I am looking forward to opening sacred space for the Day of the Dead Celebration for the animals on November 1.
As I gather items to create the shrine for my dearly departed companion animals I am bumping into all sorts of repressed emotions: grief, anger, confusion mixed in with love and joy. As I thumb through pictures searching from my childhood animal companions. I am seeing my younger self again. The little girl who was loved and tended by these sweet beings.  Due to circumstances I did not get to say goodbye properly to these sweet dogs.  And then I was not supported through the stages of grief from losing my best friends. Leaning into these emotions and meeting my little girl I can now allow the emotions to flow and be the parent for myself that I needed then and allow their spirit to surround me again. WIth the new perspective of being the loving parent to my younger grieving self I can know delve into the impact this pups had on my life.
​
The Day of the Dead is not simply a day about mourning your loved ones and telling stories of them; it’s a day about remembering their lives and the impact they had upon you.   As well as keeping in mind that just because they’re no longer with you doesn’t mean that they’re entirely gone, because you keep them alive in your hearts and memories.

​The animals are such great teachers about energy.  Today the wasp teaches about clearing off energy that can get stuck on you when entangled in someone else's web -  dream, energy etc. And to thoroughly clean yourself off before flying off into the next moment.

Being spider web season here in the PNW today  there is a lot of activity around the webs.  Today I observed a paper wasp cleaning every part of its body.  Balancing on the front four legs as its back legs cleaned off its abdomen then moved up to thoroughly cleaning its head off. 

I was curious why there was so much cleaning?    As I was thinking this a spider shimmed up into the center of its web and the paper wasp launched itself trying to grab the spider.  It was an unsuccessful attempt since the spider had dropped quickly between the deck boards.  The wasp investigated all around trying to find the spider to unavail.  It then zoomed back up and flew aggressively back and forth through the web destroying the web.  Then the cleaning started all over again. 

Here are some of their suggestions for you to become more present.
 
















​Leave the computer, the phone and any other electronic device and get outside. 

“The idiot box or energy drain” is a term often used by the animals when talking about computers or  phones.  When you engage with the computer or phone to them it's as if nobody is home in your body.  This makes animals very nervous and worried for you because  you are not present.   Their suggestion is:

​Get outside, move around, feel your body.    

Each of us come into this lifetime with a whole circle of spiritual resources which include guides, guardian angels, spirit animals and so on.  This circle of resources is your own personal posse that is always listening to you.  They like to help you as often as possible , daily if you allow them by providing  protection, guidance and healing. 

Spirit Animals are guides from your circle of resources that come in animal form to teach or deliver a message.  They are often referred to as power animals, animal guides and they are all one in the same.   It is believed that animals are receivers of energy and become mirrors for you to learn about yourself.  The spirit animal that appears for you is bringing your their sweet "medicine" in the form of guidance, wisdom, teachings, power or protection.   ​

​Learning from the Salmon in a group lead experience this past Sunday the salmon provided many meaningful takeaways for each participant.  Witnessing the salmon in the final cycle of their life we gleaned a lot about how to navigate our own lives no matter what phase of life we are in.  The creek offers great viewing of the salmon in many stages of the spawning  drive to go up the river, in the slow pools resting and acclimating,  to flowing 3-inch water where the majority of the fish body is out of the water, to fallen logs that create channels for rushing water  and the salmon must jump over to continue the journey.
The day was clear and crisp with many people out to view the salmon as we wound our way along the bank we could hear cheers, like at a football game,  for a salmon that had just navigated a treacherous part of the creek.  This led to a reflection to celebrate our own steps toward a goal as well as to allow the resting and the acclimation for where you are at after expending that energy.   A reorientation and an acknowledgment of the journey.
Also, the vigor and determination with which these salmon move to complete this cycle of life to ensure future generations offered a different reflection then how the majority of humans meet the last years of life.
The bank of the creek is littered with salmon who have completed the mission and now lay decomposing feeding the forest with their nutrients.  One particular female salmon had her belly slit open and thousands of eggs lay exposed.  This brought tears to my eyes for the unfilled potential for having come so far and not be able to complete her mission.  For me, it was a good reflection of how in the past during a project I would just give up mid-project turning away from what I truly wanted because the path seemed too hard.  Seeing the eggs exposed and wasted really hit home on the loss of the possibility of creation with each of those eggs representing for me an idea, a connection, a missed opportunity when I gave up and therefore perpetuating my own struggle with life.
The salmon returning home offers insight into the interconnection of life.

