Alliance

Every fall I have watched the Leonids meteors, streaming from the constellation Leo.  Like the Spirit Cats I drew over and over again as a boy, they seem far away, beautiful, and full of portent.

In California we had a neighbor who owned a car dealership.  Every week there would be another great car in his driveway.  One day there was a Cougar.  But this time not the car –a real cougar cub, from the litter of the panther snarling on the Mercury commercial back in the day.

The cat and I were both about half grown. In their ordinary backyard, surrounded by the sights and sounds of the sprawling city, we played like old friends.  We rough housed, and played fetch and chase.  The cougar was lithe and beautiful, and innocent.  Full of power and grace and potential.

Its spirit has often appeared to me at times of difficulty, when trials are at hand, or challenging decisions confronted me.  Many times, even in great cities, Lion has found me, and marked me deeply.

Of all the gifts Lion has shared, the greatest is the will to love and protect.  To live as freely as the cub, to give as freely as the Sun.