ANTELOPE

By, Ted Andrews; Animal Speak 1993

Keynote: Speed and Adaptability of the Mind

Cycle of Power: spring and autumn

The pronghorn is the only antelope native to North America, but it is not a true antelope in that it does not shed its antlers, as is common among all antelopes. As with all horned or antlered animals, it reflects a connection to the brow and crown chakra and all aspects of mental ability. In the case of the pronghorn, it reflects a mental agility and quick wittedness that will enable it to survive in the most difficult of environments.

The antelope is usually specialized for living within different environments - deserts grasslands, thickets or even swamps. They have a thick hide, sometimes an inch thick, which helps protect them from the environment. The thick tubular hairs have large air cells, which serve as insulation during winter. This insulating factor is partly what enables them to survive.

For anyone with an antelope totem, there may be a need to insulate oneself or a need to come out of hiding. The pronghorn can show how best to work with your insulation and help you develop a new sense of timing in relation to it. It is not unusual for someone who is very emotional or emphatic to have the antelope show up at times as a totem.

All antelopes have great speed. They can run at speeds up to 60 miles per hour. Even baby fawns can run around 25 miles per hour in the first day or so. Those with an antelope totem have always had extremely quick wits. The ability to communicate those thoughts is part of what the pronghorn can teach.

Pronghorns have a dynamic ability to communicate with others, and they have great curiosity. Children with pronghorn totems are often those who drive parents nuts with continual questions. Their minds and imaginations are always active.

A pronghorn will signal danger to others by raising the white patch on its rump. Most pronghorns depend mostly on their sense of sight. They have large eyes and a wide angle of vision. They have eight times the vision of humans, so the moment the white patch flashes, they do see it - even from a great distance.

This ability to see at a distance can be developed into a heightened psychic ability for prediction. This is further reflected with the branched set of horns, giving the antelope totem the ability to waken your own higher psychic antennae. Clairvoyance is part of what it can teach. Most individuals with a pronghorn totem are intrinsically psychic. They came in with the lights on, although they don't always realize it. They can usually sense imminent danger, and as long as they pay attention to it, they will seem to lead charmed lives - always just avoiding the catastrophes that seem to befall those around them.

Pronghorns have a strong sense of smell. At the first sign of danger, a strong musk scent is also released. This totem can teach people how to know when people and situations don’t quite "smell" right. In traditional spiritualism there is a form of mediumship known as clairaugustus or clear smelling. Some mediums and psychics pick up fragrances of spirits or around individuals and interpret them. This is an ability that this totem can help awaken. It is not unusual for those with this totem to encounter strange fragrances throughout the day from unidentifiable sources. Usually when this begins to awaken, it begins with the aroma of musk. Musk is a fragrance that can be meditated with to help facilitate connecting with this totem.

Pronghorn males often have harems. The females usually have twins, and they give birth to them in different spots. It is not unusual for those with this totem to find that their energies are divided, come spring. Two avenues of activity usually open up. They each will be different and distinct, even though there may be connections or they may have opened up at the same time from the same source. It is always a good idea to look for new opportunities about to surface in your life when a pronghorn shows up.

For the protection of fawns, the mother stays away from them after birth, except to nurse. The fawns are born with practically no scent, so as long as the mother does not leave hers, they will be safer. This implies several things. First, the opportunities that are about to open will not need a great deal of attention. Second, it indicates ability for the new opportunities to grow quickly with just a little nurturing.

The pronghorn feeds on shrubs and sagebrush. It can actually go for months or even a lifetime without drinking water. It has the ability to get water from the plants it eats. This reflects that the pronghorn can teach you how to replenish yourself in whatever environment you live. It can teach you how to use your adaptive ability to find life in areas not normally considered livable. It can help you extract the life essence out of the most parched life experiences and develop a new mental perspective and attitude toward them, so that you can move quickly into new areas of your life.