Keynote: Mystery, Magic, independence and flexibility

Cycle of Power: Year round Night time

Cats have been considered sacred to many cultures in history. The ancient Egyptians considered the cat sacred. The Egyptian goddess Bast was seen with a cats head or even as a cat. Cats were protectors of the home, mothers and small children. To the Scandinavians the cat was associated with Freyja goddess of fertility. Shasthi rides upon a cat in the Hindu tradition. She is the goddess of child birth.

With the cat the symbolism is duel because of the many different traits attributed to them. Cats are considered curious, having nine lives, independence, aloofness, warm. friendly, healing, cleverness and unpredictability. Cats were associated with Isis and Bast but also with Set in his representation of darkness. Again showing the duelality or contradictory nature attributed to the cat.

Cats can see in the dark because they have more rods in the eye retina. Cats are nocturnal by nature. They prefer the night. Because the night is associated with magic and mystery for good or ill, cats are associated with having these traits.

The traditional prey is the mouse but not the only prey. They can catch birds and rabbits as well. The dog is considered the enemy of the cat. For balancing medicine, the dog and the mouse should be studied as well if cat is your totem. If any cat comes into your life expect magic and mystery to come alive weather the cat is wild like the cougar or domestic like your average American Short Hair.

"Cats are also uncooperative (by human standards, not cat ones of course), setting their own priorities and fallowing their own agendas." Quote from book called "Letters from Home" by Patricia Troyer. To the early Buddhists, cats were associated with serpent symbolism. On the other hand, the Japanese thought of the cat as a symbol of power of transformation and peaceful rest and sleep.

Cats are also attributed with grace, flexibility and power. A cat can go from sitting to jump nine times its own height. They have a certain grace in their walking gate and are extremely flexible. If cat is a major totem in your life you probably have many of these traits in common with the cat. Of course due to the human skeletal structure these traits will be to a much lesser degree than your feline totem. How many of us see cats skinny into a place much smaller than the cat but yet they manage.

The flexibility of the cat is in the spine. The cat spine, unlike ours, is elastic in nature and like an elastic it will stretch as the cat runs. A domestic cat can reach top speed of thirty miles an hour. This is due to its spine as well as its feet and legs. If cat comes bounding into your life you will learn how to be more flexible physically, mentally and spiritually. A cat will teach you how to bend like the reed so to speak. Cats are patient hunters so the cat can teach you how to be patient in getting the things you are hunting for.

Cats, like the squirrel, use their tails for communicating the mood of the cat. The tail helps cat to balance. Cats, dogs and any other domestic pet is a good starting point to bridge the world of animals and nature with the human world. As pets they are domesticated and therefore used to humans but every cat has a touch of the wild in it. As every wild cat has qualities in common with your pet. Once I got pictured with some tigers ( On Empress Palpatine's web site they are shown) and I was scratching it behind the ear like you do with your own cat and the tiger started to do that open paw, close paw thing that your domestic cat will do. Their behaviors do cross.

The advantage of your pet cat as a totem is you already have a relationship with the cat. So this cat knows you and you know your cat. Your pet cat can tell you things that the wild cats can not due to the fact that you have daily contact with your pet. For example: Your cat plops on your work and gets in the way while you are still working on something. Your cat could be telling you it is time for a break. May be you are working to hard.

The color of cat you choose, how you met this cat and why you were drawn to this cat are all significant as to its meaning as a totem. What trait made you choose this cat as opposed to others in the litter? Did the cat choose you?

If you spend time with your cat and get to know each other, your cat can tell you more because you will learn to understand signals sent by your cat. Some signals are very quick and subtle but have great significance from the cats point of view. For example; your cat quickly bumps you and continues to bound bye. Most people brush this behavior off because of the speed of the event but the cat just told you he/she loves you. So this fast little motion was significant from the cat. You should return the affection.

Cats are associated with witches and are considered a familiar to the witch. This is because cats can see psychic phenomena like ghosts ( dead people in astral form ) living astral projections and any other stuff of the psychic world. Cats can also feel the Force more readily than humans. Your cat can tell you weather it is an arch angel in your room or the Force ( God ) itself or is it a negative entity in which you do not want. Your cat knows the difference because unlike us, your cat can actually see these entities. I am sure we can all appreciate the ability to see. Your cat is your most trusted and best guide into the spirit world so treat your cat well and your cat will return the favor. Note to those of you who are Christians; do not think cat evil or of the devil because cat can see things you do not because the gift of Discernment can only be given by the Holy Spirit so if the Holy Spirit has given this gift to cat to hurt the cat is to call the Holy Spirit evil. Cat is like any other animal and will help a Christian as well as a witch so do not let prejudice ruin a fun and fruitful relationship you could have with your cat. I know some Christians thought cat evil. They are not but one more animal like any other.

As you can see Domestic cat totem is a very valuable totem to have. So love and cherish your cat and your cat will teach you many wonderful things. Your cat is also playful and fun teaching you as adults to relax and play. Your cat can make you feel younger and add youth to your life. This is true of dogs as well. I hope this helps people to value the cat more since so many people dislike them and miss a valuable relationship and lesson. There are a vast variety of Domestic Cats. I could only give a small sample.