This wordpress site has been awesome to me over the years, but thanks to my friend Adelle of starshards.com I now have my own website. This entire blog will be shifted there, along with my art portfolio. So why not head over to my new site http://www.urbanimal.co.uk ? See you there!

'Sacred Scavenger: Lammergeier'

In the early days, before physical forms became static, the People cast off their old forms in exchange for new ones far more often. Sometimes a physical form was abandoned because there were no more lessons to learn from it. Sometimes a physical form was left behind because it was too old and worn to keep up with the Person within. And sometimes a physical form was cast off to aid another, an exchange of energy through the gift of flesh.

It did not take long for the unwanted old physical forms to dominate the lands. There was nowhere for them to go. With them they brought disease and death, forced eviction of a Person from their form. The problem wrought by the old physical forms spiralled out of control.

Sky and Earth despaired. Their World was suffering. Unsure what to do, they called forth a council of the most powerful nature spirits.

At the council, it was agreed that while the old forms must go elsewhere, they too were as sacred as the People they once belonged to and must be treated with respect. But no solution could be found.

From her home high in the mountains, Mother Vulture watched all of the events unfold and knew what she had to do. In her nest, Mother Vulture laid a vast clutch of black eggs. From within were born the first scavengers, all sorts of weird and wonderful creatures – birds as mighty as her, flies as swift as her and micro-organisms as hidden as her. They all drew close to their Mother, and Vulture set them to their task.

“My Children! My beautiful and noble Children! Sky, Earth and Those Who Dwell Between need your aid. They grow weary of the stench of physical death. You will go out into the World and handle unwanted Bodies with love and compassion. You will not judge them. You will treat them all as equals. With your gift of life, you can renew these abandoned forms, you can transform them into the elements of new forms. Go out into the World and work your magic! Renew the remains! Make them live again!”

And out into the World Mother Vulture’s Children went. They consumed every last piece of the used and useless physical forms, transforming them into the raw elements needed to build newer, stronger forms. Sky and Earth were pleased with Mother Vulture’s gift to the World, and bestowed Vulture’s Children with the title Sacred Scavenger.

While Sky and Earth have never forgotten what Mother Vulture did for the World, over millennia Those Who Dwell Between did. They forgot what the World was like before Vulture’s Children came, sick and tainted, and turn their noses up in revulsion at the work of the Sacred Scavengers.

The Sacred Scavengers have never forgotten their role in the World, and without complaint they carry on renewing the remains and making them live again. As their suns souls reincarnated and dispersed throughout Creation, more People are being awoken to the role of Sacred Scavenger and are incorporating the gift of renewal into their lives.

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The illustration for this myth is available to buy on Etsy.

When I first volunteered to write a ceremony, I had my heart set on Samhain. My life walks hand in hand with death, and death is a core part of my personal spiritual work. I was disappointed to be told no, and I was annoyed about being given the Summer Solstice. I am not a Summer person. It is far to warm and (relatively) dry. The days drag on. Obnoxious teenagers are freed from school and allowed to roam the streets and terrorise communities. I just did not like the Summer.

But now, I am glad to have been allowed to work with Summer in such an intimate way. I learned that my love of the grasslands teeming with invisible life goes hand in hand with Summer, of the joyful songs carried in the breeze and dawn chorus, of the threads of sunlight that are woven to form the intricate web of existence that links us all. Summer is not my enemy, Summer is a friend I have neglected for far too long (though I still have to deal with the roaming herds of teenagers!).

I have a tendency to work with local spirits and deities, and anyone who cares to stop by my home and say “hi!” But for this ritual, I felt it was time to formally introduce myself to Tenger, Eternal Blue Heaven, the closest I can come to believing in a creator deity.

To me, Tenger cannot be personified. Sie was there from the start, when the universe exploded into existence, when the stars came together and began churning out the building blocks of our experiences, the elements. Tenger is within everything, and sees everything. There is no judgement, no morals, and no external consequence. We should live our lives with honour, and take responsibility for our own actions, our own lives.

It was challenging to write for hir, while honouring Summer and Sun and while trying to map my personal cosmology onto a familiar ritual pattern so that everyone would feel comfortable.

Scotland is not well known for its good weather, and Sunday was no exception. The sky was thick with clouds, and rain was not far away – a perfect day for honouring a Sky deity!

