I had a huge epiphany about one hour before co-hosting Listening to Animal Voices with Susan Eirich of Earthfire Institute. It was a moment of intense emotion, a combination of awe, gratitude, and a little bit of nerves. I suddenly realized that I was about to host an event that was a culmination of all the guidance I had received from the animals—what all my training and dedication was for—to hold space in a sacred way so that the voices of the animals I had heard for so many years could be heard by others.
It was the perfect segue into the shamanic journey to meet an animal that had a personal message. A journey that was created with Windwalker’s guidance, and one where he also made an appearance.
The animals that gathered to greet the participants were so happy that we had shown up to meet them; and that joy was echoed in the physical world. The wolves at Earthfire Institute sang to us as we journeyed back from the great meeting with the animals. Despite it being a group telecall you can clearly hear them on the recording.
And the celebration and acknowledgement did not end there. After concluding the seminar and taking off my headset my cats staged a happy dance of their own. Totally quiet during the call, suddenly my 10 year-old cat Sand and 15 year-old half bobcat Cougar began racing through the house, howling at the top of their lungs, flinging cat nip toys wildly everywhere, and chasing each other in and out of their box fort. It was the most intense expression of joyous celebration I have ever witnessed, and they slept for hours after the bash.
And that awareness was shared by the animal elders that one participant spends time with in her work at the zoo.
“Just wanted to tell you that today, for the 1st time since I’m at our zoo, our old lady leopard Fitty (she’s 16) stared into my eyes . . . so I told her I knew what she was saying, I knew she would be ‘free’ soon. I told her I understand and that I loved her. she followed me with her eyes . . . normally she ignores me…like most people. And then I went to visit our 40 yr old spider monkeys. Grandpa, the oldest one in captivity in the US, who normally is just sitting . . . jumped down and was trying to kiss me through the glass . . . hands to hands we were . . . and he was rocking back and forth . . . so very happy for a few minutes . . . it was an amazing day!
“I’d like to think something has woken in me that reached out to them. I’d also like to think the journey I experienced during Listening to Animal Voices has opened me more. I still fe el very happy and definitely more connected to them!
“After Listening to Animal Voices I had to share my experience and impressions with my friends, some animal lovers, some not so much. I knew I had seen and felt something extraordinary. Having believed for a long time that the animals have voices that most of us just can’t or won’t hear, I felt it was my duty to share, to inspire others to listen themselves.
“My impression from the animal I met during the journey was to do exactly that. To let everyone know the animals are speaking and asking for help to remain on this planet with us; to help them in any way possible. My path it seems is to share my journey with others so that they may ‘see’ and know it too. I just retook the journey and once again Windwalker was there, and the Cape buffalo came forward and told me ‘Tell All,’ and so I shall.”
The recording is offered in two half-hour sections so that you can easily listen to the shamanic journey again for future messages from the animals.
SECTION 1: Introduction, Stories by Rose and Susan, Intro to Journey SECTION 2: Shamanic journey to meet your Animal Teacher, Animal Messages, Summary
Recording is available in two formats (supplied with your order confirmation): MP3 digital download for any of your devices that support digital audio and links to listen online.
We are all connected, and what affects one affects all. The Animal Teachers are reaching out to us. Join us to hear their message and let them know we are listening.
Click here to purchase Listening to Animal Voices Audio Seminar and Journey, and afterward I’d love to hear your stories.
Here’s one another participant shared:
“I want to thank you so much for the journey last night. I could feel the emotion from all the animals waiting for my arrival and I burst into tears from their joy that I was coming.”Once I arrived there were so many animals in the circle that I could not distinguish what types they were—they were packed in tight like they all wanted to be there—but I did see a giraffe and even whales clearly.
“I was approached by a beaver who told me it was time for me to build. That I already had a foundation and now it was time to build on it and I had the skill to do it and knew what to do. I just kept hearing the word build. I was asked to sing, which struck me as odd because I definitely cannot sing. But the request seemed insistent and I was told to love. I know this indicates that I am to use my voice more strongly for the animals and communicate more strongly the message of love to them and for them. Though I have always loved them and supported their cause, it was time to step up even more.
“Again, I was struck with tears at how happy they were that I had come and that I wanted to talk with them and that I wanted to help them.
