ANIMAL RITES
Animal rites and animal rights are frequent subjects for discussion among metaphysical and other “new age” groups. It would naturally be assumed that the two go hand in hand, but in some circles this just is not so. It is amazing how often I hear stories of animal rites that involve sacrifice.
There is the popularity of voudoun in parts of the country where chickens are frequently slaughtered in ritual. With the return and popularity of shamanism, many assume that animal sacrifice is a natural part of attuning to nature and that it is okay-as long as the animal is honored. At the time of the harmonic convergence I heard many horror stories of shamanic groups making sacrifices of chickens and such to Mother Earth.
Hunting seems to have become more popular of late and even encouraged among some groups. One woman who was consulting me told me how happy she was that she could send her husband out hunting so that she could have skins to make her ritual garments and thus become more at one with the animal. Nothing is more dangerous than a little knowledge. All such activities I find appalling. It displays ignorance and a great disrespect toward Nature. Some may argue that the animals die in Nature anyway, and so no real harm is done. This is true, death is part of Nature. The death, though, occurs as part of the natural cycle of predation or sickness, not through artificially induced elements. No matter how it is rationalized, hunting is not a sport. A sport involves a contest between individuals equipped with the same tools. I have no qualms about reporting abuse activities to the proper authorities.
Many shamanic purists believe that this is the only way to truly attune to Mother Earth, but no matter how they rationalize it, these individuals are operating under some grave misconceptions. In more primitive times these kinds of rites were a part of life. An animal killed was killed for survival. It was an act as much for self-preservation as for religion. Every part of that animal served a function and was used, often because there was nothing else available, or that the people did not have the right knowledge. These societies also had extremely poor hygiene, a short lifespan, and an extremely difficult existence. Do we want to return to those aspects as well?
In some ancient societies the letting of blood was a means of releasing a form of psychic energy found in the blood that could amplify the energy of the priest, the priestess, the shaman, the magician, or the medicine person. It was the only way they knew. Today, humans have evolved beyond the need for such activities. The human psychic energy is too strong and vital, and such activities simply contaminate the human energy field-no matter what kind of cleansing and purification activities are combined with it. They pollute thoughts, emotions, and even the physical health.
Those who proclaim its necessity are misguided. They are either individuals who refuse to take the time to develop their abilities in a more natural manner or they still believe that magic and mysticism is something supernatural and beyond themselves. Eventually in such cases, the law of reciprocity will kick in, but at what expense?
Remember that mimicry is impotent. Many mystical and magical formulas have come down to us through the ages, and many groups hold strictly to them, never altering the rites and prayers. And then they often make excuses for why the energy invoked and expressed was less than what it was designed to be.
For true magic and spirituality to occur we must take what we have learned and then add our own creative intuition and imagination to it. This alone gives it power. This is what makes it truly magical. Being responsible and living a mystical life requires that you take what you can find from whatever source you can find-extract it, reshape it, and then synthesize it into a system of creative and productive growth that works for you individually. It is using what you learn in the manner that is best for you and all life around you.
We can never again experience those good old days of the ancient shamans. Nor should we want to. If we believe that we must kill an animal or sacrifice it to become at one with it, there will soon be nothing left but pictures. Which would you rather see: a wolf in the wild or a picture of a wolf in the wild? What we can do is take what the ancient shamans taught and adapt it to our present lives and circumstances. We can search out beneficial ways of gaining the attunement.
I know a number of individuals who have found a wonderful compromise. In our society of high traffic and the impingement of roads upon natural lands, most people are familiar with road-kill animals. An increasing number of individuals are carrying gloves and plastic bags in their cars. When they come across a road kill, they stop and gather it up, and later they perform their own ritual to honor it, maybe even saving some feathers or pelts. Some just stop and move the animal off the road so that other animals which scavenge upon it will not be hit by traffic as well. This is a tremendous honoring of the life of the animal and of nature. It says to the spirit of the animal, “Your life was beneficial.”
I carry gloves, a blanket, and bags in my car. With all the traveling that I do, I often come across hurt or dead animals. It is sad to see the numbers and kinds of animals that are hit. I have seen hawks, crows, opossums, raccoon, groundhogs, bob cats, coyotes, and many others. I have even been unfortunate enough to hit and kill small animals that freeze in my headlights. It is a horrifying feeling. I have not always been in a position to stop, but when possible I do-if only to move it off the road. I say my own prayer to release its spirit, I express sorrow for its sudden and unfortunate death, and I wish it well, promising to try and aid its kind in the future.
In the spring it is not unusual to see opossums that have been hurt or killed. When possible, I try to stop and check it. If it is a female, there is a good possibility it is carrying young in its pouch. Though the mother may be dead, the young may live.
