And I pondered that question for the next several weeks as I struggled to write this article, to make sense of what I was supposed to understand. In that process memories of my few encounters with wolves came to the surface.

Two Wolves

Long ago, before becoming a professional energy worker/animal communicator, I attended an outdoor event in Massachusetts that offered an opportunity to have your picture taken with a captive wild animal. I did not know any better then, thankfully it is now illegal in Massachusetts to exhibit animals in this fashion, most are not treated well.

That particular year I decided to have my picture taken with the wolves. I had the choice of having either one or two wolves in the photo with me. Since money was tight at the time, I chose to be photographed with only one, but the wolves had other ideas.

When I sat down, the man placed one wolf in my lap. The wolf filled my arms, and was very happy to see me, wriggling with joy and licking me, clearly he had been raised with humans from birth. Seeing the joy and love that I was being showered with and was returning, and not wanting to miss out, the other wolf leapt the barrier and joined us. We ended up a trio in the photo by choice of the wolves. It is one of my favorite memories.

The White Wolf and The Mesa Stone

The next memory to surface was a visit that I made to a wolf sanctuary. I had a friend who worked there as a volunteer, and who offered to take me behind the scenes so that I could meet some of the wolves who were not available to the general public.

I learned much during that visit, many of the wolves there were ones that had been taken from people who wanted the thrill of owning a wild animal, but who had no idea of how to properly care for them. These situations often result in abuse, and animals are often in poor condition when rescued. As they have been born in captivity there is no hope of their being released into the wild.

Most of the wolves hung back a bit, some outright hid. But then we reached the enclosure of a white wolf who I will always remember. Sixteen years old, she moved stiffly and her coat was dry and coarse, but her eyes sparkled with life and laughed with delight to see us. She whined her happiness and poured her body into the chain link fence that separated us, asking us to pet her.

Gingerly I reached my fingers through to brush her fur lightly, but she was having none of that! She dug her body into my hand, moving my hand from place to place on her body. And I sensed her rising eagerness as she felt the Reiki energy that automatically began to flow in response to her hurting joints. Her dance became one long begging flow, it felt as though Reiki could not get through fast enough, and the more she received the happier she became.

Since her need seemed so great, I decided that perhaps it would be beneficial to offer some deeper shamanic clearing for her, so I reached for my mesa and began to unwrap the healing stones. At the first taste in the air of the shamanic energy the wolf became even more excited, her whines rising in intensity.

I chose one stone from the mesa and held it out in my hand with the intention of putting it close to the fence and passing it over her body to clear any stuck energy. At that exact moment, with deliberate calculation, she charged the fence, pushing the chain link into my hand, dislodging the mesa stone from my grasp, and sending the stone flying.

In the gathering dusk I could not see where it landed, but she knew, and she began furiously digging her way to it! As I frantically searched on my hands and knees in the somewhat tall grass on one side of the fence I was inches away from the large wolf on the other who was equally frantically trying to recover the very same stone for herself.

It was a race, and I was torn between fear that she would hurt herself and fear that I would be the first person ever in shamanic training to lose a mesa stone in the dark to a wolf. Not once during the entire time did I feel fear for myself. It was not me she wanted, it was the energy of that stone, although I do believe she might have run over me to get it!

With a sigh of relief I finally located the stone, and immediately repacked it into the mesa, closing down the energy so that she could calm down. All of that exertion could not be good for a grandma wolf!

The white wolf lived to the very old age of eighteen and was laid to rest at the sanctuary that had been her home for all of her life. I will always remember her zest for life and for the energy. I trust that she now has her very own set of healing stones!

To read the next part in this series click here.

Check out our beautiful wolf photo, Through Their Eyes, available for purchase as a mini poster or greeting card.

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An early pioneer in the field of alternative healing for animals since 1996, Rose De Dan, Wild Reiki and Shamanic Healing LLC, offers a unique perspective on animals and the natural world through her writing, art, sessions and classes. As an animal shaman, voice of the animals, and author of Tails of a Healer: Animals, Reiki and Shamanism, she views her role as a healer as one of building bridges between people and animals, and of empowering them to reconnect with Pachamama, Mother Earth.

In partnership with her animal companions she teaches Reiki and shamanic classes in Seattle, WA and offers private consultations for both humans and animals. For individual sessions and phone consultations reach her at (206) 933-7877 or send an email.