by Quinn Blackburn

Created on: August 10, 2007

Large agile hands reach

with elongated fingers

to grasp the Sky,

and drink the Winds.

Ragged harp and violin voices

Thrum

to the Winds'

Throb,

like an orchestra tuning up...

Singing...

like Hawks in the distance...

"In Sunlight

on a branch

I sit!",

Songs, like Prophecies,

"Lean Times Around the Corner!",

like the latest headline,

"Hurry!

Work!

Save

for the Needs of Tomorrow!" I warn.

They pass me by or Flutter their feathers...

Seeming to heed me not.

While Time,

Death,

Lessons,

Predators and Possibilities

Circle...

...Sing...

...Hover...

like Birds in the Distance.

Who Sings Now?

~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~

I had a funny bit of inspiration last fall that started me writing this Singing series of poems. Each poem is inspired by a Creature Teacher found in Nature, and at other sites I have shared these works, everyone has a good time trying to guess who is singing before they move on to the Totem portion of the article.

When we speak of Totems, most often we think of the many Animals sharing the World with us. Yet, anything in Nature can be a Totem with a lesson or message for us... winds,shells, trees, bodies of water, stones, storms, mountains, stars. All of these can inspire or teach us more about ourselves, our people, our world and how we all interact. Thus far, this Singing series has focused on Creature Teacher, although that may change at some point in the future. The belief is that we are but one of the many People on this planet and we have something to learn from All Our Relations.

We have a great deal to learn from the World around us if only we would take a moment, apply our keen minds and open our hearts. Native tradition refers to Totems, other spiritual paths often use the term Power Animals, and I prefer simply Creature Teachers when speaking about the many Wisdoms that our furred, feathered and scaled cousins hold for us.

There are several different types of totems though. Birth Totems, those whose influence we are born under in this life, rather like Sun signs. Every Birth totem also has a Clan that it belongs to, according to Native tradition, which requires some studying to find and then understand the relation between one Totem and the other.

Power Totems are those that we choose to study and dedicate ourselves to in this life, or in most cases, those that choose us and expect our attention! Those that consistently appear in our lives can be trying to teach us of our Mission in life or the overall Theme of what we should be striving for, and sometimes Totems

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