On the hero journey, writes Joseph Campbell, the lucky wanderer, often lost and in pain, encounters spirits, often in the form of animals, who guides him back to safety, to his new home.  These creatures are called magical helpers. Rocky is such a spirit, such a helper. I saw him standing forlornly in front of his collapsed barn, and he called to me, and I heard him, opening up as I was to the spiritual world, to the power of animals to heal and open us up.

He led me to Florence, to our new home. He is a magical helper still, we are profoundly connected. I can’t take photos of myself with Rocky, but he and I are very much in communication, very aware of one another. He is my helper still. A blind creature, he sees better than most living things. He walks his path, cleans himself in the rain, finds comfort and silence in his new stall. When I enter, I call out to him and he whinnies and puts his head up on the bar for me to touch. He only wants to sniff me, then whinnies again. Like my other animals, he poses for me because that is what I need. Soon his life with change as will ours. He led us to this place.