The Elephant Totem

The Elephant Totem indicates strength, luck and wisdom. The Elephant was the Totem animal of the God Shiva, the Destroyer, who seeks to banish illusion and encourage clearer perception. Shiva and his Goddess wife, Radha produced, as one of their offspring, the Elephant headed God Ganesha. Ganesha was Lord of Ilosts and who impregnated the virgin Maya who in turn bought Buddha into flesh. The White elephant is considered sacred in India and too priceless to be used for work or for warfare. Buddhists believe that Buddha shows himself as the form of the White elephant as one of his manifestations. The rare appearance of a White Elephant is still heralded as a manifestation of the Gods. The Chinese see the Elephant as the embodiment of sexual prowess, royalty, strength of purpose and discretion.

Elephants are the largest land animals; they are very intelligent and have excellent memories. They are also one of the longest lived in the animal kingdom. They are very quiet for their large size, have excellent senses of smell, touch, taste and hearing. These are very loyal and affectionate animals and will risk their own lives for their families. They have been witnessed shedding tears for the loss of a family member.

Elephants have very powerful legs and trunks; their trunks are excellent tools for their survival and contain hundreds of muscles within. If an elephant baby cries the herd will group around it touching it with their trunks to sooth and comfort the upset offspring. They are loving parents and do not shun or ignore the elderly of their herds, in fact they go out of their way to protect both the oldest and youngest of their herds, honoring and respecting the wisdom of age and the hope of youth.

To watch an Elephant in the wild is to truly experience its grace and magnetism. Their majestic presence is a wonder to behold. The Elephant possesses many virtues that are powerful and valuable and which any person would be wise to emulate or divine. One who has the power of the Elephant will see enhanced insight and intuition; a better sense of family values allowing one the ability to tap the resources of the strength of a tight knit family unit. Wisdom, longevity, devotion to family, nobility and

grace are all part of this amazing animals totems.

The Superlative Elephant Totem possesses the following virtues: Strength, wisdom, solitude, good fortune, power, sexual prowess, moderation, eternity, responsibility, right emotion, champion of injustice, ancient wisdom, respect for others especially the elderly and children, strengthened memory, long-life, increased sensitivity to others feelings and external stimulation, intelligence, loyalty, affection, passion, family values and happy family.

Elephant Animal Pearls are said to impart their particular magical virtues to their owner. Elephant Pearls are characteristic of its host; they possess all the remarkable characteristics that may be seen in the Elephant itself; the dignity and grace of this animal is contained within the pearl waiting for its proper owner to bestow its inner magic to that unique and fortunate individual. For centurys shamans, priestesses, spiritualists and practitioners of the occult have used Elephant animal pearls to transfer the powerful magical energy of the Elephant to themselves and to others in need of this commanding animal magic.

Elephant pearls are highly sought after by any wishing to absorb Elephant like virtues into their lives and develop stronger mental abilities such as those embodied by this magnificent creature. The owner of an Elephant pearl will see their lives, spiritual energy and mental clarity imbued with all of the virtues attributed to the Master of the earth, the Elephant.

The Elephant animal totem is a strong spirit indeed and its magical properties are one of the most influential of all animal totems. Strength, friendship, virtue, cooperation, and so much more can be integrated into the spirit of the possessor of this magical pearl and the Elephant totem.
Copyright 2006: Zahir Karbani UK Registration Number 253932

This article was published on Friday 16 June, 2006.