“Many thanks to you ladies for putting together this call. A very beautiful, healing, call to action.”
A skunk, of all things. . . three times. We held our teleseminar on Listening to Animal Voices last week. After hearing their voices through stories, we went on a guided journey up the Rainbow Bridge to join a circle of animals and see who wanted to speak. There were 34 of us on the call, from all over the world. After a 20 minute journey and meditation, we shared what we had experienced. Many species were heard from – insect, mouse, deer. But one species was heard from three times: the skunk (Or the spirit of skunk, however we conceptualize these things.) One of those three people, to my surprise, was me. I was relaxing, listening to Rose’s voice, eyes closed, picturing a circle of animals, when as in a dreamtime a skunk stepped forward, came up to me, put his front paws on my leg and looked up at me. He was asking for help. What I felt/heard/sensed, in essence was, “ For as long as skunks have been on the earth our defense, our powerful scent, protected us. Now everything is changed and the very thing that protected us causes us to be killed. We are lost. We have no defense. We need your help.“
The recording will be available soon. You can e-mail us if you are interested in purchasing it.
In October we held our first Conservation Conversation, part of what I hope will be a series of wide-ranging conversations on different aspects of wildlife and conservation with the voices of the animals an integral part of the proceedings. It is a vision we have held since Earthfire was just a dream – to have brilliant, visionary, thoughtful, hard-working action-oriented people from different fields, who care deeply about the earth, joining in conversation to see if we can find a more effective way to protect her and all living beings she supports.
Ten conservation-oriented professionals from education, the arts, media and business as well as conservation participated for two full days of exploration from morning into the night, with meals brought in. The amount of time and intensity was necessary for people with disparate views, life experiences, attitudes and temperaments to be able to fully express themselves, be understood, and have it come together in a new useful whole.
My personal goal was to write a new story for us to live by, to create a different vision towards which we can work with hope and high energy. I wanted input from a wide range of professions and attitudes. Earthfire’s contribution and responsibility was to make sure the voices of the animals are heard in the larger conversation about the environment, both for moral reasons and because they have a lot to “say” that is essential for us to hear. It is a soft voice, easily ignored by the louder more obvious issues but it is a voice we must listen to if we are to survive.
One of the difficulties with our culture and educational system is that we are taught to think in boxes, just as we carve up the land in rectangles and fences. That box perspective affects almost everything we do. But life doesn’t work in nice neat boxes. Life works by energy flow and interconnections. Boxes block the energy flow and interconnection. One of the great things about the idea of wildlife corridors is that it allows life to flow, animals, plants, genes. Along the lines of a new story for humans to live by came the idea that we develop a new paradigm – a Paradigm of Connection. We currently live with the story of disconnection. That raised the question – how do you start such a social movement? Another part of the discussion was the enormous power, energy and money behind companies such as big oil and the destruction it causes. How do we activate an equal or greater force against it? How do we flip attitudes; create a tipping point? Are we moving toward one through the work we are doing? Attitudes ranged the gamut from hope to pessimism. On the hope side was the idea of the Power of One – never to underestimate what one person can accomplish.
Another question was how do we cut through the noise of everyday life? That led to the realization that with all the practical and technological issues involved, how important it is not to lose sight of the spiritual aspect which feeds and informs everything else. Without that background/back-up we will not progress very far towards real, long-term solutions, in my opinion. There is a group of high level lamas who get together to spend three months of the year meditating to try to raise the consciousness of humans. They do so because they think it is important, effective and worthwhile. The importance of mindfulness rather than mindlessness was explored as well as how to encourage it. How do we change our culturally reinforced habitual use of only one form of our five brain wave patterns, and learn to utilize ones which include the larger picture?
We discussed the development of a true land ethic – what we can and cannot do; and Rupert Sheldrake’s new book Science Set Free, which explores what true science is and how to ask new questions that open new doors.
In a short article such as this it is not possible to do justice to all the issues explored, nor the depth and honesty of the discussion. I will follow up on the Earthfire website as I gather everybody’s thoughts once they have had time to digest them and understand the impact of the weekend.
