About Healing

(Note that while this post is not about animal communication, it is a compilation of what the animals have been teaching me about lately)

To fully understand healing techniques, you have to understand that we are all healing all of the time. Healing is our divine birth right. The divine is always moving us towards healing. There is no process that can cause this take place, because it is always taking place. There is no process that can create healing. Healing is already created. Healing belongs in the realm of the divine and the divine alone. There is nothing we can do to cause and create it; we can only claim it and allow it.

If healing is our divine birthright and naturally occurring at all times, one might ask: Why am I experiencing problems? Why am I experiencing a lack of “healing”?
Healing is always occurring, but when our will conflicts with divine will, our will wins. Why? Because we have been given free will, and therefore in our realm, human “power” can trump the power of the divine. This does not mean that human power is stronger than divine power—in actuality human “power” is laughable compared to divine power. But because of divinity has granted us free will on this plane, it will not interfere with what we chose to create for ourselves here. I also want to emphasize that I am not implying that any one who is wishing to experience healing but is not experiencing it is purposefully doing this to themselves. While I have seen this in some cases it is far more common that our lack of healing is based on other underlying issues that we may or may not be consciously aware of: such as a faulty belief system (and by the way, most of our human belief systems are faulty), stored emotion, past trauma, etc. If we do have a block based on one of these areas we will experience a lack of healing in this physical realm, regardless of the will of divinity (which again, is always for our healing).

With this in mind, true healing techniques do not cause or create healing, they remove the blocks that are keeping it from occurring. By healing something through the divine I am focusing on an issue so that I can see it through divine sight and knowledge. Through divine sight and knowledge there are no blocks, because divinity is perfect and blocks can only occur in our realm. When I am able to see something through divine sight, I will see it perfectly, without the blocks. Through my sight matching the divine sight on the issue, the blocks are actually removed—if the client is willing to release them. If the client has a vested interest in holding on to these blocks, I will have to go to the client and ask the client to consciously become willing to release these blocks to the divine in order for them to be removed. When working with an animal, I may have to go to the person in order to accomplish this, as many times an animal is holding onto an issue of the person, and will persist in holding on to it until the person is ready to release it. This is a gift of healing that they give to us.

It is important to note that sometimes through this process I will become privy to what these blocks are that are being released; but this is not always necessary for healing to occur. All that is necessary is that I am able to see and recognize the issue through the divine and turn it over to the divine to heal. Once the blocks have been released, the natural, divine process of healing that is always occurring can occur as it is supposed to; thus we experience healing on the physical.

For the most perfect healing to take place, it is important that the client be in a mind-state of welcoming the divine to come in and rearrange whatever is needed. The client should be able to say: “Welcome into my house. Everything that is here belongs to you. You can take whatever you need, rearrange whatever is displeasing to you, and leave me anything that you think is lacking.” This sounds simple, but in reality is a difficult state of surrender for most of us to enter. Most of us are actually fairly fond of, comfortable in, and attached to the reality that we have created for ourselves. Thankfully for grace, we do not have to be perfect, or even perfectly surrender, in order to experience healing. The closer to this state we can reach, however, the more far reaching the results of the healing in our lives.

Also, if we are hanging on to something hard enough, it can prevent healing from occurring. Something I have been taught recently is that “Sometimes a person has to be taken to a very difficult place in on order to recognize that the benefits of giving up something (they are hanging on to) are greater than the benefits of continuing to hang on to it.” It is never the will of the divine to take us to a place where we are lacking in healing; rather it is our own stubbornness and refusal to change or let go of our attachments that creates this situation in our lives. Unfortunately, sometimes we have to be moved to very dark and uncomfortable places in order to find a recognition of or a willingness to let go of a faulty pattern or belief in our life. I can say for myself I never would have discovered this method of healing if I had not reached a state of desperation where I could no longer stand living in my own reality. It was that point that I cried up to God that I was ready to seek divine reality and surrender my reality totally and completely to the reality of the divine.

The most wonderful thing I am learning about this process is the number of things that can be healed through the divine. Most commonly people ask for healing on physical illnesses or injuries. But ideally we should all be seeking healing before an issue pops up as an illness or “dis-ease.” Healing can and should take place any time we see any lack of perfection in our lives. When we are struggling with difficult emotions, wounded relationships, belief systems that are not serving us, or a general lack of success or abundance in our lives, we should seek healing. Unfortunately, we have all become accustomed to the daily struggles of our lives, and believe it is normal and natural to constantly be at odds with the universe. While I am not suggesting that we shouldn’t encounter some forms of difficulty in our lives, the truth is, we did not come down here to this planet to suffer. Divine will is love, happiness, peace, and abundance. If we are suffering, something is wrong, and we should invite the divine in for healing.

I cannot count the number of times I am on my knees throughout the day asking for divine healing on something. While we were made in the pattern of divinity, we are constantly straying from it due to our human teachings and encounters; therefore divine healing should be a practice that we are incorporating into our daily lives; not just something we seek when we are so out of whack that we can no longer function! To truly live in divine reality is a constant endeavor, and something I should save for another post—because it is truly a subject of its own. But it is worthy of note that to experience divine healing on a constant basis in our lives involves seeking divine reality.

Whew, I was obviously inspired to write on this subject tonight, and I hope it has been enlightening to everyone as to the nature of healing. I am obviously very excited to incorporate this form of healing into my work and have been immersed in learning about it recently.

-Christy

Healing through the divine

I posted this on my website as well, but am so excited I thought I should also post on my blog.
I am excited to begin working with a new healing technique this year (2011) that I believes heals issues on a deeper level than the techniques I was before employing. I am also incorporating this technique into the majority of my animal communication sessions, which I believe is giving them more validity, strength, and healing power for the situations I am working on.

What is healing through the divine?
Healing through the Divine is a healing technique that basically means I am turning the problem over to the divine for healing as opposed to trying to heal it from any energetic means on my part. On a practical level, what this look like is that I am focusing on the problem or issue until I can see and realize the issue through the divine. Seeing something through divine sight and realizing something through divine knowledge is healing in and of itself, as in the divine everything is perfect and exactly as it is supposed to be. Once I am able to see and know things through the divine, the issue itself actually shifts and changes in the physical, which is where we all want to see healing occur. To complete this process, as I am given new divine sight and knowledge into the issue, eventually the divine completely takes over and I am able to fully release the issue to the divine, where the most perfect healing process can occur--even beyond what I am capable of seeing, knowing, or experiencing at the time.

This process sounds very simple, but can actually be very time consuming on my part. To fully heal something through the divine, it is not enough to recognize a truth logically; you must wait until it has been absorbed fully at all levels, and all doubts and human forms of thinking have been dissolved. Due to the amount of human thinking I have built over my life span, this is not always a simple or easy process! In spite of this, however, I have found enormous benefits to it over animal communication, most notably the fact that it relinquishes me from the “God” position that I have often found myself in animal communication sessions.

What I mean by this, is often in animal communication sessions I find myself in a position where people are relying on me to have the right answer or be able to solve or heal their problem. More and more I have been lead to recognize that I am not God and by trying to be any kind of substitute I am seriously selling my clients short, if not actually creating harm! In the process of healing through the divine, on the other hand, I am fully and completely giving up any control of the process and turning the process over to a higher power, a power that is completely perfect and composed only of love and goodness, very unlike me! So I can be absolutely confident when I am complete with a session that very best solution for all parties involved will occur naturally, without any human manipulation, tinkering, or room for error on my part.

