TOTEM PATH

It is a moonlight night and you find yourself in a leafy glade, supine on the soft forest floor.  You gaze up into the night sky and see the moon shining down on you.  The silvery beams pierce the forest canopy and you feel tranquil and loved.

The night sky is a black blanket, spangled with glowing stars.  You think of all the wonderful tales you have heard, of how mischievous coyote has taken the pouch of stars from Black God and thrown them willy nilly into the heavens, upsetting the orderly way in which they had been placed.

You smile as you recall all the times that Coyote has merrily upset your plans and a soft laugh escapes you as you also recall all the times you needed your sense of humour and he made sure that you could laugh about a situation.

You also think about Spider Woman, She Who Created The World, and you feel your connection to Her.  One after another, all the various legends that you remember or half remember pass through your mind.

As you lie upon the forest floor, you feel a tremendous sense of peace for tis a magical night and you eagerly await the gifts and truths that the night holds for you.

You hear something breathing behind you and you twist your head to see what it is.  It is a silvery unicorn approaching you.  His gentle blue eyes meet yours and you stretch out a hand in greeting.  He halts by your side and then lies down and trustingly places his head upon your lap.  Honoured, you reach out your hand and gently stroke his silky mane, content to be quiet and honoured at his trust in you.

He stays with you for a while, silent, and then lifts his head to look deeply into your soul.  Silently you communicate together and a feeling of deep inner peace spreads throughout you.  [be silent for 5 heartbeats] 

You thank him for this gift and he stands up, nuzzles your cheek and walks silently into the forest.

You sit for a moment and ponder this magical creature and feel honoured once more that you should be singled out.

You attention is caught by a bird swooping low through the trees on silent wings.  A soft “whoo-whoo” alerts you that it is the Owl, keeper of wisdom and lore. 

She settles herself on a tree branch close to you and fixes her glowing golden eyes upon you.  You take in the details of her appearance.  She is snowy white, glowing silvery in a shaft of moonlight and larger than any owl that you have previously seen, she spreads her wings for a moment and you marvel at the size of her wingspan.  Satisfied that you have looked your fill, she settled her wings with an almost inaudible, “thwap”.

You wonder what wisdom and lore she has to tell you. and then she begins to speak. [be silent for 10 heartbeats]

You thank her for the knowledge and wisdom that she has brought you and she silently wings her way back into the forest, a ghostly white shape soon lost in the dense forest.

As you sit quietly, filled with joy on the soft forest floor you hear the sound of twigs breaking, something large is headed towards you.  For a moment you feel afraid and then gently chide yourself for you know this is a magical night and you need have no fear.

As you look in the direction of this unseemly noise you see a large shape headed towards you.  Gradually it becomes clear that is an immense bear.  You are unsure what type of bear until it is standing at the edge of the forest clearing.  It is a large male grizzly bear and you catch your breath at his beauty and strength.  He stands at the edge of the clearing. 

Unsure, you stretch out a hand in greeting and he lumbers towards you, he is grumbling to himself in a deep resonant voice and you chuckle at the images that leap through your mind and you also thank Coyote for prodding your sense of humour.  Bear reminds you of a large old man, forever grumbling, yet soft-hearted and wise, always there when you have need of him. 

 He comes to a stop in front of you and whiffles you with his nose.  You find yourself whiffling back in greeting and giggle out loud.  His ears twitch at the sound and suddenly he sits in front of you and waves his paws at you.  As you giggle you realise that your fear of him has completely disappeared and his wise brown eyes gaze at you.  He lets his paws drop to the ground in front of you and know he reminds you of a Buddha.. only with fur.

As he sits whuffling and grumbling every now and then, you take in his appearance, his deep brown fur urges you to touch it to see how soft it is, you marvel at the strength apparent in every limb and marvel anew at the gentleness contained in such a huge frame.  As he sits with you, you slowly realise that strength is only brutal when not tempered by gentleness and you thank him for this lesson.  Satisfied he whuffles once more at you, stands up heavily, shakes himself and then lumbers off into the forest.

As you sit in quiet contemplation your eyes catch a glimpse of something on the edge of the forest clearing.  Your attention caught, you strain to see what creature it is that paces around on silent paws and then you see the gleam of golden eyes peeping out from behind a tree.  You catch the gleam of a myriad of eyes and before you can think to do anything, suddenly you are surrounded by a pack of wolves. 

You marvel at their lithe beautiful bodies and the noble shape of their heads.  As one, the wolves part in front of you and you see an old wolf pacing stiffly towards you.  You can tell that he was a great hunter in his day and he has stayed with the Pack for his wisdom.  He is their teacher and they revere him.  He walks slowly towards you and you feel honoured once again to be singled out by such an extraordinary being.

He settles himself in front of you and regards you out of very wise whitened eyes.  You realise that he is blind and your heart aches with sorrow for him.  As though he has sensed this sorrow in you, he reaches out and nuzzles your knee with his muzzle and you realise that although he may be blind and old, his other senses compensate for this and also that the youngsters of the pack are his guides, that they forage for food and a safe place for him to rest and your heart fills with love.

He rests his head on your knee and timidly you stretch out your fingers and gently stroke the middle of his head.  His ears twitch and he sighs heavily.  You can hear the contentment and it gladdens your heart.  Growing bolder, you stroke the back of his head and he rests his head more heavily on your knee.

Unnoticed by you, the rest of the pack has drawn near and if you stretched out your hands, you could touch each and every one of them.  You bow your head in greeting.

The old wolf sits up and a stray shaft of moonlight silvers his coat, making him appear incandescent.  As you watch him, he throws his muzzle up to the moon and howls.  The sound is at odds with his appearance for it is strong, vital and vibrant, a primordial sound that raises every hair on your body.  The rest of the pack follow suite and the same howl is expressed from every throat.

Unable to control yourself, you throw your head back and howl to the moon as well, as you howl with the wolves, you finally understand and feel their sense of community, how they live in harmony with each other and how deep their understanding of life is.

As the last howl linger in the air, you look around and see that all the wolves, save the old one have left.  He leans forward and licks your cheek in parting, then stands and walks stiffly away.

Overcome, you lie down on the forest floor and contemplate all the lessons you have learned, all the wisdom you have gained and are thankful for the understanding that has been bestowed upon you.

You notice that the moonlight is waning and as you lie at peace in the forest clearing, you fall into a deep, energizing sleep and waken refreshed in the place where you first started this journey.