Symbolic Moose Facts

Last Updated on September 30, 2020 by Avia

Features of the Moose Totem and Fascinating Symbolic Moose Facts

This article discusses the importance of knowing symbolic moose facts. Why? Because connecting with the moose shows us how to protect what we love, how to survive, and how to be more sensitive to our environment. Moose totems and moose meanings are huge when it comes to sharing wisdom and living a full life.

The first time my six-year old niece in Vermont spotted a moose, she was wild with wonder. Who wouldn’t be?

Imposing, impressive, elegant and monumentally huge…they’ve got a lot to offer in terms of wonder.

I haven’t witnessed a moose in the wild with my own eyes, but I have no doubt I’ll be awed when I do!

Back to my young niece. When she ran back to the house to exclaim her discovery, she bellowed: “I saw a giant horse with a lady laying on its back!” After a few questions, I realized her young eyes were seeing lovely lady curves that comprise the mound and sway back of the moose.

This put me on the hunt for threads of the divine feminine woven into symbolic moose facts. As it turns, feminine traces are in no need of hunting. The feminine is present in the moose’s habitat, and her mothering instinct.

To explain, on many occasions I’ve mentioned the importance of environment and behavior when discerning symbolic meaning about an animal. This is particularly true in tracking down meaningful corollaries when working with a totem animal.

I’ve also mentioned water is symbolic of the divine feminine. Not only is it Yin (feminine in Chinese symbolic lexicon), it is also the ultimate birth-giver – which is uber-female. Consider: There is precious little life without water. It gives life, it birthed life unto the earth, it is the watery womb of our existence. The moose spends much of its time in the water. Water is the moose’s womb within which she keeps cool, finds water, evades predators. To the moose, water is sanctuary – it is a mother.

Speaking of mothers, it’s no secret among moose facts that mamma moose is a fierce opponent when her offspring are threatened. She will defend to the death to keep her calves alive. Quite frankly, mamma moose goes ballistic-bonkers if she so much as catches a whiff of trouble to her babes. If that isn’t ferocity of female power and protection – I don’t know what is.

“Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference.”

~Winston Churchill

Native American Moose Myth of Creation

More feminine energy surrounds the moose, but it’s shared with male energy. This balance of male and female attributed to the moose comes from Native American legend. The Potawatomi tribe, a member of the Algonquin family, tell of the population of the land in one of their creation myths.

In the beginning, there was scant little abundance upon the land. In fact, there was only one Potawatomi woman placed to give life and reproduce. She knew the heaviness of her obligation to seed the world. She wanted to pick the right mate. So, the woman invited all manner of flora and fauna to her birch bark home and give convincing argument as to who should be her partner to plant new life upon the earth.

This was a highly honorable prospect. Whomever was picked by the First Potawatomi woman would live on in the seed of life from conception to the end of time. Their spirit would live on forever.

So, the few trees, grasses, flowers that were available all showed up to her home. A handful of birds flew in to toss their hats in the ring. There were few mammals, but a raccoon, squirrel and a possum came to visit. After all the candidates had pitched their woo, the Potawatomi woman declined them all.

Left without a mate to populate the lands, the woman was quite forlorn. Until…one evening in the midst of Autumn, a great, lone Mooswu visited the woman’s home. He was powerful, yet elegant. Sensitive yet courageous. He was all the things the woman required to fulfill her obligation and give life to the lands.

To this day, as Native American myth has it, there’s a little moose in all of us. How cool is that!?

The term Mooswu comes from the Algonquin language. It means “the animal who strips off”. This could be from the way the moose strips bark from the trees for nourishment…that’s what I’ve read at least. A Native friend of mine thought it more likely the term comes from a bull (male) moose stripping velvet from their antlers.

Speaking of antlers, and circling back to the male-female symbolism…antlers are a very male attribute. They are symbolic of bravery and dominance. Antlers are a moose’s greatest system of defense. They also come in handy to get the ladies. To explain…during mating season (in the Fall), male moose vie for the attention of the cows (female moose). They do this by engaging in antler-locking, among other things. This is a tremendous display of strength. And if you consider the average moose rack is 5+ foot wide – it’s an impressive indeed!

Antlers are very symbolic in the moose world and otherwise. They are symbolic of perception. They are the crowns of the animal world. As crowns, they are a mark of mental acumen. They’re kind of like antennae. They are symbolic of picking up on nuance, figuring things out, and displaying intelligence.

Not only is a moose rack mammoth in width, the moose can get as tall as 6 foot, and weigh 1800 pounds!

Neat Symbolic Moose Facts

♦ Don’t sweat it! The moose doesn’t. Nope – they don’t sweat at all. It’s a tactic to conserve heat, and precisely why moose thrive so well in cold environments. One of the reasons they wade in water so often is to cool themselves off. Symbolically, this is a way of saying “stay cool” under pressure.

♦ Follow your snoot! The moose does. That Jimmy Durante schnoz isn’t just for looks. In fact, the moose nose is made of super-sensory tissues which makes their sense of smell off-the-charts. They also have big lateral nostrils which allow them to take in their scent more effectively. Sense of smell is symbolic of memory. Symbolically, this is a message to explore memory with a goal to gain direction on your path.

♦ Are you making googly eyes? Moose does. Well, sort of. Their eyes move independently. That means one eye can be looking at you, and the other eye is looking behind or to the side. This allows the moose to always “have an eye” on things, like their babies, predators, or a tasty snack. Symbolically, vision is about having faith we are on the right path, even if there is no light by which to see.