What should I expect out of a session?
First of all, you should expect a shift to occur. A shift, however, could be a variety of things, and is not always necessarily what we initially expected. For example, if I am doing a healing on a physical issue, a shift may mean a complete physical healing of the problem. This can and does occur. However, it could also mean that following the healing either you or I have an intuition of physical remedy to give the animal to help the animal heal on the physical; and we may find that following this physical treatment the animal improves rapidly. Another possibility, for an animal who is in a very bad physical state, it is also possible that the animal will use the healing to strengthen his soul and help him cross more easily to the other side. While we may desire a physical healing, we are not God and are not in control of the animal’s path; if the animal’s path requires him to transition, a healing session will make this an easier and more painless process both for the animal and for the people involved. In this case, healing will likely also extend to our own emotions and helping those who love the animal see his transition with peace and a divine understanding.

So you can see through this example there are many ways for healing to occur on an issue. We can know through this process, however, that it is occurring in the most perfect possible way for both us and our animal.

Secondly, you should expect to give at least three days to fully recognize the shift. Healing can and does occur immediately at the soul level. Sometimes this will also manifest immediately in the physical realm. However, there are several reasons that it may take three days for us to recognize and realize a healing. First of all, it takes time for the body to construct new cells and repair damaged cells. So if we are working on a physical issue, once the issue is healed at the soul level, it very often takes three days for the animal’s body to build new cells based on the new soul pattern it is now using as its template. Secondly, it takes our brains three days to fully shift into a new paradigm. An example of this is a study that showed when people wore glasses that caused everything they saw to be shifted upside down, it took three days for the brain to adapt to this and turn the images around so that the people wearing the glasses actually saw them as right-side-up again. And when the same people stopped wearing the glasses, it took another three days for them to begin seeing their reality as right-side-up instead of up-side-down. What this means is that even if a healing does occur instantaneously it may take *us* three days to actually recognize that it has occurred and see it fully. So three days is always a good rule of thumb to use when you want to rationally assess the effectiveness of a session.

Thirdly, you should expect to continue to support the animal at the physical when we are doing a healing session addressing a problem that is manifesting in the physical. While I believe we should always attempt to address physical issues at a level deeper than medical science can, it can be grossly neglectful to attempt healing only at a spiritual level and ignore the support of the physical. If the issue is serious, please do not contact me unless you are also working with a veterinarian. If the issue is not serious, part of the healing may still entail remedies that we can give on a physical level to support the body as it adapts to the spiritual changes.

Finally, you should expect that a healing involving your animal may also necessarily mean addressing an issue in your own life. Animals are reflective by their very nature, and often a problem we are seeing in the animal may also be reflecting a problem in our own lives. The benefit of this is that in addressing healing in an animal you will often receive healing as a free by product! The responsibility of this is that you have to recognize when you contact me that you are giving me free access to your personal life and issues; and in order to receive healing for your animals you need to have a willingness to both acknowledge and let go of these issues as needed.

Occasionally in a healing I may find that something my human client is holding on to is blocking the healing of the animal. If you have a willingness to let go of this issue, I may be able to work on this issue without further contacting you. However, if you are holding on to this issue very tightly, it may be necessary for me to bring this issue to your conscious awareness and gain your willingness to release the problem before I can continue on with the healing. Sometimes this may necessitate two healings—one for you and one for the animal.

What kind of issues can be helped through a healing session vs an animal communication session?
I still believe very strongly in animal communication and will still conduct animal communication sessions where appropriate. I believe animal communication is most appropriate as a tool for all of us to learn to deepen our own spiritual awareness and bring us into communion with our own animals. I am very excited about animal communication when it involves teaching others how to incorporate it into their life. I am not as excited when I feel my services are being used as a crutch or a quick fix. I believe the best use of my services as an animal communicator is as a mentor in learning how to talk to your own animals, validation to recognize if what you are hearing is right, as a back up in explaining a situation (such as a move or a training method) to your animal, or as a quick check in to see how your animals are doing or how things are going. I will also incorporate animal communication into my healing sessions to check in with the animal both before and after the session, communicate any vital information from the animal to you, and recognize any shifts that have occurred through the session.

Healing sessions I feel are better suited for any conflict that is occurring either between you and the animal or the animal and another animal; training or behavior problems stemming from past trauma or abuse; physical health problems; and problems that you are experiencing as particularly emotionally troubling or concerning to you.
I am happy to help you determine what is going to work the best in your situation, so please do not worry about figuring out what type of session needs to be done with your animal. That will all occur naturally as part of the session and in many cases I am integrating both animal communication and divine healing into the same session.

Colic

I have wanted to write a post about colic for a long time, but have been spending time in thought a prayer trying to gather my thoughts and knowledge about it.
What do I know about colic?
I know it has haunted me, as I have lost three of my own horses from it, and been present for many more who crossed over to the other side from it.
I know it is devastating to our domestic horses: One vet states that 85% of horses she has euthanized are from colics. 85%! (And only 15% of colics are fatal, thus multiplying the number of colics she sees)
I know that colic fits all the definitions of a trauma: An unexpected event in which we feel helpless and someone we love it at risk for their life. I have experienced this trauma in my own life and known the lingering effects of traumatic stress and traumatic grief.
I know about colic now that many of our beliefs about it aren't true. We are told colic is from a physical cause. However, in the case of each of my three horses, there was no obvious physical cause. No change of hay or grain, no shortage of water or turn out, no excessive stress from trailering or shows, nothing. Looking for a physical cause (or what I did wrong) for the colics of these horses just about drove me crazy.
On the flip side, many of the physical causes we do attribute colic very often do not lead to it. We all hear that moldy hay causes colic, but I have worked for people who threw entire bales of moldy hay to horses without a single case of colic. We all know that a shortage of water causes impaction, but I have seen rescue cases where the horses had no water but still food, and still no colics.
I am being lead to believe more and more that colic, while appearing in the physical, has, as its root, not a physical cause.
Did horses colic before they were linked to people? Do mustangs colic in the wild?
I still have many more questions about colic. Through my questing about it, the horses have lead me to believe that colic is a message from them. How is it possible that 85% of our domestic horses die from a digestive problem when we are so careful to care for their digestive tracts? Why did I lose three horses in a row to colics, when I was doing everything "right"?
The horses have told me that colic is a communication from them. It is an attempt to get our human lives back on track. Colic is like other "dis-eases"--a demonstration of the horses (and our own) "dis-ease" about our life courses reflected back at us.
I know from equine therapy that the horses present a perfect reflection back to us. How can I look at my horse colicking, then, and not be willing to examine myself for the "dis-ease"?
Am I saying that we are responsible for our horses' deaths through colics?
No, I don't believe so. I believe life and death to be sacred, and only God is in control of this realm. I don't believe we humans have the power to "cause" a death in any case other than murder.
However, I do believe that when a horse chooses this route to exit, it is giving us a strong, clear message that we need to look into. What is this reflecting in me? Where is my "dis-ease"? Where have I gotten of course?
And as we look at the huge number of horses who chose this route to cross-over, we need to be asking as a whole, "What are the horses trying to tell us as a human species? Why are they choosing this route to cross-over?"
I used to believe that horse colicked because they had been made in an imperfect design and had weak digestive systems. Having recently examined that, I realize this couldn't be further from the truth. Horses were made in perfect design--they were not designed to colic. Furthermore, I have been witness to the powerful strength and resilience of horses to survive through horrible adversity.
Colic is not a result of weakness or poor design. It is not a result of imperfect hay or grain.
It is a result of horses and humans coming together, and humans not heeding the message of the horse.
I don't pretend to know the full answer about colic, but I know considering on this has set me on a path to further find out.
Namaste,
Christy

