Sacred White Animals herald both a Blessing and a Warning
On August 20, 1994, on a ranch in Janesville, USA, a single pure white Buffalo calf was born into the world. They named her ‘Miracle’, for this animal was no ordinary Buffalo calf. Being that she was born white marked her as a creature of Lakota prophecy, with her birth heralding a time of purification and renewal for the children of Mother Earth.
The Buffalo calf was not an albino, but an animal exhibiting leucism; a form of albinism where the individual lacks melanin skin pigmentation, but has blue eyes instead of the familiar pink. Such a trait is relatively atypical among wild animals (although common and, in some cases, encouraged in domestic breeds). It presents a very real disadvantage to creatures in their natural habitat, limiting camouflage potential, ability to successfully stalk prey and to absorb both heat and required levels of UV rays. Thus, animals exhibiting either albinism (from Latin albus, meaning ‘white’) or leucism rarely survive to adulthood.
The Lakota, Dakota and Nakota clans are collectively referred to as the Sioux. The Sioux nation is one of warriors; a noble and proud People. The White Buffalo Calf Woman sits at the heart of the Sioux Nation and offers beauty and conviction to their legends. In keeping with belief, The White Buffalo Calf Woman presented the sacred Buffalo Calf Pipe to the Sioux People. She offered them the Pipe as a form of reconnection to Spirit.
Many believe that the white Buffalo Calf named Miracle and every other white Buffalo Calf born since (approximately 16 in total), collectively herald the re-uniting of humanity and the reawakening of Oneness: the state of mind, body and spirit that rejects solitude, fear and abandonment and re-establishes sacred connection to Spirit, the Earth Mother and ‘the People’. The white Buffalo symbolises hope and renewal, harmony among all people and a joining of all races of man so that we may walk together, united as ‘a People’.
Apart from the prophesized white Buffalos (which are among the most sacred animals a person could ever encounter), other rare and beautiful white animals have begun to appear the world over: Lions, Servals, Giraffes, Zebras and Gorillas; Robins, Foxes, Sparrows, Bats and Hedgehogs; Tigers, Elephants, Raccoon Dogs, Pythons, Cobras, Monkeys, Leopards and Peacocks; Kangaroos, Wallabies, Kookaburras, Koalas, Possums, Emus, Echidna and Kiwi; Ravens, Crows, Deer, Black Bear, Skunks, Moose, Squirrels, Pronghorns, Coyotes, Horned Owls, Hummingbirds, Rheas, Pumas, Rattlesnakes, Alligators and Lynx and Whales, Penguins, Fur Seals, Dolphins and Sea Turtles, with many appearing in the last four years, or directly before, during or after world events that call for peace and global unity.
According to Chief Arvol Looking Horse, traditional leader of the Lakota clan of the Sioux nation and 19th generation Keeper of the White Buffalo Calf Bundle, the appearance of these white animals heralds a time of great urgency for the Earth and humanity as a whole. It is said that the appearance of such unusually coloured animals is a sign; an omen calling for us to unite as a People and walk as One; to see past the colour of our neighbour’s skin or the ancestry of their people and to come together and embrace them as brothers, sisters and all-related children of the Earth Mother.
Despite the fact that animals exhibiting albinism or leucism are far more vulnerable than their naturally coloured kin, we are seeing an increase in these creatures developing into healthy adults … with many going unnoticed by man until fully mature and quite certain of unaided survival in the wild. It is said that the lesson behind the emergence of these rare white animals is one that must be acknowledged by every man, woman and child if we are to bring healing to the Earth Mother and humanity. We are being reminded to be ever mindful of our actions and reactions, to be more accepting of others, their beliefs, orientations and customs and to be more respectful of the animals and the Earth Mother her self.
Chief Arvol Looking Horse believes that we are now deep in a time of prophecy, when animals are choosing to be born as head-turning anomalies; white ambassadors of their species with messages that double as both blessings and warnings. He endorses the idea that the animals are being born white to attract our attention, as embodiments of a universal need for humanity to unite in the name of Peace so that our children and their children will be ensured a future on Mother Earth. He says ‘all nations, all faiths’ must unite ‘in one prayer’ no matter how we believe in the Creator Spirit, if we are to acknowledge and honour the birth of these sacred animals and heed their message.
