It seems as though winter is not budging! I arrived in Toronto from South Africa, via Europe, in the 1970’s and I can truly say I have never experienced a winter as hard as this one. But, spring is coming!
I am planning a bioenergy workshop for May 9/10. If you are interested in bioenergy healing or the workshop, please check my website or look further down in the newsletter for details about the workshop or one-on-one healing.
I have also included a section below that talks about my children’s book Joey and His Friend Water. I hope you’ll check it out.
Musings About Coyotes
Photo by Matt Richmond on Unsplash
I feel for the animals that live with us in our cities. A few nights ago, my partner and I observed a fox run across a ravine road. And, a couple of weeks ago, in the middle of the afternoon, we watched as a coyote walked down the road in front of our house. It stopped, looking at a small park across from our house that is attached to a school. It stayed for a while until it became aware of us watching (I feel) and then crossed the road and ran off. Winter must be hard on them!
This reminded me of an incident last fall, in October. I was sitting on my front porch in the sun, watching kids at the school across the street from us being picked up by their parents. Suddenly, there was an insistent honking. A car was slowly driving up the street, honking and the driver was yelling, “Coyote! Coyote!”
A few minutes later, this beautiful creature appeared, walking in the middle of the street. There was a lot of commotion, people shouting, picking up their kids, running. When the coyote reached the corner, it ducked onto my neighbour’s lawn and ran around to the back of her property. She had let the weeds grow very tall next to the fence. The coyote ran into the weeds, lay down, and was completely invisible.
I went to the back of my house to see if I could see her. (I don’t really know the sex but because she was so regal and beautiful, I call her a female). I wanted to catch another glimpse. She looked really healthy. I stood for a long time, willing her to show herself. She did not. A couple of nights later, I heard the eerie sound of coyotes calling. I looked out of the upstairs window and saw two of them, on either side of the road.
The two silhouettes in the moonlight looked like an exotic wild life painting. Their beauty caught my imagination, filled me with joy, and lifted my spirits. Their presence transported me to a world of wonder outside of the ordinary mundane city-scape. I wanted to know about them. They reminded me of the pack of wild dogs I had seen in Africa. And, I wondered what they were doing on my street?
At the time, I was reading Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingslover, a book Penn Kemp thought would inspire me. (I highly recommend it). Kingsolver discovers a rare den of coyotes that were expanding their territories. Her descriptions of the family dynamics and of how the adult coyotes protect the pups is intriguing. It makes the family come alive to the readers. Fascinated by their beauty, intelligence and cunning, Kingsolver tries to protect the den from hunters in her neck of the woods. Farmers saw them as pests, and accused coyotes of killing lambs and calves.
Kingslover’s take is that coyotes balance the ecosystem, eating small rodents, rabbits, moles etc. I thought of the introduction of wolves into Yellowstone National Park and how that solved the overpopulation of deer and resulted in the complete regeneration of the park ecosystem.
https://www.yellowstonepark.com/things-to-do/wildlife/wolf-reintroduction-changes-ecosystem/
I did some research and discovered that coyotes are an apex predator and, like all animals on the planet, are part of an intricate balance of nature. They regulate populations of smaller predator species: – raccoons, skunks, foxes, squirrels and rats. Coyotes are one answer to our squirrel, raccoon and rat problem in cities like Toronto. Perhaps we should hire them as vermin exterminators!
As I said above, I found their presence magical even though most of us fear them. They are both fierce and secretive, yet very protective and tender to their family. For me, seeing them lightens my heart. I feel that, with respect, awareness, and simple precautions, we can coexist with them, safely and compassionately.
More Musings – Mushrooms
One of my favourite topics of discussion is mushrooms. A friend sent me a marvelous article about mushrooms from the Guardian newspaper. It’s called ‘Nature’s Original Engineers’: scientists explore the amazing potential of fungi. Unique properties of fungi have led to groundbreaking innovations in recent years, from nappies to electronics. This is well worth reading. You can find it here.
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2025/nov/29/fungi-scientists-innovations
And fast on the heals of the Guardian article came two more fungi related articles, one from BBC and one from CBC. Both talk about storage banks for mushroom spores and the BBC article also has a lot of discussion about new and exciting ways to use fungi.
https://www.bbc.com/video/discover-the-world?id=p0n07vc6
https://www.cbc.ca/news/science/fungal-biobank-9.7083309
Are you interested in Energy Healing?
Are you struggling with a chronic illness such as cancer, diabetes, or another dis-ease? Do you suffer from the side effects of chemo or radiation? Or, do you simply want to bring your body back into balance, and strengthen your immune system? If so, you may be interested in scheduling healing sessions with me.
You can contact me at 416-203-2744 or you can visit my website at https://healingtransformation.ca/ to learn more about me and energy treatment.
Looking forward to hearing from you. Ellen [Back to Top]
Bioenergy Workshop
Are you interested in learning about Bioenergy Healing? I will be hosting a Bioenergy Workshop in Toronto on Saturday and Sunday, May 9/10, 2026. You can find all of the details on my website. There, you will find information about what you will learn in the workshop and how you can use it, plus details on how to register.
The cost is C$375.00 plus HST, for a total of C$423.75.If you would like to talk to me about the course, please call me at 416-203-2744. Hope to see you there. Ellen [Back to Top]
Joey and His Friend Water
Have you had a chance to look at my children’s chapter book yet? Joey and His Friend Water explores the incredible ways everything around us is connected through energy – from people and plants, to rocks and water. The book brings to life the importance of the water cycle, mycelium, and trees, and even how water responds to words and emotions, reminding us all of our role in healing our planet. You can find more information about me and the book at my author website
If you’re interested in purchasing Joey and His Friend Water, you can find it online, including at Amazon [Back to Top]
