10. reunion realization Josy Lynx grabbed his buds and packed a pinch, and handed it to Leo saying “here, I can feel you gettin’ all riled up after that story. You first.” Leo smiled weakly, knowing Josy Lynx was right, thinking about what Yellow Tiger had mentioned just yesterday about turbulent auras. He took the binger and held it deep in his lungs, concentrating on relaxing. Josy Lynx packed another pinch. “Ms. Jazmin?” “Oh, no, thank you. Not more. But I liked it. Maybe later” she replied. “Ms. Catia Cheetah?” “Thank you sweetheart!” “I’ll light it for you” Josy Lynx said, passing her the water-filtration-pipe and grabbing the lighter. Meanwhile Leo had gone into his own little world for a brief moment, as the binger-toke settled in his mind and consciousness. Déjà vu was almost creeping into his awareness … almost. Something was familiar, but not necessarily the current scene and events. Something … Catia took her toke. She could feel something in Leo growing … and she began to instinctively and slowly open her auric mind to him. “THAT’S IT ‼ ‼” Leo was almost yelling out loud. He looked at Josy Lynx. “I KNOW YOU ‼ YOU’RE MY BROTHER ‼” Josy Lynx smiled a toothy smile at Leo. Leo sat there dumbfounded, surprised at how he "knew" … he just "knew". He just knew. Catia Cheetah was exhaling her toke as Leo shouted. She looked at him and smiled. And giggled “how did I miss it. It’s in your auras!” Josy Lynx looked Leo in the eye. “What do you remember? Anything? And do you remember anything, Ms. Cheetah?” he asked, turning to her, looking her in the eye. “Ah … no.” Leo admitted, reluctantly; he deeply felt like he somehow "should" remember, and almost felt guilty for not being able. “No” replied Catia Cheetah; nothing seemed familiar to her about Josy Lynx. Maxine Violet Leffleur had deep feelings of old memories stirring in her, though. She had already "remembered" knowing everyone there; just the details and even broad strokes of past lives were like fuzzy holograms. “OK, Yellow Tiger said to go ahead and clue you both in, specifically. He wants y’all to know that normally we don’t help each-other "remember" our past lives, just due to the coercion factor. When you remember for yourself, and I remember for myself, and we both agree, then we both know the truth. But now I’ll "remind" y’all, because it’s important at this time We work together on this issue. That’s what Yellow Tiger says, and I agree, and I talked with José Yaguar and he agrees, and they say Awishona Ts'uyya agrees, and she works directly with the Round Council and they agree. “You, Leo, typically are a "late bloomer" when you remember your past lives. Others remember as early as 4 or 5 years old. Most of us Seers remember before we turn 10, or by the time We are teenagers or in our early 20s at the very latest. One time you were 75 or 76 or something. Some times, but rarely, you never remember. We come and hang-out with you anyway, hoping you will remember. Yellow Tiger said to remind you to meditate and practice "turning down the volume on the Monkey Mind". And we don’t want to discourage you, or make you feel deficient or paltry, either. That’s another reason we would not normally "remind" anyone before they remember on their own. You’re a bad-ass, Leo. Once you remember, that is. That’s why we’re trying to keep you in the loop right now. Besides the fact that it seems "fate" has brought us together here and now. “You, Ms. Catia Cheetah,” Josy Lynx continued, turning slightly to face her, “obviously have issues from your accident. Your "auric-brain interface" so to speak is physically damaged. Your aura is fine, so this is only a limitation in this life. We worry that you may never be able to "remember" your past-lives during this lifetime, so We will help you this time. “Leo, yes we were brothers … Mountain Lion brothers…” he looked Leo in the eye. “The dream last night! I saw you in the dream I had!” “What happened?” “Nothing. I just saw you and knew you were my brother. We were cubs. Then I saw Catia …” Leo looked at her and smiled. “We were Mountain Lion brothers together for many lives. But you were a Cheetah before you reincarnated into a Mountain Lion. Cheetahs were getting too rare. I was a Lynx. Same problem, we were becoming extinct. We were both "lucky", I guess, because we were able to remain cats for so many lives, before being forced into humanity. We gained a lot of spiritual knowledge, compared to others who are making that leap these days. Back in the early days of humanity, it was far more common for a big cat to remain a big cat for quite a while, then hop up to a proto-human form for a while, or maybe a chimp or gorilla or orangutang or something, once proto-humans became extinct, but now they are critically endangered too; then to the final current human form. That is José Yaguar’s background, for example. And yours, Catia” Josy Lynx said, glancing at her, then looking back around the room. “More than any other creature besides orangutangs, proto-humans, and humans, cats have a sense …or conception of "time". It still is not as developed as a human, but more than a canine or bear for example. As hunters, they have a primitive conception of time, but in cats, it is much more developed. They are more "opportunistic" hunters; they go out looking for food, running and/or wandering until they find it. They learn where the good hunting spots are, and go back, yea. The physical act of hunting requires precision timing, and remembering the good hunting grounds year after year as they change with the seasons requires