Shamanism: A shaman is one who helps people in their dealings with the other worlds. These other worlds are the realms above, beyond, and deep with the experiences of our lives. These are the realms of the spiritual, psychic vision and pure, natural Earth energies. In shamanism these worlds were traditionally represented as the upper world of the sky, or spirit levels, and the lower worlds of Earth and Nature.  Shamanism is about healing, and meeting needs that are relevant to us today. The way of the shaman is a path of truth. Find your own truth and respect the truths of others. Walk your chosen path in peace and harmony!

 

Animal guides come in the form of animal totems, and represent the power and medicine which we carry within us...all we need to do is recognise and call upon them for the guidance and love which they are waiting to provide. 

The animal totems sit in the 4 cardinal directions
(East, South, West, and North)
they also dwell in the 3 spiritual directions
(above, below and within)
There is also a totem animal which walks on each side of us.

East - Air
South - Fire 
West - Water
North - Earth 

Meditation
First we face the East. We use a rattle for opening the sacred space. You can lie down or use a 
chair, whatever feels comfortable for you. Close your eyes, put your hands together, imagine the
Divine Light bringing love to the Self so that you can share love - bringing forgiveness to the Self, 
so that you can forgive;  bringing health to the Self, so that you can share well being;  bringing joy 
to the Self, so that you can share joy. Now, open your hands and focus on planetary harmony by
remembering where we come from and our purpose in life. Then begin to relax .... relax your head, relax
your neck, your chest, your arms .... then slowly inhale and exhale, then relax your abdomen, and
your legs. Now imagine journeying into the upper world. Allow the spirit of the sacred bird to be 
your guide, through the mountains, volcanoes, clouds ... through the stars, bringing the knowledge
and wisdom from our ancient spirit healers and wise ancestors. 
Now, look into the sacred bird's eyes and tell him what you need, what you want, and tell him to 
heal you by loving you and guiding you. Now we prepare to come back from our journey bringing
this "new" frequency of harmony into our sacred space, into our temple, into our body. 
Then, slowly stretch your arms, then your legs, then open your eyes.

Note: Following this meditation, you can record your personal 
experiences in your journal to enhance your visionary skills.

BIRD MEDICINE

Bird medicine brings us into the air, the mind and spirit. Birds bring people luck: good or bad. In some traditions, birds, with their wings, are angels sent by the divine. If we let them, they can become our teachers, sharing with us wisdom that comes from the air and all that is implied. 

Most commonly, birds are known to be the souls of the dead, riding on the wings of these feathered creatures to visit, deliver messages or give warning. In primitive times, it was believed that birds were the thoughts and eyes of the gods watching over us and delivering messages. In India, birds represent higher states of being. Odin has two ravens: Hugin, thought, and Munin, memory. Prometheus had an eagle swooping down during the day, eating his liver. Athena has an owl perched upon her shoulder. In Native American tradition, the raven stole fire for (wo)man. The Egyptians' Horus (the manifested king) has the head of a hawk, and Maat (goddess of truth) has the head of a vulture. Quetzlcoatl is a serpent with wings, and Pegasus is a horse with wings. 

Obviously, bird medicine is not confined to earthly reality. Birds' presence is a symbol for, and speaks to us about, higher levels of consciousness. We can see that flying is a means of leaving earth and rising to the heavens and descending from the heavens to land on earth. The ability to take off and land with grace teaches us how to make the transition between worlds and states of consciousness easily. Birds teach us, by always returning to the earth, that we must always be able to bring higher states of consciousness to the earth plane. They act as a bridge between heaven and earth, divine and human. Their presence instructs us about rising above lower nature into the worlds of aspiration, creative imagination, inspiration, intuition and living in the now. Bird medicine opens us to higher knowledge and wisdom that will raise us above our present circumstances.

Birds have hollow bones and a high metabolism. Their lightness reflects lightness in spirit -- freeing consciousness. Birds eat frequently in small amounts; they eat high-octane food for energy and burn food at a higher rate than most other animals. They can alter their metabolism by speeding it up or slowing it down. Bird medicine can be effective magick for working with weight issues and eating disorders. 

We begin to notice birds when we are able to reach higher levels of consciousness. Birds become more prominent in our lives when we come closer to expressing our true essence. 

The type of bird gives us more detail about its medicine and how it is to be applied. There are many ways to classify birds, and each classification tells us something about a bird's medicine. There are the scientific classifications, which are highly technical. This type of classification has a series of divisions eventually leading to family, genus, species and variety. There are over 8600 species of birds and 30,000 varieties.

A more simple way of classifying birds is to use birds' outstanding features, dividing them into groups such as the birds of prey, seed-eating birds, tropical birds and birds that cannot fly. 