However I will share two reactions with you. In a later conversation Charlotte Baron, Chair of The Wild Foundation commented, “I cannot get the wonderful and well-loved animals out of my mind . . . and I cannot forget their eyes. They were direct and warm . . . I am aware that there are presences that are awaiting attention. Their voices are not unheard.”
The mission of The Wild Foundation is to protect and interconnect at least half of the planet, land and water, – Nature Needs Half. They are actively engaged in preserving large areas of wilderness around the world. That is a fine place to have the animals voices heard. Bob Baron, founder of the environmental publishing company Fulcrum, is currently working on Wilderness 50, a conference celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Wilderness Act in 2014. He said he will be approaching his work differently because of the weekend, which was in his opinion “very, very powerful; life changing. It took me several steps further along my path. It reminded me why we are doing this work.”
A tele-call with Rose De Dan of Wild Reiki and Shamanic Healing; Susan Eirich of Earthfire Institute; and Mia Schiff, Pipe Carrier for the Lakota Sioux tradition.
Earthfire Institute has been gifted a white buffalo calf by a Native American retreat participant. The White Buffalo Calf Woman came to the Lakota people at a time they were in conflict and she brought unity - teaching people the correct way of interacting with each other and with the land - how to walk on Mother Earth in a sacred manner.
Earthfire’s vision is one of teaching people how to come back into circle through animals, enlarging our sense of community to include all living beings. Rose De Dan’s vision is one of bringing people back into relationship with wildlife; gathering Peoples of all nations (including the animal nation) together in ceremony to restore peace, harmony and balance to the Earth.
Because of her mixed heritage (98.5% bison, 1.5% domestic cow) our little calf is uniquely suited to Earthfire’s work of bringing people together into community. Though not 100% genetically pure we still consider her to be a sacred messenger and want to treat her accordingly.
We are being guided to find a name for her – and because the white buffalo calf represents bringing together people from different paths - to open the search for her name to the community.
To achieve this Rose De Dan and Mia Schiff will take participants on a shamanic journey during the one-hour telecall to see what guidance can be obtained about the white buffalo calf’s name and purpose. This virtual gathering will bring together North and South American shamanism, people and animals, domestic and wild. The guidance and energy obtained during this call will then be included in ceremonies led by Rose at the upcoming event A Walk on the Wild Side at Earthfire Institute 2012 in late September.
After the call concludes you are invited to share what you experienced and the messages you received. Comments can be made at the Earthfire Institute community message board earthfireinstitutecommunity.ning.com or emailed to info@earthfireinstitute.org.
All proceeds from this call go to support the animals of Earthfire.
A visit to the Earthfire Institute is for many a once in a lifetime experience. I have had the honor and pleasure to make a second visit as part of the Michelle Lund CalArts/Earthfire Institute Residency. Students from the California Institute of the Arts, Susan, Jean and all the animals of Earthfire are brought together for two weeks to tell the stories of Earthfire in a powerful and creative way. This year we have Saba, a musician studying contemporary experimental sound practices; Megan, a visual artist who works with drawing, sounds and text to tell stories and Jamora, an artist who works both behind a camera’s lens and behind the blank page to produce powerful creative non-fiction.
Earthfire plays a crucial role in the complex ‘ecosystem’ of conservation organizations. Conservation, by its nature, requires an inter-disciplinary approach. A partial list of areas that must work together in order to arrive at an indefinitely sustainable conservation plan would have to include ecology, anthropology, political and economic theories. Each of these disciplines has and will continue to speak to conservation endeavors. The role of Earthfire runs simultaneously parallel to and cuts across these standard perspectives. Most disciplines are able to advise on how to address conservation issues. The Earthfire Institute does this too but also takes on the task of championing WHY wildlife must be protected by cutting right past notions of ‘economic and ecosystem functions’ straight to the heart and the soul. This deeper motivation not only informs, it sustains conservation solutions despite how circumstances may change overtime. It is this role of sustaining conservation priorities that Earthfire’s role reaches out across all other disciplines.
