Please Post Your Powerful Animal Encounter Stories!

We would love to hear about amazing or numinous animal encounters you've had, in waking, in dreams. Please post in the comments section here! 

Jaguar: Dark Seductress

“A black jaguar prowls across my garden in the middle of the night. There is something unique and compelling about his face: his nose looks almost human…suddenly this realization awakens me in my own dream and I become lucid. Recognizing that now is the time when all possibilities are open, I decide to go on a medicine walk in the Dreamtime. Suddenly, a “man-whole” opens up, and with only a lantern to light the path down into the darkness, I descend into the underworld.”  -- Amy’s Dream Feb. 1, 2012

Jaguars, which are the same species as Black Panthers, have long been considered to be the rulers of both light and darkness by the Mayans, thus serving as a symbol of wholeness, balance and power. Ancient tales tell of the numinous feline who delighted by watching over the sun in the East, then tracked the sun down below the horizon into the Underworld at night, to hunt Mystery and Inner Wisdom.

Jaguar is associated with Dionysus and Bacchus, the Greek and Roman Gods of fertile earth, wine, revelry and wild-ness. Those seeking freedom from societal restrictions and definitions, who are on the path of discovering their authentic selves via deep desires and volcanic soul stirrings, often are stalked by Jaguar.

Being the mightiest of cats, she is known for her fierceness and ability to take down prey by a single strike to the head, symbolizing the guide who helps initiates drop from their analytical minds deep into the abyss; into their animal bodies. Jaguar is dangerous, but a keen protector of all she loves; she is also a healer with foresight and clairvoyance, leading her way in the dark.

Cats have binocular vision which allows them to see close up, even when it is pitch black. Only a human with Jaguar as a power animal would be willing to roam the far reaches of these shadow-lands. Jaguar has the fierce compassion to lead where few others are willing to go–into that riparian jungle known as Soul, teeming with exotic creatures, sweltering swamps and secret caves. It is within these caves, these manholes, that the greatest treasures are to be discovered.

Who is willing to join me on this journey of the Jaguar?

Power Animal Summer 2012: SHARK!

Da Dah. 

Da Dah. 

Da Dah Da Dah Da Dah Dah Dah 

SHARKKKKKKK! 

Did you catch a glimpse of the sacred, paramid-shaped fin swimming infinity signs around your life raft? Right now, each one of you has a sleek and fearless shark torpedoing through the murky waters of your psyche. It is trusting its impossibly keen sense of smell and instinct, zeroing in on what your soul craves most. Are you going to paddle away as fast as you can and never look back? Or, are you going to glide along side it and apprentice yourself to the best hunter evolution has ever produced? 

Shark people -- those who have accepted their innate sharkiness -- are high achievers. They are doers, movers, shakers, olympic swimmers.  A shark’s biology keeps its body in motion its entire existence: if it stops moving, it drowns. People are like that too, metaphorically, and perhaps that’s why when our lives become stagnant, we sink to the sea floor, and after awhile become bottom feeders, hiding under rocks and living off the algae or waste of others, unable to see the light. Sharks swim in the depths, but also at the sunny surface. They live in balance and in motion; they know how to adapt, get ahead, transition, evolve, survive with efficiency and energy economy. 

Sharks in our American society get a bad rap: successful gamblers, salespeople, seductive lovers... these we call “sharks”. But success does not have to mean hurting others; our intelligence and drive can serve humanity at the same time it feeds our own needs. When Shark rips through our dreams or our summer splashing at the beach, this a good time to take stock of our beliefs about money, accomplishment, competition, persuasiveness. If we fear these qualities and sublimate them in ourselves, we may keep noticing them in others, and soon find ourselves surrounded by a school of sharks (aka projection). We may thwart our own chances of success by acting like jellyfish at the very moment the universe is calling on us to sink our shark teeth into the gourmet meal that has swum into our gaping mouths. 

If you are feeling weak, afraid, exhausted, confused, victimized or lethargic, envision your inner shark rising to the surface. Sharks know what they want, and go for it. They don’t wait for others to rescue them, or to throw fish crumbs their way. When the time is right, they attack. When you need to attack a problem, assert yourself, or pounce on an opportunity, let Shark out of the aquarium and into the open seas. Let it guide you to do what sharks do best... hunt, and eat!

Power Animal Summer 2012: SHARK!

Da Dah. 

Da Dah. 

Da Dah Da Dah Da Dah Dah Dah 

SHARKKKKKKK! 

