Gary Buffalo Horn Man - Dancing Otters and Clever Coyotes: Using Animal Energies, the Native American Way

Alligator has walked on the Earth Mother for millions of years. These reptiles hide themselves in water and mud, waiting for an unsuspecting creature to happen by, and then snap !the powerful jaws close and all hope is lost. They will eat any animal they can swallow whole and, if they cant swallow it, they will tear it into bite-size pieces with their eighty teeth. The largest Alligator on record was more than 19 feet long. It could easily have pulled a cow or a horse into the water and killed it. The muscles that close their jaws are extremely powerful, while the muscles that open them are very weak, allowing an Alligators mouth to be held closed by a human hand. Alligators seeming sluggishness is transformed into startling speed when a hungry one goes after prey. It is also a surprisingly quick swimmer, propelling itself through the water with the help of its powerfully muscular body and tail.

When we toured the Louisiana Bayou a few years ago, our guide encouraged us to hold his young pet Alligator, Julie, who had become accustomed to the attentions of human visitors and enjoyed having her head stroked. She was only about three feet long and no more than fifteen inches in circumference, but she was solid muscle through and through. She exuded raw power; we were both quite sure that if she had wanted to get down, there would have been no stopping her.

Alligators come together only for reproduction. For a reptile, the females maternal nature is extraordinary. She lays 20 to 60 eggs in a nesting mound, covers it with vegetation, and then stays to guard the eggs during the ten-week incubation period. The young are born as fully formed Alligators, who begin eating anything they can, starting with insects, frogs, and crustaceans and work up to fish, turtles, and mammals. Mother and offspring stay together for a year or longer. Alligators dig deep burrows when the water is high so they can have a wet alcove to retreat to during dry seasons. The reservoirs thus created also provide water for other animals.

The power of Alligator is its ability to survive. Except for humans, who hunted them almost to extinction to make shoes and purses, Alligators have no enemies. They can eat almost anything and have existed in their present form for a very long time. They thrive in heat and will hibernate if the weather gets cold. If Alligator has come to you, either in the physical world or in a dream or vision, it may be trying to tell you to take care of yourself to ensure your basic survival. Are you eating food that nourishes you so you might live a long and healthy life? On a practical level, are you prepared in your home and your car so you can survive an emergency? On a spiritual level, do you live somewhere that is conducive to your inner needs as well as your physical well-being? Is your home a haven during the dry seasons in your life?

How Alligator Can Warn Us of Danger

Alligators will generally avoid people, but one that becomes out of balance with its own nature could very well stray too close to human habitation, especially as we encroach on their space. If an Alligator were to get hungry enough to eat garbage oralaspets, it would undoubtedly be destroyed. So if the unfriendly Alligator from your nightmare is now in your backyard, ask yourself why. Are you out of balance with your own nature? Are you perhaps moving in circles or working at a job that is contrary to what you believe in? Is your very survival on some level in jeopardy? The message from Alligator may be to move to a place of safety before you lose your struggle to survive.

ANTS MESSAGE:

You need to find your role in life.

ANTS WARNING:

Dont be a mindless automaton.