The 4th of July is right around the corner and now is a good time to be updating your animal companion about the firework plan.  Do you have a firework plan?

​A number of times a year Echo, (AKA Mini-Panther) and his person have a conversation to review what happens during celebrations that include fireworks.

Echo lives in a part of Seattle  where fireworks are common. It seems the vibe of the neighborhood is: Anytime is a good time to light off a loud exploding object - football games, New Years and 4th of July.  The explosions last until the wee hours of the morning and the big fireworks rock the house. ⁠ 


​During their firework conversation Echo and his person review safety protocols, why the cat door will be locked for two days and why he will be stuck inside. ⁠Also, they go over what he should do if he is outside and a firework goes off.  Echo is regularly told how many days it is until the fireworks start, and then the two of them share their dislike of fireworks and their mutual wish that fireworks did not exist or at least were silent. ⁠

Have you made a plan for your companions for the fireworks? 🐶⁠ 🐈⁠  Please start talking to them now.  

Also, if calming aids are needed, it's best to start using them now for they take a few weeks to build up in the body.  Let your animal know why they are getting a new treat or powder if it is something completely new for them.

Summer oh glorious summer is here!  Rain has been a close friend of summer here in the PNW and the gardens are a riot of color with a backdrop of lush green.  I hope the summer in your part of the world is full of wonder and beauty.  As we enter into this busy season remember to keep your animal companion in the loop of the activities you have planned for the months ahead.

If you are traveling and they are staying home, share with them the plan.  Where you are going, why they aren’t going and who is taking care of them.  Tell them everything.  Do you have special events coming up such as graduations, weddings, parties or people are coming over? Share the news with them.  Tell them who is coming and how long they are staying.  Tell them everything. 

And yes, I mean literally tell them out loud what the plans are and remind them as time goes by!

Animals read your energy, so speaking out loud to them is a bit different from speaking out loud to a person. They will interpret your messages through emotions and pictures which means you need to make sure to speak from the heart and be honest with them! ⁠
Talking with them as soon as plans are made helps them relax which means you can relax.  And keep updating them if there are changes to plans. 
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Enjoy updating your fabulous furry family for an enjoyable summer! 

​Blessings,
-Neave

​On this Sunday before Memorial Day I thank each person in active military service, honor those who have served, and remember those who have fallen in service to our country.  I also remember the animals working in active service, have served, or have fallen.

There are a variety of animals in the military- horses, dogs, pigeons, dolphins, bees and pigs (to name just a few). The list goes on and on! Animals help with transportation, pest control, morale ( as mascots and companions), medical evacuations, search and rescue, detection, scouting, guarding, and relaying messages.

To each animal and human in the military I bow, giving great thanks for your dedication to our country.  

PSA from the animals

The animals are begging you to clearly tell them what you want from them, and to be conscious of where you are focusing your attention.
This message comes from a familiar theme emphasized throughout many client conversations this month with anxious animals or animals displaying undesirable behaviors.  Animals are masters at reading energy, intention, and attention. Energy flows where intention and attention goes. Clarifying what you want gives your animal an idea of where the energy is flowing and a blueprint for how to stay in connection with you during anxious moments.

Let me share an example from my own life: 

Sometimes my dog Prince will lunge at another dog while we are on a walk. I spent some time time figuring out what I want from our walks together, which I determined to be a sense of SAFETY. So I explore what safety means (and more importantly) how safety feels for me, and I broadcast this to Prince through my words and with my body. 
In my exploration around the word safety I understand that safety means to me that my nervous system is resting, my breathing and heartbeat have normal rhythmic flow, my body is fluid and I move with ease, I am aware of my surroundings and I am present with what I see, hear, and sense. Safety means that my dog and I communicate with each other with ease while walking, meaning I am noticing his cues and respond and he is responding to me as well. Safety for every being in my home means that there is enough room and space for every being to rest easily and can move around the house with ease.  I let my dog Prince know at the beginning of our walk that we are going to have a safe, fun, refreshing adventure. Because I have spent time figuring out what safety means to me, my body broadcasts the feeling of safety to match my words and Prince gets the message. If something happens that does not feel safe (say I did not read his cues and he felt uncomfortable around a dog and reacted by lunging),  I let him know that that action was NOT safe, allowing my body to amplify my racing heart, my shallow breathing, the nervous system that is reacting and then I say for myself and him “Everyone needs to feel safe on our walks, you, me and any being walking by.”  Using my breath and shifting my attention back to what safety feels like to me I am reorienting myself and him back to safety, and we can then continue our walk with ease.

