Goose Medicine
*Lady Stearn Robinson & Tom Gorbett/The Dreamer's Dictionary:
The meaning of a goose in your dream depends on the circumsatances and the action. If it was in a barnyard, it is a suggestion to alter your diet; if your weight doesn['t need to be increased or decreased, then check on your blood pressure and/or blood sugar. A flying goose signifies an unexpected trip; a swimming goose indicates an unexpected visitor; a quacking goose is a warning against repeating gossip; eating goose is a forerunner of a hapy social occasion; plucking and/or cooking a goose is a sign of improving circumstances; and catching a goose predicts sad news.
Geese--to see them whether swimming, flying, or on the ground, is a forecast of improving conditions; but if you heard them cackling, you are being warned that someone is trying to con you with sweet talk.
*Mary Summe Rain/On Dreams:
Goose advises a need for more seriousness in life.
*Zolar/Encyclopedia of Signs, Omens, and Superstitions:
A Welsh tradition holds that geese leave the farm when a fire is soon to appear. Yet another Welsh tradition holds that should a goose lay one soft egg and one hard one, or two eggs in one day, ill fortune will overtake the household.
Eating goose on Michaelmas Day is thought to bring income for the entire year. In fact, goose is the traditional dinner for Michaelmas Day (September 29). Should the breastbone of the roasted goose be found brown, the coming winter would be mild, should it be white or bluish, it was said that winter would be severe.
In northern Africa, a goose is sacrificed on New Year's Day to ensure a good year.
According to American folklore, goose grease blended with turpentine is excellent for coughs and colds, if rubbed on one's chest. It is also believed helpful for earaches and will soothe rheumatism.
When the goose flies high, it is considered an omen of excellent weather; when low, bad weather would come. American Indians seeing the wild geese fly south in early August predicted a severe winter ahead.
*Denise Linn/The Secret Language of Signs:
Similar to the duck and swan, the goose is associated with the Great Mother and often is found in fairy tales in this regard. A goose can be a prod in the rear. Do you want someone or something to get going? A goose can also mean acting foolishly, as in a "silly goose."
*D.J. Conway/Animal Magick:
This bird is the member of a number of species of web-footed swimming birds in the family Anatidae. They are generally found in fresh and brackish waters around the world, particularly in temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. A few species migrate to the tropics in the Winter. They are larger than ducks, with a longer neck. The area between the eye and bill is completely feathered, unlike swnas. The inside edges of the bill have tooth-like ridges for straining edible matter out of the water and mud. They usually are black, white, brown, and gray in color.
The goose as a sacred bird has a long history. One Egyptian creation myth says that the Nile Goose laid the Cosmic Egg which hatched out the god Amen. This may well be the source of the folk tale of the goose that laid the golden egg. The Egyptian hierolyph for the World Egg and an unborn embryo were the same sign. This bird was also connected with Isis, Osiris, Horus, and starngely enough, the evil god Set.
In Greece, the goose symbolized love and the good wife; it was an emblem of hera. Under its meanings of wisdom, protection, and guardianship, it was associated with Apollo, Hermes, Ares, and Eros.
To the Chinese and Japanese, the goose was a messenger of good news; an emblem of inspiration, seasonal change, light, and married happiness.
This bird was taboo as food to both the Celts and the Norse. The horse goddess Epona was sometimes shown riding a goose with horns. The North Germanic goddess Holda was associated with the goose; an old children's story tells how she shakes her featherbed to make it snow. To both the Celts and Teutonic peoples, the goose was also an emblem of war gods.
Superstitions: rubbing a bald head with goose manure will make hair grow. The English believe that eating a goose on Michaelmas Day (September 29) will ensure that you never lack money to pay bills. Some old fishermen believe that the barnacles on a ship's bottom turn into geese.
Magickal Attributes: New beginnings, wisdom, inspiration, happiness. For a happy marriage and children.
*Patricia Telesco/The Language of Dreams:
The creative principle. In Egypt, a goose laid the cosmic egg from which the Universe sprang. India: Representative of freedom, eloquence, and learning. Easter: A bringer of good news, especially for lovers. Geese mate for life. An alternative wind emblem, having associateions with Boreas in Greek mythology, the god of the north wind. In the form of Mother goose, an alternative goddess symbol, or reminder of youthful imagination and fancy. Modernly, a symbol of foolish behavior (e.g., someone acting like a "silly goose").
