animal oracles

This Message Wasn’t Just For Me

Posted by Barbara Techel

I smiled when I drew this card after my meditation this morning.

The card says, “You Are Worthy.” I didn’t question it like I would have done in the past because I know this now more about myself than I have before.

I see this card as two parts of myself. The little cat represents the little girl within me. The lion represents the protective and loving mother also within me. See how the tail of the cat winds around the mama lion? Together, a bond, that can’t be broken.

But for a long time, I didn’t feel this way. I separated myself from that little wounded girl within not wanting to believe what she had to share with me about her deep hurt from long ago.

At first, I thought this message was only for me. But then as I went about my morning I heard that it is World Mental Health Day. I knew then this message is for all those who suffer from not feeling worthy and struggle to make sense of their lives.

It was in 2018 that I went through a deep dark night of the soul as I wrestled with anxiety and for a long time didn’t believe I also likely had depression mixed in with that. But I tend to not like labels. What I know now and from my own experience and the journey I walked is that those feelings often described as depression and/or anxiety were trying to get my attention.

Years of burying a vision I carried with me from my childhood had finally reached a tipping point. It was one late afternoon in April of 2018 that a thought ran through my mind that I’d never had before. I wanted to die instead of dealing with the pain that was coursing through me.

As soon as the thought of dying came, another thought stepped in and I heard that I didn’t want to die. Both voices were me. And even though I knew what had to be done would be difficult, I had to face that little girl within, listen to her, and most of all, believe her. Walking that journey is what I’ll be sharing more about in my memoir, I’m Fine Just the Way I Am coming out early 2020.

I believe I’m a bubbly and optimistic person by nature, but the truth is that I was also hiding beneath a mask of shame. Once I decided to face that woundedness within me, reach out for help, and do the work that needed to be done feeling my way through all my emotions, that I came out the other end feeling more worthy than I have ever before.

And so I share this message of Tabby Cat from this card and a glimpse of my journey in hopes that whoever needs to hear this will take it into their heart, reach out for help, and begin the journey to healing.

Wishing you all much peace.

XO,

Barbara

Oracle card from: The Illustrated Bestiary by Maia Toll

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