Deep Ecology, Ethics & Whole Community, Earthfire Stories, Wellness & Spirtuality | June 25, 2010
Susan, Executive Director of Earthfire Institute, was interviewed by mystic scholar Andrew Harvey on Hay House Radio. Please enjoy this interview and slide show talking about the mission, vision and animals of Earthfire Institute.
http://www.vimeo.com/12842128Earthfire Stories, Seen Thru New Eyes, Wellness & Spirtuality | April 20, 2010
Phakchok Rinpoche visited Earthfire Institute in October 2009. The visit changed his perception of wildlife as he met some of Earthfire’s residents and saw them as individuals.
Animal Story, Deep Ecology, Ethics & Whole Community, Foxes, Wellness & Spirtuality | April 2, 2010
We visited Feather the red fox today after the deep snow of the night. She was her usual lovely sweet mischievous self, fur full and glossy. We brought her some guests, as she always likes to greet everybody, her little 
inquisitive black nose sniffing, examining, assessing. They were enchanted by her sweetness, agility, curiosity; by her eagerness to meet them and visit with them.
She is an elderly fox now, with the feel of wisdom that many living creatures seem to gain with age. Jean went to a fur farm some 11 years ago and bought her as a little kit. (It always astounds me that you can go “buy” a wild animal.) That is eleven years of life given to her; eleven years of life for that dancing diminutive piece of vitality. One out of 800 foxes!
So many questions: a Buddhist who visited her wondered aloud – what was her karma that she was picked out of 800 foxes, to come here and have a life? I don’t know, but I do know that she has done a splendid job helping people see the magic of foxes; of balancing the fact that yes they sometimes do eat chickens and cats. That difficult balance we have to find between loving a predator that is part of our family, say a cat, and also loving a predator that is not so close to us emotionally, yet acknowledging their right to live too.
So it comes down to family and tribal loyalty versus the recognition that we are all part of something larger.
Animal Tales, Bears, Wellness & Spirtuality | March 23, 2010
All winter we worried about Teton Totem and his severe back problem. How would he be? Would the long winter sleep aggravate it? What do we do with a nearly paralyzed 1000 pound grizzly bear?
We made him a special bed for his hibernation, lining his den with wood and then extra hay to make it softer and warmer and he could arrange it as he liked. With Penelope’s help with his back in the fall (see Bear Burrito, Blog November 2009) he was quite a bit better just before going to sleep for the winter but still we worried. What would the long period of inactivity do?
Teton emerged from his den recently – and he was using his hind legs! Not perfectly but the long sleep and stillness did him no harm. Not only was he walking, but he was sweet – sweeter than he had been in a long time. In fact there was an indescribably sweet and gentle look in his eyes. What a gift!! What a way to start spring!!
Deceased, Wellness & Spirtuality, Wolves | March 23, 2010
This is the story of Thunder, a timber wolf, who’s passing illustrates the mystery and wonder of nature and the strong bond between members of his species.
Blog, Wellness & Spirtuality, Wolves | February 26, 2010
Whenever we lose a wolf from unknown causes we do an autopsy, to be sure our other animals are not at ri
sk and to learn what we can about better care. Cindar, a young, healthy wolf, died of a twisted lung – the equivalent of a colic in a horse. It is very rare. By the time it was diagnosed, though we rushed her off to Salt Lake City to a specialist, it was too late. As with any colic it is a true medical emergency and chances of survival are slim if not treated immediately. It made we wonder – why would a healthy young wolf die of such a rare illness? In discussing the loss with a healing practitioner, she told us that in some traditions each organ does not only its own job, and has its own vibration, but also carries the energy of a specific emotion. That emotion for the lung, is grief.
Our immediate thought went to possible causes here, but there were none that we could see. No recent losses, no changes. Then three of us looked at each other with the same thought – they started shooting wolves here in Idaho. And not just shooting them mindlessly, but rejoicing in their deaths, undisturbed by the obvious deep distress they are causing in the rest of the pack. Wolves are telepathic across distance among their own pack. We have clear evidence of that here. Is it possible they are feeling the distress of their kind in the vicinity as well, on another level? Death is one thing. Mindless death cruelly inflicted with intent is another, much harder to accept and heal from.
A further thought occurred – some animal communicators believe that illness and death can be a non -verbal communication. (Many psychologist believe that children who are not listened to communicate this way as well). Did she pick a devastating illness for which there was no cure, to emphasize that we need to do what we can to stop the shooting? And taking it even further outwards, to stop what we are doing to wild animals in general?
