Beginning or Ending

Daffodils, forsythia, a bit of a breeze, offer an enjoyable experience while on my walk. Spring is here, new beginnings. Turning a corner, a dog starts barking. I know her, black, with gray on her muzzle. She no longer runs to meet and greet. Her stiff slow legs explain why. I begin to feel sorry for her, then stop myself. She is enjoying this day and so am I. I substitute giving pets on her head with enjoying her presence and welcoming barks from a distance, and I in return send my greetings her way.

Why did I feel sorrow for her? Or was it for me? A friend shows signs of the beginning of the end of her life. I will miss her. I question how different people would experience this time of her life? Is she beginning or ending, to grieve or celebrate, perhaps experience it all, and more?

If she lived in the wild with predators, her body would not exist for long. Does nature now take on a dreadful image? Or, are predators welcomed? Her spirit would then begin another chapter in who she is. Her pain and discomfort would be short lived. Humans tend to fix, save, and hang on to. Why do we do this? You decide for yourself and grow from your discovery.

Mixed Messages

Jessy, a confused mixed terrier breed was getting into trouble. As a happy puppy Jessy dragged objects from 15 year old Jenny’s bedroom. At first Jenny found Jessy’s antics funny as Jessy pranced around playing and showing off his find. Months latter this seemingly innocent play turned into damaged articles. Jenny had been trying to change Jessy’s behavior with out results.

Jessy showed me Jenny was giving confusing cues. From Jessy’s view,his antics were encouraged with fun gestures and then yelled at as they played tug-o-war. Jessy’s experience was: play, get mad, play, get mad which confused him. “People,” Jessy said. “I don’t understand them.” After talking with Jenny she admitted she would giggle at his behavior and pull at articles from his mouth as she attempt to enforce the change she needed. I had a nice chat with Jessy showing him what was expected of him and a nice chat with Jenny on being responsible with her behavior with Jessy.

To help the situation even more. When Jessy was explaining his confusion, he showed me many interesting things all over Jenny’s room. I suggested she pick her things up from the floor so not to tempt a young dog. Jenny’s mom was pleased with this advise as well! Not only did Jessy change his behavior, but Jenny’s room is cleaner and becoming more responsible on many levels. Moral of the communication is: Be clear you are not giving your animal mixed messages.

A Good Get

Smokey, a frustrated Chihuahua was put on medication.  He kept saying, no, no, no, no, I won’t take them.  Because of Smokey”s behavior, his person Carmen had become exceedingly frustrated trying to get this little guy, with a little mouth, to swallow his little pills. Here is the twist to the story:  Both Smokey and Carmen were living with Carmen’s sister Lupe, with whom I was in communication.  Carmen was also on medication and Lupe had become exasperated in trying to get Carmen to take her medications.  Smokey said profoundly:  Now, she gets how frustrating it is for others, when she does not take her own medication.  A burst of laughter emerged from Lupe, who was now on a mission to get Smokey’s message to Carmen.

In the same communication, Lupe’s Bichon Frise, Bonaparte, understood how difficult life had become in the household, not only from naysayers to medication, but Lupe’s husband had recently been laid off from his job.  During our session, I kept hearing Bonaparte explain that he regularly hears in his home, I get scared, I get afraid, I get worried.  Bonaparte gave Lupe advice: The busier we are doing things we like to do, the better we, or life gets.  This is a good get!  explained Bonaparte.

When one gets going, focused on what feels good, with a smile on one’s face, the getting gets good.  Get It?

Oliver Just Couldn’t Have Done Better!

By Barb Dunn

Right before taking Oliver to his new home. I had already cleaned up running mascara once from my tears.

On Tuesday morning, June 21, a lady at the Caterpillar Logistics facility in Southaven, MS where I work heard meowing signs from her engine after she arrived at work.  She had to remove parts of her engine in order to extract a little kitten, who was extremely fortunate to have survived a car ride in the engine of the car.  The little kitten was placed in a box on the floor of the facility in the hopes that someone would adopt him.

