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Animal
Guides and Allies
by White Bear
Animals
may appear to us in dreams
or show up in our daily lives in a variety of ways. |
Animals are everywhere
on our planet with us. We've taken them into our homes as friends and
we go out and look for them in nature just to enjoy and observe them.
In shamanism or native medicine way teachings, animals are also
helpers to us in very powerful ways.
Power animals can
assist us with their energies or "medicines" if we choose to
avail ourselves of them. We can find out which animals we are working
with by "journeying" (working in non-ordinary reality) and
"retrieving" our power animals. Or we may get a reading from
someone trained in this area. We may also discern for ourselves
through the dream state, contemplation, meditation, or by doing our
own card readings, which animals are working with us at the time, and
which is our particular power ally.
Power animals often act
as ambassadors to our spiritual growth. They are similar enough to us
that we can relate and empathize with them. Once we make that
connection, they may act as skilled teachers of perception. They feel
our hearts and can align to our frequencies to show us lessons.
Animals may appear to us in dreams or show up in our daily lives in a
variety of ways. By looking at these visitations in new ways, we can
learn more about ourselves and our personal paths or purpose in life.
For example, whenever
Raven medicine comes to me (i.e., I see a Raven in a particular way or
one approaches me), I often feel that magic is afoot. The sighting of
a raven could also be an omen for me, or a synchronous experience. In
working with Raven, I learned the following information from the book,
Animal Energies:
"There are many
stories in Native cultures about the mystery and magic of this elusive
black bird. Shamans know the power of an unexpected piercing sound in
altering consciousness. Ravens exercise this power, emitting as they
do, a variety of sounds, some quite piercing and startling. Ravens are
associated with psychic abilities, and their feathers are sometimes
used to aid clairvoyance. If Raven has flown into your life, you can
be sure that something unusual will be happening, something out of the
Void, from the Great Mystery. While you can't fully prepare for the
mysterious, it is good to meet Raven not with fear, but rather with an
appreciation for its magic."
If you are interested
in working with animals in this way, or in finding out more about your
animal guide or ally, there are many books and websites that offer
valuable information. (See sidebar) Readings can also be done using
various animal card decks, a classic one being "Medicine
Cards, the Discovery of Power Through the Ways of Animals" by
Jamie Sams and David Carson. A very informative book comes with the
deck and can help guide you in an approach to discovering your animal
allies.
Here are just a few
books and websites concerning shamanism, animal energies,
and medicine ways:
Animal Energies,
Gary Buffalo Horn Man and Sherry Firedancer
Animal Speak, Ted
Andrews
Zuni Fetishes, Using
Native American Objects for Meditation, Reflection, and
Insight, Hal Zina
Bennett
Websites: http://www.geocities.com/~animalspirits/
www.delphi.com
(look for the forum "Animal Spirit Guides")
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Another way to work
(and one that works well for me) is to tune in to the Deva of the
kingdom you are working with or that has appeared to you -- it could
be an animal, plant or mineral kingdom member -- and
"download" the information about the animal, plant or rock
directly from the inner planes.
Consider any animal in
your search for meaning and instruction. Be open. Discover new ways of
noticing all that enters your environment. Going out into the
"wilds" and looking for animals is very useful, but also
take notice of animals you see on TV or in magazines, or ones that
unexpectedly pop into your mind upon hearing a sound or while you are
involved in some activity. A good guideline is to note what
"jumps out" at you.
Obviously, animals that
are quite prevalent in an area might not be bringing a special message
to you, but the way in which an animal appears could give a clue as to
whether the visitation is an omen or synchronicity. For example, if
two huge ravens walk right toward your car in the Wal-Mart parking lot
(this has happened to me in Anchorage!), you may be dealing with raven
medicine. Also, don't limit the form that an animal may appear in;
consider even a fish fillet in the grocery store.
An interesting form of
animal medicine practice is the use of gemstone "fetishes"
or carvings. These small animal figures are made by many cultures,
though particularly well known are those made by the Zuni tribe of
southwestern America. Using a fetish is a means of working with both
animal medicine and rock or mineral medicine.
Enjoy your adventures
with animals, your inner senses and the world around us. This is a
wondrous and magic-filled life!
White Bear does
Word Medicine, Ally Medicine readings and Wellness Consultations
(using holistic and spiritual healing methodologies) to help companion
animals. She can be reached at 907-357-5400 in Wasilla or at
907-566-3400 (voice mail only) in Anchorage.
