"Arrhhh!" I'm Mountain Lion Seer! Introducing myself with such a name may seem pretentious. Nevertheless, May 24, 2004, I saw a mountain lion striding, gliding, tail inviting balance, as he walked across the slopes I call home. That is right, Folks, a full-grown lion in rural North Carolina, and fewer than three leaps from me. Still, I became at ease with the animal's dynamic peacefulness and grace. It was a brief meeting, and I instantly recognized a deep kinship. There are many magnificent creatures in the Kindom (you among them) and often relationships are larger than first meets the eye. In this case, we saw beyond each others' veneer, set aside our fears, and experienced an enlarged vision. The lion and I were twins for a moment. It hardly seems coincidental that the Aramaic version of my Christian name Tooma, signifies twin. I consider this prodigious four-legged beauty to have been a messenger initiated by my inner-petition and sent from an adjacent reality to tell me that I need no longer feel afraid to express my unique view of the universe. It was as though I received an imprint from an angelic presence. Later I noted that in the Aramaic language the meaning of messenger is angel. Perhaps the form of the message-carrier which has been summoned from the Formless One defies restrictive barriers. When we realize vastness relaxes taxing attachments, then all boundaries yield to boundless possibilities. I think of the words attributed to Jesus/Eshoa (John 14:12) saying: "Truly truly I say to you, he who believes in me (i.e. my teachings), the works I do, he shall do also; even greater than these things, he shall do." I experienced for an expanded period (ten seconds, seeming like an hour) an exact communication from a mountain lion. This deified creature told me with wordless certainty that I could (in human terms) emulate his positive energies. What powers, you may ask, were conferred on this emissary from another world? The lion was peaceful and content, possessing fluidity, acuity, totally grounded strength, yet with a sense of having come from afar. This deep-seeing animal disappeared into the grasses, representing in its movements the mountain with its curves and wind, thunder and lightning, and interceding sun. I stood in motionless reverence, feeling a portal had been opened. It was and continues to be for me a doorway to the hillside where lie my truest talents. At my side, is the gift of freedom and the desire to see each sentient being in its fullest light. So, traveling the sheer currents, yearning to return some measure from the gifts received, breathing freely, and clearly looking for the brightness indwelling in each of us, unabashedly I sign off as Mountain Lion Seer. If I may delay departure ( extend my life ) then I will sing to stay awake, and bring this song along the way: "This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine¼"