♦ Vegan is the new green. It’s old-school for the moose. They are herbivores, which means they don’t eat meat. On a symbolic level, it’s not necessarily what we eat – it’s how we eat it. I can’t speak for the moose, but I’d like to think they’d encourage us to consume as their human Native Americans did: With mindfulness, repsect and honor for the life given so we may live (vegetation or otherwise).

♦ Rack ’em up! A rack (moose antlers) is made of tissue. In fact, this is some of the fastest growing tissue on the animal planet. Moose antlers can grow an inch or more a day! They’re also extra-sensitive. Moose can detect the slightest whisper of a breeze, or the tiniest insect hanging out on their rack. Symbolically, this ties into what I mentioned about antlers serving as a sensory perception antenna. This adds to the litany of neat symbolic moose facts. It says something to the effect: “Your perception is your ‘crowning’ glory.

♦ Stroke! Stroke! Moose are consummate swimmers. In spite of their mass, they can do the dog paddle better if not as good as…well…dogs. They’re also just as lithe on land. In fact, they can run up to 30+ mph. They swim up to 6 miles per hour. The ability to move is hugely symbolic, but more important is the way humans and animals move. Consider the expert elegance of the moose. Endeavor to emulate how this creature can move with deft with no thought to size.

All of these symbolic moose facts add up to create a pretty extraordinary picture of the moose. But this page isn’t just about symbolic moose facts. This page is designed to familiarize ourselves with this magnificent beast to gain insight into their world, and our world too.

Moose Meaning as an Animal Totem

The moose is amazing in its own right. It’s even more amazing to work with the moose as a totem animal. Perhaps you are drawn to the moose, and want more info. I hope this will give you a good start. Have a read through these totemic gifts the moose offers and see if any of these aspects apply to you.

♦  The Gift of Camouflage: Are you able to slip in and out of crowds from seemingly nowhere? You share this knack with the moose. Which is pretty incredible if you think about how big they are. I mean…how does the moose disguise a 6 foot rack and 1800 pound body!? It’s part of the moose mystery. It’s also about the moose’s precise awareness. The moose has a keen sense of depth perception. It knows where it will fit, and where it won’t. It also has good insight, so it knows about working with shadow, and using light to its advantage. Those with the moose as their animal totem have the same kind of sensory perception. They can blend in because they are aware of their environment.

♦  The Gift of Sight: As mentioned, the moose has googly eyes. Their eyes move independently. People with the moose as their guide might not have Marty Feldman eyes, but they can adjust their vision. Moose people can see far beyond what most people see. I’m not necessarily talking physical vision either. If you have unorthodox views, and high vision, the moose might be your animal kin. If you tend to have your “eye on the prize” while keeping your vision focused on work – that’s a great moose attribute. If you can see outside of what is physical – if you can peer into the energetic realms – the moose will absolutely help you clarify that intuitive 20/20 vision.

♦  The Gift of Solitude: Aside from mating season, the moose prefers their own company. The moose is a member of the deer family – but they certainly don’t herd like deer. Nope. They like the quiet and solitude. Does this sound familiar to you? Are you completely at ease with being alone? Do you find it preferable to travel, accomplish tasks and work on your onsie? The moose tips his rack to you. The moose reminds us it’s okay to go solo. They encourage the gift if tranquility. They remind us that we should be our best company. Moose encourage us to be comfortable with ourselves and be at one with who we are first before seeking partnership.

♦  The Gift of Protection: All of us can be protective of the people we love. A big moose facts is a mother moose takes this to the enth degree. Mamma moose is like a brick wall of defiance when it comes to protecting her calves. If you are a mamma, and find yourself needing to protect your child – the moose can help with that. Envision a 2,000 pound moose mamma, with fiercely glowing eyes, towering over any threat in her path. It’s a bolstering image. Further, moose energy is easily called in times of protection. Consider calling on the moose when you need to defend the defenseless, and protect those who need your help.

♦  The Gift of Adapting: The moose makes the best of some tough challenges. Another bit among moose facts is this: It’s so tall, it has a hard time foraging for food. The moose gets around this problem by grazing in tall grasses. This way, it can pick the tops of fresh greens without having to kneel (which is difficult for the moose to do). Do you have some challenges that you’ve overcome? The moose gives you a big “high-five” for overcoming tough odds. Adaptation, and making assets out of perceived deficits are all about moose-power.

♦  The Gift of Discernment: For the most part, the moose is a gentle giant. These creatures are quite content and quite calm. However, as mentioned above, when provoked, the moose is not to be messed with. This boils down to discernment. The moose knows when to mellow and when to kick bootie. Do you have a level head? Are you typically easy-going, but boy-howdy, watch out if you’re provoked? You share that with the moose. It’s a gift of assessing a situation with lightning quick speed and acting in the best possible way for survival. When the coast is clear, enjoy life as the moose does – chill, and roll with the reeds.

I hope these totemic symbolic moose facts help you make a connection with this regal animal. Check further down this page for symbolic highlights of the moose, and other related articles!

To round off this article, here is a quick list of symbolic meanings for the moose:

Symbolic Moose Facts: A Quick-List

• Noble
• Grace
• Agility
• Gentle
• Instinct
• Respect
• Courage
• Solitude
• Strength
• Visionary
• Protection
• Sensitivity
• Perception
• Adaptability
• Discernment

Keep this list of symbolic attributes in mind as you meditate upon the moose facts in terms of totemic power. See if you can enhance these qualities in yourself as you get in touch with moose energy.

I hope you have enjoyed these observations about symbolic moose facts. Check out the links at the end of this page for more neat totem facts, and animal meanings.

May all your moose encounters be marvy

Brightly,

Avia

Take Away Tips About Symbolic Moose Facts

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