Who Sings Now?: Part 2 of the Canine Teachers (Coyotes)

Member Name: QuinnElaine

Product:	Coyotes
Date:	23/04/09 (121 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: howling with laughter

Disadvantages: being the butt of a Universal joke- another lengthy read from me

Glowing Moon,
White as Bone
Sails o'er Waters...
O'er Hills,
o'er time-darkened Stone.

Gnawing the Moon down
to a crescent rind,
Eerie voices rise and whine
along Earth's shadowed skin.


Each voice is different
yet each voice is akin.

A chorus of Uilleann pipes,
oboe,
clarinet, and
short
sharp
penny whistle...
runs along the spine
like an intuitive missile...



A clarinet note dragged out like smoke
smudged across the Sky
as the Stars dance within the Medicine Bowl...

"Change!
Change unending I sing!
Eternal are Irony
...Chaos
... Unity!
Painful lessons and laughter I bring
to the World's vast community.

Wise Fool,
I dance to my own heart's beat.
I'll hand you Wisdom on one side
...and then fall to my own conceit!
Trust!
For I am both the Illusion
And the Mirror that cannot lie.

For you, oh my den mate, I sing... and
With you I survive, or die..."



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The above is the section of poetry dealing with this specific canine Teacher. The whole poem is posted with the Wolves, for those interested. Can you guess who is singing before you read on?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Strong people make as many mistakes as weak people. Difference is that strong people admit their mistakes, laugh at them, learn from them. That is how they become strong."~Richard Needham

"Mistakes are a part of being human. Appreciate your mistakes for what they are: precious life lessons that can only be learned the hard way. Unless it's a fatal mistake, which, at least, others can learn from." ~Al Franken

"Whenever the pressure of our complex city life thins my blood and numbs my brain, I seek relief in the trail; and when I hear the coyote wailing to the yellow dawn, my cares fall from me - I am happy." ~ Hamlin Garland


The Coyote, or Canis Latrans, is found throughout North and South America. Extremely adaptable, they are just as often found in swamp as in desert areas and their coloration will vary to support them within their chosen terrain, except when found within a city of course. I have yet to see any coyotes in shades of brick or concrete, but you never can tell with this crafty Teacher! Their Latin name translates simply as "barking dog", although they do not greatly resemble most domesticated dog breeds.

Their build is generally more fox-like than wolfish and perhaps the easiest way to distinguish them in the wild from either dogs or wolves is the position of their tail while running. Dogs run with their tails up. Wolves run with their tails held straight out, and Coyotes run with theirs held downward. As a Teacher, this implies the necessity of staying ground, especially when "on the run" or feeling pursued.

Coyotes tend to be lone hunters during night hours and their diet largely consists of smaller mammals, birds and snakes. They will hunt larger game, like deer, in packs. They do prefer fresh kills to carrion, but won't pass up such a meal. They will also eat fruits, berries, and vegetables as they find them. Mating occurs between February and April with pups being born approximately two months later. Litters may vary between one and a whopping nineteen pups!

The average litter is around six, with pups being born blind. Their eyes open after about 10 days, and they are ready to leave the den and begin learning of outside life after three or four weeks. Typically, they are fully weaned by this time and are dine on regurgitated meals from their parents while they learn to hunt. Male pups strike out on their own around 6-9 months old, and females stay with their mother's pack. Coyotes in general are very vocal creatures, and excel at survival against all odds.

Coyote, infamous Trickster, for all his wily ways is just as likely to end his day in a huge embarrassing cloud of smoke, or even a more seriously painful situation! In fact, sometimes Coyote is viewed as such dangerous company that I have actually heard someone say, "Coyote is evil! That's bad medicine!" I couldn't disagree more. Sure, He can occasionally come off as the Father of Lies... or lead his chosen friends into a world of trouble they would much rather do without, and most times everything Coyote attempts seems to work backwards or explode unexpectedly...but He teaches us through his examples some of the most important lessons we can learn in life!


Coyote is a Teacher who deals with Medicine of all sorts, perhaps especially how and when Not to use it! Medicine in the Western sense (aspirins, cough syrups, and other medications) are meant to aid us when we are ill or otherwise physically afflicted. Totemic Medicine, which is also meant to heal us, should likewise not to be taken lightly. "If one dose is good, three will get me better quicker" is a good way to end up in the hospital, and the Medicine we are discussing here isn't very different in its results if abused or treated casually. However, it can be a lot harder to recover from such an abuse or even to find a qualified Spiritual Healer in today's society. So tread carefully!


