In the beginning, there was dog.

At least this is what our dog thinks (just ask him). Is it a coincidence that dog is god spelled backward? Dog owners don’t think so. Our dog is certainly divine in our home and just look at all those “Dog is My Copilot” bumper stickers out there. Some cultures in the world proclaim the “primal Dog Spirit” as their divine ancestor. In ancient Mongolia, for example, people venerate the “divine dog” as their original tribal ancestor. Friends who recently returned from Mongolia reported that dogs are treated like beloved family members there.

The Creator Dog

In Australia, the dingo is a sacred animal with its own “dreaming” or magical power as a sacred ancestor spirit. In the outback, we visited powerful and sacred dog dreaming sites. Even today dingoes are given skin names, which are human nicknames, demonstrating they are considered family members. The same applies in our home where our dog is given such sacred names as “bread stealer” and “stealth poodle” for his sneaky ways.

What dog doesn’t like digging up old bones and gnawing endlessly on the stinky things? We would often find exotic items in the yard and wonder where the heck Thor had found them and how old they were. Dogs everywhere enjoy games like find the bone, chase the bone, and chew the bone. Maybe this explains Xolotl.

In Aztec mythology, the dog god Xolotl stole ancient bones from the underworld and brought them up to our world to help fashion a new race of man, thus aiding in the creation of our race. One wonders if he resisted chewing on them first.

Many cultures certainly viewed dogs as divine. I know our dog sees us as his responsibility and gets all barky if we don’t stay together when hiking. In our home we often joke “how did we ever live without our dog?” and emotionally, we feel there is truth to this.

Apparently we are not alone in this feeling. There are many places where people didn’t exist without dogs. In North America there is a Cherokee tribe that proclaims a dog is a founder of the tribe. According to myth, ancient Rome would have never existed without Lupa, the divine wolf mother of the twin founders, Romulus and Remus. An evil king forced the twins’ abandonment, and they were suckled, saved, and protected by Lupa. These twins then went on to found the city of Rome and throw off the tyranny of the evil king. Since then, the wolf was a divine symbol of Rome. Romans always honored this divine “ancestor helper” as well as the “children of the wolf”—dogs.

Wolves seem to have a habit of raising, caring for, and protecting divine heroes, founders of civilizations, and so on. The ancient divine Germanic hero Siegfried was abandoned at birth and raised by a she-wolf. Tu Kueh, the mythic hero who prehistorically founded the Turkic peoples, was raised by a “blue” she-wolf. Clearly it was a popular thing for divine wolves to do in the ancient world. It makes you wonder why we don’t treat wolves and other wild canines better today.

Our dog thinks himself the lord of his domain (our house) and some dog gods in myth felt the same way about all creation. The universe was their divinely created off-leash area. In ancient China, Taoists say the creator of the world is Pan Ku, a cosmic being formed of the cosmic Yin and Yang within a shining egg. A legend says Pan Ku, the ancestor of all mankind, was a dog. The myth, in brief, is that Pan Ku took on the form of the God of Heaven to avenge himself against an enemy god. Through cleverness, the dog Pan Ku vanquished this bad god and received his reward, the hand of the daughter of the King of Heaven. Pan Ku was then transformed into a mostly human-looking being. Pan Ku and his divine bride then descended to earth and had many children, the beginning of the human race. Thus we are all half divine and half dog. This might explain why our dog sees us as fellow dogs.

Dogs are not just our creators in these myths; they also gave us the key to civilization. We have to agree. Our dog makes us more civilized for sure.

The Lakota Sioux have a legend that shows the close relationship between tribal people and dogs. The First Dog Spirit came to the First Man and Woman giving them the divine gift of puppies to help them survive. In return, said the First Dog, mankind must provide food and shelter to their dog companions. This is called the pact of fire.

We love this story. It ends with a clear command to never mistreat such divine helpers. We think the Humane Society should spread this myth around.

In many forms, the Dog Spirit also helped humanity survive by stealing fire and giving it to human beings. Apache and other Native American myths claim that Coyote stole fire from the creator, gave it to the human tribes, and suffered as a result of this kindness. Maybe this is why all dogs love to sit around a fire with us. Possibly their fireside howling is their way of letting us know we are only borrowing their fire.

Across the globe, the dog is a symbol of creation, beginnings, and renewal for humanity. Every new puppy brought home represents this new creation and new world of love and bonding, protection and creation. As we strive to create a loving and safe world for our puppy, it is comforting to know that the ancient myths say the Dog Spirit did the same for us. This is, indeed, a sacred bone of creation and, of course, puppy play.

