Hi
More questions! Just wondering given Linda's interest in Native Americans, did she ever get into animal totems and spirits? A very interesting subject of which much could be said!
Ever inquisitive,
Kstar

Karen - yes, a good question. One that I don't know, but I did read that Linda Goodman started her own "religion" -- "Mannu" which combined the teachings of the Native Americans and St. Francis of Assisi.

Anyone familiar with this that could help us out?

LMB

Hi LMB!
I was not aware of Linda's involvement with her own religion, very interesting and fascinating! I would also like to hear more about this if anyone out there has any information to share!!
On another note, I would love to share with anyone their experiences with nature and animals, both of which are very dear to my heart!!!

Hi Everyone,

I'm new to Astrology and Linda Goodman, however, animals have held my interest for many years. This topic is extremely interesting. I believe strongly in Animal Totems - mine is a Wolf.

I have dreams in which Animals appear and these dreams are extremely vivid and highly symbolic. (Ex: I had a dream where I was riding a white Pegasus horse, upwards into the heavens).

I would love to hear about anyone else's dreams and how you interpreted them. I have an "Animal Medicine" book at home, but I sometimes dream of animals which aren't listed...the book covers only North American animals.

Thanks for starting such a wonderful thread.

Hi Puff, welcome.

I too have heard only bits and fragments about Mannu, but I'm very curious ... sounds like some investigation is in order (although Crystal may have more information -- yoo hoo, Crystal, do you?)

One of the reasons I love living remotely in the mountains so much as I do is the wildlife that is all around. There are deer out the window almost every morning, and raccoons, possums and other small critters all around. There are bears in the neighborhood, but so far none has blessed us with an appearance in the front yard -- but I do think that the pure black cougar who shows up from time to time is a spirit messenger of some sort. What a magnificent creature!

Welcome Puff!
The most magical part of animal spirits/energies is that they bring to us lessons and messages for our greater understanding and insights for our benefit throughout our lifetime. The animal spirits choose us - we don't choose them. That is the real beauty of their appearances in our lives. My favorite place in the world to be is in and around nature. It helps to "ground" this earth girl
Gregory,
Perhaps the "cougar" is one of your animal totems I'll let you decide

The cougar is a symbol of self-leadership. They tread rocky ledges of experience, following the scent of their own vision. Swift and powerful as a hunter, the cougar can respond to any challenge, bringing us to remember our respons-ability (ability to respond) to others, ourselves and personal truth.
At the time that cougar comes into their lives, cougar people are often shy loners though working cougar will transform them outwardly, they always tend to be people who are "alone in a crowd". When seeking a goal, cougar people are wary and secretive as they access the situation and wait for the moment to strike, but when there is a choice to be made, they need to learn to take that leap to assert themselves. Decisiveness is another cougar lesson.
Cougars tend to tire quickly when chasing prey, this is a message to conserve strength and not overdo but instead rest and return to the hunt later. Despite cougar's solitary in the wild, they often become leaders of others. This tends to happen not through seeking positions of power but because others see them striding confidently upon our paths and follow. Cougar medicine will tend to attract lessons dealing with balance of power.
Cougar people should also be aware of their own tendency to be overly forceful at times and their impatience with others whom they do not see as being proactive enough or not carrying their own weight. When cougar people have a cause in mind, they leap forward in swiftness and power and expect others to do so as well.
At it's best expression (much like the Hermit card in Tarot), cougar energy says, "I am going there, follow me if you will, but do not follow in my footsteps, for your path must be your own. Seek instead your high goal and I will aid you on the way if I am able."
(information gathered from www.serioussilver.com)

I LOOOVE animals!!!!!!!!
and one thing i ALWAYS remeber is:

dog is god spelled backwards!It really helps!!ever seen those love filled puppy dog adoring eyes?God!they melt me!and its in these moments i truly know,that "love IS god"...or dog...whatever!
Dear Karen...whatever happened to ur mails?this personal message goes out to u?Did i do something to upset u?Though im unaware on that aspect,i apologise for any wrong done.Will u answer now,sensitive cappy?

love and doggie hugs***
shagun.

