Post by &! R H E A on Nov 9, 2010 17:46:42 GMT -8
about the cassiopeia
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To Follow The Spirits is to Find Peace: The Great Spirit lives within all things, and as such it is our responsibility to live in harmony with all around us. Every leaf, rock, and animal is to be treated with great respect, for we are all gifted with spirits that return to the skies upon death. Give thanks to each animal that gives its life for our sustenance, and be cautious not to cause undo harm to the world around us. Waste nothing, and take only what is needed. If you do so, your spirit will find happiness when you return to the skies. The Great Spirit loves all as a father his pups, and desires harmony for all his children. These are the ways of peace and the Great Spirit.
Search for wisdom from the earth, the winds, and the water. These are the gifts of the Mother, Mother Earth. Just as the Great Spirit looks after his children, so too does the Mother care for the lands. We do dances and songs, as well as tell stories, to show our love and respect for the Mother. She must never be forgotten, for we live on the cliffs and in the canyons where Her presence is especially strong within the stone beneath our feet. All She asks is that we respect Her land and children, and She will do us no harm. These are the ways of harmony and the Mother.
There are many guardians - both good and evil - that walk the earth and the spiritual planes: meditation and a genuine desire to seek them out are all that is required to find them, be they lifelong or temporary. Each spirit is tasked with assisting us by the One Above (We have many names for the Great Spirit). They may not speak with words - spirit guides are beyond the earthly tongue - but they will make their presence and advice known. Seek their wisdom daily, and especially when in the midst of trials, and they will lend you their strength and talents. Curse them or do them wrong, and they shall leave you bereft and alone of all spiritual companionship. To earn their forgiveness, and the forgiveness of the Great Spirit, our Shaman may give you a task to redeem yourself. These are the ways of guidance and the Astral Realm.
Our Shaman is always to be respected, for he is the most knowledgeable of all the Cassiopeia in the ways of the spirits and the planes beyond this world. He is our emissary between the Cassiopeia pack, the Great Spirit, and Mother Earth. One must simply ask, and the Shaman will do everything in his power to assist you - even if that means he must stand back and do nothing. Even our Chiefs and Chieftess' seek the Shaman's blessing before any large decision is made, for he is the messenger between Cassiopeia and the Spirits. Fight only when necessary, for if you are the reason behind the death of an innocent, the Shaman will not heal you, and you will instead be cast out - injured or no. These are the ways of healing and the Shamans.
It is believed that the original Cassiopeia, who started this pack, was sent as a messenger of the Great Spirit to open our eyes and show us the divine nature of the world. She is looked upon as somewhat of a folk hero, and we have many stories that tell of her wisdom and insight. As the First, she is deserving of a great deal of respect. She is the second-brightest star in the sky (The first being the eye of He Who Brings Night, a powerful spirit we believe has been given the task of shadowing the earth, that we may sleep), a constant reminder of our returning the Great Spirit upon our deaths. These are the ways of the First and the Sky.
All Must Calm Their Thoughts: All Cassiopeians know that violence is almost never the answer to conflict. Issues are resolved peacefully and without strife. We do not snarl at our brothers and sisters: from the lowest of the disgraced to the wisest elder, we are all sons and daughters of the Great Spirit. We seek harmony with the world around us above all. Take joy in the world around you, and seek spiritual guidance regularly. We are all on a journey to find completeness with the universe.
If you have caused harm to another, through word or action, it is not unwise to find time for oneself. There you must seek peace, perhaps through meditation, or advice from your spirit guide or totem. We all take missteps in learning to be one with the land, and we will not look down upon you if you fall. Our weakness is another's strength. You will be looked upon highly if you seek assistance from your elders during times when you are troubled. Those who struggle with anger might find comfort in becoming a brave-fang.
