Backyard Shaman's Guide to Power Animals

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???