Shagun,
You silly girl! I'll keep this brief as this is not a "Linda Goodman" topic
Unfortunately the taxman calleth! With the April 15th deadline looming, I am scrambling to gather up my documentation. My husband and I are also in the process of finishing our new home and so my time spent online is brief moments here and there. I will write soon
Love, Karen

Karen,
I have to say that the last few lines of your post did kind of sum up Gregory, he is a great teacher and yet he wants you to learn through yourself aswell....he will show you but will not do it for you, which I have to say takes an enormous amount of patience.(especially when teaching me... )

Shagun,
Dogs......oh please I absolutely love them I was a member of a charity that fought cruelty to animals for many years and did alot of fund raising for them.....I had a golden retriever, HE WAS HUMAN, when I cried he licked away my tears....when I was happy he brought me a toy and begged me to go and play....he was always there with a cuddle and ALWAYS was happy to see me.....three cheers for man's/woman's best friend!

Back to the thread....something really strange has been happening to me, it started just before the site opened.....perhaps Karen can explain this one to me.....I have been woken up at various different times of the night/morning by an owl making the most amazing sounds you couldn't even begin to imagine......now what is strange about this is I don't live in the middle of a forest......only a concrete jungle and it just seems a little strange for this remarkable bird to appear!!!!What is the meaning of this??????
Awaiting your response eagerly.......

Love and Laughter,
Kelly-Anne

Hi Kelly-Anne,
Thanks for your observation on Cougar medicine for Gregory.
I am a fierce animal lover! I would probably have a house full of strays and unwanted animals if I could get away with it!!
I have found more often than not that the animal spirits bring us messages to help us to learn and to grow
About the owl -
As a totem, owl medicine is a feminine trait. It is at home and comfortable in the night. It has great awareness of all that is around them at all times. The owl has predator vision, which means it sees clearly what it looks at. It has great intuition; and the totem of psychics and clairvoyants. The owl has the courage to follow its instincts.
It is a meat eater, which means that it can be a fierce warrior if challenged, or if something dear to it is threatened.
The owl's wisdom includes:
*seeing behind masks
*keen sight
*comfort with shadow self
*moon magick
*freedom
*link between the dark, unseen world and the world of light
*messenger of secrets and omens

In summary, owl medicine is wonderful to have. Those who carry it cannot be conned because their vision shows them the truth of the situation
(taken from meyna.com)

What a wonderful totem to have
I hope this helps!

Wow!Karen that was quite awesome.......
It's funny because I have a scorpio moon which I have been told makes me highly intuitive, it is something I've not really trusted until about a year ago.....that wonderful gut feeling and just a sense of knowing.....so it's strange how the owl represents 'seeing behind masks' I'm actually getting very good at summing people up and seeing right through those people who have different agendas.

I love the meaning of the owl.....I hope it stays with me.....
Do your animal totems change as your situations change....or is it just how frequently they visit???? Sorry more questions it's just this really fascinates me, I've always felt very drawn to the Indian culture as they, very strongly, associate their whole being with the land and the animals.

Love and Laughter,
Kelly-Anne

Karen thank you for your insights about the totem characteristics of the cougar. I DO feel that I have a strange connection with this beautiful creature, which I have only glimpsed on rare occasions ... but I have the strongest intuition that I will one day make closer contact. My "office" is a yurt in the mountains, up the hill from the cabin where we live, and I have an uncanny certainty that I will one day come face to face with my cougar while climbing the path up to my office in the wee hours before dawn, which is my habit. This prospect both terrifies and excites me ... it's very strange.

Thank you for all the animal lore and bringing this vibration to the site. It is a wonderful spiritual energy. I often think that if people could learn the unconditional love that comes so easily to a dog, we would advance our own growth in spirit more than we can possibly imagine.

