The Mayan people say that animals are our cousins, they are almost our siblings but we’re a little different, we have different languages, different habits, different ways to live. When you meet with animals as your equals, something in the way you perceive them changes – wolves stop being just wolves and each one of them becomes an unrepeatable being.
When you look into an animal’s eyes the same way you look into a friend’s eyes, a son’s, daughter’s, father’s or mother’s, then you start to experience that you are an animal as much as they are, you find yourself being an incomprehensible and mysterious part of nature as much as we think they are. When you look into an animal’s eyes and you can cut through the curtain of cultural constructions that we have been building for centuries, then the fear is gone, the danger is gone, the idea of a differentiation between man and nature just vanishes and a real encounter happens, then two cohabitants of this land and time are actually meeting and learning about themselves.
Jxel
The earth needs us to learn a lot of things that we have been neglecting for a long, long time. The change in human civilization that the balance of the earth needs is so deep that we’re even frightened to see. It deals with our idea of this place as ours. It deals with how much do we care about other beings and how much are we ready to learn from other beings. It deals with our ego.
When two animals are looking into each other’s eyes there’s not such a thing as you and me, as wolf and human, as bison and lynx. When two animals look at each other’s eyes with love and will to understand and learn, then there is not such a thing as killing, as abusing, as destroying, as slaving.
Jxel Rajchenberg is one of students that participated in the 2011 CalArts Residency program.
From my experience, the magic of Earthfire is to open the possibility to do so, it can happen that without knowing it you’re already in a very deep relation with some animals, not wolves or bisons or cougars but the particular cousin that unfolds inside each one of them.
This video of Humble Bumble bear is a first ever in the world, in which the sound of an animal is made visible in real time. What you are seeing are the energy patterns within sounds.
CymaGlyph - Windwalker's Purr
Earthfire is privileged to be the first wildlife sanctuary in the world to have animal sounds made visible on a new type of scientific instrument, the CymaScope. Unlike instruments such as sonograms and oscillograms which show sounds graphically, the CymaScope gives us a picture of sound by imprinting the animal sounds on the surface of water. Rather like a fingerprint on glass, the voice of the animal imprints the surface of water, leaving an embossed impression that can be photographed with special imaging techniques. The images are not computer-generated but are the actual patterns of energy created by the animals.
So far, the CymaScope has been used to image three of our animal voices: Windwalker, the cougar, Firefly the fox, and Humble Bumble, our special grizzly bear. We plan on having the sounds of all our animals imaged to build a lexicon of animal CymaGlyphs – the name for a CymaScope image – that will be unique in the world.
CymaGlyph - Firefly's Call
John Stuart Reid of Sonic Age America, the company that developed the CymaScope said, “We are entering a new realm of exploration in which the voice patterns of these wonderful creatures will almost certainly lead to a better understanding of their communications and of the creatures themselves.
Thanks and gratitude to John Stuart Reid for his work and contribution. For more information, please visit www.cymascope.com.
I had the sadness but much pleasure to spend the last few hours with our friend. He left with happiness and hope for his kind, our own and all species, for all living spirits past present, worthy and still unworthy for what the mother has given, given and still offered to us, to our future and our legacy … He left us strong and with something we can only wish for, but attainable to us all.
He left me last night purring till his last breath with trust, thanks to you all and what you offered for this place we call ours. This Earth, this heart that pulses for us, that earthly rumbles that beats to our own heart, that feeds us, houses us and clothes us, a gift, a synonym to our wishes, the possibilities in his the purr, the word and the spirit of Windwalker and “His Fire” left with I, and shared with you, chanting with him as I hugged him far well, meeting each purr, joining his love, his healing whirr, vibrating my senses to his song, his powerful smell mixed to my own, his love and my memories, his gifts as a present to us, as I caressed his fur as one for us all, till his last breath, till his last gasp.
Windwalker & Jean
As to not forget and to savor his moment and the time he wished to give, and to nourish us all with his message …
His last purrs: “No regrets, only hope…it was a pleasure…”
We were never able to handle Uintah. We couldn’t overcome the hard wiring of fear of humans. Some wolves have it more than others.