Once, while returning from Colorado, I was driving through Missouri. It was after several days of heavy rains. The ground had become so soaked that hundreds of turtles from the woods along a stretch of highway had come out and onto the road. They were found in both lanes of the highway covering an area of about five miles. It was difficult to avoid hitting them. I checked my rear view mirror to see how other drivers were doing.
Some drivers did not even bother trying to miss the turtles, but I was amazed by the driver of a semi-truck. He slowed to minimum speed and went out of his way, maneuvering his truck around the turtles, not harming a single one. It was amazing seeing him handle that big rig and being able to avoid every turtle. Considering the number of turtles, it was an impressive piece of driving. As I left the turtles behind, I sent them a prayer of protection and a special prayer to the truck driver as well.
Such activities are rites which honor the natural world. Rites to honor and connect with the natural world can be as simple as a prayer or as intricate as a shapeshifting ceremony. The ones which follow are designed to be both simple and effective. Do not be afraid to adapt them or to create your own. They will stimulate ideas for working with your spirit animals more creatively.
PREPARING FOR ANIMAL RITES
Mention the word ritual to a dozen people and you will receive a dozen different reactions. The responses always vary and are often confusing. Much has been written about ritual in the past, but unfortunately, it is often absurd and ludicrous derivations of true ritual techniques. Most opinions that people hold toward rites of any kind come from the fabric of the imagination-as stimulated through television and movies. Most of it is hype, revealing little understanding of the true potential for aligning ourselves with the variety of energies existing in the universe.
A good deal of information on ceremonies and rites, and those who partake in them, is conceived and performed for the dabbler or the psychic thrill seeker. Many invent ritual practices to cover their own misbehaviors or to cloak their own ignorance.
It was once believed that rituals only concerned themselves with angels and demons, but we must realize that we all use ritual every day of our life. How may of us follow a set routine every morning? Do we get up, shower, drink our coffee, read the paper and then go to work? That is a ritual. We have personal rites, military rites, religious rites, social rites-rites associated with every aspect of human expression.
What we will explore through the rest of this chapter are rites that will help you to honor and attune to the natural world and the animals within it more effectively. We will show you how to create routines that will enable you to look at nature and the life within it in a manner that will reveal the higher forces at play within your life. The rites will help awaken a greater love for all manifestations of life within the world.
Ceremonial rites stimulate inspiration. Their primary purpose is to awaken within the participants a greater realization of connectedness to all energies of the universe. They help us to recognize that we are a microcosm. Everything we do affects everything else in the universe, and everything else in the universe is reflected within our own lives. To fulfill that purpose, you do not need intricate tools, instruments, robes, and temples. It simply involves a creative application of your mental faculties along specific lines. Nothing more than an open mind, an expanding awareness, and persistence is necessary to see results.
A ritual or ceremonial rite is anything done with strong purpose, intention, and emphasis. It provides a means for experiencing the inner worlds more fully. It rewards you with greater self-expression, self-discovery, and self-exploration. Keep in mind though that most of the rituals of the past will no longer work effectively with the energy of the present. Today an effective ceremonial rite involves the emergence and the harmonizing of ancient sacred traditions with modern creative impulses. We build upon the old, but we add our own creative intuition to them.
There are many ritual traditions to choose from. Most have had their own animal rites and ceremonies. The Qabala, Egyptian, Orphic, Celtic, American Indian, Macumba, and African and other shamanic societies had their own unique methods of rituals. It is always a good idea to study the ritual techniques of a tradition thoroughly before creating and adapting it for your own purposes. Be familiar with what the symbols and energies of the rites were designed to do. Otherwise you may find yourself uncomfortably surprised by what you invoke.
A successful rite—whether it is to connect with Nature/animals or any other purpose—will focus and improve your memory. It will enable you to experience certain energies without being overwhelmed by them. It will expand your consciousness, stimulate creativity, and increase your overall confidence levels. Usually within three to seven days you will get a tangible confirmation that it has fulfilled its purpose or is in the process of doing so.
There are several preliminary considerations necessary before beginning any work with your spirit totem:
l. LEARN AS MUCH ABOUT YOUR ANIMAL AS POSSIBLE. I know I have said this frequently throughout this book, but it is essential. Read about it. Study it. Make a list of its most outstanding and unusual characteristics. Every aspect of its behavior will have some significance to you or to your life. It may have shown up either to help you awaken and develop some of those same characteristics or to control those that need it in your life.
2. KNOW THE PURPOSE OF YOUR RITUAL OR MEDITATION. This should be done before you create any meditation or ceremonial rite to align with your spirit animal. Know why you personally want to involve yourself with it. Determine the most appropriate time(s) and place(s) to perform it. Remember that specific tools are not necessary to have an effective rite. Tools and wardrobe help the mind to stay focused on the purpose, but they are not essentials.
