When I heard that this was to be a cat issue, I was reminded
of a time during which I had some unusual experiences; some
of which involved Jasper the cat.
This is not a cuddly pussycat story, so relax and please continue
to read.
In the 1970’s I lived in Bath (England) where there is
a powerful temple site associated with the hot springs that
rise copiously from a mysterious source, deep within a fault
line. Pre-Celtic, Celtic, and Roman worship were all assimilated
at this site.
Bath or Aquae Sulis is a gate to the UnderWorld,
with the goddess Sul (meaning “pupil of the eye” or “absence
of” or “hole”) as the main deity. She is
a goddess of Prophecy, Cursing, and Childbirth. A dark goddess,
who substantially transformed my life during my years there…I
lived in an apartment that was directly over the remains
of a Romano-Celtic temple. As a result of this, many strange
things
happened, for which I am deeply grateful, even if they were
often uncomfortable.
What about the cat? Well, I am coming to that.
As we all know, it is very fashionable nowadays
for people to work with spirit animals, a modern
fashion loosely based
on various traditions found worldwide. As a Stewart
I should know, for in Scotland one of
the traditional
Stewart clan
animals is the wildcat. The other Stewart animal is
the bear. The most
important thing about animal/spirit traditions, regardless
of contemporary fashion and commercialization, is
that they work. I discovered this in a
very direct practical
way,
through Jasper the cat.
He was a feral cat from Exemoor, a remote wild
region in the west of England where nowadays
they have occasional
panther
sightings. In the 1970’s the Exemoor cats
were smaller, but no less fierce. Jasper, as a
tiny savage kitten, found
his way to me in a thunderstorm on the moor. Later
we both found our way to Bath, and to the UnderWorld
goddess.
During the 15 or so years in which Jasper lived,
we had many curious experiences together. Here
are but
two for
your delectation.
Have you ever awakened, as you might think,
yet remained in a dream? I used to do this
often. Nowadays
I think
it was something
to do with the cat sleeping at foot of my
bed. Little wonder that the folkloric
familiar for
witches was
a cat. This
is partly based on association between cats
and certain ancient
goddesses…but also on something that
resonates between human and feline consciousness.
Some cats, of course, are just
dumb moggies, while others have abilities.
One night I awoke, as I thought, and found
myself in a huge old mansion house. I
was walking down
a sweeping
curved
staircase, with carved polished oak rails.
In the hall below, an arched
door stood open to the night. Outside
was a wide flat landscape, lit by stars
in a
deep
blue-black
sky.
(If you have ever
seen the Dreampower Tarot, I included
a variant of this dream door
as the trump of The Gate).
As I descended the stairs, Jasper the
cat darted past me, ran down the stairs,
and
out of the
door into
the star-filled
night.
I suddenly longed to go after him,
to discover what was out there. As this
longing
formed,
a voice spoke
to me,
from just
behind me right ear, as if someone
stood close, saying, “ He
can go and return, but if you go out that door, you will not
return”.
So I realized that this was a dream,
a vision. The message was suddenly
clear;
the door
was the door
of death leading
into the Otherworld. The mansion
was the house of human life. I turned
and
climbed
the stairs
again.
When I awoke the next morning the
dream was strong in my memory,
and I knew
then that
certain animals
could
go into
realms that
humans may not enter and still
live. Furthermore, they can go and come
back again.
This is the basis of the old
folkloric and shamanistic
magic involving
spirit creatures:
they are not “symbols” nor
do they represent qualities
of consciousness (such as
the cunning Fox, the brave
Wolf, the ravening Chihuahua).They
are living creatures that
work with us
as partners, and
there is
a mutual benefit and exchange
within the magic.
So when I really awoke, to the unreal
world of 20th century Britain, Jasper was curled sleeping peacefully
on the foot of the bed, a large orange and white cat. Just
one more cat experience for you, dear reader, which also involves
death. (Remember? I warned you this was not about cuddly pussycats).
One winter evening at 7.15 pm Jasper
the cat suddenly stood up, yowled a horrifying curdling yowl,
and fell over rigid. After a few seconds, he recovered, began
to wash himself, and went to look for food. I thought he had had
a fit.
Three days later the police came
ringing my doorbell: there had been a brutal stabbing, a murder,
in a nearby apartment, three days before, between 7pm and 8pm
in the evening. Had I heard or seen anything?
Well had I? I think Jasper the cat
had felt something. And besides, the dead man’s spirit had
appeared in my meditation temple later that night, and I was at
a loss what to do about him. He was still there, demanding revenge,
when the police called. But what happened, and how he found peace,
is another story, and its ending did not involve a cat.
With us is the Grace
of the Shining
Ones in the
Mystery
of Earth
Light. Peace to
all Signs
and
Shadows, Radiant
Light
to all Ways of
Darkness. And the Living One
of Light, Secret
Unknown,
Forever.
