It’s National Novel Writing Month, and even though I’m not participating this year, I am ready to share a project that is close to my heart. But before I get into the specifics of it, I’d like to explain what prompted the idea to begin with.
After the soul-crushing years of 2020 and 2021, I was determined to make 2022 one of spiritual enlightenment and awakening. This caused me to seek out books that would help me on that journey, and one of them was The Enchanted Life by Dr. Sharon Blackie (who also writes here on substack:
) I’ve quoted from it many times before, but it’s truly a life-changing book. Her chapter on “The Mythic Imagination” got me thinking about fairy tales and folklore; and her chapter on “Kinship and Otherness” brought to mind a meaningful encounter I had with a wild animal.When I was in middle school, I went to a farm for Halloween. They had a corn maze and hayride, but my only vivid memory of that night was meeting a rescued baby deer in the barn. She came right up to the enclosure to sniff my hand with her wet nose. I remained there for quite a while – just petting and talking to her. I spoke in a past entry about how Bambi affected me as a child, so being able to interact with a fawn was a profound moment for me.
The Native Americans believe that spirit animals guide us through different phases of our life. I consider the deer to be my totem, but I’ve also felt affinities with other woodland creatures over the years (wolves, owls, foxes, and rabbits). Each one has offered me guidance when I needed it most. What kind of animals are you drawn to? Please let me know in the comments!
Another aspect of my spiritual journey was The Forest of Enchantment Tarot Deck illustrated by Meraylah Allwood and written by Lunaea Weatherstone. The beautiful artwork reminded of the fairy tales I loved as a child. I found myself drawn to certain cards, particularly The White Hart and The Council of Animals.
But I didn’t know what they were trying to tell me until I joined
at the beginning of the year. It all came together on Valentine’s Day when I realized that I needed to write a short story collection about animals. The project lost steam during the spring, and I was too ill over the summer to work on it, but I’ll be picking it up again now that I have some fresh ideas.My stories will feature animals as guides, saviors, shapeshifters, companions, family members, and divine gods. My goal for this collection is to convey healing messages of hope and kindness towards every living creature. As Laura Lynne Jackson said in her book Signs: The Secret Language of the Universe: “Art is the way we tell the collective story of all humanity, but it’s also one of the most powerful ways we connect with one another here on earth.” I’m looking forward to connecting with all of you through my stories 💗
I’m definitely drawn to cats. I used to be afraid of them when I was younger, and I think that’s because I never had any pets growing up. Now I can’t imagine not having a kitty!
Hmm🤔 Tough question...I worked at the Buffalo Zoo when I was a kid. My favorite's were the Otter's and Seal's. They always seemed to be so happy, even in cramped spaces🦭🦦