The Medicine of Swan is possibly the best known symbolic animal power. The most famous woman in the world was a person of profound Swan medicine. I refer to Princess Diana, the daughter of the House of Spencer. Swans hiss, so try saying Spencer without hissing! The Spencers are a house of Swans and so it is truly fitting that the prize of their bloodline is buried on an island, in the centre of a lake. The Medicine of the Swan is found in grace, hence Earl Spencer is Your Grace and Swan Lake was performed at The Diana memorial concert, presented by Prince William.

The Spencers are a house of true bred, male aspect cob Swans. So Diana’s male aspect was a Swan, gliding effortlessly with grace, whilst behind the scenes her little legs were working overtime to keep her afloat. So Prince William will be a Swan King, probably the first since mythical 'Arthur'. The Windsors selected this tragic Princess, at the age of four, to act out her own Swan Lake, to provide English blue blood for an otherwise crumbling dynasty.

Knowing who you are and what is your personal medicine is half the battle towards self-awareness and personal harmony. I am born of a long line of female Swans, my mother and grandmother before me. My female medicine is Swan and as this is my receptive aspect, it is the Foundation of my Mastery. So most fortuitously the part of me designed to receive messages and instruction is covered in Grace. Swan is the Medicine of the Archangel Michael and is an expression of the Mind of God. To be covered in grace is to accept the redemptive power of prayer, just as Doctor Who called on that Medicine to save the Universe, in Episode Thirteen, Series Three.

The Medicine of my male outward expression is The Wolf. Here all that I express is attuned to teaching. So realise the importance of the attunement and understanding of both male and female aspects. Only by bringing harmoniously together the Medicine of Swan and Wolf am I able to Teach with Grace. If you wobble at Wolf being the teacher, just think of how Rome brought us its forms of civilisation and understand that the totems of that town were twin wolves (we now live under the current expression of the treaty of Rome). My clan is Wolf and all that I do has a tendency to teach.

It is quite possible to know a personal totem and be unconnected or attuned to that energy. Just as it is possible to be sensitive to life force without being attuned to it. Coming to your Medicine Powers course allows a particular and specific form of de-cluttering. The ceremony allows us to approach the energies or conditions that have failed us and makes way for the installation of new fresh fuses. The individual, through effort and diligence can achieve the work that follows.

After the Medicine Powers course you are provided with an Energy map, enabling access and guidance from all you’re personal totems - as well as permitting them to work in full harmony with your needs. This personal Energy map should be used in conjunction with your Tourmaline Prayer Wheel and your Journeyman Abstract Tool. Sequentially explore your relationship to each totem using the Abstract Tool. Here you can be the recipient, or the totem can be in the recipient position. Then you can explore the relationship of each totem to one another. The best practice is found when you place totems, on the Abstract Tool, that have direct spatial relationships (from your personal Energy map) remembering that the two dimensional card is only a representation, of a three dimensional sphere.

A special connection can be forged by gazing upon an image or representation of your totem, whilst sat with a candle lit, to that totem and sitting in the physical direction of the place for your medicine creature. The idea is to think first how that creature’s behaviour manifests in you and then to feel for the deeper connections. So sit facing north, or go into a cellar, or even an attic, just find a symbolic way of expressing position for you. You can hold a part of your totem. Play music that connects, or find the movement and dance it out into the world. The key is found in the inward impression of the outward expression. If you can go for a swim, or imagine flying, just apply imagination and work on your capacity to visualisation.

Relate each totem to the three Sacred Symbols of your Second Degree Reiki and work on that. Hold your kanji hand positions and remember to be open to receive. Look at what happens directly in your life and observe how each totem responds to you. Place the Tourmaline Prayer Wheel on your Energy map to call your totems to Council. Give yourself a Reiki treatment and then close down the energy by releasing the circle. When you feel ready come for your Pathfinder Directions and Elements course and you will find that each of your personal totems will be the special teacher for you, of the energies of their specific place on your Energy map.