Sea Eagle at the Woodland Park Zoo waits to see who wins the Super Bowl, ©Rose De Dan

I currently call Seattle home (or my village if you are thinking like a shaman). And while I am not typically informed on the topic of sports you would have to live in a cave in the far away hills (which West Seattle is not, contrary to some beliefs) to not be aware that Super Bowl fever has Seattleites in its grip.

It crops up everywhere. I went into my local library two days ago and discovered that the librarians were all wearing Seahawks jerseys. The one that caught my attention first was being worn by a woman who looks like a librarian rather than a die-hard sports fan. When I commented on the new library uniform she told me that she had attended the rally and signed the 12th Man flag—she was a true fan! She also informed me that the Seattle librarians have a bet on with the Denver librarians. I did not catch all the details but it had something to do with the loser tweeting the reading lists of the winners (a serious bookie bet).

My local library is not the only organization that has caught the fever—the Woodland Park Zoo posted pics of the animals enjoying play time with footballs. And the Seattle zoo has a bet on with the Denver zookeepers—a curator from the losing zoo has to hand deliver a treat for either the sea eagles (Seattle) or the Przewalski’s horses (Denver) and spend a day at the zoo wearing the winning team’s jersey.

As a result, I have learned a few facts I was not previously aware of, such as Seattle fans (often referred to as the “12th Man”) are so loud in their team support that they have not only made the Guinness Book of World Records, but registered on the earthquake meter during one particular game (that is SO Seattle).

In pondering the concept of the 12th Man and the importance of the power of energetic support focused on positive outcome my mind crossed over into shamanic contemplation of animal/team totems. A little research yielded the information that outside of the football field a Seahawk is an actual bird. It is more commonly referred to as osprey, sea hawk, fish hawk, or fish eagle.

In the realm of shamanism a totem animal spiritually represents a clan, village or sports team and reminds them of their kinship. Kinship works both ways, so while I am cheering on the Seattle Seahawks this afternoon, I am also going to cheer on the sea hawks and other marine wildlife currently struggling with environmental issues.

I want the Seattle Seahawks to win because I want my people villagers to be happy, but I also want the animal villagers I share territory with to be happy, too. Even if the Seahawks don’t win (perish the thought), outside of the arena—after the game is over and the crowds have all gone home—living sea hawks will still ply the waters of Puget Sound as they have done for countless generations. And as an animal shaman I will continue to work on behalf of All My Relations (who’s on that team might be a post for another time).

For now: Go, Seahawks! Go, Sea Hawks!

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A WILD WAY TO HEAL
In private practice since 1996, Rose De Dan, Wild Reiki and Shamanic Healing, is an animal communicator, Reiki Master Teacher, shamanic practitioner, author and artist. As an animal shaman she views her mission as one of building bridges between people and animals through healing sessions, classes, ceremonies and events such as A Walk on the Wild Side: Answering the Call of the Wild.

Her book Tails of a Healer: Animals, Reiki and Shamanism features heartwarming stories about animals and their role in her evolution as an energy worker and shamanic healer.

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