As the day wore on, I learned that no one had adopted him.  I also noticed that he seemed sick – lethargic and not bright-eyed as most kittens are.  I looked more closely into the box and saw that he had had a bowel movement that was green, runny and contained worms.  Immediately, I called a local vet who was about 5 minutes away and made an appointment for that afternoon to take him in.  I named him Oliver because, well, he looked like an Oliver!

The little guy had about a dozen ticks on him and fleas to boot.  After getting a bath at the vet’s, I was able to pick the ticks and fleas off him.  Poor little Oliver; he was being eaten alive from both the inside and out.  No wonder he had felt so poorly.

He tested negative for feline leukemia and AIDS, so with the medicine in tote, I figured he’d make a full recovery and be able to find a good home.  From Tuesday to Friday, I carted him back and forth from the hotel to work, feeding him the best grain-free food and giving him his meds.  Even within 24 hours, he was doing so much better.  I have to admit – it was REALLY nice having him cuddle with me in the hotel room.  It wasn’t lost on me that he is the consummate cat-companion – very lively and playful and yet almost like a barnacle; right by my heel wherever I walked, meowing to be picked up and cuddled.  How can your heart not melt when he pleads with you to be held and then buries himself into your chest and neck, purring loudly?!!

With the help of an accomplice, I had to smuggle him into and out of the facility where I work.  Even though I’m the facility manager and don’t have to worry about a disapproving boss, I do have an onsite client and didn’t want to find out the hard way that I couldn’t bring Oliver to work.  Fortunately, the Drury Inn is a pet-friendly hotel so I didn’t need to smuggle him in there.

Since we already have 8 cats, Rick and I decided (somewhat reluctantly because he’s adorable!) to try to find him a forever home.  So on Friday just before I left Southaven for the long trek back to Indy, Rick sent out a mass email to everyone in his company (Forum Credit Union) and within 30 minutes received a reply back from a lady who said she was “VERY interested” in adopting him.  Her husband had lost his feline constant companion of 14 years, Mango, last year and melted when he saw a picture of Oliver.

Oliver was an absolute charm on the trip from Southaven.  For about 10 hours, he slept on my lap, purring at times when he wasn’t quite asleep.  I have to admit that I was really lukewarm about giving him up.

By Saturday, he had met all our cats and Eddie; our youngest (1 year old) befriended him instantly.  I cried buckets on the way to his new home.

It turns out that we couldn’t have found him a better home.  Rick and I both had requested an MBO (most benevolent outcome) from the universe for the best home possible and lo and behold, he got it!  His new mom, Sherrie, absolutely adores him.  But his new dad, Jeff, is COMPLETELY smitten with him!  Jeff reminds me a lot of Rick – a completely doting cat dad.

I was really relieved to learn that he would be an indoor-only cat and that he would not be declawed and nor would he be loaded up with unnecessary vaccines.  They were also very enthusiastic about putting him on a grain-free diet.  (We brought over about a dozen different grain-free flavors for them to try.)  Best of all, he’s with a family that adores him.  After spending time with them Saturday evening, I learned they would’ve been crushed if we had changed our minds about adopting Oliver out.  Sherrie and Jeff and their teenage boy and girl were texting and posting to Facebook about how excited they were about their new family member.  I hadn’t been on the fence about whether to adopt him out, just sad that he wouldn’t be part of our lives anymore.  (They did agree to let us visit him though!)

Oliver slept on Sherrie’s lap for about 2 hours straight and then went to Jeff to be cuddled for awhile.  When the kids came home from a movie, Oliver woke up and started playing like mad, racing around the house, beating up toys that belong to the other feline family member, Saebo.  He was having such fun playing and zooming around that he didn’t even notice when we left.  This was a good thing, in my eyes even though I had become very attached to him within less than a week’s time because he is a loving little soul and I have a special place in my heart for him after saving his life.

It was really obvious to Rick and me that Oliver had been placed into the right family.  In our family, he would’ve been well-loved, well-fed and cared for, but he would have been one of nine cats.  In his new family, he’s one of two cats and is very much the center of attention with Sherrie, Jeff and the two kids.  Oliver just couldn’t have done better!

