Totem Tuesday: Cat Medicine

Cat Medicine

by Felina Lune Kavi

"A house without a cat is like a hug without a kiss."  - a quote remembered from my childhood...inscribed on one of my mother's knick-knacks

Keywords:  Independence, Healing, Curiosity, Mystery, Magic, Perception, Agility, Intuition, Telepathy, Duality

Of all the animal totems I am asked about, Cat Medicine is most frequently mentioned.  It seems a good place to start, considering this totem has been with me from the very beginning…inherited from my mother and her mother (and many generations before her), and passed down to my daughter.  Cat is my ‘below’ totem, which is to say that it guides my feet along my path and connects me with nature.  Also, being an inherited totem, its medicine keeps me grounded and connected with my roots.  I have always had cats…or, rather, they have always had me.  My current familiar, Ani, is pictured above.  Our relationship is beyond companionship, even beyond family, and I have learned a lot from her as well as many other cats throughout my life.  I am grateful for these gifts.

The origin of the old saying that cats have nine lives has to do with their unique healing abilities.  A cat’s purr is not just their way of communicating contentment; it holds a greater magic.  The frequency of the purr (between 20 and 140 Hz) can heal bones, muscles, tendons, ligaments and soft tissue.  We humans, too, can benefit just from being near them.  Petting a purring cat lowers stress and blood pressure, heals infection and swelling, and decreases the risk of a heart attack.  This is why, as they are self-healers, they can often bounce back quickly from near-death experiences…and why, as healers of others, they are often a welcomed pet in places that care for the sick or elderly.

Cats are also well-known for their curiosity, which allows for them to experience adventure even in the most domesticated circumstances.  They are courageous thrill-seekers and will investigate, with all senses, anything that piques their interest.  This teaches us to explore our world and our options, especially in new surroundings and circumstances.  

It is also true that there is a duality inherent in the cat nature…which is why we also have the phrase ‘scaredy cat’.  For as much as they are brave in their curiosity, they can also be easily spooked…usually by things that may seem irrational (such as the sound of plastic sacks…like my familiar, Ani.  Though, having been thrown away into a dumpster before she came into my life may have something to do with that fear).

Another duality of the cat is that one of their strongest totem medicine teachings is about independence…however, the domestic cat often appears dependent on their humans.  Still, that is mostly because we make the domesticated life rather easy for them…and they are smart enough not to refuse such luxuries as having a loving servant to care for their needs.  If left to their own devices, though, even a housecat would find ways to sustain themselves…especially if left outdoors.  Like many animals who share space with humans, cats are resourceful and opportunistic creatures and are highly skilled at self-care.

Cat medicine teaches agility in body and mind.  Cat people may appear to be quite lucky, seeming to symbolically land on their feet even after a difficult fall.  They have the ability to adapt to their surroundings quickly and the strength to bounce back after finding themselves in challenging circumstances.  Their clear perception allows them to sniff out a friend or foe easily. 

Timing is an integral part of what the cat has to teach us.  The way they attack their prey is very controlled.  They employ a great deal of patience while waiting for the right moment, the ability to preserve energy and observe every detail, and a clear sense of timing in action…even when situations are tense and heavy.

Deep perception, intuition, and telepathy are skills taught by Cat Medicine.  Their connection to others goes far beyond the physical, and this translates to those with this totem as well.  They are also very adept at mind-reading.  The ability to go beyond the barriers of language to send and receive messages is quite useful in getting a point across, as well as forming strong bonds with others.  And with their heightened intuition and perception, Cat people can sense all manner of things before they happen.

Cats are associated with magic and mystery as well.  They are symbols of many Goddesses (most of them deities associated with fertility or wisdom) such as Freyja (Norse), Ceridwen (Welsh), Atana Potnia (Minoan), Shasthi (Hindu), and Bastet and Sekhmet (Egyptian).  Those who practice magic and who have a cat know that these animals are drawn to such things…they feel very at home in a sacred circle and will often join you.  

