I am looking forward to opening sacred space for the Day of the Dead Celebration for the animals on November 1.
As I gather items to create the shrine for my dearly departed companion animals I am bumping into all sorts of repressed emotions: grief, anger, confusion mixed in with love and joy. As I thumb through pictures searching from my childhood animal companions. I am seeing my younger self again. The little girl who was loved and tended by these sweet beings.  Due to circumstances I did not get to say goodbye properly to these sweet dogs.  And then I was not supported through the stages of grief from losing my best friends. Leaning into these emotions and meeting my little girl I can now allow the emotions to flow and be the parent for myself that I needed then and allow their spirit to surround me again. WIth the new perspective of being the loving parent to my younger grieving self I can know delve into the impact this pups had on my life.
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The Day of the Dead is not simply a day about mourning your loved ones and telling stories of them; it’s a day about remembering their lives and the impact they had upon you.   As well as keeping in mind that just because they’re no longer with you doesn’t mean that they’re entirely gone, because you keep them alive in your hearts and memories.

Around this time of year there is much talk about “the veils are thinning and the spiritual world is moving in close.”   What does that exactly mean- veils, thinning and why should you care?   And what does this have to do with you or your  beloved pet?  
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The best explanation I came across for the meaning of veils thinning and why is from Tess Whitehurst, a soul sister who believes like I do that “Life is Magical.”
“At Samhain/Halloween, that relentless, all-pervasive Mystery is as close as it ever gets. And now we’ve arrived at what we mean when we talk about “the veil.” You might say it’s the place where the everyday illusion of separation brushes up against the divine truth of eternity and universal interconnection. The place where form meets spirit, seen meets unseen, known meets unknown.

Why does the veil thin at Samhain? Because the days are getting shorter and the natural world is preparing to temporarily withdraw from the realm of life and growth. The harvest cycle is waning, but it’s not gone. This means Samhain is a transition: a doorway between the season of life and the season of death. Beneath this realm of constant change, there is a wide open space of eternity. A place of stillness in which the appearance of change arises. A serene openness to which we will always return, and with which we are one, even at this very moment.”

Now what does this have to do with  your beloved pet? A lot, since animals are much more energetically attuned with the earth and the spirit world.  As the veils thin the animals feel the closeness of the spirit world.  If  your beloved is elderly and ready to cross they feel the  pull and sense the ease on which to cross over back to spirit form.  Psychic abilities are enhanced at this time as well so have a conversation with your elderly pet and hear their wishes on how they want to move on so you can honor and support them.  

For your beloved pets that are in spirit now is a good time to connect with them. Honoring them and remembering them by sharing stories invites them to come closer.  Then you can tell them what's on your heart and listen with all your psychic senses for responses.   Imagine how wonderful it will be to feel their presence - the soft head nuzzle, the weight of them in your lap, the pleasant familiar sense of them. Don't trick yourself that you won't feel them.  Instead treat yourself to the mystery of life - connection and love.  The animals always come when called.

Join the 1st annual Day of Dead Celebration honoring your past companion animal/s.

Photo by Karly Jones on Unsplash

​The animals are such great teachers about energy.  Today the wasp teaches about clearing off energy that can get stuck on you when entangled in someone else's web -  dream, energy etc. And to thoroughly clean yourself off before flying off into the next moment.

Being spider web season here in the PNW today  there is a lot of activity around the webs.  Today I observed a paper wasp cleaning every part of its body.  Balancing on the front four legs as its back legs cleaned off its abdomen then moved up to thoroughly cleaning its head off. 

I was curious why there was so much cleaning?    As I was thinking this a spider shimmed up into the center of its web and the paper wasp launched itself trying to grab the spider.  It was an unsuccessful attempt since the spider had dropped quickly between the deck boards.  The wasp investigated all around trying to find the spider to unavail.  It then zoomed back up and flew aggressively back and forth through the web destroying the web.  Then the cleaning started all over again. 

Here are some of their suggestions for you to become more present.
 
















​Leave the computer, the phone and any other electronic device and get outside. 

“The idiot box or energy drain” is a term often used by the animals when talking about computers or  phones.  When you engage with the computer or phone to them it's as if nobody is home in your body.  This makes animals very nervous and worried for you because  you are not present.   Their suggestion is:

​Get outside, move around, feel your body.    

The animals offer many teachings about presence and being in this season of fullness and the dance of life.  Simply by finding the silence within and observing them the teachings are available whether its a domesticated animal or a wild animal or insect.   Slow down and be in the moment and allow your whole body to be receptive listening and observing with your ears, eyes, smell, feelings. This is a place of remembering - remembering that your body already knows how to connect with nature and the animals you did it as a kid.  

