The children with whom I use this technique as an adjunct to play therapy, or teen-specific therapy, become richly imbued with a sense of their spirit, and what it communicates to and gives to this world.
Of course when we, as therapists, train...we always play the role of the child and experience the intervention / technique so that we may get a sense of how it works in the psyche. Thus, some years ago, I discovered that my own "spirit animals" were the Wolf and the Swan. Many times, I have grinned to myself as I think of these spirit animals, and they remind me of the tools and gifts I can bring to the fore to utilize in a particular dilemma or difficult situation. Likewise, it provides caveats around certain aspects of my psyche which I would want to note.
In sharing mine, you may see why this method can be so visual and kinesthetic, for a child or youth. Truth be known, adults simply love to work with this also!
In sharing mine, you may see why this method can be so visual and kinesthetic, for a child or youth. Truth be known, adults simply love to work with this also!
The Wolf As Personal Symbol
The phases of power of Wolf are year around, the full Moon, and twilight.
According to Celtic tradition, Wolf represents learning, loyalty, intuition, loyalty and the shadow. He teaches people not to feel strength and power of self when alone and to learn about the deepest self by imparting spiritual assistance and courage. Wolf also symbolizes cunning, wisdom, knowingness and intuition, searching, dreams, magick, transformation, death and rebirth, and protection.
Native Americans believe that Wolf is teacher and pathfinder to find new ideas and teach them to the tribe. He imparts a sense of family and loyalty, Moon is the power ally which helps Wolf to access the subconscious that has the secrets of knowledge and wisdom. Wolf tells people to seek out solitude to find the teacher within the self so they can teach others about spirituality. He helps people to learn to trust insights when they learn to value the inner voice.
Some Native American tribes, African Dogon tribe and the Aborigines of Australia believe Wolf is allied with Sirius, the Dog Star. A number of these believe the teachers and ancestors came from there.
People have studied Wolf’s ways. He is a communal animal and teaches people to learn to cooperate in attaining those ends which are desired. Wolf helps people to learn to use body language as well as their voice in communicating these.
Rituals are important to Wolf . People can learn from this to enable them in getting in touch with the Source of Life.
Wolves are probably one of the most misunderstood of the wild animals. Tales of cold bloodedness abound, in spite of the their friendly, social and intelligent traits. Wolves in literature have also represented our cunning natures as in the story of "Little Red Riding Hood" and "The Three Little Pigs".
Wolves are fiercely loyal to their mates, and have a strong sense of family while maintaining individualism. They are truly free spirits even though their packs are highly organized. They do not mate with their off spring. Incest is not tolorated and can lead to severe sexual conflicts, enough to split the pack (Obee 49). They seem to go out of their way to avoid a fight. The dominant animal's most effective weapon is not always physical, but often psychological. That penetrating stare can be enough to get the response needed. A shift in posture, a growl, or a glance cuts right to the point . Traditionally,someone with "Wolf Medicine" has a strong sense of self communicates well , through subtle changes in voice inflection and body movements . They often find new solutions to problems while providing stability and support that one normally associates with a family structure.
Key Words and Phrases of Wolf Traits
- cautious( of strangers) but curious
- elusive by nature
- attuned to environment
- family oriented
- devoted
- fearless
- loyal
- develop strong emotional ties
- cooperative
- playful
- social
- intelligent
- expressive communicators
- loving
The Swan As Personal Symbol
As we have seen, birds often symbolize the divine. They are often viewed as gods in disguise, or else they are the vehicles of gods and goddesses.
While the peacock is a symbol of material manifestation, the swan stands for the ethereal. It represents the presence of divine inspiration in our world.
The association of the swan with wisdom and creativity appears also among the Greeks who considered that bird related to the nine Muses. It is said that when Apollo was born at Delos, the event was marked with flights of circling swans.
It is in the form of a swan that Zeus assaults Leda and in so doing, engenders the twins -- the Gemini -- Castor and Pollux, who hatched from eggs and also their sisters, the tormented Clytemnestra, and fatefully beautiful Helen, whose elopement with Paris is cause for the Trojan War.
Hamsa
Despite the fact that the swan is generally judged the most beautiful of the large water birds, we can see in its long, graceful, serpentine neck, a kinship to the snake. Therefore, in Indian mythology, the swan (Skt. hamsa) embodies the union of Garuda and Naga, and since those two are enemies, it also stands for the highest wisdom teachings concerning the union of opposites.
Ramakrishna Paramahamsa [superior or, perfected hamsa] was the name of the guru of the Bengali author of Autobiography of a Yogi, Swami Paramhansa Yogananda. Through their influence, people of the United States and Europe learned that the teachings of ancient India could also benefit non-Indians. You too could aspire to be a yogin or yogini.
