A Wolf In Sedona

You are ready for the next step,” Ox said to me one Sunday afternoon.
“And what is the next step?” I replied.
“Combining your metaphysical skills and applying them to physical reality,” he answered solemnly.
“Are we talking about healing or self-defense?” I queried.
“Preferably healing, but possibly both,” his eyes wandered as if scanning the horizon but seeing nothing there, “with harm to none, of course,” he concluded.
“Of course, and who are you preparing me to fight?” I challenged him.
“Fight is such a strong word,” he winced. “Confront might be a better choice.”
“Okay, then who or what am I getting ready to confront?”
“I do not know who, as the name is hidden from me, but I see a coyote. As to what, that is difficult to define, but otherworldly forces always merit caution,” Ox looked at me sideways. “Sometimes things just have to play themselves out before we can see what comes next. That pesky blessing known as free will keeps getting in the way of foreseeable knowledge,” he winked.
“Otherworldly forces?”
“Yes,” he nodded slowly, as if in a momentary trance. “Be wary of mystic mischief and be grateful for help from the ancient ones. Things are not always what they seem, remember?” Then he changed the subject back to instruction and did not mention it again.
I learned to accept his sudden change in mood or topic of discussion. As I grew to know Ox better, I realized he was not trying to mystify me, but rather was becoming comfortable with me and more inclined to express random thoughts as they occurred to him.
Every week I explored new dimensions with Ox while he let me practice my energy work on him. Sometimes we walked through downtown Chicago to observe and read the auras of passersby, an intensive study that threatened psychic bombardment. This exercise often drained me in the beginning, but constant practice helped me build up resistance.
“It is important to see through the veil without joining what is on the other side,” Ox noted one afternoon.
“The hardest part,” I confided, “is keeping them from reaching into me and getting under my skin with their negativity.”
“This is true,” he nodded, “for all of us, but you have a natural gift for this, remember?”
“Do you think so?”
“I do,” he confirmed. “In fact, your ability to see through the veil is strong and your automatic defenses have improved a great deal in a short time.”
In the fifth month, he rewarded me with traditional teachings of Medicine Wheel, an ancient healing method using decorated animal hides that blended beautifully with my Reiki and crystal studies at the time. I learned the totem animals of the four directions and the significance of the primary positions on the Wheel. He taught me many things about legend and tradition, what different aspects are used for and how to respect and call upon the powers of old.
By the end of six months, I felt ready for anything and a little nervous about that.
“I have one more question for you,” Ox looked intently at me, “and I want you to be honest with yourself before you answer me.”
“Okay,” I returned his gaze.
“Do you always do the right thing?” he voiced the words slowly.
I considered his question for a minute, then answered, “No, but I always try.”
“That is enough,” he nodded with satisfaction.
“Thank you, Ox,” I told him before leaving for Sedona, “for everything.”
“You are very welcome. You have remembered many good things,” he encouraged me with a smile, “and you are ready for whatever the universe offers next. Just remember one thing above all others,” he paused.
“Yes?”
“Your greatest strength is that you have no fear. You have always known how to rely on your instincts, and now you know that instincts and memories go hand in hand. Use your fearlessness to nourish your psychic abilities and feed the faith that you can do anything. Remember to remember,” he added, “and invite the powers of the ancient ones to assist you. Though the lone wolf is a solitary creature by nature, you are never alone.”
“Thank you,” I answered softly with a smile and a tear in my eye. We hugged and parted ways.