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The
Ravens' Call
by Dawn Baumann Brunke
 One
morning, quite early, I was awakened by some very loud birdcalls.
Ravens, I thought. I got up and padded barefoot out onto the upper,
back deck. There, across the yard, were seven or eight ravens calling
back and forth between two trees. One raven was flying in fast,
figure-eight swoops above the trees. Another joined in the
aeronautical display, making large, loopy circles around the trees.
Even as the screen door banged shut behind me, the ravens persisted
with their raucous calls. Obviously, I was not to be a part of their
calling. I was there under the great gray sky, standing in the early
morning drizzle in my cotton nightshirt, for another reason.
It suddenly occurred to me that a raven had died and that these
ravens were announcing its death to others. Do ravens do such things?
I wasn't sure, but in my still-sleepy state of conscious this seemed
to be true. Their calls struck me as holding anger and sadness,
confusion and release, all braided together, as if part of some
communal ceremony.
I thought of my aunt, my father's oldest sister, who is slowly
dying of cancer. The last time I saw her, she was a little stick of a
woman who could have easily been blown away by a gusty wind. Still,
she was not giving up so easily. She made me laugh with her dry humor
and insistence on living life as she always had. She drove herself
every Friday morning to the beauty salon to get her hair washed and
coifed; she hid in her bedroom to smoke forbidden cigarettes; and she
had a stiff drink at the Elk's Lodge when we went out for dinner.
It was not lost on me that it was the ravens' calls that brought me
to this place -- both out in the rain and in the shadows of my
thoughts, where I could take a moment to reflect on the ways in which
life and death continually entwine our days. Raven is sometimes
believed to be an omen of death, though it is also part of Raven's
lore to announce contradictions: of light and life emerging from the
darkness, of mystery, magic and transformations.
I remembered my friend Ellen who had dreamed of death as an old
woman gathering berries. Soon after the dream, Ellen was drawn to
workshops on death and dying; she wrote poems about death, got her
will in order, and began to believe that she was preparing for the end
of her life. What came instead was the death of her son, an
18-year-old, young man out for a sail in weather that turned stormy.
The ravens called louder and louder, as if insisting that I should
understand something. But what? What were they communicating to each
other, to me, with those shrieking calls and wild aerobatics? Watching
them reminded me of how strangely life moves within us -- slowly
fading away, like my aunt, like old wood bleached by the sun;
othertimes turning fatal in just an instant, like Ellen's son, a quick
kiss good-bye, now you see him, now you don't.
Sometimes there is no answer, only the mystery. And so I stood in
the gray morning drizzle and listened to the ravens' calls until my
fingers and toes turned red with cold.
Dawn Baumann Brunke is the editor
of Alaska Wellness and author of Animal Voices:
Telepathic Communication in the Web of Life and
Awakening to Animal Voices: A Teen Guide to Telepathic Communication
with All Life. See www.animalvoices.net
for more.
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Animals
and Allies:
Hearing Messages from the Natural World
by White Bear
Perhaps
you're noticing animals
in all sorts of ways in your daily life… |
Did you ever see a raven swoop
suddenly from the sky and cross your path of travel as you were driving
down the highway? Have you ever been walking alone in the woods,
thinking about something that has been troubling you, only to be
startled by the movement of a moose in the brush? Perhaps you're
noticing animals in all sorts of ways in your daily life. Do you wonder
if some of these animals have a special message for you? If so, what is
it?
Obviously, every single time you see
a particular bird or animal, it may not be an omen (unless perhaps it
is). I carry a small notebook and pen in my pocket, so that I can record
"sightings" wherever I may be. If I can, I also write down
what I was thinking or talking about at the moment of the sighting. At a
later time, I can then contemplate what the animals came into my life to
tell me.
When you see an animal in a strange
or unexpected way, it is often a good idea to ask yourself: is this
sighting of special significance (e.g., an omen) for me? If you feel
something "in your gut" (you might even feel a tightening in
that area), then pay attention! You can also ask, right on the spot,
what that message is, and see what pops into your mind.
If you carry a pouch of tobacco or
other herbs for ceremonial purposes, you can drop a pinch when you get a
special message from the Universe through her animal kingdom as a thank
you. If you're not prepared to do that, a verbal thank-you always shows
respect.
