ONCE IN A BLOOD MOON: (PA WOLF SANCTUARY – HARVEST FULL MOON CELEBRATION)

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This past month I had the pleasure of visiting the Lancaster, Pennsylvania Wolf Sanctuary in celebration of my father’s birthday. It was something he really wanted to do as he has always been drawn to the mystery behind the demeanor or such fascinating creatures. We had jumped at the chance to experience this with him, because not only was it a chance to see some of these magical beasts in the closest thing to ther natural habitat (the animals are fenced off from visitors, but are given room to roam freely in their woodland surroundings), this was also a chance to experience the magic during the best time you possibly can, and that was during the September Harvest Full Moon. The full moon this past September was also a Blood Moon!

A Blood Moon is a total lunar eclipse in which the Earth eclipses a full, and the direct sunlight is blocked, but the sun’s rays still light up the moon. However, this light has travelled through the Earth’s atmosphere first, which causes the totally eclipsed Moon to sometimes look a red or brownish hue. The next Blood Moon is said to not come back around until January 2018! So this fact alone, made this even all the more special!

There were about 40 wolves in the sanctuary, total. Some cages had 3-4 wolves, then there was one cage in particular which housed a “lone” wolf. He was deaf and blind and could not be put in the cage with others as it posed a threat to the other wolves. Throughout the night, we would hear his soft howl against the glow of the moonlight. The coolest thing I learned was that all of the people and guides working the informational posts had their very own special relationship with each wolf, and were all there as volunteers, because they truly have a passion for working with these animals. That spoke
volumes to me.

The only thing that I thought was a bit unfortunate, was that it was a bit overcrowded and it was hard to make way up to the front of each pen to see the wolves a bit better. The crowds gathered around the tour guides and it was also hard to hear the things they were saying about the wolves from a distance. Also, there is one section of pens that is up on a hill and the incline might be difficult for some to walk up.

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One of the coolest things that I thought the sanctuary had to offer was a huge bonfire in the main area of the camp. The fire had to have stood about 8-10 feet high which anyone was allowed to roast marshmallows or hotdogs in. There was also an authentic native american tribal drumming ceremony commencing throughout the whole night. There were descendants of tribes such as the Blackfoot and Cherokee, dressed in their full garb, drumming, chanting, and dancing circles around the fire. They engaged the audience to join in with them, stomping the ground with their ankle bells and spiritual
intention. Everyone joined hands, circled the fire together and every now and then would howl at the moon!

This night truly made me feel like I was one with the pack. It brought me back to my own sense of instinct, encouraging me to release my own humanly inhibitions and revert back to the wild animal I once was. This truly was a magickal night to remember AAAAWOOOOOOHHHH!!!
READ MY REVIEW ON TRIPADVISOR!INTERESTED IN PLANNING A TRIP TO THIS WOLF SANCTUARY?