Animal Symbolism; Being the Animal.

Today we will be starting with 2 animals:

-Owl

-Ant

Please share your thoughts on the animals. What symbolism do you see within them.

What do you think it would be like to be that animal?

-Owl: For me owls representing knowing. They seem very wise and are very aware.

If I was an owl, I would definitely take the opportunity to fly. It would be also be fun to perch high on a tree and listen to the night sounds.

-Ant: For me ants represent cooperation. One conciousness of the many.

It would actually be amazing to be an ant. Ants build nests, and they all work together through chemical signals.

If you were one ant in a colony, you would be a part of the all mind of the ants. You would be connected to the entire nest because of the chemical signals that are sent between each other.

So there's a start. Please Input is good.

I feel like a dung beetle pushing my ball of sh¥t. And pushing and still pushing... How's that for animal symbolism my broTHA? Hope I brought a smile to someone! PEACE

On a serios note, S&F for ya cause you so eyereee! And let's talk about the Tiger. When we relate the Tiger to Shiva, it's the potential energy. Strong, violently quick energy. The energy of the whole Cosmos available to him and to those that know how to use it. Shiva did skin a Tiger live after the dwarf of ignorance sent it after him. Don't be messin with Shiva, no! There's some symbolism there but it's not comin to me.

My totem animal is the tiger. After doing a lot of research I understand more why. I totally imbue the qualities listed below which I took from various websites. I painted this picture to sum up my learning:


Tigers are the embodiment (shown by the stripes) of yin/yang in balance: male/female, power/restraint, fire/water, full moon/new moon. I am an aries, not a leo, but I still find all these descriptions fit me perfectly:

Passion, Power, Devotion
Tiger people do their best work at night. 
They are very sensual and passion people and devoted parents.
 Your best work will be done at night. 
Tigers are associated with water and have all the properties of the element of Water – 
healing, power through gentle flow, feminine energies.

www.linsdomain.com...

THE SPIRIT OF THE TIGER IS: POWER DEVOTION PASSION ADVENTURE SENSUALITY
The tiger is a solitary spirit, protecting its territory and coming together to mate and raise their young. In this aspect, you are a person who needs plenty of "space". You can feel suffocated easily by one who does not understand this. You are very loyal, loving and sensual, but must be with someone who really understands you.
The tiger is a nocturnal animal and gives those with the "spirit of the tiger" a special power during the night hours. Your creativity is enhanced during those hours. The tiger is also connected to the new and full moon and the phases of the moon can influence you greatly. You should learn more about the power of the moon and how to use its various phases to the best advantage in your life.
As with most cats, the tiger is a sensual creature. It stretches, it muscles are smooth and sleek, it rubs against trees, other cats, and is very sensitive to touch. A tiger spirit person has a great feeling of touch and could learn psychometry very easily. This person also is sensitive to the touch of others and can be very sensual in physical relationships.
Unlike most of the cat family, the tiger loves swimming and will often just lay in the water and enjoy it. The tiger spirit person has an affinity for water and often lives near the water or would like to. The water element is one of psychic ability and emotional elements. You can be overly sensitive and emotional, but if you call upon the power and knowledge of the tiger, you can control your life.
The tiger is a free spirit and loves to roam and experience new things. The tiger spirit is adventurous and loves to travel and experience new cultures, learn new philosophies, meet new people and yet can still maintain that "solitary" image and feeling. And yet the tiger has very strong ties to its young. The tiger spirit has great motherly devotion and raises and teaches their children all that they can while the children are within their territory.
Tigers hunt silently and slowly and this can be a very beneficial trait to learn in the tiger spirit life. Weigh things carefully, don't be in too much of a hurry, At the time in your life when the tiger spirit speaks, slow down and become deliberate in your choices. If you feel you are being selfish, that is probably for your own good. Everyone must learn to "do for themselves" before they can help others. You may also find yourself interested in certain intellectual pursuits that have not previously appealed to you. Follow your instincts. The tiger is a great leader.

www.angelfire.com...

Will & Power
When very young, the Tiger soul learns to contain such raw power. This contained energy can present itself as an intense gaze and quietly studious demeanor that may intimidate others, as though the eyes of the Tiger are capable of peering into one’s very soul.
Such intensity can drive others away as the one beside whom the Tiger journeys can often appear as aloof or disinterested. Nothing can be further from the truth however, as although they may seem insensitive or detached, these are the souls that desire to experience all of life’s intricacies and adventures, yet it is only as they mature and gain confidence in themselves that their more exuberant side is let free to play and explore.
As the Tiger Soul grows, matures and evolves, a balance is found between releasing their indomitable energies and maintaining an awareness of the feelings of those around them. When the two-legged can embrace, without fear, their own Power and utilize it for the benefit of both themselves and others, the Light Force of their Will shines forth to light the pathway for others who journey the path of Self-Knowledge and Discovery.


