In Circle, I am reluctant to name any animals we meet as anything more than Helper.

I am not you, only you know how deep your relationship with this animal goes.

This is also true for plant people and stone people.  So when you are helped by a plant, an animal, or a stone – seek to develop a relationship with that Helper.

Is this not true of everyone we meet?  Is this not true of our relationship to the things we ingest, the practices we perform?

I believe that the reason we are on this Earth is to relate to one another.  In so doing, we join, we contradict, we learn, we grow.  In so doing, we deepen our connection with the Earth and each other.  We become closer to that mystery that is G-d.

When you see an ant crawling across your foot, do you marvel that he is perfect in form, industrious in nature, and there you are – on his Path?  Or do you hurry to shake him off?  The simplest of things – and this includes Ordinary Mindfulness – the bloom of a tree, the flight of a bird, the new shoots in spring – are uplifting and supporting you, if you let them.

Explore your relationship to your Helpers, and as your relationship deepens, you will become more supported, and heal yourself and the Earth, and recognise your kinship to all of Creation.

In my own healing journey, I have learned that as I heal myself, I become a greater asset to my tribe and community. As I learn to heal myself, I gain wisdom that will help others. It seems selfish and counter-intuitive that we can help humanity by healing ourselves – but where else do we begin?

The cutting edge for me is my relationship to my food.  Do I just hammer it down because it’s tasty?  Or do I feel, mindfully, heartfully, the life that is in the food?  The work that has gone into getting it to my table?  There is a reason that cultures worldwide give thanks before a meal.  Say, “Grace.” I try to remember to do at least that:  not a long prayer for the food to get cold, but a single, deep, calming breath, and I whisper the word, “Grace.”

For the Medicine only comes to me by the Grace of All That Is.  It is Grace that means I am fed while someone else goes hungry.  It is Grace that this animal has crossed my path today.  It is Grace that I take a breath of air, Grace to have a drink of clean water.  It is Grace to hear the whispers of trees in the wind, or smell a fragrant plant on your Path.

In cultivating a relationship with your Medicine, therefore, the most important aspect is Gratitude.  It is Grace that has brought you this Medicine – be grateful for this gift.  Always ask, “What can I give you?”  This Medicine has not come to you because you deserve it, it has come to you as a gift.  Be grateful, acknowledge this stroke of Grace, and offer something in return.

So – it seems there are several “classes” of Beings who are around us assisting us at all times. I call them Helper, Medicine, Power Animal, and Guardian.

Helper – is any Being, Animal, Stone, Plant who aids you in your Journey in Non-Ordinary Reality and Ordinary Reality. I include “Allies” in this (see Carlos Castaneda Thread where I’m exploring relationships to Allies).  When you are in the Lower World, and you see an animal, and as, “Are you my Helper?” the animal may say, “No,” but – isn’t this yet another form of Helping?

Medicine – after you have worked with a Helper for a time, you develop a relationship with them. They may have a special place on your medicine wheel (for example, my Frog comes to me from Sky/Above, is a gift from G-d to me), or a certain role they serve in your life (Wolf helps me teach). Medicine is a deeper relationship than Helper.  This is the stone you carry in your pocket, the tea which is “just right” and you always come back to.  This is the animals, plants and trees you observe in Ordinary Reality – and the healing you receive in Non Ordinary Reality.

Power – This is unique to you. Your Power animal is always there for you, waits for you at the boundaries of Non-Ordinary Reality, and accompanies you on the Journey, supporting and guiding you on the Non-Ordinary path. The challenge with Power Animals is feeling them in Ordinary reality. They are there – they empower you to deal with the mundane world – but it is a different level to perceive their support in the Ordinary Realm.

Guardian –Popular lore says we all have Guardian Angels. Michael Harner alludes to this – that we would not have survived to adulthood without Guardians. I have, over the years, seen a Guardian. My Guardians look human, albeit eccentric. I speak to them often, even though they are frequently invisible. More often, I sense them as invisible presences, and speak to them to help me solve the problems of my life, or help me to understand better, or to bring me the lessons I need to grow. They intercede for me – it is easier to communicate with them than with the Mystery that is Great Spirit.  For me, the Guardian comes to me most clearly in the Upper World to teach and transform as I learn to relate to him/her/them.

It is the “Power Animal” or the “Guardian Helper” that comes in a proper Vision Quest. I believe there are other Helpers along the way – I believe that the Universe itself supports us when we seek to better ourselves, when we speak the truth, and keep our word. When we are on a path to do this, synchronicities and events will aid us on that path.

Helpers and Medicine can change or grow or shift over time.  Even Powers and Guardians can come and go.  There is no need to attach to “I am a Bear,” or “I am a Buffalo,” because perhaps that Buffalo is for your time as a mother, or the Bear is for the time when your children are gone.  Different stages in our lives require different lessons, and while that bird may be a deep comfort now, there may come a time when the bird lets you go and a snake takes over your tutelage.

In Michael Harner, he speaks of dancing your animal.  I believe this is a valuable practice.  You can do a ceremony, as he discusses in his book – or you can do a daily Practice.  Dedicate a time each day to connect to your Medicine animal as a Practice.  Feel the grace of the cat, or the wings of the bird, or the diligence of Mr. Ant, or the gentle consideration of a tree.  Even if it is just a moment, this empathy with your animal will help to deepen your relationship.

Anytime we deepen relationships – with animals, with plants, with stones – and with each other – we strengthen our medicine.