TYPE 4

OTHER ANIMALS

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1,5

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ELEMENTS 6, MAGICAL BEASTS CONTINUED.

MERMAIDS & MERMEN.

Traditionally mermaids are fair women to the waist with a fish tail below,

but in myth they can also appear as humans, elven woman & some tales have

them with two tails or blue skin & seaweed hair. One thing they all agree on

is that they can sing divinely & are often seen sunning themselves on the

rocks off shore.

Mermaids are the incarnate beauty of the sights & sounds of water.

An encounter with them can enrich or endanger, depending on how well balanced

you are. They will often take mortals into their favour & they are strong &

faithful protectors. They are also the guardians & avengers of women.

Mermaids are symbols of tolerance & the separation of the animal from

intellect.

They also hold the knowledge of storms & future events. They can grant

wishes, reveal treasures, give wisdom & can even bestow some supernatural

powers.

Mermen are the male counterpart of mermaids & they often appear to woman who

are drawn to the sea. In Greek mythology Triton, a sea God born of Poseidon &

Amphitrite was the epitome of the merman as He was handsome & had the head &

trunk of a man & t he tail of a fish.

SIRENS.

Sirens are often associated with the negative aspects of water spirits.

Sometimes they are depicted as bird woman & at other times as Sea Nymphs.

Traditionally they are women who sing & play music so sweet & enticing that

they lured mariners to destruction on the rocks surrounding their enchanted

Island. In essence such stories may be more symbolic than anything else

reflecting the enticement of the Faery Realm for those who learn to hear its

call & symbolising the death on one aspect of ourselves as we open up to

another.

Contact with a siren may bring knowledge of the magical power of words, as

they hold the knowledge of enchantment & allurement & though they are often

depicted ugly in appearance, the song that came forth from them made them

beautiful.

These Beings hold the key to finding our own inner beauty in spite of outer

appearances & seeking this in others.

THE GRIFFIN.

The griffin has its origin in the Middle East & it is usually depicted with a

combination of animal characteristics. Predominantly it is part lion & part

eagle. the wings & head encompassing the characteristics of the eagle. Others

have given it attributes from every part of the animal kingdom, such as the

beak of a falcon, eyes of a human, ears of a fish, tail of a snake etc.

Sometimes it is depicted with antelope horns to denote its swiftness & gold

feathers upon its neck & wings to denote spiritual magic

For general discussion, a griffin can be considered any creature that is part

bird & beast. It is symbolic of Heaven & Earth, Spirit & Matter, Good & Bane.

The griffin can be guardian or avenger, as a guardian it is considered

protective & gentle, as a avenger it is vicious & relentless.

It is often the avenger of the faeries & Mother Earth as it guards the faerie

realm & the physical plane from abuse & unwanted intrusion. Such guardianship

& protection will take the form of Natural phenomena, like storms, floods,

earthquakes etc. To the Ancient Assyrians they " Angel of Death" would come

in the form of a griffin.

The griffin embodies the union between the falcon & its solar aspects & the

feline aspects of the moon & night, a symbol of never ending vigilance.

To encounter a griffin is to encounter great magic & power, as it guards both

Earth & Sky. Thus it protects while awake & asleep. The griffin has a keen

sense of hearing & when it works as your protector it responds to your

softest whisper.

It also awakens within you the ability to hear what is behind the words of

others.

The griffin is faster than lightning when first encountered it is often seen

at rest with eyes ever alert & usually there is lightning & thunder in the

back ground as if to make it stand out against the sky itself. Generally

within 3 days of a Faery Realm encounter with a griffin no matter how

imaginary you may think it may have been, if it is a true encounter you will

see lightning in the sky & there will be a thunder storm & then you will

encounter a feather in the mortal world, it may come as a gift to you from

someone or you may just happen on it, but it will be a unique feather which

will come into your possession within 7 days, treasure it well as it is a

direct link to the griffin & its energies. Hold it while meditating it is a

way of calling the griffin to you.

Meeting a griffin heralds a time of great power & magic. It lends immense

strength & readiness for what ever task may be at hand. It indicates that a

new road is going to open for you soon, it signals a time of action though

linking your psychic energies with your normal day to day activities.

BLESSED BE.

FANTASTIC CREATURES OF THE FAERIE REALM

:Adapted from Ted Andrews. THE ELEMENTS 5.

The animal world like the Faerie realm itself holds strong appeal to the

imagination. Most societies had Gods & Goddesses who were the guardians of

animals & they in turn had elemental helpers who took the form of dryads,

faeries, elves & magical beasts.

CENTAURS: Are half horse & half human, & they were both male & female. In

mythology the centaurs had their origin in Babylon were they were seen as

guardian spirits. In the Greek Tradition they were considered man eaters,

lecherous & violent Creatures with half human & half animal characteristics

are very symbolic. They reflect a move away from the animal, a change in

consciousness & a rising to a new plane of awareness. Centaurs are very

sexual creatures & stimulate strong sexual responses. Encountering one may

reflect lessons associated with sexuality & learning to use its dynamic force

in new ways.

It can symbolise a time of greater knowledge rising out of turbulence.

Encountering a centaur can also signify guardianship in some area of your

Centaurs occasionally do become patrons of mortals, guiding & teaching them.