Spells, Meditations & Charms

Spell to Find the Perfect Breed

There is a lot to consider when you are looking for the right breed for yourself or your family. It is important that you first think about your environment, your family’s needs, and what your interests and desires are when considering a dog. It may be wise to narrow down the breeds of dog that best suit your lifestyle and then choose several to do this divination with.

Dogs come in all sizes, so you can easily find the perfect height and weight you desire in a dog. If you want a mixed breed, this is fine too. Using this form of divination will work in both cases. Choosing the right breed can be very difficult, especially with so many to pick from. Divination using a pendulum as the way to help narrow down your search can help you find the dog breed that will be just the right fit for you.

You will need:

• A pendulum (or you may use any small item on a string)

• A picture of each breed you think you might want

• The Moon card from a tarot deck

• Sea salt

• A silver candle

• Matches

Place the pictures of the dogs facedown on the table and mix them up so you don’t know which picture is what. Put the Moon card faceup above the dog pictures and sprinkle sea salt around all the pictures to make a circle. Concentrate on the cards and then say:

I want to know,

I want to choose

The best breed for me

And my new dog, too.

Be gone all confusion,

Be gone all distractions,

Like a moonbeam with focus

And we take action.

Now light the silver candle and say:

A special dog for me

I feel you through the gate of the moon,

Come now closer

You will see soon.

Pick up the pendulum, wave it through the candle three times, and say:

Oh Artemis, Diana, Hekate,

My dog familiar be brought down to me

Through the gate,

Let me see

As I will.

So mote it be.

Hold the pendulum in your right hand and rest your elbow on the table to keep the pendulum steady. Place it over each picture. If the pendulum goes in a circle over a picture, that is a yes to that dog breed. If the pendulum swings in a straight line that is a no. If the pendulum picks more than one dog, then you can repeat the divination with the pendulum to narrow down your choices. When the pendulum has narrowed the choices down to give a yes to only one picture, then turn it over to see what dog breed is right for you. Now say:

Dog of my dreams

Flew through the moon

Come now closer

You will soon do as I will.

So mote it be you will soon be part of me.

Blow out the candle and thank the moon goddess. Soon you will be united.

Inviting a Dog into Your Life Spell

Getting the right dog into your life takes a little bit of magic. It is important to get this right since both of you will be living together for many years to come. Sometimes a dog might just unexpectedly show up in your life—a stray, a gift, or just out of the blue a special dog shows up. These types of dogs are special soulmates. They picked you specifically.

However, sometimes you may have to call to a dog, invoke that special dog in your life, and go find it. Does this mean you can’t have a soulmate dog? Of course not. If you pick your own dog you can get a soulmate, too. Inviting a dog takes a little bit of magic, but this spell could do the trick.

You will need:

• Dog dishes

• Dog food

• A red dog toy

• A dog whistle

• A leash

Do this spell by your front door. Open the door a bit first, fill one dish with water, and say:

I invite you by the water of my love.

Fill the other dish with dog food and say:

I invite you by the earth of protection and caring.

Take the red toy and wave it over the bowls. Now say:

I invite you by fire of play and joy.

Blow the dog whistle or bark and then say:

I invite you by air of song and barks.

Now say:

We are twin stars, you and me.

I bless these gifts for you to receive.

You are for me, I am for you,

Come, O come by the name Pan Ku.

Pick up the leash, hold it in your hands, and say:

Bound together, never apart,

Bound to the end right from the start.

Commit to me, I commit to thee,

Our love is one,

So mote it be.

Soon the search for your special dog will end. You and your soulmate dog will be united. Make sure to give your new dog all these items.

Pick of the Litter Spell

Congratulations! You found the perfect litter of puppies, but now the hard part: Which puppy belongs to you? Once you make your choice, you can take home your little bundle of joy and then it will be all yours. But which one should it be? How are you going to make the final selection? Chanting these incantations to yourself while placing your hand on each of the puppies will help you let the right one in. You will know which puppy is meant to be yours while you chant this:

Inu-sama,*

Canine star,

I call your spirit

Near or far.

I am yours,

You are mine,

I call you by

The soul divine,

Inu-chan* kuru.*

Now place your hand on each puppy in turn and whisper:

Inu, inu,* which one is you?

Which one of you

Belongs to me?

Come, my love, help me see.

The warmest puppy is likely yours. But to make sure take the puppy in both of your hands and lift it up so your noses touch. Look into the puppy’s eyes and say silently:

By my love

You are mine.

We are joined

By power divine.