Pups born are all given a birth totem by the Shaman. This totem spirit will look after the young one until he is old enough to begin searching for his first Totem Spirit or Guide. All yearlings, upon reaching one year of age, must begin lessons with the Shaman or Medicine wolf, both to find their totems and spirit guides, as well as to learn how to seek spiritual guidance from the Creator and the Mother.
The one law above all, that all of us learn from the day our spirits enter the world, is the law of Death. Each animal, stone, and flower contains a spirit and the breath of life from the Great Spirit. To kill without cause is the most heinous of crimes possible. We kill only in times of great need, and we mourn each death and ask for forgiveness from the spirits. If you must kill, for food or to protect yourself or another, kill quickly - do not allow any to suffer by your actions. Even the animals we eat must be killed with haste. If you kill and the Shaman rules it an injustice, you will be cast out. The Spirits and the Creator, even Mother Earth, will be the ones to deal out the appropriate judgement upon you.
Our Bodies Climb the Great Mountains: We are built lean and light, made to scale the rocks and ledges of our canyon home like Brother Ram. Our paws are especially large, legs powerful and sturdy. Even our claws are longer and thicker than other wolves, to get as much grip as possible. With enough speed, we can even clamber up some of the short, near-vertical cliffs common in our territory. More of us have also been gifted with wings, so that we may fly from peak to peak. We are the most skilled at catching bighorn sheep and other mountain-going prey. Nothing can escape our best hunters in the mountains.
Our pelts are wiry with thick, heavy undercoats to protect us from the snowy winters in the mountains. We shed our winter coats later than usual, because chilly mists can cling to the mountains as late as mid-to-late spring. Our hearts and lungs are larger and more efficient than our lowland-dwelling cousins, since we spend so much time at high elevations. It is not unusual to see Cassiopeians with barrel-chests to house these specialized organs. We can even become dizzy when we must descend to the lower territories, because there is so much oxygen in the air!
We alone have an extra 'eyelid' to filter light and protect us from snow-blindness when the sun shines too bright upon the snow.
In Times of Strife Cassiopeians do not specialize in war, and their military tactics reflect this. Great thought is given to each movement, and we operate more as hunters than soldiers. Because we are weaker than the other packs physically, we must strive to avoid direct confrontation. We distract and cause chaos, hunting our targets and picking off stragglers or wolves along the edge before fading back into the shadows. These groups usually operate in pairs, so as not to make too large a target or become too loud. Still, we can only do this so long before we are forced into an open battle. But these strategies are designed to give us time; to delay the enemy. In this time, we move our pups and elders to safer, hidden dens, and may even have time to bring about a compromise to end the violence.
If we absolutely must fight openly, we will do our best to lure the enemy into rockier, tougher terrain where we might have the highground and where numbers count for nothing. This way we can leap over their heads, falling upon them as eagles upon hares, and maybe have a chance of winning.
Brother and Sister Spirits: black bear, mountain lion, wolverine, coyote, red fox, gray fox, lynx, bobcat, bighorn sheep, mule deer, white-tailed deer, moose, elk, porcupine, badger, skunk, long-tailed weasel, marten, wood rat, vole, rock mouse, jackrabbit, snowshoe hare, pika, rock squirrel, ground squirrel, shrew, chipmunk, ptarmigan, grouse, woodpecker, jay, mountain chickadee, garter snake, trout.
To The Lost:
Because of unfortunate times, we are careful what strangers we allow into Cassiopeia permanently. Visitors and messengers from other packs are always welcome, despite the physical, verbal, and spiritual clashes we may have had in the past. If you come to our pack, you may join us in meals and story telling. If you need rest before returning to your territory, you may even sleep in the dens that house our brave-fangs.
Stay too long, however, and we will get suspicious if you do not give us a reason for your visit. Do not mistake our peaceful ways for weakness - we will escort you to the border if need be, for the Great Spirit understands our plight when we must protect our young. If you wish to join and your plea is whole-hearted (our leaders will meditate upon this), we will allow you to join as our brother. We turn no wolf away.