Final Major Project
Long before Christopher Columbus arrived in the
Bahamas, another group of people found America; this group of people were what we now call "Native Americans". These people hiked over a “land bridge” which is a stretch of land connecting two different areas or islands. The Native Americans used land bridges
to travel from Asia to what is now Alaska more than 12,000 years ago.
Shamanism
Shamanism is a practice that involves entering a meditative state in order to interact with the spirit world and channel mystical energies into this world. A shaman is a person who as has access and influence in the spirit world and this world, and can commune with good and
evil spirits. During a ritual, a shaman supposedly enters a trance in order to seek out and expel any evil spirits causing illness. I guess they were kind of witch doctors.
Vision
Quest
A vision quest is a rite of passage in some Native American cultures. It is usually only done by young men during pubity. Individual native cultures have their own names for their rites of passage. "Vision quest" being an English term, and may not always be accurate or used by most cultures. These visions or dreams may involve natural symbolism such as animals or forces of nature such as tornadoes, earthquakes etc. that would need to be translated or explained by the elders in the tribe. When their quest is over, these people can become either an apprentice or student to someone who has mastered this role already.
Spirit
Animal
Spirit Animals otherwise known as ‘Animal Guides’ or Animal Totems’ are spectral beings that often take the form of animals that best suit you. For example if you were to be a doctor or a nurse your animal spirit would be a bear in some cultures. There are four basic types of animal guides: A messenger guide, a shadow guide, a journey guide and a life guide.
A Messenger
Guide only comes into your life when there is a message to be delivered. This being a spiritual message, not a text. once the message is understood, the spirit leaves. How long the message guide stays depends on how long it takes for you to understand and accept the message. The message itself could be a warning of some kind, like someone you know is about to die or something else bad is going to happen. Sometimes the animal messenger will come be subtly kind of like that feeling you get when something is wrong or something is about to
happen.
A Shadow Guide will come to teach a lesson. you know the whole "you learn from your mistakes" thing?Well if you don't, the shadow guide will use fear to teach you. This is usually done with nightmares and/or the use of paranoia. If you don't learn your lesson the first time, the shadow guide will return again and again bringing the fear and paranoia more and more until its message is acted upon. The shadow guide is powerful; it can help you to overcome fear by bringing truth. However, if ignored the shadow guide can become dangerous and will have a negative effect on your life.
A Journey Guide appears at the "fork in the road" of your life; this means when you are faced with a choice which could change your life. The journey guide is there to help you make the best out of your decision but not to help you make it. This could take months or even years to
complete. If you are on the right path, the guide will make sure you stay on it. However if you go off the path, the journey guide will help you get back on it. Unlike a messenger guide who comes and goes pretty quickly, the journey guide
will stay by your side until there is no further risk of straying from the path.
A Life Guide is also called a ‘Spirit
Guide’ it is your personal animal spirit and is a part of you for your entire life. Usually a life guide remains an essential part of your life, however, there are
cases when a particular life guide is no longer needed. Its powers are always there
for you and serve as a constant reminder of your inner powers and oneness with
nature. A life guide will often call upon other animal guides found within to assist in giving you special messages from time to time.
There are a lot of different animals in Native American Culture. All of which have their own relevance and meaning. The animals I chose are the butterfly, the owl, the snake and the wolf.
There are a lot of different animals in Native American Culture. All of which have their own relevance and meaning. The animals I chose are the butterfly, the owl, the snake and the wolf.
The Butterfly represents transformation and the ability to accept change, If one of your spirits is the butterfly, it means you are going through a change in you life, this could be moving to a different country, or even if you convert religions.
The Owl symbolizes wisdom, insight and virtue. However to the Sioux Indians, owls are not the smart ones. The reason for the whole "wise old owl" thing was because of their faces: They look kind of like the old fashioned teachers with the big glasses.
The Snake represents rebirth and resurrection. Dreaming of a snake, means hidden fears and worries that are either threatening you or that you're not aware of. However the snake could also represent transformation, similar to the butterfly.
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