With powers of stealth and shape-shifting, cats are adept at traveling between worlds.  Their ability to see in the dark, with eyes that quickly adapt, shows us how to illuminate what is often ‘unseen’.  Because of this, Cat people often find themselves particularly drawn to shadow work…knowing that the light within will always be overshadowed if we do not first do the difficult work of acknowledging and embracing the dark and repressed parts of ourselves.

If Cat is one of your totems, these and many other lessons will be prevalent in your life.  Cat will urge you to refine your mastery of this medicine.  If you see a cat, but it is not one of your totems, respect it as a messenger for that time.  You may need its medicine for what is happening then or what is coming up in the near future.  Accept and appreciate the gifts the cat gives you, whether it is affection in the form of a purring companion in your lap or a meal in the form of a dead animal at your doorstep (you can always thank them for providing for you and dispose of it later when the cat isn’t looking!).  Despite their reputation for being aloof and finicky, cats actually care very deeply for their loved ones.

New Moon Eclipse in Pisces: Planting the Seeds of Tomorrow

Planting the Seeds of Tomorrow

3-20-15

New Moon @ 4:36am

Solar Eclipse @ 4:45am

Spring Equinox @ 5:45pm

This New Seed Moon Eclipse lands on the Spring Equinox this year, also called Ostara (which is also National Astrology Day, as the sun returns to the first sign of the zodiac, Aries).  But before both the moon and sun move into Aries, the New Moon Eclipse highlights the lessons of the last degree of Pisces. 

Every New Moon is a time for new beginnings, and the same goes for the Spring Equinox.  Though while we are starting something new, the Eclipse may occult some of the light and energy we are putting forth, facing us with our shadow from the start.  Each eclipse brings up themes that will be present for six months, until the next eclipse window begins.  So while a new moon’s energy can be felt for a month, and an equinox for a season…the eclipse energy will hang around for half a year.  To add to that, the Uranus-Pluto square series just brought in a load of energy for clearing out the old and planning to rebuild something better during the last part of the previous waning moon.

New Moon Eclipse in the 30^th Degree of Pisces

The Sabian Symbol for this degree is ‘A majestic rock formation resembling a face is idealized by a boy who takes it as his ideal of greatness; as he grows up, he begins to resemble it’.  This is a symbol of envisioning an ideal and becoming it.  What do you idealize?  This image we try to project is much greater than us, but as we admire and try to emulate it…we take on some of those characteristics as we grow into who we are meant to become.  The rock formation in this image is created by Mother Nature herself; not by man.  She created it to show who we can be.

The boy in this image gazes up at the stone face in awe.  It commands respect in a gentle and quiet way.  It shows a solid character at peace with its surroundings.  There is a sense of immortality to it…an ancient and enduring truth.

This is a time to work on defining and manifesting goals and ideals in our lives.  We must be clear about it.  What do you want?  Who and where do you want to be in this life?  With clear intent, we can plant those seeds now.

The shadow side of this image that may come up with the eclipse is when we project the wrong kind of image…one that doesn’t line up with what we intended.  It may be that we are trying too hard to live up to the ideals that others project upon us…or that we are unsure and vacillate between what we think we should be for others and what we really are.  The key is to not get caught up in superficial ideals.  Many may look in the mirror at this time and see only what they don’t like about themselves being reflected back to them.  The more conscious thought you give to the negative, the more the negative is reflected.

Spring Equinox

Every Springtime, the Sun returns to the first degree of the zodiac in Aries.  The Sabian Symbol for the 1^st degree of Aries is “A woman emerges from the ocean; a seal embraces her”.  It is all about creative beginnings now.  Each individual has the potential now to arise from the collective and actualize their destiny in society and in the planetary organism of the Earth. 

With every new beginning, something is often left behind.  This is a quiet step out of the collective unconscious (symbolized by the ocean) and into individual consciousness…but not a separation.  This image speaks of mermaids and the Selkie myth…where the woman is of two worlds.  This is when the seed germinates, having to pierce through the crust of the soil still covered with the remains of the past.  It is about potentiality more than actual presence.  The impulse is to be, not to assert the self.  Every potentiality contains the two-fold possibility of success or failure.  The seal embracing the woman is not only a nod to the Selkie myth, but also is symbolic of being welcomed into concrete manifestation from those who represent our past or our origin…or even others who are also trying to ‘emerge’ and ‘become’ as well.

