Cougar face-to-face July 9, 2000
Oh how different the world would be it we could just allow ourselves to live alongside animals with this kind of trust and respect.
Patrick, Lucas and I were walking along a country road at dusk, enjoying a warm summer evening. A meadow to our left was surrounded by trees. I was looking in that direction when I saw something moving through the trees. I pointed for Patrick to see and we both realized it was a cougar coming directly towards us.
We could not outrun it and there was no place to get protection, so Patrick suggested we just lie down in the grass and be still, wait for it to pass. We lay side-by-side linking our arms, hearts racing with the thrill of having such an experience. It was a beautiful animal and I couldn’t help but watch and admire as it came closer.
I was the nearest the great cat so it reached me first. It was fearless in its approach and stood over me. I closed my eyes realizing that if it chose, it could tear my face apart. I felt it’s cold nose as it brushed against my nose and lips, all I could do was wait until it finished and moved on. It was gentle and calm as it smelled me inch by inch while my heart was racing. Suddenly, it stopped, turned and calmly walked away, leaving us to watch in wonder.
I have been close to a cougar a few times while on a walk or run in the Cypress Hills in the past few years. I am not sure I could do as I did in the dream and lay there while a cougar examined my aura. To have the confidence to understand its intent is not to harm, but to find common ground in which to appreciate each other’s right to be in the space where we met, this was the message I took from the dream.
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