Search A Light In The Darkness

Monday 25 February 2008

Power Animals: Rabbit - The Fear Caller

Rabbits normally live alone in the wild, making their homes by burrowing underground. Rabbits are curious animals who like to explore their surroundings. They live on a few acres of land & become familiar with every square inch. They are territorial creatures who will fight over their piece of land. Their eyes can see in every direction, so they will watch a bird in the air while watching a predator on the ground. When aroused, their ears stand up. All these characteristics combined with their willingness to run away, are what rabbits use to defend themselves against predators.

In many Native American traditions Rabbit is named the Fear Caller. It is believed that it shouts out its fear of the predators who rank it high on their dining list so loudly that it attracts them, and thus brings that which it fears into being.

Rabbit is often connected with fear because they are timid and constantly on guard. Rabbit wants us to learn how to face our fear and know when to defend our space or walk away.

Rabbit shows us that defending ourselves doesn't always involve fighting back. He teaches us to listen carefully to what is going on in our environment so we can accurately use our intuition when in danger.

Rabbits are regular visitors to the land of mankind, most often between dawn and dusk. They stay close to the edge of the forest, and though deeply absorbed in the process of eating, are always alert. At the sight of a hawk or the sound of a human footstep they disappear into the undergrowth.

An interesting aspect of Rabbit is that different cultures have widely varying understandings of this animal. The Egyptians associated it with being, while in China, where it is one of the astrological animals, it is associated with good fortune and the moon. People born under its sign are believed to be sensitive and artistic.

If we look at this idea with deeper understanding we see how well Rabbit teaches us that we create our lives with our thoughts and feelings. Rabbit experiences fear, projects it outward, and creates in the external world conditions which mirror its inner terrors.

For us humans this is an important lesson. The idea behind repeating affirmations, focusing on positive images, and programming one's crystals to help realize dreams is that thoughts have energy, and that focused attention on a thought creates a vibration which will help that thought to become reality. This is as true when you think about what you don't want to happen.

So often, though, our focus on what we don't want to happen is automatic, instead of deliberate. It's an undercurrent of consciousness, gathering strength secretly. Thus, it's important to bring our fears into consciousness, to treat them with the tenderness we would treat a frightened child (which is who we are when we're in fear).

Rabbits has the ability to be alert and aware of its surroundings at all times; which for us, this translates into recognising that we have the power to create with our thoughts, to be conscious of them, to be focused on our dreams, and to not allow ourselves to be distracted from our intentions, especially not to be distracted by fear from realizing our dreams.