Buffalo Journey
The teacher for the North who appeared to me was a magnificent buffalo, shaggy with his heavy winter coat. The words that follow comprise one of the most moving teachings I have received.

INTENTION: Become the animal of the North How does he perceive?

Buffalo speaks:
“My perception is more collective than singular. Although your eye may identify my outline as one distinct or apart, my perceptions are inextricably tied to the whole. By this I mean the herd of which I am a part. Those of old might have described the movement of our mighty herds across the landscape as a river, or an ocean, of beasts, so much were we

one, and not a series of solitary beings. Even so today, though our numbers are low, and the herd may count as its members only a few, we operate as one body. What binds us is our wildness and our connection to the land. Our hooves are supported, our mouths are fed by the grasses she provides us. The thirst of our black tongues is slaked by the waters she offers up. The winds to us carry mighty messages. They ruffle the hair upon our backs, and inform our nostrils of the subtleties of our surroundings and of any unnatural intrusions upon it. The wind notifies us of dangers, as do the tremors, however slight, of the Earth beneath our feet.

“Have you ever observed my herd? Note how tightly we close together, always touching, sensing each others’ heat and heartbeats. Despite your best attempts, it is fruitless and foolish to try to come between us and separate us one from the other. It is a dangerous game. Note how we turn with such quickness as one. You cannot discern leader from follower--the messages are received instantaneously.

Note as well the forbearance we carry. We have endured. We are not without the deep sadness that surrounds our losses. Recall that we remember how this happened and we hold you accountable. When you work with us, we demand your respect. We do not simply invite it. True, you still hold the knife, but know we do not submit. Our knowledge is deep, our wisdom is ancient.”

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Buck’s Journey, Winter 2005
My dear friend Sherry called to request a journey for Buck, her aging and infirm wolf/dog cross.

INTENTION: Sherry has a sense, Buck, that you are in pain, that you may be longing, at this time, to make your transition from the physical plane to the ethereal plane, to join with the wolf and dog collective that is available to you. She asks if you wish to enjoy one more winter, or if you are ready to make your transition as early as tomorrow when you have a vet appointment. She would like your guidance in this matter.

I travel with my Power Animal to the Middle World, where I see Buck resting outside his doghouse beyond the main house. There is a grey squirrel in the tree above, looking down on him, a squirrel that he might chase in other times. I ask the squirrel if he is Buck’s Power Animal. He indicates that he may speak for Buck, and gives permission for Buck to speak to me directly. I state the journey’s intention, and the answer comes from Buck:“I come from a wild lineage, a lineage of the wolf, an important totem in a time when totems were regarded carefully for their significance. A wolf is a totem for the teacher, and I have come into the life of a teacher and her family, for an exchange of those lessons that are always available between animal and man, if both sides are open. My lineage is of the pack, the northern pack of which I was not able to be a part, due to the circumstances of my birth. I am aware that pack life is difficult in this time of dwindling environments that are suitable to my kind, and yet the pack does offer such a feeling of belonging, such a feeling of one’s place in the order of things. I came early to Sherry and her family, her son Nathan, and I have been a teacher to him in particular. It is through me that he became attuned to the natural ways, to the wild ways, to the ways that still stir his heart. It is through me that he has been brought to study my brothers as they live upon the land. It is the call of my kind that rings through his being, and asks him to be true to himself in a way that I could not be true to my lineage. There is no blame here. In many ways, it was fortunate circumstance that brought me to this family and this life. I have lived with those who have had some understanding of my nature, of that wild call within that could not be quelled, that could not be tamed, and I was given at times some outlet for it. Of course, sometimes I took that outlet without asking permission. I sense this may have caused some trouble.

“The family became my pack, albeit a small pack, it was my pack nonetheless. And to this pack I did belong and do belong still. I have rested in the warmth and caring they have offered me, and I give thanks for them. I know that I am not what I once have been. I feel within me the flagging of energy, the longing to curl up upon myself in the cold snow and simply sleep. That is the way of my kind when we have that choice, or else to fall prey to an injury or an illness. Our passing may be wrought with pain and suffering, but this we understand is the way it is with wild beings.

“You ask if I wish to stay on for another winter, and I say it makes no difference one way or the other. I understand your conflict and your pain when you must consider taking my life into your hands, but my life, in actuality, has always been in your hands. At any moment in our time together you might have decided that it was time for me to go. But that was not a choice you were drawn to make until now. So yes, my life is in your hands. That is our agreement. And yes, I am ready to go at any time. I feel no great longing to be here through the season of the cold. If you wish, I can stay for you. It is for you, please realize. For me it does not make a difference.

“And so you wonder if you might assist me in this passage. I say to you that yes, you might. We have forged a strong bond, a bond of deep respect and deeper love. I cannot tell you what to do. The choice remains clearly yours, but I am willing to participate in whatever way that you decide. Should it be sooner rather than later, I ask that you be with me at the time of my passing. Although the natural way would be to be alone, as I have spoken earlier, we are not here discussing natural ways. And so, I invite you to be present at the moment of my transition. Recognize that what will be left behind is simply my wolf’s clothing, that the spirit that animates this pelt will soon run free. I ask that you be with me at my passing. I sense this may be very difficult for you, that your attachment in love and in respect to me will overwhelm you with the sadness of my leaving. This is the way it has to be. I cannot outlive you, but know that I am not too far gone to be able to touch you at some unsuspecting moments. Know without a doubt that I will do this. That is my parting gift to you. We have been good teachers for each other. Keep your heart open always to those of my kind. So much devastation is brought upon our heads by your kind, that every act of love and generosity benefits the whole. Keep your heart open.”

I ask if there is any more to say upon this difficult subject and I am told, “There is great gratitude expressed for all of our being together. This I take with me, and this I leave with you.”

I see the squirrel look down at Buck, and Buck curled on the ground with his head resting on his paws, coat looking ragged, but a great sense of serenity with him. He closes his eyes.

When she read the journey, Sherry acknowledged that she did not feel strong enough to be with Buck in his last moments. Instead, two days later, Buck was taken to the vet’s by Sherry’s husband who stepped in to assist this wonderful dog as he left his life on Earth.

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