In this year of the Yellow Earth Dog, there has been an opportunity to learn from the Earth Dogs.  The other morning I had a magical experience with the Big Dog in my favorite woods.  These woods are magic – like most woods – but these woods are in Seattle, surrounded by urban neighborhoods, among the ferns and cedars, next to streams and creeks that welcome the return of the salmon in the winter.  These are the woods where my son, at age 1, demanded to be taken out of the backpack so he could hike the familiar trails during nettle season. The nettles were taller than him and magically he did not get stung once though my legs were getting stung as I followed behind him.  Thank you, fairies!  My son is 19 now and I have walked these woods weekly and delight in the familiarity of them as well as the newness of each returning season. I have had many, many magical encounters with nature.

Part of the loop I do, the trail makes a half circle through a grove of cedar and pine with the ferns creating a ruffly understory.  This particular morning, as I came to the middle of the half-circle, I could hear classical music playing and there sitting on a log in a beam of sunlight was a man clutching a very relaxed jacketed chihuahua.  He pronounced proudly  “Hello!  We are waiting for the Big Dog!”  the classical music emphasized the proclamation.  The reverence and awe with which he shared his news I felt as if he was Linus waiting for the Great Pumpkin.  Who could be this Big Dog?  Was this Big Dog going to share wisdom about life? Or bring long-awaited presents like Linus hoped for?  I paused to drink in the scene.  I wanted to behold this Big Dog who has music playing for his entrance and part of the welcoming party.
​
My dogs had gone on without me and were circling back to check on my whereabouts when we heard branches breaking.  Out of the ferns emerged a Big Dog with tongue hanging out and smiling from ear to ear.  We all cheered at her arrival – she bounded forth greeting all of us with enthusiasm and interest.  And then they all turned and went the other way – was that real – did I meet the Big Dog?  Was there wisdom or a gift I had received? Yes, there was.  It was a moment of time to cherish a blessing to witness how an animal and their human take delight in each other’s existence.  This man and Big Dog showed me how allowing each other the time to explore and run wild as well as being comfortable in waiting kept the connection to each other fluid, opening and loving.

Those stashes of stocking chocolate waiting to be delivered on Christmas Eve can be deadly for your dog if they find it early.  Chocolate poisoning is one of the most common causes of canine poisoning. Chocolate’s deadliness to pooches, however, depends on the size of the dog, how much chocolate was munched, the quality of that chocolate and whether it was milk, white or dark chocolate.
Older dogs, puppies, and dogs with other health issues are also more vulnerable. The symptoms of a toxic dose of chocolate begin within the first few hours after consumption — vomiting, diarrhea or hyperactivity. As time passes and more theobromine is absorbed, your dog’s heart rate will increase, which can cause arrhythmia, restlessness, hyperactivity, muscle twitching, increased urination and/or excessive panting. The third phase is muscle tremors, seizures, coma and even death.
Read this article for full details of how dangerous is chocolate for dogs.
My dog last year binged on four stockings full of chocolate and he is still here, thankfully. So, for this holiday season, I wanted to share with you the most recent experience I had with Prince, my lab, his chocolate-binging, and how I handled it.

​My dog is a Labrador retriever who is dedicated to finding any forgotten treat, food or snacks in bags, coat pockets, or on the counter.  He could work in airport security he is so thorough.  He opens bags and finds food that has long been forgotten.  His technique for opening the bag usually does not damage the bag, somehow he has figured how to work the zipper.  If he goes for a treat in a pocket, he makes a tiny hole on the inside of the jacket pocket.  I am usually in the dark when it comes to his shenanigans until I put my hand in my pocket.
Luckily for me, he does not devour the packaging if he has had a binge-fest which is how I found out about his latest misadventure with chocolate last week. Turns out he had treated himself to 3/4 of a bar of 85% cacao, which he had extracted from a friend’s backpack.  I have been down this road before with him (and his eating of dark chocolate) so I know how quickly it affects him as well as how dangerous it is and the price tag for the vet. I knew I needed to act quickly to rid the toxic cacao from his system.  You have a window of about 4-6 hours after ingestion to act with positive results.
Without telling him a thing, I put him on the leash and handed my friend the bottle of hydrogen peroxide.  We went outside and I told her to pour in some hydrogen peroxide when I get his mouth open.  Vets encourage to give a few teaspoons at a time to induce vomiting, but I know from past experience that if I don’t get enough down him the first time, he is not coming back for more. Hydrogen peroxide works quickly and it is amazing to watch my black dog literally turn a dark green and start vomiting.  After emptying his stomach of all the chocolate he looked at me deflated and betrayed. But, he was still alive and we were going to get a good nights’ sleep.  The next treat was activated charcoal – it is suggested you make a nice slurry but I knew there was not a chance I could pry his mouth open again.  So a capsule hidden in peanut butter went down the hatch. The charcoal binds to many types of poisons and thus prevents their absorption into the bloodstream.
He settled down for the night – giving me a wide berth for the rest of the evening. We slept through the night with him eagerly showing up for breakfast the next morning.