As we walked to the site of the ritual, the rain began to fall. Gently at first, drumming a gentle beat on the leaves above us. As the circle was cast, the rain came down a little harder. Then with each mention of Sun and Summer, more and more rain fell. Listening to the words of my ritual being spoken in such a downpour was just so absurdly funny. It was impossible not to laugh!

I am so glad our deities and the members of Tuatha have a sense of humour!

After the ritual, a few people came to me to reassure me that the rain did not ruin the day. But the thing is, not once did I see the rainfall as negative or as a “bad omen”. The thought never occurred to me!

What I saw, and what I felt, was an unintentional initiation. In the weeks leading up to the ritual, I have been trying to formalise my practice, trying to listen to the voice in my heart that tells me that I am a shamanist. I am a shamanist, a newbie, a student, and someone who still has plenty of mistakes to make, but a shamanist none the less.

Tenger gave me a trial by water and I hope I passed, and can walk through life with honour.

I am still carrying the energy of the laughter from the ritual. I thought to myself “when was the last time I felt such perfect joy?”. I did not have to think for long … Beltane, in the woods, laughing with Kulta while the pair of us rolled around in the leaves. Kulta was laughing again as the pair of us got a severe soaking.

I could not have asked for a better ceremony, or better people to share my ceremony with.

Another perfect moment.

Tenger, I thank you and love you.

Link: The wording of the ritual

Footnote: I am not a Tengerist, nor do I have any connection to any Mongolian race or tribe. I am inspired by the work of Sarangerel, in particular her book Riding Windhorses. I speak only for myself and share my own UPG.

"The Moon and Her Children"

Key Ideas

- swiftness
- intuition
- mania and creative passion
- do not take your gifts for granted
- the price of independence is vigilance

Introduction

The European Hare is a shy animal that lives out in the open. To survive, they can race at fast paces and are near-constantly aware of their surroundings. To work with Hare energy requires the same level of commitment to Hare’s lessons.

Lessons

Hare teaches swiftness and lightness – Hare is the wind in animal form.

The European Hare is fleet of foot, reaching speeds of 72km/hr. Speed is often frowned upon, as exemplified by the phrase “more haste, less speed”. Often it is acceptable to move through life at a moderate pace, but just as Hare does, there are times when quick decisions need to be made and quick actions need to be carried out. Being cautious is fine, but do not let opportunities pass you by.

Hare teaches the mysteries of the night and the moon, and symbolises intuition.

A secretive and shy animal, the Hare is usually active at night under the watchful eye of the Moon. As the dark hours symbolise mystery and the unconscious mind, so too does the totem of Hare. Like the Moon, Hare is seen as ever changing. The night is an alien world to those of us who spend our days indoors, and Hare may be willing to show you hir night-time world.

Hare teaches the power of mania.

Come the mating season, the personality of Hare changes. This shy animal becomes outgoing and wild in his attempts to mate with females, and her attempts to keep males away. The imagery of the “Mad March Hare” is powerful, and is known by most British people. This behaviour speaks to me of Mania, the manic phases of my bipolar disorder. The wild nights, driven by uncontrolled creativity and passion.

Hare teaches that things should not be taken for granted.

The gifts and skills we have, and that others share with us, are precious but due to how easily we have access to them, we do take them for granted albeit unintentionally. Hare has learned not to take hir swiftness for granted, as told through the popular tale “The Tortoise and the Hare” and in various creation myths.

Coincidentally, I have watched a BBC documentary on the Hare’s ally, the Moon. The Moon is something we take for granted. Without it, life would not have begun or would our type of life have evolved.

Hare teaches independence and vigilance.

In Hare’s world, the qualities of independence and vigilance go hand in hand. Hare is a solitary spirit and relies on hirself to survive, unlike Rabbit who sie is commonly confused with. But to thrive independently of any social group, Hare has to pay a price. That price is constant vigilance. Hare can sleep with hir eyes open, always ready to protect hirself should the need arise. It takes a certain emotional and psychological strength for us to learn these lessons.

Do It Yourself!

The above is what I learned from European Hare and what Hare had to teach me. If you would like to work with European Hare as a totem, be bold and learn directly from hir.