Animal Story, Blog, Wellness & Spirtuality, Wolves | January 13, 2010
As she recovered, Little White Girl became a handful in the cabin, It was clear that there was no way a big healthy lively wolf of her caliber could stay in any longer, much as she loved the camaraderie. We had the additional reason that ancient Windsong, Earthfire’s last living sibling, was having trouble getting up on her aged legs in the cold. We brought her in to the warmth and comfort and smells of living/room/kitchen. It is interesting how different animals age. Stardance, another sister, who just passed away a few weeks ago, had the same parents, life events and treatment. She was graceful and quick until her last five days, and alert right to the end. Windsong has been half in another world for several months now. Yet she continues living on, slow and steady. The only thing that claims her attention in this world, as with any good wolf, is food. She totters her way around looking for it when not sleeping.
Watching her lying quietly one early morning I thought about how rare it is for a wolf to be able to be on this earth to such a great age. An intuitive friend of mine, given to such things, said she feels Windsong is gathering wolf wisdom to share with the Great Council of departed wolves. With my mother, as she became less and less aware, less able to speak, her spirit started to shine through She became more luminous. Ancient trees seem to have a wisdom and dignity too. I wonder about the universality across species of gathering quiet wisdom as one ages.
Blog, Wellness & Spirtuality | January 6, 2010
At an informal retreat, we were discussing how profoundly animals we love have reached us deep inside, changed us, opened us. One woman talked about how devastating the impending loss of her dog was going to be for her. At age 50 she had for the first time allowed herself to unfreeze, to love. Because of this gift she was able to move on to satisfying human relationships and even more so, to a relationship with her self. Others with families and children who also deeply loved their pets voiced the same sentiment — of how much their pets gave them, how wrenching the goodbye. We wondered together just what it was that made what an animal gives so rich and deep and readily accepted; what is it, that an animal has the capacity to unlock fearful and frozen hearts. We know it happens but how — I have yet to find any really satisfying answers. Maybe it can’t be explained or understood except by the heart. Please share your thoughts and comments.
Animal Story, Blog, Wellness & Spirtuality, Wolves | December 15, 2009
Are human and animal passings the same process? When you think about it, is there a reason they wouldn’t be? Life, regardless of form, passing into formlessness; embodied and then gone. I was talking with a friend about Stardance’s last few days on earth, and how Penelope mentioned that Star was grateful for the extra time – that she was in and out, spending some time on this side, some time on the other side, making the transition. My friend exclaimed “That’s just how I experienced my father’s death!” In a book authored by a hospice nurse she reported instance after instance of the same sense for nurses attending to those passing; those who because they were in hospice had the luxury of time instead of being torn away by some sort of violence or sudden death. That they moved back and forth, partly on this side of the veil, partly on the other. That was my experience of Stardance’s transition.
Bears, Blog, Wellness & Spirtuality | November 25, 2009
Teton Totem, the grizzly bear, is recovering from a back injury and a bad bout of arthritis. How he got injured and how he is healing is a long and interesting story for another time. Suffice it to say that we investigate all possible modes of healing when our animals get sick or are injured, from standard veterinary care to alternative methods. I think that you can hold certain opinions and let that dictate what you look at, or you can keep an open mind. As it is, I hardly think I have the answer to much, if anything, nor do most of us. But if it doesn’t hurt the animals, why not explore and try things that may seem far out? Wild animals heal differently than we do in any case (another interesting discussion for another time).
So after trying what regular medicine had to offer and it didn’t work, I looked further, to nutrition, chiropractic and energy healing. But I had a very immediate practical concern. What would Teton like us to do to help him comfortably pass a long, cold winter hibernation with his arthritis? I personally cannot talk telepathically with animals. But I could ask Penelope Smith, founder of the animal communication movement. Her answer was clear and immediate: “He’d like lots of hay/straw that’s soft and warm so he can bury himself in the middle of it like a burrito.”*
We gave him his hay early, before the other bears. He pulled it into his den with great satisfaction and precision and we have not seen him since.
*(Please note that Penelope receives images that she translates into human language. Teton has never seen a burrito but for Penelope, the feeling she received crossed species boundaries was clear and was put into human context.)
If any of you, our readers, are interested in following up the “stories for another time” above, or the implications in this story, please let me know and I will make it the subject of my next blog.
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