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Villoldo, Dr Alberto - Animals as symbols
Identifier
007117
Type of Spiritual Experience
Background
A description of the experience
Soul Retrieval – Dr Alberto Villoldo
From earliest times, humankind has expressed its reverence for the natural world by using animals as totems and symbols of the highest ideals. The earth’s fauna has been used to express the strength of rulers (the lion), the purity of God (the lamb) and the sacred principles of the universe (the serpent and the eagle).
The Toltecs and other Meso American societies worshiped the winged serpent Quetzalcoatl, a god who was master of the winds and the sky, and the protector of his people. In Greek mythology, Medusa’s scalp writhed with live snakes, symbolic of her sovereign female wisdom….. while the hero Hercules was often shown wearing a lion’s skin, which gave him the beast’s cunning, strength and dominance over the animal world.