One of the most amazing videos I've ever seen!

POWER ANIMAL FOR OCTOBER: GRANDMOTHER SPIDER

Spiders are scary. They have eight hairy legs with witch to creep and crawl. They surprise us by dropping down out of nowhere on invisible strings. Some of them bite with poisonous venom. No wonder they are a symbol of Halloween, along with ominous black cats and vampire bats!

Yet, spiders are also helpful hunters, delicate strand walkers, and have two-section bodies shaped like the sign of infinity. They are weavers of intricate webs which mirror Earth’s most sacred geometry, and they generate the silky material for these masterful artworks from their own tiny bodies. These are just a few reasons why Spider has been long revered by First Nation people all over the world as a beloved ancestor. Storytellers since the beginning of time have spun tales of Spider being the Creator of the universe. 

The Sennica people, after reading the lines and spirals of the spiders’ brilliant webs, also credited them with creating the very first language. Spider taught humankind the importance of recording spiritual truths for the well being of future generations. Writers and artists alike share Spider as an inspirational totem guide, who reminds them that they too are time-travelors, carrying the wisdom of the ages from past to future. 

Every web begins with a single thread. This represents the true nature of reality: that there is an invisible constant running through all living things, and that the world is a complex web united by One force.  When a spider shoots her silver thread into the air, she relies on the wind (Spirit) to carry it to a tree branch or window ledge, where it will attach to something rooted in the physical world that can serve as a frame. Creative thoughts are like this to: we spin a thread of an idea, in dreams or imaginings, and throw it into the wind, hoping it will take hold. Many threads float away untethered, and we, as web-weavers, have to try and try again, waiting for one to stick. Imagine what would happen if a spider gave up after one try, or twenty. It’s life depends on continual weaving. So does ours.    

-- Copyright Amy Beth Katz. 2011

60 Minutes Episode on Polar Bears and New Wildlife Camera: Awesome!

Power Animal for September: Moose

                                                                                 c Amy B, Katz, 2001

The first time you encounter a moose in the wild, expect your minds to do flip-flops. You may initially take it for a warped work horse, or a disfigured deer or camel, with bumps in the “wrong” places. But once you name this impressive beast, her presence will thrill you. 

Moose is all about contradictions: an awkward physical appearance with graceful and elegant gate; massive form and antlers (on males) that moves silently through the forest; insatiable hunger but vegetarian diet of delicate leaves and bark. If moose is your power animal, you often fool, confuse and impress people, because of your uniqueness and breadth of qualities that can not be put in a neat, simple box. 

Moose medicine cures you of low self esteem, and helps you celebrate your individual talents and accomplishments. Instead of being boastful, “Moose People” share their gifts with others to benefit all of society.  

Autumn is the time when Moose energy is at it’s the highest: this is the rutting season, and thus the time when the cycle of birth and death is at it’s highest. If you seek to undergo a life transformation or to pro-create, wear a talisman of moose hair or hang a photo of one above your bed. 

Don't forget to get out in nature at least once a day and connect with whatever critters are in your neighborhood. You don't have to travel 1,000 miles on safari or spend hundreds of dollars to get somewhere: make contact with whoever is in your own backyard! For me, it happened to be Mr. Moose, while I was fixing up my tiny cabin in Alaska! 

Usually my visitors back home in Santa Barbara are of the smaller variety, like birds or lizards. This photo here is of my pet Sun Conure, fruity, nesting in my hair.

Here is a little guy that I would have missed if I hadn't intentionally gone looking for him! 

And this is "Peter", the baby Blue Jay my boyfriend found abandoned at the side of the highway. We took him home and nursed him with baby bird food and feta cheese omelets until he was strong and big enough to eat crickets and fly around the living room. Three weeks later I released him into the garden. He still comes back to visit every couple of days, even a year and a half later!

WHO IS IN YOUR YARD???