The Clan of the Cave Bear

In the weeks before I was to find out about the job, I was having a bit of a hard time sleeping. My dreams were snippets of insecurity peppered with powerful visions of flight and world domination. But the one that was the most vivid was dreamt on the night before I was to find out the bad news that I didn't get the job.

I was walking down the back road of the ranch in Montana. It was fall and the grass was brown and tall alongside the ditch. At the time it did not seem strange that I was meandering along with a 5 foot tall, walking-upright badger.

I felt very solemn as I strolled along with my arm around the shoulders (?) of the badger. Emanating from him was a feeling of calm wisdom. I wanted most desperately to talk to him and to have him give me some wise and badger-like advise.

Before I was able to even get started a herd of tourists crested the hill in front of us. It was obvious that they were tourists due to the fact that they all had cameras hanging from cords around their necks, they all wore sunglasses, and under each of their arms was a folding lawn chair. Most of the lawn chairs were the type made by weaving strips of plastic in a checkerboard pattern. And the majority of the chairs were also a weird turquoise color.

Upon seeing the teeming throng of tourists, I dragged the badger down into the dry ditch bed and pulled the long grasses that grew on the side of the ditch bank down over us.

I did not want to be disturbed - especially by a group such as this.

Much to my consternation they throng of chatty tourists (all women, by the way) dropped down into the ditch and began unfolding their lawn chairs - lining each side of the ditch with their touristy madness. The badger and I crouched amongst them covered with our horribly inadequate camouflage of wispy dried plant stems.

At one point I realized that all the tourists knew that we were there, but they tried to politely ignore us. They seemed the types to want to avoid any type of conflict or embarrassment, and this irritated me all the more.

I woke up with a sense of frustration so great I wanted to go immediately out into the world to find any tourist that fit the demographic - a woman, a camera, a fake and uncomfortable smile, and of course that stupid, idiotic folding lawn chair.

It makes me mad just thinking about it.

After finding out that I didn't get the job I wondered if the dream held any message for me. The more I thought about it, the more interpretations I came up with.

Today, after Googling "Badger" images to show a co-worker what a badger looked like I found this.

Now, if you are too lazy to actually click on the link, I am going to include the incredible information that I found below.

Who knew that I had an animal totem? Any of you who know me well will recognize that this is truly the animal that is the essence of me.

All this with no peyote buttons, too....


Cunning badger of the forest,
Guide me to wisdom, truth and light.
All injustices against me,
Wipe clean the slate and set them right.

Aggressiveness, Reliance, Self-Expression

The power of the Badger totem is its aggressiveness and the willingness to fight for what it wants. This aggression can also be turned to healing - for Badger is the keeper of Earth's healing herbs.

Badger people are quick to express their feelings with concern for the consequences. They are often healers who have the courage to use unconventional methods. Badger has the ability to persist to find a cure.

Badger people are often leaders and bosses, the one who will get the job done.

If you have a Badger as a totem, you will likely be solitary but comfortable being alone. You are comfortable within yourself and very self-reliant.

Badger anger can get your out of apathy, but be careful not to cut yourself (or others) to ribbons using.

Badger is a powerful totem when used properly.