The Art of Noticing Your Pets

Want to communicate with the animals in your life?
It’s all in the listening, the noticing….and the trusting
Here are some terrific tips for talking with your pets

The Art of Noticing Your Pets

You can have a complete conversation with that big old oak tree in the back yard, as easily as you can with your Dalmation, your cat, your horse , or your next door neighbour… the secret is in the listening – the noticing of the words and images, the sounds and smells that fly through your mind, as well as the subtle movements, shifts in attitudes… and the changes in behaviour.

Animals and Nature communicate with us in dozens of ways… Years ago, I began noticing that with just a little attention, I could understand what my cats were telling me. At first it started with simple instructions (for me, of course,) “let me out”, “you can feed me now! Would you PLEASE clean out that ugly litter box!!!!” As time passed, I learned to pick up other messages: “I love you, even when you think no one does…” “I need a friend, please don’t leave me alone anymore – and you need one too, this house is far too quiet for us” (This from my gracious old lady Squeak who really didn’t like being the only cat in the house after moving out of a busy co-op… soon after, I got a roommate, JoAnne, she got a pal, Pumpkin… and Squeak was a happy camper again.)In time, I discovered that one of the secrets to effective communications with nature is to be clear within yourself, emotionally and mentally – and to put a little emotion into the communications.

A most remarkable event triggered this understanding… Once, I was nursing a litter of 6-week-old kittens who had lost their mother two weeks before… without Mom to help, litter training was becoming a serious problem and I was getting quite frustrated. A friend had offered to take them out to a barn that desperately needed some mousers, but I was reluctant… until one hot summer afternoon when I arrived home from a long series of appointments exhausted and just a little bit testy… Greeted at the door of my bedroom by three very happy little bundles of fur all excited that Mommy’s home – and a smell that would turn even the strongest stomach… there were little gifts all over my beautiful bedspread, on the floor, in my closet, everywhere but in their sparkling clean litter box… all this in one 8 hour spell… “Enough,” I yelled, “Maybe you’re barn cats afterall. This is it guys, if any of you want to stick around here, you better get this litter trip figured out and right now, or you’re outa here, off to the barn with you!” The words were no sooner out of my mouth, than little Joey (who did stay with us) was in the box, and the next thing I knew they were all in it making quite a fuss and show of their new awareness – and there was never again another accident in the house.

As my psychic practice grew, numbers of clients asked about problems with their animals, and I found that not only was it fairly easy to connect with the pet, but it was also easy to teach most of the owners how to make the connections for themselves. Some years ago, a friend came to talk about a cat that she was afraid she would have to let go…. I suggested she talk with the cat in a heartfelt way, explain that she didn’t really want to take such drastic measures, but if he didn’t stop being sick on her mother’s carpet, there would be no choice… within a week of consistently telling her cat what was wrong and sending him messages both in words and in pictures, he had stopped completely…. he just needed someone to tell him clearly that they didn’t like his funny habits… and to promise that they wouldn’t be stuck at Mom’s for long… In the Art of Noticing Your Pets, I explain how to begin “Noticing” on four levels:

  • mind – noticing the words and thoughts that come to you when you are connecting with your animal friends
  • emotion – noticing any images that come up for you, and any feelings, emotions that come up for you
  • heart – watch for those amazing love rushes that your pets can send you, and notice the understanding, the “knowing” that comes to you when you’re connected with your pet
  • body – notice how your animal reacts when you communicate, the twitches and eye movements that indicate you’ve made contact, and notice any sensations or messages that seem to come from your own body…

Many folks will want to discount the communications, thinking their imagination is working overtime… but if you listen closely – and with your heart – you’ll soon discover that your imagination knows what it’s doing… the images and words come up as they do for a reason and if you will respond in trust that your insights are valid, you’ll find that your pets, and in fact all of nature, have quite a story to tell you!

Communicating with animals and nature is really very easy…Allow yourself to notice, listen with your heart, speak with feeling… then trust that you’re connecting… Sometimes all you’ll hear is “come on, hurry up, open the door, we’ve got company”, and sometimes you’ll get the story of their lives – and yours… and insights that can free your soul…

Let Your Pet be Heard

Our pets are always trying to tell us what’s on their minds. If you can just still your mind from the endless worry and chatter that your pet hears in your head, you can begin to let the still small knowing words of your pet be heard. How will you know it’s your pet talking? Typically your pet will send a smell to your senses along with a word or picture of what their request is. For example, my five month old puppy Maxi wakes me up with a smell, as if she has soiled the carpet. She knows it will get me up to let her out to do her business. Usually the smell is no longer sensed after a step or two out of my bed. Then I hurry down stairs before the smell becomes a reality. Our pets try to tell us things like this all the time. Another time I was visiting a neighbour. I blinked my eyes and there was my Great Pyreness Hanna with her mouth WIDE open and empty. In my head I aked her to explain. Her mouth just got bigger. I went home and the water dish was empty. When I filled it she took a big long drink and said “I thought you’d never get it!” I tried to explain to her that people need words to understand. She in turn told me that words are what hold people back from communicating well with their animals. Words are redundant to animals. They think and do at the same time. We think, then think, then maybe do. It’s frustrating for animals who are connected closely to their people.

So remember to clear out the chatter clutter from your mind to have a better communication link to your pets and if you smell something, check it out before you go blaming your pets. It might just be your pet talking to you. .

How can I understand?

I love animals and birds. Have four cats. In the past year I have experienced an ongoing series of visits by wild animals and birds. These are unique and unusual in their location. IE: A hawk landed in my backyard right in front of me and just stared at me, I now have a resident deer who visits every other day. These are not unusual except that I have lived in this house for 20 years, and never seen either around. The list of visits is so long that I finally made a chronological listing so I wouldn’t forget. I believe these animals and birds are trying to communicate with me. How can I understand? Thanks, Denise

First Danielle’s response:

Denise, I’ve forwarded your message to Laura, but in the meantime, I have a few suggestions. Hawk and Deer are mystical creatures – you could probably find a description of their “meaning” in the Native Medicine cards, but also by browsing on the web. This will give you some insight about why these particular creatures are around you now… The other suggestion is about the communicating…

Trust your imagination to bring you the information you want – still yourself so you are very quiet, breathe deeply and try to empty your mind of all thoughts, give thanks to the One for these gifts of communication and then “tune in” to the creatures with your whole self, one at a time, whether or not they are near you… You can use a crystal in your hand to help you tune in and amplify the communications and while you are working you might find it useful to keep palms up in the “receiving” mode… While you’re tuning in, notice everything you are feeling, sensing, seeing with your mind’s eye… and trust that whatever comes up in those moments is a valid communication… Hawk often speaks to an opening to one’s psychic ability, and deer usually speaks in some ways to gentleness and love… That’s the other thing, while you’re tuning in, do your best to radiate love to the animals that you wish to communicate with, visualize them and thank them for coming to you, then ask if they have a message for you… and listen, it may not come that very moment, so be listening for a few days after you’ve opened communications in this way. Sometimes it takes a bit for the messages to be filtered through our inner systems and translated into words we can understand.

Continue reading here: Practical Magic: Using the Magical Approach

Was this article helpful?

0 0