An Elephant totem gives you ancient wisdom and power to draw upon. It embodies strength and power. Elephant people often have a very strong sex drive. Through the use of fragrances and incense, Elephant can guide you to new energies and power. Elephant people show great affection to their families, caring for the young and the elderly. They also have an inborn knowledge of roots and plants. An Elephant will give you insight into the power of the three feminine energies: child, mother and old wise woman (or crone). The Hindu god Ganesh, god of overcoming obstacles, is associated with the Elephant.
Elephant, Power Animal, Symbol of Commitment, Royalty, Strength By Ina Woolcott Elephant's medicine includes strength, royalty, connection to ancient wisdom, removal of obstacles and barriers, confidence, patience, using education opportunities, commitment, gentleness, communicating in relationships, discernment, intelligence, compassion. If this is your animal guide, these virtues are a part of your natural character. By applying them in your life soul evolution is accomplished. Throughout history elephants have been revered. They are most intelligent creatures, and honoured by many cultures. As well as being the largest land animals, they are also among the longest lived, with life spans of 60+ years. In Buddhist tradition, the Buddha picked the form of a white elephant as one of his many incarnations, thus the rare appearance of a white elephant is still heralded as a manifestation of the gods. The Hindu god Ganesh, the remover of obstacles, has the head of an elephant. Elephants can teach us that gentleness, commitment, and communication in relationships is very powerful and necessary to keep relationships alive, trusting and loving, whether it be friends, family or partner. Deeply committed to all creatures with whom they have relationships, elephants are tough when protecting others and gentle when nurturing them. The matriarch (the oldest, most experienced female leader of a herd) leads in a way that is both gentle and inclusive. Elephants are able to communicate telepathically. This can teach us how to truly listen to others. Elephants are so similar, yet so different to our own species. We have so much to learn from them! Elephants have emotions that are comparable to human - love, joy, jealousy, rage. Just like humans, young elephants are dependent on their mums, until they reach adulthood. The general lifespan of an elephant also closely parallels that of humans. When a baby is born, the entire community gathers around the mother and newborn and rumble with joy. This is equivalent to tears rolling down their faces. Just like human babies, elephants learn about getting along in the physical environment. For instance, elephant calves have to learn the many ways in which their trunks can be used. The newborn elephant is born into a community of love. Calves have more than one mother so to speak, as all are willing, eager teachers, from the matriarch, to her offspring and their young. They want to nurture, protect and help the youngest among them develop. They also teach first time mothers how to develop their own nurturing skills. Loyal and affectionate elephants would risk their lives for the sake of others in a family group. Wild elephants have been known to grieve and even shed tears when a family member has passed away. Elephants have amazing memories and when mistreated they often seek revenge. Elephants show us that by supporting and loving one another, our own ability to thrive in the physical world is enhanced. We learn from them to pass on the gift of nurturing we received in our early years, be it from our biological family or others who helped us grow into who we are now. We must honour the elders of our community and nurture the young. Like the elephant, we need to help ease the transitions of those who are going into adulthood with gentle love, wisdom, patience and compassion. By having open hearts and minds, we can create strong relationships within the community, therefore building a strong community. Elephants communicate telepathically with herd members as well as other elephants. As we choose to become closer and more open with those dear to us, our ability to understand them can deepen to a level that transcends speech.

Having an elephant totem gives you ancient wisdom and power to draw upon. They are the embodiment of strength and power. People with this power animal often have a very strong sex drive. Through using fragrances and incense, elephant can take you to new energies and power. Generally speaking elephant people are very affectionate toward family, caring for the young and the elderly. They also usually have an inborn knowledge about plants and roots. Elephants give us insights into the power of the three feminine energies - child, mother and old wise woman. Although elephants weigh A LOT, they walk almost noiselessly, with exceptionally graceful and rhythmic striding. Their hearing, smell, touch and taste is very keen/sensitive. This makes up for their poor eyesight. In relation to their big heads, their eyes are very small and can only turn slightly from side to side. This results in restricted side vision. Those with this power animal feel things deeply and respond to those feelings from a place of inner knowing. Because their vision is limited they tend to look straight ahead and cant always see what going on around them. Learning to shift our focus to view the whole is helpful. Elephants have just 4 teeth, all molars, 2 toward the front of the mouth and 2 toward the back. When the front ones wear down, they drop out and the 2 at the back come forward. Then 2 new molars grow in the back of the mouth to replace those that have moved forward. The back molars are able to be replaced 6 times throughout their life. When the last set wear out, they can no longer chew and die of starvation. Teeth are very symbolic, and are considered receivers and transmitters of energy linked by connecting paths throughout the astral body. As the elephant is extremely intelligent, those with this power animal would make excellent researchers and alternative scientists. Elephant tusks point backwards. They use them as weapons and for digging edible roots. From a spiritual point of view this hints at an ability to uncover the hidden memories and bring them to the fore for evaluation and healing. Let go. ALSO...........