He was afraid. He was afraid of humans; afraid of being touched; afraid of any fast movement, especially afraid of having a leash put on him, and despite all our efforts he remained that way. We asked an animal communicator if perhaps she could find a way to connect with him. She said he got a glimmering that humans might be a source of companionship – that had never occurred to him before. But whether that glimmer was too brief; or that through the unhappy reality of not having enough time to take advantage of that brief opening, I don’t know, but between his reasons and ours there was no change in his behavior.
This went on for several unsatisfactory years. He lived with Cucumber, that determined self-transformed little wolf with a huge spirit. We hoped that her change from fearful, to outgoing (for a wolf) would influence him. It didn’t but he loved her and howled for her whenever she came in the house (her personally earned right, from her perspective). The only other connection that lonely wolf had was Boychuk, our German Shepherd, whom he adored. But Boychuk wasn’t actually that interested in Uintah. Seeing him trying to get Boychuk to come visit always made me sad.
Then one evening Jean called me …Uintah seemed to be colicking. His belly was swollen and he was obviously in severe distress. Colic is a veterinary emergency in any animal. You have only a few hours before it is fatal. How to get him into a crate and drive the 16 miles to Jane, the vet on emergency call? With the help of Boychuk we managed.
Uintah, fresh from the emergency vet visit and into the office. (c) Earthfire.
We were at the vet late into the night as Jane tried to diagnose him without success. She called in a sonogram specialist to help. The specialist kept saying “I’ve never seen anything like this,” until I thought I would scream. His stomach was so distended that it squeezed all the surrounding organs against his ribs, blocking off blood flow to his heart and brain. He began to have violent seizures. Jane finally passed a tube down his throat and instead of gas, out came pints and pints of liquid. That relieved the pressure and later that night we were able to bring him home, though with no answers as to what was caused the problem or if it would happen again.
Because he was so ill we wanted to keep him warm. Our cabin was currently occupied by a shy coyote with a broken leg so the only other option was the office. He entered without much fuss. He was exhausted and the medication against the seizures made him pretty out of it. Boychuk helped babysit him through the night, keeping him calm.
Uintah beginning to relax in the office. (c) Earthfire
In the morning, I called my staff to warn them that there would be a wolf in the office. It was Marie’s first day of work and I felt it only fair to tell her she didn’t have to come in. Then we then brought in Cucumber to help ease him. His whole limited world was now with him – Cucumber and Boychuk. We hoped their being totally relaxed would give him a point of reference about the danger level.
Marie arrived at 9 am, slowly opened the door, went to the desk and quietly started to work. As the morning progressed and Uintah began to feel better, to our utter surprise, he started to tentatively explore the office, with what I can best describe as the feel of a kid in a candy store. His life had been so circumscribed because of his fear that he had been exposed to very little. He explored with a combination of curiosity, fascination with this new world, and caution. He accepted the presence of Marie. When I finally thought about a camera I was able to get a little of his reaction on film. You can see the sense of dawning aliveness.
Something had shifted in him. Perhaps the original message from years ago along with the fact that when he was most vulnerable and helpless we were there for him and he was safe. All I can say is that there was a dramatic shift. Though skittish about it, he actually allowed me to stroke him all over. He clearly enjoyed the contact, though it was a bit much for him and it could only be a few moments at a time. But it was astonishing.
Jill's first moments with the reluctantly reluctant Uintah. (c) Earthfire
The next evening I had dinner with Jill, the energy healer who had helped Apricot, a wolf with neurological symptoms from having had distemper in her brain. I mentioned the puzzle of Uintah. Jill’s specialty is paralyzed human nervous systems, and her immediate reaction was “it’s the vagus nerve.” She explained that the nerve ennervates the stomach muscles, making them contract. She guessed that for some reason it had apparently stopped sending signals to the stomach, thus it stopped moving and that might be one reason it filled with fluid. She also said that the vagus nerve runs from the brain through the heart to the digestion and in her understanding, is associated with the emotion of feeling connected and cared for.
Because western medicine could give no cause, we didn’t know if or when it could happen again. I asked Jill if she would work on him from her alternative healing framework.
She entered the enclosure with Jean. Cucumber and Boychuk were in there to calm him and Jean did the magic thing he somehow does whenever he takes an animal to the vet - he goes into a state where his presence reassures them.
