I have had the privilege over the last few months to have met and learned from some wonderful guides who have changed my life in ways I never expected.   I have realized why I have been so drawn to animals all my life, and when I think back to my childhood and picture my poor mother’s face when she would catch me playing with snakes, spiders, local “aggressive” dogs, running with horses in the field, singing back to the birds as I hung out the window, and I’m sure other creatures I don’t remember, I have to smile with a sense of peace in my heart.

Aside from one human guide I am fortunate enough to have met, almost all my journeys, meditations, and dreams are with animals.  I seek them out and crave their companionship, and although I do have healthy respect for their strength and wildness I feel the bonds from a distance.  We are animals ourselves after all, and what better guides could we have than those species which have learned to live and thrive on our planet without destroying their surroundings?  They live at peace with the natural world and when any species oversteps its limits nature corrects the balance.  Since humans are relative youngsters on the earth we have much to learn from those who live in harmony with it and know how to read its language, and I realize now how I have been drawn to listen to and learn from all the creatures around me since I was very young.

I could reflect now upon all the messengers and guides who have visited me or are permitting me to join them on this journey I am taking, but that is for another time.  In this moment I feel utter peace and joy as I sit here with my white wolf guide next to me and I know that when I sleep tonight I will have companions beside me through the night.  I know that whatever information I need will come my way, and I know also that when I wake and hear the birds outside singing and see my very old cat ambling toward me for breakfast and a brushing I will still be among my friends.  I have only to listen and be open to the messages they bring to learn what I need to know to continue on my path.

I will look up and see the vultures that circle right above my trees and if I have a moment to walk around outside my house I will feel the connection to every crispy brown leaf on my grass.  I will touch the bare branches of the little dogwood trees and feel the worms deep within the cold ground, and I will see the promise of the garden I will plant in a few weeks.  I will feel the connection between each of my cells and the cells of each blade of grass and each creature I meet along the way, and then come back in to work with my feet on the hardwood floor that was fashioned from old logs from tall and sturdy trees.  I will sit again with my cup of tea and my guide and companion next to me, and I will most likely stop a few times to watch an ant walk across my desk during my day.

We aren’t far removed from all other creatures unless we lose the connection to them, and forgetting that is a sad and dangerous way to live and sure way to die from our separateness.  I hope you will do as I plan to for the rest of my life.  When you walk along your path think of the creatures around you who live, need, eat, feel, reproduce, and die as we do, and listen to their wisdom.  You don’t need to be a mystic or have any special gifts.  Just open your ears and eyes, and most of all open your heart and mind to the amazing and wise beings we are fortunate enough to share the universe with.  If you listen they will share their wisdom with you, and I wish for you the  feeling of peace that I feel in this moment.

It was a very good year in many ways.  I figured out what I want to be when I grow up, so I would say last year should be considered a successful one.  I believe most people are in waiting mode at the present time it seems, but I am at the beginning of a journey that is exciting for me so it is hard to be in waiting mode.  I prefer to think of myself as  ”settled in”, since it is freezing here and getting out to enjoy nature isn’t much of an option right now.

This last year was one of growth and reflection, and I found myself consciously considering what brings positive energy and what weighs me down.    I turn 50 next month, and I would like my second 50 years to be full of joy and positive energy.  To that end I am working on reorganizing my blog and website to reflect my reflections if you will, working on my Reiki studies, and implementing ways to simplify my life.

I’ve dreaming, journeying, and meditating even though I haven’t blogged for awhile, and I will hopefully come to blog some of those adventures soon.  Meanwhile we will work on my main website,  I will work on my Reiki, and the holiday inertia will give way to progress in the new year.

Sometimes in life we plunge forward into new endeavors and are full of energy, and sometimes we feel the need to step back and regroup before moving forward.  I have felt both of these urges over the last two weeks while taking part in a workshop designed to tune our senses, and I am grateful for the opportunity to experience insights and journeys I wouldn’t have otherwise. 

My belief that nothing is coincidence and that the universe provides us with the tools to learn the lessons we will need somewhere along the way has been reinforced, and I have for the most part felt joy in the connections we have to all around us and the rest of the universe.  I have talked to trees and butterflies and had old friends come visit me in meditations, and I do not feel the isolation I did in the past.  I didn’t feel isolated in a spiritual sense, but did physically since I don’t really have many friends to hang out with locally.  Over the last couple of weeks I have been reminded of all the creatures around us who are excellent companions on our journey through this life.

My suggestion for anyone feeling alone or unloved would be to go for a walk or sit quietly outside in a secluded spot and just listen and look around.  Notice the trees around you on your walk and touch them.  Feel the energy and wisdom that flows through them, and notice that they have been here for many years and will continue to be for many more.  Observe the butterflies, squirrels, ants, or even the annoying mosquitos around you, and just watch the ants go on about their way as they collect food and do what nature has programmed them to do. 

Whether you sit quietly or walk on your adventure, take care to notice life teems everywhere around us and that we are part of a larger picture.  No one is every truly alone and you can never be insignificant or unloved.  You are a unique individual who is not promised an easy ride along your path, but you are also part of a larger community of animals, plants, and the planet itself.  That community is in turn part of a larger community which consists of everything.  Since each creature, rock, speck of dust, or other substance has a unique place in this enormous community, your place is no less important or cherished by the community as a whole than any other creature’s contribution.

Whether we feel all the energy around us or are oblivious to all of our companions, it is there nonetheless and we can choose to be part of this wonderful community instead of feeling isolated or feeling that our lives are pointless or less than what we deserve.  Take a walk or sit awhile and feel the energy around you before you decide that you are alone in your struggles.  Watch that ant climb all the way up that tall tree without wondering if he will make it or enjoy the sparrows and squirrels searching for food alongside each other.  They may not be buddies, but they all have a place and are part of the same universe you are part of as well.  This wonderful energy flows through the birds, squirrels, the trees, the earth below your feet, and through you, and it flows whether you realize it or not. 

So take a moment and feel your own special place among all the creatures around you, and know you share the energy that flowed through your ancestors and their surroundings.  Feel how amazing and valued every creature around you is, and open yourself to all of your companions on your journey.  I suggest on those days when nothing seems to work right and you feel you can’t climb the tree any more that you take a few minutes to watch that ant and sit against that tree that has stood  despite storms and drought.  They are part of the same community you are and they have lessons to teach you.  I wish you peace and the knowledge that you are a valuable part of this huge universe.