Horse Hugs

I've been fortunate in communication sessions to get a fair amount of "horse kisses" either during or directly after sessions with horses--big, sloppy horse lips gently (or not so gently!) caressing my cheeks as validation to the work we've done.
Recently, I've also been the incredibly fortunate receiver of a number of unsolicited horse hugs.
The horses at work have been hugging me a lot recently.
Reno, a mustang who previously was very stand-offish and not eager to be worked with, last week started coming up to me and giving me timid kisses on the cheek. Recently he's gotten bolder, marching up to me, draping his head over my shoulder, and pulling me into his chest. In case I was missing his message, the other night I had a dream where he walked up to me, put his head over my shoulder and pulled me against his chest, so that my heart was directly face to face (or heart to heart) with his. He then held me in a somewhat forceful vice-grip while an explosive amount of love traveled from his heart to mine. He would not let go or release the pressure until he was completely done channeling love from his heart to mine.
While his grip was tight and forceful, there was nothing frightening or cruel during this experience. On the contrary, I could have stayed there receiving this energy from him forever! The feeling was incredible and powerful--far more than just a dream.
Another horse at work, Poco, also used a hug recently to get my attention. While I was standing in the paddock checking on the horses, she pushed away the other horses, marched up to me without hesitation or warning, and very assertively pulled me into a surprise hug. While I was there I heard her clearly say: "I want to work more with the boys!" Then she released me and walked back on her way.
Message received!
The other night my own horse, Pogo, walked up to me and gently draped his head over my shoulder. I felt compelled to put my arms around him and stood this way for a long time, feeling a surge of love enter my body. The feeling was similar to my dream, except far more gentle and (probably as I was awake) more subtle. Pogo being a wise old soul didn't have to use any force or pressure to share this experience with me (or perhaps I was just being more receptive!) Again, I wanted to spend my entire life there, with arms around him, feeling his love and sending love of my own to him.
I'm not sure exactly what the horses are up to, but I don't have any complaints about it! Perhaps they thought I wasn't receiving enough love in my life lately. Maybe they just wanted to say "thank you" and validate me for the work I've been doing with them. Or maybe they are trying to teach me to be a better receiver.
In any means, I consider myself abundantly blessed that I am able to get a daily dose of love from the horses as part of my every day work!
How blessed am I?

Child quote of the day

"I told Buck something no horse has ever been told before: I told him that when you love someone, they live in your heart forever."--A 7 year old boy, comforting a horse after his friend had died.

Saying Goodbye

I've only recently learned to go through the grief process in a halfway decent way. Recently, as I blogged about in my last post, I had to help my friend say goodbye to her horse, Kidd. He had a very sudden and severe colic and there was absolutely nothing we could do to save him. As I go through the process of dealing with the emotions his death has left me with, I am continually struck with how well we dealt with the process--not that it was easy, just that we handled it as well as I think we could have.
First of all, we waited until he was completely willing and gave his permission before we euthanized him. As I said in my last post, I think we were able to help him transition instead of stealing his soul out of his body--and what a difference that makes to my emotional state afterwards! (not to mention, the ease to him of transitioning).
Secondly, we stayed with his body as long as we felt we needed to. My friend kept stroking him and hugging him and sharing stories and how she felt about him. In the past I was never able to do this when my animals died, wanting to avoid the reality of death. I would go to the lengths of averting my eyes from their body, as if pretending what had happened hadn't really happened. I would immediately cover their body with a tarp, or call to have it removed. I remember several times when I lost a horse having terrifying dreams of them wandering around the pasture after they died, with coagulated blood, like a zombie. I think this was a direct result of me trying to avoid the reality of their death and refusing to sit with their bodies.
I also think this process can be important for the horse himself to leave his body. When an animal has time to process the fact that they are crossing over, they may immediately leave their body and cross to the other side. However, when something happens this sudden and surprisingly, they can remain attached to their body just like we are. In this case I think it is important that they have our support in order to detach from their bodies and move on. As we sat with Kid's fallen body, I continually communicated with him and reminded him that he would need to leave his body soon. I continued to prepare him for the reality of his death, just like I had before he was euthanized.
I also think back to when my horses died, and wonder if the feeling I had that they would come back to life had to do with the fact that their deaths were (relatively) sudden and I did not properly prepare them for euthanasia. I imagine that they stayed attached to their bodies just like I felt Kid had, and probably contributed to my difficulty processing the fact they were gone. Not only did I not allow myself to process the fact that their soul had detached from their body, I did not support them in this process either.
The third thing we did right was allow everyone else who loved this horse to say goodbye to him. Kid lived at a treatment center for adolescents, and was one of the main horses we allowed the boys to ride. When we were sitting with his body, my boss came up to me and asked if I thought we should let the boys come out to say goodbye. I am a therapist, but don't always have the answers. I was immediately torn. Would they be able to handle it, or would it just add more trauma to their lives? While sitting with Kidd I began to feel more and more certain that he wanted the boys to come say goodbye to him; in fact, he told me he was not planning on leaving his body until they did!
So, I went inside and explained to all the boys what happened and asked who would like to come say goodbye to Kidd. All the boys were all extremely somber. All but one of them wanted to come out, many of them already in tears. They all came out and sat, kneeled, and stood around Kidd. Some of them had tears running down their face. They were all extremely serious and connected to what had happened They shared memories about him and what they would miss. They stroked him and gave him hugs.
One of the boys said: "You know, it feels like with horses, it's almost like they're hardly even there!"
(This would confirm the communication I got from the first horse that crossed over, that horses can "come and go as they please," while people and dogs are more solid in their bodies)
Confirming that this had been the right choice, most of the kids also shared memories of times they hadn't gotten to say goodbye to important animals or people in their lives. "When my dog died," one said, "my mom wouldn't let me see it, she just took it away." Another said: "I wasn't allowed to go to my step mom's funeral. I always felt like it must have been my fault, because I was left out of everything"
Another said. "When my horse died, my dad just left it lying in the ditch. I never got to see it or say goodbye." All of them had memories of being left out of the dying process because of parents who wanted to protect them. All of them were extremely grateful for being involved in this process and being allowed to say goodbye.
Our boys are troubled teens and needless to say do not always handle things maturely. However, I couldn't have been prouder of how they handled this event. As an adult, I have never handled an event like this as well as they did! And I am so proud and grateful that Kid was able to guide me in guiding them through this process.
There is still a process of grief that follows an event like this, no matter how well you handle it; and never any perfect way to go through it. However, I feel like I am finally learning how to move through this process with grace and an open heart--thanks in part to a horse and some teenage boys.

