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Crocodylidae
Silent and
deadly, this fearsome predator lurks in the still waters of nightmare.
As we learn of this creature, we find her to be an integral part of the
water systems she makes home, and a powerful ally of spirit. Dangerous,
yes, but treat her with respect and she has much to offer.
Modern dinosaurs, these reptiles descend from the Archosaur of the Triassic
period. Beautifully adapted to their habitats, they have survived nearly
unchanged in the last 65 million years. Although there are subtle differences
between Alligators and Crocodiles, they are similar enough to cover at
once. Popular myth once suggested that Alligator jaws hinge on the bottom,
and Crocodile on top. In fact, both creatures' jaws hinge in the same
manner. The best way to tell them apart is that Alligators have an overbite
which covers all their lower teeth, while Crocodiles' teeth interfinger
and the lower teeth are visible when their mouths are closed. Crocodiles
are also able to subsist in salt water, and have developed salt-extracting
tear glands, giving birth to the myth of "crocodile tears."
The largest crocodilian species is the Estuarine
Crocodile of Australia. "Yai" a captive Crocodile is listed in the
Guinness Book of Records at 19' 8". A male American Alligator can grow
up to about 13'. Though they were said to grow even larger -- up to 18'
in past centuries, it is rare to see one of this size nowadays, as they
are thought a danger and controlled. The Cuvier's Dwarf Caiman grows to
only about 4 1/2'. You can estimate an alligator's size by the distance
between its eyes. Each inch equals a foot in length.
Lying in wait, in the still of the marsh, Alligator is nearly invisible
until her prey wanders close enough. Then she strikes, with incredible
swiftness and a bone-crushing jaw strength of as much as 3000 psi. With
conical teeth more suited to grabbing and holding, than to cutting, the
Alligator will then roll beneath the water, which often is enough to drown
or dismember her prey.
Alligators and crocodiles feed on a variety of fish, water birds, mammals
and other reptiles. The American Alligator is a boon to sports fishers
as they often eat "trash" fish such as gar, which would otherwise prey
on bass. Some species of Caimans (a crocodilian sub-family) are reported
to eat piranha. Most crocodilians do not prefer human prey, and will tend
to escape human presence when possible. However, attacks on humans do
occur, most often involving swimmers and small children. The Nile Crocodile
is known to eat animals as large as water buffalo and lions, and man as
well -- several disappearances a year are attributed to them. The Estuarine
Crocodile of Austraila is also feared as a man-killer.
Fearsome as they are to their prey, crocodilians are exceptionally caring
mothers. Female alligators will guard their nests vigillantly, and will
often lift their hatchlings from the nest in huge serrated jaws to carry
them to the safety of the water. Young alligators gather in pods, where
the mother can lurk nearby, ready to respond to the young's first chirp
of danger, for as much as two years after hatching.
Crocodile and Alligator
Energy
In ancient
Egypt Crocodiles were venerated as gods. At shrines in Kom-Ombo in Upper-Egypt
and in Crocodilopolis (Fayum) they were even hung with jewelry and gold
bracelets and mumified after their deaths. Crocodiles were believed to
bring the rains which overflowed the Nile and left potent mud to fertilize
the lands. At the same time, they were feared for their destructive power.
This alliance with the processes of Birth and Death and Rebirth, gives
crocodilian people a Plutonian energy of transition and transformation.
Their life's lessons often center around the many small deaths they go
through as they grow and change. Like the ebb and flow of the Nile, the
crocodilian must learn to release the past and bring in the new, but without
drowning and destroying all in their wake. They have great creative power,
given by the fertile mud in which they bask. Yet they must learn gentleness,
so that they do not crush their own children within their jaws.
The association with water, and the fact that their eyes can peer above
it, gives crocodilians the power to see above emotion (water) and to find
the logical (air) answers. They may be seen as "cold-blooded" by others.
In actuallity, they are creatures of emotion, which they often hide from
others beneath their thick and gnarled skins.
As slow as they might be to act upon their own emotions, crocodilians
will guard their nests with ferocity. Threatening the "children" (whether
a loved one or a creative project) of a crocodilian will bring a swift
and drastic response.
The myth of Crocodile Tears is also an important one for Crocodillan people.
Often one of their lessons is to learn to be truthful with themselves
and others about their emotions. There may be a need to cry and release.
Or the person may reflect one emotion to others, while feeling another.
crocodilian people can be masters of "ready stillness". Often they seem
to be drifting aimlessly. They have found that it is best to wait and
drift up on a problem or situation, carefully timing the attack. Once
the answer is within their grasp, they lunge forward and hang on until
the problem is wrestled into submission.
If a Crocodile or Alligator lunges too soon, their prey may escape. Until
they learn this lesson, crocodilian people may thrash against the need
for stillness and inaction. It is imperative that they learn the "zen
of right timing" -- that all things occur in the time which is best and
proper.
Alligators and Crocodiles may have been part of the genesis of legends
of Dragons. Like Dragons, crocodilians are often the guardians of great
and powerful treasures of knowledge and wisdom. Yet it is imperative to
treat the wisdom gained with great respect lest it swallow you whole.
Connecting
with Alligator and Crocodlie
To bring
crocodilian energy into your life, try some of these exercises:
Water (Emotional):
Write poetry
or draw pictures of crocodilians
Hang pictures of crocodiles and alligators around your house or work area.
Wear crocodilian jewelry. See our Alligator
and Crocodile belts, rings and bracelets.
If you feel the need to snap at someone, take a moment and breathe.
Take a boat trip into the swamp. Allow yourself to just drift and relax.
Play in the mud.
Allow yourself to cry.
Air (Mental):
Read books
about crocodillains. (see our Bookstore)
Analyze your emotions. See where you are not being truthful with yourself
or others. See where you need to develop a thicker hide or where you need
to stop snapping at yourself or others.
Practice seeing each emotion, and each of life's deaths and births as
a growing process. Look for the treasure that lurks within.
Utilize the vast creative powers of your mind. If you wish to make a change
in your life, you have many options. What are they?
Fire (Dynamic):
Practice
stillness and waiting.
Wait until the moment is right, then strike & hang on!
Practice "right timing." Know that things will happen when they are supposed
to. "Waiting is."
Earth (Physical):
Utilize your
creative powers. Plant a garden. Or make somthing.
Wear aventurine and malachite, and other fertility stones.
Wear jet, obsidian and onyx and other releasing stones. (For more info
on stones, see our page on the Magickal Properties
of Gemstones).
Spirit
Let go of
something that has been holding you back -- a past hurt, a fear, anything
unhealthy. Try this exercise: Go to a lake, swamp, the ocean or other
body of water. Pick up a stone and visualize the thing holding you back.
Project that idea into the stone. With all your strength, fling the stone
out into the water. Let the thing holding you back go with it.
Allow yourself to give birth to something you desire. You have the power
to create what you wish.
If you need an answer, meditate, blank your mind, and allow the answer
to bob to the surface -- it will.
©
Lionrhod and Martrildonno Designs, Inc 1997-2001
Not to be used without express permission.
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