Via Autumn Skye ART SALMON WISDOM Salmon are a crucial part of the wheel of life, a powerful reminder of our interconnectedness, and a profound teacher of selfless sacrifice. To Northwest Coast Natives the salmon are highly respected, symbolizing instinct, determination, prosperity, and renewal. Skeletons of the fish are placed back in the ocean, allowing the spirit to rise again and continue the cycle of life. Pagan Celts believe the salmon is one of the wisest and most ancient of all animals, representing wisdom, transformation, and inspiration. Returning home to reproduce, they swim upstream overcoming all obstacles. This mirrors the Shaman’s quest, braving emotional waters to gain insight and spiritual knowledge on the journey to find the true self. Salmon are anadromous, living in both salt water and freshwater. After hatching in freshwater, they head out to sea transforming their colour and gills to adapt to ocean water. After 2-3 years they journey back to the exact river where they were born, sometimes traveling up to 3,200 kms to reach their spawning ground. Transforming to bright red and green, they fight their way upstream, lay and fertilize their eggs, and then die. The cycle completes, and starts again. The return of the salmon each season offers an abundant food source to over 50 species, such as bears, eagles, and otters. The decaying remains of the fish, carried by animals into the forest, provide a dramatic and vital transfer of nutrients from the ocean. Nitrogen, sulfur, calcium, carbon and phosphorus are infused into the forest ecosystem. Wild salmon are rich in protein and omega-3 essential fatty acids, Vitamin B12, B6, niacin, selenium, magnesium, and the highest Vitamin D source of any known food! Independent studies have found that farmed salmon contain high levels of heavy metals such as lead and cadmium, and concentrations of PCBs. Today many runs of pacific salmon species are declining. Threats to their survival include overfishing, habitat destruction, climate changes, and the parasites and diseases from industrial open-net feedlot salmon farms spreading to wild salmon. Please care for the waters, forests, animals, and future generations. Please choose to eat only wild salmon, with respect and gratitude. Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it. Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves. All things are bound together. All things connect. - Chief Seattle, Duwamish (1780-1866)
Posted on: Tue, 08 Apr 2014 16:57:49 +0000
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015