3. KEEP YOUR ANIMAL RITES AND MEDITATIONS SIMPLE. They do not have to be of any great length to be effective. The most effective rites are those which do not employ intricate tools and/ or costume. What makes you feel the most comfortable?
4. MAKE PREPARATIONS BEFOREHAND. Prepare the place of meditation and ritual. Make sure that both the place and you, yourself, are neat and clean. Use a smudge or incense that is purifying. Ensure that the phone is off the hook and that you will not be disturbed. Perform a progressive relaxation before beginning the actual rite or exercise.
5. USE MUSIC AND DRUMMING TO ENHANCE THE CONNECTION. The right music can be a powerful enhancement to any ritual or meditation, but it must be music suitable to your purpose. Just employing music for the sake of music will detract. Experiment with different types to find what works best for you.
You may wish to make up your own song to honor the animal spirit. I touched upon this earlier in this book. You may also find that one of the benefits of performing animal rites is that it establishes such a dynamic link between you and your animal that it will teach you the animal’s song.
One of the most effective tools to empower animal rites is the drum. It is a basic tool of shamans. A true shaman does not inherit gods, goddesses, or other divine entities through a family, a tradition, or religion. A shaman is one who opens himself/herself so that the expression of the divine in whatever form is most suitable is experienced directly.
Rhythm is the pulse of life and it affects all physical conditions and states of being. To the Native Americans, the drum beat is the heartbeat of the Mother Earth. In Voudoun, the drum is used in specific ways to block out the rational mind during the rituals. It serves to activate the sexual energies or even induce trance.
Rhythmic patterns have always been a part of ritual and healing. Pure, specific rhythms were associated with definite ideas, experiences, and physiological responses. There are drum and rhythm patterns to stimulate or calm the emotions, and there are those which aid in the exploration of inner consciousness. In many shamanic practices, the drumbeat is used to induce an altered state of consciousness. The drum beat is concentrated upon and followed by the participant as if riding it on a mythical journey into levels of the mind that could not otherwise be as easily accessed. The drum connects or bridges the individual to magical states of consciousness.
Some are so skilled at drumming that they can duplicate the rhythms of various animals. There is snake drumming, wolf drumming, hawk drumming- a drumming for every animal. As the rhythm is created it plays upon the metabolism of the individual causing entrainment-the individual’s own heart and metabolic rhythm is brought into synchronization with the drum beat. This is used to facilitate a shapeshifting, an aligning with the archetypal forces represented by the animal.
This text does not have the capability to explore all of the intricacies in the use of ritual drumming. (There are several sources in the bibliography which can help you explore this subject more fully.) Get a drum or a rattle, or make one. Even the clapping of two sticks together is a means of creating a rhythm. Practice sitting and slowly tapping out a repetitive, slow rhythm. Pay attention to the changes in your body. Incorporate those rhythms when performing the exercises in this chapter. Remember that you are simply using rhythm to alter your own physiological and spiritual rhythms for specific purposes.
6. USE MOVEMENT TO HELP ESTABLISH THE LINK WITH YOUR ANIMAL. As we have mentioned, movement and dance were often incorporated to help align the individual with the energies and essence of the animal. The animal’s movements, postures, and gestures were imitated. This is especially effective when performed for five minutes or so at the beginning. It is a means of drawing the animal to you, and into you as well. As you mimic its movements, visualize yourself becoming the animal, or see it drawing closer to you as it would to one of its own kind. Then imagine it melting into you, coming alive within.
Have fun with the movements. Watch nature programs on your animal so you can observe how it moves. Visit zoos or nature centers that house animals and observe them so that you can imitate their movements. Then be creative with it. Make your own dance of celebration to your animal totem. You do not have to confine yourself to only its movements. You may wish to explore my earlier book The Magical Dance to help you with this.
7. KEEP PROPS AND TOOLS SIMPLE. It takes very little to connect in with the powers of nature. Sometimes though props such as feathers or portraits or costumes can be used to help you focus and concentrate the mind. You may wish to explore mask making and make one for your animal spirit. You will find it very empowering, even if you do not find it artistic. It is simply a means of expressing honor and reverence to it. Just the making of such, whether you use them or not, is a powerful attunement meditation itself.
Some people make robes that have the animal spirit painted on. Some use face and body paint and paint themselves in the image of the animal or its markings before the meditations and rites to help focus and concentrate the energies and the attention. Again, you do not have to become that complicated to connect with your totems. It can be fun to do at times, and if you feel drawn to do so, go ahead. It is especially effective when combined with the dance and song. This is also a powerful enhancement to the sample shapeshifting technique described later in this chapter.
Special Reminders
1. The animals (and their energies) with whom you work are all found within you. You are the microcosm. All energies within the universe live within you.
