neptunesdolphins | LEOPARD: Achieving Your Goal (Reply)

At one time, the leopard (Panthera pardus) (Note 1) lived from British Isles to Japan and though out Asia. Now restricted to Africa and Asia, he has been able to survive, in spite of humans. Opportunistic in his feeding habits, the leopard will eat anything from insects to giraffe calves. A solitary wanderer, the leopard is extremely difficult to spot in the wild. So great are his skills at being stealthy that the leopard can move through cattle herds without notice.

The strongest climber of the Cat Family (Note 2), the leopard keeps a low profile until he is ready to launch an attack. A smart hunter, the leopard constantly reviews the situation. He will try one way, change his mind, double back, detour around the prey, and then try again. After making his decision, then with laser-like concentration, the leopard silently stalks his prey. Just before attacking, he deliberately stamps the ground to distract his prey

In “The Cats of Africa,” Maitland Edey wrote, “Not so the leopard, the most catlike of all cats, the quintessential cat. Secretive, silent, smooth and supple as a piece of silk, he is an animal of the darkness, and even in the dark he travels alone.”

Because of the leopard’s fierce reputation, many peoples associate him with divinity. Egyptians linked the leopard with Set, their God of Chaos. In Greece, Dionysus, the God of Wine, often rode a leopard or had one by his side.

In Africa, the leopard holds the power of life and death. Only African royalty, who could wield such power, are allowed to wear leopard skins. Moreover, these individuals had the power of life over death in religious ceremonies.

Seshat of Egypt is depicted as a woman wearing a leopard skin and a headband of a seven-pointed star. She is the Goddess of Official Building (the Mistress of Builders). As a Goddess of Writing, Seshat keeps the royal annals and genealogies. The leopard skin denotes her association with the Pharaohs.

Meanwhile, Wuluo, the Mountain Deity of Qingyao Mountain in China, guards the area. A leopard-human Goddess, She makes a tinkling jade sound when She speaks. Wuluo will answer the prayers of pregnant women who come to the mountain desiring daughters.

Since the Romans used leopards to kill Christians, he became the Christian “Beast of the Apocalypse”- a Leopard with seven heads and ten horns. In Daniel and Revelation, the leopard was the ferocity, speed, and astuteness of the military might of Alexander the Great’s Empire. Also, the leopard is the untrustworthy sinner in death. (as in “Can a leopard change his spots?”)

Because of the black panther’s color (note 3), great mysticism is associated to her. In China, She rules the North with Winter. Associated with the Dark Mother, Black Panther sees into every soul. With her penetrating yellow-green gaze, She can also look into the future.

Romans saw the black panther as the embodiments of Bacchus, the God of Wine. He chose black panthers to pull his chariot. Together, They governed the subconscious and repressed desires.

Meanwhile in Australia, black panthers have been secretly roaming the bushland. Known as the Otway (Lithgow) Panther, this Big Cat has been dismissed as bush folklore. However, reputable witnesses have produced evidence of this black panther. The mystery continues.

Achieving your goal is what the leopard teaches. Instead of doing things only one way, he assesses the situation. After trying several options, the leopard settles on one. Then with intense concentration, he approaches and kills his prey.

Notes

Note 1: True panthers (Panthera pardus) live in the Old World. The jaguar (Panthera onca) is found only in the New World. The jaguar is stockier, and more powerful than the panther (also known as the leopard.) However, they belong to the same Sub-Family. Meanwhile, the Snow Leopard (Panthera uncia) is a separate species in the Big Cat family. However, the Clouded Leopard (Neofelis nebulosa) is considered neither a Small Cat nor a Big Cat.

Note 2. Cats are traditionally divided into two groups – Big and Small Cats. Big Cats (Pantherinae) differ from Small Cats (Felinae) in several ways. They roar instead of purr, with their roars being very loud and resonant. Unlike Small Cats, Big Cats attack animals larger than themselves. They suffocate the prey with a strangle hold on the neck or by covering the prey’s snout with their jaws. Messy eaters, Big Cats do not groom themselves as meticulously as Small Cats.

The Cat Subfamilies: Felinae includes the puma, ocelot, jaguarundi, and margay cat. Pantherinae includes the bobcat, jaguar, lion, leopard (panther), lynx, and tiger.

Note 3: “Panther” is a commonly used word for several cats. The puma (cougar), a member of the Small Cat Sub-family, is called “panther.” The jaguar is also called “panther.”