Uintah finally giving in to Jill's healing touch. (c) Earthfire
Gradually, Uintah accepted Jill’s hands on him. Slowly, slowly, he began to relax as she gently sent information to calm and connect up the nerve with the stomach, and from her point of view, address the emotional lack of connection as well. He was sitting on top of his box bolt upright as she worked. You could see him fighting the relaxation as his self preservation instincts kicked in – he would not let himself lie down. But you could see also see the relaxation taking him over more and more deeply. Any of you who have had energy work and suddenly startle awake as if not knowing where you were going and coming back for momentary reassurance that you are still embodied, can understand what we saw as he would relax, then jerk awake, relax, then jerk awake. But Jill kept patiently at it and gradually he succumbed to a deep trance. While still sitting! Survival runs deep in a wolf.
For 45 minutes Jill worked on him, moving her hands around his head, neck and stomach as she felt the flow, he allowing her to move her hands wherever they needed to go, obviously enjoying it. It was stunning.
Part Two: So far Uintah’s stomach has been working well and he is alive and vibrant, thriving on the extra care. The next step in his amazing transformation came when we held a retreat the following weekend. But that is another story. Stay tuned!
So many of you have responded, with caring input, to our request for suggestions for naming our sweet new fox. We were so impressed with the thoughtfulness; depth; intelligence and heart of your responses.
It was a long decision process. There were many wonderful, evocative choices…Elu, Estonian for life; Aditi, meaning boundless in Sanskrit; Kekoa, “ the brave one” in Hawaiian; Starlight; Sage; Sky; Onatah “ of the earth” in Iroquois (that was a close one); Onida – “the one searched for.” We will keep your suggestions for possible future use but still, they warmed our hearts.
Our first reaction was that we liked Sky, as many of you did. However we already have a human member of our interspecies family here called Skye; a fine representative of her species, (officially our media assistant but oh so much more). It certainly wouldn’t do to have two Sky’s. Elu and Onatah also felt like they fit well but in the end it was Sage, with all its meanings, that sat with him best. It just felt right. Simple. Full of wisdom. Blending into the environment here, where we are blessed with fields of sage lending it’s lovely soft color and scent to the land around us; sage, a sacred plant used for clearing negative energy so our beauty and innate wisdom can be brought forth. And so it is Sage.
We loved you responsiveness and will ask for your help again for the next animal that may need a name. Thank you!!!!!
Earthfire Institute’s specially-abled grizzly bear, Humble Bumble, soothes himself by sucking on his paw while humming to himself. In this video you hear the sweet sounds as he reassures himself in a world that is scary to him.
On September 19th, Susan had the pleasure of speaking to the Revolution4Evolution. You can view her webinar above, and read her thoughts and suggestions below on how you can get involved, too!
“The animals of the planet are in desperate peril and they are fully aware of this. No less than human beings are doing in all parts of the world, they are seeking sanctuary.” ~ Alice Walker, Selected Writings
Each morning Jean and I meditate with the help of a wild animal. For the last year it has been Cucumber, the Little Wolf that Could, who insists on being with us. We begin with asking the animals and plants and trees and land to lend us their presence and their unique wisdom…and then we call out an invitation to any human souls who are seeking a connection with the animal world and would like to share their unique and special selves to enrich our endeavors here. And then you expressed interest!
I am late in this letter because we had an animal emergency and when that happens Jean and I stop everything else. Uintah , a very shy wolf whom we were never able to touch, had a mysterious type of colic and we have been working through the nights to help save him. For the first time he has let us touch him. Life threatening illness has helped pierce the veil between humans and this wolf -he has asked for help and let us in. They so want to live.
Ways to help: Nature and Animals
We have so few structures or institutes in our culture that help support clear and deep thinking related to the natural systems that sustain us. We need to start to restructure our society to support us in our search for deeper connection which will result in different values and actions. We are each struggling, often alone, with enormous pressures against us – inside our own brains, partly wired to focus on the immediate, and the outside pressures that reinforce that instead of spending some time with eternal values as the basis for our existence.
—Slow down inside. It is not possible to be mindful if we are rushed, stressed, harried. Breathe and notice the incredible life forms and beauty around you . Let them speak to you. We cannot hear the subtle and lovely voices and wisdom of other living beings without allowing ourselves to be quiet.