In November I lead my first Animal Experiences.  It was two separate  Salmon Experiences with spawning salmon at Piper Creek in Carkeek Park.  I guided participants how to tune into their own innate intuitive abilities and listen for guidance from the salmon around a  certain question or their intention.  On both days all of the participants were able to receive wisdom from the salmon even when the amount of salmon present and the height of the creek was wildly different.


One day the creek was running clear and slow teeming with salmon and the other running high, fast and very murky with a few struggling salmon navigating their way upstream past many dead salmon.

The salmon’s  teachings and wisdom as well as how the messages were heard/received either as a thought, a feeling, a knowingness, an image or hearing words, was different for each person because we all receive messages in our own unique way. 
​
 Upcoming Animal Experiences 
I have mapped out more experiences with wild animals for the next couple of months.  I invite you to join me to play outside and learn from the animals. Nature is the gym to strengthen your intuitive muscle and learn how to be open and receptive to receiving messages. And besides, it’s good clean fun.   I have tentative dates and meeting locations which may change based on migration patterns and where the animals are showing up.  
Eagles experience – Rescheduled to January 13 –   Skagit River or Nooksack River 
Eagles offer wonderful insights in trusting in spirit and learning to see the big picture and the interconnection in your life, and much more.

I have been on a quest for a long time to learn to be present and embodied with the ease that the albatross has as he soars.  Since yesterday, when I learned the short-tailed Albatross is on the endangered species list for Washington, they have been on my mind.

On my walk this morning I was pondering the ability of the albatross to sleep while flying as well as being able to go for days without flapping its wings. I imagined soaring with wings outstretched, being carried on the air currents and I felt buoyancy, trust, and effortless being-ness. It was a sensation of being supported and resourced at all times.

As I experienced this sensation I remembered the guidance a wise mentor recently gave me. She encouraged me when engaging in a new arena in life I need to allow the physical and spiritual resources to gather until I feel buoyed with the energy to move forward. It is just like the albatross soaring, navigating and sleeping on the air currents.  (This same mentor reminded me that these resources are available all of the time, 24/7 and for every area of my life.)

When I shift out of presence or I go to sleep (figuratively) in what I am doing, I feel a contraction in my body. I freeze, thereby shutting off all access to my resources. I am no longer present. To return to the present and get out of contraction, I need to pause and remember my intention and call in my resources. As I wait for them to gather I stay in constant conversation with my body until I feel my nervous system relax. Once this happens, engaging becomes effortless instead of a push.

As I played with the sensation of the albatross navigating on its journey, I felt the slight tilt of the wing or movement of the body when the air currents shifted.  The movements were subtle and automatic, no thinking involved, just the sense of deep presence, trusting the body and going with the flow.

I then imagined what would happen if the albatross contracted and pulled in his mighty wings when he felt a shift, instead of going with the flow. He would quickly plummet to earth or into the ocean if he did this.
Playing with the albatross energy of soaring, lightness, and going with the flow, compared to the energy contracting and plummeting, I realized that when I am contracted, it is my intention for where I want to be and my attention on what I need that become my mighty outstretched wings. These wings allow me to be supported and buoyed up in life.
​
Oh, mighty albatross thank you for such teachings of trust, navigating, and being present. I am honored to have you join my walk and give me wings to soar

Today is Endangered Species Day and I agreed with Spirit to start on a journey listening in to each of these endangered species and bringing the wisdom onto a global platform.
I laid upon Grandmother Earth for guidance on this journey.  Being held by the earth, I looked up the list of Endangered Species in Washington State.  The  Short-tailed Albatross was first on the list.

