Reindeer Teeth

Reindeer Teeth and Extraction Medicine

I was sitting at my desk, looking at the tired old pictures in front of me that I didn’t really like and more importantly, reminded of me of a trip to Morocco, which was the only place I have visited where I didn’t feel safe on my own. Until today, I interpreted these prints (the eyes of these covered up beautiful women), as having mysterious feminine knowledge. When placed in the Northeast of your home, that is an auspicious placement Feng Shui Wise. The Northeast represents inner knowledge and secrets, And a woman should always have a few up her sleeve, however open she may appear! 😊

Feng Shui Review for the New Year!

I always try and review my Feng Shui as the year closes and clean away what needs to go from the previous year (not much this year it has been awesome), but even so it is now still a time of rebirth and the new cannot come in if the old is blocking it. So it is a great time for clutter clearing on every level.   

Hanging my new Reindeer Teeth Print (by Imelda Almqvist)– Part One

The first thing that happened, was that the frame I chose initially to put it in had a slightly wonkiness to it. They were a pair of framed prints, so I took the other print out, and placed the reindeer picture inside it. Then I realised it wouldn’t quite fit. I persevered and with a tiny trim got it inside the glass. Then I hung it, on the left from my perspective, so that it was looking inwards, towards the yet unspecified 2^nd picture. 

It Needed a Companion – Part Two

I then remembered I had printed out a labyrinth she had sent me this year (only a normal print out, but it ‘fitted’ well symbolically as labyrinths are powerful sacred sites, which help you journey deeper into yourself: one key goal of all shamanic work). 

In fact, my first experience of working with her was walking blindfolded around a labyrinth in her garden (I called that picture colourful chaos, which I was experiencing in my life at the time.) Yet as a deeper layer, the picture manifested as an actual event this summer. Four years previously I had painted the exact moment of me standing on a hill, lifting my right arm with crows flying away throwing a talisman. It was a sacred ceremony that I carried out the day I changed my name. 

However, when I went to put it in the frame it was a bit small!! So I really took notice at this point. What are you trying to tell me?

The answer obviously was at one level, there is something to look at here and despite some research below, as I go back and proof this article, there is loads more to come from this line of enquiry.  

The Symbolism (in brief) of Reindeer and Their Teeth

I researched reindeers and deer teeth meanings, and a key message that stood out was being faithful to your path and you will get there. With a fair wind, I will be able to attend the Swedish Shamanic group next year, as with one more course, I will have met the requirements to spend time in her sacred school, and the amazing land that surrounds it. Reindeer to me are associated with Sweden amongst other places so it worked for me as a match of pictures generally, and more importantly symbolically represented my 5-year dream of going to her Swedish retreats.

So staying true to my path, whatever that means in totality, will take me where I want to go. **With some adjustments to resizing of both sides of my life, and more unpacking of this interesting side line to the supposed main topic of the course ha ha 😊

Why She Gave me the Reindeer Teeth Sketch

To backfill a bit, the reason she gave me this sketch is because I had cracked a tooth the day before coming to her workshop. I knew it was connected and represented something I had to look at whilst on retreat, so knew without doubt I had to go. It got painful while I was there, so I went to the local dentist, and he patched it up. Phew! Then on the last night during a hugely powerful sacred ceremony, where I was in a deeply altered (non-plant induced) state of consciousness it ‘had’ to come out. 

I had taken my fox teeth into the ceremony that night (from a roadkill rescue) and was wiggling my tooth, with my tongue for a while. I was working with the Norn’s and the Bone Mother predominantly and got the guidance to extract it. I just got the words ’extraction medicine’ and so pulled it out. It didn’t hurt, but I was a bit shocked afterwards and worried what have I done! I got it temporarily sorted again when back in Ipswich and then a couple of nights ago, another tooth on the other side started hurting. But still the message evaded me. Or I rather I ignored it, and it went away. 

Then today, I re-membered (a key topic of this course). It was the same fear (root chakra: bones teeth etc) that had caused the only other tooth pain I can remember ever. And it has come up again. This time more consciously.  

My Interpretation of Extraction Medicine

In some shamanic work (not part of this course or teaching) extraction medicine is used to take away energetically the root cause of illness. I have never studied it but in my meditation that night, the words when I received them felt like a karmic trade and/or karmic consequence, consciously taken or accepted.  

So extraction medicine, could refer to my fear, or what I was working on during the ceremony that night or both. Both issues are very likely interlinked at a deep level anyway. 

I then came across a few interesting articles saying that wearing something (such as a necklace) next to the skin/throat is the closest way of ‘ingesting’ its energy. We ingest food with our teeth, breaking it down for assimilation and ultimate elimination. So, my extraction described in this unusual way, could also represent no longer needing to chew over an old fear. Let it go.

Put all of this into a ‘cauldron’ and eventually through journeying and painting, the answers are revealed. That is my experience of shamanic work anyway and for me is now the only way to find important answers. There could so many more layers to reveal still, just writing this has unpacked the question further. 

A Bit More Research Later

The tooth that left my body that night, it was a sliver of an upper pre-molar on the right side. These are aligned with the Lung Meridian (associated with grief and sadness) and Large Intestine meridians (associated with feeling compulsive, trapped, controlling or overcritical). Wow, I’ll take that.  

Then it goes on to say that tooth number 13 top left (13 is the number associated with Shamanism and the left is the female side) is linked with feelings that you are always working and/or looking after kids and your hobbies and life pursuits are not getting as much time and attention as you desire them to.

The Icing on the Cake and the Final ish Sign

Just before Christmas, following a few weeks of intense work to catch up after the retreat, bang I get COVID – like I’ve never had it before. It crept up slowly, and then floored me for 3 days. Mental will power got my back up on my feet again but I was scared this time. COVID vibrates at the level of fear. I admit I was exhausted and run down but the above fear/s mentioned, do need looking at as well, along with the extreme working hours of late. 

So to conclude, there are a number of threads here and it still needs more meditation to understand the correct next actions. However it also shows the power of Feng Shui in working the Northeast for instant awakening /inner knowledge. It’s actually one of my favourite areas of the house to work on: self-knowledge builds power and the better you know yourself, the more your relationships with others will improve.

It’s also important to note, this was a very powerful painting (My Reindeer Teeth) as it was the result of shamanic meditation by a hugely experienced practitioner. That would have majorly amplified its effects. Feng Shui / Shamanic Art is very powerful. Although this was not channelled specifically for me, it was the ‘medicine’ I needed. I do have a painting (a story for another day) that I commissioned from Imelda a few years ago. Let’s just say, that had a similar instantaneous effect and it’s still working now. 

2023

I have decided this January 2023 to start back officially on Tuesday 10^th January. However, for the client’s booked in before then, I look forward to seeing you. I will also be running more regular group sessions this year, for those who are interested, which are a great way to keep your energy high in addition or to compliment private sessions. These will be available via my blog or signing up to my email if you haven’t already.   

Happy New Year!

Love Rachel