Salmon Archives - Owl Medicine: Shamanic Healing

Shouting Into the Wind

I’ve had a frustrating couple of days, but today was by far the worst one yet. I’m not ‘challenging worse,’ as they say (which I am loathe to do), just comparing today’s struggles with the challenges of Friday and Saturday. Pretty much everything I tried to accomplish today felt like I was shouting into the wind.

Nothing seemed to get anywhere. I sent emails and it felt like they went into black holes. And I’m not in any way offering commentary on the recipients of my emails! I frankly doubt whether the emails were ever received.

You’ve heard me complain before about the frustrating lack of speed photos travel when I send them from my iPhone to my computer. It happens randomly, so the best way to try to thwart the issue is by being disciplined. If I think I may want to use it later, I try to remember to send myself – right away – photos I’ve taken during the day. Well, today even emails I was sending to myself seemed to be taking their good ol’ time arriving in my inbox.

And some of them still haven’t arrived. Remember, these are emails I sent to myself. While that’s bad enough, the worst part is that I wouldn’t even know if other people aren’t receiving my emails. That’s frustrating.

My Pick Today

Just as I was writing the paragraph above, I realized that all of this makes sense. I can try to cross things off my list, but when I’m thwarted by silly or little things that I can’t control that literally keep me from taking next steps, it’s wise to take a step back and just breathe.

I chose Salmon² today – meaning there was a blank card on the bottom of the deck when I chose Salmon as my main card. We interpret that to mean the top card chosen is going to give us a double dose of its medicine or we should pay particular attention to the lessons it’s here to teach us.

As you can imagine, and as I’ve described before, Salmon is all about returning to the place of our creation. An excerpt from Medicine Cards*, by Jamie Sams and David Carson, states:

“Salmon medicine honors every encounter in life as a gathering of wisdom. It teaches that even when the flow of life seems to push you back, you can tap into the hidden resources of your human spirit and personal inner knowing.”

Well, I definitely felt like I was being pushed back in a variety of ways today. Just running into unexpected obstacles, making it impossible for me to complete the tasks I’d written in my ‘to-do’ list.

It’s probably a blessing I’m being reminded now that I chose Salmon2 today. My frustration eases when I recall Salmon’s message. Funny how I forgot.

“The proper use of inner knowing comes when you flow with your authentic feelings, embracing all the experiences you encounter in life as learning lessons rather than hardships. Salmon teaches you to see every bend in the river as a new adventure, with a lesson you need to learn in order to grow.”

New Moon Coming

Later this week (Thursday) the moon will ‘go dark’ as a new moon. It might be a good idea for all of us to evaluate how we’re approaching this fall season of 2020 and ask ourselves if we want to plant some new seeds, some fresh intentions regarding what we want to create in our lives.

I know I’ll be starting something new. Perhaps you’ll join me. Stay tuned.

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(T-439)

Coyote – Photo: City of Lubbock, TX

My Cards Say It All

I’ve been keeping pretty quiet about the Medicine Cards^®* I’ve been choosing lately, mostly because they’ve been cosmic pokes in my side. Either that or they’ve been hard to figure out.

For instance, I picked Coyote reversed twice in the past five days. Coyote reversed is tough, because by its very nature, it is inscrutable and hard to figure out. It also comes with the explicit admonition:

“Contrary Coyote may signal a time when everything you touch backfires.”

Trust me, when I choose Coyote reversed, I do my best to lay low and refrain from engaging in anything too sensitive.

When Coyote reversed shows up in my life, I make a point of choosing activities in which I have as little contact with the outside world as possible. That’s not always possible, but it’s generally a good rule of thumb. Let me hasten to add, though: I don’t go traveling into other worlds, either. No, a Coyote reversed day usually calls for channeling my energy into mundane, tangible activities such as clearing away clutter, vacuuming, and doing my best to gain internal awareness of what’s going on within myself, so I can bounce back into the game the next day with greater clarity.

Salmon Reversed

So after not choosing Coyote for a very long time – quite possibly since before I even began my 1111 Devotion – I find it fascinating to have chosen it twice in the past five days (and technically, it was twice in four days, since I chose it last Friday and then again this past Monday).

But today? Today I chose Salmon reversed with Butterfly underneath. And I have to tell you, it so accurately captures my feelings of late, particularly this morning as I struggled to swim to the surface of my consciousness as I woke from a deep sleep.

Salmon, which has as its key words “Wisdom/Inner Knowing” is not, as one might be tempted to assume, about struggling upstream. It’s not about struggle at all (in the upright position, anyway). Indeed, I love the first paragraph of Salmon:

“Salmon is the sacred keeper of wisdom and inner knowing who, despite strong river currents, will always return to the place of its creation. Its determination is driven by the wisdom of instinct and inner knowing, which yields a sense of purpose that cannot be thwarted by external forces. Coming full circle, Salmon medicine people finish what they begin, bringing life’s events and cycles to closure.”

Salmon – Photo: BBC.com

At First Glance

Superficially, I’ll admit, I may have felt as though I was struggling to “return to the place of (my) creation” today. Everything sort of felt like a hassle, and I wasn’t sure if it was my own frustrations with certain situations in my life or if I might just be sensitive to and reflecting the energies ‘out there.’

That might seem counter-intuitive, but sometimes direct action mitigates a sense of overwhelm. I care about what’s going on in Washington D.C., and yet I feel stymied by just how little I’m able to actually do to contribute to a solution to that situation. I envy those attorneys, representatives, and their staffs that are involved in the process because they know they are fighting the good fight. They’re actively engaging in work that makes a difference.

For myself, I know that my greatest joy comes from being of service to others, whether it’s by direct one-on-one work or engaging in efforts that benefit many at once.

My sense of self resonated today with these words contained within Salmon reversed:

“If you have been seeking the approval of others by being a follower instead of listening to your personal knowing, it may be time to reclaim you own authority. (…) If so, get out of your head and get back to the wisdom found in your heart and feelings. Like Salmon, people sometimes need to backtrack upstream to see where life’s meandering tributaries flowed away from the original headwaters of their certainty, wisdom, instinct, and inner knowing.”

Yes, these words struck a chord. And underneath that Salmon reversed? Butterfly. CHANGE.