Barb Dunn

Working as a animal communicator between animals and humans, I often speak of the importance of using our thoughts wisely. This article gives a scientific understanding of how our thoughts and words are powerful vibrations which have a definite affect on our lives.
-Karen

Watch Your Mouth,
How Words Can Hurt—and Heal

By Leigh Donovan

We have all heard the old saying, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me.” As sound vibrations, however, words contain tremendous positive or negative power and thus can be used to hurt or heal. Exploring words as energetic vibrations allows us to gain a better understanding of their great power.

Even before there were actual words, sound was considered sacred. In ancient traditions, significant attention was placed on the vowels, which were said to be divine. The power of sound, speech and vowels was considered to be one of the great creative forces in the universe. Many religious texts, including the Bible, describe speech as the precursor to all of creation. Looking at the use of words in this way gives them much importance. As we explore words from this perspective, we can begin to understand how they affect our thoughts, feelings and experience of the world.

What is in a word?
The vibration of a word affects us on many levels. Words influence the activity in our brain and energy body, which in turn causes changes in our physiology. Studies of the effects of words on water, conducted by researcher and healer Masaru Emoto, Ph.D. of Japan, provide a framework for understanding the true potential contained in the words we speak.  In his book The Hidden Messages in Water, Emoto demonstrates how different words cause molecular changes in the structure of water based on their vibrations.

According to Emoto’s research, water treated with positive words, such as “I love you” and “thank you,” displayed beautiful hexagonal crystals. In contrast, water treated with negative words, such as “I hate you” or “you fool,” did not form crystals, but rather chaotic, fragmented, blob-like structures. Emoto says that spoken words have vibrations and that water can be imprinted with these vibrations.

Indeed, everything in the universe is connected through the Law of Vibration. Based on this law, everything vibrates and is in a constant state of motion. Modern science tells us that, like everything else, the human organism is not only a physical structure made up of molecules, but also a complex of energy fields. Physicists have replaced Newtonian Mechanics, which held that the universe was composed of solid, fundamental building blocks, with the theory of Quantum Mechanics, which views the universe as layers of particles, waves and electromagnetic fields.

The brain on words
As a vibratory instrument, our brain transforms sensations such as thought and sound into frequencies that affect our body. In our brain, there is a vast network of neurons that discharge waves of electrical energy in different frequencies and patterns called brain waves. There are four types of brain waves, categorized by their frequency: alpha, beta, theta and delta. Each brain wave type is associated with specific levels of functioning and consciousness. Although the brain operates using all four frequencies, there is always a dominant frequency, which determines an individual’s state of mind.

All of our feelings, emotions, and behaviors originate from the brain, and our brain cells are affected by the thoughts and words that we choose. The vibration of thoughts and words causes the cells in the brain to vibrate. The brain, in turn, responds to this stimulus by sending off electromagnetic signals, or brain waves. The amplitude of the vibration of brain cells is determined by the amount of concentration and focus put out in connection to the thought or word. These cellular effects give rise to key brain functions, including mood and behavior.

As sound waves, words have a frequency. Due to this, they can affect the frequency of our brain waves. The repetition of certain words or phrases can induce particular brain waves and cause shifts in both heartbeat and respiration. In his popular book Healing Mantras; Using Sound Affirmations for Personal Power, Creativity, and Healing, Thomas Ashely-Farrand explains that different words and sounds cause various shifts in brain wave activity. “Gradually, the vibration of the mantra begins to override all of the lesser vibrations.” The cerebral cortex can become charged or positively stimulated by certain types and frequencies of sound.

Sound healing using tones, mantras, affirmations and chanting all have similar effects. The combined effect of sound vibrations during such activities can be observed in the brain with an EEG (electroencephalograph). During these types of activities, there is an increase in alpha activity within the brain, which is associated with relaxation, expanded awareness and creativity.

Soothing syllables
In the article, “Language of Healing” published in Massage & Bodywork magazine, Patricia Cramer, who is the founder of vibrational healing massage therapy, talks about the healing power of words.  According to Cramer, “a person feels and responds to every word that is said, heard or thought, even when talking to their selves.”  This is based on neuro-linguistic theory, which posits that our nerves actually respond to the words we think, say and hear.

