In the Dark, We Grow: Wisdom from Buffalo Calf Woman and Osiris

Some seasons don’t offer clarity — only the dark.

I’m moving through one now.

Buffalo Calf Woman and Osiris have been walking beside me in this time, not to rescue me, but to guide me through it.

Buffalo Calf Woman: A Return to Right Relationship

Buffalo Calf Woman is a teacher of integrity, and the buffalo is her symbol of strength and endurance.

She came to the Lakota people with the sacred pipe, teaching that life itself is a prayer and everything must be approached with respect. In her story, the buffalo is not only a provider but a protector of sacredness. The man who came to harm her was struck down, while the one who approached with reverence received the sacred teachings.

Her presence now reminds me that like the buffalo, I must stand firm in my integrity and honor what is sacred, even when I can’t see the way forward. The buffalo’s strength teaches me to keep moving through the dark with unwavering faith in the process.

Osiris: Trusting the Death That Cannot Be Escaped

Osiris, too, carries the image of the bull — a symbol of both strength and sacrifice.

Like the bull, Osiris was broken down, torn apart, and scattered.

But from this destruction, a new life emerged.

Osiris did not return as he was; he became ruler of the underworld, embodying the wisdom that comes only through transformation.

The bull’s sacrifice is not an end but a step toward rebirth.

Osiris teaches me that some things, like the bull’s strength, must be broken down before they can rise again.

Death is not the end, but a necessary passage for new growth.

The bull’s energy reminds me to trust in the dark, knowing that transformation requires letting go of what was to make way for what will be.

Two Ancient Powers, One Threshold

Buffalo Calf Woman and Osiris both carry the strength of the buffalo and the bull, symbols of unwavering endurance through hardship.

They guide me to trust in the process of transformation, even when the way forward is unclear.

The Sacred Strength of Transformation

Both of these deities, though rooted in different traditions, share a message of deep, enduring strength — the strength to stand firm like the buffalo, and the strength to endure the process of rebirth, as the bull does through Osiris.

As I move through this dark season, their presence reminds me that transformation is not a linear journey. It’s messy, it’s painful, and sometimes it feels like an undoing. But there is power in the breaking down. There is wisdom in the suffering.

As the buffalo gives its body to nourish and sustain life, and as the bull sacrifices itself for a greater purpose, I too am called to honor the sacredness of my own struggles — knowing that they hold the potential for new growth.

In the Stillness of the Dark

I am learning that strength is not just about enduring but knowing when to surrender, when to let go of what no longer serves me.

It’s about standing firm, even when the path is unclear, and trusting that the darkness is a necessary space for new life to emerge.

The buffalo doesn’t question its path as it moves through the wild, and the bull doesn’t question its place in the cycle of life and death.

They simply are.

Right now, I’m learning to embrace that stillness, knowing that the dark is as sacred as the light.

There is power in resting.

There is power in trusting that the seed buried in the soil will eventually sprout, even if I can’t see the growth beneath the surface.

The buffalo and bull have shown me that there is no need to rush.

So I wait.

I trust.

And I learn to sit with the discomfort, knowing that this too is part of the process — part of the dance between light and dark, between the sacred strength of the buffalo and the transformative sacrifice of the bull.

And though I may not know when the light will return, I know that I am exactly where I am meant to be.

Both the buffalo and the bull have reminded me that the journey is not about knowing everything in advance. It’s about stepping into the unknown with faith, trusting that the wisdom of these ancient guides is present, even in the dark.