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Animals and Witchcraft(The Witches Familiar)Sheep
by
Lillian Norman
In
northern Europe, February was the traditional month of lambing. The
ewe’s milk came in before the time of giving birth and so we have the names,
Imbolc, “in the belly;” and Oimelc, “ewe’s milk,” as the names of the
festival we are celebrating at this time of year. What better time to look
at our friend, Sheep, as Totem. Sheep
originated in Asia. We see them as totems in many early Asian
civilizations. Sheep has been included in the Chinese zodiac as well as the sign
of Aries in the Western zodiac. During the Stone Age, wild sheep were
hunted for their meat. Toward the end of the Stone Age, about 10,000 years
ago, sheep began to be domesticated. It is thought that this was because
the human population had grown to such an extent that having a flock of sheep
available provided a consistent source of both meat and milk, and was therefore
an efficient means for survival. Early
sheep were hairy and didn’t have much wool. As time passed, humans began
to breed sheep with longer hair and eventually, about 3,500 BCE, the art of
spinning wool for thread and yarn evolved. Interestingly, sheep were
also being bred to be less intelligent than their predecessors so they would be
easier to manage and less likely to escape. Today’s sheep have smaller
brains than their ancient ancestors. However, as we shall see, they are
not as stupid as they are portrayed to be. Sheep
were one of the earliest animals to be domesticated. Long has been the
relationship between sheep and humankind as evidenced by the intertwining of
sheep into various cultures, their religions and astrology. The trading of wool
and sheep products led to the first international trade. Today sheep
farming is a key industry for countries such as New Zealand, Australia, South
America and the British Isles. Gregariousness,
or the tendency to gather in social groups of like kind, is a word commonly used
to describe sheep behavior. Sheep have strong flocking instincts. It
is this flocking instinct that causes them to stick together. It is much
more difficult to attack a sheep in a large group than it is a lone stray.
They also have an instinct to follow each other. It doesn’t matter
who’s leading. There is a story of a flock falling off a cliff to their deaths
because one random sheep decided to take a walk. They are a prey animal
and will run from what frightens them. As
a prey animal, the sheep depends greatly on its senses for survival, relying
heavily upon its sense of sight. If it doesn’t keep other sheep in view
at all times, it will become upset and agitated. A sheep’s field of
vision ranges from 190-306 degrees with just a slight turn of the head.
Sheep can recognize and remember up to fifty sheep faces, and even human
ones, for years. Sheep
have a keen sense of hearing and become frightened with loud noises. Their
sense of smell is highly developed as they can distinguish between their fellow
sheep and predators, another necessary defense mechanism. The rams use
their sense of smell to locate available females and the ewes use their sense of
smell to locate their young. The sense of touch is important for sheep.
Group animals stay close together and the sense of touching each other calms the
sheep. Lambs stay in close physical contact with their mothers.
Taste helps sheep to distinguish between food stuffs. They have been known
to choose foods that will make them feel better, a sort of self-medication. Because
of their strong flocking instinct, and their flight response when threatened,
sheep are often thought to be unintelligent. This, however, has been
disproved. As previously mentioned, sheep have excellent memories. They
can also problem solve. It has been reported that they found their way
over a cattle grid to get to better food. They have also demonstrated the
ability to learn to navigate mazes. Although mostly docile, sheep can be aggressive and dangerous. A male during rutting season, for example, will show aggressive behavior in an effort to dominate the flock. A ewe will show aggressive and protective behavior when their lambs are threatened. Baby lambs love to play. They like to run, jump and climb on things. Their cousins in the wild, Big Horn Sheep, Cashmere Goats and Tibetan Sheep live and climb in the highest of mountains portraying a sense of loftiness and being sure footed.
Sheep
like their food. Often they are moved with enticements of food instead of
being herded with dogs. They are grazers, cud chewers, ruminants. By
definition, ruminants graze and regurgitate already chewed and swallowed food to
have another go at it.
Relaxation
is a key ingredient to feeding this way as opposed to the adrenalin rush
experienced by predatory carnivores during their hunt and kill. Rumination
also has another definition, one that was derived from the behavior of sheep,
which is to think at length, to contemplate, consider, study; to think deeply or
ponder; to reflect on over and over again. When
Sheep enters your life, perhaps it is an indication that you have been dwelling
on an issue or situation too long and it is time to seek resolution and move on.
The other side of that coin to consider is that perhaps you may have been too
hasty in a decision or action and need to think deeply, ponder, study or
meditate more on a particular situation or issue. Sheep can indicate balance in precarious situations, lofty ideals, perseverance, status and inspiration. When Sheep shows up, beware of going with the general flow. Look at all sides of the situation before making a decision. Don’t follow the flock off a cliff to your detriment. However, there are times when there is safety in numbers, and when Sheep shows up, it might be an indication to identify your resources and allies and stick close by them to weather out whatever storm may be on the horizon. It may also be a time to think about developing a sense of community and cooperation.
Sheep
as Totem reminds us to use all of our senses, internal as well as external, and
our intellectual capacity as we go about our daily lives. Sheep reminds us
that staying calm and relaxed will help us to better digest, understand and
problem-solve what is put in front of us. Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domestic_sheep#History
http://animalscience.ag.utk.edu/sheep/pdf/AppliedSheepBehavior-WWG-2-04.pdf http://www.sheep101.info/history.html http://www.alphadictionary.com/index.shtml http://www.thewildlifetravels.com/sheep-goats-india-wildlife.html http://www.sheep101.info/201/behavior.html Sheep
herself
©
2009 Lillian Norman Lil lives in northeast Ohio and is a solitary pagan
witch. She has been a member of EW since 2005. |