2. The animals and the energies associated with them will express themselves through you and in your life. By meditating and using animal rites to align with them, you become the focused point of manifestation. Be assured that if you meditate and create rites to connect with the animals, you will experience their energies somewhere in your life. Initially, you may need to be a little more observant to recognize those points of manifestation. As you develop the connection with your spirit animal, you will develop ways to control how and where its energies manifest.
3. There will be some trial and error in developing the relationship with the animal and its energies. As with any relationship, there will be boundaries. Just recognizing your power animal does not mean it will be effective to use in every avenue of your life.
4. There will be an urge to share your new-found connection and joy once you start achieving noticeable results. This is natural. It is also usually your first test in developing a working relationship with the animal. Discretion and discrimination are essential. Be very careful with whom you share your experiences. Others can create barriers and color what should otherwise be a personally joyful experience.
5. Preparation is always the key. Familiarize yourself completely with the animal, its symbols, qualities, and energies. Learn its myths and its lore, and keep an open mind. If you find that the energy is uncomfortable or too intense, break the connection. Remember that you are establishing a relationship, and in any relationship everyone involved has to learn the boundaries of the others.
6. As you connect to one aspect of Nature, you automatically open to others. As you connect with one animal, others will show up within your life, making themselves known. It reminds us that all things, all animals and all humans are connected. It is one of the truly wonderful benefits of learning animal-speak.
Exercise #1: Creating an Animal Speak Dictionary
To some this may seem more of a task than a rite, but it is a powerful way of beginning to attune to animals. For ages, people have tried to mimic animal sounds. Ornithologists have often catalogued and attempted to describe the calls of birds:
Crow - “Caw, Caw, Caw”
Chickadee - “Chick-a-dee-dee-dee”
Duck - “Quack, Quack”
Barred Owl- “Who cooks for You-who cooks for You all”
Mourning dove - “Whoooooo-who-who-who”
Anyone who has ever had a pet knows that pets are constantly speaking to us. Their movements, postures, and vocalizations send a variety of messages to us. They rub against our legs, bark and purr, show their teeth when threatened, crouch when scared, and lick to show affection. We, in turn, communicate with the animals, teaching them. We may rattle a food bowl to call them. We talk softly when showing affection and sternly when upset.
To understand animals, you have to be able to interpret their language. The language of every animal is different from every other animal. There are certain messages that are common to them all, often those having to do with survival. Threatening postures and sounds are the most common, and all animals use them to some degree. We have to keep this in mind when learning to speak the language of animals.
We must also keep in mind that animals communicate with other animals and with people. Sometimes the communications are different, and sometimes we have to interpret the language a little more symbolically. Many creation myths speak of the time when humans and animals spoke the same language, but that time has passed. We have forgotten, so we must relearn it. Paying attention to the number of crows, the number of times a crow caws, and what it does immediately before and after such occurrences all are filled with meaning to the Native Americans.
If you wish to learn the language of animals, you must develop a new vocabulary. This is where the development of the dictionary comes in. This can be done with both domestic and wild animals. For most people, beginning with the domestic is usually simpler.
1. Choose one animal at a time to work with, and give yourself a specific time to focus on it. This may be as simple as a week or two week period. Some may wish to devote an entire month to observing one animal. Find what works for you.
2. Keep a notebook or journal on the animal. Read about it. Watch nature programs devoted to it. Most importantly, take time to observe its activities yourself. Now, of course, this will be very nearly impossible with certain kinds of wild animals. Most people do not have access or opportunity to observe animals in the wild, but even in city environments there are some opportunities with commoner animals. Begin with those you see most often: birds, squirrels, pets, etc.
3. Make notes of sounds, movements, and behaviors that you observe. When you observe them, also make notations about what you think they mean. Some will be obvious, but others won’t. You should be able to come up with at least two possible interpretations. One possibility is to try and explain what the movement or sound may mean to other animals (especially those of its own species). The other possibility is an interpretation along the lines of what it may mean to you. Jot down all possibilities, no matter how far fetched they may seem.
4. Pay particularly close attention to sounds and activities that occur when you are around or approach the animal. Are these different than when you observe from a distance? Try mimicking the animal’s sounds and movements. How does the animal respond? Keep notes on anything that occurs.
5. Then pay attention to what goes on in your own life shortly after the observation or communication. Look back at the end of the day. Does anything the animal did reflect the kind of experiences you had in the course of the day? Can you draw any parallels? Observe this over a 24-hour period. Don’t worry about stretching the correspondences. It will help you to recognize the subtle nuances in the communication.
When you encounter the same sounds and behaviors, do you have similar kinds of experiences as those you recorded the first time? Remember that through this process you begin to develop parameters that help you to understand the specific communication from the animals you encounter. Eventually you will be able to say to yourself, “Now the last couple times the squirrel acted this way, this is what happened ... So it is a good likelihood that this is going to occur again.”
As you create your dictionary, you are developing a greater ability to understand animals in the world around you. Your dictionary will enable you to translate the meanings of sounds and motions of the common animals around you.