Oh yes yes and yes. I am very interested in the spirit and wisdom of animals. I have done a medicine shield (through these beautiful animal totem cards I have) when I was on a retreat last year and wouldn't you know it - all four directions (N, S, E and W) were animal spirits that I knew in this life. For instance, the animal I chose for the North was the wolf and a person I dearly love and have a significantly intense relationship with has the animal totem of the Wolf. And for the South, I chose the Hawk and I used to have a friend and Teacher (for a brief time two years ago) whose NAME was Hawk and whose totem was the Hawk. And for the East, I had the Owl...and a year ago, I again had a friend and Teacher NAMED Owl and had the Owl as his totem. And then...came the West...it was the Butterfly...which was extremely poignant because that was MY totem animal. It used to be the deer...but until my re-birth last year, it (and I) changed and I realized it was the butterfly.
And that was my shield - four animals that I had significant relationships with in my real life.

I am very interested in this and the Native Americans and look forward to reading more from all of you.

Kelly-Anne, this is just my personal belief on whether they change...I by no means am an expert. But since my totem did change, I believe that they do in accordance with your own life changes. But I mean big life changes...when you no longer feel you are the same person as before. In my opinion, animals wish to share their own specific medicine with us and certain times in our lives call for certain wisdom. Mine is the butterfly because I am going through such a huge transformation. I don't think it will remain the butterfly forever, though.

Again, I could be wrong on all of this, it just my feelings on the subject.

Be well,

LMB

Dearest friends!!

Oh this is one of the best threads around!!
Its infinitely interesting and yes animals as omens have been very common in the world.Karen...wonderful knowledge u have!!keep it up!!

They do have a few animal totems in india too and i do beleive they are true....for example,they say that if u are setting out to do something important and u see a cow with a sukling calf wih her...the jobs going to be done very well,rest assured....
or if u see a crow crowing on ur door for days together its an evil omen and it could mean someone is to die.....
or if u put a saucer of milk out for a snake and it drinks it...u have been blessed by one of the most religious and poerful reptiles because it belongs to "shiva"the scorpio hindu god of destruction and ultimate power.

Then there are elephants and if u se them walking on the road...ur day is made!!

Kelly anne...DOGS!!!oh gosh!if i just had to live my life alone but for doggies as my companions i wouldnt mind!!Oh theyre human allright kelly-anne...they are in some cases also divine!!My little baby doggie dosent leave my side!!she even follows me to the bath!!she MUST cuddle up and sleep with me and she is a...CANCERIAN!!!my sweet moody baby!!
Ooh!before i launch into doggie lust,i better stop here!
Greg,i LOVED that cougar wish.Oh it seems so powerful,so...i dont know...beautiful!
love
shagun.

I have to tell you guys what happened today, it was the strangest thing......you know the owl I've been talking about well he/she followed me to work!! Yes, he was right outside sitting somewhere up high and all I could hear was the most magnificient ooooing.
I am one of those fortunate people who can walk to work I'm only a few blocks from the office so it's not as though the poor bird flew miles and miles behind me in the car but the owl definately followed me.

I saw it as a good omen for the day and as it happened it definately was.....many positive things were decided upon today and some great action was taken, I love a successful day......lets hope the owl is with me tommorrow.

Shajun......your dog sounds totally divine, and being a cancerian is a blessing for sure.....my Mother is a Cancer and she is the most precious person in my life.

I just love this thread, so interesting!
Love and Laughter,
Kelly-Anne

willbebackasyoucanseeIamhavingkeyboardtroubles!!!

