In the time that was and will be again, all of the peoples of the world came up through a hole in Mother Earth to dwell in the sunlight. All the two-legged tribes and the four-legged tribes came up together to be born. In the beginning, all the two-leggeds and four-leggeds were brothers and sisters. All the tribes of animals and humans were one People. They came up from beneath the earth one by one.
Coyote was the last to emerge.
In the time of the beginning, the Earth was covered with trees, but none of the People knew how to make fire, so all of the people of the earth, the four-leggeds and the two-leggeds, lived without fire, and could not cook, nor stay warm in the winter, nor see at night.
In that time, each creature lived according to his nature. Brother Eagle was a stern hunter and visionary who saw far, so he lived a serious life. Brother Bear was strong and knew the herbs, so he lived a life of ease and healing. Sister Cougar was crafty and wise, and lived the solitary life of the hunter. Sister Salmon was quick and sleek, and lived a busy life jumping from stream to stream.
Brother Coyote was playful, so he spent his days running to and fro about the earth. He never took anything seriously, and loved playing tricks on all the other People. Sometimes his pranks unintentionally hurt the other members of the tribe. Because of this, many of the People were wary of Coyote, and did not trust his antics.
In the time of the beginning, the People had come up out of the ground during the first spring. They had never lived on the earth before, so everything was new to them. The Sun was warm, and the land was abundant. They went about their business through the first spring and summer, never planning for the future, because life was so easy.
Because they had never lived on the earth before, they did not know about the seasons. They lived as if spring and summer would be eternal.
But soon came the first autumn. The trees were ablaze with bright reds and golds of the season. The People did not know what this meant, as they had never seen it before. They had assumed that the weather would always be warm. But as the first autumn began to give way to the first winter, they soon came to know that things were changing.
Since this was their first winter, they had no way of knowing that spring and summer would eventually return to the land. As the nights grew cooler the People began to panic.
“Is this the end of everything?” they cried, “Someone must do something! What if the sun never returns?”
They all went to their Chief, saying, “The days and nights are getting colder! If you do not do something, we will all surely die!”
So Chief Buffalo held a Council to figure out what to do.
After many days of thinking about the problem, the People finally decided that they should elect a scout to go out and search the world for a warmer place to live. One by one all the animals were considered for this quest.
“What about Brother Eagle?” the People asked.
“Brother Eagle flies high and sees far,” said Chief Buffalo, “But he is far too serious. He might choose a warmer place, but would he also be able to find a place where the children can play and be happy?”
“Then what about Sister Cougar?” the People asked.
“Sister Cougar is crafty and wise,” said Chief Buffalo, “But she is also a loner. She might find an excellent place with plenty of sunshine, but since she prefers her own company, she might like it so well there alone that she would forget to return and share it with us.”
“How about Brother Bear?” the People cried.
“Brother Bear is indeed strong, and wise in the ways of healing, but since the nights have grown colder, he has withdrawn to his cave to sleep and nobody has seen him since. He may never return!”
“What about Sister Salmon?” They asked in desperation.
“Sister Salmon has disappeared upstream,” said Chief Buffalo, “And she too may never return.”
One by one the People named all of the animals of the forest, and one by one Chief Buffalo found a reason why they could not go.
Finally the only creature left was Coyote. Because Coyote loved to play tricks, and because every one of the People had been the victim of one of Coyote’s pranks at one time or another, nobody wanted to name him as the scout. They did not think him responsible enough to determine the fate of the entire tribe. But finally they had no choice.
“What about Coyote?” they asked Chief Buffalo.
“Ah, what about Coyote indeed?” asked the Chief.
“Coyote is certainly fleet of foot for such a journey, but who among you trusts him?”
The People admitted that Coyote was not very trustworthy, but they were out of options.
“Perhaps,” they said, “His trickery may prove to be useful on the journey!”
The People were hesitant, but since they had ruled out all the other members of the tribe for one reason or another, they were finally willing to settle on Coyote.
