Coyote Speaks

I came across the book, “Coyote Speaks” by Jacques Rutzky ¹ while doing a search for material related to Coyote Mentoring. I was also curious to see if the idea of Coyote Counseling was unique and that I was onto a new thingy. 

As a book, it was an excellent read and I devoured it very quickly. The power of the book comes from Dr. Rutzky’s very personal story-telling of working with people suffering from addictions. He says from the start that there are other books that are more scholarly and academic. He wanted to talk about how coyote manifests itself in the relationship a counselor has with his clients. I’ve read some of these more academic books. They have their place. But I have a much stronger response and relationship with this book.

Coyote Mentoring, and the way I view Coyote Counseling, is where a person works with a client stretching his awareness, working at the edge to help him learn and discover. Dr. Rutzky sees coyote as the trickster that is a part of each person. Alcoholics and people with suffering from addictions have coyote as a major part of their lives tricking them and others as to the nature of the addiction. But a counselor also has coyote as a part of him. The counselor wants to be the expert. He wants to jump in to conclusions and leap to make the saving move. But we have to be aware of coyote in order to find the truth and a way to health. 

And that seems to be the nature of Coyote. He is the trickster working from both sides. His wisdom can be useful. His greed and self-interest can be dangerous. Either way, it is at the edge of awareness. This book does it job in widening our view so that we can see him more clearly. In this respect, Dr. Rutzky is a Coyote Mentor.