My life with animals

"They move…I move, and suddenly before us we find a magical dance unfolding." Kaeleya Rayne

As a young child I had a way of communicating with animals that was as natural as smiling. Within my outstretched hand and full heart was the opening they were looking for. A curious wild goat, very curious wild bison, a spooked pony name Lady and a large moose whose gallop could be heard through the shallows of a lake as its massive face emerged into the moonlight. Now I have to admit I found myself moving back, back, back to bump up against a picnic table hearing and realizing the great weight behind the gallop coming right towards me. I was as in awe as she was…she certainly had not smelled me and here I was. I was lucky too, moose are notorious for charging when alarmed, especially the females.

And so it goes and grows…childhood pets were loved as family and as I grew I kept my heart open to the connection found with mammals and animals alike.

I began to feel immersed in their energy, especially when around wild animals. Hundreds of dolphins beckoned me to join them off the coast of Maui, seals brought me to tears with memories of the ocean deep in my past and diving took me into a world that I recognized as my own. The ocean is a 'land' I once lived in but that is for another story.

Within the life I have with my own pets I have witnessed countless miracles and synchronicities lending itself to Divine Providence. It has caused to me grow through the trials, and surrender, ultimately, to the journey at hand.

Here I want so much to share just a few of the many stories of my beloved pets. Our own experience with Divine Guidance opened us all as we witnessed their paths of joy and healing unfold before our eyes.

Arielle, my special tripod, of the sweetest heart, and loved by all who meet her! Arielle's story is one of challenges, graceful willingness and ultimately, absolute triumph.

Air Bear, as we call her, now 16 and thriving, is a 10 year survivor of a bone cancer so aggressive she had to have an amputation to handle the pain that no medication could. This was the chosen course of action for her with her consent, with her open willingness to give up her leg in order to be out of pain. I must note that this recommended amputation came along side the specialist's belief that Arielle had a maximum of 8-12 weeks left to live. Using the connection between us, I was able to nurture myself, guide myself, and make the right decisions by listening to my own heart and to hers in the midst of absolute sorrow, grief and desperation at the thought of losing her.

When I picked her up from the vet, 2 days after surgery, the vet techs said they had never seen a sweeter dog, most having a surgery of that nature would not tolerate any physical contact as they adjusted to their lost leg. But our Arielle, willing and loving, was open to being cuddled at first recovery. Something they had not seen before. When we came back a week later the surgeon asked me what I had been doing with her because he couldn't find the stitches. Her hair had grown back and the wound had healed so quickly that I could see his mind searching for a logical answer. "Just energy work," I replied. He suggested, 'whatever it is,' that I keep doing it.

In the closeness of discovering what Arielle was dealing with I set about listening very carefully to what she needed. She very clearly was not ready to go, she wanted to continue her journey here. I sought out a vet who healed with herbs, she provided us with a cancer busting program, even the vitamin store clerk jumped for joy (which I still remember as it was so unexpected!) at the sight of Arielle's vitamin program. I remember his words as if they happened yesterday, 'This will heal her cancer for sure, you watch it happen!' I also spent several times a day putting a ring of energy around the leg, just above the tumour and pulled the energy down into the ground. I was very careful not to imagine golden light in her body, and asked that no one else send her energy as it felt that this would create movement of the blood's energy-not what we wanted.

As the months went by, she became stronger and stronger, eating 32 vitamins each day with no resistance. After about 14 months of this regimen it felt time to stop and so I slowly cut back the dosage. That was almost 10 years ago now.

As I write this, Arielle lives with our younger dogs, plays with them at their beck and call and still runs up our 190ft driveway! Three legs never seemed to mean anything to her other than an adjustment to how she runs, she now hops, and the realization that turning around was much faster on three legs!

I am still in awe of her willingness, her destiny and her incredibly vibrant Spirit! She is such a source of inspiration for all who know her. Thank you to the universe for Arielle's beautiful life here!

Gracie, our 9 year old lab had to have a pacemaker to continue her life here. You can see in the picture above she was swollen and uncomfortable. She had made it clear that she wanted Reiki, in fact she would wake me up in the middle of then night to receive it. When we came to a head with her health we were directed to a doctor who fell in love with her at first sight and we soon discovered that he too had studied Reiki!

During her surgery he accepted Reiki from me as I sent to all involved with the operation as well as our dear Gracie. When all was said and done he said it was the easiest surgery he could remember and that our Gracie had handled the whole process like a champ.

Here she is talking!