The power of Earthfire’s approach to sustain support for conservation at a deeply spiritual and ethical level is at times matched by its ineffable nature. This is where Art makes an important partner. This year, the students have been blessed with experiencing a pair of wolf pups; a baby fox, cougar, and a white buffalo calf among the many other residents of Earthfire. These young animals embody the vitality and fragility of life. Importantly they illustrate how animals rely on each other (their pack, their herd). This connection is apparent to anyone lucky enough to spend time with wildlife. Sadly, too many people lack the opportunity to directly connect to wildlife. The students in this year’s residency program are combining text, images and sound to help tell the animals stories. The emergent effects of combining these media start to render the ineffable apparent. Facilitating deeper connections between humans and wildlife is an important step towards making sustainable and global conservation plans.
Pat Hager used his experience at Earthfire retreat as a stepping stone for volunteering in his area, helping preserve wildlife corridors. A participant at the Connecting with Wildlife Heart to Heart retreat he wrote:
My son Patrick & I attended the June retreat. I found it to be a very nice experience and particularly enjoyed visiting with the animals and hearing Bernie Krause the bioacoustician. It certainly “opened my ears!”
I was struck by the concept of wildlife corridors being maintained as a way to ensure genetic flow to maintain species viability and health. I had not previously considered that as a real issue, nor the concept that such work is already underway in different places. This experience led me to look locally in Minnesota for similar ideas, which in turn led me to Minnesota’s Superior Hiking Trail Association. This is a volunteer nonprofit organization established to create and maintain a continuous backpacking/hiking trail that currently stretches from the Canadian border to Duluth, MN.
I ended up taking a weeklong backpacking trip on the SHT, which beyond the initial goal of providing one of the best hiking trails in America, has also served as a wildlife corridor itself. Although narrow and crossed by roads in places, the Trail allows a pathway for animal movement, and much wildlife is indeed abundant there.
I guess my thinking about all this comes down to the idea that ”dual user” parkways, pathways and trails might be a good step toward serving the needs of people and wildlife without the need for conflict.
Connecting with Wildlife Heart to Heart was a retreat held in June of 2011 at Earthfire Institute. With the help of the animals of Earthfire and co-founders Susan and Jean, participants were able to live more deeply and more “in the moment”. There was time for truly meeting the animals in the wildlife garden, contemplation, storytelling, deep conversation and celebration, with the magnificent Grand Tetons in the background. Watch as retreat goers worked towards healing themselves and the planet.
The bears are pining for their gardens so they can go out daily. It breaks our heart that they can’t. Due to the generous efforts of one caring donor from last year we have $3000 towards this.
Diane Fuller has given a $5000 challenge grant for the bear gardens in memory of Windwalker the cougar. She writes: “For quite some time, I have known that my passion is around the human-animal connection, although I have not known where my journey would take me. I truly believe that if I open myself to the universe, the right path will present itself. Last August’s “Call of the Wild” Retreat at Earthfire was just that path. . . and then, among all the other amazing animals at Earthfire, I met Windwalker.
“I would have to say that this was one of the most profound and emotional experiences of my life. It reawakened some parts of my being that I have lost over time and is helping me focus on who I am and what I am fundamentally about. It was amazing, and my connection to this new community runs deep to my core.
“Earthfire is a valuable treasure, and I challenge you to “keep the EARTHFIRE alive” through your support.
Diane Fuller & Jenny the Donkey
“As a result, our community will continue to grow, and together we can make a positive difference!”
We have no place to house and care for sick, old or dying animals in our long and bitter winters. It is from the sick and dying that we have received some of our most profound insights and we want to give the opportunity for them to be heard; to share their gifts before they leave the earth. In general, our philosophy is not to cut an animal’s life short but to let it go in its own time unless it is clearly suffering. Thus we would deeply appreciate funding towards a barn/infirmary building. John Towner, board member and professional surveyor, donated his services and did a complete detailed survey of the property. This will serve as the physical basis for a master plan, and gives a physical size and placement for the bear gardens and barn/office/infirmary. This means the minute we receive funding we can begin construction. Donations of $30,000 will enable us to complete the first phase of construction, which would give us a functional unit that can be added on to later.
Caitlin and retreat leader Polly Klein, returning to the yurt. (c) Hershel Klein
In August, I was honored to be invited with 10 other students to a retreat at the Earthfire. We were brought there by our Reiki teacher and animal communicator Polly Klein. I am still figuring out what happened. Still journaling, meditating, singing, and whispering about it to myself, a few others. One thing I learned: right after, I should have gone into silence, as befitting any sacred encounter. But I also felt a deep need to tell people about it. Somehow.