So it was
agreed that he would be chosen for the quest.
0.0 The Need for Ecospirituality
As the human race has become increasingly urbanized, we have come to spend less and less time in natural settings. Many of us now live in cities or suburbs rather than in rural areas. Even so, we still hear the calls of nature. The wilderness cries out to something in our blood. Although the Industrial Revolution has forced us into an urban way of living, we were creatures of the wilderness for millennia before that. Evolution has hardwired our brains for the woods.
Arne Naess was a Norwegian philosopher and founder of the Deep Ecology movement. He cited Rachel Carson’s book Silent Spring (a book about how pesticides like DDT upset the delicate balance of nature) as instrumental in his development of the philosophy of deep ecology, which states that humans are not privileged above other living things and that all living things should be treated with equal respect and equal ethical consideration. Naess believed that all things have an equal right to thrive and to survive.
The Deep Ecology movement founded by Naess echoes the Gaia Hypothesis.
Although NASA scientist James Lovelock is credited with creating the Gaia Hypothesis, which says that the Earth herself is a living thing, and we are all a part of the much larger organism that is Gaia, the Earth, Native Americans had such a concept for thousands of years before Lovelock came along. The Oglala Medicine Man and Shaman, Black Elk, once said, “The first peace, which is the most important, is that which comes within the souls of people when they realize their relationship, their oneness with the universe and all its powers, and when they realize at the center of the universe dwells the Great Spirit, and that its center is really everywhere, it is within each of us.”
Scientists have discovered what the Native Americans knew all along: That the Earth is a living organism and that we are all a part of the web of life. We are all connected. This idea of the interconnectedness of all things is what Naess meant by “deep ecology,” and deep ecology is at its core a spiritual movement. If we are all connected, then what we do to the web of life, we do to ourselves as well. If we poison the water, then we drink the water, we take the poison into ourselves. If we pollute the food with pesticides, then eat the food, we take the pesticides into our own bodies. If we pollute the air, then breathe in the air, we take our own pollutants into our lungs. If we fatten our beef animals with hormones, then eat the beef, we take the hormones into ourselves. If we poison the minds and souls of our neighbors with hatred, anger, and bitterness, then interact with those neighbors in negative ways, we take the hatred, anger and bitterness into ourselves as well.
The deep ecology of ecospirituality teaches us to be one with nature. This oneness with nature is the ultimate in spirituality. This is true even if we are agnostic or atheist. We don’t have to believe in supernatural beings in order to realize that nature is something larger and more transcendent than ourselves. The “divinity” in ecospirituality is nature itself. This is true whether or not we choose to personify nature as a separate, conscious entity. We are all interdependent, and ecospirituality teaches us that if we cannot live in a sustainable, ecological way, then the human race will have no future. This planet has limited resources, and we currently don’t have anywhere else to go. Eventually everything will run out, and when this happens, how will we survive? The only way that the human race can survive is to embrace a way of life that honors all life on the planet. Such a way of life is what ecospirituality entails.
0.1 Religion vs. Spirituality
So what is ecospirituality?
The word “spiritual” comes from the Latin spiritus, which means, “breath.” So originally, that which was spiritual was simply that which was breathtaking. From this perspective a spiritual experience is an awe-inspiring experience. People of all religions…or none…can experience such awe-inspiring events. You can be spiritual without being religious. Spirituality doesn’t rely on a set system of teachings or dogmas. Spirituality is the joy of being present in the moment and experiencing the awe and wonder of living.
In my personal experience, those breathtaking moments most often occur when I have made some sort of connection. It could be a connection with nature, or with others, or with my own inner self. Such a connection opens up a channel of communication, or perhaps communion. Such a connection allows me to feel that I am a part of everything, and everything is a part of me.
In this ecospirituality workbook and the accompanying program, we will be exploring the possibility of making such connections through the eyes of Coyote.
