Creatures of Prophecy
The sacred white animals that herald both a blessing and a warning
Scott Alexander King
www.animaldreaming.com

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 Plains Indians consider the white Buffalo a gift from Father Sun. The white Buffalo was and still is sacred. Carefully prepared white Buffalo skins (referred to as ‘robes’) were traditionally displayed in full sunlight outside the lodge of the tribe’s medicine elder as a sign of respect and thanks to the sun. White Buffalo robes were also worn into battle as sacred talismans of protection. When a white Buffalo was slaughtered, great care was taken with respectful prayer offered throughout the entire process. It was believed that the white robes enhanced healing ceremonies and offered the People greater chance of recovery from illness. Medicine bundles were also wrapped in white robes as a sign of sacredness for the contents and as a way of offering them protection. ‘Big Medicine’ was one of the earliest documented examples of a white Buffalo. He was born at the National Bison Range in Montana in 1933. In May, 1937 he sired an albino calf. The totally blind calf was shipped to the National Zoo in Washington D.C. for public display where he died in 1949. In the August of 1959, ‘Big Medicine’ died at the fine age of 26.

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. Before she came, it is said, the People wandered aimlessly across the land. They did not know how to hunt or build shelter. They had lost their way. The White Buffalo Calf Woman brought unity, empathy and sacred understanding back to the People. She rekindled the flame of Spirit within their hearts and minds and she has been honoured ever since for her gift of wisdom through ritual and ceremony. When she first appeared to the Sioux, The white Buffalo Calf Woman came in human form, as a beautiful maiden dressed in white buckskin that walked with such serenity and unconditional love that all who met her bowed their head with respect. She presented the people with the Pipe, a sacred means of prayer, reconnection and wholeness and promised to return some day. It is said that as she turned to leave, she transformed into a white female Buffalo calf because the White Buffalo Calf Woman was inherently a Buffalo, the embodiment of the Buffalo Spirit; a creature who always has and always will give of itself unconditionally so that the People might prosper. 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.

It’s not just Chief Arvol Looking Horse, however, who advocates the sacredness of white animals. Many prophecies celebrate them as being portents of peace, abundance and improvement. Many cultures speak of white animals as being symbols of rebirth and promise. Sure, we have always had albino animals. They have always been revered by those who share their environment with them. The difference now, though, is that we are all taking notice of them. It has become a global awareness – a united realization that these animals are trying to tell us all something; humanity as a whole, and not just the locals who observe them on a daily basis.

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.

Japanese legend tells of a Shinto Prophet who once visited the city of Nara in the year 768 A.D. riding a majestic white Stag. Ever since that day, Sika Deer have been allowed to roam the city at will. To honour the Priest’s visit, a team of watchers was established soon after. This team remains active today and is known as the Nara Park Sika Deer Research Group. According to historical records kept by the research group, on September 22, 1933, Japanese Army Officers gifted a white Sika Stag to the Emperor of Japan. The Emperor, in turn, gifted the animal to Nara Park. Since then, sightings of sacred white Deer have been reported, with conflicting belief to the origin of these animals sitting comfortably between legend and recorded fact. According to Buddhist belief, Deer teaches harmony, contentment and fidelity. It is said to promote the desired introspective qualities sought by devotees of the Buddhist religion who aspire to reach a deeper spiritual awareness and realisation of their connectedness to all things.

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. King Arthur, for example, stalked a white Stag; Pryderi and Manawydan hunted a white Boar, while Prince Pwyll was said to have encountered a pair of shining white Dogs with glittering red ears. Rhiannon, the Welsh ‘divine queen of the faeries’ was said to travel aback a white Horse, an animal that appears throughout Celtic folklore. White Horses (in themselves, quite rare; most ‘white Horses’ are usually grey due to their traditional dark skin, with only albino Horses being truly white), were said to represent fecundity, sexuality and the cycles of birth, death and rebirth. They were also seen as being the embodiment of the Goddess herself, the land and royalty, with one depiction forged forever into a hillside in Berkshire by an ancient tribe sometime between 50BC and 50AD.  

African legend speaks of mysterious white Lions; stories that have been passed down from one generation to the next over countless centuries. Unsubstantiated sightings were first documented in 1928, but the existence of white Lions was not confirmed until the mid ‘70s with the discovery of two healthy white cubs. Epitomized by the 70’s cartoon Kimba the White Lion, white Lions are said to be Messengers of the Gods. They symbolise the golden light and the good that can be found in all living things. Championing righteousness and promise, white Lion recognises the potential found in those that may be unjustly labelled by poor reputation or here say. White Lion prompts us to never judge a book by its cover, but rather to rely on the intuitional feelings we receive on meeting someone for the first time. White Lion teaches us to look for, identify and celebrate the golden glow of potential in others. Everyone has an inherent golden glow, but due to life circumstance or negative external influence experienced through life, the vibrancy of the glow can sometimes wane to the point of invisibility, and if our golden glow is allowed to remain dormant for too long, we run the risk of forgetting about its existence altogether. The golden glow is similar to life force, spirit-essence or our innate power aspect, all of which offer vitality and purpose. If we become detached from our power aspect, we lose energy, passion and reason. Feelings of failure, despair and unattractiveness begin to creep into our consciousness, fogging our perception and hindering our progress. To have our golden glow recognised and endorsed by another: that quality, feature or ability that makes us feel unique and special, is often all it takes to banish the impinging darkness forever so that we may re-ignite our power inner beauty. Thus, white Lion advocates that to see the good in people, or to breathe life back into our own golden glow, instead of focusing on the less than positive aspects, is an alternative worth considering.