There are really many birds of prey, because numerous birds eat bugs and worms. But usually what is meant by birds of prey are the "raptors" - birds that seize and carry off their prey. They are characteristically large birds with hooked beaks and sharp talons and are known to be very strong. Raptors are broken down into two more classifications, falconiformes (diurnal, the hawk family) and the strigiformes (nocturnal, the owl family). 

The diurnal-hawk family includes hawks, falcons, osprey, vultures and eagles. Hawks are swifter than eagles and make better hunters, while falcons are more agile. Vultures are scavengers and store food in a pouch in the throat. Vultures are the weakest of the diurnal raptors, with talons that are not sharp and that do not allow the birds to carry off their food. Raptors are very seldom seen gliding because they are strong and swift birds. 

The nocturnal-owl family includes all variety of owls. They are known for their silence, keen hearing, eyesight that is sensitive to movement and 270-degree-rotating heads. 

Bird of prey medicine is good for business and prosperity. Birds of prey are the most intelligent of birds, making their magick good for educational and spiritual endeavours as well. 

Tropical birds work with the environment. Their focus is to keep a balance between nature. They eat insects, decaying matter and other such things found in tropical areas. Examples of tropical birds are peacocks, birds of paradise, and quetzals. 

Another means of classification that teaches us about bird medicine is grouping by living environment. 

Water birds take us back to the primal source of life. Bird feathers stay dry when rained upon or dipped into water because of an oil secretion. If the feathers got wet, the birds would not be able to fly. This ability teaches us how to reach into our emotions without getting bogged down by them. Water birds also take us into the unconscious for quick dips and retrievals without having to remain there. They awaken us to deeper levels of the consciousness. Water is also a symbol of the passing of time, and water birds can teach us how to work with time, working on timing and transcending time as well as on dealing with past, present and future. Examples of water birds are pelicans, seagulls, egrets, herons, ducks and loons. 

Examples of mountain birds are the eagle, hawk and owl, which fit into the category of birds of prey. Mountain birds are powerful and lofty in spirit. They teach us about our spiritual qualities. What the bird is and its medicine show us how we can best work with higher levels of consciousness and spirit. Mountain birds also teach us about overcoming obstacles. 

Birds that can be found in nearly all areas teach us about adaptability and its connection to prosperity. Some of these birds are cardinals, blue jays, finch, sparrows, doves, crows, ravens and robins. 

Feathers available at Nature's Wonderland

The Magick is within You! So why do we need all these Ritual Tools? For Focus! These are the tools that focus the mind, especially while you are learning the art, and are also what you use to focus your power.

There are rituals and spells you can do with nothing but your mind and they will be just as effective, but there are times, especially if you practice High Magick, that tools are required. They also represent the elements and can be charged as such to release the power of an element into your spell-working.

Your ritual tools are sacred and should be treated with reverence and respect. Allow only those whose energy you want affecting your magick to pick up your wand or other tool.

One of the most valuable and powerful of our Ritual Tools are our Healing Wands.  The ATLANTEAN POWER ROD contains the very essence of ancient advanced science. The basic rod is a hollow copper tube. At one end is a quartz crystal, which is about ¾" to 1" in diameter. It is about 1 ½" to 3" long. The outer covering or insulation is leather, wrapped in a flat spiral. Some healing wands have quartz crystal or other crystals on both ends and others have just one crystal with a copper end cap at the other end.  In the area of health and healing, all diseases become curable. The use of these wands employing crystal energy is actually a simple process that allows the balance of the body to be restored. The affected organism heals itself.  Various feathers enhance these wands, being attached to either end in a decorative, but powerful manner.  We also offer other items that include the Magick of Feathers, so do check our Store.  

FEATHERS &
SHAMANIC
CRAFTS

These ATLANTEAN POWER ROD leather-wrapped copper wands are enhanced with various feathers
- Emu, Guinea Fowl, Maned Duck, Peacock, Egyptian Geese, Cape Barren Geese, Magpie Geese, Galah, Raven, Rosella, Cockatoo, varying Bantams & other interesting coloured feathers from which you may choose ...
(See a few of the feathers available in the photos below.
All feathers are lovingly collected from SerpentineMoon's own birds on their small paradise, *Shambhala*, as well as some contributed by some very special eBayers from their own birds - THANKS!!)
... and then further enhanced with leather thonging and crystals.

The buttons below will lead you through to the Medicine of the Birds and the most understood meanings of the different feathers that we use. (These sections are still under construction, so we ask for your patience.)

We will be adding to this Collection over time - it is still not complete, so we appreciate your patience.