I have the remains of a cold, and feel as though I need to relax and could also use a little bit of pampering, but I have an interview with local author Robyn Bridges and I don’t want to drop the ball on her, much less miss out on meeting and talking with her. As I turn onto her street, she is waiting expectantly outside for me to direct me to her home. I find this to be considerate and very kind and ask her where I should park on the narrow, crowded curb. She directs me, I park the SUV, then jump out enthusiastically, excited to meet her. She introduces herself and is such a warm, calming presence that I am immediately at ease and totally forget my cold. As we enter her house and exchange greetings, I feel as though I have come home. Her easy manner and welcoming smile seemed to be the calm in the eye of the storm of life, and hot tea and treats were already set out on the charming, sturdy wood table, exactly the pampering I needed. We settle in to discuss her newly published book, ‘Moose Medicine’, among several other projects of her past, present, and for the future.

I immediately learn that she is a country gal that is drawn (as I am) to wander the mountains and rivers of our majestic state, and that she is a poet as well, (as I am) who is currently compiling her book of poetry for future publication. I breathe a sigh of relief and feel the rush of anticipation to learn more about her journey. Robyn seems a kindred soul and I was so impressed with her at first meeting, I could not wait to learn more and to share with all of our readers as to exactly what her first published book, ‘Moose Medicine,’ is about, and where the inspiration came from to write it.

Robyn explains ‘Moose Medicine’ this way: “When I was a younger married woman, I believed my life would have a very different path than it ended up having. I thought it would just open up in front of me. I had gone through some really difficult personal passageways in my life to be where I am today and to write ‘Moose Medicine’. I went through a divorce, which was surprisingly difficult, and in which there were several levels of abandonment. I decided to go back to school and get my counseling degree due to the turmoil of being divorced, broke and alone. And after going through my own dark nights of the soul, and as I was going through my own healing process, I knew that the calling moving forward in my life was not going to be just for me. It was going to be for helping others. I wanted to share with others what I had learned, and counseling did become my calling. I was a Body, Mind, and Spirit Therapist for the next 25 years. It refers to the wisdom that the body holds, the perceptions that the mind holds, and the spiritual encounters that are available to us all the time. It can be an unseen but helpful experience. So I started to apprentice myself to the transpersonal world. Transpersonal means honoring and acknowledging all forms of spirituality being sacred, accepted, and honored, and not being judged for having these experiences. This can be difficult to discern from someone having multiple personality disorder, being schizophrenic or having another mental illness.”

“‘Moose Medicine’ came about due to the entire trauma I had been through, and after the divorce all I felt was aloneness. I was lucky that I had a very good therapist, and one close friend. But the human wounding was so great that I instinctively moved into nature to soothe those wounds, and what I found over time was that I was so open to a relationship with nature, as I had just lost all my relationships with the human species, that I think I was very available for an actual relatedness. I began having amazing experiences with trees or with rivers, or with what I call the stone people. As I went more into nature, I found more sustenance and renewal and liveliness and an actual relatedness in real time that I could have with these different elements; earth, air, fire and water. Whatever the heartache or grief was, if I would simply offer it up, and enjoy the natural quiet in the wild, I would get a teaching from that experience. Moose became my personal medicine as I have had many up close and personal encounters with them.”

“My admonishment to people about ‘Moose Medicine’ is take the time, go out on your own, be brave; it takes some courage to go into the wilds alone. To open your psyche and your spirit you may find things that you didn’t want to have to be aware of in yourself, but the beauty is, that whatever you find, is assuaged. The beneficence of nature will wrap its arms around whatever it is your heartache is, or your difficulty is, or your questioning is. It is a form of showing up for God, for being in prayer. Sometimes when you are in that prayer it leads to a deep peace and a meditative state. Other times you are in prayer you have actual experiences. We are not greater than any of these things, we are all different and we are all equal. When we allow those others to become our teachers, we receive medicine from them. The Native teaching is if you are impressed with a certain animal, then you have that particular medicine.”

I feel blessed and honored to be the writer that was chosen to share a small snippet of Robyn’s personal story. Thank you so much Robyn! You can pick up a copy of ‘Moose Medicine’ right now in local book stores and on Amazon.com. In the spring of 2014, Robyn will be in the community doing more book signings promoting her new novel, ‘Two Legged Medicine’. Until then, grab a copy of ‘Moose Medicine’. It is a beautifully written and therapeutic read, and I personally can not wait to read more by this very talented author.

Stacey Faldetta is a freelance writer currently living in MT with her four children. She is working on her first book of compiled poetry called ‘A Thousand Little Sparks’ and enjoys travelling extensively around our breath taking state enjoying all that the Big Sky Country has to offer. She can be reached at mtcinnamon73@gmail.com