A good way to start tuning in to the
guiding power of animals is to consult a resource, such as Ted Andrews'
books (Animal-Speak and Animal-Wise) or any
other book that you especially like on the subject. There are also
several web sites that list the various "medicines" and
attributes of different animals. (A favorite of mine is http://www.geocities.com/~animalspirits/.)
Take your list of the animals you
encountered in a given day and arrange them in order of
"importance." Do this intuitively and quickly. Next, go to
your source book or web site, and look each of them up. The
above-mentioned web site is very handy because it gives short phrases or
ideas in a list for each animal. Go down the list, reading each item,
and jot down the one (or ones) that speak to you, next to the name of
each animal.
Then, arrange this list of phrases
into a general statement. Here's an example from my journal. On this
particular day, I encountered raven, bluejay, and macaw:
Raven -- Recovery,
Reflections/Mirrors, Change in Consciousness.
Blue Jay -- Bluebird:
Movement to new level of being
Macaw -- Pair bonding.
MESSAGE: Recovery (of one's)
reflections/mirrors (creates) a change in consciousness and movement to
new level of being (through) pair bonding.
Work with your phrases, trying to
keep them as close to the original as possible, though adding in your
own connecting words to make a message. The full messages can be quite
surprising. If you've noted what you were thinking or talking about at
the moment you sighted the animal, take this into consideration. You may
relate it to the animal's message, and then to the day's message.
I've also started noting a direction
in relation to my animal sightings (either the direction of where the
animal came from or where it was going). Sometimes animals come in
groups or numbers, as well. For example, you might see five ducks or you
might encounter horse medicine three times in a daylong period. The same
technique can be used to determine what the medicine of the direction or
number is by using books on these subjects. A book that I use for
numbers/numerology information is Linda Goodman's Star Signs.
For information on spatial directions, I like to use Brooke Medicine
Eagle's Buffalo Woman Comes Singing.
A faster and more personal way to
determine an animal's message to you is to go to the source. If you can
do so at the time of the sighting, ask the animal what it has to tell
you by tuning in to its essence or the deva overlighting its kingdom. If
you're driving or busy at the moment you see the animal and can only
make note of it, you can always call on the animal or deva later when
you have more time.
Whatever ways you choose to hear the
messages of the natural world, it is an empowering and wonderful thing
to do for yourself. Many individuals use these techniques for personal
growth and enlightenment. It's fun too!
White Bear does
Word Medicine and Ally Medicine readings for people, and Wellness
Consultations (using holistic and spiritual healing methodologies) to
help companion animals. She can be reached at 907-357-5400.
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She
Wolf - An Animal Fable Based On A Human Life
by Kathy Sarns Irwin
She was born into this world and she
was a wolf. In the soft, dirt darkness of the den, she snuggled alone.
Her strong mother came and went in the darkness with warm,
life-giving milk. Her father came too. He was bigger, darker and
gentle, and smelled like the earth and wind. They were gone for long
periods of time as She Wolf slept and her little bones grew.
She soon ventured out on stiff, stubby legs. The bright, cold world
embraced her, the sun stung her watery, blue eyes and she shivered as
a cold breeze fingered her blonde, downy fur. Love and protection
swirled around her in a blur of fur and gently-touching noses.
She Wolf learned quickly of the swift nip and snap if she wandered
too far from the den. Her babysitters were often the submissive ones,
those not prone to hunt, who stayed to teach her games and tell her
stories.
She didn’t notice it at first, amidst the flurry of smells and
sounds, but one day his scent was gone. Sitting back on her haunches,
she let out a wistful, high-pitched howl. She waited and waited, but
there was no answer from her father.
Then her father’s father arrived. He brought food and terror and
stood beside her mother. He was an old, angry, grey wolf. Two of his
toes were missing; part of his ear was sliced half off; and there were
bumps on his nose. He violently abused the wolf rules with a
vengeance. He often drew blood, which was not normal for this quiet
pack. She Wolf learned quickly the pain from the lash of his fangs.
His strange actions confused her, and she ran and hid. She tried to
stay small, but her bones continued to grow. Her blurry puppy vision
began to clear as she grew up fast.
One day there was the smell of smoke, and two of the pack did not
return. Another wolf came home limping. Her grandfather slashed at the
wounded wolf as they fled. The pack trotted towards the far green
mountains until they found a valley without the smell of smoke.
She Wolf’s blue eyes turned gold. Her fur was thick and she was
lean, strong, and big for her age. Although the other wolves her age
were still playing near the den, her grandfather took her hunting. She
learned to excel so as not to be punished by his swift fangs. She ran
behind the caribou that lagged behind the rest and swiftly sliced the
tendons of an animal three or four times her size. Then she would
stand back as her grandfather ate first, as she licked warm red blood
from her body.