Reorienting to safety reminds me to be more present on the walk and to pay attention to Prince’s body language and cues when another dog is approaching. so I can be broadcasting safety and staying in connection with him during moments of uncertainty.
There are many common and frustrating circumstances that can be addressed using this practice. For example:
Peeing/pooping outside of the box - Take time to explore why you are angry and clarify where you want the animals to pee and why. Is it for beauty, cleanliness and ease?  You could send your cat a message such as this: "The litter box is the only place for peeing and pooping.  I like the house to be clean and to smell good. Cat pee is not a pleasant smell I want in my house. If there is pee outside the litterbox I get frustrated and angry because I have to clean and the house stinks."
Barking - Take time to explore why you are angry and clarify when you want the dog to bark and why and communicate that with you animals. 'No barking!' is a phrase often delivered with a lot of energy towards the dog and to them it feels as if you are joining in. Remember that barking is a way of communicating for dogs. Do you acknowledge their barking? Thank them for letting you know the delivery guy is there! Explore how much barking is okay and let the dog know your comfort level (such as- 'two barks is enough!'). 
 
These are just a few examples. By taking time to clarifying what you want, your whole body can be communicating the energetic message more effectively to your companions. This is a powerful guide to reorient back to when there are things you don't want.

Have fun exploring and clarifying! The animals are grateful for your clarification because it fosters harmony and connection.

Blessings,
Neave

Here are my mom and dad in Ireland with my mom's sister Bridghin and this is what I imagined the welcoming party was like for my mom.

Since my parents lived the last five years close to me.  I had been named the executor of their estate.  So along with my grief I had a mountain of tasks ahead of me to get through probate, selling their home, packing up and shipping items to my siblings (the list goes on). 

Thankfully today the to-do list is much shorter and the file is only 1 inch tall instead of 7 inches, but I feel I owe my clients an apology: 

During this challenging time my on-line scheduler Genbook was sold to a company called Booksy.  I did not have the bandwidth to check out Booksy in depth before I agreed to be signed over and I apologize to all of my clients!  Booksy is not user friendly for both you or me. 

However, I am happy to say that my new scheduler Acuity is now up and running! This awesome scheduler allows you to upload current pictures of your wonderful beloved companions, fill in forms to gather your thoughts and intentions for the conversation, pay easily.  Its a win win win for you, me and the animals! 

I have been so grateful for HeartSong and all of the sacred conversations I have participated in during this journey over the last 9 months.  Being in conversation with the animals and their people is my happy place and a place I can show up and do what I am good at, connect with wonderful people and animals and know I am contributing to the community.  Thank you for allowing me to be part of you and your animal's life...

Over the course of this journey with my parents I have realized how important it is to do the things you love to do and ask for help and support when needed.  Keeping this in mind, I am reorienting back to HeartSong and I hired a support team to keep HeartSong humming while I show up to do what I am really good at, which is being in collaboration with the animals in conversations, classes, field trips, mentorships and retreats. 
All which will be coming soon!

Don’t die with your music in you.  Share your music with the world and join the beautiful orchestra of life where we each are playing our individual songs!

The veils between the spiritual world and this world are very thin from Halloween till Winter Solstice.  Be mindful of wild animals that may be  showing up because animals agree to be messengers. They are likely delivering a message to you from the spirit realm.

For example, within an hour of my father's passing  two of my siblings and I went to a magical pool on the Dungeness River.  We  knew that my dad’s spirit had not stayed in the room but had gone to his favorite place. - nature.   As we slowly entered the refreshing water rippled with rainbows, it enveloped us in a cleansing baptismal rinsing the heaviness of the last 72 hours. As we acclimated to the water we spoke about my dad.  My brother was chest deep perched on a rock in the pool, my sister was letting the waters dance around her legs and I was just  emerging from a full dunk.

At that moment a red dragonfly swooped over my brother's head and drank from the pool right in from him. It then grazed my sister's head and drank again right in front of her and flew over me and drank again. Then it was gone. 

We sat in silent awe of the powerful messenger. Tears of joy, sadness, and gratitude mixed with the rainbow waters as we understood the message that our dad’s soul was free and drinking from the river of life. 

Pay attention to the animals as well as other signs from your ancestors and your animals in spirit. ​

Think about your animal companion and the number of years you have shared their company as well as all the parts of your life they have witnessed.  Together you have spent years living life, the ups and downs, the ins and the outs throughout it all they have been compassionately loving you. 

