For Guru Purnima, the sacred Full Moon of teachers, I want to honor one of the most important teachers in my life: Usva.

Usva is a cat, a mother, a mystic, and a great Spirit Teacher. She came to live with us as a small kitten, at a time when Goddess Angali was strongly present within me. From that day until now, our spirits have remained deeply connected.

Usva has raised five litters with love and has taught me through her presence, her instincts, her silence, and her way of living.

She has taught me how to hunt, how to understand the language of cats, and how to become more cat-like in spirit so I can learn from the world in a different way.

Her kittens have also entered my inner world and revealed their true spirits to me. Through them, the stories and books of the Fable Woods Heroes were born.

Th ...