—Give a 10% tithe of your time to support the systems of life that sustain us. Giving money is not enough. We each need to take personal responsibility to do something for our planet and the living beings without a voice that live upon it.
—Practice mindfulness ; encourage it in others; from local sacred activism mediation or discussion groups. A few minutes reflective practice in the morning will help us not get so lost and driven. Encourage meditation in the schools. I heard of a school in Colorado that is based on meditation and the students are doing remarkable things We need more of that.
—Practice mindful eating, thanking the living forms that are giving their lives for us be they animal or vegetable and being aware where they came from. Help develop a course in school on where food comes from. Not political – just factual. There is no “free” food. Anything we grow and eat takes from some other living being in some way, from the space, water, soil and land we use to grow it and all the systems it takes to get it to our table. We need to practice and teach us to be respectful and not wasteful, taking only what we need.
Jean & Huckleberry Bear
—Support organizations that are trying to save land for the animals – without land and space there is nothing and our love for the animals alone does not help them. There are many – you can research them or contact us for a list of some of the most active but a good start is wild.org or the Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative. Both focus on wildlife corridors.
—Help us with ideas and places we should connect with and let them know about us.
—Send us ideas for retreats or retreat leaders; great books and videos for our library.
—Send us ideas or contacts for places where I can speak.
—Our two biggest needs are fantastic staff, and funds. We are looking for an understudy assistant director and animal handler to work with myself and Jean to ensure continuity . These people have to be committed and realistic. We also need funds to be able to pay them . We need to continue improve the enclosures for the animal, especially play gardens for the bears. To donate, please go to http://earthfireinstitute.org/support/.
Susan Eirich
I look forward to what we can help make happen together.
With love to all of you from myself, Jean and the animals of Earthfire.
It was different this time. After her two near-death experiences during which she worked her way into becoming a House Wolf, she thrived on her special status. When her status became threatened because another sick animal required special care and occupied our tiny living room, she learned how to manipulate us through pretend near-death experiences. But now she is older –going on her 14th year, and the wilting felt different. As if she were defeated.
The cause of the problem was two-fold. First Firefly, a tiny little black fox-rescue from a fur farm ousted her because she needed intensive care, but we could at least move her out each day so Cucumber could come and visit and be loved – though she was only too well aware of the enraptured attention that the charming Firefly was receiving. But then came a traumatized little coyote pup. Though Jean could, with great care pet him and play with him, any attempt at “capture” by picking him up or putting him in a carry cage was out of the question if we ever wanted to have a relationship with him. So, he roamed free in the living room until we could build an outdoor enclosure for him. And that was that. Cucumber was relegated to being outside and she didn’t take it well.
Retreat host, Polly Klein, giving Cucumber Reiki. Copyright Earthfire Institute.
If you casually looked at her you would be tempted to say she was just very old. But, if so, it was a sudden aging. She just drooped. She lost weight. She hobbled. She was listless.
We called the vet, Summer, who knew her well inside and out, having done the two surgeries and helped shepherd her through to health again. Summer could find nothing wrong. She did blood tests. They looked like those of a healthy young wolf.
We didn’t know what to do. It was as if the fight had gone out of her. All those years of being born a runt and being a half-sized wolf in a world of fierce competition; finding a way to dominate wolves much larger than she; of leaping off waterfalls when no other wolf dared; of working herself into the house and then, when ousted, getting back in through pretend near-death experiences, had sapped her energy. She just couldn’t do it any more.
This time it felt real. She didn’t have as much fight, There was no (well, little) attempt at manipulation. I thought she was in the process of dying. Jean brought her down to meet a retreat group to give her a last chance to shine and communicate what she was so good at. They looked at the hanging head, drooping tail, with concern and pity. She stood there passively as they tried to help her with healing hands and therapeutic touch.
After a month of this, she looked so bad we called Summer in again, asking her to check if there was anything at all we could do – perhaps her previous intestinal surgeries were causing her trouble? More tests, examinations, x rays – all looked fine.
Cucumber receiving her morning love from Jean. Copyright Earthfire Institute.
So, though it was a poor substitute, I had an idea. I started to bring her in to the office cabin early every morning before working hours for special hand-prepared breakfast treats, and loving from Jean and myself. It wasn’t the house. The ugly coyote has not been ousted and she wasn’t total queen anymore. But at least she rated special, personal attention and connection.