large-scale-timing. We cats "plan" our hunt, find good spots and wait. But by understanding the conception of time more fully, we can step-out of the "habitual" spot, and extend the understanding of HOW and WHY that spot was good, and find a new good spot, extend our territory as needed, and wait there, successfully, for our prey. This also, by the way, requires a greater conception of the prey and its motivation to walk through a particular spot, the other parts of "HOW and WHY" that makes that spot a good hunting spot. We cats have to understand the MIND of our prey. Cats therefore have empathy, which can become a weapon or compassion. House-cats’ human friends know that cats will come and give you extra affection, cuddle, even lick you and give you a cat-bath, if you are sad or depressed; some even "instinctively" give Shiatsu treatments. That translates easily into human empathy and compassion, the basis for a higher consciousness. “And our awareness and mastery of our bodies as cats translates into a higher consciousness and intelligence when ascended into human form, in the way Yellow Tiger was trying to explain the teachings of George Lakoff yesterday, how thought itself is made from the metaphorical building blocks of bodily movement. And, as cats, so is our inherently natural awareness within the spiritual dimensions. Bringing these "building blocks" — or this "medicine" as traditional First Nations Native American people like to call it — into the human form provide souls evolved from cats the tools to fast-track their spiritual, and hence evolutionary, growth. That is how José Yaguar got to be the first known person to reach enlightenment. If anyone got there before him, they left no trace as they headed for Nirvana. “However, now-a-days, with the "spiritual vacuum" Yellow Tiger was talking about yesterday, spirits may only spend as little as a single lifetime as a cat. They make large jumps up the spiritual ladder to human form, without fully learning the lessons, the "ins and outs" of cat mana. And cats are not mean or vicious, but they — ah, we — are the world’s ultimate "killing machine". Bringing that mana into human form while it is still in a juvenile state can be dangerous to the incarnated spirit, as well as others around. “So the original "old school" Seers with a primary background of cat-mana, including you, Ms. Catia Cheetah, have taken it upon yourselves to help guide us big-cat new-comers into humanity, safely. Um, I guess our egos are big-cat sized.” Josy Lynx smiled a toothy smile at Catia. “You saw the future and saw us coming from Mountain Lion form.” Josy Lynx continued looking at Catia, smiling. “We were killed in a brush fire started by lightning. There were no big-cats left to incarnate to. And, as it is typically, no primates, either. You and Scarlet Begonia Rolling Hills Drumming Woodpecker Leaping Mountain Cougar Dancing Bear helped guide our spiritual destinies to incarnate as your kids or nephews, and we became your special pupils. We still are. You’re here to help Leo learn about and understand the aura; you are not his pupil, you are his teacher. She adopted you, Leo” Josy Lynx said, turning to Leo. “Scarlet Begonia Dancing Bear adopted me. I was the wild one. Hard to Handle, with an over-abundance of energy, an innate overactive sense of curiosity to get me in trouble, and a very independent attitude. Not a "bad" guy, just unruly. Took me a while to become "tame", and adapt to a "society". We Lynx are typically solitary. But that also makes it easy for societal stress to roll off my back like water on a duck. I just roam to another forest, so to speak, although I gotta admit that the forests are getting thinner and fewer these days. You Cheetahs lived in families in a den. Societal stress affects you deeply. But you fit right in when it comes to livin’ in family units, tribal groups, etc. I don’t so easily. But THIS family … I’ve been waitin’ for years lookin’ forward to seein’ y’all again this lifetime” Josy Lynx looked around the room, smiling at everyone. “Anyway, you two were fantastic teachers, and I’m really thankful to you both for helping me, and I’m sure Leo is, too. He’s said so many times in many lives.” Josy Lynx said, looking at Catia; then he turned back to Leo “We both, you and me, Leo, spiritually evolved quite quickly with y’alls guidance.” He turned to look back at Catia as he finished the former sentence; then continued looking around the room “José Yaguar took me as a special student, also, probably because he was worried about my wildness making me go A.W.O.L. I hope … I’ve tried … I’ve done everything I know how to live up to the honor of being his direct student. “Now I get to use his name as my name; so I am Josy Lynx. Or Josy Woods Skunk Mongoose Puma Lynx in full. I still haven’t earned the "right" to have a color or a flower or an action in my name. I’m still studying. But you, Leo, can use the name "Mountain Lion" in your name. Both "Mountain" and "Lion" have significant spiritual meaning in our "naming system." Or you could use "Puma" instead, like me, as that essentially means the same thing in one word. The actual words don’t really matter, as long as the language itself portrays the meaning. And nothing prevents you from calling yourself anything you want, like "Swimming-Eagle" or "Walking-Whale" or something, but of course, no one is going to respect you if you pretend to be something you are not; you know, Seers … … see … right though that. Or if you use a badge of mastery you didn’t earn, like "Flying Eagle" or "Swimming Whale". Sure, maybe