Inviting A Tiger Home to Play: Unleashing A Shamanic Book

Shamanically speaking, everything has a spirit. In which case, you could say that my new book Tails of a Healer: Animals, Reiki & Shamanism is evidencing wild and spirited behavior just like the image on its front cover.

Initially my book managed to make itself invisible online at both Amazon and Barnes and Noble, much to the puzzlement of my publisher. For quite some time no one could figure out why that was happening. It is now fully visible and searchable at Amazon, apparently having learned to trust the user-friendly atmosphere there; but it is still in hiding at the Barnes and Noble jungle. Unless you search for the title exactly you will not find it, it does not appear in any keyword search, apparently due to the book’s title being only partially listed as “Tails of a Healer.” I guess I would not want to come out of hiding either if I did not feel fully accepted.

There were many rejected drafts and numerous scratches for those who tried to define the book’s spirit and purpose within the confining limits of a one-page press release. When the final press release heralding it’s publication was sent out to the news media it, too, quietly disappeared for more than 24 hours, to the amazement of the press release service who, like the publisher, could not figure out what had happened. During that time both the book cover image and the company logo fought being posted in my online newsroom, only appearing after several phone calls and much head-scratching by the techies.

While the book seems determined to play a form of hunter/prey, stalking around the internet and pouncing at unexpected moments, it appears as a kinder, gentler feline spirit to the people who read its tales and their companion animals.

Throughout the manuscript-reading process and soon after publication I began receiving reports of cats sleeping on it. If the book was moved to a different location the cat would simply take up residence on it again. One cat client, in the last stages of his life, seemed to use the book as a sort of energetic heating pad which appeared to be plugged into my household. He was able to tell his person via the book telegraph exactly when my elderly cat Shaman crossed over into spirit.

And like any curious cat the book began to seek out new homes on its own. An autographed copy, intended for one of my wonderful friends who had helped with the final stages of the book, somehow mysteriously got accidentally addressed and mailed to a client of mine (who had not ordered a copy herself). My client called to say that she had received it, and I suggested that she simply tape it up and mark it “Return to Sender.” She called back to say that before she could do that her dog, who had never done anything like this before, actually ate a part of the envelope, making it impossible to mail it back! She ended up physically giving me back the autographed copy (which did finally complete its intended journey) and ordering a copy for herself since the book seemed determined to stay.

Finally, and happily, I am also receiving feedback from people who have found the book so enticing they tell me it is difficult for them to put it down, and they have shared with me their thanks for its energy which has inspired them to deeper levels of healing and change in their lives.

So, here’s to the spirit of my book, a true original. May you continue to seek out and inspire people and animals, and if I place a particularly tasty bit out on the internet as an offering, could you please stop fighting with the technology?

Got a story of your own to share about the book? I’d love to hear it, send me an email.

Want to invite this tiger to your home? Click here to order a copy or to read Reader Reviews and an Excerpt from "Tails of a Healer: Animals, Reiki & Shamanism."