*Bobby Lake-Thom/Spirits of the Earth:
Geese bring messages about the seasons, and they tell us when fall is coming or when spring is coming. In this sense they are a good sign. They also serve as reminders that we need to get our life in order, become more organized, and be more cooperative. They teach us the need for supporting one another and the need to assume the role of leadership when the existing leaders become too weak. For example, you can see them start to gather and fly south before winter begins, or hear them return to the north when spring is about to arrive. In such cases stop and study their behavior and you will see how they plan and cooperate in their flight patterns.
*Brad Steiger/Totems:
Far more than a quaint symbol for children's nursery stories, Mother Goose was the great mother who laid the Golden Egg that hatched Ra, the sun god, into the world. In other even earlier versions of creation, Mother goose laid the egg from which the entire planet emerged. For the Hindu, the goose represents Brahma and the principle of creation. In traditional depictions even today, Mother goose always wears the pointed hat of the Egyptian ruler, the Witch, the wise woman, and she is never without her wand.
In the Middle Ages, the Jews believed anyone who killed a goose during Tevat and Shevat, the tenth and eleventh lunar months of the Hebrew calendar (mid-December through mid-February), placed himself at great risk unless he at at least a part of the fowl he had slaughtered. Geese were associated with witchcraft, and it was said that at some specific time during those two months, demons would attack anyone who killed a goose. Since no one knew for certain the precise moment, geese were avoided for the entire period.
From the shamanistic perspective, the fairy tale that tells of Jack climbing the beanstalk to the giant's kingdom in the sky to steal the goose that laid the golden eggs is a symbolic representation of the Shaman who rises to the dimension of the Grandparents to earn the golden treasure of awareness.
For the Chinese, the goose symbolizes traditional values and fidelity, and a pair of geese is a welcome wedding present. In Christian tradition, the goose is the animal totem of three saints: Werburga, Brigid, and Martin.
If you've always been attracted to the goose as your totem animal, you are quite likely a person wh cherishes the traditional values of your ancestral heritage. You are probably attracted to activities that center around your home, your community, and your school or church. A solid family life is especially important to you.
As a spirit helper, you may always rely on the goose for inspiration, guidance, and stability. You will gain strength from this ally as you spend time in the Silence.
*Ted Andrews/Animal-Speak:
Keynote: The Call of the Quest and Travels to Legendary Places
Cycle of Power: Autumn (for snow geese--Winter Solstice and Full Moons)
The goose is a bird with an ancient mythology and a mixture of symbolism. It was a sacred bird in Rome's temple of Juno. The snow goose is also associated with Boreas, the North Wind in Greek mythology. The snow goose is also the totem for the winter solstice in the Native American medicine wheel.
Most people have heard of the legendary Mother Goose whose stories and rhymes were designatd to quiet children. Myths, fairy tales, and other stories capture the imagination of children and adults alike. The goose is thus a totem reflecting a stimulation of the childhood thrill and belief in stories and legendary places. The story(s) we most loved in childhood often reflect the life quest we have come to take upon us in this lifetime. That is why it resonated with us so strongly. going back and rereading the one or two stories you most loved will often help you to see the patterns in your life.
These stories either reflected an imprint for this life or they may have even imprinted you with certain seed ideas. This is reflected in the early life of a gosling. A baby goose is imprinted usually by the first moving thing it sees.
The goose can also be a totem to aid you in communication especially through the use of stories. Its feather for a long time was the standard writing instrument. Individuals wishing to write--be it stories or anything--can facilitate the process by working with the goose as a totem. It will stimulate the imagination and help move you through creative blocks. Writing with a goose quill pen will help this even more. Many arts and crafts shops can help you in finding or making your own quill pens.
Because its feathers are the most commonly used in making bedding, it is also a symbol of fertility and marital fidelity. To many people sleeping on bedding made of goose feathers will help insure both fertility and fidelity.
The breast bones of a roasted goose also had superstitions in relationship to the weather. If the bones were brown, it would indicate a mild winter. If they were white or bluish, they would indicate a severe winter.
Geese are related to ducks and swans. They are more terrestrial than ducks, and they are vegetarians. To those to whom the goose comes as a totem, it may well reflect a need for more vegetables in the diet, and maybe even becoming vegetarian for a while.