Think of the understanding you have of each other. You each know each other's likes, and dislikes, you understand each other's personalities, you know each other's habits and routines.  You have developed your own way of communicating with each other.  Your heart connection with your animal companions strengthens the trust of the universal heart language of connection, intuition and love.  

The animals want to assist you in gaining a deeper understanding of how you are in constant conversation with them so you can trust what you are receiving.   For the animals  words are like a babbling brook, the true communication is broadcasted from the body.  Verbal communication is only 20% of communication.  The rest is empathy, telepathy, intuition and psychic senses (we all have psychic senses even you.)  Your body is an amazing telepathic sending and receiving station 

Empathy is the transference of emotions and sensations from one being to another.  For example: You may sense your animal's  sadness  or frustration when you leave. Telepathy pertains to mind and thought and involves the transference of thought from one being to another without speaking or visual prompts of any kind.  For example understanding your dog needs out before he even stands up to go towards the door.  
 
If you already have special bonds or links spiritually and emotionally, both telepathy and empathy occur more naturally This is because you are in tune with each other’s energies which opens communication channels more easily.  Your companions are tuned into your radio station - your frequency just like you are with them.
​
Empathy is the transference of emotions and sensations from one being to another. For example: You may sense your animal's sadness or frustration when you leave.
Telepathy pertains to mind and thought and involves the transference of thought from one being to another without speaking or visual prompts of any kind. For example understanding your dog needs out before he even stands up to go towards the door.
By acknowledging the communication you are receiving from your companion animals helps strengthen the connection. You are their number one station and they are your biggest fan!
Let your fan know you hear them!


The Psychic Senses  are senses that your body and spirit uses to receive more subtle information, beyond and corresponding to the five senses seeing, hearing, feeling, smelling, tasting, touching and these are not bound by space or time. 
Clairsentience is clear sensation or feeling . The ability to perceive information by a “feeling” within the whole body, without any outer stimuli related to the feeling or information. For example you could feel your dog's sadness when they leave or pain in your hand foot later find a thorn in their paw. 

Clairconnection is a clear heart connection which is the universal means by which all forms of consciousness can communicate with each other.  It is the capability of speaking with animals and nature.  (This psychic sense was told to me by the animals and nature).

Clairaudience is the capability of receiving an intuitive vocal message from animals or the world of spirits or a higher being. You may hear your animal companion's voice when you were just thinking about them.. 

Clairvoyance  is clear seeing with the mind’s eye - receiving pictures, extrasensory  impressions, and symbols, colors etc.  For instance, you may see an image of closed window and realize your cat wants you to open the window.

Claircognizance is clear knowing that happens when you have thoughts that aren’t yours (meaning, you wouldn’t normally be thinking these thoughts and nothing triggered them), or when you just know something and you don’t know how you know. No logical base to them.  For example you just know your cat is stuck under the bed.

The truth of the matter is, you have these abilities. In the same way that you  have the ability to see hear, feel, smell and taste.  You have been communicating with your animals for years and now is the time to strengthen those intuitive muscles by bringing presence and mindfulness to how you are communicating.

Your animal companions are family members and what happens within the family affects them as well.  Animals thrive in routine, balance and harmony.  Change causes waves of unbalanced energy in the family  and it is unsettling to your animal companions.  Changes can be small things that cause little hiccups in their daily routine such as trying to get used to daylight savings time and you are feeding them earlier or later then usual.  Or an early morning meeting that moves back the walking time.  Or they can be big changes that have a huge effect on your animal companion such as moving across the country, or expecting a baby or going back to work with the lifting of covid stay at home orders.  

 It will be easier on them if you keep them abreast of the situation through daily briefings. Where the information is delivered by data points and sticking to facts.  Facts must include how you feel. For example saying out loud to your dog or cat: “The kids will not be around as much since they are going back to in person school.  I am both a bit nervous about it and ecstatic as well. It adds a new piece to juggle in the schedule.” Animals are listening by tracking the energy and your thoughts which are get turned into pictures for them. 

Now in contrast if you are not doing the daily briefings then they become detectives trying to the cause of change by tracking the energy in the house and within the family members.   Body language and  breathing patterns reveal much about internal states as well as certain chemicals bodies release in response to certain emotions.   When stressed breathing get shallow.  Holding your breath to the animal means fear.   Breathing may be fast or erratic when overwhelmed or anxious.  Bodies tense up when try to control situations.   WIthout the daily briefings  and relying on  body language and energy of family members as well as of the energy in the house your companion may experience stress  or worry because they do not understand what is the cause of the fear, anxiety, worry or overwhelm. 

