Good Morning Everyone, here is an animal guide for your Monday: Ostrich Totem The Ostrich feather was a sacred object in ancient Egypt, as the symbol for the goddess Maat. As the representation of divine truth, which included justice and cosmic order, Maat helped decide the fate of souls after death. The dead persons heart was weighed on a scale against her ostrich feather, the feather of truth, and if the heart outweighed the feather -- meaning that the humans life had not measured up -- the soul would be destroyed. Those who passed the test, by having a heart that weighed less or equal to the feather, got to pass on to the afterlife. The Ostrich feather thus is seen as a powerful symbol of truth and purity, and taking on the Ostrich as an animal totem can be a way to focus ones energies on living a just life. For the indigenous people of Africa, the Ostrich was an important source of food, so the animal had a sacred connotation. The bushmen, for example, saw in the life cycle of the giant bird and its egg a metaphor for the cycle of birth and death, or birth and resurrection. According to folklore, when the bushmen killed and ate an Ostrich they would take some of its feathers and place them in the bushes, believing that a new ostrich would be born from the feathers themselves. This offering was believed to insure the continuation of life on Earth. For those who take on the Ostrich totem, the animal can serve as a metaphor for the interconnectedness of life and that death and birth are interdependent. Ostrich eggs, along with other precious objects such as peacock feathers, were traded among cultures of the Mediterranean, including between the Christian and Muslim empires in the middle ages. The sacred associations from times earlier, including death/resurrection and divine purity, were still intact, but these objects also became symbols of the abundance of nature, as the large size of Ostriches and their eggs are a testament to natures bounty. For those who claim the Ostrich as a totem, this aspect of the animal -- its size and large eggs -- can serve as a reminder of the natural wealth of our world. “As you walk and eat and travel, be where you are. Otherwise you will miss most of your life.” ― Gautama Buddha Have an Excellent day! Christine
Posted on: Mon, 29 Dec 2014 16:30:19 +0000
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