Listen from this place and observe what stirs within you.    What sensations or thoughts or emotions bubble up? How does their wildness speak to your wildness?   Curiously ask a question and see if you can receive a response. Either a general question about being that particular animal.  Or perhaps a question about what is coming up for you. Then listen with your whole body - Animal Communication happens really quickly so be open and receptive to whatever you get.    It may be a taste, a feeling, a sensation, a word, a smell, an image.​

Humans express their love to their animal companions in so many ways.  Getting the best food possible, walking them, playing with them, brushing them, taking them to the vet, snuggling with them, training them, cleaning up after them,  making sure they have enough mental stimulation  and the list goes on and on.  Why do we put so much time, effort, attention and love into these furry beings? 

I believe its the unconditional loving presence that they hold for us. 
No matter which way you show up they are there to just be with you. You! You just as you are! They meet you where you are at:

• in your grumpy after work attitude
• in your pity party victim mode
• in your frenzy of trying to get everything on the todo list completed
• in your life is great
• in relaxing and chilling out mode
• or in your the struggle is real mode

They are not asking you to shake it off or change your attitude and yet being around them your energy may shift.  Scientifically this is because they are releasing oxytocin the bonding hormone.   

Animals are excellent teachers of being present.
They are present in the moment not thinking about the squirrel at the park that outsmarted them, or the hiss the neighbor cat threw their way.  They are in the moment.  Seeing you, being with you, loving your for being you in whichever way you show up.  Gifting you with a great template to love and accept yourself.

Since animals are teachers of being present and embodied.  I invite you to take a moment to allow your sweet one to show you how much he/she loves you. 
Pause... breathe.... settle into you body... taking a few deep breaths to connect with your heart.  Then gently imagine a beautiful river of love flowing from your heart to their heart.
Then ask them how much they love you? 
​Animal communication happens really quickly so be open and aware of the first feeling, thought, sensation, smell, image or emotion that appears. 
Allow that to be the answer without much thought. 
Sit with the sensation for a few breathes. 
Acknowledge your body for the great job listening and then you can send love back to them.

Enjoy being present and allowing in the expressions of unconditional love.

Last Thursday was a morning of fog, a good soft day, a fog that settles in for a visit.  On my walk, I was enjoying a visual delight: how the thick fog makes a brilliant  backdrop for the vibrant greens bursting forth in exuberance, a rich tapestry woven with greens of the leaves announcing the tulips, the lush green grass, the tender green of new growth on the dark evergreens and the rusty greens of the freshly unfurled ferns. All of this, a feast for the eyes. My nervous system quieted down bathed in this sensory delight which sparked a thought of. “Can I easily transmit these sensations of green telepathically?”

One of the exercises we practice in my  Animal Communication Basics class is sending colors back and forth to each other.  In the exercise I guide students to feel the color.  A student asked me “What does that mean to feel a color?”  As we explored what that could mean we came to the understanding that to feel a color is using all the senses and transmitting those sensations through our ever present telepathic tools –  our bodies.   
For example, when sending the color green instead of thinking  “Like walking in nature in spring”- imagine the forest focusing on the five senses – touch, sight smell, hearing, taste.  Send the sensation of how it feels touching grass or the tulip leaves, see the ferns, the tulips, and the grass; what does it sound like walking in nature – can you hear birds calling, dogs barking or a lawn mower. Can you taste green? A pickle, asparagus.  Send feelings like how your nervous system and body feel when walking in all this green – does it feel settled and peaceful?  
Taking this a step further, when sending a communication to the animals it is helpful to feel what you are trying to say by employing all of the senses to communicate to the animal; not just words.  For example, when walking I want to feel safe.  I tell my dog this because he has numerous nemesis in the neighborhood and they like to challenge each other which, in turn, doesn’t make me feel safe.  Or when he goes off-leash and he explores the homeless camps in the parks, I do not feel safe.  Just saying the word “Safe” was not getting through to him and then I realized  I wasn’t utilizing all of the senses.  

This began a fun playful game with my body understanding what it feels like to be “safe”.  The data I have collected so far from my body about what Safe feels like is: my nervous system and body are at ease;  I feel calm;  I am aware and alert. Safe for me is seeing nature – trees, the Puget Sound. I hear my regular breathing and birds singing. I taste a delicious cup of chicken soup. I am safe.  

So, before starting our walks I pause and conjure up all these feelings, sensations, images of “safe” and allow them to flow from me to him.  I verbally say, “Let’s go have a safe adventure.”  After this exchange, if we meet a nemesis or if he ventures into the homeless camp, I amplify the feelings of safety — broadcasting them from my body and he settles and walks past the nemesis or returns from scavenging at the homeless camps much quicker, not requiring me to go down there and retrieve him.