Although he wasn't sure how long she would flourish with the pacemaker we all knew that she was not ready to go. 2 years ago now, she runs and plays like a puppy. Watching her frolic, run hard, jump, play bow…what a joy to see her so happy! We are so grateful for the blessings of our dear Gracie and for her puppy time at 10 years of age!

Sirius, yup he is that beautiful in person!

Sirius, this boy pulled me in so deeply that, for the first time ever, I checked the county's shelter site. Just days earlier I had purchased a Christmas card with the picture of a black puppy on it-not my usual style of Christmas card but I couldn't resist. When I saw his picture on the site, I knew without a doubt that was my dog. I called the shelter, put a hold on him. We went down and fell in love at first sight. He actually jumped up and walked to the front of his cage when he saw me, his eyes locking with mine. That was it. He was coming home with us! As we walked out of the shelter a beautiful woman came rushing up to him and got down on one knee. She was one of the administrators and said she had kept him alive for weeks past his 'due' date knowing that the right person was coming for him. We are forever grateful to her, his magnificence energetically has healed us on many levels. Many blessings to the Divine hand that brought us together!

Our lovely Cassiopeia, Cassie for short!

She is the youngest of the group. And wow, she pulled me in so powerfully that despite all good sense I could not help but open to her. She had my heart at first sight. Literally moments away from death, she was pulled from the entrance way to the euthanasia room by another rescuer who had chosen to foster her. I picked her up from a transport and knew I was in trouble! Within 5 hours of the new foster taking her Cassie was about to land back in the shelter. We couldn't allow that. We, not knowing how to integrate her with our own babes and cats at a moment's notice, took her to a deluxe boarding facility. I couldn't get her off my mind. I had to see her every couple of days and even though I knew she had a long way to go as she was so scared of others, she was my heart. After long consideration with my incredibly supportive husband, (who was NOT keen on her at first believe me!) he agreed to give it a shot. Cassie was immediately in love with our daughter, and unbelievably connected to her instantly, but not so much with the other babes. Not so much in a BIG way. Working with our only and favourite trainer Paul Owens, the Original Dog Whisperer, he told us we had our work cut out for us. It took us 4 months of working with her, taking two steps forward, one step back, easing her into togetherness, feeling her way into our pack. Our four leggeds immediately made a space for her, it took a while for her to really understand the possibilities but once she did, she took their offer of play, cuddles, loving and connection. She has been such a joy for us, such a beautiful witnessing of this very beautiful and sweet dog's magical unfolding into the life we were offering her. We are still telling her what a great job she has done!! Yay Cass!!!

There is so much more to share but I will leave you with my story of my Buddha. Found just hours after birth in a potting shed next door, my neighbours anxiously waited for her mother to return for her.

When I got the call that a mother cat had given birth and had taken all but one kitten with her we knew this could mean she knew something we didn't. That perhaps this beautiful kitten had something going on for her that wasn't in her momma's plan for survival.

I raised Buddha from that day forward. She was one of my soulmates without a doubt. We moved together in harmony and delight, the connection between us went deeper than any other babe I have loved thus far. I was her everything just as she was mine.

We had a blessed 9 years together, through thick and thin, I could count on Buddha's sweet heart to connect to my own. Sleeping on my head each night with her arms around my shoulders or head, I was in bliss in the presence of my little Buddha. I never contemplated her departure and certainly was not prepared for it in any way, shape, or form.

Returning from burying my husband's father in Florida, we came home in a rush from the airport. We knew something was wrong. When we walked in the door our main goal was to lay eyes on everyone in the room. We had already had the experience of our dear Saucy passing in our absence just one week earlier.

Buddha, where was she? She always came immediately upon being called. I walked into the bedroom making a sound that could bring her out of even the deepest sleep and I heard 'she doesn't care anymore.' My husband found her first. Recently passed, under my side of the bed, I screamed aloud at my own discovery of her coldness within the softness of her fur. Now, almost 3 years later, the grief is still present.

I held her for hours until I could no longer bear the process of falling asleep to the hope that I was simply having a nightmare only to wake up to see she truly was gone from her body and away from my own 'forever.' I had to begin the process of honouring her body out of my own arms.

Later the next morning, after giving loving and my heartfelt wish that she come back to me, we gave her candles, my ring, flowers, and pictures of us together. My husband asked to be shown the best place to bury her. He saw a large Raven's feather just outside the kitchen window and knew that was his answer.

Wrapped in white fabric with all of her gifts in tow, we slowly lowered her down into the Mother Gaia. We placed beautiful stones on top of her gravesite along with flowers from our Lady Banks bushes. We noted that even though the following days brought many storms, the flowers remained.