Cycling with Spirit Animals

2001 Oregon Bike Tour

Bicycling is possibly the greatest and most enjoyable form of transport ever invented. I've been cycling ever since I was a five years old. One of the most important days of my life was when I learned to ride a bicycle. After 56 years of cycling, I still get a thrill every time I coast down a hill. I ride virtually every day of the year. Nothing lifts my spirits more than mounting a bicycle and going for a spin down the road, without thought on anything but the ride I am taking.

Cycling is the closest thing I know to the flight of birds. While I am riding, I often call upon my winged power animals, inviting them into my body and consciousness. I take on their feelings, embody their spirit, and enjoy their identity throughout the ride. On level terrain, I may pedal with a steady rhythm like a raven flapping. I might plunge downhill like a diving osprey, or soar like an eagle with the wind at my back. It is such an empowering and freeing experience.

As much as I love the flight of birds, when I need great power and stamina, I invite the wild, untamed energy of horse into my body and awareness. I open myself to the experience and emotions of Spirit Horse, that exalted, buoyant state that shamans mount and ride from plane to plane. When I connect with Spirit Horse, my bicycle becomes a flying horse that carries me to where I want to go. I am able to power up hills or into the wind like a fiery steed. I ride a bike... not because it is green transportation or good exercise, but because it provides my spirit with a sense of freedom and helps me develop a kinship with my animal relatives!