Unexpected garden visitors

The weather has been lovely these last several days. I like to think they are the Halcyon days that failed to appear in January. The sun and the clear blue skies invite one to venture outdoors. The kitties are all are stretched out on the ledges soaking in the sun. The two neutered females are doing fine. Maybe because of the warm weather we have had unexpected visitors in the garden. Crows have been perching on the tops of trees alongside  the many smaller usual inhabitants. They have also been eating cat biscuits left on the ledges, which makes them potential prey, even though our cats are not very territorial when it comes to food or sharing their sleeping baskets, but I suppose their cat instincts may awaken. Also, an unkept wolf like dog has visited our garden twice. The first time it was late in the evening and I heard it howling, but then we saw it at the open gate. I was surprised because it is not at all common to see stray dogs in our village. The third time I encountered it I was walking in the neighbourhood and it started trailing behind me. As I tried to ‘shoo’ it off I noticed that it was wagging its tail and it almost seemed to be smiling. In the old ink drawings below I have used the image of a wolf to depict childhood fear; however, in different cultures the wolf symbol can represent many positive attributes and qualities like loyalty, strong family ties, guardianship, intelligence, communication and spirit. In the Lakota language, the word for wolf, ‘sunkmanitu’, means “divine dog.”  Wolves are also believed to have the ability to make strong emotional attachments. For the ancient Romans the wolf was a symbol of valor and courage and myth suggests that Romulus and Remus, the brothers credited with the founding of Rome, were fed by a wolf. There are now eco-therapy programmes where war veterans or disenfranchised and at-risk youths suffering from post traumatic symptoms are being paired with rescued wolves. They seem to be able to find solace in each other and establish trust and emotional attachment bonds, which support their healing of the past and hope for the future.

In her chapter on wolves Sarah Bamford Seidelmann, a fourth-generation, board-certified physician, healer, life coach and author writes ‘wolf……. trots steadily alongside you to demonstrate to you that your contribution to this world is critical. If you feel you’ve been vilified, marginalized, or somehow dismissed by the world around you, take heart. Wolf understands intimately what it can feel like to be misunderstood or not valued for who you are. You’ve been given a unique set of characteristics, talents, and desires that the world has never seen before. Your kind is needed—double meaning intended. When the wolf is removed from the landscape, the result is imbalance. The wolf’s presence exerts pressure on the hooved ones, which, in turn, lowers the pressure on the plant life, which, in turn, feeds the winged ones and the smaller animals. So, too, when you shrink or refuse to follow your instincts, everybody around you suffers. Wolf begs you to be who you are rather than trying to emulate or somehow fit into a role that feels unnatural to you’.