Did you catch a glimpse of the sacred, paramid-shaped fin swimming infinity signs around your life raft? Right now, each one of you have a sleek and fearless shark torpedoing through the murky waters of your psyche. It is trusting its impossibly keen sense of smell and instinct, zeroing in on what your soul craves most. Are you going to paddle away as fast as you can and never look back? Or, are you going to glide along side it and apprentice yourself to the best hunter evolution has ever produced? 

Shark people -- those who have accepted their innate sharkiness -- are high achievers. They are doers, movers, shakers, olympic swimmers.  A shark’s biology keeps its body in motion its entire existence: if it stops moving, it drowns. People are like that too, metaphorically, and perhaps that’s why when our lives become stagnant, we sink to the sea floor, and after awhile become bottom feeders, hiding under rocks and living off the algae or waste of others, unable to see the light. Sharks swim in the depths, but also at the sunny surface. They live in balance and in motion; they know how to adapt, get ahead, transition, evolve, survive with efficiency and energy economy. 

Sharks in our American society get a bad rap: successful gamblers, salespeople, seductive lovers... these we call “sharks”. But success does not have to mean hurting others; our intelligence and drive can serve humanity at the same time it feeds our own needs. When Shark rips through our dreams or our summer splashing at the beach, this a good time to take stock of our beliefs about money, accomplishment, competition, persuasiveness. If we fear these qualities and sublimate them in ourselves, we may keep noticing them in others, and soon find ourselves surrounded by a school of sharks (aka projection). We may thwart our own chances of success by acting like jellyfish at the very moment the universe is calling on us to sink our shark teeth into the gourmet meal that has swum into our gaping mouths. 

If you are feeling weak, afraid, exhausted, confused, victimized or lethargic, envision your inner shark rising to the surface. Sharks know what they want, and go for it. They don’t wait for others to rescue them, or to throw fish crumbs their way. When the time is right, they attack. When you need to attack a problem, assert yourself, or pounce on an opportunity, let Shark out of the aquarium and into the open seas. Let it guide you to do what sharks do best... hunt, and eat!

Power Animal

Da Dah. 

Da Dah. 

Da Dah Da Dah Da Dah Dah Dah 

SHARKKKKKKK! 

Did you catch a glimpse of the sacred, paramid-shaped fin swimming infinity signs around your life raft? Right now, each one of you have a sleek and fearless shark torpedoing through the murky waters of your psyche. It is trusting its impossibly keen sense of smell and instinct, zeroing in on what your soul craves most. Are you going to paddle away as fast as you can and never look back? Or, are you going to glide along side it and apprentice yourself to the best hunter evolution has ever produced? 

Shark people -- those who have accepted their innate sharkiness -- are high achievers. They are doers, movers, shakers, olympic swimmers.  A shark’s biology keeps its body in motion its entire existence: if it stops moving, it drowns. People are like that too, metaphorically, and perhaps that’s why when our lives become stagnant, we sink to the sea floor, and after awhile become bottom feeders, hiding under rocks and living off the algae or waste of others, unable to see the light. Sharks swim in the depths, but also at the sunny surface. They live in balance and in motion; they know how to adapt, get ahead, transition, evolve, survive with efficiency and energy economy. 

Sharks in our American society get a bad rap: successful gamblers, salespeople, seductive lovers... these we call “sharks”. But success does not have to mean hurting others; our intelligence and drive can serve humanity at the same time it feeds our own needs. When Shark rips through our dreams or our summer splashing at the beach, this a good time to take stock of our beliefs about money, accomplishment, competition, persuasiveness. If we fear these qualities and sublimate them in ourselves, we may keep noticing them in others, and soon find ourselves surrounded by a school of sharks (aka projection). We may thwart our own chances of success by acting like jellyfish at the very moment the universe is calling on us to sink our shark teeth into the gourmet meal that has swum into our gaping mouths. 

If you are feeling weak, afraid, exhausted, confused, victimized or lethargic, envision your inner shark rising to the surface. Sharks know what they want, and go for it. They don’t wait for others to rescue them, or to throw fish crumbs their way. When the time is right, they attack. When you need to attack a problem, assert yourself, or pounce on an opportunity, let Shark out of the aquarium and into the open seas. Let it guide you to do what sharks do best... hunt, and eat!

Amy Beth Katz and Co-Guide Dr. Dave Montgomery at the Homer, Alaska Vision Quest

We are creating our 2013 Quest and "Loving To Heal" Workshops Schedule now... revisiting magical times on our Alaska quest!

Thanks to quester Keith H. for providing the wonderful photos!