Devotion
For the two-legged with the soul of Tiger, there is an intrinsic undercurrent of fierce devotion that flows through their veins. When a Tiger individual loves another, be this in a friend or lover, the loyalty, intensity and devotion that they lavish upon their loved ones leaves an indelible imprint upon the hearts and minds of others. For some less passionate individuals who find themselves in love with the one beside whom Tiger pads, this red-hot intensity can be overwhelming and they will escape for “gentler waters,” while those who posses a similar fire and depth within their own hearts will find an eager and willing partner in the Tiger individual.

Yin/Yang Principle
One look at the magnificent coat of a Tiger reveals much as the black stripes that are overlaid against the backdrop of orange/rust coloring suggests a certain duality. In nature when there is such a significant contrast, this will often indicate a duplicity of meaning and/or purpose.
For the Tiger, this contrasting of patterns and colors suggests the Yin/Yang principle. Yin/Yang is the concept that all things in life are balanced via opposites and these opposites are equal halves of the whole. Female/Male, white/black, light/dark, are all examples of this polarity that is the basic foundation of this concept. Therefore, when looking at the Tiger Totem and its beautiful coat of mixed patterns and colors, it becomes evident that this is a creature being that possesses the balance of energies we may understand best as Yin/Yang.
As an animal totem, Tiger will walk beside the two-legged who is one of extremes in nature, feelings, and temperament. These are the individuals who run either hot or cold, full of passion or completely detached, there are very few periods of lukewarm for the Tiger Soul.
The challenge for these two-legged's is in finding the balance between extremes and understanding that the two halves are not contradictions of one another, but parts of an integrate Whole. By experiencing first one facet of life, feeling and being then the “opposite", the Tiger learns the importance of Balance.
Often times, the two legged with Tiger as an Animal Totem, will walk through the flames of hell and back several times during their lifetime. Many painful lessons will be encountered wherein he/she will expend themselves to the point of exhaustion and utter depletion, to then arise like the Phoenix out of their own ashes and begin a new cycle of growth and learning. Life for these souls is experienced whole heartedly and experiences which may discourage other less motivated individuals are frequently perceived by the Tiger individual as a challenge to be met head on and conquered.

Lunar Magic
Many myths and animal legends hold the Tiger as a Sister to the Moon, the contrast between her orange fur and black stripes once more reflecting the polarities of light and darkness which are symbolic representations of the two complete phases of the New and Full Moon. Such animals which are closely related to lunar cycles are recognized as possessing a particular form of magic including enchantments, summoning and assisting those souls who are departing from the physical plane across to the Blue Road of Spirit.
When Tiger walks beside a two-legged, the human counterpart will often be imbued with a particularly strong intuition and sense of timing. This "inner knowing" is an unconscious alignment between the two-legged and the Moon’s cycles.
Esoterically, the Moon represents the past, emotions, and all that is “hidden.” Hidden aspects include our subconscious minds, past life memories, which exist just below the surface of conscious thought, past programming, repressed thoughts and the realms and dimensions which are not visible to the physical eye.
As the Tiger Soul appears to have an uncanny sense of timing, in reality, he/she is closely in sync with the Full and New Moon. During the three day cycle (build-up, culmination and ebb) of the New Moon, the two-legged with Tiger as an Animal Totem, instinctively recognizes that now is the time to begin new projects, to leap with full force out into the world in a self-actualizing manner that will produce positive results. During the three day cycle of the Full Moon, Tiger Soul recognizes that this is the time to gather, sift through the past to uncover those habits, ideas and thoughts which have outlived their purpose. During the phase of the New Moon, those outdated modes can be discarded in favor of new ideas and plans. Also, the Full Moon is the time in which the seeds planted during the cycle of the New Moon have germinated and are producing fruit.
In so recognizing the essential ebb and flow of cycles, phases and all life, the Tiger individual aligns him/her Self with the Hanwi (Moon) and inherits much of the magic as well as the magic that is associated with the moon’s silver light. The more in tune with his/her intuitive, receptive and emotional side Tiger becomes, the more he/she listens to the subtle vibrations of the soul’s directive and responds accordingly, the more developed the abilities of mystical perception and transformative medicine which are part of the inheritance this beautiful and noble Animal Spirit carries. Then, two-legged and Tiger blend in perfect balance between passion and calm, pride and humility, action and contemplation in the splendid dance of a soul unfolding.

www.namastecafe.com...

to borrow a beautiful concept from that last website:
namaste