Gaia Angel 
She who Dreams with Dolphins
Posts: 424
(12/23/03 10:18 am)
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~Panther~
~Panther~
Keynote~ Reclaiming One’s True Power
Cycle of Power~ Dark of the Moon ~New Moon ~Winter
The panther is a very powerful and ancient totem. The name panther is more generally associated with a particular species of leopard or jaguar, although in the Florida area, the cougar is also referred to as panther. For the purposes of this work, we will explore it as part of the leopard and/or jaguar family and not of the cougar.
As with most of the large cats, the panther is a symbol of ferocity and valor. Like the tiger and the lion, it embodies aggressiveness and power, but without the solar significance. In the case of the black panther, there is definitely a lunar significance.
As with any totem, a study of the individual characteristics can provide much insight into the energies being awakened within those who align with this animal. Meditation upon this totem, when it reveals itself to you, will help you determine whether it is part of the leopard or the jaguar family. Regardless, there are still traits that both embody and reflect.
The panther, in general, is smaller but more fierce than lions or tigers. They have over 500 voluntary muscles that they can use at will. This reflects a lot about an individual who has such animals as a totem. It reflects an ability to do a variety of tasks as he or she wills. It is simply a matter of deciding and putting to use those particular "muscles" -- be they physical, mental, psychic, or spiritual.
As a whole, panthers are loners (solitary) although they do associate with others, they are most comfortable by themselves or within their own marked territories. They are drawn to those individuals who are likewise often solitary.
Those who have a panther as a totem will find their greatest power in silence as goals are pursued. Revealing too much or speaking too much about pursuits can counteract some of the effectiveness.
Panthers are excellent sprinters, but they are not great long distance runners. From a health perspective, those with a panther totem must learn to pace their work, allowing time to rest and to play. They must not push too far or hard on any one task. If they do, they are more susceptible to imbalances. In times of trouble -- in any environment -- those with panther totems are often the first and the fastest to respond, and especially in the work environment they respond effectively to deadlines and to pressures.
The female panther almost always raises the cubs alone, and women with panther totems often find themselves doing likewise -- whether out of divorce or simply through asserting dominance in that area of the couple’s life.
All cats have binocular vision. Each eye can work singly, providing greater depth of vision, magnifying images, and facilitating judgment of distances. Thus anyone who aligns with the panther will begin to develop greater depth of vision -- of their life, of events, or other people. This is more than just psychic sight. It is an inner knowing.
Often people enter the metaphysical field, taking up exercises and meditation to have their inner lights "clicked on." Individuals with panthers as totems are usually individuals who came into the world with the lights already on. Thus they should not be discouraged when they do not experience what others describe when their lights turned on. They should trust their thoughts and their inner visions (imaginings) for there is probably a strong foundation in reality.
To those with whom the panther links comes the ability to develop clairaudience, to hear the communications of other dimensions and other life forms. The panther has very strong hearing. It can move its ears to locate the direction of sounds.
The panther also has extremely sensitive hairs on the body, especially the face. Those with a panther totem will find their own sensitivity to touch increasing from the time the panther enters your life. The skin is our largest sensory organ, and we experience much more of the world through it than we realize. Those with panther totems should pay attention to how they feel when someone touches them or when they touch someone else.
The facial hairs of the panther are especially sensitive, and those with this totem can develop a special form of psychometry. Rather than holding and "reading" and object’s vibrations through the hands, placing it against one’s cheek or forehead will bring strong impressions.
This skin sensitivity -- the touch faculty -- will heighten responses in the overall body. Things -- such as foods -- that are generally revolting will be more so to individuals with these totems. Touches that are sensual and erogenous will intensify as well then the panther enters one’s life. The arrival of the panther initiates a time of awakened sensuality and passion, two powerful tools of the feminine powers.
It is in the hours of darkness that panthers find its greatest element of power. This is even more true of those who have as a totem a black panther. The season in which their power is greatest is the winter. The lunar cycle most powerful is the dark of the moon through the new moon.
Those with a panther totem who are angered will not confront another individual head on -- and are better off not doing so. They must stalk patiently, waiting until close enough to strike strong and hard. They don’t play when they hunt. These individuals will go for the throat, so to speak.
The jaguar variety of the panther will also stalk, but they are more powerful. Because of their sensitivity, individuals with the jaguar panther as a totem will instinctively know how best to attack if placed in such a position --- and they can do so lethally whether in defense or in response to anger. Because of this natural ability, individuals with this totem must learn to temper their responses, or they may unintentionally wound others more deeply than they mean to.
Of all the panthers, probably the black panther has the greatest mysticism associated with it. It is the symbol of the feminine, the dark mother, the dark of the moon. It is the symbol for the life and power of the night. It is a symbol of the feminine energies manifest upon the earth. It is often a symbol of darkness, death, and rebirth from out of it. There still exists in humanity a primitive fear of the dark and of death. The black panther helps us to understand the dark and death and the inherent powers of them; and thus by acknowledging them, eliminate our fears and learn to use the powers.
The panther marks a new turn in the heroic path of those to whom it comes. It truly reflects more than just coming into one’s own power. Rather it reflects a reclaiming of that which was lost and an intimate connection with the great archetypal force behind it. It gives an ability to go beyond what has been imagined, with opportunity to do so with discipline and control. It is the spirit of imminent rebirth.
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