Sacred Care /41

Insecticide or something used to clean the room. Even after the scent
was gone, however, I continued to feel uneasy.
We showered and changed to go downstairs to the bar. As we
entered the little sitting room next to the bar, I caught the scent again.
This time it was quite strong and created a deep sense of uneasiness
and fear inside me. The room seemed to be vibrating at a very
unpleasant rate, but I couldn't figure out the source. I looked up to
find skins of some jungle cats stretched out on hoops hanging high
on the walls. I had seen far too many of these already in the market­
places, so I couldn't understand why these had such a strong effect.
By this time, I was becoming quite dizzy. I left the room so that I could
think clearly.
My husband had not picked up on the scent, but he had felt the
discomfort of the vibrations in the room. Something clearly had to be
done. I asked the bartender about the skins. With a genial smile he
told me they were baby jaguars. With that information, the wheels
deep within me began spinning wildly.
The area around the bar had begun to clear out as the hotel
guests went in to dinner. I realized that after dinner they would most
probably convene at the bar once more. I had to act fast to deal with
the energies In that room.
I went upstairs to get the only totem helpers I had brought on the
trip: a quartz crystal and a piece of black jade. While I was rummaging
in my bag to find these, I experienced a most unusual pull of energy
from the jungle outside my window. I could see nothing in the pitch
black darkness, but what I felt filled me with resolve.
Carrying my stones, I went back downstairs to the bar, ordered a
drink, and, while my husband kept the bartender busy, went into the
little sitting room. Not exactly sure what to do, I let my higher Self
guide me. I put the crystal in my left hand to pull clear energy through.
I put the black jade in my right hand to channel negative energies
into. I sat staring at the skins and waiting for guidance.
Suddenly,! felt myself being swept into the dark jungle sur­
rounding the hotel. I could feel the damp ground under my feet and
the vines catching me as I rushed through the dense foliage. I seemed
to be running on four paws. Ahead of me I saw another tiny jaguar
running with all the speed it could manage. Behind me I heard the
crashing footsteps of man. I was being hunted.
I held tightly to my crystal and my jade on the concrete level
while the terror I was experiencing on the abstract level closed in