The more you work with it, the easier it becomes. In just a year, you can lay a solid foundation in the language of a number of animals. You will have developed a beginner’s vocabulary. You will also find that it will be easier for you to understand and interpret some animals than others. Sometimes these animals serve as a catalyst, helping you to realize that the ability to learn animal-speak is inherent. Everyone has the ability. Exercise #2: Flights of Fancy
Animals stimulate the imagination. They touch and stir deeper aspects of ourselves that we sometimes forget we have. One of the most wonderful rites to perform on a regular basis to enhance and maintain attunement is to create a fanciful meditation involving your animal. It is especially beneficial as a prelude to the dance exercise that is described in the next exercise. It can also be an excellent preparation for more powerful shapeshifting techniques such as that which is described later in this chapter.
This kind of rite frees the emotions and helps us to move past our usual mental blocks. It helps us begin to loosen the more primal fabric of our energy, that part of the subconscious which responds to and understands Nature. It is relaxing and it also relieves stress. It stimulates creativity and invites a more intimate relationship with Nature in all of its forms.
1. Choose an animal. It can be any animal. In fact, it is beneficial to do this exercise with any animal that appeals to you at the moment. It does not have to be your own personal totem.
2. Do some preliminary reading about the animal, its habitats and behaviors. You don’t have to be thoroughly acquainted with every aspect, but you should be familiar enough with it to be able to visualize it clearly in your mind.
3. Choose a time in which you will not be disturbed. Make sure the phone is off the hook. If possible, perform the visualization outdoors.
4. Close your eyes and take a few deep breaths. Begin a slow progressive relaxation. Focus on each part of the body, beginning with the feet and moving up to the head. Send warm, soothing, and relaxing feelings to each part in turn.
5. Now imagine that you are the animal. If it is a bird, see yourself with your ankles long and your nose and mouth joined together to form a beak. Your eyes are on the side of your head and your body is covered with feathers. If an animal, see yourself covered in fur.
The fields, the woods, the mountains and forests is your home. As you imagine yourself in this form, A great urge to be outside comes over you. Your senses are sharp. Fragrances that would normally have gone unnoticed are strong. Your eyes are sharp and your ears detect the slightest sound. It is as if all of your senses are amplified. Now see yourself in your natural environment. You may be running or flying, but the movement makes you feel strong and alive. Never have you felt so vital. As each muscle stretches and works, you grow stronger and more vibrant. Then envision yourself slowing until you are standing or perching at rest. Your senses are sharp and vital. You are feeling more alive than you have felt in ages.
Now breathe deeply and slowly. As you begin to relax and your breathing steadies, you feel your body changing back once more. The feathers become the clothes you are wearing. Instead of being in a forest or field or atop a mountain, you are in your seat where you first started. Though the image fades, the energy, strength, and balance remains within.
A variation of this exercise can be used effectively as well. Instead of visualizing yourself changing, it is beneficial to see the animal approach you. As it does, it invites you to ride upon its back. Simply imagine yourself the size necessary to be able to ride upon the animal, as it carries you through its environment, showing you what it feels and experiences every day of its life. Imagine what it would be like to ride or fly with the animal you have chosen.
Allow your imagination to run free. Do not try to hold it tight. Do not worry if what you imagine is not truly an aspect or quality of the bird. This rite is designed to loosen the imaginative faculty so that you can access those levels of the mind that will facilitate understanding and speaking the language of animals. Exercise #3: The Rite of Gifting
Gifting is a simple way of expressing gratitude for opportunities to share with nature. In essence, it is an act of balance. If you take something, you give something in return. What you give can be in the form of an actual gift or simply your time. It is a means of honoring that which you are working to understand. This is most important for when you do your studies and actual encounters with Nature and her animals-be it a wooded area, a park or your own backyard. For anyone learning animal-speak, regular visits to natural environments will become essential.
The Native Americans will offer tobacco to the earth or the animals, leaving it in the environment. Tobacco is sacred to them and it has great significance. When you acknowledge the encounter with a gift, it sends a message to all of Nature that you are receptive and respectful. It facilitates further encounters.
Gifting is a means of awakening a greater sense of gratitude in life and for life. It is most important to do in some form when you are out in nature and are specifically observing and studying some animal or aspect of nature. For example, if there is a chosen area for your observations, search for a special gift to leave in that area when you are ready to leave. This can be any number of things: an acorn, a crystal or colorful stone, a special leaf, a flower that is special to you, dried herbs, or any natural object. It should always be a natural object so that it can become a part of nature and not clutter or destroy the intrinsic beauty of the spot. I will leave a flower, often a rosebud, or a small crystal point.
This rite of gifting completes the circle. Nature gives to you and you receive, and thus you give back to Nature and it receives. This is a powerful rite. It requires no fancy prayers, activities, or formalized ceremonies. It is simply a circular rite of gifting.
