Page 48 - Demo

48To the Carijona, this majestic feline is the embodiment of strength and mystery, a guardian spirit that roams the boundary between the earthly and the supernatural. The Carijona were once considered a fierce people, and this might be why they identify so strongly with the jaguar. The largest cat in South America, jaguars are considered celestial warriorsto be revered and feared, its presence is a potent reminder of the forest%u2019s untamed soul. Sitting alone amid the whispering trees and watchful eyes of nocturnal creatures, Kan%u00e1 contemplates the night ahead. %u201cThe jaguar is fearless,%u201d Tuma had told him. %u201dTo become the jaguar, you must confront the darkness within.%u201dKan%u00e1 consumes the potent scared tea. The stone bowl holds the key to the gateway to the unseen spirit realm. Its scent mingles with the earthy aroma of the forest. This night he will become a man and ascend one rung higher on his long path to shamanic wisdom. As Kan%u00e1 drinks deeply, the world transforms.A deep focus builds in the Kana%u2019s solar plexus and grows to fill him, before disgorging from his body and releasing his conscious reality. Adrenaline surges throughout the Kana%u2019s body and he feels a primal power animate every cell of his being. His energy feels unlimited and infinite. He is unencumbered by fear, beliefs or insecurity. He is invincible. Kan%u00e1 can feel himself moving swiftly and silently along the forest ground, the other lifeforms vibrating around him. A million heartbeats pulse through his agile and muscular body. They are part of him; one consciousness. Cool air streaks past his face causing his long whiskers to twitch.A fallen tree blocks the Kana%u2019s path and he leaps onto the trunk before gracefully and silently dropping down the other side. He lands with a precise thump onto his bouncy, padded paws. His claws spike into the soft ground and he uses these small anchors to pounce forwards into the night.Kan%u00e1 closed his eyes and entered the realm of the spirit, his mind a landscape of shifting shadows and flickering lights, merging with his own.BECOMING A JAGUAR