GRRR!

I worked for about 45 minutes culling info from the web about these herbs, but then blogger ate it. So I'm just going to make the list, and I may come back to it later.

Plants with magical properties I have growing in my yard:
Bee Balm
Butterfly Weed
Calendula
Chrysanthemum
Clover
Daffodil
Daisy
Dandelion
Echinacea
Hydrangea
Iris
Ivy
Juniper
Lilac
Lily
Lily of the Valley
Mint
Morning Glory
Nightshade
Peppermint
Periwinkle
Pine
Rose
Sunflower

Things I want to get:
Black Cohosh
Cilantro
Cinquefoil
Parsley
Poppy
Rosemary
Thyme
Yarrow


A particularly good starting resource:
http://members.cox.net/heathersilvermoon/correspondences.html

Hippocampus - The Seahorse

In modern discussion one is more likely to encounter the term "Hippocampus" as a reference to a structure in the brain that is involves in memory, spatial navigation, and is part of the limbic system. Alternately, the hippocampus may be refered to as the Genus that is commonly refered to as "Seahorses."

Tied to these modern uses is a mythological underpinning. The hippocampus was a creature tied to Poseidon - the Greek god of the sea and of horses. Poseidon is described by Homer as being conveyed by "Brazen hoofed horses." and hippocampi are found in ancient art, including mosaics and sculpture. The name comes from root words meaning "horse" and "(sea)monster"

In personal reflection, the symbol of the horse as a means of conveyance and travel fit nicely with the function of the hippocampus as a part of the brain. The water associations of the mythological hippocampus add to this in invoking the aspects of emotion and intuition.

I would offer that the mythological hippocampus could be seen as a totem or symbol of travel through one's own subconscious - a mount for travel beneath the waves of one's own mind.

References for information and art used here (all use is for strictly educational purposes)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hippocampus_(disambiguation)

http://www.pantheon.org/articles/h/hippocampus.html

http://yeinjee.com/discovery/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/hippocamp-mosaic.jpg

heron totem

I found a bunch of interesting web stuff about herons as totems. Rather than recapping, I have just included a few representative links.

http://www.animaltotem.com/heron.html
http://wolfs_moon.tripod.com/BlueHeronTotem.html
http://www.sayahda.com/cyc.html

Question on totems: do you feel there is just one totem for you? If so, does it represent your essential personality or your life-quest/challenge? Both? Me, I feel that there can be a number of animal-spirits that guide us throughout our lives, just as I can have more than one human mentor. Some teach us their lessons and move on; others stick around. Pegasus and Great Blue Heron are two of my more persistent ones. How about you?