Fear of Suffering

I have been struck recently by the extreme fear of suffering we have for our animals when they are facing a life-threatening condition.
We want to do best by our animals, and want to make sure that we are not causing them excessive suffering, and that is honorable.
However, in my understanding of death, suffering can sometimes be a necessary part of the process of dying, that helps prepare the soul to split from the body. Skipping past this process because of our extreme fear of watching our animals suffer is not doing service to anyone.
Before I understood all of the things I do now about animal communication and spirituality, I was put in the position several times to euthanize animals before (I believe) they were ready. They all had life threatening conditions, that they were not going to recover from, and thus I allowed the vets to talk me into euthanasia.
I have suffered extreme guilt from these instances for years, because the feeling I have always had was that I literally stole these animals souls from their bodies, before they were really ready to part with their earthly form.
There is a huge difference between stealing a soul and aiding an animal in transitioning.
If I had these instances to do over again, I would allow my animals to pass in their own way and time, when they were fully prepared and ready. This doesn't mean that we couldn't assist with euthanasia, but I wouldn't force this on them, no matter my perception of their suffering.
The universe, working in the way it does, has given me the opportunity (of course) to "do over" these instances in the form of helping other animals.
In the past three days I have assisted two horses in crossing over. Both of them had fatal colics. The first horse was young (only) 6, and had been colcky for most of the day, and possibly the night before. When all treatment failed, the vet re-palpated to confirm that he had a displacement. The vet said: You have three options: Surgery, Time and more fluids (not likely to work), and euthanasia. When he said the third option the horse gave a low level whinney--a literal physical validation of what he wanted (He was in with his pasture-mate and for the rest of the day hadn't made a sound). He told me: "Why would I want surgery when I can just leave this body and get a new one? Why would I want to go through all of that?"
When the vet went to get the euthanasia injection, he took me over to specific spot in the corral and laid down, as if to say: "I'm ready." In spite of the difficulty for all of us in putting down a beautiful 6 year old horse with no other health problems, it was clearly the choice that he wanted for himself at that time.
The other horse, a 21 year old thoroughbred started colicking in the morning after acting normally for feeding time. Initially he seemed to be very mild, and seemed to think himself that he was going to be fine. However, after his symptoms getting worse after medication and over a two hour period we decided to call the vet. By the time the vet had arrived he had begun to act very painful, with huge stomach cramps, although never lying down. After every possible pain killer and tranquilizer, he was only acting worse, not at all tranquilized and still acting like he was in extreme pain. The vet said she thought our only option was euthanasia. (This all happened within a thirty minute time period). With the horse's owner breaking down over the pain he was in and the vet certain that there was no hope for recovery, the decision was made to euthanize him. However, being connected to the horse, I kept feeling "no, not yet! Just wait." The horse was in obvious pain, his back legs buckling with every step, and extreme stomach cramps racking his entire body; and his owner was sobbing, saying, just do it, I can't watch him suffer. But when the vet approached with the euthanasia I began breaking down, saying "Can't we just wait? He's not ready." Even with my logical mind knowing the horse was not going to recover, nothing in me could allow the vet to approach to euthanize the horse at this moment. For two agonizing moments we were all at a stand still, watching the horse "suffer," until he took two strides forward, his hind legs buckled and he fell to the ground. "Ok," I said, "Now is okay." And we were all in tears as the vet helped this horse cross over to the other side.
The horses have told me this week that I am the "gatekeeper" to the other side. No matter my arguments over this responsibility they have told me that they trust me: They know I won't allow them to suffer, but I also won't allow them to cross before their time.
Sometimes that time is just a matter of minutes while the soul prepares to leave the body and take its journey onward.
Who am I to rob them of this, just because of my fear of suffering?

Funny Animal Quote of the Day

"Stupid dogs!"
-spoken by a cat, of course.

Animals and Religion

I remember a Sunday school lesson when I was 4 years old, where the teacher had taught us about how God wanted us to love. We had put together a little model of a bird. On the model, it stated that God wanted us to love: 1. Others 2. Ourselves 3. The Animals.
As a 4 year old I was very dismayed and bothered by this lesson. I remember continually asking my mom, why would God want me to love myself or other people more than the animals? My mother and the Sunday school teacher both tried to explain that God loved the animals but he loved people more than the animals. We were his "chosen" species, and while he loved the animals, he love us more. I could never wrap my four year old brain around this concept, and still have trouble with the concept that religion tries to teach that we are "the chosen," somehow greater than the rest of the living beings on this planet. Many religions would argue that we are the only beings who have souls and are worthy of eternal life (a belief system that crushed me when I first lost one of my animals).
Isn't it this sort of out-of-balance mentality that has gotten our planet where we are now?
Recently I have been thinking a lot about animals and religion. I consider myself to be not only a believer, but a follower of God. In fact, I believe learning and practicing animal communication has brought me closer to my creator, my source, and my own heart. By learning to listen to the animals, I have learned to listen to my own higher powers, be it spirit guides, angels, or the Ultimate Creator. By walking this path I have cultivated a relationship with God that is far beyond what I had before I started on this journey, and one that is growing deeper every day.
This journey has lead me to the place where I believe strongly in having my own personal relationship with God, not one that is dictated to me by a religious leader. I believe it is this personal relationship that has brought me to a place where I can communicate with animals, see energy, and facilitate healings--a place far beyond where I ever thought I would be!! It has also brought be to a place where I feel I can hear God's voice on a daily basis and have Him as the main guide in my life. Isn't this an amazing thing?
I am now beginning to realize there are many paths to get to where I am now. Some people will get there walking the way I have walked. Others will be guided there through a religious belief system. There is no right or wrong answer, as long as we are continually following our hearts, listening to our higher power, and walking in love.
When I teach people how to be intuitive and listen to their heart in speaking with the animals, I teach them that the truth always comes in through love; if something comes in through the form of fear or hate, we can always know it is not of the heart, and not a truth. Fear is of the head, love is of the heart. It is the heart that leads us to the truth, and the head that often leads us astray.
I believe we can use this same system when putting our religious belief systems to the test. If a belief seems to be based on fear, I believe it is moving us away from God. If it is based on love, then it brings us to a closer relationship with ourselves and our Creator.
I know much of the fear that is in religion has simultaneously driven people away from religion and also driven religious people away from things that could bring them closer to God. I hope more and more people will begin to recognize animal communication and similar fields for what they are--a way to move closer to God, one's own spirit, and the ultimate truth of creation: that we are all connected a linked through the power of love and spirit.

Keeping it real

I realized that someone reading my last few posts might imagine me at home with my animals constantly engaged in philosophical conversation.
In spite of the deep information I get from animals sometimes, I would say in general our day to day interactions are much less intense.
Here is a summary of the main things my animals have to say to me on a daily basis:

My dogs:
1. I want to go outside
2. I'm hungry
3. I'm bored
4. I love you

My cats:
1. I want to go outside
2. Feed me!
3. We need new water


My horses:
1. I want to go out on the pasture
2. When will you play with us again?
3. I love you

So you can see, there is really not that much philosophizing going on around here!

Keeping it real when doing animal communication sessions is important to me. If I go in as an animal communicator and wax poetic without ever addressing the animal's basic needs, I think I am being grossly neglectful.
It doesn't do any good to address an animal at a spiritual level, for example, if it isn't getting fed!
I recently read a post on another animal communicator's website that asked the question: How do you know that what you received is real?
Answer: Because you can see it in the physical. Otherwise you never know and shouldn't treat it like fact.
This was a refreshing viewpoint to see, because I think too many animal communicators are out there leading people on spiritual wild-goose chases.
I had a person call me once to ask me to check in with her horse to see if there was anything physically wrong with it. I do this kind of thing all the time; but in this situation she was asking because she was out of town and wanted someone to check in on her horse while she was gone.
I told her I could attempt this only if she also sent someone out to physically check on the horse! Animal communication is no substitute for two pair of eyes.
I recently did a riding session with a horse and rider that demonstrated this to me strongly. I had communicated with the horse and hadn't found any major problems. So I said: tack up, lets see what happens when we put the horse in the situation you are speaking about. Within one minute I had pinpointed the problem, which was just a simple mechanical error on the riders part.
Does the fact that I have to watch the situation in action make me less of an animal communicator?
I don't believe so at all. I believe it makes me more responsible and better at "keeping it real."

Heart First

I've realized recently that I have a theme in my life of jumping into things "heart" first.
Call it an on-the-job hazard.
Focusing through the heart is such an important part of communicating that I've become over-confident in throwing my heart into to things without hesitation.
The fringe benefit of doing what I do is that I get to fall in love on a daily basis.
A communication session, after all, is nothing other than an exchange of love between myself and the animal.
Could there be any better job?
It is funny to think how protected I used to keep my heart, frightened that something might happen to damage it.
Now I realize that the heart is bigger than any tragedy. When I am grounded and connected, there is nothing it can't handle.
The animals have also been teaching me lately about love.
I used to think that love was limited, and once lost, you would be lucky to find it again.
I have realized through the animals that love is unlimited in the universe, and always trying to find ways to reach you.
How fortunate I am to be able to receive it from the animals on a daily basis!