As with all totems, remember that Hare has real children deserving of respect and compassion.

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

Flourish

I have had a good few years of experience with therapeutic listeners (be they volunteers, counsellors, psychiatrists etc.) and the agencies that support them. In order for these individuals to have healthy relationships with their clients and to be able to cope with the issues they are faced with,  therapeutic listeners must have supervision – something I refer to as counselling for counsellors. The support therapeutic listeners have to provide to their clients, and the topics they have to take on board can and do have an impact on the listener. Supervision provides the space and place where a therapeutic listener can explore any issues that come up with their clients, ensure they are acting ethically and make sure that they themselves are safe from harm.

I’ve recently begun doing distance healing work, and I have become painfully aware that there is a need for similar supervision for “spiritual” healers. There needs to be supervision of individuals claiming to heal to ensure that they are acting in the best interest of their clients, within an acceptable ethical framework and to make sure that the healer is safe. Just as taking on issues in a face-to-face situation can be harmful, so to can it harm in a distance healing framework. I think supervision is necessary, but I am at a loss as to how to organise such a thing.

*inserts a witty comments about Pagans and herding cats*

So I open up this topic for discussion. How can “spiritual” healers, regardless of framework, be supervised? Do you think “spiritual” healers even need supervision? Do you think each healing framework has enough rules and boundaries to ensure both practitioners and clients are protected?Has anybody ever considered this issue before?

As someone who values community, and thinks it is important so support said community in any way I can, I do respond to these requests for healing in my own way depending on context. I rely on a fusion of counselling theory, personal experience, asking for the assistance of my Otherworld colleages and energy manipulation.

If I can, I am happy to help any member of my community. But I have noticed an increase in third party requests for healing, and my personal ethics tell me not to get involved.

I feels wrong for me to meddle in the affairs of someone who has not explicitly asked for help, and this is an opinion I hold in every aspect of my work. I cannot offer healing energy to someone without their permission. How would you feel about being given a medical treatment without being consulted? Without knowing the benefits and the potential risks of the treatment? I would be furious, and feel that I had been violated.

If an individual is not willing to ask for such help from their community, then they may not be receptive to any benefits the healing energy may have. I work in bereavement, and if our clients are pushed into accepting our assistance by well-meaning friends or relatives when they are not ready or willing, at best we can set their health back and at worst we can cause more harm. This is true for any form of healing.

There is one scenario above all others that I find ethically unacceptable, yet I see it happening more and more; requesting healing for a person who does not believe in “spiritual” healing. This is a big no no. An important part of helping to heal another person is to work within their own cosmology because in reality we cannot heal other people, we can only help others to heal themselves. To help people heal themselves, we need to do what they ask of us. In cases such as this, a cup of tea and the space to talk can be far more effective than using crystals or reiki.

In learning to become a shamanist, I have to create boundaries and a framework which I can work in. I cannot in good conscience work to heal an individual without their permission. If I am asked to help a third party, please do not be offended if I decline. What I can do is offer strength to the individual making the request on behalf of another, so that they can make use of energy in a way that will benefit the third party in a suitable context to their personal healing.

With an open heart.

The weather was beautiful. The Sky smiled down upon our merry tribe, and the Earth was alive with greenery. On the walk up to the ritual site, we passed a pond teeming with tadpoles and my inner children were delighted.

Kulta walked with me, and I feel such joy when I think about how our relationship has developed over the past six-seven months. We are partners in our own personal shamanic practice, and he has taught me so much about death-waking and energy management. I can’t imagine life without Kulta.

Beltane is a time to welcome the return of fertility to the land, and the Earth is ripe with potential. I can feel the energy swelling in the souls of all people, human and non-human alike. Children are not going to be a part of my life, but on the lead up to Beltane I have been overflowing with ideas. The day came, and I feel it is time to plant these ideas into fertile plans, and nurture them to fruition.

Good times are coming. I can feel them approach.

The May Queen and her King were crowned, with the magic heightened due to the ceremony being combined with a handfasting. I am not quite sure what the couple’s families made of our tribe, but the love was present. It was beautiful to be amongst that.