you can fly or swim, that is, you’ve evolved those skills metaphorically into valuable human skills or knowlege or wisdom, but that alone doesn’t make you a master teacher. And of course you CAN use "Cheetah" also. Most of us adapt animal names that reflect ourselves and our spiritual lineage as we want to be seen and known, as well as the "old-school" wisdom from past forms that our spirit has "modernized and matured" into the human form, but the special qualifiers, the places, colors, flowers, are culturally defined metaphors, and are usually attributed to us by our mentors and friends. In our case, we inherently "earned" our "Mountain" badge simply because of our past lives. The rest of your name is for you to remember …” Josy Lynx said, looking Leo in the eye. Josy Lynx looked Catia in the eye. “Your full name is Golden Sunflower Smiling Forest Racoon Soaring Prairie Hawk Crescent Moon Listening Owl Singing Ocelot Dashing Cheetah. You typically like simply "Catia" these days, but we usually just call you "Spots". You know, you are one of the most beloved of all the Seers. Everybody simply loves being around you. You’re a true sweetheart. A loving best friend, Mother, Auntie, or Grandma to pretty much everyone in our society.” Josy smiled a soft, sincere smile to Catia. “Oh now stop, you’re gonna make me blush” Catia replied. “The light in your aura always attracts us and makes us smile back. Your house is always a gathering place for our reunions and celebrations; or we just stop by to see you and typically see someone else we know doing the same thing. Or we meet new friends. Kinda like the local pub in a small town, where you go to sit and talk to your old friend, the bar-tender, and always see other friends as well as newcomers and passers-through … except without the alcohol. We come for your love-light, instead.” Josy Lynx finished for the moment, smiling. “It always feels like it’s so empty here … living in a wheelchair … we never have visitors. I rarely have the energy to get out and about. At least until Jasmine showed up.” Catia looked at Jasmine and smiled. “I’m feeling stronger every day since then. And of course whatever Yellow Tiger did to me helped clear my mind even more. I’m so thankful to have friends like you all!” A small tear appeared in the corner of her eye. “And I’m really thankful to know all of you” Jasmine said. “And I gotta admit I feel a little less guilty now, coming into your married life begging for help.” “Ah, shizbhot! I got distracted. Binger for you Ms. Jasmine?” Josy Lynx offered, interrupting. Jasmine nodded her head. Catia spoke “Oh sweetheart, Leo and I love each other very much, but we never had any kind of truly romantic relationship. Just very good friends from the start. Leo had a wife when we met, but she had lung cancer, probably from growing up near a coal-fired power-plant, and didn’t make it. That was just before I got hit by the drunk-driver. I didn’t have anyone to help me, to take care of me, and Leo offered. Really, it helped him financially, too, with taxes and all when we got married, and then with social security disability benefits, it helps pay the mortgage here, and that kept his mother and sister from living in a ward somewhere. But Leo’s gone far and beyond duty. We sleep together because for the first few years, especially, I would get myself "stuck" in a bad position in bed while asleep, and then have a hard time breathing. With Leo right there, I can wake him for help; but we have a king-size bed for the same reason. He really has been dedicated to helping me for the last several years, taking a leave from his job, all that. AND he was helping his mother and sister, also. He works twice as hard, but the overall income ends up being less after my medical bills.” Catia Cheetah smiled a regretful smile at Leo. But he took her hand, squeezed it a little mini-hug, looked her in the eye, and replied “you have always just brought so much happiness in my life, I don’t know, just being around, it was a pleasure to offer you help. Still is a pleasure to have you in my life. And after loosing my ex-wife, you gave me another reason to move forward and live. And, yea, somehow I always felt I was learning, myself, from your research. Like having you as my student was guiding my own interests …” Josy Lynx received the small water-pipe binger back from Jasmine, and packed himself a pinch, and took the toke, and blew out the smoke. “Ready for the next round?” he asked, looking around the room. Everyone nodded except Violet and Jazmin. Jazmin said “no more now, thank you. I still feel the first one.” Violet said “maybe some day. Not now, though, but thanks.” Catia looked up, out the front window. Josy Lynx picked up on her vibes and opened his third eye. They both could see the auric light coming. Leo noticed "the look" in Catia’s eye, then saw it in Josy’s eye, too, and looked out the front window, as they heard a V8 gasser motor approach from down the street. Violet quickly picked up on the vibe, and looked out the window, also. A 1990s Chevy van with a high-top fiberglass roof parked behind Josy Lynx’s bus. Somewhere in the back of his mind, just below consciousness, yet starting to peak out like two cat eyes peering from behind a hedge-bush in the wind, Josy Lynx felt his tail rise. Smack! Here-and-now! “Wait, I don’t have a tail…” he muttered under his breath and continued thinking to himself "… I’m a human right now …" “Huh?” Jasmine said, looking at Josy Lynx, wondering if this bus-driving fast-talker was fully sane or actually a bit, um, "odd".