That being said, Coyote says that it is just as important to remember..."The person who learns to laugh at himself will never cease to be amused.", and "Against the assault of laughter nothing can stand". Sometimes, we need to realize that we are acting or feeling foolish because we have put ourselves forward, opened our mouths, or put our oar in when we should have been sitting silently and paying attention. Laugh at yourself, learn your lesson and let it go. First and foremost, Coyote is the Sacred Clown, the Wise Fool and his is the power to turn the sacred into the silly; to cross, juxtapose and then revert anything to it's original state while still respecting everything. Like Tom Bombadil from the Tolkien epic when he handled the One Ring, His shining blue eye twinkling merrily through this ancient and powerful artifact that had caused so much destruction and death could just as easily have been Coyote's eye winking at us.


"You will do foolish things, but do them with enthusiasm." ~Sidonie Gabrielle Colette


"Our blunders mostly come from letting our wishes interpret our duties." ~Author Unknown

"Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional." ~M. Kathleen Casey



Like the eternally beloved Wile E. Coyote, the super genius of cartoon fame, this Creature Teacher's colossal mistakes are usually caused by convincing himself that his desire is a necessity. Most people also confuse want with need, and are often left in a haze of smoke wondering just how and why everything blew up in their face. Wile E. is forever so blindly focused on his desired goal, that he never considers that perhaps it is his goal that is actually the problem. After all, if he is clever enough to order, build and then operate a complex gadget, surely he could order out for pizza and wings!

He was never daunted by his mistakes though. He was willing to revise plans while plummeting towards the ground and attempt something new against all odds. His adaptability never caught him that Roadrunner, but his perseverance ensures that he will dust himself off and come up with a new plan soon enough. It takes tremendous courage and powers of self-healing to continue in the face of such odds. As Ray Bradbury once said, "You've got to jump off cliffs all the time and build your wings on the way down." Coyote is the Fool of the Tarot, yet looked at another way he is also the Magician. When he gets it right, there is no miracle he can't pull off simply by using the tools at hand.

Wisdom and Folly in equal measures can be found within the Coyote soul. It is up to us to temper, guide and monitor ourselves, and sometimes the hardest thing for anyone to admit is that they were wrong. I have learned, through my own painful lessons over the years, to look at every "failed" attempt very closely for my part, what I own out of that failure. I get angrier at myself for trusting someone I shouldn't have trusted, than I get at whatever damage they've cost me. Tell yourself, tell others... "Man, I should never have said/done fill in the blank. That was a really bad idea. I'm sorry for what I said/did and I hope I never make that mistake again." Beat Fate to the punch line, accept responsibility for your mistakes and most importantly learn from them. Coyote loves when we make whole new mistakes to learn from rather than repeating the same mistake blindly over and over. He reminds us that we are always, Always responsible for our own choices and actions... and sooner or later, we will have to deal with the consequences of our choices; good, bad, or bland. Awareness is key.

Karma doesn't have to hit you like a cliff's edge you didn't see coming, provided you watch your step and don't get carried away! If we are choosing denial over accepting our life lessons, and then incorporating those lies to self into our daily lives, then we do not believe we need help and we will continue on that destructive path. Karma is inevitable, but we can lessen it's impact if we have done all that we can to face our choices and their effects head on. You'll only draw out your painful lessons or be doomed to repeat them if you don't look at yourself with awareness. Many people in our country talk about our rights... how many of us talk about our responsibilities? What rights can you maintain if you aren't taking care of your responsibilities? And shouldn't our focus be more on our inalienable duties than what is owed to us?

Ever full of dichotomy, Coyote represents both that which tempts us most, and developing the skills to recognize and avoid temptation. Many Christians believe that the Devil is a separate entity that can be blamed for our choice to give in to temptation, to justify actions we know are not for the greater good or even for our own good. Coyote tempts us. Coyote is that voice inside that argues with your conscience and tries to rationalize and justify your desires to the point where they sound like reasonable options. But Coyote is most proud of us when we don't follow his bad examples or listen to his lies. When we learn from his mistakes, and outsmart him by refusing to either give in to the temptation, or place the blame for our decisions on someone or something else he gives us that especially contagious self-satisfied grin that is a Coyote trademark... and then he usually throws us a curveball just to see how we'll react.

The steadfast Turtle, compassionate Deer, and Eagle with his ability to see far and clearly are all excellent balancing energies for the Coyote. You might also examine: other canines, rabbit, mouse/rat, squirrel, fish, cat, lizard, frog, gopher, prairie dog, berries like the blackberry, fruit like watermelon, badger, bear, sheep/cattle, bison, cougar or group co-operative Teachers like ants and bees. Once you've come to a good understanding of Coyote, it is exceptionally useful to look at close relatives and potential balancing energies. It seems to me that this Teacher likes us to examine the World and All Our Relations very closely as well as keeping an eye on the bigger picture; the complete Wheel of Life in all it's splendor great and small.

