Dear Friends,

Johnny Chapman was a real person whose life has taken on grand mythical proportions in our memories of him as Johnny Appleseed. When I was a young girl, I often played make believe. One of my games in the forests and meadows near my home was to pretend I was Johnny forging through the frontier, planting seeds that grew into those elegant orchards of blooming apple trees, which would later be discovered by the settlers long after I’d moved on down the trail.

Johnny Appleseed worked alone, living in the wilderness, whose closest companions were the animals he encountered daily. The Native Americans got along well with him and he had no fears and didn’t carry a gun. He was deeply religious, living by the golden rule, and it was reported by those who crossed his path that he often spoke to animals who gathered around him while he planted and tended his nurseries. It was said that the animals drew near him because they sensed his gentle nature. A story spread about a time when he was caught in a snow squall and took refuge in a fallen hollow tree. He shared the night there with a hibernating bear and her cubs in peaceful sanctuary. For nearly half a century, Johnny lived in harmony with nature and all her creatures.

Another legend foretells how each Christmas Eve the animals are endowed with the gift of speech in honor of their love and care long ago for a babe in a manger. Children, before age seven, live in the dreamy state of magical thinking, where they perceive all of creation as alive and able to communicate with them. The world of a child’s imagination is rich with the potential to cross bridges into the realm of the unseen where access to hidden parts of human individuality lay in shadow.

Children instinctively know that guidance comes in many forms and methods woven into the fabric of the natural world. When a child speaks to animals whether they are plush stuffed ones, alive at the zoo, or discovered along a forested pathway, this venture represents an innocent crossing into the imaginal realm existing between spirit and physical form. It is a way of opening to the mysterious in life and can often be truly enlightening. So many of the sage realized ones counsel adults to be more like little children – open to receive with fresh unsullied senses. A child’s world view leaves no stone unturned and no source of guidance rejected. As an adult, how would you gage your ability to see the world through the eyes of the child? Seeing the world with childlike wonder depends on whether you perceive yourself as a human being living on the earth or as a human being of the earth.

Like Johnny Appleseed, how many of us live in harmony with the vibration and spiritual power in the presence of nature? If we are human beings of the earth, whose bodies consist of mostly water and calcium, then what place or role does the animal kingdom have in the stream of spiritual guidance we seek and follow? When we identify with an animal nature, such as a bear, a deer, a wolf or a hawk, we are relating to an archetypal energy that symbolizes our natural and potential abilities. This type of guide has many names and labels, but all cultures past and present who identity with this kind of spiritual counsel, describe the animal familiar as a being that actually communicates with us in a way that enhances our understanding of our true identity.

The word Familiar as a noun means an intimate, a close companion. Most people identify with spiritual guardians, be they ancestors, guardian angels or guides who help them connect with the divine source of creation. This type of assistance is found through prayer, meditation or some method of tuning into the frequency of our inner spirit.

Indigenous cultures have long held that animal archetypes are spiritual companions who help us understand ourselves. They represent natural tendencies in our behaviors and unconditioned responses to environmental or relationship stimuli. These responses are inborn impulses rather than learned reactions. An animal familiar is the companion within who is gutsy and daring, courageous and downright plucky! Spiritual fortitude is the gift of your animal familiar.

Ancient cultures inform us that whether you are a stalking predator or a peaceful grazer, your animal familiar is your friendly guardian who has the inherent ability to keep you safe, healthy and wise. In our technological society where efficient furnaces have replaced home fires in the forest, and security systems ward off intruders, it may be difficult to perceive how such animal familiars could be of relevance to us today. But if you were to choose an animal familiar and learn its habits with regard to hunting, mating, social behaviors, sleep cycles and habitat conditions, you may reveal aspects of your self at the gut level of your instincts.

For example, if you relate to a wolf, you might enjoy completing goals within the structure of group dynamics, which mimics pack behavior. Or perhaps you are more of a loner like a stalking cougar who hunts in solitude. Maybe you relate to the field mouse that keeps her nose to the ground and holds detailed accounts of all she surveys. Do you scare easily and run for cover when confronted like a rabbit?