It was the sentences that got me, later. Impossible ones. “If you’re done with the wolves, we can bring in a coyote if you’d like.” “The bears are too intense so we’ll just have you sit near them first, then we can bring them into the garden.” “If you just move with them they’ll come up to you.” “If you feel a lick, just turn around slowly.”
These were said quietly and without irony by caretakers and founders Jean and Susan. How do you integrate those into your usual sentences, I wonder? Even with such a strange internal dialogue as mine? I had thought, before I left, that I would get to stand really, really close to a bunch of cages with wild animals in them. I had no idea that I would not only be able to touch some of them, but give one of them a massage and a Reiki treatment to another.
Bramble Bear enjoying his time in the Wildlife Garden, showing off for retreat participants. (C) Hershel Klein
I keep trying to interpret but I’ll just tell this one thing: I sat on the grass watching Jean pet ancient cougar Windwalker until he purred. (Again with the sentences.) Behind me I heard a huff-huffing, which turned out to be the large grizzly, Huckleberry Bear Bear. Poking his giant snout under the bars of his enclosure, followed by more of his head until I could see his eyes. Following instructions, I looked at him briefly, then looked away. I looked back and he was still gazing at me. I looked away again. Then I trusted my instincts and looked back. We gazed a long time. And I heard, clear as a bell, a question from him:
What kind of animal are you? I knew instantly that this is the question I’ve been answering all my life. I told him that, awkwardly.
Polly was also deeply moved by her encounter with another grizzly, Humble Bumble, the “specially abled bear.” We struggled to articulate what it was exactly that had moved us all. It came to me: in zoos, which I cannot visit anymore, even if they are good ones, the animals are simply “not there.” You look into their eyes and they are gone. At Earthfire, it is immediately apparent: the animals are completely there. And they are completely taking you in. They see you, they are seen.
Caitlin and Firefly getting acquainted. (c) Hershel Klein
It took me a full three days to realize that Jean and Susan weren’t kidding: they really do mean to be creating something new (or very old) with animals. A connection. How it used to be or how it could be or something else that I won’t diminish with words. But to be with wild animals who are perceiving you as a fellow critter, to be sniffed and possibly touched by them, is to restore the animal in oneself. What a gift.
Contributed by Caitlin Sullivan, participant in Polly Klein’s Retreat, Call of the Wild, August, 2011.
This year will be my second visit to Earthfire Institute, and while there are many good friends there, I am especially looking forward to spending more time with Windwalker the cougar.
Windwalker has a powerful presence and a great heart that is both awe-inspiring and humbling. His love for wildlife expert and friend Jean Simpson of Earthfire is very clear as you will see in the photos.
But Windwalker is something more—in my opinion he is a spiritual Master Teacher/Healer. And I’m not the only one who thinks so. Other workshop attendees and workshop leaders/animal communicators such as Penelope Smith and Polly Klein have expressed the same opinion.
It was that belief that caused me to offer Windwalker a Reiki attunement after the 2010 A Walk on the Wild Side event concluded.
It was an experience that had its moments of humor as well as energetic depth and spiritual connection. I thought to offer Windwalker a distance attunement using a plush stuffed animal as a surrogate. However Windwalker wanted my Tiger—big time. And he did not have spiritual intentions—Windwalker wanted a play toy—an encounter I doubted that Tiger would survive.
Once Tiger was moved out of Windwalker’s sight I again had his full attention, and I mean FULL attention. He took up a position where he was looking directly at me, into my eyes, and he barely blinked the entire time. I could feel the intensity of our connection in the energy of the attunement and it moved me deeply.
Windwalker and I have stayed in touch in the almost year since, and he makes requests of me from time to time, or offers opinions (sometimes out of the blue). Lately I have felt a very strong pull from him, and the feeling that he was going to play a larger role in the upcoming workshop.