Her grandfather grew older and angrier, often drawing blood in the
pack for no reason other than his own pain. Some of the young males
sat beside She Wolf, sniffing her fur. Her grandfather would fly into
a rage, and they were beaten down or chased from the pack.
One day She Wolf stood up to her Grandfather. Baring her perfect
white teeth, anger bubbled up her throat, her blonde hair blew in the
breeze, and the Alpha She Wolf danced in her yellow eyes. She leaped
at him once and he jumped. He faced her and rose up to take her down.
Glancing once at the stone-silenced pack, she turned tail down and
ran.
He chased her ceremoniously and turned back to his pack, arrogant
as if he had won. She Wolf heard her mother’s mournful howl but
never looked back as she stretched out her long legs and headed toward
the coming darkness.
She ran and ran through the many changes of the moon and seasons.
Frozen lakes, deep rivers, golden meadows, jagged mountains and deep,
damp forest floors all passed beneath her calloused pads. The beating
of her heart and the steady rhythm of her breath was all she knew.
Occasionally she crept past cabins. She learned the smell of the metal
that hides beneath the snow and dirt and snaps as jaws of death; it
reminded her of her grandfather, and so she ran.
She ate mice, carrion, whatever was easy in her path. She grew lean
and rarely stopped. Once she came to a pack of Coyotes. They stretched
and yawned and asked her to join them. She stood off as they cajoled
and begged. At last, she laid down her mane and lifted her head,
walking slowly, stiffly towards them. Immediately, they danced and
laughed in their yippy, coyote tongue, jeering at her as she had
believed the joke. She ran from their nips and drunkenness.
One day while lapping from a still, cold pond, she saw a
magnificent animal reflected back at her. Jumping back, she snarled.
As it snarled back, she ran, afraid to see if this mystical creature
was following her.
From a rare nap, She Wolf awoke with the scent of earth and wind
mixed with the darkness of her den from long ago. She turned to see
her father. Old and crippled now, he nudged her gently. They walked
slowly together through the deep, quiet woods. He showed her where he
had been hiding and told her stories of his life. She listened. They
sat and looked at the mountains and breathed the air together.
Stretching, she laid her head on his bristled shoulder. She told him
about Grandfather. Hanging his sad head, her father said nothing.
As She Wolf’s eyes became heavy, she lay down to sleep. When she
awoke, her father was gone. She sat back and howled, listening to her
echoes return to her. Her heart was warm and she walked slowly from
the dark valley.
The sweet sound of birds and many rich noises of the forest spoke
to her, just as her father had of simple, good things. She walked more
and ran less, feeling her paws connecting to the ground. She felt the
sun warming her fur and heart. She ran only to take down food she
needed and then rested for days, enjoying the sounds and smells of the
earth. She howled at times simply to hear herself. She stretched and
jumped and played with sticks and she felt peace.
One day, a shadow from the forest moved beside her. She jumped,
realizing it was another wolf. They walked together. They played and
fought and made up, and lay down together. They made love and looked
at themselves in each other’s wild eyes and knew they were one.
Soon others joined them. Eventually, she was heavy with new life.
She snuggled in the soft, dirt darkness of the den and slept as others
brought warm food to nurture her bones and life within her. In the
dark, her partner smelled of the earth and wind. He would gently nudge
her and then be gone.
One day, followed by four new beating hearts, she emerged on stiff,
long legs into the daylight. Strong sunlight stung her golden eyes.
Cold wind fingered her thick, blonde fur as she shivered. She
stretched and yawned as love and protection moved around her in a blur
of fur and gently-touching noses.
With long, strong strides, she hunted, played, and taught her young
about survival. The wolf rules of this gentle pack were honored. Dim
grandfather memories returned only when she licked the warm blood from
her coat of new success. Quiet truth and the good earth scent of her
father filled the breeze and her senses with peace.
She Wolf howled to hear her joy, and the others joined her. The
harmony of their echoes filled their world as she felt warmth from the
sun. And she knew she was never alone.
Artist Kathy Sarns (Irwin)
is known for illustrating our amazing spirit connections with the
wild. Visit her Art Gallery at 6921 Brayton Drive, Suite 200, in
Anchorage. Phone 770-6560; web site: www.kathysarns.com.
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