Hold the puppy next to your heart, saying:

We are meant to be together.

We are joined for all time.

Let our love shine,

Inu-chan dozo yoroshiku.*

Pet the puppy and feel if this is the best dog for you. Remember that this is a commitment for life and that you will need to take good care of your dog. It, in return, will take care of you. If the puppy licks you and snuggles into you this is a good sign. Sit the puppy in your lap and rock them until it falls asleep, if the puppy just closes its eyes this is okay too. Say to yourself:

As I rock you to sleep,

Our dreams will be the same.

We will belong together,

Never to part.

You are my puppy

Right from the start,

Inu-chan—yata!*

Now take your sweet little bundle home.

* Translation (Japanese): Inu-sama = Dog God; Inu-chan= beloved dog; Kuru = Come; Inu (pronounced ee-nu) = dog; Dozo yoroshiku = honored to know you; Yata = There it is!

Magical Dog Name Meditation

Do you want to peer into the hidden world of your dog to find out the name you should bestow upon it? You can know what it knows and begin to think, sense, and feel who it is with one magical word of power, or so it is said. According to venerable magical books, all animals have “a secret name,” especially animals that are magical companions. The secret and hidden name for dogs is MALOP. *

To use this “name of power” to discover what name your dog wants, simply whisper it to your dog three times and ask for dog wisdom. Then say:

Wyrd Sisters** three

Spin your web around me.

Through earth and sky

Open the eye.

I see the hidden

So it is written.

If your dog stares at you or lies at your feet, close your eyes and open your mind to receive the name you should give your loyal dog. If your dog walks away, it does not want to share now, try later.

* From The Crone’s Book of Magical Words by Valerie Worth

** Wyrd Sisters is one of the titles of the Three Fates

New Dog Love Visualization

You and your dog need to develop a special bond that is unconditional love. A simple spell of intent will make your bond stronger. Loving and loyalty works both ways. Underlying this is trust, because without trust it is difficult to have a loving relationship. This simple spell can strengthen your new love for each other and that is a beautiful thing.

You will need:

• A small bit of your dog’s fur and your own hair

• A red thread

• Seeds from any flower

• A white candle

• Matches

• A small flowerpot with dirt in it

Do this spell on a nice day when you and your dog are alone. Light the candle and say:

New love blossom,

New love grow,

New love is here

This I know.

Our bond is eternal

Let love flow.

Amo, amas, amamus.*

Take the thread and wrap it three times around both bits of hair and tie it with a knot. Hold this in your right hand, put your left arm around your dog, and visualize white light surrounding both of you in pure love.

Then, while looking at your dog, take the seeds in your right hand, and say:

You’re bound to me

And I to thee.

We two seeds

Are now one life,

Full of love,

Free of strife.

So may it be.

As the white light surrounds you, meditate on you and your dog’s bond. Surround yourself in harmony. Now imagine both your hearts are molding into one. As you start to open up your eyes plant the tied hair deep in the pot and the seeds with it. Cover with earth and say:

I am bound to thee

And you to me.

Together in power,

Love’s divine flower.

Now and forever,

So may it be.

Blow out the candle, water the flower seeds, and go out for a walk with your loving dog. Keep watering the flower seeds until they grow and bloom. Now you are truly bound with love forever.

* Translation (Latin): Amo, amas, amamus = I love, you love, we (together) love.

Always Come Back to Me Spell

Some dogs like to wander off to someplace new, but what if your dog gets lost when it goes on a stroll and can’t find its way back home? Whatever the reason for your dog getting lost, it could be a potential nightmare for you. Helping your dog to never leave home sweet home without you may need a little magical help. This charm will help keep your dog from getting lost so it can always safely find its way home to you.

You will need:

• Any “good luck charm” that is metal and small enough to put on a collar with the rest of your dog’s tags, maybe a star or a small sun or a clover symbol

• You will be drawing the rune for the Norse god Tyr on the charm. It looks like this: t

• A green pen

• A green candle

• Matches

Take the charm and place it next to the candle. Now light the candle and put a simple arrow symbol on the charm with the green pen. Light the candle and say, while looking into your dog’s eyes:

Tyr, hear, always stay.

You will never run away.

Always be by my side,

Never vanish, never hide.

If you do someday run free,

Always return to me.

Put the charm on your dog’s collar, put it on your dog, and say:

On the earth

He does roam.

Bring me to him,

Bring him home.

It is meant to be,

He will come to me.

Make him see

That near me

Is where he ought to be.

By Thor’s hammer

Protected be.

Blow out the candle and go out for a walk.

[contents]