All animal familiars carry symbolic meanings beyond their natural behaviors that relate to the spirit of the animal. The coyote tricks us into laughing at ourselves. Bears symbolize hibernation into the inner cave of your dreams. Buffalo traditionally represents the nurturing giver who provides for others and the eagle symbolizes freedom and the flight of the soul to great heights.

The ancients describe an animal familiar as an inner spiritual teacher that takes an animal form. We are connected to all of creation, to each other as humans and to the natural world of wildlife through a weaving of consciousness that is collective and universal to each one of us. Long ago our ancestors lived with the environment of wildlife in a very intimate way, and they were inextricably linked with the animals they observed or perhaps hunted daily. They created folklore, legends, myths and stories about these animals that spoke of their visioning, dreams and experiences of the animal realm. These dreams and visions live on inside of you, passed down through the ages from your ancestors to your physical being via your DNA.

In my work with clients I often find that when we enter the inner realms, an animal familiar appears who is a helper, a guide and companion who wants to be of service to our healing venture. The presence of this inner guide provides comfort and strength to my clients, empowering them to face whatever they need to examine so that healing and transformation can occur. With the wonder of a child’s curiosity, the inner realm provides symbolic energetic forms such as the animal familiar to better reveal our true nature and to guide us home to the embodiment of our best sense of self.

Wearing the metaphorical cloak of your animal familiar was the theme of our Winter Fire at Thundering Lake. (All photos in this issue were taken at our Winter Fire.) Before attending the fire ceremony, we gathered together to discuss the concept of the animal familiar and I led the group in a visualization process where each could encounter an inner sense of this archetypal animal energy.

However, my plans to further our connection to the animal familiar once we met at the fire ring were blown to pieces. The sudden onset of blizzarding snow pelted our fire with whizzing skyrockets of ice crystals as the howling wind and surging tide of the Great Lake took center stage at our ceremony. The effect was absolutely exhilarating and WILD! The sheer force of the elements whose untamed presence commanded our full attention was exactly the kind of energetic that captures the essence of the animal familiar. The fiery power of our instincts is untamed, wild, unpredictable and oh so free! As the wild fire enlivened our perceptions of the animal familiar within, we hung on for the wild ride and witnessed the incredible primal forces of nature. Mother Nature heralded the Call of the Wild and we answered by abiding with her at the fire in witness to her glory.

It was truly invigorating to be out in nature celebrating and witnessing a storm of enormous power and strength. Our present day culture dictates our inclination to retreat and seek shelter in avoidance of braving a stance among the elements. Standing at the center of such a tempest I felt like a child, experiencing the wonderment of a world I'd somehow forgotten. The intense heat of the fire contrasted by the cold sting of the snow and the relentless barrage of the wind, caused my blood to rush in my veins with surging feelings of well being! Any desire to control the outcome of the ceremony was quelled and I laughed and played with the force of the experience as we sang, prayed and communed at the fire. I felt a kind of release, a letting go, and a letting in of wonderment that was so pleasing and relaxing and very exciting!

It was an unexpected and perfect night. Nothing took place as I foresaw it and that was the fun of it! We all stepped into the present moment where the archetypal animal familiars live and having joined with the elemental forces of nature, we were held in the power of NOW.

Margaret H. Lewis is a highly regarded professional speaker, workshop facilitator, business and personal development consultant, gifted spiritual practitioner and author. For over 20 years she has provided countless training seminars and workshops on a wide range of life management and personal development skills.

Margaret is a graduate of an intensive four-year program of spiritual study, receiving her professional certification and ministerial license. She is continually engaged in many areas of research and study that further her continuing education as a spiritual practitioner.

From 2000 - 2005, Margaret directed Lynn Andrews website where she designed, wrote and taught Online Spirituality Courses with Ms. Andrews. In her role as the Online Course Creator, Margaret oversaw the entire learning environment and curriculum presentation. Margaret has ventured out on her own and is offering many new online courses and learning adventures on her website at www.wisdomwalks.com. Please keep checking the website and new issues of Spirit's Scroll for updates!

In private consultations, Margaret has assisted hundreds of people in releasing the blocks that are holding them back from achieving their goals and visions of fulfillment. To set up an appointment with Margaret, please email her at info@wisdomwalks.com or visit her online store at www.wisdomwalks.com.


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