Earthfire Stories

Tag: Animal Communication
Mule Deer Buck standing in the woods

Schooled by A Stag

I recently attended an urgent retreat called ReVersing Extinction, where we sought out-of-the-box ways to reverse the accelerating rate of species extinctions. During a break, I found myself in conversation with Stan Rushworth, a Native American teacher and writer of

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White chicken

Sally the Chicken Has Something On Her Mind

Sally the chicken came marching towards me with something clearly on her mind. She had a request. Would I kindly see to it that she could get back into the coop—she needed to lay an egg. Unlike her sister, she

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Maxwell the Magpie

An Unexpected Conversation with Maxwell the Magpie

For several years, I worked as an animal caretaker at an outdoor education facility in New Mexico. Every day, I had the privilege of introducing children to the animals in my care: chickens, burros, sheep, goats, cows, and ponies. Some

Read More
White german shepherd dog

Shota the Shepherd says No to Surgery

I took Shota, my sensitive, gentle German Shepherd pup to Sun Valley, Idaho, for an examination by a specialist. He has had a limp for a couple of months now. Our local vet, examining him, had referred us to the

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Grizzly bear with log in front of Tetons

Teton Totem Goes to Bed

It’s pretty easy to see when A Bear Wants to Go to Bed. He looks just like a very sleepy child, so pitiful and vulnerable in his need that you want to carry him up to his bed and tuck him in.

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Two ground squirrels standing by the entrance to their underground burrow

A Ground Squirrel Spring

In many places the robin is the harbinger of spring. Here it is when we first see a bright-eyed fuzzy little thing poking its head up above the snow, looking around, apparently in disgust because it shortly disappears. But then a few hours later we see it racing across the snow to disappear in the wood pile. It is a Richardson’s ground squirrel. Soon they are a major fact of our existence, soft gray-brown furry little bodies racing around, popping up from holes in all kinds of unexpected places. LIFE has returned with a capital L. They are wherever you look, darting about in a short excited burst of life before they disappear again underground for seven to nine months. Five years ago we had none. Then we had a few. Now we have a thriving colony of hundreds, intensely going about the business of life during the short time they will be above ground darting here, there, everywhere.

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Animal trainer Jean Simpson with a brown bear

A Language Before Words

I keep thinking of offering a duct tape retreat, where we place metaphoric duct tape across our mouths so we are reminded to only speak when something comes from the depths of us; and when we are with the animals,

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Coyote standing in a grassy field

Small is Big

An Attempt at Translation and Interpretation Between Species with Some Kernels of Truth To It Small animals are as important as big ones. Definitely in their own minds, and in actuality, too. (In fact, the most important life forms that

Read More
Mule Deer Buck standing in the woods

Schooled by A Stag

I recently attended an urgent retreat called ReVersing Extinction, where we sought out-of-the-box ways to reverse the accelerating rate of species extinctions. During a break, I found myself in conversation with Stan Rushworth, a Native American teacher and writer of rare power. He told me about an encounter he had

Read More
White chicken

Sally the Chicken Has Something On Her Mind

Sally the chicken came marching towards me with something clearly on her mind. She had a request. Would I kindly see to it that she could get back into the coop—she needed to lay an egg. Unlike her sister, she does not do anything with timidity. She had a demand

Read More
Maxwell the Magpie

An Unexpected Conversation with Maxwell the Magpie

For several years, I worked as an animal caretaker at an outdoor education facility in New Mexico. Every day, I had the privilege of introducing children to the animals in my care: chickens, burros, sheep, goats, cows, and ponies. Some of these kids had never met an animal besides their

Read More
White german shepherd dog

Shota the Shepherd says No to Surgery

I took Shota, my sensitive, gentle German Shepherd pup to Sun Valley, Idaho, for an examination by a specialist. He has had a limp for a couple of months now. Our local vet, examining him, had referred us to the Sun Valley vet. She said she could feel something in

Read More
Grizzly bear with log in front of Tetons

Teton Totem Goes to Bed

It’s pretty easy to see when A Bear Wants to Go to Bed. He looks just like a very sleepy child, so pitiful and vulnerable in his need that you want to carry him up to his bed and tuck him in.

Read More
Two ground squirrels standing by the entrance to their underground burrow

A Ground Squirrel Spring

In many places the robin is the harbinger of spring. Here it is when we first see a bright-eyed fuzzy little thing poking its head up above the snow, looking around, apparently in disgust because it shortly disappears. But then a few hours later we see it racing across the snow to disappear in the wood pile. It is a Richardson’s ground squirrel. Soon they are a major fact of our existence, soft gray-brown furry little bodies racing around, popping up from holes in all kinds of unexpected places. LIFE has returned with a capital L. They are wherever you look, darting about in a short excited burst of life before they disappear again underground for seven to nine months. Five years ago we had none. Then we had a few. Now we have a thriving colony of hundreds, intensely going about the business of life during the short time they will be above ground darting here, there, everywhere.

Read More
Animal trainer Jean Simpson with a brown bear

A Language Before Words

I keep thinking of offering a duct tape retreat, where we place metaphoric duct tape across our mouths so we are reminded to only speak when something comes from the depths of us; and when we are with the animals, we do not speak at all. When I mention such

Read More
Coyote standing in a grassy field

Small is Big

An Attempt at Translation and Interpretation Between Species with Some Kernels of Truth To It Small animals are as important as big ones. Definitely in their own minds, and in actuality, too. (In fact, the most important life forms that support the earth are the tiniest—it is only we who

Read More

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