A Fossil for me!

I always tell my my patients, they have to exercise, move their bodies regularly, so once a day I have to follow my own advice and “go, move!”

When early this afternoon it stopped raining and the Sun came out, Peter and I donned our Mosquito jackets, grabbed camera gear and went off, on a little outing down”Wolf Poooop Trail” a narrow gravel track aptly named for…. Yes, you guessed it 🙂

Within a short while we had all kinds of interesting fellow Beings to admire.

For Peter this time of year it is all about spotting and photographing Dragonflies Damselflies and Butterflies – apart from -of course snapping pictures of all kinds of other noteworthy things.

So I was the spotter: ”Look, there, on that Flower! A small Bee!

” Peter comes running and – Bee gone… 😦

“Come quick, here, a small Boreal Bluet (Damselfly)”

….. that would not sit still either….

But the next one did.

“Oh, Peter, loooook, a Calico Pennant (Skimmer Dragonfly)!!

” Snap/ klick! “Great!” 🙂

“Oh loooook over there up on the dead Tree!!!”

A Grackle!

And not to forget the intermittent squeaky calls of a young Raptor:

“Mom!! Dad! I am hungry!!! I am heeeere!! Feed me!!”

Yes indeed, there he was, up on another dead Tree directly above us:

A Young Kestrel.

As we arrived at the Beaver pond all was awash in fresh green. How beautiful, peaceful and quiet.

“!! Flump!!”

A loud sound told us, that the Beaver was not really all too happy about our arrival and showed his displeasure with a loud slap of his tail. All we got to see from him was a steadily widening circle of ripples in the otherwise still Water.

For a while we sat down and enjoyed the scenery. Then Peter wanted to turn back. I could not.

Something “called” me to go on, further along the trail to the beginning of the rather steep hill. “Something” was there, for me.

On other walks here alone and with my students we had found quite some treasures in this area. The road bed was stabilized with rather large gravel that was  intermixed with quite a few pieces of greyish shale-like rock. The odd one of these contained small fossils.:)

Remembering that, I quickened my step and arriving at the incline of the track way stretched out my left hand. No, it was not here, it was further on.

No, not in this shady part either, only bloodsucking bugs here, waiting for me. A little further, yes, here, this one. I picked it up. A regular booring rock.

BUT, on the other side, a perfect little fossil of a shell – just for me. 🙂

It was the very first rock, I picked up.

I tried a few others… and a few more further along – nothing.

I KNEW there was nothing more to find right now, because the subtle Energy I had felt was now coming from my own pocket.

Time to turn around and go home.

Snake Woman

It was beautiful warm summer weather – just right for a little excursion and a visit with friends.

They live close to a small village in the heart of “Cottage Country “ at the banks of one of the many rivers that flow into Georgian Bay.

We had not been to their home in a while and so it was natural, that, after an introductory stroll through this year’s garden, we should walk down to the river and visit the large boulder, an erratic, left there by the melting glaciers.

It was my husband Peter, who, a few steps away, discovered her.

Part of her slender body comfortably tucked under yet another large rock her head appeared into the sunlight. Tongue flicking to catch our scent, she inspected the new arrivals in her territory. She was not afraid at all and soon settled down again, head in the sun,turned towards us.

It felt natural to sit down next to her and include her into our conversation:

-About the recent spring flood that had covered the very site we were now sitting on

About the large Bull Frog, who lives a bit further down the riverbank …

I am sure, she knows him well. – I am also sure, he is not very fond of her…. 😉

About the environment, sports fishermen and boaters, cottagers and tourists.

All topics that would interest a Snake and we all were certain, she also contributed a remark here and there – although in parseltounge and so inaudible to us.

At some point it was time to leave and soon after we got up, so did she.

Only then we saw, how big Snake Woman was!

Well over 3 feet!

My friends go swimming in the river right there at that spot.

No wonder she did not flee. She knows their scent well and also knows that they mean her no harm.

Wolf Woman:

Wolf woman:

It was a rainy morning here, but in late afternoon the sun was coming out.

I had been sitting down all day, first writing about my new Tarot deck then working on a small Medicine Pouch.

Now I needed some exercise. But going for a walk these days is not an option. Tooooo many Mosquitos, Blackflies, and now the fast and voracious Deerflies are out as well 😦

But I could go for a bike ride!