After the ceremony Kulta took us for a walk through the woods and we rolled about in the fallen leaves, threw them up in the air and lay back laughing. It was one of those rare perfect moments, and the first time I heard Kulta laugh. Looking through the canopy, the leaves waving down at us, we waved back. The Earth smelled so good, and we laughed some more. The perfect moment. I didn’t want it to end.

Kulta wants to come out more often, and I think that now we are in harmony it will be possible.

Bright Beltane blessings to you all!

Due to random happenstance and an addiction to fizzy energy drinks, I am in the process of writing my first book. I will be experimenting with ways to form relationships with city and town environments from my perspective as an urban animist.

Don’t be fooled into thinking the man-made world is devoid of soul!

But in the meantime, I have created an e-book from a selection of my blog posts. The posts are autobiographical in nature, focusing on the development of key ideas I hold close to my heart. If you are interested in reading the book, thank you! If you have any feedback, you can leave it in this post. I hope this project can help me hone my writing skills as my main book develops.

The book can be found at: http://issuu.com/urbanimal/docs/an_urban_animist.

Thanks for your time!

Yesterday was a perfect day for butterflying. It was bright and warm, and it has been dry for a few days. So I grabbed my net and bug jar and made my way to the Cliffs. The Cliff and his residents were generous to me. I was given three gifts:

• I watched two Green-veined Whites mating. I spotted them resting in the grass, and sat with them for a while.
• I found the wings (bones only) of a Wood Pigeon, picked clean and lying out in the middle of the footpath.
• And I found the “kill patch” of a rabbit (that is what I call the area where a rabbit is killed) and I collected some of the loose fur.

I had no idea what to do with the wings and the fur, so upon returning home I spent a little bit of time with them. Due to the state I have been in these past few days, I was not able to focus clearly, but the wings’ soul fragment told me that they missed flying. Over the weekend, I hope to clean them up and spend more time with them. I have an idea of making a windchime-type item, that I can hang at the window above my shrine, so that they can fly again.

The rabbit fur was pulled out of the Rabbit while she was still alive, so it is just like cast fur and I cannot perceive any soul fragment attached. I’ve bagged it and put it in the freezer with the intention of making pendants with it and offering them to Rabbit people.

There are herons nesting to the east, high up in a tree. The sight of them overhead lightens my heart. The gulls and corvids are engaged in their annual battle for nesting sites. The wildflowers are starting to make their presence felt, and the bees are starting their work.

The Cliff Spirit was as happy as always, singing to himself about all of the people who have gone and who will have gone before him, and how pleased he is to watch all of their paths unfold. I am so privileged to be carried upon his mighty sandstone shoulders.

Thank you Cliff Spirit. Thank you.

I am still awaiting an adequate and honest answer from the Scottish SPCA, an answer that I doubt I will ever receive.

I have created an e-book of the correspondence between myself and the Scottish SPCA. I ask that you read it and decide for yourself if  you wish to support their work.

My e-book can be found at: http://issuu.com/urbanimal/docs/the_murder_of_crow

If you feel that this is an important issue, please share this link around.

© EJ Saanen 2011

On Sunday, I joined the rest of Tuatha de Bridget to celebrate the Spring Equinox. We had the additional joy of hosting a baby naming ceremony too.

I was feeling anxious on the day. Part of it was due to the number of people who would be attending, but mostly it was due to the stress of being caught up in the Old Firm mob (Glasgow has this peculiar issue regarding football, religious hatred and alcohol abuse). But once I had entered the ground of the park all of that subsided. The park held me in her earthy embrace and soothed my restless windhorse.

Since the Friday before, I had been feeling funny (for want of a better word). I had met up with the other students participating in Tuatha de Bridget’s The Way Forward course. As part of the evening, Potia sang to Bridget sharing with us own personal ritual. I have heard the song performed by Potia before, but hearing it in this context made it feel so fresh and new. It resonated deep within me, and behind closed eyes I could perceive Bridget amongst us. She danced around us, and her smile was enchanting. She wove merrily around the room, with flashes of emerald from her dress. Towards the end of Potia’s song, Bridget gave me a gift and kissed me on the forehead.

I carried that event with me on Sunday, and put Bridget’s gift to use during the Baby Naming.

I struggled with Imbolc. Due to the cross-quarter days being celebrated on a man-made calendar, the start of Spring does not coincide with Imbolc. I looked down into the Earth and saw that sie was still sleeping. Gazing upward, and I saw that Sky was not ready to grace us with hir warmer days.

