The Free Radical

Oh so very much can happen in just a few seconds!

I’m just going to tell the narrative of what happened… and then anyone who is metaphorically inclined will be able to discern the “message” for themselves, having understood what the principles in this tale truly represent. I’ll give you some hints and clues along the way…

First, this was an initiation experience for Sitka. She was very instantly and dramatically initiated into the Forest Life. I believe that it impacted her deeply… hopefully in a good way.

The weather had finally gotten mild, and Sitka and I were on our fourth day in a row of making our daily forest rounds. On the colder days Sitka spent a lot of time complaining, especially during the latter half of our walks. Today however, she was supercharged and enthused, snuffling through the snow banks on a continual mission of discovery.

We were perhaps a half hour into our journey when a voice called from the far-off distance. My first thought was Owl… but when it repeated continuously and rather insistently, I couldn’t fathom an owl carrying on like that in the middle of the day. What could it possibly be hooting at?

After a few minutes the sound had come closer and I was able to definitively identify it. It was the barking of a dog or two… and they were headed in our general direction. Now, having roamed these hills for decades already, I quickly figured out why dogs might be racing through the forest barking. That is precisely how cougars are hunted. (I have witnessed this spectacle previously.) The dogs chase the giant cat until it becomes exhausted, climbs a tree to rest, and then the owner of the dogs comes and shoots the mountain lion in the tree. (Very sporting, don’t you think?)

My immediate concern was for Sitka’s safety. I didn’t know how cougar-hunting dogs might react to a 3-month old puppy encountered during a hunt… and I wasn’t very keen on finding out. The “other possibility” in this situation didn’t even occur to me. I listened very closely to the “progress” of the dogs. They weren’t particularly near…

We continued down our regular path which at this point was winding through some pretty dense forest. Sitka alternated between being a few feet ahead of me to being a few feet behind me, snuffling out all the tantalizing smells. Then, during one of the most surrealistic few seconds of my life, the most extraordinary encounter occurred.

Sitka was right at my heels when I suddenly heard her yelp in distress. I immediately turned to see her picking herself up from the ground while I swivelled my head in the opposite direction to trace the movement out of the corner of my eye. Dumbfounded I watched an adult mountain lion bounding effortlessly through the forest toward the river valley.

I believe that the cougar’s collision with Sitka was accidental. I can’t even say for sure that they physically collided; perhaps Sitka just threw herself to the ground with a yelp as the lion leapt directly over her… but I thought I’d heard the smack of two bodies colliding. It happened so fast!

We were both completely unscathed; not a mark on us! I muttered out loud at least a half dozen times “Holy crap! Holy crap!” The lion had been magnificent! Sitka was somewhat scared and confused; I was in total awe. My next order of business was to dig out my camera to document what I could.

Sorry that all I can offer are these tracks in the snow and moss. Although this cat was an adult, it was considerably smaller than the one I encountered nine years ago with my dog Jazz.

Still, it was a remarkably magnificent animal nevertheless… and one that I wouldn’t want to tangle with. Thankfully we had no quarrel with each other.

I’m holding the camera a bit crooked here, but the point is to show the distance between leaps of this incredible creature. There was on average 10 or 12 feet between each set of prints. This cat moved swiftly, silently and with perfect grace.

And now some notes on symbolism. I was merely going to report on the moose tracks which I’d discovered over the past few days beneath the freshest layer of snow, both down in the river valley as well as up above. The Divine Feminine (Moose) was asserting herself all over the place (even though this particular moose is a young male).

Mountain Lion is the quintessential Spiritual Warrior being the embodiment of perfectly integrated balance. Cougars are confident and self-reliant, capable of making firm assessments and decisions in an instant. Cougar usurping the spotlight from Moose is a sign of definite progress. Not only has the Feminine arisen, she has successfully integrated with the Sacred Masculine. The ultimate Spiritual Warrior is now on the scene!

There had been no time to be scared. Like I said already, my only concern was in encountering the hunting dogs– which we did not. Sitka, my little neophyte, was frightened and confused. I felt truly blessed for having the experience… and my heart immediately went out to the lion. I empathized deeply with the poor hunted creature. I gave freely my heart-energy… and I do believe that the cougar got away.

After a time I could hear the hunt had progressed into the river valley and that it was moving upstream. Good. There is a narrow, steep-cliffed canyon just upriver from where we were. Mountain lions are the masters of canyons. That is their domain where hounds cannot follow. After an hour I could no longer hear the baying of the hounds… and I never did hear a gunshot.

For the rest of our walk Sitka tried to walk directly between my feet and never strayed more than a few steps from my side. I’m eager to see how she’ll respond from here.

Many of us are hungering for signs and news of humanity’s spiritual progress during this apocalyptic moment. This brief encounter has told me everything I need to know. The lion’s confidence has rubbed off on me…

First we heard the far-off din of the hunt– the old order making a racket in its familiar careless ways. Then out of nowhere, beyond any reasonable predictability, the Spirit Warrior was right there on the scene in absolute glory! I felt not a trace of fear– just gratitude and excitement. My young charge, Sitka, was confused and frightened, having no context within which to place such an encounter… but together we live to tell the tale.

This Daily Forest Report is considerably longer than my usual indulgences. I consider this encounter to have been the most significant one to date. What happened… is truly astounding. And the message to me is clear. I hope you can find the same encouragement as I do.