In situations where animals are being observed in artificial environments—zoos, nature centers, etc.—you cannot always leave a tangible gift within that environment. Such environments are controlled for the safety and well-being of the animals and the visitors. In cases such as these, a monetary gift to the center is beneficial. It helps promote the well-being of the environment. If it is a case in which you observe the animal frequently, you may wish to donate some time as a volunteer. In this way, you are giving back, and the circle is completed.
It is not right to assume that you can visit and observe without permission, especially in natural environments. It is always a good idea to at least mentally ask the environment and animals within it for permission to observe before taking a position to do so. It helps to build greater mutual respect. You are less likely to take Nature or the experience for granted. It makes the experience more meaningful.
Hints to Make the Gifting More Effective:
1. Always return to the same spot in Nature so that you can build a relationship with that part of the environment. You don’t have to limit yourself solely to that spot though.
2. At the end of your visit, leave the gift with a mental “thank you” for the experience and for what you were able to observe. You may even wish to ask mentally for permission to return again at that time.
3. Keep the gifts simple and natural so that they do not intrude upon the intrinsic quality of the natural environment.
4. It is a good idea to carry a plastic trash bag with you whenever you go out into a natural environment. Pick up trash, litter and any other form of clutter you may come across. It shows respect, and Nature will gift you in return.
5. Visit the sites at different times of the year and for different lengths. Make note of the animal activity, plant life and such within the area. At the end of each visit, always leave a gift upon departure.
6. Part of the circle of gifting is receiving. Practice sitting quietly and observing. Make notes, but do not discuss. Listen, smell, and watch what Nature gives to you. You may even wish to visualize yourself as part of that environment, connected to and growing out from the earth. The more you feel connected to the earth, the easier the cycle of receiving from it grows.
7. All movement should be slow. Remember that Nature is very wary of human life, so trust is sometimes difficult to develop. Slow movements that do not startle or frighten are a gift that you can give to the animals. It will help them feel more comfortable. After all, you would not like for someone to come into your home and disturb your life. It is a gift of respect-simple but effective.
8. As you learn to naturalize yourself, feel a part of Nature, then the animal life, the insects, and the birds will accept you as part of the surroundings. When they do that, they will gift you with more activity and they will draw closer.
Exercise #4: Dance Rites
There are many ways of using dance to honor and connect with animals and other aspects of Nature. This book cannot cover them all, but perhaps it will stimulate ideas that you can take and develop for yourself. Many people in societies all over the world have dances that honor animals. Costumes, elaborate or simple, are used to help awaken in the individual the experience of the animal’s energies.
Dancing to the animals is a way of honoring them and activating their energies dramatically within your life. One of the most common forms of sacred dance was the imitation of Nature and life within it. Individuals would perform the dance of an animal to align themselves with its power and to awaken it within their life. It is a powerful tool to use in conjunction with the shapeshifting exercise described later in this chapter. Through dance we can shift our energy to that of a pattern similar to our animal totem.
To understand how this works, you must understand the human body. It is a complex, bio-chemical, electro-magnetic energy system. Every time a muscle is used there is an electrical stimulus. The study of the electrical impulses associated with muscular movement is part of the study of kinesiology. When we move or dance in imitation of animals, we help adjust our own body’s electrical frequency to one similar to that of the animal. We create resonance.
For this to be most effective, you must perform a close study of the animal. Learn about the way it moves and the way it stands. How does it hold its head? How does it place its feet when it walks? Practice pantomiming those same postures and movements. These movements will be at the heart of the dance. They do not have to be long or extended. Several minutes is all that is necessary to invite the animal’s energy into your life, if done appropriately.
The following sample dance is effective to use with any animal. Its movements will lead you into the imitation of the animal and its energies, and symbolically draw them out into your life. It is done with simple circular movements, combined with the basic postures and movements of your animal totem.
1. Begin by researching your totem, focusing on three or four basic movements or postures that it assumes, and which most reflect the energies of it.
2. Practice mimicking and pantomiming its movements.
3. Choose a room or clear the center of a room so that you will have adequate space to move. Prepare it with incense or some pictures or symbols associated with your totem.
4. Choose music or have a drum that you can carry and play. You may even wish to have someone perform the drumming for you. Initially keep the drum beat slow and steady. A two-beat rhythm is easy to perform and imitates the steady rhythm of the heart. The first beat is played a little harder than the second.
5. Begin the dance by marking off a sacred space. This is done in a circular movement (see diagram on page 233). This creates a sacred space in the mind, a place between worlds-a point in which the subtle and tangible can intersect and touch. A circle movement is a dynamic way to initiate any dance ritual. Circle the dance area at least once in a clockwise direction. (I recommend three circles as three is the number of birth and creation). A simple toe-heel step is easy to perform. If you use a simple two-beat drum rhythm, on the first (harder) beat, place the toes of one foot down, and on the second (softer) beat bring the heel of the foot down.