That feeling was confirmed when I spoke with Polly Klein upon her return from her August workshop. She’d had a conversation with Windwalker where he expressed his determination to remain in his body, no matter the cost, so long as the people kept coming, for he had a mission. And his request to me was to assist him in staying in his body as long as possible (he is an elder, at least 13, and has the pains of old age). And so, Windwalker has now been added to my weekly client schedule and is also receiving daily Reiki from Debbie Noyes and myself (he has requested that others not send Reiki directly, preferring to work with only a few people, but is open to Reiki and prayers for the situation).
I was so moved by the synchronicity of experiences and Windwalker’s desire that I asked Diane if she would be willing to be interviewed, and she gladly agreed, feeling that it was important (as I did) to get Windwalker’s call to the people out.
And so, I present a transcript of our interview which I hope you will share with others. Read or listen to the recording and learn how one person heard and responded to Windwalker’s Call.
This is Rose De Dan, and I’m talking to Diane Stringfellow about her experiences at Earthfire Institute with a cougar named Windwalker.
Hi Diane, how you doing?
Diane: I’m good, Rose, thank you.
Rose: First, I’m curious, what drew you to Earthfire Institute in the first place?
Diane: Well, it was kind of odd, actually for me, I’m a very kind of practical person, and I was looking at not working for a year, and was starting that process last fall/spring. My daughter had gone to a psychic and she kept encouraging me to go see this woman, she thought it would be fun and interesting. So I went and saw this woman, and during the session she said that they (the people on the other side) were telling her that I needed to check out Earthfire Institute, and I asked her what was that and she said, “I have no idea, this is what they are telling me that you need to do.” And I kind of went, ‘Okay, yeah right.’
And I came home and I Googled Earthfire Institute and there really was a place. I mean it was like there really was this place. And the hair stood up on the back of my neck—I just could not believe that there really was this place. So I started looking at the 2011 programs and they weren’t posted yet, but I actually saw yours from last year and I was really drawn to it. And so I kept checking, waiting for the calendar for 2011 to come up and eventually I phoned and spoke to Linda the office manager there. She was telling me about the various programs, and I was really drawn to do yours but it wasn’t until the fall. I was going to be stopping work mid-May and wanted to kind of do a trip and go to Earthfire.
So I signed up for the Heart-to-Heart with Susan and Jean, and I started off on my road trip, went down the coast of the States, up through desert up to Driggs, Idaho.
I ended up kind of building this whole kind of journey, this kind of walkabout around ending up at Earthfire, right? But I really wasn’t clear. I was attracted, I’ve always had a really strong relationship with animals, probably more so than people. I’m more comfortable with animals than people. I was inspired by what was happening at Earthfire and I wanted to go see that, but that was as much as I knew at that point. So that took me to Earthfire in the middle of June.
Rose: And so, I understand you had a powerful experience with one of the resident Animal Teachers there. What was your experience meeting Windwalker like?
Jean and Windwalker @2011
Diane: Windwalker? Oh, it was profound! We went up to his compound, and he was laying up on top of his house, or den, or whatever the right word is for that. And he kept calling to Jean, he really wanted Jean to go in, and Jean had a different idea of how the day was going to look, so he really didn’t want to go in, but Windwalker was really persistent.
Finally Jean went in, and he went up to Windwalker and Windwalker reached out his paw and touched Jean’s face. The love and reverence in that touch, I mean I just (I’m going to cry again)…I just lost it, I just started crying. The beauty of his spirit, of Windwalker’s spirit, was just, I mean it just…I don’t even have words for it! It was like this profound, energetic emotional connection that I had with Windwalker, I mean it wasn’t about words it was about something much different than that. I realized in that moment that it was Windwalker that had called me to be at Earthfire. It was really clear to me but I was kind of just reeling.
We were there with him for a while, and Jean was in with him for a while, and then I look up at Jean and said, ‘Hi, can I just have a hug?’ I mean I was trying to get grounded, I mean it just knocked me over, you know?
And I’m usually pretty stoic—part of me was embarrassed that I was bawling my eyes out next to Windwalker there. But I mean he’s just…Windwalker’s amazing. He’s just this wonderful old soul. You know, I think that he’s a healer. Kind of what’s come through to me later—it took kind of a while for me to kind of find words for that. I think he’s a healer, I think he calls people to be awake, that he calls people to be in a circle. Yes, my time at Earthfire, my time with Windwalker—all the animals were really special but he was kind of the big piece on the end of an amazing few days that I spent there.