Finding your feet and reaching solid ground is part of the process, and may take some getting used to as you step into this new arena.  Whatever is emerging, either in you or around you, needs to be accepted, welcomed and nurtured.  This includes embracing the shadow that will likely surface, and instead of regressing back into the sea to avoid it you will need to face it and move forward with it.  Don’t be discouraged by setbacks.  Be fearless in the face of the future, and work now to create the best of your potential.

Love and Gratitude,

Felina Lune Kavi

Square Seven of the Fool’s Tower: Recognition of Life and Our Reflection Upon Mother Earth

Square Seven: Recognition of Life and Our Reflection Upon Mother Earth

March 16^th, 2015 (Uranus Square Pluto in the 16th Degree of Aries and Capricorn) at 9:21pm CDT


Spock:  "Logic clearly dictates that the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few."
Captain Kirk:  "Or the one."
-Star Trek II:  The Wrath of Kahn

Uranus and Pluto are two of the three Generational Outer Planets that allude to the collective experience of our global community.  These planets take much longer to move through our solar system, and so their energies have an enduring effect when triggered by alignment.  Though I am writing this series as they approach each of the seven exact square alignments, the powerful effects can be felt months before and after (as they gradually approach and recede from the alignment).

On this 7^th and final square during this cycle, Uranus urges us to return to the lessons of the Full Blood Moon Eclipse of last October which was in the same degree.  As an eclipse’s effects last for half a year (until the next eclipse begins a new lesson), this month and the next are essentially the climax of that eclipse energy.  To find hints of similarity during this stage of our journey, consider what in your life has been your emotional focus since that eclipse last year.  Has it come to a crisis point as we have drawn nearer to this current planetary square?  A total transformation is in store for each of us and for the world at large, and these dynamic planets are urging us to take action.

This is when Human Nature and Mother Nature respond as one unit of symbiotic cells to each other as well as to the Universe as a whole.  These pulses of crises throughout this past three years, enduring the lessons brought on by 7 intense planetary squares, have been urging us to take action in how we should operate as a celestial organism together.  Body, Mind, and Spirit together experienced the void left in the wounds of collective and individual soul loss.  Now is the time to retrieve the soul parts hidden under past regrets and misfortunes. 

Though we may look outside to the distant celestial bodies that can help us predict our timing from our perspective, our Earth is the best indicator of how to respond to who we are and what we should do with our lives.  Now is the time to listen.  Now is the time to hear her and follow her lead. 

Young or old, male or female…in our rainbow of colors and many forms of love…we are the children of Mother Earth.  The separations of percentages and statistics, the shackles of time and money, and the judgments of entitlement and deprivation are human constructs built on insecure foundations. We’ve been witness to the fall of the tower of man in our lifetime, and we are here to pick up the pieces.  Who is to blame is not important.  We all had a hand in it.  This cycle of the Fool’s Journey is ours to experience together, and we are meant to come out of the ruins more alive than ever.

We are to see with fresh eyes the lies and deceit and fears of our past that brought us to this point in our journey.  We do not forget as we turn away from it, but we must forgive.  After all, what comes next in our journey is a glimmer of hope…shining a light in the distance during our moment of despair.  What was lost may appear to be just out of reach, but it is there.

The next step in our collective evolution after the fall of the Tower is symbolized by the Star in the Major Arcana of the Tarot.  The image is often characterized by a woman kneeling between land and water, pouring from two chalices under the light of a very bright star.  In this part of the Fool’s Journey, the Fool stands amongst the rubble where the Tower once stood.  He hoped to find direction on this spiritual journey; a path to his spiritual self.  Instead he just learned that most of his life was a lie and now he feels lost.  Looking for some kind of guide, he gazes into the night sky.  A bright star shines down on a beautiful woman with two chalices of water.  She is emptying one into a pool of water and the other onto the ground.  She tells him she is refilling the pool so that those who are thirsty can drink and she is watering the earth so that more food will grow for those who are hungry.  She offers him water and food…both of which heal his wounded spirit.