6. Keep your focus on the center of the circle. All dance is a series of movements around a central point. The movement in the circle and your focus on its center adds energy to your purpose. Focus on knowing that you are awakening and inviting the energy of the spirit animal into the circle.
7. Now slowly begin to spiral in toward the center. You may even wish to visualize that you are walking or dancing in the animal’s natural environment. Imagine and know that as you draw closer to the center, you draw closer to the archetypal energies represented by the totem.
8. Once in the center of the circle, pause and close your eyes. Imagine the animal around you. Feel its energies and essence. Now begin imitating its movements and postures. See yourself as the animal. Imagine and feel its energies coming alive within you as you. 9. After several minutes of this, or when you feel its energies vibrant within you, pause again in the center. Know that the animal is within you and can now be called out of you when needed. Then slowly begin the dance again, spiraling out toward the perimeter of the circle. This time, you move in a counterclockwise direction. As you spiral outward, visualize yourself bringing the essence of the animal out with you. Imagine and visualize how its energies will help you in the days ahead. See it being beneficial in as many specific situations as you can.
Create your sacred space by dancing a circle in a clockwise direction.
It opens you to experiencing the energies more fully.
Now slowly spiral in toward the center-the point where the forces of the animal can be met.
Next perform your movements, imitating the animal.
See yourself as the animal and its energies alive within you.
Then in a counterclockwise direction, slowly spiral out to the perimeter of the circle,
coming back into yourself but with the energy of the animal.
Slowly dance the circle in a counterclockwise direction to dissipate its energy.
Use the same number of revolutions as in #1.
10. When you reach the outer edge of the circle, begin dancing the perimeter moving in that counterclockwise direction. This closes off and dissipates the sacred space. Use as many revolutions as you used in the beginning to create the circle. Know that you have brought out some of the energies of the animal totem with you. Remember the responsibility and honor it.
Exercise #5: Learning the Art of Shapeshifting
In the early evolution of humanity, before we were so solidly locked within the physical form, we could probably mold our shapes. When the body was less dense, we may have indeed been able to metamorphose into another shape. Today we must use the faculty of the imagination.
Shapeshifting is natural to all of humanity. It involves more than just transforming oneself into a beast. Every day, on some level, we shift our energies to meet the daily trials, responsibilities, and obligations of life. We learn early on in our lives when to smile, when to be serious, how to appear apologetic, or how to express a wide variety of personas according to need.
Shapeshifting is not just transforming into a beast, as often described in ancient myths and tales. Most of the tales of shapeshifting were either symbolic or reflected a time in human evolution when we were not so grounded in the physical. Shapeshifting is a matter of controlling and shifting your own energies to fit the needs of the moment-being able to draw upon those qualities and energies necessary.
Anyone who can discipline himself or herself to achieve a goal is a shapeshifter. If you can adapt to change, pleasant or otherwise, you are a shapeshifter. If you can turn a foul mood into a pleasant one, then you are a shapeshifter. If you can adjust your behaviors to relate to a wide variety of people and life conditions, then you are a shapeshifter.
It is this kind of shapeshifting that we all can develop to a high degree. We can learn to adjust our energies to that which is similar to a particular animal totems and manifest it beneficially within our life. When we can do this, then we begin to realize that there truly is a magic to the world.
Today, most magic takes place within the mind at a different level of perception. It doesn’t make it any less real or useful in our outer lives. When we can accept that, then we are on the way to becoming a true magician. With practice you can strengthen the imaginative faculty and learn to consciously control and shapeshift it along any lines you desire. And when we change the imaginings, we change the world. We can learn to shapeshift the imagination so that for all intents and purposes, we become the shape.
Examples of positions to aid in shapeshifting.
This is what this exercise will help teach you. It is only a beginning, and it won’t make you a master shapeshifter. It will help you to stretch and strengthen your imaginative faculty, assisting you in attuning to and manifesting the energies and qualities you desire from your spirit animal.
To be a good shapeshifter, you must master the art of observation. You cannot shapeshift to a bird’s body-even in the mind-if you do not know how a bird’s body works. Begin by observing two or three basic forms or postures of your animal. Visit zoos. Observe the animal’s behaviors and make notes. Mimic its movements and its sounds. Begin the process by thinking yourself into the part. Think about what it would be like to be the animal.
You may want to assist yourself in making the transformations through incorporation of dance and/or costume of the animal. The following outline includes aspects of the previous dance rite, but takes it a step further. You may wish to review it, to enhance the effects.
1. You must have privacy for this exercise. No phones, no interruptions.
2. Begin the exercise by dancing off your sacred space, as outlined in the previous exercise. Then begin to spiral in toward the center. You may wish to have a chair or a cushion that you will want to sit upon.