I lay back to listen to the wisdom of the albatross and fell into a deep journey of flying with powerful wings outstretched and riding and flowing with the air currents.  As well as being at one with the waters as I transitioned from flying to floating.  Both the air and the sea felt buoyant and effortless.   An inner compass and knowingness guided my course – this map was interconnected with earth, air, water, sky and understanding of the weather patterns and currents of air and ocean.   Albatross loudly proclaimed “I am the teacher of trust and listening to one’s internal guidance and deep river of knowing – the intuition.  Navigating the unknown can be effortless and buoyant by staying connected and listening to your internal wisdom. Learn to  flow with the ups and downs of life by staying loyal to yourself.”
There is the spiritual message from the Short-Tailed Albatross.  Now to find out if and where these birds live in Washington state.  According to the site E-bird Northwest*: 
“On 15 August 2015, a live hatch-year juvenile Short-tailed Albatross was found about one mile north of Tatoosh Island, Washington, and sent to a wildlife rehabilitation center. Unfortunately, despite best efforts, the young one did not survive. Interestingly, because the bird was banded as a hatchling on 2 March 2015, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) was able to learn that it came from one of the colonies in the western Pacific Ocean off the coasts of Japan and Taiwan.”  
Curiosity pushed me further how many were there once of these magnificent birds and how many are there now?.  According to BirdWeb:
“At the beginning of the 20th Century, the Short-tailed Albatross was fairly common throughout the north Pacific. Remains found in excavations of Native American dwelling sites corroborate reports by early naturalists that this species was more common near shores than were other albatrosses. Their historic population is estimated at over a million birds. On their nesting islands, they were aggressively hunted for food, oil, eggs, feathers, and feet, and in one 17-year period, over 5 million were killed. By 1933, when all forms of Short-tailed Albatross hunting were banned, and the bans were finally enforced, the population was only 3-50 birds. They were considered extinct in the 1940s. In the 1950s, a few young pairs that had been at sea for a several years returned to Torishima Island and began to breed there. Since then, numbers have gradually increased, but a bird that is so late to breed and lays only one egg per year is slow to rebound. Currently there are an estimated 1200 birds worldwide, with 600 of breeding age. The largest colony is on Toroshima Island, an active volcano that could easily wipe out the population once again. There are no breeding populations in the United States, but several individuals have been seen regularly during the breeding season on Midway Atoll in the northwestern Hawaiian Islands. The small population size and limited breeding distribution have left the Short-tailed Albatross genetically vulnerable. It is listed as endangered by the United States Department of Fish and Wildlife, and is a candidate for listing by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.”  
Albatross Behavior: Short-tailed Albatrosses engage in elaborate courtship dances and tend to maintain long-term pair bonds. They are graceful in flight but clumsy on land. It is believed they can sleep while in flight, gliding on air currents and staying aloft without flapping for hours or even days at a time.  
While in New Zealand I witnessed an Albatross landing at a nesting site.  When this massive bird came in for a landing he proceeded to do two somersaults before stopping sideways on a bush.  He awkwardly picked himself up, shook off and belabored walked over to his mate.  To see them on land I did not witness the grace and beauty of them in the air – gliding on currents.  I realized there are areas in my life where I am not so agile and graceful as in others – just like this albatross.  
I got one message from the Albatross but  I was curious about the other teachings and meanings of Albatross As A Totem that were out there.  I often look up the totem meanings of animals I encounter because I know that Spirit has sent them to me as a messenger and if I  can’t discern the message or if I feel what I heard from the animal did not resonate with me, I turn to the internet and more often than not a message appears that completely resonates with me.
According to the psychic website Aunty Flo, the Albatross as a totem teaches us:
The Albatross totem tells us to believe in freedom. It allows us to think wise and search for solutions beyond the horizon. The message is to break ourselves from the shackles of self-developed constraints and limitations. The Albatross totem energy is exactly opposite to conservatism and the philosophies that bounds freedom of speech, freedom of belief and the freedom of adopting a particular culture.
What a beautiful teaching from a bird that is endangered.  All this information both spiritual and physical data has given me and I hope you an understanding of this amazing bird.  And I long to see this birds return to their population numbers in the millions.  On this Endangered Species day, I commit to weekly connecting with an endanger species and bring awareness to their wisdom, teachings, and plight.  In this great web of life, we are all connected.  Aho!
I invite you to read and explore further about the albatross.
Below are links to the articles I referenced:
http://birdweb.org/birdweb/bird/short-tailed_albatross
http://ebird.org/content/nw/news/pelagic-birds-wa-and-or-pacific-coast-short-tailed-albatross/
http://www.auntyflo.com/magic/albatross

​