0.2 Coyote – The Trickster
Many Native American tribes consider Coyote to be the Trickster, the one who teaches by becoming a mirror. Coyote’s tricks and jokes reflect our own folly and stubbornness back to us until we realize what is happening and learn from it, if we are fortunate enough to realize what is going on. Coyote will continue to hold a mirror up to us until we learn to see our true selves, or until we become so angry and frustrated that we lose sight of our spiritual paths.
The Way of the Coyote teaches us that wisdom is the twin of foolishness. In an insane world, the sane man must appear insane. When following the Way of the Coyote we learn to see our own foolishness in the antics of others, and we learn from their mistakes, if we are wise enough. Likewise, when we follow coyote medicine, we show others their own foolishness by our own antics. If Coyote is your teacher, he will frustrate you, anger you, and make you furious. But if you can learn to see through the rage and frustration to the lessons beneath, Coyote can teach you much.
Coyote teaches through humor and the ability to laugh at life’s absurdities and ironies, and to be able to laugh at ourselves. The Way of the Coyote is to strip away the masks we all wear so that we may get to the truth underneath. Coyote teaches us to cast aside all the fronts that we put on for others and for ourselves so that we may live fully and abundantly according to our own true nature.
Coyote energy is reflected in the phrase, “Simplicity is perfection.” He teaches us to learn to distinguish what we need from what we want. Coyote won’t give us everything we want, but he will lead us to everything we need. He will also teach us the difference between the two.
The Call of the Coyote stirs up something primitive and passionate in our souls, and reminds us to return to that place of the beginning; that childlike sense of wonder and fascination with the beauty of the world. That sense of awe and wonder is the essence of ecospirituality.
Coyote is a survivor, and is able to adapt to new situations by learning to bend and flow with skill and cunning. The Way of the Coyote is to understand that all things are sacred, yet nothing is sacred. If you have any sacred cows in our life, coyote will be sure to devour them. If you hold nothing sacred, Coyote will lead you to the knowledge that everything is holy.
Another way to put this, in the context of Coyote magic, is that if what you’re doing isn’t working, then Coyote teaches us that doing more of it isn’t going to work either. In fact, it may make things worse. So when we begin to walk the Way of the Coyote, we may find ourselves lost in the unfamiliar. Some of the things Coyote may ask us to do will seem strange, even weird. But that’s okay. If it didn’t feel weird, we’d probably already be doing it. If we stay on the path of the comfortable and the familiar, we are in danger of doing the same things in the same ways and getting the same results we’ve always gotten. If, however, we have the courage to step forth and try something different, we may find that our world will change for the better.
But setting about doing things differently can be a scary experience. We often fear the unknown, and Coyote loves to take us into the mysterious. That is the art of the Trickster. It is also the reason Coyote can often be frustrating. He asks us to leave our comfort zone.
If you have heard the Call of the Coyote, learn to look for things you may have been avoiding or refusing to acknowledge in your own life. These sometimes manifest in strange ways. Look at what you criticize the most in others, and see if you yourself have those same characteristics. For example, if you find yourself constantly judging others for their anger, could it be that you have a problem with anger yourself? If you are constantly demanding other people to more forgiving, could there be someone in your own life that you need to beg for forgiveness? If you are constantly telling others to be more tolerant and loving, could it be that you may need to learn to be more tolerant and loving as well?
A pitfall of Coyote medicine is that those who don’t understand Coyote’s ways are often angered or alienated by the mirror Coyote holds up to us because they don’t wish to acknowledge what it shows them about themselves. Sometimes the Way of the Coyote can be a lonely way because of this. If you have heard the Call of the Coyote, it could also mean that you need to look into your own mirror and see if there is something about yourself that you have been afraid to acknowledge. By refusing to acknowledge it, you give it power over you. But acknowledging our weaknesses and shortcomings is the first step to conquering them.