My bike has a name: Jubelkuh = somewhat like “happy trillering Cow”

I have it since the good old days – 1975 or so, when I still was a student nurse and had to use it to get to the large hospital I worked in. It is the very small wheeled, fold- up type, that comes apart with just the turning of a screw and then can be put into a car.

Way back then, I stuck it into my VW bus and off we went….

Nowadays I do not get very far on it – I am oooold and the road is hilly….

But Sunday safely dressed in a Mosquito net jacket, net headgear and bug spray I was happily paddling along our road along neighbor’s property, when all of a sudden I heard strange “japing sounds” coming from the dense bush. I stopped and listened It sounded like several small Wolf pups!!! 🙂

Oh rats! There was a large 4 wheel truck coming down the road from behind me, roaring past smelling nasty… and then quiet again…. so I listened some more.

There! More japing youwling and squeaaaaaaling!

High puppy voices.

And of course all the bugs had found me by now, sirrrrseling around my body and face netting and adding to the concert.

But – what was that??

Rustling bushes!

Right in front of me!

I stared, NOT moving!

There!

The bushes parted and out stepped A large brown gray She-Wolf, carrying in her snout a young pup, by the ruff of its neck.

She looked at me, “GRRRRuarrred”

How else to describe the sound a Wolf mother makes, when she sees a human and has her mouth full of baby??

Having warned me off, she crossed the road not 20 feet in front of me, tail held high, tits swinging widely.

Seconds… and she was gone.

I was enchanted and transfixed!

What a sight!

– Sure I had my camera.

Safely tucked in its shoulder bag – out of reach- out of mind in that enchanting moment.

I listened. All was quiet.

She probably had already moved the others of the litter away from the den located in the soft sandy soil near the quarry to the new rendezvous site closer to the river, closer to our home, if not on the west part of out property. They will now need more solid food – Rabbits, Grouse and Deer and we have plenty of those.

Smiling I went on with my bike ride, down to where Echo Creek crosses the road.

On my way back I stopped again and listened.

Nothing – all quiet.

Then – some small movement just at my feet caught my eye:

Oh loooook who is sitting there, rutting for grubs and insects in the soft wet sand:

Mrs. Woodcock!

This time I had all the time in the world to get out the camera and snap a picture.

Last night late, when the rain stopped for a while I went out onto the deck and listened again.

There were yapping sounds coming from the other side of the creek!

Wolf Woman’s new home.

🙂

Wolf woman running
Carrying her child
Wolf Woman thank you!
For a glimpse of the Wild!
……………………………..Mi-Shell June 9. 2013

 

 

Yet another Hawk smudging fan :)

This Wing comes from yet another “road victim”, a Sharp Shinned Hawk:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sharp_Shinned_Hawk

When one of our readers here saw the other hawk fans i recently made, she asked me, if  the next wing that was ready and cured could be for her.

So:  Susan, here is your Fan: 🙂

.

.

 

I did not ad toooo many “tail feathers” yet, I think maybe you have some of your own that we could put on there.

Splitting the blog! :)

Most of my Shamanic Drum readers are interested in my life and work as a shaman and over the last few months I have received “mutterings”, that they are not subscribing, in order, to not get all my Tarot related posts.

Lately this has kept me from posting about my workings with my “Deck of the Month threads on Aeclectic Tarot” and my working with certain other decks.

On the other side of the spectrum, I have a quite a few readers and Tarot clients that are only interested in my writings about the cards, Tarot, Oracle and also other divination systems but they do not much care for me describing in detail, how I “wave around this or that Owl feather to get rid of…. “

You get the drift. …. 

This now has prompted me to separate the 2 areas of  interest into 2 blogs.

Welcome to

The Voice Within the Cards

http://voicewithinthecards.wordpress.com/

For right now I started writing down the stories and allegories pertaining to the Soprafino Tarot, which I consider our family heritage deck, since it was the one, my maternal Gran read with from the mid 1890ties onward….

Eventually the Voice Within the Cards  will also have archives for the Greenwood cards and texts and all the other things Tarot, that interest me.

I would love it, if some of you sign up to follow  or at least bookmark my newest baby!

Thank you all!

And with these words it is official:  🙂

This blog is mainly about my life and daily work as a shaman, healer and teacher and about how that translates into living in Central Canada in 2013 and beyond.

Raising a new Tipi

The poles are set up

lighting the smudge stick in the Sacred Fire

smudging

The canvas goes on

Blessing Chants for the new Tipi

unfurling the canvas