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Often seen in people’s gardens, Fairy-wren (Family: Malurus) is usually looking for a tasty Insect. Shy in nature, Fairy-wren is however tolerant of people. Popular in Australia, people regularly see Him in parks hopping about.

Despite his brilliant blue colors, Fairy-wren is difficult to see in the undergrowth. Since Male Fairy-wren is more cautious than the Female Fairy-wren (who has drabber feathers), He leaves promptly when an intruder approaches. If Fairy-wren spies a flying Insect, He hops straight up to snatch it, and then dives back to safety in the nearby bushes.

Fairy-wren’s family arrangements were confusing to many scientists. They thought He was socially monogamous but sexually promiscuous. However what they mistook for Female Fairy-wrens were the non-breeding Males. In Fairy-wren’s small group, there is one breeding pair – the dominant Female and her Partner. Because Fairy-wrens live long lives, They often form lasting family bonds. In their territories, Female Fairy-wrens will nest several times during a season. The non-breeding Males will help to raise each brood, and defend their area. When these Fairy-wrens are about four years old, They will leave their home nest.

The “Wren” of Europe, Eurasian Wren (Troglodytes troglodytes) is the only Wren that lives in the Old World. Known as Bran’s Sparrow to the Celts, Wren foretold the future with his songs. The Celts called their sacred Wren “Drui”, (meaning “The Druid among Birds”). Under the protection of Taranis, the Celtic God of Thunder, Wren often nested in his oaks. Killing a Wren brought the wrath of the Gods upon unwary people.

To various peoples from Japan to Germany, Eurasian Wren is the King of the Winds. Plutarch tells the story of how the Wren became the King of the Birds. The Birds decided whoever could fly the highest to the sun would rule over Them. The Eurasian Wren secreted Himself under Golden Eagle’s down feathers. When Golden Eagle tired, Eurasian Wren flew out and ascended higher, getting singed by the sun’s rays. Returning, the other Birds proclaimed Eurasian Wren their King. Cunning and cleverness had outwitted strength.

Wrens, a family of little brown Birds, are well-known for their high energy and trilling songs. Friendly and active, House Wren is often called “Jenny Wren” in children’s storybooks. Meanwhile Carolina Wren, one of the largest Wrens, flits from perch to perch looking for tasty bugs, delighting gardeners.

Voracious in their nesting endevours, Wrens build nests in boots, mailboxes, and even car radiators. Quick and agile Cactus Wren builds his nest amongst the sharp spines of a cactus. To impress the Female Wrens, Marsh Wren frantically builds as many dummy nests that He can in the wetlands. The scientific name for Wrens is “Troglodytidae,” which means “cave dwellers.” This comes from the elaborate enclosed nests that many Wrens build. Besides housing eggs, these roofed nests also act as their communal roosts.

The term “shadow” has many connotations, depending on its use. When working with your “Shadow Animal,” you will probably want to explore what type of shadow the animal is. That will determine how you work with Them. I will define the terms: “darkness and light,” “the shadow archetype,” “nahualli,” “heyoka,” “trickster,” and “shaman’s death” in several blog postings. Finally, I will conclude with how to work your “Shadow Animals.”

Darkness and Light

The most dangerous of the Scorpions are Members of the Fattail Scorpion Complex (Family: Buthidae Genus: Androctonus). The toxicity of the venom from these Scorpions equals that of a Cobra, and is just as deadly. Called “The Mankillers,” Members of Fattail Scorpion Complex have the ability to paralyze the heart muscles of a person in a few minutes. Moreover, They possess extremely large stingers to inject their lethal venom with.

 The eighteen Members of this Complex live in northern Africa and the Middle East. Unfortunately for people in these regions, these deadly Arachnids like to live in brick homes, especially in the wall cracks. Other places that you will find Them are under stones or in the steep slopes of sand dunes. Aggressive and bellicose in nature, Fattail Scorpions are difficult to eradicate from human settlements. This makes Them doubly dangerous. For these reasons, people have had to abandon their homes. Moreover, local hospitals keep, on hand, the antidote for the venom of Fattail Scorpions. However, because of their fearsome reputations, foolish people want to keep these Arachnids as pets. Local authorities usually dissuade such idiots from doing so before they endanger everyone else.

In Ancient Egypt, Fattail Scorpions were representatives of the Goddess Selket (Serqet). Depicted with a Scorpion on her head, Selket helped with the rebirth of the Newly Dead in the Egyptian Underworld. She would give the “breath of life to them.” (Her name, Serket hetyt, means “She causes the throat to breathe,” thereby describing the effects from the sting of a Scorpion.) Selket was one of the Four Goddesses protecting Tutankhamen in his tomb. If beseeched, She would also protect the living from the stings of Fattail Scorpions.

When people conjure up an image of a Scorpion, they will often picture Emperor Scorpion (Pandinus imperator), the Star of horror and mummy movies. This huge black Scorpion, which is eight inches (twenty centimeters) long, has the widest pincers (pedipalps) of all the Scorpions. Shaped like shovels, these pincers have tremendous crushing power. Furthermore, his huge, long tail with its very obvious and very scary stinger inspires many nightmares.

Surprise! This frightening, creepy Scorpion would rather run away than attack. Quite timid, He prefers scurrying under a rock to facing an opponent. Besides being skittish, Emperor Scorpion has only a mild level of toxicity in his venom, lower than most other Scorpions. (A healthy person may have an allergic reaction to his sting.) Because of his shyness and calm disposition, He is often kept as a pet. (The only time that Emperor Scorpion is aggressive is when a Mother carrying her Scorplings encounters a threat.)

Besides having an amiable nature, Emperor Scorpion further defies "common knowledge," that most people hold about Scorpions. Instead of living in arid deserts, He prefers the tropical rainforests of West Africa. To survive, Emperor Scorpion requires muggy, humid conditions. He makes his home deep under the moist earth in a burrow, in a streambank, or in the forest debris. Undetected in the leaf litter, He usually lives close to people, often in a Colony with his Friends.

An Order (Scorpionida) within the Class of Arachnida, Scorpions are well-known for their predatory and deadly nature. Since the Silurian Period (about 430 million years ago), these Arachnids have lived on the earth. Today, about 2,000 living species of Scorpions are grouped into thirteen families.

Contrary to popular belief, Scorpions do live in places other than hot and dry habitats. People would be surprised to know that these adaptable Arachnids also dwell in inter-tidal zones. Found world-wide (except in Antarctica), Scorpions can live almost everywhere, except for tundra regions. They will make their homes in trees, under rocks, in sand, in caves, and on mountains. Wherever there is a construction site that disturbs their homes, They will find their way into people’s houses to live. Furthermore as commerce expanded world-wide, so did Scorpions. For instance, these Arachnids were accidentally carried in shipments of fruit to England. Now, They can be found in Sheerness on the Isle of Sheppey in the U.K.

People can readily identify Scorpions by their distinctive body shape. The segmented abdomens (opisthosoma) of these Arachnids taper into a curving tail (metasoma) with the stinger (aculeus) at the end. Although They have at least six eyes, Scorpions prefer to navigate by smell and touch. With the tiny hairs on their pincers (chelae), Scorpions can sense an Insect flying by. In addition, They have slits on their legs to pick up vibrations in the air and on the ground. To grab their prey, Scorpions use their strong front claws. Then, They suck liquid out of their prey with their “claw protrusions” (chelicerae) in their mouths. The toothed jaws of Scorpions shred their meal for their stomach to suck in the juices.