The Deer's Message

I have learned in my life, that often I am not just helping the animals, but the animals are helping me.
I have learned to pay attention to the messages that the animals bring into my life and my person.
Many times these come through the animals closest to me in my life--my dogs, my horses, my cat. . .
. . .sometimes they come to me from the untamed animals who live in nature.
I have to admit, I was skeptical of this phenomenon when I first started delving into animal communication. It seemed to me, that most wild animals only wanted to steer clear of people; and unlikely that one would have a personal investment in my own spiritual path.
I must learn to be more humble.
It was on my first quest that the hummingbirds started talking to me. Like markers of my thoughts, they would fly close (right into my face) to validate the spiritual messages I was receiving. "Truth," they would say, sometimes giving me the word before I even realized that they had flown but a breath away from me.
On my most recent quest, an golden eagle landed at the apex of my circle on the last day. An indescribable feeling of peace and connection came over me as he joined in my quest. Before he flew away, I had the presence of mind to ask him what message he was bringing.
"You are on the path of a seer," he said, before spreading his wings to fly away.
I cannot remember ever feeling more connected, more at one with all around me.
I learned later, that the eagle was symbolic to the native americans for carrying our dreams back to the spirit world.
How incredible, to have the dreams of my quest carried back for me by such a divine presence.
The other day I had an unlikely chance to commune with the natural world again, when driving back from an appointment on the interstate, a deer suddenly appeared in the middle of the road. With a long line of traffic in front of me, only the car directly in front of me seemed to spot this stationary visiter and swerve, leaving me little time to react.
Slammed brakes sent the van I was driving fish tailing over the road, before I safely passed the deer and continued on my drive.
At the time, it seemed very significant to have a deer standing stationary in the middle of the road directly ahead of my vehicle and none other.
My logical mind immediately assumed the deer must be bringing a warning. But my heart seemed to know better.
Safely back at home, I connected to the deer and asked it if it had a message for me.
"You are not alone," the deer said. "All we of the forrest are with you and have your back. All of the woodland creatures, the faeries and the elves, the creatures of the night, the gnomes, and the dwarves, those that walk on two feet and on four: We are all behind you. We are protecting you. We are guiding your soul through the triumphs to follow. You have our favor. Your soul has our light. We suround you and keep you well."
As I have been going through some significant trials recently, the message was comforting.
But the deers message continues in my life as I am guided to learn how to "move like a deer through the forest--seeing no resistance so facing none."
The deer sees the trees in the forest as guideposts, merely small markers to keep them on course.
I am endeavoring to do the same with the twists and turns in my life.
While I still believe animal communication should take place at a grounded and practical level, I am learning that there is no place too deep for the animals to take me; no lesson too great for them to present.
Onward, with the animals at my side.

Jet

So many times I have communications with animals that go beyond what words can describe. The conversation I had with Jet fits into that category; although, words, or no words, it is one that needs to be shared.
Jet was one of a group of PMU mares that a local rescue group had rescued from slaughter. (PMU stands for Pregnant Mare Urine. Their urine is collected to make hormone therapies for women, and their foals are often sold as a by product of the urine). The rescue group had contacted me asking if I would speak to some of the horses to help them acclimate to their new environment. By the time I spoke with Jet, I had already talked to 4-5 of the other horses. At that point they had all had similar stories and attitudes to share: They all felt they were in this world to work with humans, and that their PMU job had just been part of that role. None of them had any anger or grudges towards people for their past, and it seemed like for the most part they had been well cared for.
I had no reason to think that Jet would share anything different.
As it turned out, Jet came from a different farm from the other horses.
Here are my session notes for Jet, the purest way I know to share what she wants to share with the world:
First of all, I pick up a great sadness around Jet, and a lot of mistrust towards people. She does not have that "curious" or "interested" attitude that many of the (PMU) horses I have talked to have. She seems *extremely* perceptive, with a huge heart.
She wonders, before I can begin talking to her, what are they going to do when my foal comes out?
Before I can answer, she flashes back this image to me of death. She says her foal is "not registered," and will go to slaughter.
I try to explain to her that her situation is different now, that she and her foal will be treated with the upmost of care.
But she seems unable to really hear me. She explains again that her foal is only a grade foal--nothing fancy--and that people will take him away and kill him.
She sends me some intense images of her time as a PMU mare. These images are like the pictures that rescue groups used to gain awareness of the PMU mare's plight years ago--crowded barns filled with horses, stalls filled with manure. She also keeps sending me this "death" image--foals dying in the stalls. No one doing anything to save them. There is great sadness and pain there (I feel like crying), and she says, what is a mare to do?
I say, nothing, except dream of a better life for her and her future foals. And that life has now come.
Before she can see that, though, it is important for me to view her past situation purely, and so I do.
She says, here it is the "law" that the foals are sold. It is like this corrupt society, where babies are born and die, all as a sort of perverse sustenance for humans--the scene in the matrix comes to mind for me, where humans are grown and harvested. It was like this for the horses.
I tell her, now she is in a new country with new laws.
She says, even here horses are eaten for food.
She has this innate perception of slaughter--what it is, how it is done. She understands that this is where her past foals have gone--the ones who have survived. She continually shows me that many of the foals did not survive. That they died in dirty stalls with no one to help them. And to add to the pervisity, there were the buckets of urine collected from them. This was absolutely degrading to her just as it would me for you and me. And flies, swarming over piles of manure. And even worse, maggots. Maggots swarming around dead babies, and blood from the birthing. And all of this mixed in with the cries of the mares, over their lost babies. Over the hopelessness of the situation. Who were they crying for, she wonders? Who ever heard their cries? Not the people they were with.
I say, somebody like you and me. These groups of people who rescue horses out of situations like this. And I tell her again, you have been rescued. There are good people in the world. You are in a new place, where people honor horses just like they do their own children. I tell her again, NO HARM WILL COME TO YOUR FOAL. And "YOU WILL BE HIS MOTHER THIS TIME."
She says, no they will take my foal just like they always do. They have no use for me but for my foal and my pee. She feels this great hopelessness and depression, like someone who has been stuck in a situation so long and nothing has ever changed that she can't believe it will. She says, many times I wanted to die. Many times I had given up.
I remind her again, things are different now. I wonder, can she give it one more try? One try to see her baby grow into a horse. One try to see people treat horses the way they are meant to be treated?
She isn't sure. She is starting to hear me, but she says, every year in the spring we do it all over again. There is that feeling that even though she has had a reprieve it will all start again very soon.
I tell her, no, not this time. This time she really is starting new. I tell her the people there want nothing of her but to give her and her foal a good life. To show them how people can relate to horses the way they were supposed to. I tell her there the horses are like queens and kings and her baby will be a prince or a princess.
She really loves this idea. Of her baby being treated like royalty. She grasps on to this more than anything else. This is something to give her hope, that her baby might know something different than she and all the other babies before it.
She thinks, as we talk, that she might be able to experience life anew through her foal--that she might be able to learn about these people here from watching how they treat her foal. This might be a way she can begin to relate to people and to forgive. She does not want human contact forced on her, but if she likes what she sees with her foal, she may surprise you someday by volunteering to give it a try.
I tell her about what will happen when she foals, that people will love her baby so much, just like she does, that they will want to touch it--just like she will want to nuzzle it with her nose. She says, see I told you they would come in to take it away from me.
And I explain again, no, the people's love for your foal will be so great they they will want to come in and love it physically, just like your love compels you to nuzzle your foal when it is born. This is why they will come in. I tell her again "NO HARM WILL COME TO YOUR FOAL"
I remind her of the reason horses and people were brought together in the first place (I have had horses tell me of this before.) I try to show her a vision of how it could be--was supposed to be--will be.
She asks me, "But why does man do this?" (Meaning what was done to her and the other horses.)
I hesitate, and say, well, I believe it is because God has given man free will. And some men chose to walk far towards the darkness, and some men chose to walk towards the light.
She remembers this now (and now I believe I am talking to her more on a spiritual level.) She remembers that certain animals, including horses, have chosen to walk the walk with man in order to continually guide them towards the light.
And then she thinks of what she knows of slaughter, and gets angry. She says, this is not the relationship that horses were supposed to have with man. This is not the pact that they entered into. Horses entered into a pact with man to walk with him in this earthly journey. To carry his heart--both physically and emotionally. But what man has done with horses (in horse slaughter) has broken our pact with them. Horses never entered into this pact (being eaten) with man. Other animals did, but not horses. Horses were meant to sustain man spiritually and emotionally--not through their meat and their blood. Horses came to carry mans' burdens, both physical and otherwise. But horses never agreed to serve man in this manner. Horse slaughter is a betrayal of the highest order! It hurts everything that the horse/human pact has been working towards. It is a wound to the soul of every horse who has come to serve a human. A "black mark" on the history between man and animal.
She says, we (man) need to treat all animals with respect and care, but most of all the "beasts of burden" who have come down to work *with* man and help him in his journey. It defiles their spirit to treat them in this way. It sets back the evolution of man and of the planet.
I ask her what we can do to remedy this wounding.
She says "We should all be working to free the souls of those who are trapped in this darkness" (Meaning the horses in a situation like she was in--and the men who put them there).
She feels encouraged knowing about people like those in the rescue group, and people like me who are willing to tell the horse's story. I reassure her that I will tell her story. That I have plans to put her story and her words on my blog, and that I imagine writing a book some day compiled of horse's stories similar to hers. That I give classes and trainings to help people hear the words she has spoken.
This is a relief to her. This is the kind of job she wants, to educate people about how things should be between man and horse, and about how wrong they have become in situations like hers.
She is tired after this session, but more hopeful.
I leave her to process what we have spoken of. I leave her feeling hopeful for her as well, but indescribably saddened about what she has shown me. With the sadness, though, there is also a fullness in my heart. A fullness of knowing what I have been put on this earth for. A fullness of knowing that I am beginning to fulfill my path of helping to heal the wound between man and animal.