But on Sunday, what a change! The early Spring flowers were in bloom, and the trees were waking up from their Winter slumber. Change is in the air.

I shall wait and see what the next turn of the Wheel leads me…

… with an open heart.

The Tiger Who Came to Tea, Judith Kerr

My most favourite children’s book is The Tiger Who Came to Tea. I am glad to say that the book has had long-lasting appeal, and is still popular with children & adults alike forty years later. There is something delightfully mischievous and magical about the idea of a wild animal inviting himself into my home, and my inner child squeals with glee at the possibility.

As an adult, I had not considered or sought out any meaning within the tale beyond what is written in its pages, but an all too brief discussion with debtriloquist has encouraged me to read a little more deeply between the lines.

When I read about the tiger being welcomed into Sophie’s home, I see Sophie and her mum cutting loose and indulging their “wild side”, the feral, bestial aspect we all have but hide in an effort to “fit in”. This is a more powerful idea when you consider the time The Tiger Who Came to Tea was written. It was the late sixties, and the sexual revolution was taking place. Feminists were finding their voice and women were invited to be more than wives and mothers, to seek out an identity beyond the kitchen sink. But this choice was not available to all women. Some were still bound to their household roles and perhaps I see this in Sophie’s mother. Even today, there is still an ingrained attitude amongst some people (of any sex, gender and culture) that women should be at home, raising children and keeping house.

The tiger symbolises this hidden, repressed need to be free. To cut loose, to do what you want to do, and to act on instinct. This is not limited unhappy housewives, tiger brings a message to all of us who have to hide who we really are just to get by in this world. We are wild and feral, living in a world of artificial social conventions. I am lucky. I am someone who identifies as “other than human”, and I have learned not to care about “settling down” and “fitting in”. I have space to truly discover who I am, to express myself, to wear my heart on my sleeve and carve my own path through life without being guilted or bullied into fulfilling a role society deems appropriate for me.

I am the tiger. I am free to run wild in the woods. I can work in jobs that I find fulfilling without being a slave to the wage. I can eat what I want, when I want. I can wear a tail, or wings as the mood takes me. I can call people out on their bullshit. I can sing loudly and out of tune,for fun. I can express my ferality through my art and through my actions at any time.

Do you know any tigers? Why not invite one in for tea?

White-lipped snail

Last Sunday, the 6th of February, Kulta and I joined Tuatha de Bridget for their Imbolc ceremony. I was really looking forward to this event. Due to the weather at the Winter Solstice it was unsafe to go to the usual ritual site, so I was eager to return. But mostly I was looking forward to “meeting” Bridget, the matron deity of the group.

It was wonderful being out in the woods again. Over the Winter I had not made much of an effort to go outside, but the promise of Spring has made me realise how much I miss being outdoors. While I disagree with the “nature is good, man-made is bad” way of thinking that is ingrained into Neo-Pagan circles, I cannot help but notice my renewed energy when I am in contact with soil and mulch, and in close proximity to trees.

Since Samhain, I have been encouraging Kulta to leave his hide more often to go out exploring. This is good for him because it gives him the freedom and space he so obviously needs. It is also good for me, because it means Kulta does not get too carried away when riding my body. Due to feeling so overwhelmed at Samhain, I also brought an energy jar with me which I could use to discharge after the ceremony if needed.

The ceremony itself did not feel quite right to me. Part of it was to do with the distorted shape of the circle. The person standing to our left had his back to us, so closing off access as it were. The other thing is that I just do not feel that Spring is on its way just yet. The days are visibly lengthening, but I have yet to see my first snowdrops or crocuses. Those are the signs that trigger my internal clock, that help me see that Winter is almost at an end.

Don’t get me wrong. I love Winter. The long nights lend themselves perfectly to solitary study and introspection, things that are well within my comfort zone. And don’t forget the snow! I was blessed with an incredible amount of snow this year, and my inner child has been delighted with it. But Spring feels like the start of something new. In my own personal calender, it means that butterfly season is just around the corner, and that lambing season is beginning.

