't have any regard for daily horoscopes.
I could nott refrain from commenting. Welll written!
ReplyDeleteFew things make us stronger than the wisdom (and willingness) to accept what is ours, to be excited about receiving it, to become more ourselves with it... because of it. " What we are given, we must use", if not, it uses us.
ReplyDelete