So We're Toteming Again...

April 6, 2012: Badger, Druid Animal Oracle

I wouldn't have believed this kind of draw could happen three consecutive times by accident--indeed, I don't believe it did or does. So totem beasts--the word that actually means "my clan's companion" in Ojibway, the language where it was first recorded, are somehow significant for us this day, and even this week. So perhaps all whom you think of as Clann, family, need to take note of the energies of the animals speaking to us here. So, what about Badger?

Badgers were highly revered by the Celts, with Badger skins found buried in the graves of chieftains. The nickname "Brock" is derived from its old Gaelic name of Brocc. Pictish Druids were known as Badgers. This is probably because the Badger lives deep within the earth, the supposed dwelling place of gods and ancestral spirits, and is therefore privy to their secrets, including the mysterious germination of life that takes place in the underworld. The Badger is one of the sacred animals of the goddess Brigantia and a totem of her Imbolc festival, when the Celtic women gathered together to celebrate the rebirth of spring symbolized by the Badger emerging from beneath the earth, just as new growth mysteriously emerges from the ground. In America, the immigrant Irish didn't find the native British badgers, but found ground-hogs, a related animal with similar habits--hence, "Ground Hog Day" on Imbolc.

If it sometimes seems that the whole world is against you, turning you into the "Badger in a bag", then listen to the lessons of Badger. His defenses are his fortitude and his indomitable will, even against overwhelming odds. He does not waste time on blame or regret, but stands his ground, tenacious and unyielding. If you feel powerless and angry, stop blaming other people, they can only make you feel what you allow them to. Go within yourself and find the power of Badger - centered, grounded, and unshakeable. Badger may be advising you that healing may come from earth-based therapies, such as herbs, essential oils, massage, and body work, from grounding and feeling your deep connection to the physical realm. Badger may be instructing you not to share your Deep Self with those who will not appreciate you, but nevertheless to maintain loyalty to who you really are. And most specifically, Badger is telling you not to hide your self from your Self. Open up to all the facets of your personality, and stand firm for Who You Are. Io Evoe!