Chiron is probably the most famous, he was the tutor to Achilles, Hercules &

Asclepius, he had great knowledge of medicine, healing & alchemy. Chiron also

blessed wedlock. Weddings & handfastings are symbolic alchemical rituals on

many levels. They exemplify the reconciliation of opposites, a new union of

greater fertility & power. They hold the promise of new life, the promise

that is set in motion by the encounter of a centaur.

DRAGONS. Dragons appear in various forms throughout the world. Though

Christianity has made them out to be evil, they are the epitome of power,

magic & creation. Dragons & snakes symbolize the first force, God / Goddess &

Higher Divine Wisdom. Dragons are depicted as composites of other animals.

They may have a snakes body, lions claws, eagle or bats wings, they could

also be multiheaded like the Hydra or they could shape shift using various

forms. Dragons come in all colours & sizes. Most dragons have been depicted

as guarding great treasures, springs, caves & trees, as in the tree which

hung the golden fleece or of that which guarded the golden apples of

Hesperides. To see one is a symbol of hidden knowledge & wisdom within you r

grasp or a new threshold that you will soon be crossing in your life.

The Basilisk was a dragon of great virulence is cobra like, yet terrifying,

it breathed fire & had deadly venom. It could kill with a look from its

eyes. If a human encountered a basilisk & laid eyes on it first, the human

would live. If the basilisk saw the human first the human would die.

Many of the qualities of the basilisk & other dragons are symbolic. The

perception that it could kill probably had as much to do with the shock of

seeing something so strange & powerful, as it did with the changes that would

result in the individual' s life consciousness as a result of such an

encounter. [ Initiation.]

The death reflects a death or change of some aspect of the individuals life.

It has been said that the eyes are the gateways to the soul & it is through

the basilisk form of dragon that we learn how to read the true soul of an

individual by looking in their eyes.

This dragon has the knowledge of how to use the eyes to entrance & to

control. The basilisk form of dragon is often invoked to protect the home

while away, the energy of this protector is such that those that may think of

breaking in are going to fee l very uneasy around the house, so much so that

they are more likely to avoid the house entirely.

The epitome of the dragon of old English lore is probably best found in "

The Beast of Grendal " of the Epic " Beowulf."

In Egypt the population of serpents, snakes & dragons were controlled by the

Ibis, a God form. Many other Gods & Goddesses were associated with these

forms & they were all associated with wisdom.

From the Chinese we get a different view of dragons. In Chinese mythology,

dragons are powerful, but most often beneficent. They were not just fire

breathing beasts, they are associated with each of the 4 elements. The

Imperial Dragon [ ether] was t he most powerful & always had 5 claws & it

held in its claws or under its chin a great pearl. This pearl was magical &

could multiply what ever was placed before it, money, food, jewels etc. or

could grant one wisdom.

The dragon has been the source of many creation & destruction myths & tales.

The dragon is also associated with the Kundalini or serpent coil within man &

the Dragon Paths of Earth, the ley lines or power points of the planet.

GIANTS: The giants are part of all creation myths & are recognised as being

mans first Gods who were often defeated by newer ones.

The Greeks had their Titans & the Tuetonic tradition had its own Great

Beings, from frost giants to giant maidens. [ Freya & Gerd.] In Norse

mythology many of these giants were incorporated into the later system,

examples were Njord, Freyr, Freya, Gerd, Wade, & Weyland.

In the Sumerian Epic of Gilagmesh, the giant Humbaba was the guardian to the

garden of Istar.

In Biblical scripture we find the giant Goliath.

In Celtic mythology these giant Gods were incorporated with the newer ones &

not killed off as in other pantheons. Examples are Wayland, Bran The

Blessed, Branwen, Llyr, Manawydan ap Llyr, Creiddylad, Nessyen, Kai, &

others.

Giants are symbolic of primeval forces associated with an area of Mother

Earth for they often guard Her treasures.

There are hill giants, mountain giants, river & sea giants, frost & snow

giants, forest, tree & spring giants, all reflect & embody the energy of the

natural environment.

They are neither good or evil, but their energy amplifies that of humans.

They hold the key to initiation, wisdom & power of the Earth.

Sasquatch [ Bigfoot] of north America, the Yeti [ the Abominable Snowman] of

the Himalayas & other such giant beings are part of the Faerie realm. They

reflect the energies of their environment & often take a form that enables

ease of movement in our denser plane. This is why they are so difficult to

encounter & verify.

Giants hold the key to putting things into perspective & are a symbol of how

best to move beyond your present human stature. The specific characteristics

& form of the giant you see will provide significant clues to the reason they

appear to you in dreams, during meditation or out in the wild places. Giants

will often appear as tutors & guardians. Although stories such as " Jack &

the magical bean " & " Jason & the Argonauts " are seen as evil encounters,

with giants these stories are really t he exception. For those who do not

understand what they are seeing, will experience fear & intimidation because

of their size. This is sad, as the giants are incapable of being confined to

a certain category.

Giants are amplifications of energies & attitudes & they will amplify &

mirror back at you what you sent forth.

They are drawn to those that love the Earth & Nature, those that need

strength, & those that are timid or introverted, gentle & child like.

They defend the common folk & the simple nobility of leading a good life that

harms none & takes only what is needed & no more.

They will often take the appearance of that which is very symbolic &

significant to you personally.

They are often the guardians of that which should most be treasured, yet is

not recognised. For example, a one eyed Cyclops may be a teacher to open the

inner eye or help you develop far sighted vision.

BLESSED BE.