Blog, Seen Thru New Eyes | December 21, 2009
For a short while I took a job in a cubicle with only a small high window I couldn’t see out of. Nothing alive or natural around me. It drove me crazy. So I got a goldfish. I got a plant for the goldfish and with the plant, unexpectedly, came a small brown snail. As I watched the goldfish I began to notice the snail. Up he would glide; up the side of the bowl. Then he would lengthen his foot and launch himself across the water upside down just under the water line, moving smoothly, with grace. Once in the middle of the bowl he would suddenly pull in his foot and glide gently down to the bottom like a version of a paraglider under water. Back over the gravel he went, to the side of the bowl, up, across the water, and do it again. And again. And again. And again. He would rest for a while, begin another series. I called him Speedy, he was so very fast and active. I quite fell in love with a snail. When I called people on the phone I would describe what he was doing- he was an important part of the conversation. People would even ask me about him. He had personality. Of course I don’t know for sure, but it certainly seemed that he was just expressing the joy of being alive, of movement. There was something about the way he let go and glided to the bottom that just seemed to emanate snail joy. Buffalo glide on ice. Bears and wolves slide down snowfields for the fun of it. Why not snails doing the equivalent in their environment? Being alive is a joy.
Animal Story, Blog, Wolves | December 18, 2009
The chance to die peacefully, in our own time, is not granted to every being.
Stardance stayed with us for five days, lying quietly on the living room floor, moving only to reach water. She seemed at peace. Every now and then she would look up, fully alert and intelligent, then sink back down to rest position. We offered her food, treats, homemade chicken soup. She would take some a few laps of the soup but actively sought the water, drinking with some vigor. It reminded me of a story I read of an old grandfather in Appalachia who one day decided he was ready to die. He lay in his bed attended by his loving family, refusing all food, drinking only water, as he slowly, peacefully, slipped away. Most of the time she did not seem to be with us but every now and then, right to the end, she would look up, eyes bright with intelligence.
The evening of the fifth day I caressed her and lay down next to her to sleep. She had still had those moments of alertness all day. I awoke four hours later to find she had left her body, probably just after I had fallen asleep. She had been such a strong presence in our living room, it somehow did not feel right to bury her immediately, as if part of her had not yet gone. We honored her body and buried her the next day in our graveyard, where all the Earthfire animals are buried. Whatever one makes of it, to all appearances she her face looked as if she were laughing for joy.
While I personally am on the conservative side on these things, I know there is more going on than I understand, so I consulted with Penelope Smith, the founder of the interspecies communication movement. She has dealt with thousands of animal passings. She wrote “Stardance went peacefully. She is grateful for the expansion of her passage allowed by the natural death. She tells me that she spent two days before her departure with the Great Wolf Council, going over her life and all the wisdom she encompassed. When it was her time to go she was embraced by the Elder Spirits and went in grace, peace and light.”
For those to whom it may bring peace, she has written a book called Animals in Spirit, Our faithful companions’ transition to the afterlife.
Blog, Deep Ecology, Ethics & Whole Community | December 17, 2009
Arianna Huffington says she started because the mainstream media wasn’t picking up on the really important stories — they didn’t seem to have a sense of the important. Often overlooked are the less flashy, less immediate, but critical underpinnings of all we do, such as values and world view. These drive all our actions. Not very sexy or fundable but it is absolutely vital that those things be examined and taught consciously in our society. Our often unexamined, fundamental beliefs lead to many of the very specific problems we deal with such a deforestation, pollution, desertification, etc. One of these fundamentals is how we look at ourselves in relation to other living beings — if animals were considered as living beings in their own right, part of the fabric of life, sentient beings; we would not have factory farms unhealthy for us as well as cruel to the animals; we would not grab habitat for huge second homes and developments wasteful of the land; we would think twice before building yet another road in the forest or blacktop more living land for malls and parking lots – we would stop the mindless drive for expansion. Our entire societal structure would be different. We are starting to realize the necessity of this as the current administration tries to move to a green economy for practical reasons – very worthwhile. But it would be more sustainable, would happen sooner, and be easier and more pleasurable if we did it from a sense of our job as stewards of the earth and from a sense of the sacred. Earthfire works to contribute to the sense of the sacredness of all life and the sense that we are truly one community. What we do to any living being, either good or bad, in some way affects us all.
