Moose in his woods references no other creature in his unique artistry. With his long, silly grin, he wants to assure you that you are most certainly odd. And that is good.  Our differences decorate the world and this Medicine teaches us how to stand in our wackiness with unshakable confidence.  When doubt or hesitation creep up, call on the eccentric power of Moose to help you return to your own unique, unusual truth.  It is like no one else’s truth and should never be denied.  Moose does not compromise his size or shape to try to fit in. He knows that whatever he becomes will find its place in the world.  There is room enough for all styles.

The process of growing antlers is a heavy, itchy, awkward event.  And the same is true for your own acts of self-expression.  Moose says be gentle in the growing times. The fuzzy velvet coat that covers young antlers is quite sensitive until it matures into hardened bone. A week before the rutting season, male moose begin to rub their antlers on the trees, and with it they also rub a strong musk to attract any women nearby.  Women who are ready to mate call for their men with deep throaty ancient voices and the men begin to spar for their attention. It takes a male moose a full year to grow the stunning abstract sculpture on his head only to shed them after mating season and begin all over again.  Enduring the discomfort of his signature fashion, Moose brings his masterpiece into battle.  Like a football player, he charges his opponent head to head to win rights in the mating game. But like boxing, the sparing events are not to the death.  In the weeks leading up to the mating season, the males begin to spar less vigorously in order to assess who is qualifies as a heavyweight and who qualifies as a lightweight champion. This qualification time insures the fights are fair and that injury is not fatal.  In this way, Moose medicine speaks of healthy competition.  When the mating season has ended, male moose returns to living in peaceful brotherhood with their temporary rivals, all grudges and hard feelings are shed and forgotten.  Moose medicine has two opposing aspects. Most of the time it indicates a bond of friendship without sexual tension.  But if the medicine is in it’s rut phase, you may be dealing with matters of sexual competition and supercharged chemistry.  If so, keep the fight clean and in a spirit of fairness.

In matters of health, Moose speaks of hormones and how their cycles affect our outlook on life.  Hormones are regulated by the pituitary gland, a pea-sized organ located at the base of the brain.  Sugar has a compromising effect on the pituitary gland and if you find you are suffering extreme hormonal shifts in mood, reducing your consumption of sugar could help.   Moose also reminds us that both male and female energies have emotional cycles.  Where a woman’s cycle is more obvious and more frequent, a man’s hormonal cycle is more subtle and perhaps on a longer cycle.  But it is there and must be honored.

The Moose totem also advises that we cultivate a wide range of relationships and not demand too much from our partners and friends. Even though they may be amazing, one person can not possibly satisfy all your curiosities in life. We are designed to live in communities.  Successful relationships (romantic or otherwise) make room for privacy and diversity alike.  Moose medicine asks you to take a look at how much you’ve been expecting from your mate lately.  It may be time to find other resources if you are feeling frustrated with their limitations.  Rather than spend energy blaming them for not being enough, use that same energy to find a new way of exploring what you are after.  All relationships are ways of experiencing our own self.  How you interact with the one you love is a mirror showing you how you interact with yourself.  When Moose medicine is in balance masculine camaraderie is at work and all feel accepted in the group.