Animal Quote of the Day

"This yummy hay is delicious!"
--Spice, commenting on our new hay supply

Beasts of Burden

As I have delved deeper into animal communication I have learned that often the animals I speak to not only want to talk about just themselves and their immediate problem, but also their entire species history and the burden they carry for all of their kind.
I had this experience first working on an incredible Grand Prix dressage horse, we'll call Redwood. I get the name Redwood, because the first thing that struck me about this horse was that he had the same kind of energy of a huge, old growth redwood tree. His legs were like trunks, shooting down into the ground; and his eyes clearly reflected an old soul.
Redwood was supposed to be a winning Olympic dressage horse--every one who had seen him and his rider had left awe-struck and inspired.
But instead of making it to the Olympics, Redwood began colicking.
And colicking again.
After numerous colic surgeries, he was passed from one owner, to another, each thinking they could salvage the huge horse with a heart that beat like a redwood tree.
Each time he began colicking again.
When I met him he was at a rehab facility, and my communicating was part of his re-hab.
After I moved past the awe and gratitude of working with such a magnificent soul and a huge heart, I began getting story after story from Redwood, all filled with grief and sadness.
Redwood and seen too many things in his performance days. Too many stressed horses. Too much sadness. Abuse. Disappointment.
He began discussing the things he had seen in his days. But as I traced the trail back, I was surprised to be told a story about use and abuse that traced back to the moment that man began riding horses. Redwood carried not just his own grief, but the grief of an entire species, used for a purpose they were never intended.
"It wasn't supposed to be like this." Redwood told me, grief running off of him.
We were never supposed to use horses as a killing machine to carry us to war. Or as a sports car to win ribbons at shows or races.
Somewhere along the path of horse and man we did what we always do, which is to take perfect and twist it into something perverted.
After sharing his sadness with me, Redwood also showed me pictures of what *was* intended for the relationship between horses and man. Horses did come to be with us, that was always their intention. But they wanted to be with us to teach us and heal us. They wanted to be with us as teachers and healers, not as slaves or tools. They were willing to work along beside us in the fields and on the plains, but only if respected and admired as collegues and friends. They want to carry our pains and our sicknesses--but only if we are willing to listen to them and grow in the areas they show us.
In the scene Redwood showed me was something both immensely beautiful and sad; something I will never forget and always aspire to in my relationship with all the horses I come across.
I hope others will be inspired to aspire to this as well.

Recently I have been given the phrase "beasts of burden" when connected with the horse spirits. The horses want me to know, that they are not just beasts of burden due to the weight they carry on their back--it is due to the weight they carry in their hearts, the burden they take from all of us, their people, to try to relieve us of our weight and our sorrow. The horses, as a unit, are asking for my help in guiding people to release their own heart burdens, so that the horse's loads might be lighter. This is the work I do in working with riders and equine facilitated therapy session. This is the work the horses have continually guided me back to.

My purpose on earth, I realize now, is to serve them. And that means assisting the horses in healing hearts--both their own, and ours.

Pretty in Pink

I have to admit when I first began reading about animal communication I thought it was complete ridiculousness when animal communicators told someone their animal's favorite color. Pish posh, I thought, that is complete anthropomorphism.
Enter my beautiful pony, we'll call Pretty.
Pretty Pony informed me, after my first animal communication class, that her favorite color was PINK.
She wanted a PINK halter, bridle adorned with PINK gemstones, and a PINK saddle pad under her little pony saddle. Did I mention, she liked PINK?
I will admit that I thought Pretty Pony's request were completely all in my head, but nonetheless, it is fun buying pink things for a pony, even as an adult, so I set out to fill all orders as requested.
Now, the day the requests were made, I did promise Pretty Pony that I would do my best to fill all orders, but the first thing I promised her was a pink halter and lead rope by the following week.
In the end, I could not find such a halter or lead rope when I went shopping for one that weekend, so had to order one online.
Imagine Pretty Pony's disappointment the following Monday, when we went to use her for a therapy activity, and there was no pink halter to use. In fact, to add insult to injury, we ended up using an old ratty brown halter with a ratty brown lead rope.
Now, usually Pretty Pony shoves her head right into the halter when a kid approaches her, because she loves being used for therapy activities. This day she started to shove her head into the halter and usual, and then jerked her head back in surprise upon seeing said ratty brown halter. She then proceeded to examine the halter slowly, sniffing it all around.
"What is this?!" you could just hear her saying.
With reluctance she allowed the kid to put the halter on her head, but you could pretty much sense her disdain.
Fascinated that maybe her desire for pink was not just a projection from me I continued to watch the interaction between Pretty Pony and her child.
As the child lead her around, Pretty Pony began putting her head down, placing her nose against said ratty brown lead rope.
"What is this?!" you could hear her say again. "I'm pretty sure this isn't pink!"
All the way across the corral she kept her nose against the lead rope, examining it carefully for any pink strands. From a distance her walk was amusing, her nose glued to the ground, and her feet carefully raised higher as she followed her child in a rather odd fashion.
Confirming that this was not just my imagination, one of the kids next to me asked: "What is Pretty Pony doing?"
Still thinking I might be creating the situation, I imagined that maybe Pretty Pony was colicking, as she was walking in a similar fashion to a horse that has a belly ache, so I kept quiet, to see what the kids had to offer.
"She seems really fascinated with her lead rope" one child answered the first child's question.
"What is pretty pony doing?" I asked the child holding her lead rope, still hoping she didn't have a belly ache.
"I don't think she likes this lead rope" the child said insightfully.
I let out a guffaw. Sure enough, Pretty Pony had her nose glued to the lead rope, not the ground.
Ok, pretty pony, I said with exasperation. Your princess set is in the mail.
So much for projection. So much for anthropomorphism.
Pretty Pony, does indeed, like pink.
And she is very happy with her new pink halter and lead rope set, thank you very much, and her bridle with pink gemstones.
If you find a pony-sized, pink saddle pad, can you send it my way?
Gee whiz.