The animals invite you to stay present and track your body language to gain understanding of what you are communicating energetically and  this may bring new awareness to you about how you are truly navigating change. 

The animals are great at modeling data points and communicating the facts.  For example when my dog and I are walking in the neighborhood and if my dog begins to walk really stiff legged and his tail puffs up - these are data points through which he is communicating the facts that one of his arch enemies is approaching.  As soon as this enemy comes into sight the barking, the huffing and the lunging begins - data points. He is now delivering the facts that to him this dog is bothersome and he wants to get a piece of him. As soon as we have passed the other dog, he shakes it off which is another data point communicating the facts that the moment has shifted.  And he continues on his walk without a care in the world.  He is not caught up in worrying about whether he should have lunged further, he could have pulled me across the street or he would have bitten that dog he  had been closer to him.  Instead he is present here now in this new moment.  As you can see you may be given numerous daily briefings as things are constantly changing. 

Take  time to tell your animal companion daily of the status of big changes including when they will happen, why they are happening,  how you feel about the changes, how it will affect them and what part of the change you are oriented to today - such as "We are moving to a new house in two weeks. I am packing up the kitchen and I am feeling overwhelmed because there is some much stuff I have to do."   Keeping your animals in the loop helps navigating change with a bit more ease, harmony and balance.

Do your words match what is going on inside of you?  I ask because animals are receivers of energy and masters at reading energy.   If your words don’t match the energy that is flowing in you then you are incongruent. For example if you have had an exacerbating time at work and are seething on the inside and act like everything is fine - - you don’t match inside and out. When you are incongruent you become a little suspect and untrustworthy to your animals since you are not reliably tracking the energy within.  

Every animal responds differently to incongruence; they may act out by playing out the energy they feel, they may move in close since they are worried about you, they may bite you or scratch you. Or they may not listen to or respond to you.  Their behaviors are trying to get you into the present moment to connect with yourself and become congruent.

When  you match on the inside and outside in the eyes of the animals you become more reliable and trustworthy.  Now imagine seething from your exacerbating time at work and letting your loyal companion know that you had a hard day and  express with words what you're feeling the best that you can.   For example just admitting and saying out loud “My day was really hard and I am so frustrated at my job.  I am really mad and here are all the reasons I am mad…...”  

No matter what the truth, your animals will hear it and stay in connection because you are like them accurately tracking the energy (your emotions) and being congruent.  You are trustworthy.​    Allow yourself to be congruent and stay in connection with your animals.​

Schedule a session if you desire help in communicating what's going on for you.

Companion animals are an integral part of families and they are masters at reading energy and great teachers of balance and harmony.  They spend their lives observing and responding to the energy within the home.   They have a deep understanding of what is going on energetically within the family dynamic often taking on jobs within the family to keep the energy flowing: absorbing emotions of their people or acting out to get stuck energy moving. Remember times when you have felt sick or just “down”  and your animal companion came to curl up beside you and “made you feel better.”  

Also, companion animals will do what is necessary to bring attention to what is out of balance in the house or within the family dynamics.  In their attempt  to get the energy of the house back to a calm coherent state, they might also be absorbing the energy.  This can result in odd behaviors, acting out, marking, pooping in odd places, aggression that appears out of nowhere - please add in your animals interesting quirks.  

Physical problems can also arise from absorbing too much energy that overloads their entire nervous systems.  Problems can be vast and varied; it may include digestion problems, excessive itching, over grooming, reactivity etc.   Basically they are a live wire with so much energy going through them frying their system and they react.  Think of the times your animal companion was doing something you couldn’t understand or tolerate: peeing outside the litter box, chewing holes in your coat, refusing to lift her hoove for cleaning, pecking at you as you tried to clean the cage, swiping you with claws.  

Remember that term “the canary in the coal mine” it refers to when miners brought caged canaries with them into the mines and if the canaries started fainting or died the miners knew it was time to get out due to lack of oxygen. Just like the miners -  look to your companion animals for clues of how the energy in the house and the family dynamic is doing and take necessary steps to restore balance and harmony.  

Is your sweet animal acting out or getting sick or just not themselves?  This is them trying to bring attention to the fact that there is a dam, a big energy blocker that has interrupted the flow of energy.  Their behaviors called you forth, into the present moment to evaluate the harmony and balance in the home and within the family. What is out of balance? What simple steps can you take to bring balance and harmony into the home?
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Take time to analyze what is going on within your home and make changes for balance and harmony so your companions can get back to being dogs and cats instead of canaries. 

Leave a comment below on how your companion animal was letting you know the energy was out of balance.​​​

​​Photo by Chris Roberts