I was a little disappointed that I could not connect with Bridget. At Samhain, I felt an instant “click” when in the presence of the the Cailleach. Part of that will be down to me not fully sensing the return of Spring. Another part will be due to me connecting with death, dying and the Crone, rather than other aspects of goddess symbology/mythology. Finally, I guess that I have been very lucky in being able to “click” with two goddesses in this cycle and that one of them, Perchta, is considering accepting me as one of her own. Those are huge steps for someone who was an atheist this time last year, so I should not be disheartened that I cannot meet everyone.

Our next celebration is the Spring Equinox. I have volunteered to write a call, and have been asked to create a piece of art for the celebration booklet. Exciting and fruitful times are ahead, I just have to keep reminding myself that Spring is on her way.

Hoverfly (Syrphus)

A rambling based on prompts from Feralkiss, a dear animist colleague of mine.

I consider myself to be a fledgling shamanist. I have had to think long and hard about labelling myself as such for two reasons.

Firstly, there are no shamans in my culture. I am a working class biological female from an area of Scotland dominated by Catholics and agnostics. There is no spiritual knowledge passed down from one generation to the next, and the traditional role of the shaman is filled by celebrants of different faiths, doctors, teachers, vets, and crafters.

Secondly, my cosmology is influenced by animist ideas birthed in lands very far from my home. The main influence is Tengerism, an animist faith originating from Mongolia and Siberia. I only have access to 101 information on this path, as presented by the “Circle of Tengerism” website and Sarangerel’s book “Riding Windhorses”.

This leads to a problem that pains me. The fear of cultural appropriation. I am not a Tengerist, and I have no wish to be one. But I cannot help but feel drawn to the cosmology of Tengerism. The mapping of the souls, the landscapes of the Otherworlds, the power of Windhorse, it all makes sense to me. I have tried connecting to more “appropriate” cosmologies based on where I am in space and time, but they were not right for me.

I do not want to bastardise the religion of a people who have been tormented and abused by Buddhists and Communists alike. I hope I am not bastardising it. I am making use of information and techniques made available to outsiders, and working them into my experiences.

I see myself as taking the ideas of Tengerism, combined with some ideas from Wicca (as taught by Magicka School, through their “Wicca Revealed” course), from Druidry (as taught by The Ancient Order of Druids in America, through “The Druidry Handbook”), from neo-totemism (as inspired by Lupa, author and blogger and Ravenari of Wildspeak) and from exchanges of ideas with others.

Most importantly, I am inspired by my own personal experiences. I work with death and its aftermath in my day-to-day job. My pathworking brings me in contact with people of all types, mostly totems. My art work further strengthens that contact. I study environmental topics and biology. I walk my land, both in my free time and as a volunteer with my local park ranger service.

Everything that I have learned from animist or Neo-Pagan faiths pales into the background when it comes to real, tangible experiences with human emotions, with the animals in my life, and with the land. Tengerism and other beliefs provide a map what can help me navigate my experiences in philosophical and spiritual ways. But they do not create my experiences.

I live in the lands formerly known as the Kingdom of Strathclyde, specifically the town called “The Fort of the Britons”. Beyond that, I know nothing of the indigenous people of my land, though I am trying to rectify this.

Some Neo-Pagans frown upon me for not being interested in my ancestry, or for not trying to practice a form of religion based on what people from Strathclyde practiced in the past. For me, the spirituality of my ancestors is just as alien as the spirituality of contemporary animists in Mongolia and Siberia. What little I have read on “Celtic” mythology has not inspired me, so I have not felt the need to explore it further.

I am very much a creature of the here and now. My ancestors are random strangers. Most of my living relatives are random strangers. I do not believe in reincarnation or past lives in a conventional sense. My grandad was a Baptist, but I would not become a Baptist just because he was. Extend this further into the past. I would not practice a religion that was practiced by one of my many ancestors just because they did. That can lead to cultural appropriation, and we have to be just as wary of bastardising the faiths of the past as we do of existing contemporary paths.

If following a faith from the past, it is important to realise that you are picking a faith from a certain time period and culture – you arbitrarily choose a point in time. Some of your ancestors may be “Celtic” or “Native American”,  but select a different point in time and your ancestors will be practising something entirely different. Where do you draw the line? Where do you stop and proudly proclaim “My ancestors believe this”? Keep this in mind when claiming to practice the religion of your ancestors.