Until the early 50’s, the legend of a sinister forest phantom troubled the jungle villages of India. The legend told of a supernatural Tiger that, instead of being the traditional golden colour, was completely white. The story invoked such interest that the animal was stalked and eventually captured and presented to the world in 1951. Only a hundred or so white Tigers have naturally appeared in the forests of India since the discovery of the original animal. Consecutive breeding of white Tigers in captivity show direct lineage to the (male) ‘forest phantom’ captured all those years ago. Despite its fabulous physical strength, the mysterious history and elusive nature of the white Tiger has earned it great esteem. The white Tiger has become a revered font of submissive, protective, feminine power in Asian culture. According to the ancient Art of Feng Shui, for example, the white Tiger typifies the contemplative and introspective energies of the West on the Wheel of Life, as well as the reflective and romantic qualities of autumn. During autumn we begin to slow down and prepare for a time of rest. We go within, yearning for the comforts of a warm fire, woolly blankets and hot chocolate. The leaves turn golden in colour and eventually fall off the tree leaving it unprotected and exposed to the harshness of winter. In some parts of the world, winter means snow; a veritable blanket that covers the Earth in a frozen layer of inertia. The soil goes dormant and the animals sleep. The appearance of the white Tiger proclaims a personal, although brief time of winter-like dormancy. She prepares us for a time of quiet by stripping us of any desire to stand up or speak out. Those who find themselves drawn to the wisdom of the white Tiger may be wondering why they feel the need to comply, compromise or bow down to expectation, particularly when these traits are typically out of character for them. The docile, dutiful energies of the white Tiger are temporary, however, and will eventually fade when the need for respite, a time of selflessness or contemplation passes, delivering the individual back into the clutches of their inherently powerful nature.

Perhaps the appearance of the world’s sacred white animals comes as confirmation to the existence of The Great White Brotherhood; a Spiritual Order or Hierarchy of Ascended Masters ‘robed in white’ that have united as holy representatives from all the world’s nations and cultures for the highest purpose of the Creator Spirit and the betterment of humanity as a whole? (The word ‘white’, incidentally, referring to the aura of white light that apparently surrounds these ‘Heavenly Hosts’ and not the colour of their skin or the land from which their wisdom transpired).
Who knows? But it is worth heeding the warning words of Chief Arvol Looking Horse when he suggests that 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.

The arrival of the white animals, I am coming to realise, may collectively portend a simple warning: that if we are to heal this planet of ours, we must first forget our idiosyncratic discrepancies, unite as a People and walk as one. What if all the meditation, conscious focusing of energy, prayer, sacred song and healing chants only ever helps to settle the unrest and ease the pain generated by centuries of unbridled fear and hate? And what if, until we are ready to collectively show accountability for our past behaviour, this settling only ever develops on a superficial level? What if the ever-rumbling threat of unrest is allowed to strengthen and grow like a restless volcano? The more we fight amongst ourselves and allow chaos to rule the more unsettled the planet will become. The more we judge and repress others, lie, manipulate, cheat and steal; the more we rape the planet and take that which is not rightfully ours, the greater the gap we will build between our personal healing and that of Mother Earth. The more we refuse to acknowledge what is taking place in our own backyards and endeavour to right all our personal wrongs, the more the Earth Mother will be compelled to eventually force us to take responsibility for our actions.

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 itself. 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.

Scott Alexander King is a teacher, animal psychic and zoomancer – an individual that examines the habits and appearance of animals to help explain or reveal the future path of other people. He is also the author of ‘Animal Dreaming’, a shamanic field guide that offers insight into the wisdom of over 200 indigenous and introduced Australian animals and ‘Meet your Totem Animal’, a CD that guides its listeners to a place where they inevitably meet their totem or power animal. Scott and his family are based in the beautiful Yarra Valley, Victoria, Australia, as is his shop, Circle of Stones. To find out about Scott's full day Animal Dreaming 'Zoo' workshops and Indigo seminars scheduled for Melbourne, Sydney, Perth, Canberra and Brisbane, visit: www.animaldreaming.com
Those interested in Chief Arvol Looking Horse and his work through World Peace and Prayer Day and his Wolakota Foundation, should visit: www.wolakota.org.