Beaver: Builder

I've had many great ideas in my life. Getting great ideas has never been my problem; my difficulties have begun only when I've thought about translating them into physical reality. That's been when the products of my imagination have faded, just as a dream often fades when one awakens.

If you've found yourself in my situation, you will find Beaver Medicine to be very helpful. Beaver is one of the foremost creators in the animal world. Beginning with an idea of a home which is also a dam, it fells trees with its sharp teeth, and builds a complex home with several entrances and exits.

Beaver's way of creating has several lessons to teach us. The multiple entrances and exits indicate the importance of flexibility in the creative process. So often when we envision something we'd like to create, we fix on that and only that vision. In so doing we forget that creativity doesn't end, but begins with the vision, and that in the course of building something we, too, change and grow.

In the course of the building process new ideas which can improve the original vision often come to mind. If we disregard them as intrusions, we can find ourselves stuck in mid-creation. If, instead, we consider them and incorporate the best into our design we can end up with a structure which more than fulfills our original dream.

The second lesson is that beavers use teamwork and cooperation to build their homes. This is a gift animals have which humans often lack. Some call it group mind, a harmony of purpose and communication which can function only when individual egos aren't interfering with it.

Group mind approaches a spirit of Oneness and can remind us we all come from one Source and are unique expressions of the original creative energy. It doesn't mean an individual doesn't have contributions to make to a project (I am sure individual beavers have ideas about particular trees being ideal for cutting down, and thoughts about the best placement for entrances and exits). Working together in the spirit of group mind means appreciating that the union of minds creates a gestalt which for many creations is far more effective than individual efforts.

Invoke some Beaver Medicine to give life to your next dream. It is far more likely to come true.

Beaver is one of the Wild Earth Animal Essences