Kinga Mila : †Δ† Totems †Δ†

†Δ† Totems †Δ† • The Axis Mundi Guardian •

There is one God.. Spirits are many

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†Δ† Totems †Δ† • Object Of Human Pursuit •

Purusartha in Sanskrit refers to object of human pursuit bringing up meaning to four goals of a human life; puruṣārthas are Dharma (righteousness, moral values), Artha (prosperity, economic values), Kama (pleasure, love, psychological values) and Moksha (liberation, spiritual values).

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†Δ† Totems †Δ† • Brother Sun Sister Moon and All Others still mourn Them gone •

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†Δ† Totems †Δ† • The Luminous Scarab •

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†Δ† Totems †Δ† • The Red Rock Guard •

The common underlying thread of all Aboriginal origin myths is a reference to the ‘Dream-time’ or ‘creation period’. At the beginning of time the earth looked like a featureless, desolate plain. Nothing existed on the surface. Baiame, or the Maker of Many Things as some called him, called the Dreamtime ancestors from under the ground and over the seas. With them, life came to the barren, flat plains. Some of the Dreamtime ancestors looked like men or women, others like the animals or creatures, which descended from them, but the Dreamtime ancestors could also change their shape from one form to another. After emerging from their eternal slumber, the beings – referred to as totemic ancestors (such as Wallaby Dreaming and Emu Dreaming etc) – moved about the earth bringing into being the physical features of the landscape. Mountains, sandhills, plains and rivers all arose to mark the deeds of the wandering totemic ancestors. Not a single prominent feature was created which was not associated with an episode of the supernatural beings.

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†Δ† Totems †Δ† • The Forest Critter •

Perhaps least known to the World is the ancient culture of Great Slavs whose identity has been meticulously dominated, diminished and marginalised over the centuries; however, not all has perished. In the searching for the lost authenticity we keep unveiling vast mythology and traditions of the Ancient Slavs all around, from Balkans to Ural Mountains. Like the Native Americans Early Slavs had their wooden totem poles which were built to honour deities, later on evolving to represent heroes, territory and tributes. Back when Europe was still pagan the Slavic people were grouped into tribes, they built huge totem poles to represent their clan. In their Ancient traditions any animal could have become a deity and the same could have built an emblem. Each Slavic tribe would have a totem animal that was considered sacred, it was forbidden to kill or eat this special animal unless during ceremonial rituals. Usually the clan would be named after this sacred animal. Every tribe member had an animal twin, it was said that if this animal died it was a premonition of death. The most common and present animal to the Early Slavs and associated with the Moon was the wolf. Wolves were linked with protection, ancestral worship and were seen as travellers between worlds. Above all wolves were feared and thought to be creatures of strength and wisdom. Many deities were also connected to the wolf in some way making it totemically popular. The forests were an extremely mysterious space for the Ancient Slavs. The magic of this place was primarily due to its non-contamination with human civilization. The shamanic practices certainly influenced the development of beliefs about the forest – after all, it was in the woods where the shamans acquired fungi later used in various rituals. Since the plants that had magical power grew in the forest, they also had to have their magical guards. For Slavic forefathers, the forest was a sacred and respected space. In honour of all the above I dedicate this work to the Slavic Ancestors.

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