The spiritual association is further emphasized by the swan's seeming to move almost as if suspended above the water's surface, which evokes the detachment that is the result of meditative practice. Its regal posture and smooth, graceful gliding movement through the water, along with its general reputation as a silent bird, enhances its prestige.
Natural Science
The most common species is the white swan (Cygnus olor) also known as the mute swan. Its disposition is not as mild and gracious as its appearance suggests. In the breeding season cobs can be territorial and aggressive to intruders, and they have been known to fight to the death. They do not hesitate to threaten other animals including humans who venture too close to their nests, extending their long necks to issue a warning hiss, which again reminds us of the snake. There are many accounts of people who have been injured in encounters with a swan. Some have had an arm or leg broken by the powerful blow of wing or beak, but contrary to popular belief they do not bite.
According to Wildlife Conservation magazine, a swan can have 25,000 feathers. Its plumage includes the fine, light, insulating coat that provides the remarkable filling material known as swansdown, once reserved exclusively for the quilted garments and bedding of the aristocracy.
Tchaikovsky wrote a score for the ballet Lebedinoe Ozero (Swan Lake) in May 1875. The scenario contains many elements from all the above-mentioned tales, but in the ballet, both Odette and the black swan, Odile, are in the sway of the magician, Rothbart.
Other possible sources of inspiration could have been Johann Karl August Musäus’ Der geraubte Schleier, Hans Christian Andersen’s The Wild Swans and Alexandre Pushkin’s Tzar Sultan, the story of a prince who saves the life of a wounded swan who later reappears as a woman to marry him. There are also elements of the story that are traditional in many ballets. One cannot discount the influence, at least on Tchaikovsky, of Wagner’s opera Lohengrin, the story of an heroic Swan Prince, a man with a mysterious past who arrives on a magical swan-boat. ~ Metropolitan Ballet, a history of the swan ballet.
According to Wildlife Conservation magazine, a swan can have 25,000 feathers. Its plumage includes the fine, light, insulating coat that provides the remarkable filling material known as swansdown, once reserved exclusively for the quilted garments and bedding of the aristocracy.
Tchaikovsky wrote a score for the ballet Lebedinoe Ozero (Swan Lake) in May 1875. The scenario contains many elements from all the above-mentioned tales, but in the ballet, both Odette and the black swan, Odile, are in the sway of the magician, Rothbart.
Other possible sources of inspiration could have been Johann Karl August Musäus’ Der geraubte Schleier, Hans Christian Andersen’s The Wild Swans and Alexandre Pushkin’s Tzar Sultan, the story of a prince who saves the life of a wounded swan who later reappears as a woman to marry him. There are also elements of the story that are traditional in many ballets. One cannot discount the influence, at least on Tchaikovsky, of Wagner’s opera Lohengrin, the story of an heroic Swan Prince, a man with a mysterious past who arrives on a magical swan-boat. ~ Metropolitan Ballet, a history of the swan ballet.
No contemporary amusement park Tunnel of Love or carousel ride is complete without at least one swan-boat. However, the boat of Lohengrin (son of the Grail-seeker, Parsifal,) is not in swan form but rather described as being drawn by swans all the way to Antwerp, where he is to serve Elsa of Brabant.
Keywords for swan meaning exploration:
- Love
- Grace
- Union
- Purity
- Beauty
- Dreams
- Balance
- Elegance
- Partnership
- Transformation
Our first symbolic clues from the swan can be taken from observing them in nature. They are waterfowl, closely connected with water, even nesting near the water.
- Fluidity
- Intuition
- Dreaming
- Emotions
- Creativity
In this respect, we can intuit the swan’s appearance in our lives as an arrow pointing to our dreamier depths and feelings. Furthermore, we get the sense of balance from swan meaning as it lives harmoniously amongst three of the four Aristotelian elements. Grounding herself on earth, lofting to great heights in the air, and winding through waters with magnificent elegance.
The swan may also bear messages of love and relationships. They pair for years, sometimes male-female unions are sustained for a lifetime. When the swan glides upon the waters of our awareness, it might be a symbol of love, and a reminder of the blessings found in our relationships.
The concept of partnership is further expressed on a divine level in Hinduism, wherein the swan graces vibrant traditions as the Hamsa bird. In the Saundarya Lahari (translated: “Waves of Beauty,” it’s a text filled with beautiful mantras from the Hindu perspective) two swans (Ham and Sa) pair together, swimming around in the divine mind “living on honey from the blooming lotus of knowledge.” Isn’t that a lovely concept?
In the Celtic mind, swans and geese were observed in the context of movement. Specifically, the keenly observant Celts noted their transitory nature and the swan’s pattern of migration. Consequently, the sign of the swan urged Celtic intuition to consider changes of mood (water) and heart (love).