I am happy to report that she is recovering. It hasn’t been instant like during the “near-death” times when she recovered overnight once she was back in the house. She has not bounced back to her full self. Age and many battles do take their toll and it has been different this time. The wilting was real. She had been devastated. But there is light in her eyes once again, and there is a bit of spring in her step when she walks to the office, or sees her arch enemy, my malamute Talkeetna.
It seems we have no more leeway. Regardless of other distractions and responsibilities to other animals, she needs her special attention for the rest of her life, with no further abandonments or disappointments. We will have to be very very careful of her feelings now. Fortunately, taking care of her is a privilege and delight, and what she gives back is beyond measure.
CalArts Student Manuel recorded this mini whirlpool during the CalArt residency at Earthfire Institute last July. The music was done by CalArt student Jxel. This wonderfully creative video starts slowly and out of focus. As it gradually comes into focus the music changes and you begin to hear the sounds and essence of Earthfire. Enjoy the surprises as it unfolds, as any good discovery does.
We received an urgent call – could we take in a sweet fox who had been someone’s pet and now was abandoned? He had been living alone in a locked cabin with food being thrown in sporadically, and the situation was no longer tenable. The exterminator was scheduled for the next day so he needed a home immediately. Many considerations. . . we had no room – but it was life or death. We could try to put him in with our foxes Feather and Lightfoot and hope they got along. We would have to get permits as he was in Wyoming and he would be coming across state lines. Could we get them quickly enough? The laws had recently changed in Idaho and everyone in all the relevant offices were still uncertain about what was needed, making it even more complicated and lengthy. But a warm-hearted woman in the Idaho Fish and Game office had just seen a beautiful young fox killed on the road and was determined that this one would have a chance. With an infected wisdom tooth, while waiting to see the dentist, she managed to pull it off. Kindness. There are inspiring pockets of it in the world.
His original owner called him Sionnach, Irish for fox. He had bought him for a pet, then abandoned him and his girlfriend, who did the best she could but was unprepared to take care of a wild animal she hadn’t asked for.
Sionnach came over the next day, one panicked little animal. We put him in with Feather and Lightfoot while still protected by the crate, so Jean could assess if it would be safe to let him out. Finally we opened the door. He raced for the darkest corner and cowered. For days. We hoped that seeing the other foxes trusting and liking humans, relaxed and happy, would reassure him, but apparently he had been pretty well traumatized. He was especially afraid of men.
He finally unfroze enough to leap on the wooden platform and hide behind the box there, which is where he still mostly remains. We did notice that food left out for him disappeared. . . always a good sign that an animal wants to live. We have had some who refused to eat, their terror was so great.
The second weekend he was here we had a retreat led by an animal communicator and healer. She spontaneously came to us saying we had to change his name. He was all tight and constricted inside and it was important to find a name for him that implies expansion. If that is the image we have in our heads, she said, it will communicate that feel to him. The name would help us maintain that image, which might help him feel safe to expand and relax.
So dear reader. . . we are open to suggestions. He is 3 years old and has a long potential life ahead of him. Feather for example is going on 14. We would like to do whatever we can to help him heal, from good food and companionship to changing his name, if that might help. We look forward to hearing from you. . .
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>
We received an urgent call – could we take in a sweet fox who had been someone’s pet and now was abandoned? He had been living alone in a locked cabin with food being thrown in sporadically, and the situation was no longer tenable. The exterminator was scheduled for the next day so he needed a home immediately. Many considerations. . . we had no room – but it was life or death. We could try to put him in with our foxes Feather and Lightfoot and hope they got along. We would have to get permits as he was in Wyoming and he would be coming across state lines. Could we get them quickly enough? The laws had recently changed in Idaho and everyone in all the relevant offices were still uncertain about what was needed, making it even more complicated and lengthy. But a warm-hearted woman in the Idaho Fish and Game office had just seen a beautiful young fox killed on the road and was determined that this one would have a chance. With an infected wisdom tooth, while waiting to see the dentist, she managed to pull it off. Kindness. There are inspiring pockets of it in the world.
For Apricot by Constance Perenyi
