OCTOPUS

[Terri Benning]

SPIRIT of the OCTOPUS ~ Intelligence, Camouflage, Shape-shifter, Adaptable, Flexible, Emotional, Creative, Psychic, Focus, Logic, Intelligent, Potential

LINKS:

https://dreamingandsleeping.com/octopus-spirit-animal-symbolism-and...

https://www.symbolic-meanings.com/2008/01/19/symbolism-of-the-octopus/
http://www.whats-your-sign.com/octopus-animal-symbolism.html

https://www.discovermagazine.com/the-sciences/octopuses

https://mauioceancenter.com/8-tenti-cool-facts-octopus/

https://www.spirit-animals.com/octopus-symbolism/

https://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/blog/octopus-legends-and-urban-myths/

http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/invertebrates/common-...
http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/invertebrates/giant-p...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Octopus

Octopus/Squid's Wisdom Includes:

* Intelligence
* Moving rapidly away from danger when needed
* Proper use of smoke screens (ink) in evading enemies
* Destroying negative barriers

The Octopus

Octopus live in dens, crevices on the sea floor, or holes they dig under large rocks. They are night predators and feed on crabs, sea snails, and other small fish. An adult female has a short life span approximately one to one and a half years. . There are over 100 species of these solitary eight armed animals that live on the ocean floor. They range in size from one inch up to 23 feet.

Adults lay 1000’s of eggs at a time. They watch over the eggs for several months without ever leaving the den. Exhausted by breeding and starved by the vigil over her eggs the female octopus usually dies before or shortly after the eggs hatch. In the world of the octopus the cycle of life and death is continuos. The Greeks believe the octopus represents the sacred spiral of life, always evolving and ever changing. Near death and out of body experiences are common for those with this totem giving them the skills necessary to help others transition into spirit. They make excellent hospice workers and death and dying therapists.

The agility of the octopus is surpassed by none. Since they don’t have bone attached to the muscles in their legs they can squeeze through openings no bigger than a penny. If the octopus loses an arm it will regrow another one. Flexibility and regeneration are some of its teachings. The study and practice of Yoga would be an excellent therapy for those with this medicine.

The most unusual feature of the octopus is its 3 hearts. One heart pumps blood through the body and the other two-pump blood through the gills. This attributes to their constant high blood pressure. Octopus blood is blue and a poor carrier of oxygen. The rare condition known as a blue baby is associated with octopus medicine. Because of these physiological oddities the octopus has poor stamina and an inability to struggle offensively or defensively for very long. Heart conditions are common in those with this medicine so caution is advised.

These unique creatures of the sea have excellent eyesight but cannot hear. They are believed to be the most intelligent of all invertebrates. Those with this medicine are clairvoyant at birth but have difficulty hearing or responding to the voice within no matter how hard they try. When octopus swims into your life it is asking you to let go of your inefficiencies, stop trying so hard and focus on fine tuning the skills that are naturally yours.

Octopuses are experts in the art of camouflage and teach us how to utilize this skill for our own benefit. These fascinating creatures can change colors to mirror their surroundings and alter their skin texture to match the texture of sand, rocks or other surfaces they are on. They also squirt black ink into the water clouding a predator’s visibility so they can escape unharmed. The octopus is a powerful totem to have. By following its lead we learn how to move through life safely, securely and without struggles.

Relationship to Humans:

Ancient peoples of the Mediterranean were aware of the octopus, as evidenced by certain artworks and designs of prehistory. For example, a stone carving found in the archaeological recovery from Bronze Age Minoan Crete at Knossos has a depiction of a fisherman carrying an octopus.

The octopus, a favorite theme of Minoan vase and fresco painting, floats among seaweed and urchins in a free floating, off-center, naturalistic style. (below)

Minoan Octopus Art:

https://smarthistory.org/octopus-vase/
http://www-01.glendale.edu/ceramics/minoanoctopusvase.html

https://sites.google.com/site/velabasquiat1969/art-history/minoan-o...

The Moche people of ancient Peru worshipped the sea and its animals; moreover, octopuses were often depicted in their art.

Octopus Impersonator, Old Lord of Sipan. AD 400 by coricancha on De...

In mythology:

The Hawaiʻian creation myth relates that the present cosmos is only the last of a series, having arisen in stages from the wreck of the previous universe. In this account, the octopus is the lone survivor of the previous, alien universe.

According to one translation of the Hawaiian creation myth, the Kumulipo, our universe is only the latest in a long line of universes, each new one created upon the destruction of the last. The he‘e, it’s said, is the lone survivor from the universe just before our own, a creature that somehow squeezed through the narrow crack between worlds. How else to explain the strangeness of the octopus—an intelligent, gelatinous mollusk with three hearts, a being that can jettison clouds of ink or change the color and texture of its skin in an instant? That universe before ours must have been wondrous indeed.

https://hanahou.com/17.1/hee