Ganesha: Lord of Success and most important The destroyer of vanity,selfishness and pride

Ganesha the elephant-deity riding a mouse has become one of the commonest mnemonics for anything associated with Hinduism. This not only suggests the importance of Ganesha, but also shows how popular and pervasive this deity is in the minds of the masses. The Lord of Success The son of Shiva and Parvati, Ganesha has an elephantine countenance with a curved trunk and big ears, and a huge pot-bellied body of a human being. He is the Lord of success and destroyer of evils and obstacles. He is also worshipped as the god of education, knowledge, wisdom and wealth. In fact, Ganesha is one of the five prime Hindu deities (Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva and Durga being the other four) whose idolatry is glorified as the panchayatana puja. Significance of the Ganesha Form Ganesha's head symbolizes the Atman or the soul, which is the ultimate supreme reality of human existence, and his human body signifies Maya or the earthly existence of human beings. The elephant head denotes wisdom and its trunk represents Om, the sound symbol of cosmic reality. In his upper right hand Ganesha holds a goad, which helps him propel mankind forward on the eternal path and remove obstacles from the way. The noose in Ganesha's left hand is a gentle implement to capture all difficulties. The broken tusk that Ganesha holds like a pen in his lower right hand is a symbol of sacrifice, which he broke for writing the Mahabharata. The rosary in his other hand suggests that the pursuit of knowledge should be continuous. The laddoo (sweet) he holds in his trunk indicates that one must discover the sweetness of the Atman. His fan-like ears convey that he is all ears to our petition. The snake that runs round his waist represents energy in all forms. And he is humble enough to ride the lowest of creatures, a mouse. How Ganesha Got His Head The story of the birth of this zoomorphic deity, as depicted in the Shiva Purana, goes like this: Once goddess Parvati, while bathing, created a boy out of the dirt of her body and assigned him the task of guarding the entrance to her bathroom. When Shiva, her husband returned, he was surprised to find a stranger denying him access, and struck off the boy's head in rage. Parvati broke down in utter grief and to soothe her, Shiva sent out his squad (gana) to fetch the head of any sleeping being who was facing the north. The company found a sleeping elephant and brought back its severed head, which was then attached to the body of the boy. Shiva restored its life and made him the leader (pati) of his troops. Hence his name 'Ganapati'. Shiva also bestowed a boon that people would worship him and invoke his name before undertaking any venture. However, there's another less popular story of his origin, found in the Brahma Vaivarta Purana: Shiva asked Parvati to observe the punyaka vrata for a year to appease Vishnu in order to have a son. When a son was born to her, all the gods and goddesses assembled to rejoice on its birth. Lord Shani, the son of Surya (Sun-God), was also present but he refused to look at the infant.

Perturbed at this behaviour, Parvati asked him the reason, and Shani replied that his looking at baby would harm the newborn. However, on Parvati's insistence when Shani eyed the baby, the child's head was severed instantly. All the gods started to bemoan, whereupon Vishnu hurried to the bank of river Pushpabhadra and brought back the head of a young elephant, and joined it to the baby's body, thus reviving it. Ganesha, the Destroyer of Pride Ganesha is also the destroyer of vanity, selfishness and pride. He is the personification of material universe in all its various magnificent manifestations. "All Hindus worship Ganesha regardless of their sectarian belief," says D N Singh in A Study of Hinduism. "He is both the beginning of the religion and the meeting ground for all Hindus."