Now that I have replaced my "possessed" keyboard!!.......
Kelly-Anne,
A Scorpio moon sister I would have to agree with you about the intuition. I call it my "gut feelings" and they are extremely strong. I can honestly say that when I trust my gut feelings, they are usually right on I usually will develop an instant "like" or "dislike" to people and have found it to be quite accurate.
WOW, I do believe that you have been blessed with "owl" medicine!!! What an incredible experience to be a part of!! It gave me goosebumps and brought a HUGE smile to my face! I believe that owl will be with you until you no longer need his guidance
Okay, I agree with LMB that the animal spirit guides will appear at the moment in our lives when we are in need of assistance or guidance through what they have to teach us. Beliefs vary on how many Totems each person has and how long they stay with us. It is commonly accepted that each of us has at least two totems, one walks on our left side, guarding and guiding our feminine energies, and the other walks on our right side, guarding and guiding our masculine energies. Some believe that we have as many as nine Totems and that the two main ones (walking on our left and right sides) are with us throughout our lives. I have been guided by butterfly, deer, rabbit and just recently raven/crow. The way I like to guage an encounter with an animal spirit guide is by looking for signs. We will inevitably cross paths with all kinds of God's creatures throughtout our lives but they do not all constitute a teaching guide. I look for signs of recurrence and frequency as well as whether or not it appears that some kind of contact is being made, i.e. staring right at you or verbage/sounds, such as stopping dead in their tracks and staring at you without expressing any fear whatsoever if only for a brief moment or two.
I have learned to open up mys-elf to becoming more aware of the sights and sounds around me as well as trying to recognize the "signs" and symbols that the universe provides us with
Gregory,
I do not know how common it would be for you to see cougars in the region where you live but I believe that the cougar does have a message to share with you and what a magnificent creature he is! It is exhilarating and frightening all at the same time but an experience that I am sure that will be with you always
LMB,
A medicine shield sounds so spiritually enlightening! I would love to hear more about your experience. You indeed have experienced the "signs" that go along with recognizing our animal spirit guides. I would love to know where you got your cards - it is something that I have been meaning to do along with tons of other things on my buffet plate!!!
There are certain animals associated with the stones of the medicine wheel and I will be back later to discuss that in further depth.
XXKarenOO

Karen,
I had not heard of the 2 totem animals which walk on the right and left sides, (the fem. and masc. energies) but that makes so much sense to me! I have not thought about it that way yet, so I will sit and ponder that one tonight. Thank you!
You seem to have studied this for a while and to "know your stuff". Good for you. I'm just starting. It's amazing what you find if you open yours-elf up to it.
As for the cards, my dear friend in Colorado (the wolf) bought me a pack. this particular kind comes in two sizes - a large deck with a book that fully explains each animal (and very well) and a small deck that has the picture of the animal on the card along with a brief, summarized definition. I have the small deck and pick a card each morning. As for the medicine shield, I did that while on a retreat this last semester as well as last month. The leader had the larger deck so of course I was thrilled to see that! she told me, when I asked her if our totem animals can "change", that we have only one *main* animal that guides us throughout our life, but that we can have different ones that come and go depending on our life-happenings. I don't know if she knew about the masculine-feminine idea that you brought up, I think she'd like that. I do.

At any rate, I'm excited to be discussing this topic.

Looking forward to more,

LMB

I was visited by a beautiful butterfly yesterday...seems I am buckled in for another spiritual transformation!
If there is any interest out there in regards to the stones of the medicine wheel and the animals associated with each stone...I would like to share

Love and light,
Karen

Hello everyone!

My web site I designed has much information on Animal Interpretations if any of you are interested. When there, look for the link button called "The Looking Glass," then scroll down until you come to "Animal Interpretations" image button. Also includes interpretations on reptiles, insects and birds.

*NOTE* My offering is not intended to sway people to come to my site. This thread is about animal interpretations and it just so happens that I already have an abundant amount of information on it that I would love to share with you.

Have fun and God Bless!
A fellow ARIES.

Not a problem, WiseSoul, networking and sharing info and resources is what the net is all about, no? (Now if you were plugging a homebrew version of Linda Goodman compatibility reports, that might be a different story, but ... )

What is the URL, WiseSoul? It sounds wonderful!

Blessings,

Carlo

Your very welcome Carlo! Just click on my profile Carlo and you'll see the home page url. Enjoy!!!

Gregory! The only topic that I have on my site concerning any material from Linda Goodman is her 12 initiations of love and given FULL CREDIT to her!!! If having a tid bit of her material on my site to be a problem, I'll will take it off promptly.

Not a problem at all WiseSoul, I was being cheeky. Most publishers have no objection to the non-commercial use of brief quotations as long as they're properly credited.

to the six, and ya don't quit, HIT IT!