On a very simple level, Cramer talks of using words deliberately so that when we speak, we cause healing and change to occur. This involves using language in a manner that sets the process of healing in motion, rather than using language in a manner that reinforces a problem.

Cramer says an example of healthy speaking is saying “I’m glad that you are feeling well again,” rather than “I’m sorry that you were ill”.  Such a phrase uses language that places the focus on the desired new condition and refers to the malady or problem in the past tense. This allows the brain to retain the reference to the desired activity as the most recent and vivid.

When we examine words as instruments of power and ourselves as fluid, ever-changing beings, rather than solid, permanent masses, we open up a whole new world of possibilities. Instead of the reactionary state that so often defines our existence, we are able to be the master and creator of the circumstances and conditions we desire. We all possess innate and amazing power, and words are simple yet extremely important tools we can use to actualize this potential. When we speak deliberately and with intention, we wield this power well.

The late Yogananda, a great teacher from East India, said, “Words saturated with sincerity, conviction, faith, and intuition are like highly explosive vibration bombs, which when set off, shatter the rocks of difficulties and create the change desired.”

As we tune into our breath, body and mind through practice, we become more sensitive to, and aware of, how words affect us. When we understand how our brain responds to the words we say, we can better comprehend their ability to sway our emotions, thoughts, perspectives and behavior.

Words shape our reality. They are tools for expression and creation. As vibrations, words set things in motion, start a certain course.  By taking this awareness with us into our daily lives, we can be a positive force, both in our own lives and in the lives of others; we can use words to heal rather than harm.

Leigh Donovan is a health & wellness writer and holistic health coach based out of Savannah, Georgia. She is passionate in her exploration of all things healing, and holds the personal belief that everything can be healed by addressing the root cause or origin of the dis-ease. As a health coach, Leigh supports sensitive individuals, women and children on their journey towards increased wellness by working with their diet, lifestyle and psychospiritual habits and beliefs. As an intuitive empath, she fuses her professional training in human behavior & holistic nutrition with intuitive guidance about what the client needs–creating big shifts in a short period of time. Leigh offers one-on-one telephone and in-person coaching in the form of highly effective three month or six month programs. Find out more at her website http://www.healthbewithyou.com. For more from Leigh, check out her blog http://www.aspiritfull.wordpress.com

Finding Lost Pets

How to Provide Recovery Tips That Save Lives

By Kathy “Kat” Albrecht

There is a science to finding lost people. Professional trained searchers don’t wander aimlessly in the woods when searching for a missing hiker. Instead, an organized search plan is implemented based on the knowledge of the behavioral patterns of lost people. For example, backpackers behave differently when lost and travel different distances than do hunters, berry pickers, and Alzheimer’s patients. And because search-and-rescue mangers are so familiar with these patterns of behavior, they can accurately predict where a lost person will be found. Backpackers are typically found on or near an established trail, hunters are typically found deep in the woods, and Alzheimer’s patients are typically found within a ¼ mile radius of where they became lost.

So what do we know about the behavioral patterns of lost pets? Thanks to Missing Pet Partnership, a grassroots nonprofit organization, we know that the three most common lost pet recovery tips that we give (place a classified Ad in the paper, post flyers in your neighborhood, and visit the local animal shelter every day) are not always the best pieces of advice! That’s because dogs are much different than cats. The methods that should be used to search for a lost dog, an outdoor-access cat that has vanished from its territory, and an indoor-only cat that has escaped outside are all entirely different methods. Dogs travel and are picked up by rescuers who determine their fate, the disappearance of an outdoor-access cat means that something has happened to interrupt that cat’s behavior of coming home, and indoor-only cats that escape outdoors hide in silence near their escape point. And it is not only the behaviors of lost dogs and cats that have been overlooked – the behaviors of the people who lose their pets and the behaviors of the people who find those lost pets impact the chances that a lost pet will be returned home.

Understanding these human and animal behaviors will increase the likelihood that lost pets will be found. Here is what we know so far:

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