Finding things

I seem to have a theme of cases lately involving "finding things."
First, just to clarify, I consider finding animal cases to be pretty much the bottom of the barrel when it comes to animal communication clientele. I mean, no animal communicator with an established clientele really wants to subject themselves to such cases, right? You take a panicked human, a panicked lost animal, a million acres of possibilities, and then say "can you find my ?"
It just seems to be an impossible task, and too many times if you even do feel connected to the animal, there is no way to ever validate the information.
Well, apparently I have a lesson to learn, and it involves my own confidence in myself and in the universe.
The first case I got was a little jack russel cross that had gone missing from her home. Two weeks later she is still lost and I feel I have been completely useless in helping out with the case. When I try to connect with her I get. . .nothing. Like there is a big shroud over her whereabouts.
Now, there are several possible reasons for this, most possibly that she is perfectly in her journey and exactly where she is supposed to be, and my happy little human self is not meant to intervene (afterall, I'm not exactly God.)
However, you can imagine that this situation might be a little damaging to, if not my ego, at least my confidence in my abilities.
So enter three more cases to boost my confidence.
The first was a little dog who had gone missing from the backyard. I immediately connected with him and got that he had gotten into a vehicle (A white SUV) and been taken nearby to somebody's house. He was at the door just waiting to be let out. I advised the family to put up fliers and hopefully whoever took him would return him.
Two days later a white SUV pulled up in their driveway and pushed out the little dog before driving away.
Success!
The second case involved a rescue dog who had gotten away from her owner only a few days after meeting her. She had run away and was now hiding in the forrest, scared, and not allowing anyone to catch her. She had been in this situation for a week, and all attempts at catching her, including animal cages, bribes, and animal control, had failed.
I talked to this dog for an hour, helping her cope with her fear of people, reminding her of the good times she had experienced with human beings, and trying to walk with her in spirit. I envisioned that I was sitting in front of her, and when she was ready to walk up to me, she could practice building confidence being petted through me. I then told her I would walk with her to find people to help her. When I ended the session I tried to stay connected to her in spirit, and envisioned that she was walking into town.
A few hours later I received a phone call that she had been found and was with people.
Success!
The third case was unique. It was a horse owner whose horse had been tangled up in wire last year. They had never found the wire, and wondered if I could talk to the horse about where it was so they could find it and make sure no other horses got hurt on it.
"Sure, I can try that." I said.
Inside I was thinking: "Are you kidding??"
However, the horse gave me a very detailed tour of the pasture and told me the wire had been down by the "creek." I don't think your pasture has a creek, I told the horse. "A creek," he repeated. "A spring fed creek. Near a pond." I continued arguing with the horse due to my intuition which continually questioned the validity of a creek in the pasture. Finally the horse reframed saying it was in the "boggy bottoms." He specifically showed me a corner of the pasture, far away from the barn.
When I talked to the horse's owner, I asked tentatively: "Do you have a creek in the pasture?"
"Oh, yes," she said. "An irrigation ditch. It is close to the resevoir which is on the other side of the fence, and is continually running that time of year, so the pasture would have been really muddy in that area." She confirmed it was in the far area of the pasture, away from the barn.
Oh. Spring fed creek. Boggy bottom. Pond.
I get it.
Success, again.
So I suppose my guides are trying to teach me something.
As long as I walk I will continue striving to walk with them and learn what they are teaching.

Moxi

Last week we had Moxi's funeral.
Or I should say going away party.
Moxi was in my life for only year. A 13 pound mixed terrier, he managed to bring more energy into my house than all my other animals combined.
He lived his life 110% all the time.
Moxi crossed over in my arms. Right from my heart into heaven.
While the death of his body was unexpected and traumatic for me, there was also a peace that came with being able to communicate with him while he passed.
I knew when he was in the process of crossing over, and could immediately talk to him on the other side.
He continually told me he had no pain or suffering, just crossed from one area of love to another.
It was a unique experience for me. In the past, when I have lost animals I always attached the grief I had of losing them to my own insecurities, guilt, self-loathing. Thinking it was my fault, or I should have been able to do something to prevent it. Or if they had loved me, they would have stayed longer.
Being able to grieve Moxi purely, with none of these attachments, made the grieving process so much easier. . .
There were many reassurances that it was truly Moxi I was talking to on the other side.
While I was standing crying over his dead body I started wondering about his funeral.
"I want a going away party" Moxi chimed in.
Later, I was crying as I talked to him about coming back to me (if he wanted to) some day.
He said: "If I'm going to stay longer, I might have to tone it down a little bit next time!"
My sobs immediately turned into heaves of laughter.
Moxi's going away party turned out okay, and I found myself laughing instead of crying.
As we all shared about Moxi, interestingly, the other dogs came over, one at a time.
Ozzie first.
I asked him if he wanted to share something about Moxi.
He said: "He always liked to play with me."
Then Eli.
I asked again, thinking, Eli, king of the kings, would have nothing nice to say about Moxi, who seemed to be merely a pest in his presence.
I nearly started crying when Eli said:
"He was my friend, and I loved him."
More beautiful words could not have been spoken.
Namaste, Moxi, until we meet again.