If Coyote has chosen you, look closely at ways you may have been giving energy to foolishness. This is especially true in relationships, since we often fool ourselves in relationships, and refuse to see what is plain to everyone else. As they say, “Love is blind.” Remember that Coyote’s ultimate goal is not to anger or frustrate, but to teach. In order for Coyote to teach, we have to be willing to learn. It helps to remember that sometimes the best lessons are also the most painful lessons. If Coyote is causing you pain, it is not out of malice, but out of love. It is so that you may grow on your own path. If Coyote angers you, it is because you gave him permission to do so. When this happens, always remember to ask yourself, “What is the lesson here?”
To answer the Call of the Coyote is to be a strong protector of family, relationships, and connections. Coyotes often mate for life, and will fiercely defend partners and cubs. If Coyote is your ally, family is probably very important to you. Coyotes will often adopt cubs who have become parentless. They realize that family is not always a matter of blood, but of spirit, so for those of us who follow the Way, Coyote medicine is concerned more with our spiritual families than our blood relatives. To follow the Way of the Coyote is to realize that members of the same spiritual family rarely grow up under the same roof. It is also to realize that our family need not be restricted to our two-legged brothers and sisters, but it can include our four-legged brothers and sisters as well, and all of nature.
Ultimately the Way of the Coyote is about achieving balance in our lives. Ecospirituality is also about achieving this balance. All life on Mother Earth is in danger largely because of the greed of human beings. If we continue our pursuit of trinkets and baubles, always wanting more and never satisfied with what we have, we will eventually destroy everything. A life of rampant materialism is a life out of balance. Things can never fill the void we feel inside when our lives are out of balance. Only true spiritual wisdom can fill that void.
The Call of the Coyote is about finding a balance between the material and the spiritual so that we cease to destroy our Earth Mother and each other. It is about learning to distinguish between our wants and our needs. The only true necessities in life are food, clothing, shelter and love. Once those needs are met, anything else is a luxury. Material possessions are a poor substitute for love and spirit. The Way of the Coyote teaches us to focus on the things that truly matter.
When we learn this lesson completely, we will be embracing the essence of ecospirituality and learning to walk the Way of the Coyote. When we seek to share this knowledge and wisdom with our fellow travelers along the way, we will have fulfilled our destinies as spiritual seekers. We will have achieved the ultimate in ecospirituality.
0.3 The True Self: Your Own True Nature
Ecospirituality is the path of embracing nature as a means of finding your own True Self. The True Self is the person you would be if there were no limitations on you. It is who you would be if you could live fearlessly. The path to True Self in ecospirituality is the path to living out your own true nature, free of the expectations or demands of others. Coyote, the ultimate Trickster, can lead you to this path, but he may infuriate you first. This is because he asks us to live up to our full potential. He requires us to do deep, soul-searching work and to be completely honest with ourselves. Such an act requires taking responsibility for our own lives. This is not an easy task. If we take responsibility for our own lives, we have nobody to blame but ourselves should we fail. The good news is that if we take responsibility for our own lives, nobody else can take credit for our own personal successes.
To walk the Way of the Coyote is to see the seeds of success in every failure. It is to acknowledge every crisis as an opportunity. It is to see every problem as a challenge and an occasion for learning and growth. Coyote teaches us that if we never make mistakes, we never learn anything, because if we didn’t make a mistake when walking the path, we already knew the way. And if we already knew the way, we didn’t learn anything new on the journey.
As we travel through this workbook together, it is my hope that you will take the time to learn about your own true nature from the exercises that follow. This book is a synopsis of what it means to answer the Call of the Coyote. It is a seeker’s journey of self-discovery. It is an opportunity to discover your own true nature. Some of the material here may be useful to you as you answer your own call to adventure; some of it may not be. As you read over the material in this book, it is my wish that, as with everything else in life, you take what is useful and discard the rest.
Are you ready to begin?
If so, download and complete this worksheet: 0.3 Ecospirituality and Connection.