A spiritual path should be followed because it sings to your heart and soothes your soul. Find inspiration where ever you look, but do not follow a path out of an obligation to other people, whether you know them or not!

In my shamanist practice, I try to work with local people and lands. I suppose we each have our own idea of what “local” is. To me local is a combination of here and now, in space and time. For others, local is a geographical area, or local is genetic links, or a combination of both. Perhaps “local” is something else entirely.

Using techniques based on what I have learned from Sarangerel, Ravenari and Lupa, modified with my own ideas, combined with knowledge gained from environmental studies and working out in the world around me, I have become aware of the presence of local deities/entities.

The most prominent of these deities is the Spirit of the Brucehill Cliffs. He is a very important person to me, as my home is carried on his mighty shoulders and he is the guardian of a special piece of land which has been set aside for butterflies and wildflowers. The Cliff Spirit is the local genus loci, and I serve him and his community by surveying the site for butterflies, by monitoring and reporting fly-tipping, and by raising awareness of his special place by devoting a blog to him and the people who live with him.

The wildlife that walks the land with me has a special place in my heart. The more I learn about the people who live with the Brucehill Cliffs, the more I realise how little I know about them, and how little I will ever know about them. And that is okay. I am but one person, with a finite amount of time here on Earth, and if I do not even know my human neighbours, the chances of me knowing all of my non-human neighbours is non-existent. But I shall try to meet as many people as I can.

I would like to return to my choice to use the word “shamanist” in describing myself. I am not a shaman. That role does not have a place in my community, and even if it did it would be ignorant and arrogant to think I should be filling that position.

I call myself a shamanist, because I use techniques used by shamans to explore the Otherworlds, my inner worlds, and the physical world around me. Compared to experienced shamanists, my knowledge is not vast. I have used techniques to understand myself, and to heal myself. I have also done some very, very light psychopomping. Psychopomping, especially through my art, is a path I wish to explore. I have yet to do work for a human client, but I have worked for animals in need.

As I do not have an animist community for support, I am taught directly by people in the Otherworlds. My primary teacher is Red. She came for me one day, and guides me through her realm, introduces me to other people who otherwise would not give me the time of day, and does keep an eye on me. This is very important. New-age and core shamanists seem to think that venturing into the Otherworlds is safe, when quite clearly they are very dangerous places for humans to be. A shamanist is only as powerful as his or her allies. I have a fantastic support network, but it costs me. I have to trade and barter my way through the Otherworlds. I made a choice to walk this path, and it has cost me my physical and mental health.

I am a local, spirit-taught shamanist. I serve the community of the Brucehill Cliffs, and the community of animal spirits that use my home as a rest stop. My locality is the here and now, and the map of my cosmology is rooted in science and in contemporary animist cultures from places alien to me.

Book Resources:

• Greer, John Michael (2006) The Druidry Handbook: Spiritual Practice Rooted in the Living Earth, San Francisco USA, Red Wheel / Weiser.
• Longchild, Pino, (2009) Wicca Revealed: A First Year Within the Craft, Location Unknown, Lulu Publishing.
• Lupa, (2006) Fang and Fur, Blood and Bone: A Primal Guide to Animal Magic, Stafford UK, Immanion Press.
• Lupa, (2008) DIY Totemism: Your Personal Guide to Animal Totems, Stafford UK, Immanion Press.
• Lupa, (2009) Skin Spirits: The Spiritual and Magical Uses of Animal Parts, Stafford UK, Immanion Press
• Sarangerel (2000) Riding Wndhorses: A Journey into the Heart of Mongolian Shamanism, United States, Lake Book Manufacturing Inc.

Website Resources:

• Longchild, Pino, Magicka School, (http://www.magickaschool.com/)
• Lupa, Therioshamanism, (http://therioshamanism.com/)
• Ravenari, Wildspeak, (http://www.wildspeak.com/)
• Unknown, Circle of Tengerism, (http://www.tengerism.org/)

Reindeer ©2008

Key ideas

- blending in with the crowd
- endurance and perseverance
- finding things of value in the most barren of places

Introduction

Reindeer is a subtle energy that teaches endurance in the face of difficulty, how to manage social anxiety in crowds, and the ability to seek out spiritual nourishment in any situation.

