All things bright and beautiful, All creatures great and small, All things wise and wonderful, And Spirit made them all!
— adapted from a hymn by Cecil Alexander, 1848
Brown Bear, by Anne Marie BennettDolphin, by Anne Marie BennettLittle Brown Bird, by Anne MarieLion, by Anne Marie
The future survival of humankind depends upon return to a right relationship to nature. The need is both inner and outer. In this endeavor the animal soul is our most dependable guide… Since we no longer hunt in lonely communion with animals, and since few of us feel called to go on formal vision quests, we have to seek ways of recreating meaningful connection with the animal realm. — Ladson Hinton in an article called Return to the Soul.
Making SoulCollage cards is an excellent way to honor these animal energies and to strengthen their power to assist us. –Seena Frost
Spider has spun her silken weave for 400 million years. Tortoise has plodded over hot sand for 220 million years. Pig first rooted in moist, rich soil 37 million years ago. Tiger, a relative newcomer to the world, has patrolled the eastern jungles for one and a half million years. — Susie Green, Animal Wisdom
All of nature is in us, all of us is in nature. That is how it should be. — Lame Deer (Native American)
Animal Companions- Class 2
No animal is better or worse than any other. Every animal’s medicine is unique. It is always much better to be powerful in mouse medicine than to be ineffectual in eagle medicine. You will find your greatest success in the animal that comes to YOU.
– Ted Andrews
EXAMPLE: JOURNALING WITH A COMPANION ANIMAL
Lion
Who are you?
I am the one who is King of the Jungle, King of the forest, King of all that is. I am the one who is both gentle and ferocious. I am the one who roars when he has need to roar and who is silent when silence is demanded. I am the one whose eyes have seen all and know all. I am the one who was called Aslan in your favorite childhood book. I am the one of wisdom, strength, gentleness and courage.
What do you have to give me?
I give you strength and courage. I give you the ability to roar, the inner peace and centeredness to be silent, and the wisdom to know when each is called for. I give you Power and Authority and Wisdom.
What do you want from me?
I want you to be still a moment and feel the power of life roaring through you. This power, this energy, is always there, always inside of you, surrounding you. I want you to notice it, feel it, grasp it, claim it, allow it to transform you.
Is there anything else you have to say to me today (right now, with whatever is happening in my life at this moment in time)?
Yes, my message for you TODAY is this: My roar comes from my throat, my whole body quakes with it. YOUR roar, dear one, is expressed in your writing. Write more and more. That is to be the expression that binds your feelings and your thoughts and your days together. I want you to be still a moment and feel the power of life roaring through you. This power, this energy, is always there, always inside of you, surrounding you. I want you to notice it, feel it, grasp it, claim it, allow it to transform you.
3rd Chakra- Card in Process1st- Root Chakra5th Chakra Lion5th Chakra Lioness7th chakra DragonflyPersonal Totem Pole, by Dot Everhart, PA
This, I am convinced, is the real teaching of wild creatures:
by so fully being who they are,
they show us how to be
who we really are.
This is the great lesson of the Wisdom of the world.
– Gerald May in The Wisdom of the Wilderness
Chakras Card, by Christine in CA. I am one who is so happy to be learning about my chakra’s and how these energies work together and connect my wisdom to life experiences. I am the one who wants to ground my wisdom and weave each colored strand artistically. I am one who opens my chakras like a tube of light and when I am energized will anchor both feet on the ground and walk as an artist.
Animal Companions- Class 3
For Tirawa, the One Above, did not speak directly to man, He sent certain animals to tell men that he showed himself through the beast…and from them, and the stars and the moon should man learn…all things tell of Tirawa…. ~Eagle Chief, Letakos-Lesa, Pawnee
Root Chakra- THEN- Brown BearRoot Chakra- NOW- Wolf/DogHeart Chakra- THEN- Little Brown BirdHeart Chakra- THEN #2- Big Black Crow4th Chakra- Now- Cat
Feel free to change the wording of any of these questions, as feels right to you.
Also, choose which questions resonate with you particularly today. You don’t have to answer them all!
Welcome, please tell me about yourself I am the one who…
How does your presence transform my life?
What gifts do you bring to me at this stage of my journey?
How do I act/what does my body do when your energy is in balance?
How do I act/what does my body do when your energy is out of balance (too much or too little)?
How can I honor you?
Read back over what you have written slowly and tenderly. Choose one action that you can take this week to honor this Companion in your life.
Inner Voice Worrywart: Committee CardMy granddaughter, Tori:
magical Tori
dancing and playing full out
sunshine of our livesI am the one who can never get enough. I am the one who eats and eats (and hoards food) in order to zone out and not pay attention.Archetype- Survivor- Council Card
You know, people come to therapy really for blessing. Not so much to fix what is broken as to get what’s broken blessed. In many cultures, animals do the blessing because they are the divinities. — James Hillman
May we invite these loving, wise animal beings into our lives so that they may bless that which is broken, and in so doing, lead us into wholeness.
