We had a particularly powerful workshop last October with Rose De Dan of Wild Reiki and Shamanic Healing. According to Rose and other shamans who look at life from an alternative frame, Windwalker the cougar, near the end of his days, had hung onto life to be here through the last retreat of the year. People had flown in from around the country to see him one last time. Rose made him the focus of the workshop with ceremonies honoring him and his courage and beauty of spirit. Paralyzed in his hind legs, he lay regally and greeted each participant with warmth and dignity, purring his way through the entire visit. People in turn helped him into his wheelchair, groomed him, lay with him in the grass. At the end of the weekend Rose and Debbie, her assistant, came to say goodbye, realizing they would not see him again in this world. Windwalker, who had been unable to walk for weeks, struggled to his feet. Step by difficult step he managed to unsteadily but purposefully make his way over to meet them. Tears streaming, Rose and Debbie said goodbye. Windwalker passed away peacefully in Jean’s arms a few weeks later.
The entire weekend had such moments of power and beauty. At the end one of the participants, a Native American pipe carrier in the Lakota Sioux tradition, handed us a check. She said “You need to have a sacred white buffalo calf on the land.” We were stunned. To have such a responsibility and honor, caring for a representative of a people’s sacred tradition is daunting. But it is a gift one cannot refuse.
She said “The white buffalo teachings are very significant to many of the tribes, teaching the correct way of interacting with each other, pulling the tribe together. She teaches the value of right relationship with the people; the land. At the time the white buffalo came to the Lakota they were in conflict and she brought unity. She left them with the Sacred Pipe as a way to communicate with the Great Spirit, teaching unity and coming back around in full circle.”
I asked her why she was giving this to Earthfire. She replied “The land here is ancient Indian ground. This is a way to honor the elders, the ancient ones who have come before us. Earthfire’s vision is of teaching people how to come back into circle through animals. It all just fit.” She dedicated her gift to Chief Buddy Redbow and Sequoia, whose teachings were all about right relations.
In a book called White Buffalo Teachings by Chief Arvol Looking Horse he wrote: “Nineteen generations ago the beautiful spirit we now refer to as White Buffalo Calf Woman brought the Sacred C’anupa (Sacred Pipe) to our People. She taught the People the Seven Sacred Rites and how to walk on Mother Earth in a sacred manner. Pte-san win-yan. As she left, she turned into a young beautiful white buffalo and then she walked over the hill and out of sight. This is where she received her name, White Buffalo Calf Woman. She gifted us with the Seven Sacred Rites that still sustain our People today. The person who smokes the sacred pipe achieves union with all Beings. By smoking this C’anupa, you will make direct personal contact with the Great Mystery. . . Following the Way of this Sacred C’anupa, you will walk in a sacred way upon the earth, for the Earth is your grandmother and your mother and she is sacred. . .”
“She told us her Spirit would return to help us one day in times of great hardship, and that we would recognize her.”
How do you find a white buffalo calf? We did the research and located a place that raised buffalo that carried white buffalo genes. We put in a request. We waited. We prepared as best we could mentally.
Five days ago we got a call. . . a little white buffalo girl had just been born! And now she is here. Every day she grows stronger. We wait with anticipation to see what she will teach.
White Buffalo Teachings by Chief Arvol Looking Horse, 19th Generation Keeper of the Sacred White Buffalo Pipe of the Lakota, Dakota and Nakota Great Sioux Nation HYT Publishing www.haveyouthought.com.
Chief Arvol Looking Horse talks about his hopes for world peace between all nations. “I encourage the Nations to pray in their own ways and to revive their own ancient traditions for love and respect, which are the foundations stones of all Indigenous cultures.” He ends the book with a prayer for All Our Relations . . . Mitakuye Oyasin.
I saw it on a dark counter at a camping store. There were a couple of dozen little cactuses in tiny painted pots with a magnet attached. They were being sold as curiosities, to be placed on a refrigerator. They had been forced in a greenhouse (climate conditions manipulated to time their blooming) , and brought for sale just as they were starting to bloom. Life, raised for human’s frivolous and momentary pleasure. The chances of survival were slim, as their destiny was to be placed as a magnet on some appliance. It made me mad and sad and I bought one as a plant “rescue.” I didn’t know if it would survive a dark Idaho winter but at least I was giving it a chance and if it didn’t make it, it would die having been seen and valued rather than cast away as an object. The miracle of blooming; of continuing life, turned into a casual conversation piece.