3. When you reach the center, pause. Feel and imagine the unformed energy of the animal spirit around you. Now begin the movements and postures associated with your totem. As you take the stance and make the steps within the inner circle, mimicking the animal, feel its energy becoming stronger within you and around you.
4. Now take a seated position, and within your mind, build the image of your animal. See the image forming and growing over the area of your solar plexus. See it form solidly within your mind’s eye in front of you, at the level of the solar plexus.
5. When you can imagine it fully in front of you, begin to visualize it being absorbed into your body through the solar plexus region. Take its full essence into you through that center.
6. Now start with the feet or the hands. Feel them begin to change. Imagine and feel claws, paws, or talons forming. Where there was skin, imagine fur or feathers forming. Allow the change to come slowly and to move up the body. The last part of the body to change should be the head. This will help you to maintain control.
7. As you imagine yourself transforming, also visualize a door forming for you, a door that has engraved upon it the image of the animal you are becoming. This is a door to the inner world. It is easier to maintain the form on the inner levels than in the outer, so visualize the door opening and you going through it as the animal.
8. Initially you will be imagining all that you wish to experience as the animal. Eventually though, the experience will become alive. It will take on the quality of a very vivid dream. You won’t just be observing yourself doing this, you will be experiencing it.
9. On the other side of the door, you may wish to explore the environment of the animal. You may use the animal form to travel on the inner levels to outer destinations-visiting people, the past, the future. You are the animal.
10. After a time, imagine yourself coming back through the door, and it closing solidly behind you. Then slowly the body begins to change once more, starting with the head. The fur / feathers become skin once more. Do not rush the transformation. When you have changed back, allow the image of the animal to withdraw from the body, again through the solar plexus. Imagine it fully and completely outside of you once more. Then allow its image to slowly dissipate until it is simply an unformed energy surrounding you in the center of your circle.
11. Slowly open your eyes and stand. Perform several of the animal moves as a way of honoring and thanking the spirit of the animal, and then begin the slow counterclockwise spiral out to the perimeter of the circle. Visualize the energy dissipating as you do.
12. Dissipate the sacred space, visualizing yourself fully grounded and balanced as you dance the outer circle in a counterclockwise direction. Use the same number of revolutions as you did to create the sacred space.
There are some important precautions and considerations in performing this exercise or any like it. If you find that your mind is scattered or changed too much in the next day or so, stop the activity. If you see, or others around you see, changes in your personality, stop the exercises immediately. This kind of exercise should not be used too often.
Frequently there are those who have never meditated or worked to control their energies, and who desire to jump in and learn to /lshapeshift./I This can create problems. If you find yourself rushing home to do a shapeshifting exercise or neglecting other important aspects of your life, then stop immediately. It is creating imbalance.
Be flexible in the above steps. Adapt and experiment with them. Dance and shapeshifting are both creative processes. For them to become truly magical, you must apply your own creative imagination and intuition.
As you will find, the effects of any dance ritual are seldom subtle. Expect sometimes dramatic physical responses and releases. You may even want to consider only taking on the aspects of the totem under the guise of someone knowledgeable of deep altered states. If not, go very slow.
Even though the shapeshifter may not change physically to outside observers, internally he or she may have undergone an profound transformation and believe it to have occurred physically. This should not be treated casually or dismissed. Time and care must be used in assimilating and balancing the energies invoked through shapeshifting.
For the beginner, it is best to work with simple movements and postures. Always use the door. This way, if you should temporarily lose yourself in the transformation, you will have already trained the mind to use the door to trigger the reversal.
Some may wish to try ecstatic dancing to facilitate the transformation. If you are unsure of your ability to control and handle the transformation, do not use it. No dancer or shapeshifter should ever go until “they drop.” This is extremely unhealthy and very damaging to the entire energy system of the individual.
Many shamanic techniques use drums to induce the altered state and facilitate the shapeshifting. If you are working with others, the drum can be used to draw the individual back into reality. One drum technique involves using a slow, heartbeat rhythm, and then building in intensity to release the consciousness and facilitate the transition. Reversing this and moving from the frenzied rhythm to the regular heart rhythm will draw the consciousness back to normal. This is especially effective because the individual does not then move from the deep altered state to normal consciousness too abruptly.
Taking the hands of the individual and performing joint deep breathing assists in grounding the individual back into reality. Massaging the feet to open and activate the chakras that connect us back to the earth and its reality is also beneficial. Assuming a seated or prone position will assist in this, especially when accompanied by removing any fetishes or costumes that were used to aid the transformation.
It is also beneficial to stroke the spine downward from the crown of the head. This stabilizes the chakras, and it draws the consciousness back into present reality. Remember that always the goal is to connect with the energies and to develop conscious control and awareness of them at all times.