The Hollow Path Experiential Therapy
Cavebear - My Link to the Earthwalker in Me
I'm sharing these sentiments about my dear dog because our deep connection to our pets is often not expressed and I think many can relate.
My bear, my beloved soul bear who extended my spirit out into the world. She was a gorgeous warm brown; protective, devoted, athletic, agile, and the bearer of all my burdens. She was the vital link to what makes us alive, instinctual, and tuned in to the world; in case we forgot it for even a moment. Cavebear was my link to the earth walker in me that wants to live by the rules of universal nature. She was my dear close companion and she made sure I knew every day that I was not alone and I was guarded by the wild wonderful animal kingdom. She made sure I would not lose touch with my wolf nature; the animal some say from dogs and bears both descend. Forever standing vigil over my heart and spirit, this very special Cavebear walked through 7 years of aliyah with me, fiercely tending to my trials, my tribulations, and my tears. It was easy to believe this dog would be by my side until the very last breath of my life. And then one day she jumped into my seat of the car, looked me in the eye, sent me a very powerful message, and minutes later took her last breath. I had no say. She was gone. I learned with Hollow that they come to teach us and to walk with us until the moment they have done their part and then they depart. They leave us with their paw prints on our souls and they return to the wild wonderful animal kingdom.
I believe Cavebear shared my burdens and then took them with her so they would not live in my body and make me sick. When someone so deeply close to you dies, animal or human, you’re given access to lessons about the universe that you maybe never knew you could experience. I was shocked that she actually left and then again life constantly offers the unbelievable. Aliyah, immigration, living in Israel is a constant mind boggling experience of what you couldn’t have imagined.
Cavebear was and is Canaani. The only certified Israeli breed of dog. They are loyal, extremely smart, of their own smart sense and not just obeying their human when the human doesn’t understand the ways of nature and asks something not sensible. Canaan dogs are as close as you can get to wild dogs and wolves and they have maintained characteristics that have come through natural selection and not human intervention. Their senses are honed, survival focused, and unbelievably reliable. She knew my every mood and the moment it changed. She had different sounds for kittens than for cats and I always knew when she found a hedgehog because of her distinctive communication sound for hedgehog alert. She never hurt them, just identified them and let me know. She had a level of communicating that would make even the most sensitive therapist marvel. And for this, she was a gift. To know this kind of bond and connection in a relationship that is uncomplicated, profoundly forgiving, and purely curious keeps us in touch with our true nature and our animal nature.
We all have these instincts and wisdoms of the natural world and if we were as smart as our canine guides, we would learn the subtleties of observation, the keen use of our senses, and the reliable trust in our body’s wisdom. We all have of this in us; just along the side the human capacity of learning and loving. It’s just that some of us keep closer to it by staying close to our animals and pets. My bear was one of a kind and it seemed that she came down straight to the purpose of enlivening my life. A gift from the Hollow? Perhaps. One went up and five came down.