Puma Is My Totem

I have had, over many years, several dreams that put me into a different time era. In each of these particular dreams, I was a Native American woman. Several of these dreams are all located in the same area in the southwestern United States, in Arizona near the Grand Canyon. The Grand Canyon is a powerful and very inspiring natural creation of beauty. It is a very spiritual place. One such dream was within a village, maybe a pueblo.

I awoke early and left my bed of furs to go outside. The morning was already warm, with the sun just beginning to make itself known. I saw the elder women around the open fire pits and ovens in the center of the village. There were a few soldiers walking around the area, dressed in their blue uniforms. It was some fort we were living in, or the soldiers had come to stay awhile at our pueblo.

I went over to Grandmother and she handed me a bowl of thick porridge of some kind. Then she tore a huge chunk of bread off a loaf and gave it to me. I dipped the bread in the mush and ate it all, then she handed me another bowl of hot tea. After drinking that I began to help Grandmother shape some dough into loaves and set them on a long tray that would be put into the hornos (outdoor oven). The scent of breads was gently drifting throughout the village.

In another dream, a few nights later I was in the same camp.

It was late afternoon and I was standing by the horses tied up to a railing. A troop of soldiers rode into the village and dismounted. One of the soldiers was a captain or of some importance. He dismounted, turned around to look over the area, and then went inside a building with his troop of men following him. The feeling in the village seemed tense. Grandmother was sitting by the fire pits, beading.

I was still not sure where this story/dream was taking me and what I needed to learn from it. A few nights later, another dream put me near this same village, but I had left the area to take a walk and wanted to be alone. This dream cleared things up for me.

I was sitting near the edge of a cliff, gazing out over Grand Canyon. This was the place I always came to when I needed to be at peace with Nature. It was a very powerful and inspiring place for me to be. The beauty and size of the canyon is so huge and inspiring that I could feel my own humbleness in relationship to this masterful carving of beauty by Nature. It always put me in touch with all Creation and helped me to communicate with Creator.

The sun was beginning to set and shown red, orange and gold on the cliffs of the far side of the canyon. It was peaceful and so beautiful. I heard a slight noise behind me, which startled me, for I knew no one else was around. I turned and saw a cougar rushing at me. I put up my hands for protection and as the cougar jumped on me we both fell off the cliff to our death far down in the canyon, clinging to each other.

When I awoke I knew immediately what I was supposed to learn from these three dreams that were connected. I had been stressed, lost and knew I was missing something in my life during that time. The problems and fear of the soldiers in our village was too much and I found my place to be at peace. I was missing my own power, my totem. I found my strength and peace there at the canyon. Puma, my totem, my guide, my protector, has walked with me since another time in the far distant past. I have since acknowledged this and am always aware of his presence. I often feel his weight as he leaps onto the foot of my bed at night to recline and protect me as I slumber. As in death, we cling to each other in life.
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I stand strong in my own truths. Walk in peace and harmony. Phyllis

© Copyright Phyllis Doyle Burns 2012

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Image of the Puma: This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license. Author: ArtG 25 April 2008