As you can see, animal communication is a full body experience.  The animals communicate on a variety of lines of communication also using all the five senses.  You may get the feeling of thirst, or get the image of your dog drinking water or feel excited for cold refreshing water  and then realize the water bowl needs filling,  and your dog is eagerly awaiting to drink.  Feeling is communicating with the animals by using all of your senses.
​Original Posted May 2017



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​As the holiday season is starting to get into full throttle with parties, events, and school breaks, often the dog or the cat is forgotten in the sense of being told what is going on. Having held space for hundreds of conversations for people, I know that the family pet is essentially the Family System Therapist.  They spend their lives in our worlds observing and responding to the energy, 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. They know when something shifts energetically and disrupts their routine, especially holidays and big events.  If they are not told the details around why their routine will be disrupted, they often absorb the stress, overwhelm, and start acting out.

I have spoken with several animals this week who have specifically asked for more information about what is going on.  They asked for us to update them on plans as soon as they are made to help them understand this energetic shift. They actually want to be told what is happening day to day –  even it is the same old routine of a walk, work, home, walk, play, and sleep.  And they are requesting you to spice it up with information with details such as, “I have a big meeting today and I am tired and unprepared.”

Just you speaking about what is going on for you out loud helps them understand what they are energetically feeling. By speaking it, you own it, and they don’t have to worry about trying to absorb your stress.

Regarding the holidays, again, they want specifics such as; who is coming to dinner, the timing of it, what their job is during the dinner and to hear any other details more information the better.  They will be more relaxed and you have one less thing to worry about.

This might be a new for you to tell your animal beloved companion everything and it may feel strange, ridiculous, or silly. Don’t worry, you can do this because all of our thoughts automatically get turned into images which the animals can understand. 

I encourage you to try it consistently throughout the holidays and observe if there is a difference in their behavior as well as your stress level after telling them.  They are amazing therapists!


For more tips about planning for the holidays that includes traveling read this post Approaching the Holidays with your Animal. 

If you’re interested in learning more about what Animal Communication is, go here.

If you’re stressing about the holidays and your companion animal,
​book an Animal Communication session with me. 

In November I lead my first Animal Experiences.  It was two separate  Salmon Experiences with spawning salmon at Piper Creek in Carkeek Park.  I guided participants how to tune into their own innate intuitive abilities and listen for guidance from the salmon around a  certain question or their intention.  On both days all of the participants were able to receive wisdom from the salmon even when the amount of salmon present and the height of the creek was wildly different.


One day the creek was running clear and slow teeming with salmon and the other running high, fast and very murky with a few struggling salmon navigating their way upstream past many dead salmon.

The salmon’s  teachings and wisdom as well as how the messages were heard/received either as a thought, a feeling, a knowingness, an image or hearing words, was different for each person because we all receive messages in our own unique way. 
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 Upcoming Animal Experiences 
I have mapped out more experiences with wild animals for the next couple of months.  I invite you to join me to play outside and learn from the animals. Nature is the gym to strengthen your intuitive muscle and learn how to be open and receptive to receiving messages. And besides, it’s good clean fun.   I have tentative dates and meeting locations which may change based on migration patterns and where the animals are showing up.  
Eagles experience – Rescheduled to January 13 –   Skagit River or Nooksack River 
Eagles offer wonderful insights in trusting in spirit and learning to see the big picture and the interconnection in your life, and much more.

As you are gearing up for the holidays and are making plans, to do lists, menus, guest lists, or travel plans please remember to keep your beloved animal companions in the loop of what is going on.
Here are some simple ways to make sure your animals know what’s happening…
If you are traveling and they are staying home – tell them the plans. Just like you are talking to a friend, tell them about the trip and why you are going, who you are seeing, what you are going to do. Then let them know the number of days until you leave by counting how many meals until you leave, how many meals you will be gone, and when you are returning home. You could even tell them who is taking care of them, how long they’ll stay, etc.
Are you staying home and hosting Thanksgiving? Maybe you are having guests stay overnight at the house?  Let them know in advance who the guests are that are staying, how many meals until these guests arrive, and how many meals they are staying.  Clue them in where the person will be sleeping and how having these people around may alter their daily routine. Start sharing with them the whole holiday plan: all the details, people, schedule, menu, etc.  Include, in the details, when they will be tended to as well as how you want them to behave when people come over.  The more you share and let them know what’s going on the happier they are.
If you will be gone away just for the day, let them know this and once again tell them where you will be going, what you will be doing, and when you will be coming home.
Remember animals read energy and live in our energy fields so they know when something shifts energetically and disrupts their routine, especially holidays and big events.  Talking with them as soon as plans are made the more relaxed they are – and the more relaxed you and your guests are!
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