Geese mate for life and they both share in the raising of the young. The fact that they mate for life often reflects again that innate belief that there is one special person for us in the world. This has ties to many of the fairy tales that we are often imprinted with as well.
There are eight species of geese in North America. This is very symbolic in that the number 8 is so similar to the symbol for infinity. It reflects an ability to move forward or backward. It reflects movement, and in the case of the goose, a call to the spiritual quest.
This is further exemplified by its migration patterns and behaviors. Their leaving in the autumn stirs our imagination and makes us want to search out new worlds and dimensions. Their incessant honking seems to be calling us to follow them on the great spiritual quest. Their return is a harbinger of spring second only to the robin. It speaks of the fulfilled promises that great quests bring.
The goose epitomizes the mystery of migration. They constantly shift formation, creating wind drafts and easier flights for those behind them in the formation. This reminds us that as any one individual makes his or her quest, it becomes easier for others to do so as well. They never fly directly behind one another. Eash goose's view is unobstructed, reminding us that we should ot undertake any quest in life without having a full view of what it entails. In this way the journey is facilitated for others.
The V-formation is very symbolic itself. it reflects by its shape an opening to new possibilities. It's like an arrowhead, pointing to new directions and new possibilities, and with one end open, it also reflects an openness to new ideas. The "v" as a letter comes from the Hebrew "vau" meaning "nail." This formation usually indicates we are about to affix ourselves to a new path. It is a letter and symbol that reflects great fertility that should be acted upon if growth is desired.
The Canada Goose is the most abundant in North America. It has a powerful voice and great strength in migration. The snow goose is predominantly white with black wing tips. Both species have a very keen vision. for anyone with a goose as a totem, greater vision, physical and spiritual, will occur.
As mentioned earlier, the male and female mate for life. Both share in the raising of the young, alternating staying with the nest. Goslings are very quiet, especially in the first part of life, and then they learn to break free. A goose as a totem can reflect that you are about to break free of old childhood restraints and begin to come into your own. Anytime the goose comes in as a totem, you can espect to have the imagination stirred toward new travels to distant places--whether in the body or the mind.
*Open for discussion.
*Lady Stearn Robinson & Tom Gorbett/The Dreamer's Dictionary:
The meaning of a goose in your dream depends on the circumsatances and the action. If it was in a barnyard, it is a suggestion to alter your diet; if your weight doesn['t need to be increased or decreased, then check on your blood pressure and/or blood sugar. A flying goose signifies an unexpected trip; a swimming goose indicates an unexpected visitor; a quacking goose is a warning against repeating gossip; eating goose is a forerunner of a hapy social occasion; plucking and/or cooking a goose is a sign of improving circumstances; and catching a goose predicts sad news.
Geese--to see them whether swimming, flying, or on the ground, is a forecast of improving conditions; but if you heard them cackling, you are being warned that someone is trying to con you with sweet talk.
*Mary Summe Rain/On Dreams:
Goose advises a need for more seriousness in life.
*Zolar/Encyclopedia of Signs, Omens, and Superstitions:
A Welsh tradition holds that geese leave the farm when a fire is soon to appear. Yet another Welsh tradition holds that should a goose lay one soft egg and one hard one, or two eggs in one day, ill fortune will overtake the household.
Eating goose on Michaelmas Day is thought to bring income for the entire year. In fact, goose is the traditional dinner for Michaelmas Day (September 29). Should the breastbone of the roasted goose be found brown, the coming winter would be mild, should it be white or bluish, it was said that winter would be severe.
In northern Africa, a goose is sacrificed on New Year's Day to ensure a good year.
According to American folklore, goose grease blended with turpentine is excellent for coughs and colds, if rubbed on one's chest. It is also believed helpful for earaches and will soothe rheumatism.
When the goose flies high, it is considered an omen of excellent weather; when low, bad weather would come. American Indians seeing the wild geese fly south in early August predicted a severe winter ahead.
*Denise Linn/The Secret Language of Signs:
Similar to the duck and swan, the goose is associated with the Great Mother and often is found in fairy tales in this regard. A goose can be a prod in the rear. Do you want someone or something to get going? A goose can also mean acting foolishly, as in a "silly goose."