Albino animals have been revered in most cultures for centuries; venerated as omens of good fortune, fertility, plentiful rain and bountiful harvest. Some even describe them as being imbued with supernatural or magical powers, usually charged with extraordinary strength, speed, shape and size. In medieval Europe, for example, it was believed that white Mice personified the souls of departed children, while the appearance of a white Elephant was said to have proclaimed the birth of Gautama Buddha. As a result, the white Elephant has become a sacred symbol of appreciation in Hindu tradition. The white Elephant (and Ganesha) are both said to offer deliverance from the obstacles created by the mundane aspects of life, aspects such as embarrassment and limiting circumstance. In Thailand, the people believe that white Elephants may very well contain the souls of people who have crossed over to the Spirit World.
White animals appear regularly in Welsh and Celtic mythology, too, as creatures of the Otherworld, often sporting red ears, eyes and snouts. In these stories, they were more often than not pursued by brave warriors and noblemen when they ventured into the ordinary world.
According to Chief Arvol Looking Horse, the appearance of the White Buffalo Calf and the plethora of other white animals come as both a good omen and a forewarning of powerful but necessary change. The animals have been trying to warn humanity for ages of the inevitable changes the Earth Mother has in store for us. We have witnessed countless mudslides, earthquakes, floods, droughts and strong winds over the centuries, but in recent years there have been an increased number of occurrences, with each event proving more devastating than the one prior. The people who survived the Asian tsunami, Boxing Day, 2004, for example, say the wave seemingly came out of nowhere. Thousands of people died that day … but not one single wild animal was lost. Why? Because many animals rely on atmospheric pressure to navigate their path and use infrasound (the ability to hear sounds and make noises of very low frequency that are inaudible to the human ear) in order to communicate with members of their herd or flock. They, unlike us, have never lost their ability to communicate directly with the Earth Mother, nor have they forgotten their inherent relationship with the forces of Nature or to trust what they feel intuitively and ‘know’ rather than what they physically see. The ancient cultures had it, but we, as ‘modern civilised beings’, have long forgotten ours.
I believe the arrival of the white animals (not to mention the birth of the sacred White Buffalo Calf), may be seen as a warning urging us to take the time to better understand and accept each other’s differences and to be less fearful of not being the most powerful force or the biggest and the best. They are trying to tell us that if we don’t stop calling in our worst fears by worrying about the ‘what ifs’ or believing all the ‘she said, he said’ half truths infiltrating our written and electronic media, relationships and minds; if we don’t stop criticizing and punishing our brothers and sisters because of petty differences generally created and maintained by fear and a desire for control and if we don’t stop blaming or judging our neighbors by their nationality, the colour of their skin, their beliefs and their customs instead of loving them for their differences and treating them as friends and equals, then we will soon be living in a time of great darkness. I believe the white animals are offering themselves as beacons of hope; spiritual yet tangible guides driven by one goal – to inspire us to follow and trust only in the light that is the heart of the Creator Spirit and life in chorus. A light guaranteed to lead us away from of the darkness into greater awareness, clarity and unified abundance as a People.
They are inviting us to partake in the sacred ‘hunt’ – a hunt for what this light might mean for each of us on a personal level; a thrilling adventure symbolic of the search for the sacred self or a quest for a deeper understanding of our very soul. In the stories of old, the soul was more often than not depicted as an elusive and magical white beast, while the hunt itself symbolically introduced us to our Sacred Self by leading us deep into a ‘dark, ominous forest’.
The white animals, I believe, are here to fulfil an ancient prophecy: to invite us to follow them into that forest now – into an unfamiliar place of deep healing and personal acceptance so that we might finally emerge the other side as rebirthed and reformed individuals; whole and healthy beings in an interrelated world. They are reminding us to reclaim our beauty, our soul-essence and our Personal Power; to find a place of trust and acceptance within ourselves, to know our Sacred Self and to systematically forever banish ourselves and the world itself of ‘evil’ in its unlimited guises. And when I say ‘us’, I mean everyone. I mean each and every one of us and I mean humanity as a whole.
By – Scott Alexander King