Animal Communciation: Helping Us Understand Our Pets, but also Ourselves

Posted by Barbara Techel

 

g and me at cass studioGidgie and Me at my friend Cassy’s art studio

Next week I’m having my animal communicator, Dawn, do a reading with Gidget. I’ve been wanting to do this for awhile now—ever since I adopted her.  It now feels like the right time, as it keeps popping up in my mind.

Interestingly enough, when I emailed Dawn to ask about setting up a time, she shared with me that Gidget had just popped into her thoughts this week!  So I guess Gidget is ready to share some thoughts, too.

Animal readings with Dawn have really helped me not only understand my dogs more, but to understand myself on a deeper level.

This really has taken on a whole new understanding for me, especially after the passing of Joie. It is starting to make more sense to me the relationships I have with my pets, and how they mirror me.

My reading with Dawn with Joie while she was still alive, helped me to realize I was trying to make Joie something she wasn’t ready to be. We had to find our own way and what was comfortable for Joie.

From that reading, I learned to pay more attention to what it was that Joie needed. I took the time to do Reiki with her and just be with her. Though I still felt confused about my own next steps of my path, bonding with her became something I was so grateful to experience with her through our Reiki sessions, and the communication with Dawn’s help.

Animal communication has always been intriguing to me. I’ve started to read more and more about it. I read all of Dawn’s books, as well as have her animal tarot cards. I’ve had many aha moments from reading her books as well as working with the cards.

In fact, her first book I read, Animal Voices, I have many pages marked with sticky notes and many things I’ve  underlined that resonate with me.

One passage in her book made me teary eyed when I read it:  People will be called to read this book because they are ready for it, and as they read it, they will remember the eternal truth; nothing exists that is not consciousness—God/Goddesss/All That Is. Once they recognize and remember that, it will all make sense to them.

I also liked what was said about how we need to start seeing our animals friends which she learned through another animal communicator speaking with her dog Zak: Many people tend to think things about their animals that aren’t really existent. He hopes your book will break through to some people so they stop seeing their animals so personally and start seeing them as separate and individual.

So much of what our animals have to teach us is fascinating to me. It is in part why I’m hosting an animal communication workshop with Dawn in March. I really want to understand more. If you do too, please feel free to check out details about the workshop here.

In the mean time, I’m anxious to hear what Gidget will have to share next week!

To learn more about Dawn you can visit her website, Animal Voices.

It’s a Slipper Kind-A-Day.

Posted by Barbara Techel

wiener dog slippersThis working from home can have its advantages. Especially on a day like today when it has been lightly snowing most of the day and now the wind is picking up, blowing the snow around. My kind of day to stay in my wiener dog slippers all day long.

As you can see by the photo, they are Gidget approved.  I imagine all dachshunds would approve.  Though some may think they are stuffed toys and try to shake them or dig the stuffing out!

I’ve been awake since 1:00am tossing and turning though not sure why. Sometimes that just happens. So I’m beginning to wilt after having written a chapter for my new book, Joie’s Gift- Finding Purpose in the Pause as well as wrote my bi-weekly newsletter which comes out this Friday again.

I’m about thunk out for the day, so will keep this short and sweet. But before I go, I know you doxie crazy loving people are likely just dying to know where I got these adorable slippers.

Well, my wonderful mom got them for me. She got them from the Animal Rescue Site.  Ok, wishing you all a slipper kind-a-day when you need it most!

Pre-grieving your Pet. A New and Interesting Term to Me.

Posted by Barbara Techel

kylie on sofa sacked out eKylie sure does have it made!

A friend of mind sent me an email the other day about pre-grieving being a possible interesting topic for my blog.

She shared with me that for years before her 19-year old kitty died, she would cry about her dying someday. She would tell her how much she would miss her. She shared with me that she now does the same thing with her dog.

I never heard of the term pre-grieving before. But as I gave it more thought, I realized I did this with Frankie, more than any other pet I’ve had. I remember as I agonized over retiring her from her work, how hard it was. Seeing her slow down was really difficult. In part, it was because I didn’t want to think about what my life would look like when she was gone. Maybe this has to do with change, and how hard change is for many people. Of course, there seems to be so much more to the layers of this, too.

With Cassie Jo, my chocolate Lab, who passed in 2005, I knew she had limited time because of her bone cancer diagnoses. Thinking back, I tried hard not to worry, but there was always this looming question of “when” that day was coming. It was more palpable knowing there was no cure for her and the day I had to say goodbye was right around the corner.

With Joie, I really had no warning. It all happened so quickly. There was little time to pre-grieve, though as I think about driving home with her after knowing there really was nothing I could do for her, I was scared I was going to lose her. So I guess I was pre-grieving her, though the time was short for that process.

I wonder too in regards to Joie if the fact I had no time to pre-grieve is why it made her death seem so much harder for me.

I did a Google search and found that there is such a thing as pre-grieving.  Though it seems to be geared more toward when a pet or person is getting older, or a serious diagnoses has been made.

In a class I took today, a woman spoke of her daughter leaving for college in a year-and-a-half and how they are beginning to look at colleges. She is thinking about the day she has to let her daughter go off on her own, and it isn’t easy. In a sense, she is pre-grieving what is to come. I know many of my friends with children have had this very same experience.

I can only speak for myself, but I think pre-grieving has much to do with letting go. We are creatures of habit and don’t always accept change so readily.

When it comes to the pets in my life, they truly fulfill me. Thinking of them not here someday is difficult. They bring me so much joy, and losing that joy is tough.

The helpful article I came across is called Pre-Grief: The Gateway to Grace, written by Kim Eisen, Success Coach and Master of EFT.  In the article she says, “As a culture, we usually talk about grief in relation to death, but it is much more than that. Grief can start the moment you think something unpleasant might happen to you or is happening to you now. While experiencing this myself and with clients, it became so apparent that because grief may have already begun just with the thought that something may be lost, why not address it now? Even if the loss is or isn’t certain, the grief associated with it is still present.

To address this issue, I created a process called “Pre-Grief: Gateway to Grace.” By walking through the imagined loss prior to the event, while neutralizing the energy associated with it, it brings you to a higher state of grace when and if that event actually occurs. And, if it doesn’t occur, you have relieved the pain of the grief associated with the “not knowing” part of you that delves into the emotions of grief anyway.

This process can be done as soon as you have a thought about it and/or during the process of the cycle of grief.”

She goes on to say, “Grief is a normal process, but it doesn’t have to be painful or continue for long periods of time. It can be processed ahead of time. We’ve been told that you have to mourn for a certain length of time after the event to justify the loss or to express your loyalty to a person. I have come to find out this is absolutely NOT true after using this Pre-Grief process with myself and my clients.”

I really appreciate that Kim calls grief a “Gateway to Grace.” Isn’t that what we all want?  Whether it is pre-grieving or grieving how do we find grace in that,is I think, a powerful and profound way to look at it.

I know for me personally, with each dog that has passed, I’ve experienced moments of grace with them on the other side, which I’ve written about with the signs I’ve received from them. Those are truly my moments of grace when we have connected, me in this world, and they in a different realm.

Interesting topic, don’t you think?  I’d love to hear your thoughts and thank my friend for writing to me about this.

Click here to link to the rest of Kim’s article.