"I never make stupid mistakes. Only very, very clever ones." ~John Peel

While Coyote people often learn their lessons the hard way, their amazing capacity for innocent trust is truly a gift. It is up to the individual to protect that gift by developing their powers of discernment. Being burned by others, or even setting yourself up time after time for disappointment does not mean one should retreat from society, respond in kind to bad treatment, or actively seek to deceive or take from others as a "payback".

Like draws like, and you get back what you put out in the world so ultimately you'd only be harming yourself by such behavior, drawing more of the same into your life. Not everyone can look at the world with the wonder and enthusiasm that comes naturally to children. Not everyone can find the element of fun in a mundane task. Otter is a master at all lessons pertaining to the importance of play in our lives, yet Coyote values these things too. Coyote people who become too mired in the serious business and duty side of life, or shirk all responsibilities in favor of play or instant gratification are displaying imbalanced energy.

Being so endlessly clever means Coyote people can be easily bored too. They often work best if they have several different projects to play with as it helps to soothe their restless nature. Society often dictates that we must take on one task at a time and focus only on it until we have completed it. But Coyote finds this method tedious and restrictive. Meeting with continual failure or societal disapproval can frustrate Coyote people and make them loose faith in themselves. The Wise Coyote recognizes that their ability to multi-task is an asset as long as they finish the projects that they start. "Unique" methods do not mean "wrong" methods.

Those who have feed the wrong parts of their Coyote nature will find that their lies, philandering, self-indulgence, and tricks will always come back home to roost. Others, who have inverted Coyote energy will often appear to others as if they are almost literally doing everything backwards. Those people who's every attempt to help only ends up making things worse are often in the Shadow of Coyote. If Murphy's Law seems to haunt your every waking moment, Coyote is probably trying to speak to you.

There are ways to embrace this and there are ways to reverse these effects as well. My best advice to such folk is to a. soul search with honesty b. research and c. ask the help of those who have proven themselves worthy of trust over the years in aiding you. Finding a trained person who truly understands these spiritual dilemmas and is qualified to guide you in a good way to the changes you would need to make in your life is quite a challenge nowadays. In my experience though, when you ask the Universe and Creator for help or guidance, the help will find you even if it takes a most unexpected form.

Whether or not Coyote has chosen to be one of your personal guides in this life his lessons are invaluable, and sooner or later he makes an appearance in everyone's life. It is all too easy to see the folly in others, to ridicule them, or belittle them and overlook the faults in ourselves. Gossip is one of the easiest ways that Coyote catches us. If you find yourself talking about others in negative way, or even just talking about others at all...stop. In Disney's film Bambi, Thumper's Mom was so wise to teach him, "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all." For this is one of Coyote's favorite snares, and eventually you will find yourself swinging from a rope you fashioned yourself!

Choose your words carefully and think twice before you speak, three times before you speak about anyone else. Sometimes it is important to speak the Truth, sometimes we cannot speak the Truth because our own emotions or experiences color our perspective, but most of the time it is wisest to keep our own council and just be silent. Hubris, the spreading of negativity through word or deed, recognizing and conquering our worst enemy...ourselves, are all vital to Coyote. Remember though, despite the treacherous, thankless, misunderstood path Coyote people must walk, above all, Coyote is a survivor. Hunted, trapped, driven out by man and machine, still Coyote can be found in the heart of nearly any city thriving right under your nose despite even his own worst mistakes because...

"The only real mistake is the one from which we learn nothing." ~John Powell

Well-balanced Coyote people are innovative, clever, fun-loving, creative achievers capable of inspiring dramatic and positive change. Un-balanced Coyotes are trouble looking for a place to happen! This Teacher holds an endless bag of tricks to teach us from, but it is up to us to decide what is Truth and what is Illusion as well as how we use what we have learned. Like Raven, Coyote is often given credit in Native American tales for the creation of Man which implies a hefty responsibility between us.

Magical, mysterious, charming, foolish, wise, and as plain as blue jeans; Coyote is the butt of every joke possible, but he's alos usually the one left laughing! Chaos follows in his pawprints, but he is alos best qualified to teach us how to adapt to anything thrown at us. Coyote may bring destruction down upon himself, but he can also rebuild himself before the dawn which implies not only great wisdom, power, and healing ability, but an endlessly innocent compassion and love of Life. How does this Teacher appear in your life?

"The highest order of mind is accused of folly, as well as the lowest. Nothing is thoroughly approved but mediocrity. The majority has established this, and it fixes its fans on whatever gets beyond it either way." ~ Blaise Pascal

"The hours of folly are measured by the clock, but of wisdom no clock can measure." ~William Blake

"Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up." ~ Pablo Picasso

Summary: Even Coyote isn't always clever enough to understand himself