I remember puttering around in the shed recently when a Chipmunk came in to greet me from the outside.  I don’t know if it was the welcoming colors of the Tibetan Prayer flags hanging on the doorway and/or the inviting scents of burning sage and incense, but in this encounter, his unscheduled and unexpected visit encouraged me to continue welcoming abundance and accumulating virtue–vis-a-vis thrift, efficiency and hard work.  I thanked my Chipmunk friend and he roosted without seeming too chicken . . .  

Following a grasshopper’s leap in the week, I found myself in the company of men again on an overnight disc golf/camping excursion.  Perhaps it was a coincidence that some squirrely man friends and Our “sentinel of the forest” comrades all chimed in with a chorus of peanut gallery comments–without driving One another too nuts in the process.  Has anyone else out there played disc golf?  This grounding sport closely parallels regular golf, absent Country Club fees, golf carts and fancy ironed shirts (albeit a couple of die-hard friends carry man purses with a variety of discs instead of clubs and other Nervous Woodland Creature gadgetry).  Now, my old self formerly avoided sports involving frisbees for a myriad of good reasons.  However, in my ongoing desire to evolve and fly outside my comfort zone, I’m learning to enjoy new frisbee games like “Kan Jam” as well.  Although my neck’s not so red and it’s been 20 years since I sported anything that remotely resembles a mullet, I concede that sporting without killing (admittedly some of us killed a mosquito or two, we ate meat and expelled dead air) is a great way to get outdoors and have fun in Nature.

Finally, “Squirrel . . . you have gathered nuts by the score, exactly predicting if you’ll need more.  Teach me to take no more than I need.  Trusting Great Mystery to harvest the seed.”  I wonder if President Gerald R. Ford had a squirrel totem, given that he was an Eagle Scout and was always prepared to deliver impromptu speeches at the trip in the step, I mean drop of the hat?  Given Squirrel’s connections to 12 week cycles, I see meaningful encounters with Squirrel encouraging Us to prepare for the forthcoming transition between waning Yang of Summer to waxing Yin of Fall.  Since We are all mirrors for One another in the Universe, Squirrel offers Us the opportunity to learn from One another through imitation and striking a balance between Our gathering and Our emissions.  I can hear a scratching mix of Mr. Miage and Mickey from The Karate Kid and Rocky reminding Us to nevermind footwork and punching so much as remembering balance–without going Straight Outta Woodland on Ourselves by throwing acorns and/or going nuts in the forgetting.

I Hopi You are well,

Ari