*D.J. Conway/Animal Magick:
This bird is the member of a number of species of web-footed swimming birds in the family Anatidae. They are generally found in fresh and brackish waters around the world, particularly in temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. A few species migrate to the tropics in the Winter. They are larger than ducks, with a longer neck. The area between the eye and bill is completely feathered, unlike swnas. The inside edges of the bill have tooth-like ridges for straining edible matter out of the water and mud. They usually are black, white, brown, and gray in color.
The goose as a sacred bird has a long history. One Egyptian creation myth says that the Nile Goose laid the Cosmic Egg which hatched out the god Amen. This may well be the source of the folk tale of the goose that laid the golden egg. The Egyptian hierolyph for the World Egg and an unborn embryo were the same sign. This bird was also connected with Isis, Osiris, Horus, and starngely enough, the evil god Set.
In Greece, the goose symbolized love and the good wife; it was an emblem of hera. Under its meanings of wisdom, protection, and guardianship, it was associated with Apollo, Hermes, Ares, and Eros.
To the Chinese and Japanese, the goose was a messenger of good news; an emblem of inspiration, seasonal change, light, and married happiness.
This bird was taboo as food to both the Celts and the Norse. The horse goddess Epona was sometimes shown riding a goose with horns. The North Germanic goddess Holda was associated with the goose; an old children's story tells how she shakes her featherbed to make it snow. To both the Celts and Teutonic peoples, the goose was also an emblem of war gods.
Superstitions: rubbing a bald head with goose manure will make hair grow. The English believe that eating a goose on Michaelmas Day (September 29) will ensure that you never lack money to pay bills. Some old fishermen believe that the barnacles on a ship's bottom turn into geese.
Magickal Attributes: New beginnings, wisdom, inspiration, happiness. For a happy marriage and children.
*Patricia Telesco/The Language of Dreams:
The creative principle. In Egypt, a goose laid the cosmic egg from which the Universe sprang. India: Representative of freedom, eloquence, and learning. Easter: A bringer of good news, especially for lovers. Geese mate for life. An alternative wind emblem, having associateions with Boreas in Greek mythology, the god of the north wind. In the form of Mother goose, an alternative goddess symbol, or reminder of youthful imagination and fancy. Modernly, a symbol of foolish behavior (e.g., someone acting like a "silly goose").
*Bobby Lake-Thom/Spirits of the Earth:
Geese bring messages about the seasons, and they tell us when fall is coming or when spring is coming. In this sense they are a good sign. They also serve as reminders that we need to get our life in order, become more organized, and be more cooperative. They teach us the need for supporting one another and the need to assume the role of leadership when the existing leaders become too weak. For example, you can see them start to gather and fly south before winter begins, or hear them return to the north when spring is about to arrive. In such cases stop and study their behavior and you will see how they plan and cooperate in their flight patterns.
*Brad Steiger/Totems:
Far more than a quaint symbol for children's nursery stories, Mother Goose was the great mother who laid the Golden Egg that hatched Ra, the sun god, into the world. In other even earlier versions of creation, Mother goose laid the egg from which the entire planet emerged. For the Hindu, the goose represents Brahma and the principle of creation. In traditional depictions even today, Mother goose always wears the pointed hat of the Egyptian ruler, the Witch, the wise woman, and she is never without her wand.
In the Middle Ages, the Jews believed anyone who killed a goose during Tevat and Shevat, the tenth and eleventh lunar months of the Hebrew calendar (mid-December through mid-February), placed himself at great risk unless he at at least a part of the fowl he had slaughtered. Geese were associated with witchcraft, and it was said that at some specific time during those two months, demons would attack anyone who killed a goose. Since no one knew for certain the precise moment, geese were avoided for the entire period.
From the shamanistic perspective, the fairy tale that tells of Jack climbing the beanstalk to the giant's kingdom in the sky to steal the goose that laid the golden eggs is a symbolic representation of the Shaman who rises to the dimension of the Grandparents to earn the golden treasure of awareness.
For the Chinese, the goose symbolizes traditional values and fidelity, and a pair of geese is a welcome wedding present. In Christian tradition, the goose is the animal totem of three saints: Werburga, Brigid, and Martin.
If you've always been attracted to the goose as your totem animal, you are quite likely a person wh cherishes the traditional values of your ancestral heritage. You are probably attracted to activities that center around your home, your community, and your school or church. A solid family life is especially important to you.
