Pismo is a beautiful Colombian Red-Tailed Boa, six years old and about six feet long. I inherited her about three years ago from my daughter, Catherine, as she wasn't able to care for her once she'd moved away from home. I'd already grown quite fond of her by then, and our relationship and mutual respect grew from there.

Snake had already come to me many years prior as an animal spirit guide, so it's no accident that I was given stewardship of a real live snake. Snake spirit has taught me a tremendous amount about healing, and has been an exceptional spirit guide and counselor. Cross-culturally they've been portrayed as powerful healing symbols, one familiar example being the caduceus of the medical profession with its two intertwined serpents.

About two years ago, Pismo saved our lives in a most unusual fashion. It was one day when we had our carpets cleaned. The cleaner, Mark, had pulled his truck about 25 feet from the front door, next to a slope covered with a variety of plants, bushes and a pepper tree.

As Mark was cleaning the carpets, I was sequestered in our home office, working on a writing project. I could hear the whine of the carpet-cleaning machine in the truck, a muffled moaning that soon became background noise. After several minutes, I became aware of the absence of this sound and an acrid odor creeping into the room. I left the office and went outside to investigate, and there I saw Mark. He'd returned to his truck, where a trickle of smoke was coming from the rear where the cleaning hose connected to the machine.

When I asked what was happening, Mark explained that as he was cleaning, something urged him to go outside and check on his equipment. When he did, he discovered that the machine had caught fire. As he ran from the front door, he saw a rather large snake slithering away into the bushes on the slope next to the truck. From his description, it sounded like Pismo, but it couldn't have been, as she was still in her cage.

He succeeded in putting out the small fire and shutting down the machine. If he hadn't followed his urge to go outside, it could have been much worse. It may even have caused an explosion, which not only would have damaged a considerable part of our house but more importantly, could have seriously injured my wife who had been exercising in the room closest to the truck.

I doubt there were any loose Boa Constrictors roaming around where we live nor other snakes of that size in our neighborhood. I looked around in the bushes and of course didn't find any. We were all a bit shaken by the incident, in particular Mark, yet relieved that any actual danger had been averted.

Had Pismo's spirit appeared to warn Mark? Was she watching out for us and somehow projected her ethereal body that Mark had glimpsed? How did Mark "know" to go out and check the equipment? Although there's no absolute proof for this, after contemplating how this had occurred, I'm convinced that Pismo sent a message to Mark and he picked it up intuitively. I'm certain that Pismo out of her love for us orchestrated this rescue, and saved us from what could have been a disastrous situation.