Reindeer has connections with the winter season and the north. As with all deer it is important to not believe the hype – deer are not delicate and gentle animals. They can be aggressive and dangerous.

Pathworking Experience (My UPG)

Back out in the endless white of snow, I scanned the horizon and spotted what looked like the Reindeer’s herd. Sprinting as fast as I could, I made it to the boundary of the herd and loudly asked “Reindeer, may I learn from you?”

From within the herd stepped forth a massive female deer, twice the height of the others. She looked at me. “Please join the herd and see what you can learn”, she said. Focusing, I shifted into my reindeer body, and tagged along with the herd as they moved.

I found this really stressful. Being surrounded on all sides with no way out usually induces a panic attack. The reindeer around me were sympathetic, and they told me that this was not a trap. In fact it was very safe to be lost in a crowd. This is true. I tend to not like being singled out, and being one face among many meant that the odds of me being identified were very slim.

Onwards we walked. The North Wind cut through the air above us, and the snow fell heavier and heavier. But still we went on. My joints ached, but I could not stop. To stop would be to die. The endurance abilities of Reindeer and her children are incredible. Honestly. No backing down. No quitting. And they are all in it together. If I am struggling to do something in future, I will call on Reindeer’s energy to knuckle down and get on with it.

There was a shout from near the front of the herd. We had arrived at wherever the reindeer were heading to. Looking around, this place looked no different from anywhere else. Reindeer the totem came to me, and showed me how to use my hooves to chip away at the frozen layers of snow to reach the edible plants buried underneath. Reindeer is an optimistic totem, finding the best in any situation no matter how bleak it may seem. Reindeer may also be an excellent energy to call upon for finding things of value in any part of life, no matter how dull or irrelevant it  may seem.

I asked the totem of Reindeer what she thought about her children’s relationship with humans. “It is not perfect,” she answered “but they protect us from other predators in exchange for the lives of a few of my children. As long as humans do not take more than they need from me, the relationship will remain viable.”

I thanked Reindeer for her lessons, and she licked me on my forehead. This made my eyes screw up, and when they opened I was back at the Boar Woman’s camp. Red hugged me, helped me onto Kara’s back, and escorted me home safely.

Lessons

Reindeer are well-known members of the Deer family thanks mostly to their connection with Christmas, but there is far more to them than just being slaves to the fat bearded man dressed in red.

Reindeer teach endurance and adaptability

Living wild or semi-domesticated, Reindeer thrive in and around the Arctic Circle, either on the tundra or in the taiga. Reindeer are perfectly suited to living in such extreme conditions. Their fur is in two layers, a woolly undercoat and an overcoat of hollow hairs, ideal for keeping warm. Their noses have a reduced internal surface area and incoming air is heated before entering the lungs. Throughout the year, Reindeer hooves adapt to the seasons: in winter the hooves work to grip the ice and snow and in summer the hooves provide traction to move through the soft and wet tundra. In addition to this, Reindeer migrate vast distances to find ideal places to live and reproduce. Reindeer survive at the extremes of the Earth, and can show us how to endure the extremes in our lives.

Reindeer teach ways to handle social anxiety

Reindeer can live in vast herds of up to 3,000-4,000, and being around this number of people could lead to very strained emotions. But it does not. Reindeer are used to these vast numbers. By calling on Reindeer for help, or by inducing a mild shapeshift into Reindeer, Reindeer’s energy can help restore calm at times of social anxiety.

Reindeer teaches how to seek out spiritual nourishment in any situation

Food is at a premium in the Arctic, but Reindeer can find all of the nourishment they need. The tundra may look barren to our eyes. To Reindeer there is plenty of food to be found. They will go out of their way to find their favourite food (Reindeer Moss), by digging down through inches of snow and ice. Their diet includes grasses, leaves and sedges and on occasion have been known to eat small animals and bird eggs. (Like most deer, Reindeer are not strict herbivores). When you are trying to find meaning and relevance in a situation where you cannot find it, invite Reindeer energy into your life. There is value in every scenario, we just cannot see it unaided every time.

Summary

The above is what I learned from Reindeer and what Reindeer had to teach me. If you would like to work with Reindeer as a totem, be bold and learn directly from hir.

As with all totems, remember that Reindeer has real children deserving of respect and compassion.

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