Sacred Money, Part III

I wanted to have relationship with the people to whom I gave the money  It's so easy to send a check to a cause.  We do that often.  But this money needed to be given in a different way.

And...

The Wild Animal Sanctuary kept sending out notices that they had done three big rescues in a short amount of time, and that had drained their funds. They were asking for money, and I couldn't resist, because I love the

 Lions 

Tigers

and 

                       

    Bears!

I have visited the Wild Animal Sanctuary a few times.  The animals there are spiritual food for me and for all people who spend time with them, so I sent a small portion of the Sacred Money to help with the work of this special place.  

A few days later, I visited Amy.  When I walked in the door of her house, I noticed the Wild Animal Sanctuary newsletter on her table.  (Yes!)  As we talked, I gave her three options regarding the stories of the Sacred Money:

1)  I could tell her nothing about what I did with it.
2)  I could give her generic information about what I did with it
3)  I could tell her where every dollar went.

I ended up telling Amy that I had given some of the money to the Wild Animal Sanctuary.  The hug I received was as big as a happy bear belly. 

Here is a story about the arrival of some bears who were rescued and brought to TWAS:

These bears had been living their lives in deep concrete pits in a tourist trap in the U.S. state of Georgia.  When the bank started foreclosure on the business, the Wild Animal Sanctuary was able to rescue eighteen bears and bring them to their new home.

The bears were transported for twenty-two hours before being moved, each in his or her own cage, out onto the acreage of the Wild Animal Sanctuary.  There, they were kept in their cages for awhile so that they could adjust to the sights, sounds, and smells of their new location.  And then, one by one they were released.

As I read of the bears' release out into new-found freedom, I wept.  Don't we all know somewhere in our cells the feeling of coming out of imprisonment?  We are all held captive to some degree, and each one of us has also freed ourselves from something.

From TWAS newsletter:

"Dakota", a very large male Grizzly Bear was the first one to step out of his transport cage... and after a couple of short steps getting used to the feel of real grass under his feet... he suddenly took off running!

It was truly amazing to see the highly over-emphasized loping action he was doing as he ran - which was clearly a result of having never run a single step in his life.  Even though his body instinctively knew to rock back and forth to allow his front and rear feet to work in harmony with each other... he had never had the chance to refine these skills.  With each forward and backward motion of his body, he over-compensated with extra height, which made his overall lope seem to be a cross between a beautifully galloping horse and an over-sprung jack rabbit!  

It was nothing short of oddly beautiful to watch!  He was actually covering a good amount of ground as he traveled along, and when you combine this measurable success with his brilliant enthusiasm, it was impossible to do anything but smile!  He was truly a free spirit at that moment, and a wonderful feeling enveloped everyone who was witnessing this tiny miracle.  

...Tall grasses streamed past him as he ran, and with each step we're sure he could feel the earth giving beneath the weight of his massive body.  Gone were unyielding concrete floors... and for the first time in his life, his powerful claws were able to grip the earth in the exact way his divine creator or evolutionary development had intended them to.

 ~~~

Do we dare walk out of the cage and run?  Maybe we lope wildly and awkwardly, but this is the life for which we were born: a life without limitation, free to explore and to "be".  

 

See Sacred Money, Part II here, and Sacred Money (the first part) here.