He felt the need to protect her...

While running a natural awareness session for my friend Thomas on his year course, it was decided that we would play the game 'Animal Tag'. This involves me watching people within the circle closely and when I sense the right moment I choose someone to take on the role of an animal.

At one point I decided to choose a woman to play the part of a male tiger and another person was chosen to be a hunter closing in for the kill. As the group watched with interest as the tiger who was blindfolded responded to the silent movements of the hunter, clearly demonstrating that she was picking up on the hunters intentions by moving away from him but also often turning to face in the direction of where the danger was coming from.

Tiger Picures

A few minutes later I approached another member of the group in the circle and I asked him to take on the role of a male tiger, he was also blindfolded and he was unaware as was the rest of the group the roles I had assigned to the others.

At first he stood still for a short period of time as if trying to get a sense of where he was and what was taking place. Then, slowly he moved by this time the other two players had also moved so the second tiger had no real idea where the other players where within the circle.

He continued to move forward and at one point he stood between the first tiger and the hunter. At the end of the game we did a short process. This involves me asking the group what they saw and did they draw from the visual information they were receiving, when I do this I always find it amazing even thought it should no longer be the case, how much the group have sensed what was taking place. This I believe is because by now they have invested in the game and there becomes also and emotional connection between them.

The tiger tiger when asked what was going on for him, he replied. I just had a sense that I needed to protect, if fact it was quite powerful and at the point when he stopped between the hunter and the tiger we concluded this was where the strongest feeling was for him.

Then once this process is over I then ask each player to disclose to the group what their role was, before that they are not allowed to say. When this happened there were smiles all round as people put the final pieces together and also gasps of amazement that the third player had connected with the first player as a pair of tigers in a relationship with each other.