It bloomed and bloomed, then went dormant. Over the next 11 months I watered it and put it in a southern window but I didn’t know if it had mummified or if it was alive. Then the first week in April I saw tiny little buds. It was alive! It had made it through the winter! It was blooming on its own, without being forced! It gave me great joy and I showed it to everyone who came into the office. Some people understood; others humored me politely. It may seem silly to care about a tiny cactus but every life form and every individual is precious. The mere fact of life is a miracle. We may need to use a life form for our own life’s sustenance or protection but that doesn’t make it any less precious or remarkable. When we lose wonder we have lost a deep connection that satisfies; nourishes and sustains us through thick and thin; a connection to something eternal and meaningful.
Our own human brains are another miracle. Such immense complexity with such astounding potential. With our brains connected to our hearts we humans can lead, in consultation with all living things, to work towards enlarging our sense of community, taking all living beings into respectful consideration when we make decisions. We humans have the capacity to become increasingly conscious rather than increasingly unconscious but for that we have to connect with something larger than ourselves. The little cactus is a reminder. Loving it is not silly or trivial. It is part of a larger way of seeing life and being in the world.
He sniffed, explored, rustled in the grass. He had a glorious time. Then it happened . . .
Huckleberry Bear Bear wanted a nap.
Huckleberry Bear Bear found a cozy hole between two big rocks all hidden in some bushes. It was so inviting. Just right. He settled in.
He made himself comfortable. He even made a sun-warmed rock into a pillow. What a smart bear!
After a while we tried to bring him home. He didnt want to move. As a matter of fact he refused to budge. We watched the cold rain clouds move closer and the sun begin to set.
But Huckleberry Bear Bear is 700 pounds. That is a lot of bear for any human to try to move.
You have to be patient with a bear. You can’t raise your voice; you can’t hurry him along. You are now on bear time and that’s final.
“Huckleberry Bear Bear”, we were thinking, “its only 500 ft. back to were we started. Come on Huckleberry Bear Bear!”
He was lying on his ample belly. We enticed him with marshmallows, his favorite treat. (Most of the time he gets fresh fruits and vegetables but in an emergency you do what you have to do. . .) He would roll out his long long tongue and snap it back with the marshmallow on its sticky tip. If we put it just out of reach he would heave his bulk just far enough along the ground to reach it, but if we put it too far away he would say no way. Not worth the trouble. Little by little Huckleberry Bear Bear moved, up one inch, back six. “Come on Huckleberry Bear Bear”, we yelled in our heads. But what could we do but wait?
So we waited. . . . . . and waited. . . . . . and waited. . . . .
And then it happened. He decided to go home.
It only took three whole bags of marshmallows and an hour and a half of patience to get him there. And the cold cold rain held off just long enough.
Next time, we will look at the weather before we start a bear walk.
But no matter what, you are a good bear Huckleberry Bear Bear.
“All the king’s marshmallows and all the king’s men, couldn’t get Huckleberry Bear Bear back home again.”
I sponsored an old horse named Nomad for several years. When he was about to be retired (and moved an hour away), I took him for a favorite walk and sang him a song that we could be together any time just by thinking of each other. A few years later, when Nomad was almost 40 years old, I was doing a morning meditation, and Nomad came to me. He rubbed the soft, furry side of his mouth along my cheek (my favorite), and there was a message that he would be right there with me any time I needed or wanted him. It was very odd, because there was no reason I should have been thinking about him that day, and it was as if he was REALLY right there with me, physically. About an hour later, I got a phone call from his owner, Dee, whom I was supposed to be meeting with that day. She sounded like she had a cold, but instead, had been crying. “Nomad died this morning, a couple of hours ago,” she said.
Nomad was a Buddha, if ever a horse could be. This was his way of telling me that I would not have to cry or to say goodbye, because he would always be right there with me. I now count on him to be walking with me when I am out hiking in his favorite spots. I wait a while by the streams that he loved to listen to as he grazed. I feel his presence, his grace, his acceptance, and most of all, feel the softness of his fur on my cheek. After he died, we did a photo book on Nomad, and filled it with the stories about him told by his many sponsors and admirers over the course of 40 years of his life. In one case, he even had three generations of women from one family who had sponsored him.
I wanted to add another note to my story about Nomad: Interesting that he came to me a couple of hours BEFORE I was given the news of his death. It is as if he wanted to counteract any possibility of my feeling deep grief or loss, and to accept his death in peace. He was saying to me “Its just my body passing. I am still very much here for you.” It is also interesting that I feel moved to share this story with you, because I felt so sad to see your video about the death of your lovely cougar and to see your obvious grief. Your cougar is still here with you too.