As a spirit helper, you may always rely on the goose for inspiration, guidance, and stability. You will gain strength from this ally as you spend time in the Silence.
*Ted Andrews/Animal-Speak:
Keynote: The Call of the Quest and Travels to Legendary Places
Cycle of Power: Autumn (for snow geese--Winter Solstice and Full Moons)
The goose is a bird with an ancient mythology and a mixture of symbolism. It was a sacred bird in Rome's temple of Juno. The snow goose is also associated with Boreas, the North Wind in Greek mythology. The snow goose is also the totem for the winter solstice in the Native American medicine wheel.
Most people have heard of the legendary Mother Goose whose stories and rhymes were designatd to quiet children. Myths, fairy tales, and other stories capture the imagination of children and adults alike. The goose is thus a totem reflecting a stimulation of the childhood thrill and belief in stories and legendary places. The story(s) we most loved in childhood often reflect the life quest we have come to take upon us in this lifetime. That is why it resonated with us so strongly. going back and rereading the one or two stories you most loved will often help you to see the patterns in your life.
These stories either reflected an imprint for this life or they may have even imprinted you with certain seed ideas. This is reflected in the early life of a gosling. A baby goose is imprinted usually by the first moving thing it sees.
The goose can also be a totem to aid you in communication especially through the use of stories. Its feather for a long time was the standard writing instrument. Individuals wishing to write--be it stories or anything--can facilitate the process by working with the goose as a totem. It will stimulate the imagination and help move you through creative blocks. Writing with a goose quill pen will help this even more. Many arts and crafts shops can help you in finding or making your own quill pens.
Because its feathers are the most commonly used in making bedding, it is also a symbol of fertility and marital fidelity. To many people sleeping on bedding made of goose feathers will help insure both fertility and fidelity.
The breast bones of a roasted goose also had superstitions in relationship to the weather. If the bones were brown, it would indicate a mild winter. If they were white or bluish, they would indicate a severe winter.
Geese are related to ducks and swans. They are more terrestrial than ducks, and they are vegetarians. To those to whom the goose comes as a totem, it may well reflect a need for more vegetables in the diet, and maybe even becoming vegetarian for a while.
Geese mate for life and they both share in the raising of the young. The fact that they mate for life often reflects again that innate belief that there is one special person for us in the world. This has ties to many of the fairy tales that we are often imprinted with as well.
There are eight species of geese in North America. This is very symbolic in that the number 8 is so similar to the symbol for infinity. It reflects an ability to move forward or backward. It reflects movement, and in the case of the goose, a call to the spiritual quest.
This is further exemplified by its migration patterns and behaviors. Their leaving in the autumn stirs our imagination and makes us want to search out new worlds and dimensions. Their incessant honking seems to be calling us to follow them on the great spiritual quest. Their return is a harbinger of spring second only to the robin. It speaks of the fulfilled promises that great quests bring.
The goose epitomizes the mystery of migration. They constantly shift formation, creating wind drafts and easier flights for those behind them in the formation. This reminds us that as any one individual makes his or her quest, it becomes easier for others to do so as well. They never fly directly behind one another. Eash goose's view is unobstructed, reminding us that we should ot undertake any quest in life without having a full view of what it entails. In this way the journey is facilitated for others.
The V-formation is very symbolic itself. it reflects by its shape an opening to new possibilities. It's like an arrowhead, pointing to new directions and new possibilities, and with one end open, it also reflects an openness to new ideas. The "v" as a letter comes from the Hebrew "vau" meaning "nail." This formation usually indicates we are about to affix ourselves to a new path. It is a letter and symbol that reflects great fertility that should be acted upon if growth is desired.
The Canada Goose is the most abundant in North America. It has a powerful voice and great strength in migration. The snow goose is predominantly white with black wing tips. Both species have a very keen vision. for anyone with a goose as a totem, greater vision, physical and spiritual, will occur.
As mentioned earlier, the male and female mate for life. Both share in the raising of the young, alternating staying with the nest. Goslings are very quiet, especially in the first part of life, and then they learn to break free. A goose as a totem can reflect that you are about to break free of old childhood restraints and begin to come into your own. Anytime the goose comes in as a totem, you can espect to have the imagination stirred toward new travels to distant places--whether in the body or the mind.
*Open for discussion.
