Elk People

Happy birthday to those of you who were born under the Earth Astrology sign of Elk (Sagittarius sun sign).  Within Sun Bear’s Earth Astrology, each of us are born with a birth sitting place animal totem.  This is just one animal from a wheel of eight animal totems that guide and teach us throughout our lives.

The birth sitting place animal totem sits in the south of this wheel and teaches us how to be in balance and write a life story of power.  Each of the twelve totem animals do this differently.  Elk are guardians of the gateways into the unknown (the nagual or spirit world), and as such, their ‘medicine’ awakens the unconscious and helps to bring us from fantasy into the light of knowledge.  Elk teach us to hear the lightning and see the thunder.  Also known as a master of rules and laws, Elk guide us to resolve our karma circles.

The compliment totem animal of the Elk is the Deer, who sits in the North of the wheel.  All compliment totem animals provide an opposite reflection and helps you coordinate how to actualize your intent.  The Deer, who is the complement of Elk, does this by teaching us magick, magickal law and alchemy.  Deer also teach natural law and the power of swiftness.  The more we are aligned with nature , the worlds, the elements, and powers, the easier it is for us to accomplish magick in our lives and become awake as we walk towards enlightenment.

The Clan animal identifies which animal clan you belong to and guides you to see your greatest weakness as a strength and your greatest strength as a weakness. Its focus is your physical mastery and sits in the West of your wheel.  For the Elk, their Clan animal is the Thunderbird, who is the bringer of thunder, lightning and rain, the awakener of the voice of our Hokkshideh (higher self), and keeper of memory. The Thunderbird is the over-soul of all winged ones and thus is able to communicate with all the winged ones. It teaches mastery of elemental alchemy.  The astrology signs that have Thunderbird as their Clan Animal are Elk (Sagittarius), Red Hawk (Aries), and Sturgeon (Leo).

And in the east sits the Spirit Guide who guides your spiritual self-growth and development. The Grizzly Bear guides this development for the Elk through its ability to teach us to know ourselves through introspection of the dream and teaches us to sleep dream and actualize our reality.  A great dream interpreter, the Grizzly Bear teaches us how to survive turmoil and trauma, how to protect our home, loved ones and possessions. S/he teaches us to stand and walk tall, how not to give power away to tyrants, and how to pace our physical body.  The astrology signs that have Grizzly Bear as a Spirit Keeper are Raven (Libra), Snake (Scorpio), and Elk, (Sagittarius).

These four animal totems, sitting in the cardinal direction of this wheel, stabilize the energy.  The next four totem animals, who sit in the non-cardinal directions, move the energy.

The Southeast animal provides insight into your self-concepts and how you see the world while reflecting a proper attitude and approach to life.  Within the Elk’s wheel, it is the Raven who provides this through their knowledge of Sacred, Magickal, and Natural Law.  Ravens are incredibly clever, work through problems to find solution, and are always on the lookout for the shiny bits.  They also have the ability to eat many things that other animals would not go near and transform it into nutrients.

If you are looking for guidance about the symbols within your dream, look to the animal who sits in the Southwest of your wheel.  In the case of the Elk, Red Hawk does this brilliantly.  Red Hawk is the communicator and interpreter of language that helps us to hear the inner dialogue between our higher and lower selves.  Red Hawk also teaches us to see our own circle (that is, our patterns) both from nearby and far away, giving us a different perspective on what is reality.

The Northwest totem animal helps us know Sacred Law and our own Sacred Image (our true nature or authentic self).  This animal helps us to discern the patterns that are working and are good to keep and the timing to change the patterns that no longer work.  The Sturgeon, the oldest of all living clean water fish, known as the Keeper of Old Age, guides us to cleanse the depths of our emotional waters.  It is only through being able to see the patterns through clear, clean waters that we can acknowledge what patterns are working and what patterns need to die.

And, the final totem animal, sitting in the Northeast, teaches you how to relax and focus while assisting you to design and choreograph your life.  The wonderfully playful otter accomplishes this by teaching us how to play in our child shield and give with our heart.  The Otter also cleanses and purifies the sacred waters, that is, all emotional states of humans.

If you are born under the sign of the Elk or know an Elk or two, take a moment and add your knowledge of how each of these animals guide you or the one you know.