animal messengers

Thank You, St. Francis of Assisi. Your Presence is of Great Comfort.

Posted by Barbara Techel

Ask the beasts and they will teach you the beauty of this earth. ~St. Francis of Assisi

Today marks the death of St. Francis of Assisi who is best known as the patron saint of animals.

I can’t even tell you how many years I searched for just the “right” statue of him that spoke to me. It wasn’t until the passing of my dachshund, Gidget, in May 2019 that a St. Francis statue found its way to me and captured my heart. Another reminder that all things are in divine timing.

He now resides in my garden watching over my three dachshunds, Frankie, Joie, and Gidget, who were all laid to rest outside my writing cottage.

On days I feel an unexpected wave of grief that comes to pay a visit, I find great comfort in either standing in my garden near St. Francis or gazing out the window at him.

As I’ve come to experience, and what has really sunk into my being of consciousness with the passing of Gidget, is that all my dear animal friends remain with me. Just in a new way of which I cannot see them, but rather feel them with me. The teachings they bestowed upon me sink deeper into my being with each passing year. It really is such a beautiful gift that continues to help me evolve into a deeper understanding that they are still here.

I enjoyed finding this bit of information about him:

“Francis saw animals as his brothers and sisters and prayed that God would work through him to help them. Birds sometimes gathered while Francis spoke and listened to him. Francis began preaching to them about the ways that God had blessed them.

When Francis lived in Gubbio, in the province of Perugia, a wolf was attacking people and other animals. He met the wolf to try to tame it. The wolf charged Francis, but Francis prayed and moved toward the wolf. The wolf obeyed Francis’ commands, closing his mouth and lying at Francis’ feet. Francis promised that the townspeople would feed the wolf regularly if it promised never to injure another person or animal. The wolf never harmed people or animals again.”I
 
I feel so blessed to have had many animals work through me and guide me so far. I also never knew of this story of the wolf laying at his feet, which brought tears to my eyes. As I’ve shared here before, and share in my memoir out early next year, I was visited by a wolf during a guided visualization in 2015.
 
I remember how I first feared her, but then as she slowly crept toward me I sensed she was there to help me. Eventually, she lay at my feet and brought me the message to keep my heart open. This was during a time when I was in a great deal of pain from the loss of a friendship. To this day, I carry her message with me.
 
So thank you, St. Francis of Assisi for guiding us to understand that the animals indeed are our friends, our teachers, and some of our greatest allies.

XO,

Barbara

Source for quote.

 

The Sparrow and the Crow

Posted by Barbara Techel

There are mornings when I can’t seem to make it through my yoga practice without having to stop and admire something that catches my eye outside my writing cottage window.

Today was such a day. Here was this small sparrow perched atop a decorative crow art piece in my garden. Looking at the photo as I posted it here I heard, “lean on me.” Like in the song where it goes on to share that when you don’t feel strong, to turn to a friend, and they will help you out.

There are days when we feel small and alone. But then there are days when we feel like we can take on the world. Both are necessary for living a balanced life. Sometimes we need help. Other times we need to rely on going inward and being with ourselves while remembering we are truly never alone.

Well, there you have it. This pretty much sums up how I was feeling this morning. Thank you sparrow and crow for the reminder that life is all about the yin and the yang. And the importance of interruptions, of which is how I could have viewed as an inconvenience, but instead feel grateful for the teaching.

XO,

Barbara

When a Book Hits Home. Soul Healing with Our Animal Companions.

Posted by Barbara Techel

I really can’t say enough good about this book I recently finished! I loved it so much that I did a video book review for it which I share below.

But as I wrote for a review on Amazon also, Soul Healing with Our Animal Companions – The Hidden Keys to a Deeper Animal-Human Connection by Tammy Billups, is a beautiful book on how animals sense our energy and emotional wounds and often reflect that back to us – all in an effort to help us heal – and then how it often helps our animal friends heal too.

Because animals don’t speak our language, Tammy identifies through her work and book, five core emotional wounds that our animals can experience – and then how this is often reflected in their behaviors, actions, and physical issues – and to add to this – these are emotional wounds we as humans experience also.

Having recently gone through my own deep emotional healing with my dog Gidget who was the most profound reflection of what I needed to heal, I can attest to so much of what Tammy shares in her book.

I easily identified two core emotional wounds through her book that my dog worked diligently to help me heal, and I’m happy to say I did the inner work to do just that. But what was the most profound proof for me of my healing was that I was able to be witness to a beautiful and calm shift in Gidget as she healed too.

My favorite paragraph in the book is this one:

“A (human) congested energy field can affect all aspects of one’s emotional, physical, and spiritual health. Consequently, this knowledge can significantly influence the choices you make about your animals’ care. Knowing how sensitive they are to your emotions is also motivation for you to do your own energetic housekeeping.”

This, to me, is one of the keys to the book. When I was in my own dark night of the soul and realized I needed support and then began to heal, I wanted to do my work not only for myself but for Gidget too. I wanted her to live out the remaining of her life with more harmony and peace.

While I wish I’d had Tammy’s book when I was going through such a difficult time the last few years, reading her book now is just more validation and confirmation of what I experienced.

After reading Tammy’s book and having had to say goodbye to Gidget in May of 2019 I can say that I believe what Tammy shares in her book needs to be read by everyone who shares their life with a pet.

And I wholeheartedly concur with the last line on the back cover and that our “pets higher purpose is to help people understand themselves.”

Tammy’s book has been such a gift and another layer of confirmation for me and what I experienced in my healing journey which is what I’ll be sharing in my upcoming memoir, I’m Fine Just the Way I Am.

This is the video review and in it, I share more passages from the book that really hit home for me.

XO,

Barbara