The Linnunraata, a Finnish folktale, describes the Milky Way as the migratory path of white swans, also known as “Soul Carriers” who bring a human soul to the body at the moment of birth, and carry the soul away at the moment of death towards Lintukoto, the home of the birds. A beautiful story that folds us back into the feathered wings of a universe that mothers us.
Read MoreCrow Challenges Hobomock: A Nipmuc Folktale of Self Transformation
“Crow Challenges Hobomock” is an ancient Nipmuc folktale retold by Larry Spotted Crow Mann in his book Drumming and Dreaming (2016). I love this tale for its timeless wisdom: that real change has nothing to do with outward appearance, but happens from within.
Read MoreThe Animal Groom & The Great Horned Owl
In this Passamaquoddy folktale, a Great Horned Owl falls in love with a woman who is very afraid of him. However, over time she begins to open up to this wild soul mate. This folktale teaches us that if we develop a relationship with our Shadow rather than rejecting it, we can live more authentic lives.
Read MoreCrow & Crone: Twin Archetypes
Crows and Crones appear frequently together in myths and folktales around the world. In recent history they been negatively associated with evil and darkness, however, looking more closely at the roles they played in ancient folktales and myths, we discover that they are imbued with divinity, prophetic power and omniscience during times of great change.
Read MoreThe White Stag: The Hunt to Become Whole
The White Stag appears in both ancient and contemporary folktales in both East and West. Discover how the White Stag continues to be a symbol of transformation, an apparition that enters the picture when we leave one world and enter another, and a benign being that heals and leads us to a state of wholeness.
Read MoreRabbits and the Moon Goddess: Traveling the Silk Road
Growing up in Asia, I always believed there was a rabbit on the moon assisting the Goddess who passed the time grinding dried medicinal herbs into an elixir of immortality. However, only recently did I discover that this trio of associations (rabbits, the moon and divine feminine) is an ancient archetype, stretching across a diverse array of cultures, landscapes and centuries by way of the Silk Road.
Read MoreAthena the Goddess of Wisdom
The "Owl of Athena" or the "Owl of Minerva"—has often been used as a symbol of wisdom throughout the Western world. According to myth, Athena saved a princess and transformed her into an owl who would sit on Athena’s shoulder, and from then on, together, they could see the whole Truth. . . .suggesting that wisdom requires more than just one perspective, multiple orientations, two different vantage points, and a collaboration and deep relationship between human and more-than-human worlds.
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