Animals that come into our lives and connect with us, either momentarily or for long periods always have information and teaching to share with us if we are willing to pay attention and listen. A recent experience of mine illustrates this beautifully.
My partner Geoff, our animal ally Toonces, and I were on our way out to one of our favorite camping spots on a perfect June eveninga picnic dinner in the cooler, plenty of wood for the campfire, a beautiful summer moon on the riseless than a mile down the road, a coyote trotted nonchalantly in front of us, stopping on the bank to turn around and look directly and intently at us as we passed.
I looked over at Geoff and inquired "What trick do you suppose is going to be played on us?" "You know we'll find out" was the reply.
The coyote, as many know, is the cosmic trickster and jokester, and there is always hidden wisdom in the antics and presence of this animal. Coyote often comes along to remind us to not be so serious, to see our own folly or self-sabotage, to lighten up with a fresh and humble perspective. The tarot Fool card is a close equivalent to coyote.
Within a little over twenty-four hours my question was answered. We were moving to a new house and went over to connect and drop some things off. The supposedly quiet neighborhood was reeling with party noise from two houses and our new home smelled like fresh paint. While we weren't paying attention to her, in a moment of confusion and frustration, Toonces decided to bolt toward the old house which was three miles away (through coyote infested land). When we discovered her absence, we searched in vain while the sad reality that our precious kitty was gone slowly gripped our hearts.
My dismay at this turn of events is well-founded as this cat is extremely well-traveled, having spent 7 months traveling 19,000 miles around the country with me for my job one year, and has no history of freaking out about anything in our eleven years of co-habitation. She has always been the cool, calm, intrepid kitty who drives, hikes, heals, talks, and makes eye contact like only a truly old soul, evolved kitty can! Anyone who has met Toonces knows that she's no ordinary cat.
The domesticated cat is the animal of mystery, magic, and independence. It's most at home and hunts in the dark which most humans associate with fear and that which can't be, or won't be seen. From this place our furry pets can be quite enlightening.
So this wise old animal had a lesson for me. The next day I went deeper into my own grieving than I have ever been able to go before. Life without Toonces would just be wrong, empty, unjust. I was forced to look at the possibility that she was gone for good and even if not, that her mortality was a reality she will, in all likelihood, leave the planet before I do this time. Have I become too dependent on her? Do I rely on her for my emotional stability? What does my balance and wholeness without her look like? These were all things I wasn't quite ready to ponder but none-the-less, they were in my face. I, the independent, loner was not ready to lose my best friend of so many years and lifetimes.
As we searched the neighborhood, calling out for Toonces, I asked the ravens to show us the way and two of them peeled off in what would turn out to be the right direction. Ravens of course, are the shapeshifters, birds of magic, and messengers of the spirit realm. At one point we heard a cat meow on a street corner, and had we gone straight as the message indicated instead of turning right we would have gone by the house where she was held-up.
We put flyers with her picture on them up all over our new neighborhood in hopes that someone might see her or take her in. We prayed for her safe return. We worried about the dangers she might encounter if she truly was on her way back to the old house. On the third day, when I was finally coming to an understanding that there will be life after Toonces, Geoff got the call, picked her up, and we enjoyed a wonderful, relieved, and appreciative reunion.
This whole experience profoundly deepened our insight into our relationship with the animal realm. And with Toonces, this is another reminder of the astounding level of her intention. She truly is one of my greatest teachers.
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