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Meet the Gods: Coyote Brother
One of the gods associated with Samhain is Coyote Brother, a well-known figure in the myths and legends of many indigenous peoples in North America. Many tribes credit Coyote with gifting fire to humans and teaching them useful skills.
Coyote Brother is most often considered “the trickster god.” He can be fearsome or funny, foolish or cunning. Many believe he brings winter, death, and all things evil. In northern California, he is portrayed as greedy, reckless, and deceitful. While that causes problems for those around him, his impulsive, often foolish behavior creates suffering for him, too, and sometimes even death, although afterwards he always manages to come back to life.
Some tribes believe Coyote to be a wisdom teacher and another believes humans evolved from coyotes. Folklore has an impatient Coyote tossing stars into the sky to form the Milky Way. If a Coyote crosses your path, a Navajo saying warns you to turn back because they consider him to be a symbol of the dark side of witchcraft.
Coyote often disregards rules and his adventurous mishaps are meant to teach “societal values, traditional knowledge, spirituality and overall worldviews,” states an article published by College Relations in 2020.
According to A. Sutherland, a staff writer for AncientPages.com, “Many Native myths deal with this amazing creature, the most sacred and at the time, most profane of animals. Coyote’s power is to make people free or to feel fear.”
Working with Coyote Brother is considered foolish by some, but for those who do, it’s important to be very precise when making requests because wishes are likely to be granted with a twist.
The reason Coyote Brother is associated with Samhain could be that along with teaching how to grind flour and find healing herbs, he also brought death. Like other tricksters, Coyote has the ability to travel between the world of the living and the dead.
Coyote Brother is extremely resourceful and adaptable, making him a god to turn to when in need of those strengths, for instance, when dealing with a difficult situation. If he appears on his own in spirit, in print, or in the flesh, it could indicate several things: there is something you’ve been avoiding, it would be good to take things less seriously, you are fooling yourself, or there’s a trap that might have been set. He may also be preparing you for a dramatic change, a serious illness, or a death about to touch your life. Pay attention. There are no coincidences.
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About the Author:
Lynn Woike
All my life I have known magic was real. As a child, I played with the fae, established relationships with trees and “just knew things.” In my maiden years I discovered witchcraft and dabbled in the black-candles-and-cemeteries-at-midnight-on-a-fullmoon magick just enough to realize I did not understand its power. I went on to explore many practices including Zen, astrology, color therapy, native traditions, tarot, herbs, candle magic, gems, and, as I moved into my mother years, Buddhism, the Kabbalah and Reiki. The first man I dated after my divorce was a witch who reintroduced me to the Craft, this time by way of the Goddess. For 11 years I was in a coven, but with retirement, I have returned to an eclectic solitary practice.
When accepting the mantle of crone, I pledged to serve and teach. This is what I do from my skoolie – a 30-year-old school bus converted into a tiny house on wheels that I am driving around the country, following 72-degree weather, emerging myself into nature, and sharing magic with those I meet. Find me at thewitchonwheels.com, Facebook and Instagram.