- Untrammeled Wilderness in the Yellowstone to Yukon Wildlife Cooridor
Animal Story, Blog, Foxes | December 16, 2009
Feather; rescued fur-farm fox, is nearly 11 years old. She is a loving, squiggling vibrant bundle of luscious red fur, bright eyes, mischief, intense emotions, curiosity, intelligence and acrobatic grace, one of the miracles of life on this earth. The average life-span for a fox in a fur farm is 1-2 years. She is a single living testament to the lives of all the foxes who were not rescued – what they might have been. Lives they might have lived. Eleven years of loving and living and the joy of being in an astounding body that is a fox. To bring them into this world to live in a tiny mesh cage; never to get out; vitality constrained and unexpressed, forced to bring life into this world only to have their babies taken away year after year to be killed for some person’s luxury – what that must do to our collective human soul!
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.
Animal Story, Buffalo, Earthfire Stories, Other Animals | December 15, 2009
Recently at Earthfire’s Digital Storytelling Workshop, we were asked to create videos of animal interactions that touched us. Josie, the Buffalo Goat, immediately came to mind. To me, she epitomizes the whole feeling of Earthfire. Brought to the Sanctuary to provide nutritional milk to orphaned buffalo calves, a relationship blossomed that amazed and delighted me. Often, after greeting me in the morning asking for morsels of food, she would be seen out in the field, leaning against her favorite adopted buffalo, Rosebud. What a wonderful example of interspecies love and devotion. Josie will remain in my heart always as greeter, mother and friend. -Linda Miller
Animal Story, Blog, Wolves | December 2, 2009
Stardance, beloved Stardance, black wolf with golden eyes; independent, focused Stardance, is now 15 ½ years old. We found her a few days ago lying down shaking in a corner. It was cold but not so cold that a wolf should be shaking so we brought her into the cabin for observation. It soon became clear that she was on the path to dying but she did not appear to be suffering. Our vet diagnosed a tumor on her heart, ultimately fatal. She had swelling in her legs because her heart was not functioning properly, and as we walked her into the cabin she lost control of her back legs.
The ever present question when you have a being you love, at the end of their time on earth. Do you help her pass? Do you let her take her own path, easing her suffering as you can? So many perspectives.
Our vet, humanely, suggested we put her to sleep to end her suffering. But Tibetan Buddhists believe that if you interfere, you are disrupting their karmic path – that this is something that is necessary in their life. And my own question: when a person has cancer and is suffering we make them comfortable but never consider putting them down. How is it different with animals? Another thought: how often do people who are suffering ask to be put down? Almost never. Most people want to live as long as possible, even in the throes of intense suffering. Why, actually, when you think about it, should animals be different? Are they? What assumptions are we making? We all have the same basic emotional brain structures and a passion to live.
It has been five days since we brought her in and she appears to be resting comfortably, going through her own process. That would have been 5 days, so far, taken from her. Her presence fills the cabin with the bitter-sweetness of life; the sadness but the richness as she brings forth the age-old question we all have to face and re-face anew.
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.
Blog | November 20, 2009
It has been 9 years since we started Earthfire, and over time it has come into its own. We are at a place in our thinking where we are ready and excited to take what we have to offer out to the world.
To this end we have developed an exciting, interactive new website, over a year in the making. It will serve as a platform for our new business model as a wildlife sanctuary and retreat center for people who are influential in the fields of communications, education, business, conservation, wellness, spirituality and art to experience Earthfire… and take that experience out into their own fields.
As Earthfire is unable to accommodate a large number of visitors, the site will play a major role in making what we offer available to a wider audience. With the help of a grant, we contracted with Free Range Studios, who have worked with organizations such as the World Wildlife Fund and The Nature Conservancy. We selected Free Range because of their known expertise in storytelling, the most vivid way we can share the animals and their teachings with a larger audience. We look forward to hearing your comments and having you participate in any way that you can!
The times have never been more ready for what our animals can teach.
Warmly, Susan
Buffalo, Wellness & Spirtuality | November 20, 2009
Blue Bell, the Buffalo Girl, teaches Jill Runnion a powerful lesson in animal personalities.
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Self Healing with Wolves
Animal Compassion