Visual Confirmations

I do a lot of animal communication sessions from a distance, but relish the opportunity to do them in person. Not only do I love to fully meet the animal--body and all (I am like a little kid that way!), I also look forward to the opportunity of interacting with the animal at all levels at the same time.
There is nothing more exciting then when the animal confirms for me through its actions what I have just received metaphysically.
This happened recently for me in a session I was doing with a horse. The client I was working with had three horses. Two were hers and one was her husbands. She kept wanting me to focus on her horses (who were obliging by physically mobbing us), but I kept feeling drawn to her husband's horse who was standing back away from us.
"He's very standoffish," my client said, turning her attention back to her horses.
"I think he has something to say," I said beginning to focus my attention on the beautiful black gelding.
As I focused on him, he locked on to me with his eyes, and then began to walk forward until he was only a few steps a way.
The person I was with seemed a little surprised.
"Oh, she said, "that's interesting.
I continued to focus on him, feeling a deep sadness.
"He's very sad about being moved around so much," I said. "Like he's never gotten over being sold from his previous owners."
The horse's jaw relaxed and he began licking a chewing, a sign I had hit on something.
"Oh," I said, recognizing the full impact of what I was saying. "He's concerned about the new horse your husband is getting (I had been told this before the session started.) He thinks he is going to be replaced."
The horse let out a huge sigh and began working his jaw in an obvious manner, again marking that I had said something of value.
I then began discussing with my human client the implications of the new horse. Would a new horse mean that her husband would spend less time with his current horse?
As she talked, I recognized that the new horse would be an interest of her husbands, but would also be to increase the number of horse to 4, so that she and her husband could go for a trail ride without the third horse running the fence line.
"Oh," I summarized, "So the new horse is going to be a babysitter!"
I looked at the black horse, who locked onto my eyes intently.
"See," I said. "You are not being replaced. The new horse is going to be a babysitter so that you can go on more trailrides!"
At this, the horse's eyes brightened. His head lifted in excitement. He looked into my eyes as if to say: Are you sure?
The person next to me confirmed: "That's right. Bob loves you. You will be with us forever."
At this, the horse pushed his head right against my chest. Then lifted up, and put his mouth on my cheek giving me a slobbery kiss!!
The women next to me just about fell over. Standoffish, huh?
Nothing like a horsey kiss to confirm the information I am receiving.
Following this I had more confirmation, as we were discussing basic nutritional needs of the horses. The black horse continually told me that they needed salt blocks (currently the horses had trace mineral blocks, but none that were salt only), and then pitched in: "I'd like to drink out of the other water tank."
"Is there another water tank?" I asked. I could see one in the pen, but did not see a second.
"Oh yes," the woman said. "Follow me." And we all began walking towards the barn, horse following.
As we reached the closed gate, the woman's husband appeared.
"Your horse wants to drink out of the other water tank," his wife announced, opening the gate.
The gate opened, and we all walked through, then watched, dumbfounded, as the horse immediately plunged his nose into the water.
I laughed. Another physical validation, for both me and my human clients.
"He's worried about the new horse your getting," I explained to the husband. "He thinks he going to be replaced."
The man looked directly at the horse, and laughed, not unkindly.
"Oh, buddy, you know better than that. I've told you before: Your stuck with me. 'Til death do us part."
Again the horse's eyes shined. The man then took him out of the corral and began grooming them. There was nothing better to end my session than the shining of the horse's eyes, glowing with love and knowing

Slave to the Animals

I often feel that I am a slave to the animals. A helpless victim of their calling. No matter where I think I may want to go with my life, or how I try to wander away, they always call me back.
Sometimes with a gentle nudge, other times with a harder push.
I remember when I realized in high school that horses were my calling. I was a smart student. Validictorian. Near perfect score on my ACT. I was certainly destined for med school or engineering, or some other smart-person lucrative career.
Nope. Not for me.
When I gave into the calling of the animals, I cried happy tears standing in the shower. There is nothing so moving as recognizing and embracing your life's calling.
For four years in a horsey college, I lived in complete bliss.
When I was newly married and my husband lost his job, I gave up my horsey job for a slightly higher-paying one working with children. While rewarding and an amazing step on my path, it was less than a year later that the perfect horsey job fell into my lap, paying twice as much as I'd made before.
The animals calling, again.
When I thought I might give up horses for good (after losing 5 in a row), Pogo appeared in my life, skin and bones. Do you want him back? his current owners asked (He had lived with me before.) Well, no, I don't, an emotionally-fatigued me thought; but, how could I refuse?
Open to horses again, Spice (the pony-love of my life) almost immediately followed.
Still, fresh out of graduate school with my MSW and fresh off the loss of my horses, I persisted in attempting to be hired as a therapist in the child-care field. No horses involved. Nope, nu-huh, no-how.
I interview great, and had excellent credentials, but didn't get a single position.
Until I happened across a clinical position on the other side of the state, listed on an equine therapy website. Whoops, sucked back in, again.
When I focused too much on the clinical aspect of my work, and lost site of the horses, my energy waned and became burnt. Feeling like I was crawling across a scorched dessert, parched for water, I cried out to the heavens: Please help! I am lost!
When the answer came to me, it shouldn't have been an apparation.
Horses, of course.
When I focused on them, it all came back to me. Animal Communication. Connecting with others on my same path. Delving back into equine therapy.
And so, here I am, on track again. Not master to the animals, but their humble servant. Following their call. Dutifully bringing them to my home when they call to me. Serving up what ever dishes they ask for. Providing for them to the best of my ability.
Or are the providing for me?
And here the tables turn.
For if they are my master, I now entrust myself to their care.
Universe, do you hear me? Animals?
I am employed by you, and hereby trust you to fulfill all of my needs. I know you will feed me as I have fed you. You will clothe me and house me and care for me. You will provide me with love and joy and guidance. As long as my work is for you, I know I will always have more than enough!
More than enough money. More than enough food. More than enough joy.
What a great master I serve!

Wisdome from a cat

"Dying is letting go of what you love so you can find it again on the other side--it is bigger and brighter there."

Gotta Love the Journey

Welcome to my blog.
why am I blogging?
I want to reach out to people who are like me--whose gifts are deeper than the naked eye. Whose journey goes beyond what they even realize.
As one who knows the difficulties of the journey, I want to offer support to others walking the same path.
Thinking about my journey right now makes me smile.
I thought I wanted to be a horse-trainer.
There was a slight snag.
My riding instructor in college used to look at me like I had grown three green tentacles out of my head.
Or, make that four.
What she said, was: "Christy, I think that horse must like you."
What she really meant was: "There is no way on god's green earth that a human being with the lack of riding ability you have should have been able to get that horse to do that."
A nicer way of saying it would be that my riding "form" or "technique" didn't exactly explain why certain difficult horses seemed to respond to me the way that they did.
The funny thing is, I didn't exactly see it as such a good thing at the time.
I mean, when your riding instructor--who you think just might be next in line for God's throne-- is looking at you like four green tentacles belong on your head, its hard to grow in self-esteem.
What I really wanted at the time was to impress her with my stunning technique, my brilliant form, my potential as a Grand Prix rider.
Not the unsolved mystery of why, no matter how I clammored around on the horse's back, they still seemed to like me at the end of the day.
The gifts I did have were misunderstood, by both of us, and quite frankly, I would have been happy to exchange them for one quarter of the "talent" or attention that my fellow shining star classmates seemed to garner.
I even questioned God on the matter.
I wondered, why has this love of horses been placed so deeply in my heart, and yet the dreams it sends to me will forever remain unfulfilled?
(Dreams in any good riding program, of course, involve sailing over 6 foot fences or riding as a Grand Prix dressage master at the Olympics).
Fast forward three years later when I no longer questioned my failing to make the Olympic show jumping squad, and felt confident on my path into the Equine Therapy arena.
My love for horses had been answered in more ways than I ever could have asked. My heart resonated with the work I was doing, and I was able to use and fully appreciate the gifts I had been given.
And then again, the questioning came, as one after the other, I lost five horses in a row.
Again, I turned to the heavens.
How could this one thing I loved, the very thing I was put here on god's green earth for, been taken away from me? How could my heart ever exist in full, vacant of horses?
God answered.
In the form of the animals.
That's when the animals began speaking to me, answering every question I had ever thought to ask, and then some.
If I had become an Olympic show jumper, I doubt I would have taken the time to hear what the horses were trying to tell me. My "form," "technique" and "ability" would have hindered my development in other areas.
If I had been a "natural" rider, I doubt I would be so proficient in helping others realize their own riding ability--or bothered to hear what the horses were trying to say.
If my horses hadn't chosen to move over to the other side to do their work on me, I doubt I would have bothered to consider that my journey held another layer, deeper than I ever thought possible. Their voices would have been more muffled, harder to hear.
How can I possibly look at this journey in anything other than joy and gratitude?!
What a life! What a gift! What a journey!
Happy trails,

Welcome to my blog

I am an animal communicator, intuitive, energy worker and equine specialist. Some of the conversations I have with animals are absolutely amazing. This is a place where I can share my journey with the animals and allow them to have a voice.