Dandelion, the brave Drum

(Canada Chronicles continued ...)

Today Dandelion and I will be going to The Muhtadi International Drum Festival. Yesterday I decided to name my drum Dandelion ... a name of dual significance.

In keeping with the dandelion as a flower, every time the drum is played, powerful vibrations will spread far and wide with positive results (reminiscent of a wish being made, the dandelion being blown and the seeds being dispersed).

The other aspect reflects the meaning behind the 'Lion" part of the name Dandelion. As power animals, Lions are active and fiery, icons of bravery, courage, strength, self-worth. The meanings of the Adinkra carvings on this particular drum echo this.

Kwatakye (or Gyawu) Atiko: bravery and valour

Pa Gya: to strike fire or make fire. (Said to be a symbol of war).

I say Dandelion is brave enough to go where guided ... striking/making the fires of Love ... starting world wars where the bombs being dropped are positive vibes and manifestations.

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(I love this write-up about the Lion as a power animal):

Lions are perhaps the most social of the big cats, living in communities called prides. Within this unit, the females are the better hunters, working together to kill their prey. They are the primary caretakers of the young cubs, while the male protects the group from predators. All adults are affectionate toward the cubs, who live a playful and carefree existence.

One meaning of Lion, then, relates to family, cooperation, and community. Working with Lion medicine means understanding that one's well-being is based on being able to live and work in harmony with others, without sacrificing one's individuality. (Think of the lion's proud roar.)

We find the key to this balance between self and others in some of the widespread symbols for this feline. The lion is the astrological animal related to the sign of Leo, which rules the heart. Leo is ruled by the Sun, another symbol of Lion. As the sun provides us with life-giving warmth and light, so the warmth of an open heart provides comfort for all who are touched by it.

The French word for heart is coeur, the root word for courage. Courage comes from the heart and from one's deep sense of personal authority. When we have the courage to be true to ourselves, we have the power to act in ways that are in accord with our own spirit.

This is the true meaning of self-esteem, an honoring of oneself that bypasses false ways of gaining the illusion of self-esteem, such as comparing oneself to others and deflating their worth in order to inflate one's own value.

One who acts from a true sense of worth has a quality of self-appreciation that is inspiring and contagious. An individual who relates to others from the heart is capable of leadership, achievement, and the kind of success that encourages the accomplishments of others.

In ancient Egypt, a young lion symbolized the rising of the sun. So, in working with Lion medicine, we may experience the emergence of our own true, radiant selves.

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