Dogs and Philosophers Always Allowed

I have been described as a cynic by more than one person, and even some of my words and actions have admittedly been what most would describe as cynical.
Dictionary.com (because I don't have a paper dictionary on hand at the moment) gives the following definitions for cynical:

1. like or characteristic of a cynic; distrusting or disparaging the motives of others.
2. showing contempt for accepted standards of honesty or morality by one's actions, esp. by actions that exploit the scruples of others.
3. bitterly or sneeringly distrustful, contemptuous, or pessimistic.

I will openly admit that I am at times very much like the above. I am not easily trusting of others, or their motivations. Part of this is due to some bad relationships (not all of which were romantic, I should specify), and generally overall life experience. My trust is hard to earn, even harder to win back once damaged. When my trust is won however, I am a very loyal person, sometimes to a fault. I won't deny being taken advantage of in the past, to the point where I would not blame someone where they to witness some of these incidents and label me a fool. They wouldn't be altogether wrong--a fool I very rightly am in some cases, make no mistake. I am wise, but only due to my immense foolishness, and not all the time do I ever manifest both traits simultaneously. Interesting to note about the fool as well--his antics can bring out the faults in others, like the court jester jabbing at the faults of the royalty with immunity, or the antics of Coyote.

Interesting to note as well, when one researches into the history of the word cynical or cynic, we come up with this, also from :

A cynic may be pardoned for thinking that this is a dog's life. The Greek word kunikos, from which cynic comes, was originally an adjective meaning "doglike," from kuōn, "dog." The word was probably applied to the Cynic philosophers because of the nickname kuōn given to Diogenes of Sinope, the prototypical Cynic.

Thus comes an interesting and enlightening connection! But it gets better. Stanley Coren, in his book How Dogs Think, writes of the sect's founder Diogenes:

Plato's contemporary Diogenes, another significant Greek philosopher, although more eccentric than most, became known for wandering the world with a lamp claiming to be "looking for an honest man." While he had his doubts about humans, Diogenes thought dogs were extremely moral and intelligent and even adopted the nickname "Cyon," which means "Dog." He would go on to found one of the great ancient schools of philosophy, and he and his followers would later become known by his nickname as "Cynics" or "Dog Thinkers." Diogenes' own intelligence and wit were such that Alexander the Great, after meeting him in Corinth, went away saying, "If I were not Alexander, I would wish to be Diogenes."
When Diogenes died, the people of Athens raised a great marble pillar in his memory. On top of the pillar was the image of a dog. Beneath the dog there was a long inscription that started with the following bit of conversation:
"Say, Dog, I pray, what guard you in that tomb?"
"A dog."
"His name?"
"Diogenes."

I am deeply inspired by the stories and thinking of Diogenes, a true-to-life, historical cynanthrope who lived his beliefs deeply and completely--not just talked about them (more on this later). I always seek to emulate this in my spiritual path. The search for truth and honesty, the striving for discipline and the knowledge of self. Cynicism has, I feel, taken a bad rap. I am not habitually negative, but I am not habitually positive either. I am, however, habitually passionate. I am passionate about life, about my philosophy and spirituality and occult practice. I am passionate about my relationships with others, and I am deeply passionate about my inner knowing, of which my personal cynanthropy plays a very big part.

Two books: One Horrible, The Other Excellent

I'll start off with the horrible one first, to get it out of the way: Dog Spirit: Hounds, Howling, and Hocus-Pocus, by Patricia Telesco

This book was...well. I don't even know where to begin, and to detail all of the errors of this book would be to go through it all over again--which is something I want to do right now about as much as I'd like to drive a rusty nail through my skull (in fact, the only reason why I bought it, in the end, was because it was 50% off at a downtown book fair). Then again, given that this book is written by none other than Patricia Telesco, it should come to little surprise. Although the author made a valiant attempt at trying to recount various bits of canine facts, lore and other information, she managed to make several grievous mistakes. For example, apparently the author doesn't know that a hyena is not canine (and appears to hold quite a negative view of them, by suggesting the reader destroy effigies of them, etc.), that a chow-dog is not an Irish dog breed, and that crystal healing and color therapy are reasonable approaches for treating various canine ailments.

Seriously.

I'm reviewing this book so people know what to avoid. Want a good book on mystical canine-lore? I can recommend two. David Gordon White's Myths of the Dog-Man is an exceptional work, as well as Patricia Dale-Green's Lore of the Dog. As for Telesco's "Dog Spirit", I'd steer clear away from this one.

This second book, an excellent read, is Kinship with the Wolf: The Amazing Story of the Woman Who Lives with Wolves, by Tanja Askani.

Askani's book was an amazing and moving piece, filled with some great photography and fascinating insight into the world she shares with wolves at the Luneberger Heide Wild Game Park in Germany. One of the primary reasons why I picked up this book was because it was given an excellent review by Marc Bekoff, one of my all-time favorite authors, ethologist, and co-founder with Jane Goodall of Ethologists For The Ethical Treatment of Animals. Another fantastic reason why I picked up this book is because this book is written from a more Eurocentric perspective--Askani goes into great detail about the current status of wolves in the European Union, as well as regional viewpoints and the status of wolves in Germany. This would be a great book for someone who seeks to look outside the continental US viewpoint on wolves and their status (not to say that the status of wolves in the continental US is not important! But more Eurocentric perspectives on wolves in English are seemingly hard to come by!)

For a therianthrope or otherkin who feels they harbor a deep connection with canines, especially of the C.lupus species, this book is a must-read, as Askani delves into the spiritual as well as psychological connections between wolves and humans, connecting these points with modern occurrences and personal experience and insight.

I think, when I plan my next trip to Germany, I'm going to include Luneberger Heide Wild Game Park in my itinerary. I would love to see some of the wolves she writes about in person.

This is all I have for now. I have numerous photos and other things I need to transfer from digital camera and notebook. Given everything else that's going on in my life at the moment, finding time to do everything is becoming quite a feat. I will keep this place kicking regardless though.