Shamanism & Astrology



With the current interest in shamanism and totem animals hardly a week goes by when someone doesn't call or write to me asking the meaning of an animal, bird or insect that so forcefully presented itself to them. Often, the event, such as one client who had a small brown owl suddenly swoop down in front of her while walking home one sunny afternoon, was so unusual or shocking that the person knew there was a significant message involved. Deciphering the message however was not always an easy task. While many books have been written on animal totems and certainly an experienced shaman with the proper training can give a great deal of insight into the meaning of such events, I still felt something was missing, that we had yet to grasp the fullest meaning of the message and how it related to the individual having the experience.
Shamanic messages are highly symbolic and what was needed was a means to bring the symbols into form in ways that they could be explored within their own context and yet give concrete meaning to the person involved in the experience. It finally hit me when my dog, who has a tendency to "channel" several of my own totem animals through body posture, did Wolf one morning, and suddenly I knew that I needed to run an event chart in order to understand what Wolf was trying to relate to me.

To read the chart, I first came up with a question for the Sun, Moon, Chiron and the planets as follows:

The Sun: What needs to be illuminated?

The Moon: What is the subconscious message I need to receive?

Mercury: What should be thought processes be focused upon?

Venus: What desires have I been ignoring or setting aside that are asking for attention?

Mars: What actions do I need to take in the "real" world?

Chiron: What area of my life is crying out for healing?

Jupiter: What is expanding or growing in my life? Is it promoting the quality of my life?

Saturn: What forms do I need to begin establishing in my life?

Uranus: What must I break free from? How am I limiting myself?

Neptune: Where must I remain fluid and open to Divine assistance, intervention or inspiration?

Pluto: How is this event meant to impact me on the deepest levels and what treasures may then be brought forth into the light of day?

Since I also included the asteroid Wolff in this chart, I asked myself what Wolf as a symbol meant to me personally.
Of course I also took into consideration the houses and signs that were prominent in the chart and was not at all surprised to find that in this case, the 12th house was to be the primary focus of my attention due to the Sun and Wolff in Libra, both being in the 12th. I had been getting messages intuitively for several days prior that I had been projecting my Libran 12th house energies onto someone else instead of working with them directly.

I also noticed that both were conjunct the ascendant. Natally my ascendant is at 00' 57 minutes Scorpio, and while I had worked very hard on integrating that part of my nature, I had disowned the Libra aspect, having always found it difficult to deal with the energies Libra represents.
When I looked at the Moon's position, 28 degrees Pisces 37' in the fifth, I knew it was a message about how I don't use the creative insights I receive. Instead, I always imagine what I would do with them if I ever had the time, energy or focus. Natally my Mercury is at this same sign and degree. This led me to looking at Mars in Capricorn, third house. While I was writing many of my ideas down, that's as far as it went, I wasn't focusing on what actions I could take to further their expression in the world.

It's not my purpose to cover the entire chart here, but to simply show how the chart was reflecting right back to me every issue I had been struggling with for the past several months. The more I looked at the chart, the more I was struck by how accurate it was, and even more so I realized that now I had something concrete to work with, a means of focusing the energies in my life that was life enhancing and deeply fulfilling.

When I turned my attention to the angles, I read them as follows:

The ascendant: I see the ascendant as not only the lens we look at the world through, but also what we desire to create for ourselves in the world, what we need in order to express ourselves more fully as whole human beings. This is what we desire to be experiencing more of. With Scorpio rising in this chart, I knew it reflected my natal need to express more passion, depth and intensity in the reality I am creating for myself in the world.

The Descendant: With Taurus here, I recognized the message I had received three days earlier about my need to draw up into my body the energies of the earth rather than focusing primarily on the higher realms for sustenance. With Saturn in Taurus this was showing me I needed to create a form or structure for my need for intensity and passion in a way that others could relate to and hopefully assist them in creating better things for themselves.

The Mid heaven: Leo was telling me I needed to allow others to see my creative ventures, to present them to the world rather than trying to hide them away as I had been doing for so much of my life. I kept hearing the words " Let you light shine".

The I.C.: With Aquarius here and (Uranus conjunct it) I recognized how deep my longing to break free from the home I had established here in Portland, Oregon was and also a warning that if I did not take concrete steps soon to do so, that the decision would be made for me in ways that could appear disruptive, yet liberating. The choice as mine as to what direction I wanted to move in, keeping in mind that this was coming from a Soul level, the 4th house being the home of the Soul. It also reminded me to pay close attention to unusual or striking events and messages with Uranus in the third.

While the event chart certainly stands on it's own, it can also be used to examine current transits to the natal chart and frequently there is a striking correlation between the two. Again, a mirror is created that expresses what needs to be tended to in the life so that growth may occur.

In summary, keep in mind that what the animal means to the person experiencing it is also very important. For example if a person sees a snake and is very afraid of them, that will color the interpretation of the chart. The chart is then likely to reflect back to the person what their fears really are but also the means in which to confront them directly and then move on from them. This can be taken a step further by asking exactly where the event occurred in terms of near the persons home or away from home, the color of the snake, what plants or trees were in the area, other people and so forth. Then by having the person express what each factor means to them personally it will further deepen the understanding of the message found in the chart. What if a similar event occurs again? The two charts should be compared if it is the same animal, ( or bird or insect) as this will express the progress or lack of that the person has achieved. If the person got the message but then failed to take the appropriate action on it, it is highly likely that the same animal will keep reappearing in the same way until the message is acted upon (and frequently around the same time of day I have found).

The universe is always sending us messages through many channels. If we heed and act upon these messages, then our lives become a greater expression of the potential that lies within each of us.

If you are interested in having a chart run for your own Totem experience I can do so if you note the exact time the event occured and of course I will also need the location you where at when it happened and that day's date. The fee is $95.00 and can be sent through Paypal to the following email address: morningstaressence@sbcglobal.net Chart readings will only be started once payment has been received.

If there are issues in your life that you feel are relevant to a totem's appearance, please be sure to email me with that information so I can include it as a focus during the chart reading though do be aware that I will also share anything that is communicated to me intuitively from your totem.

Chart readings are done on audio tape and then shipped to you. The fee includes the cost of shipping the audio tape by priority mail and I will email you when the tape has been shipped so you will know when to expect it.

My prayer is that you find the chart reading to be very helpful and that it helps you to attract an abundance of joy and blessings into your own life!







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Email: morningstaressence@sbcglobal.net