my own personal panther

many of you may have heard me recently talk about a black cat spirit in my presence. a friend of mine did some energy work and the cat, i thought, was gone.

it wasn't until recently that i realized that there were two. one was attached to serena. this is the one that has left. the second is a much larger, sleeker and faster energy. i realized this past weekend that it's panther/puma.

here is the full link to the two quotes of information that will follow: http://dana.ucc.nau.edu/~djw2/panther.html

The puma is prominent in American Indian mythology, with its cunning, agility, and strength respected and admired by many tribes.The animal figures in the magic and shamanism of nearly all ancients as their progenitor, protector, or as a source of power to ward of disease or to excel as a hunter.

As to Indian myth, which most of the totems are taken from, Panther is feared and respected, and in some is regarded as the Protector of the universe. The Zuni believed that he ancient ones wanted the world to be guarded by those keen of sight and scent. The puma (the greatest of them) was the sentinel of the north (the most important position). The Miwoks believed him to be the ideal hunter, while the Apaches and Hualapais thought her wailing was the omen of death. In Navajo myth a hero was wounded by witch objects shot into his body. Puma extracts them and save his life. They also thought that the Puma benefited them by leaving the better part of the portion of its kill for the people to eat. Conversely the Papago and the later white settlers considered the cougar a flesh eating beast. The Inca hunted many animals in great round-ups where they would hunt the hunter. They found it much easier to catch bear and deer in the rounds-ups then panthers. To many Indian societies it was both a Totem and a source of help for hunting and warfare. In fact the Hopi and Zuni took carved mountain lions when hunting deer in hopes that they would be as good at it as the mountain lion was. In many cultures the puma was often deified for its ability to hunt.

The panther is the largest Lone carnivore in North America. It is known for its strength and speed. In fact - a Panther will often beat the larger Jaguar in battle. Of all the great cats the panther is the one to hunt the most out of proportion to its size. The tiger and jaguar my hunt large animals, but they only hunt prey to about 2-3 times their size. The panther on the other hand is known to hunt animals up to 3-4 times its, giving precedence to the fact that it is one of the most dangerous of hunters. Panthers are also very quite hunters and make little noise when hunting - ie. what you see in the movies is drek.

Panthers are noted to Purr and scream (best description) much like a tabby but 10 times as big and loud. Panthers also have round not slitted eyes. They tend to rely on eyesight for hunting, but have acute hearing and smell.

So I would love to hear your thoughts, ideas, impressions, etc. Especially given I have two tabby cats who seem to respect this panther like a wise elder.

also, here is the full link to wikipedia and panther mythology: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panther_(legendary_creature)

Under medieval belief after feasting the panther will sleep in a cave for a total of three days. After this period ends, the panther roars, in the process emitting a sweet smelling odor. This odor draws in any creatures who smell it (the dragon being the only creature immune) and the cycle begins again.

The ancient Greeks believed the panther was one of the favored mounts of the god Dionysus.

Talk amongst yourselves, please...