Do not, however, follow the bizarre exploits of a woman, "J", that
crashed "temporarily" with a friend of mine, resulting in the next-day
radio news report "two cats burn Falls Church apartment."  The guest had
become homeless, with two cats and a large number of rocks she described
as associated with her shamanic journey.

Shamanic traditions among widely dispersed tribes, tribes that could
have no contact, have amazing similarity in several aspects.  Michael
Harner, perhaps the definitive anthropologist on the subject -- who went
through shamanic training -- describes the "Ordinary State of
Consciousness (OSC)" in which we live, and a "Nonordinary Reality" or
"Shamanic State of Consciousness (SSC)".  In the SSC, one commonly finds
one or more spirit guides, generally animals, that will be one's
advisors and guardians in the OSC.

In the case of "J", I am convinced that her ordinary reality was in the
SSC, and she was journeying to our universe to find her spirit guide,
which would either be an Edsel or a VW bus covered with flowers and
peace signs.

We turn our averted gaze to "J", occupying the throne in the smallest
room of the apartment. Hark! The sound of a smoke detector!  "J"
concluded that meant that somewhere, a smoke detector was
malfunctioning. She returned to her reading.

Eventually, her concentration was interrupted by frantic pounding on the
front door, from a neighbor who had noticed smoke coming from under it.
At that point, "J" arose, and spied significant smoke coming from the
curtained alcove where she slept -- and had left her two cats.

Apparently, she had clamped a lamp to the head of the bed, and the cats,
seeking heat, had gotten under it -- and eventually knocked it into the
bedding.  After a time, the bed caught on fire.

When Jean saw the smoke, she didn't think to stay low, but yanked open
the curtain (really a sliding room divider).  Out poured two cats at
maximum speed, and a burst of smoke and flame, knocking her to the
ground.

In the midst of this chaos, Theo, my friend's normally extremely wise
cat, ran INTO the burning room and hid under the bed. Luckily for Theo,
the fire department soon arrived, put out the fire, and searched for
casualties. J's two cats were fine if smoky, but Theo had passed out
from smoke inhalation.

When my friend came home, coming, of all things, from a philosophy
class, she found paramedics administering oxygen to Theo, who was just
beginning to regain consciousness. There was no permanent damage, and he
lived on to a great age -- certainly in his twenties.

"J" turned to my friend and said, "It's not my fault. I was having a
shamanic experience."  

Let us draw a diplomatic curtain over what was said in response.

Unfortunately, the local news picked it up, and added insult to injury
the next day.

MORAL: Be sure the cats can't knock a hot bulb onto anything that can
burn.

After my father retired, he used a wood stove for much of his winter
heat.  His cat would lie down in front of the stove, only a foot or
so away from the dully-glowing cast iron side.  Sometimes my father
would have to reach down, gently grasp the cat's legs, and roll her
over farther away from the stove after the smell of scorching fur
became pronounced.  Apparently, her fur was a good enough insulator
that she found the radiant heat pleasantly warm, not scorching hot as
it was to a human at that same distance from the stove.