Restored, he looks back to the bright star.  The woman tells him to keep it in sight on his journey.  It will guide him to his destination no matter how distant it is.

Ruled by Aquarius, this card is a sign of hope for the future and reminds us that there will always be help to offer us sustenance in bleak times.  It tells us we can rebuild on stronger foundations this time…not on power and greed, but on hope for future generations.  The message here is that creating a better tomorrow won’t happen overnight.  It will take time and care, but we must not lose sight of it.  Now is a time of healing…a need for the collective soul retrieval after trauma and loss.  This is a time to revive and move forward…away from that which no longer serves us and toward that which makes our future on this planet possible.

Uranus in the 16^th Degree of Aries:  Nature Spirits Dancing in the Setting Sunlight

The Sunset is often a symbol of personal fulfillment.  In such times, we may be able to establish a life-giving contact with natural forces.  Such forces are active any time growth processes take place, but our individualized minds are usually too focused on working for consciously set goals to be able to realize the presence of invisible forces in operation. 

Still, these forces of nature act as guiding, balancing, and harmonizing factors in all life.  It is when our own individualized energy becomes less dominant (symbolically, at sunset), or the body is weakened by illness, fasting, sensory deprivation…or even set aside in meditation, altered states of consciousness, or sleep…that it becomes easier to perceive these ‘nature spirits’ and to give them forms that symbolize the character of their activity. 

The Sunset also indicates the end of a long day’s labors.  In this time, these forces of nature want to take over…while we rest, relax, and step back from all emotionally-charged concerns.  These nature spirits, then, examine just what is needed and dance in order to shift and balance our vibrational realities into harmony, healing, and healthy function. 

As this cycle of Uranus-Pluto squares comes to a close, Uranus in this degree is an invitation to open our minds to the possibility of approaching life in a holistic and nonrational, intuitive manner. It reminds us that we have help when we need it…often from unexpected places or unseen forces.

Pluto in the 16^th degree of Capricorn:  School Grounds Filled with Boys and Girls in Gymnasium Suits

There is a need to get active…to get the physical body in shape for the future that is to come.  At the same time, we must enjoy it…it must be fun if we are to keep at it.  Many of us have been neglecting this part of our lives…placing greater importance on so many other things that we may attribute to ‘adult responsibilities’.  But when we are truly honest with ourselves, we know that keeping our bodies healthy is of greater importance than most other things we tend to focus on in our daily routines.  Physical health spirals out to improve our emotional, mental, and spiritual health as well.  When we are physically unhealthy…it is much more difficult to reach a balance with all other aspects of our well-being. 

Spontaneous enthusiasm and the joy of being alive can regenerate, revive, and bring about carefree contact with like-minded people.  Proactive excitement for the future makes living in the now that much more enjoyable. This symbol also highlights children in uniform…where everyone is on a level playing field.  It reminds us that we are one of many who are making an effort to reach the same goal.  It also reminds us that no matter how ‘adult’ we have become…we are all children, and we must revive some of that youthful exuberance to get the ball rolling. 

Pluto here encourages us to put forth the effort needed in order to reach our goals toward positive transformations.  This is a time to rebuild, and we will need to be physically able to endure the long haul so that our children, and our children’s children, can reap the rewards of our endeavors.

Love and Gratitude,

Felina Lune Kavi

P.S.  If you haven’t read the information I posted in June 2012 about the first of these squares as well as the general information about what these alignments mean, please check out this article:  Attunement to the Visionary Archetype.  Here you will find the overview of the squares and their relation to the Fool’s Tower of the tarot.  If you also want a refresher on the themes of the 2^nd, 3^rd, 4^th, 5^th, and 6^th squares, you can find them at these links: Manifesting Our Future, Commitment to Change, The Turning Point, Awakening on the Cross, and Reuniting Individual Will to the Universal Self.