Animal totems: Hawk
The hawk is an animal that is both beautiful and majestic in flight and at the same time dangerous and predatory in nature. They live mainly in areas of open spaces where they can use their acute senses to help them hunt. Female hawks are usually bigger than their male counterparts and with over two hundred and fifty species of a hawk around the world, they have a great capacity to adapt and survive. As a totem animal, they will teach many things.
While each individual species of a hawk will teach its own medicine, there are several common things that they all hold in common and will all teach. The first of these is the ability to bridge the gap between the physical world and the spirit world of heaven. The hawk can soar above the mundane earth into the spiritual heavens and this ability can show you how to soar above your physical problems and see the really important things in life. The hawk allows you to move past those things that bind you to the ground. It does not matter if you have an argument with your loved one as long as you can soar above the hurt, apologize and move on. The little earthly niggles become less important when you can feel the love of the heavens.
People with a hawk totem will often have a sharp mind and be able to tear through to the heart of a problem. Along with this comes the gift of communication. This is due to the hawks sharp talons and beak, both of which are instruments of deadly precision. But like those same sharp talons and beak, if attacked the hawk person will bring that sharpness to bear in a quick surgical assault designed to leave their prey broken.
Perception and Wisdom
The hawk also brings perception and wisdom thanks to their acute senses and ability to survey the wide-open spaces of their hunting grounds. Being able to perceive things a long way away can bring great comfort if you let it. After all, if you are going through a difficult time in your life and you can see over the horizon to the good things that are coming to you then that will be a source of great strength for you. Remember also that wisdom comes from a combination of knowledge and experience. We all gain experience naturally as we live our lives but not all of us have the senses to gain knowledge of the world around us. The hawk helps with this.
Great Perception and Senses
Because the hawk soars and brings great perception and senses quite often a person gifted with hawk medicine will gain insight into other people’s problems. This can lead to a hawk person becoming misunderstood by other people. A lot of times people will think that the hawk person is a busybody or needs to always be right. This isn’t the case, sometimes hawk people just forget that other people may need to make mistakes so that they can learn not to do them again.
Another problem that a hawk totem can bring to people is that quite often more earthbound people will latch on to a hawk person so that they may feel the wind underneath them. This isn’t necessarily bad as long as it doesn’t become habitual. To let an earthbound person spread their wings and soar is a great gift but like all gifts, if given to frequently it can lose all meaning so be careful.
So people with hawk totems have many things to learn from this majestic creature. Clear and sharp vision, awareness of the bigger picture and the ability to soar are just some of them. Take time to learn about your hawk and your totem will teach you all you need to know. But just remember those sharp talons and beak and don’t let them get out of control.
