The Swan normally appears in the East for those who are already attuned to their inner potentials for the higher self, but challenges us to search further and do more. There is an Indian legend of the Swan. Young Swan flew through the dreamtime looking for ways to see the future. While resting on a cool pond during her search, Swan became confused. She wasn’t quite sure how she got where she was, this was her first solo flight and she inadvertently entered dreamtime. The dreamtime landscape was different from what she was used to. Looking high up to the Sacred Mountain Swan was terrified by the swirling black hole.
When Dragonfly came by the pond Swan stopped him to ask about the swirling black hole that sent such fear through her. Dragonfly explained that the black hole was the entrance to the future. Dragonfly warned Swan that if she was going to enter the hole she had to do it with acceptance in her heart of what she would see. Being allowed the gift of seeing beyond also meant that Swan had to surrender to the will of the Great Spirit for to fight against it would mean her peril.
Swan debated with herself for quite some time whether she had to courage to enter the swirling black mass. Garnering her courage, she took wing and flew directly into the hole. Even though buffeted and battered by the winds of change, she didn’t fight the current and watched intently as Great Spirit opened her to the potentials in the future and much of Great Spirit’s plan for her and those she knew and knew she would meet in the future. Swan remained passive, allowing the winds of change from Great Spirit to guide her through the Dreamtime.
Dragonfly, who felt responsible for Swan because it was he who opened the door to the Dreamtime for her, waited near the pond for her return. Swan had shown him that she was willing to accept what she was shown. She had answered his questions properly, and Dragonfly had flown the magic to open the gates for Swan to go through. He became concerned when days passed and Swan had not returned.
Many days later when Dragonfly was afraid he had allowed Swan entry when she truly wasn’t ready, a swirl of water appeared again in the pond. Swirling up from the depths and then taking flight in a brilliant spatter of sun glittered drops, was the most beautiful bird Dragonfly had ever seen. He watched entranced by the beauty as the brilliant white feathers glinted in the sun. The bird settled near him and it wasn’t until she spoke that Dragonfly realized that it was Swan. She had changed so much. The young bird that he had opened the gates for was gray and gangly. This beauty was sparkling white. The lines of her long graceful neck were delicacy and grace personified. Her eyes, dark and warm, were no longer the eyes of callous youth, but the eyes of one who has seen beyond.
Dragonfly and Swan discussed Swan’s visit to the dream time. Dragonfly was amazed at the changes he saw in Swan. When he asked what had happened, Swan smiled warmly. She explained to Dragonfly that after surrendering her body to Spirit, Spirit had taken her to where the future lies. She explained about all the fantastic things she had seen high on Sacred Mountain. She told him how she had willing accepted herself and her faith had grown. How she could feel Spirit move within her and as she accepted herself, her life and her connectedness with all that is her eyes were truly opened. It was then that she felt the change in her physical self.
Swan as a totem can be both loving and demanding. Swans are beautiful creatures that most people associate with love, beauty and grace. Swans are also associated with being able to cross through the “veil.” As shown in the traditional story above, Swan changes dramatically as she matures. The ugly signet whose grey fuzz and mottled skin has turned into a beauty to inspire and catch the breath of the beholder. This transformation has come from self-knowledge and accepting the spiritual self, our “higher” self. The neck of the swan, long, graceful and curved represents a bridge or path between the lower self (the body) and the higher self (the mind and spirit).
The Swan is connected with Samhuinn, the night when the veil is lowered between worlds. Swans are most often seen in colder climates where their lovely dense feathers protect them from the cold. Associated with the North by both its love of colder climates and its association to the higher being, the Swan has played a primary role in folk lore and traditional stories throughout the ages. Devoted parents who mate for life, Swans show us the strength in commitment and dedication. Whether depicted pulling the chariot of Apollo, emerging from the lake as Yewberry, or as the sacred bird of the Goddess Aphrodite (the love association); the Swan is grace and dignity personified. Even unto their deaths, where the Greek fable talks of the Swan that holds it song until finally it is released in an ethereal glory as the beautiful bird sings it’s “Swan Song.”
Swan doesn’t come in to your life to say “there’s nothing you can do.” Swan’s message, although one of acceptance and grace, is also a call to action for you to pay attention to your higher self, your spiritual side, the part of you that truly is your inner essence. Swan’s beautiful song may be telling you that it is time to let go of old ways of being and accept the true higher self that you are evolving into. Allow Swan’s flight to take you inside the swirling depths of your higher self. Allow Swan to help you connect with your Spirit within.
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