Inspired by Rose DeDan’s shamanic journey with our cougar Windwalker soon after he left the earth, an artist and a musician from California Institute for the Arts, who had been touched deeply during his life, worked together to express Rose’s vision through music and film.
Have you ever made room in your bed for a bear? Think about this question before you answer or seem startled by the proposition. It is estimated that 42% of American children are soothed by a cuddly bear each night.
Every night I partake in a bedtime ritual with my 6-year old son. We gently arrange his growing collection of stuffed puppets (as they are warmly referred to) in the bed; each head receiving a spot on the soft pillow and each body warmly ensconced under the blanket. It occurred to me one day that 75% of this collection represented animals that live in the wild- wolves , raccoons , penguins and of course, bears . I still remember the wide –eyed look I received after tucking a pocket-sized green bear in a box and presenting it to my son after his first Christmas show performance. He was ecstatic and proceeded to show and share Green Bear with all his friends. Green Bear found a special place in his jacket, zippered up snuggly with his head popping out to enjoy the world as my son carted him from place to place.
The bear is an admired soul in my young son’s life. The bear enjoys elevated stature compared to human playmates. We read adventures of bears in his weekly library books; some favorites are the extensive Berenstain Bear collection and The Valentine Bears, a sweet story about a loving bear couple that come out of hibernation prematurely to exchange Valentine’s Day cards. We watch Kenai and Koda, the star bear protagonists in the movie Brother Bear 2, the sequel to the Academy Award nominated animated film that grossed over $250 million. Boog, a 900 pound domesticated grizzly bear dazzles his audience in the movie, Open Season, a delightful animated film grossing over $200 million and with a sequel to boot. These movies have impacted not only my son, but the world.
As you go about your day, take a moment to reflect on your childhood memories of bedtime companions. Why as a child were you so drawn to animal companions? Many educators believe that early attachments provide a working model for life’s subsequent relationships. If this is the case, should our beds not be filled with wild animal friends? When do we begin to fear wild animals? If you are still curious about your feelings toward wild animals and are still curious about the wonders of bears, perhaps a retreat at Earthfire and an encounter with Humble Bumble or Huckleberry Bear Bear will fill a special space in your heart. Have you made room in your heart for a bear?
Named after a passionate earth-mother wolf with a fire in her belly to protect anything vulnerable, Earthfire was founded in 2000 to develop a new model of relating to nature through the voices of the rescued wildlife>
The entire weekend had such moments of power and beauty. At the end one of the participants, a Native American pipe carrier in the Lakota Sioux tradition, handed us a check. She said “You need to have a sacred white buffalo calf on the land.” We were stunned. To have such a responsibility and honor, caring for a representative of a people’s sacred tradition is daunting. But it is a gift one cannot refuse.
In a book called White Buffalo Teachings by Chief Arvol Looking Horse he wrote: “Nineteen generations ago the beautiful spirit we now refer to as White Buffalo Calf Woman brought the Sacred C’anupa (Sacred Pipe) to our People. She taught the People the Seven Sacred Rites and how to walk on Mother Earth in a sacred manner. Pte-san win-yan. As she left, she turned into a young beautiful white buffalo and then she walked over the hill and out of sight. This is where she received her name, White Buffalo Calf Woman. She gifted us with the Seven Sacred Rites that still sustain our People today. The person who smokes the sacred pipe achieves union with all Beings. By smoking this C’anupa, you will make direct personal contact with the Great Mystery. . . Following the Way of this Sacred C’anupa, you will walk in a sacred way upon the earth, for the Earth is your grandmother and your mother and she is sacred. . .”
I saw it on a dark counter at a camping store. There were a couple of dozen little cactuses in tiny painted pots with a magnet attached. They were being sold as curiosities, to be placed on a refrigerator. They had been forced in a greenhouse (climate conditions manipulated to time their blooming) , and brought for sale just as they were starting to bloom. Life, raised for human’s frivolous and momentary pleasure. The chances of survival were slim, as their destiny was to be placed as a magnet on some appliance. It made me mad and sad and I bought one as a plant “rescue.” I didn’t know if it would survive a dark Idaho winter but at least I was giving it a chance and if it didn’t make it, it would die having been seen and valued rather than cast away as an object. The miracle of blooming; of continuing life, turned into a casual conversation piece.
Nomad Lives by Jennifer Sauer
