The Crab

Crabs are bottom dwellers in the sea as well as in fresh water.  Some even venture on land.  They can walk and run sideways, burrow and swim.  The crab is able to shift its focus instantaneously and quickly move in a sideways direction to confuse its predators.  Mankind has a tendency to focus on what is directly in front of them and often overlooks what is creeping in the side door.  The crab holds the teachings of shifting focus and expanding inner perception.  Sudden and unexpected movements are used to its advantage.  Those with this medicine will often learn their soul lessons through unexpected changes in their personal environment.

Since crabs are bottom dwellers and are at home in the water they are linked to the subconscious mind and all the secrets that it holds.  They burrow into the depth of life then swim to the surface with new insight and understanding.

The crabs segmented body has several appendages of which five pairs serve as walking legs and two as sensory  antennae.  These antennas serve as a bridge between heaven and earth.  Messages transmitted from Great Spirit through these antennae symbolize the awakening of consciousness and offer those with this totem the gift of clairvoyance.

Most crabs have fairly complicated nervous systems.  They are able to resist changes in external environments and flourish in hostile situations.  Aggressive towards one another, especially in the mating season, males fight to gain access to females and communicate their aggression by waving their pincers.  Those with this medicine will benefit by learning the art of balanced communication.

The crab uses all of its senses to survive.  Its body movements as well as its excellent sight, smell, taste and hearing assist it in reaching its desired destination.  They are skillful in everything that they do.  Crabs teach us how to empower ourselves on all levels, perfecting, refining, awakening and expanding our own perceptions.

When crab scampers into your life unexpected events are about to occur.  These events will require the use of all your senses.  The crab shows you how to develop and refine all aspects of yourself.  It only requires that you open your heart to its wisdom and be willing to follow its instructions.  In so doing, personal power is your for the asking.

The Crane

The crane is an ancient bird with great symbolic meaning.  In Oriental cultures it is revered in paintings and poems and symbolizes good fortune and longevity.  When it appears in our life it indicates that good fortune is at hand.  This can be physical health, emotional stability, mental clarity or spiritual awakening depending on the situation and the individual.

Graceful, terrestrial birds the cranes call can be long, harsh and penetrating.  It helps us connect with our primal origins and teaches us how to utilize the power of sound appropriately.  it holds the medicine of self expression and shows us how to vocalize our truth.  Those with this totem benefit from all types of voice therapy including singing, speaking and chanting.  When this medicine is fully developed those with this totem make lasting favorable impressions on others.  If it is underdeveloped they are often misunderstood.

There are about 15 species of cranes.  The whooping cranes call is audible for up to 2 miles.  If this is your totem your personal sound can impact a larger radius then other crane medicine people.

Cranes pursue small prey and sometimes each other by running.  A running crane takes one to three steps per second and may use its wings for balance and to gain speed.  They typically run into the wind to achieve the life necessary for flight but if alarmed they can spring directly into flight.  This is symbolic for those with this totem.  Bucking a headwind can throw us off course.  The challenge is to stay centered and focused on our destination.

Aggressive when fighting the crane uses a complex system of threat behaviors including physical postures and vocalizations.  They ruffle their wings, drop down and crouch with the head bend back towards the body and when the time is right spring into action.  Proper timing and physical flexibility are part of its teachings.

The crane is a soaring bird and like that of the human spirit it knows no limit. They fly with their neck and head outstretched as if they were seeing into the future.  Their legs extend out behind them holding them to the past.  When the past and the future meet wisdom awakens.

This beautiful bird helps us release our fear as we move into uncharted territory. It helps us discover our personal grace and agility.  It teaches us to express ourselves with integrity and conviction and most importantly it restores our faith in ourselves and in spirit.

The Cricket

Crickets are scavengers and feed on organic and decaying plant material. They live under rocks, logs, in meadows, pastures and along roadsides. Because they are active at night, ancient myth associates the cricket with the lunar energies of intuition and sensitivity.  When this medicine is fully developed in man logic is balanced with intuition.  If underdeveloped the individual takes everything that happens around them to heart and sets them self up to become a victim of circumstance. Emotional discord follows. If the later is true pull in your energy field and do some form of aerobic exercise. This will help strengthen your emotional core and ground your physical body.

Known as natures musicians, crickets can be heard chirping loudly especially during mating season. Their chirping sounds are made by rubbing together their 2 front wings.  Attracting a mate with only a chirp can be tricky especially if the females are far away. The cricket not only joins in unison with other males trying to be as loud as possible, but it is also uses its ingenuity to find a mate.

In Africa the tree cricket uses leaves growing on plants to make a megaphone.  The cricket chews a pear shaped hole in the leaf and sticks his head through the hold, the leaf bends around his head in a bowl shape like a speaker baffle.  Then the cricket presses his sound making wings against the leaf and chirps. These leaf amplifiers increase their sound by up to 10 decibels.

Not only do crickets teach us how to be resourceful and use our ingenuity to acquire a desired outcome they also serve as a weather barometer.  Crickets are cold blooded.  As the temperature rises on a summer day their metabolism and behavior speed up.  The hotter the temperature gets the faster they chirp. When they stop singing altogether it means a storm is approaching. Those with this totem should heed the crickets warning. Storms are symbolic and can indicate that an emotional, mental or physical challenge is coming your way.

The crickets hind legs are modified for jumping.  They leap over difficult situations effortlessly always choosing to land in a more pleasing environment and can teach us how to do the same. A powerful ally that embodies the qualities of faith and trust the cricket serves us well.  All we need to do is follow its lead.

The Crow

Crows are very vocal birds.  They are sly and often deceptive in their actions. Crows have been known to build false nests high in treetops to confuse predators.  The height of their nests give them the opportunity to watch everything that is going on around them.  Many cultures think of crow as the keeper of knowledge for nothing escapes their keen sight.

Crows travel in groups and make mischief in teams.  As one crow explores something new, others will watch closely to see what happens and then learn from it.  In this way they seem to always be in council with each other.  They often raise a ruckus when hunters are around, warning deer and other birds.  Crows recognize possible danger and always post lookouts when feeding---thier most vulnerable time.

Their language is complex and they have a remarkable voice range.  Each caw has its own meaning.  Sometimes crow warns of impending danger.  Other times it signals a time to join in council and make decisions.  Listening to crow can teach those with this medicine how to hear the truth of what is being said.

The striking black color of crow represents the color of creation.  It is the womb out of which the new is born.  Black the color of night gives birth to the light of a new day.  Crow is a daytime bird reminding us that magic and creation are present in both.  Their ability to shift between the known and unknown world indicates new journeys.

Because crow is adaptable to all environments and will eat almost anything they can survive in almost any situation.  Crow is associated with magic, unseen forces and spiritual strength.  If crow flies into your life, get out of your familiar nest, look beyond your present range of vision, listen to its caw and act accordingly.