Rose: Yeah, it is a really incredible place.
Diane: Kind of in hindsight it was like the redwoods called me. When I was standing in the redwoods on the coast there, I realized that these trees had called me. And then when I was in the desert it was the same thing; I realized that the desert had called me, and I’ve never had a lot of interest in the desert. So it was really interesting that there were all these pieces, including Windwalker, that kind of called me on this, this journey that I did.
Rose: Yes, indeed.
Diane: So after the workshop it was kind of like Windwalker kept kind of saying, ‘Well, you’ve got to come back—you’ve got to come back in September.’ And I went, ‘Well, I’m not sure the money’s going to last…you know there’s other things that I’m going to be doing.’ I mean you, know, all those justifications that we make.
Rose: Mmm-hmm (agreeing)
Diane: And then the other week —it was actually Sunday night (Aug. 21)—I was almost asleep, and I saw these paws, and I instantly knew that they were Windwalker’s. And then his face came into view and it was like he filled my bedroom—he was there, he was there with me. And he said, ‘You have to come back. I’ve been calling and you’re not listening. You have to come back.’ And I said, “Well, why?’ And he said, ‘Well, you need to be in ceremony with Rose, you need to come and meet Rose. You need to be in ceremony with her.’ And I said, ‘Well, why?’ And he said, ‘Well, that will be revealed when you get here.’
But I mean, like his presence, his presence was like…I mean it was just amazing. I mean there was no doubt, it was just absolutely no matter what I have to go back to Earthfire. So I actually went online and booked your seminar, your workshop.
Rose: A Walk on the Wild Side
Diane: Yes, that’s right.
Rose: And the subtext on that one is Answering the Call of the Wild and it certainly sounds like that’s what you’re doing by answering Windwalker’s call.
And I would definitely agree, I too believe that he is a Master Teacher/Healer, but his time is growing short, and so this call may be his last. We don’t know.
Diane: I think that’s true, I think that’s true. I hope not.
Rose: I hope not, too. We will sit in dialogue and ceremony with him once again and we’re planning on building the ceremony, as much as we can, involving him, around him, with him—he’ll be a central focal point.
Diane: I was just struck by the beauty of his spirit, you know?
Rose: I know—you won’t get any argument from me. I’ve got my own stories to tell about Windwalker, which I’ll probably talk about in the article that I’ll be writing.
Diane: Oh, that will be wonderful!
Rose: So, thank you. It is my understanding that you have not had many psychic or visionary experiences prior to this?
Diane: Truthfully, there’s always been times in my life at different times where there’s been inspiration kind of from the universe. But I’m a very practical, pragmatic kind of person in the world. So I tend to go okay, yeah, that’s interesting, but…So it’s interesting that this came through loudly enough that there was no ignoring it. And it’s still amazing to me that I found Earthfire based on going and seeing a psychic. That this woman was telling me about this place—she did not even know what she was telling me about. She said, ‘I have no idea, this is what they are telling me.’
And that was Windwalker. I think that was Windwalker putting it out to the universe on behalf of Earthfire or his own need, whatever that is. Sorry, to sound vague but I don’t have a lot of words, it is like this feeling, this energetic feeling as opposed to something I have words for.
Rose: (laughs) I understand. So, I look forward to meeting you in person and sharing that time together with Windwalker, and of course Susan and Jean and all the other animals at Earthfire—it’s coming up soon!
Diane: I know, it’s going to be wonderful to be back, yes, absolutely.
Rose: Thank you, Diane, and I’ll be seeing you soon!
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>
I had a huge epiphany about one hour before co-hosting Listening to Animal Voices with Susan Eirich of Earthfire Institute. It was a moment of intense emotion, a combination of awe, gratitude, and a little bit of nerves. I suddenly realized that I was about to host an event that was a culmination of all the guidance I had received from the animals—what all my training and dedication was for—to hold space in a sacred way so that the voices of the animals I had heard for so many years could be heard by others.
The bears are pining for their gardens so they can go out daily. It breaks our heart that they can’t. Due to the generous efforts of one caring donor from last year we have $3000 towards this.
Healing Animal Voices by Rose De Dan
