When I was growing up I always knew that animals went to Dog Heaven when they passed and that they, like humans have an immortal soul and continue to live after their life on Earth. I refused to believe that their death was simply the end of their existence.
I really can’t say how I came to this conclusion, but now I know it was something that I intuitively knew, it had always formed part of my psych, lodged somewhere on a sub-conscious level. You probably know the feeling, you know but you don’t know how you know.
I was overjoyed when I discovered that my deceased animal companions came back to visit me, making their visits apparent with a sound or with the enactment of a familiar action, immediately recognizable as their own.
In the months after his passing, Mac-Tavish continued to visit his human and animal family. He announced his arrival in quite an unique manner. There was definitely a deep connection between him and the dove as it would call loudly from the tree outside our bedroom window and then the most beautiful fragrance would fill the air. It appeared to be a mixture of lavender, rosemary and rose geranium. It didn’t matter whether I was in the house or garden, or if it was day or night, when he chose to visit, always accompanied by the herby smell.
I would often sense him at the front gate, a favourite place where he used to lie and wait our return home. I could see his laughing eyes, his smiling mouth, tongue lolling to the side, as he “smiled” a happy-to-see-you-back- home-smile, with his tail wagging furiously. It was amazing, the fragrance was so strong and the vision very vivid, clear confirmation that he was really there.
The smell of the herbs continued to waft through the house during the night and in the early hours of the morning as he kept up is visits, often with the dove’s call. Sometimes I’d just be sitting, not doing anything special and he would tickle my nose with his special smell, I’d get a ‘hi, just popping in’ sort of impression.
I realised that Mac felt the need to visit and comfort us with his presence as our hearts were still on the long journey to healing. As time progressed the pain lessened and so did his visits along with his special fragrance, except for an occasional whiff wafting through, just a gently reminder that he was still looking out for us.
Farewell dearest Mackie boy, may your soul fly on wings of love to the Light. We love you. Thank you for everything you taught me about animal telepathic communication and reincarnation. See you at the Rainbow Bridge one day.
In mid December ’09 Mac’s health began a downward spiral and we knew that his departure was imminent. During this time I gave him numerous Reiki treatments and sent him distant healing when things got rough during the night, asking for help with his transition. We hoped that he would make the decision to pass on his own, but he lingered on, with a diminishing appetite.
I asked him to give me a sign indicting that he wanted to be released from this world when he was ready, should the deterioration escalate. On 23 December a dove flew into the house, it circled the kitchen where I was busy preparing a meal, flew into the dining room, circled a few times before flying back into the kitchen and exiting. I knew that this was a message from Spirit, as birds are universally considered Divine Messengers as they move between the earth and the heavens.
Confirmation came that night. His hind legs collapsed and we had to carry him inside, being a big dog it wasn’t easy.
It was a difficult night and sleep eluded us. Mac-Tavish cried out periodically, while the dove called relentlessly from the tree outside our bedroom window, seemingly offering him his wise counsel. I send him distant healing as often as I could and shed many tears into my pillow, as dawn’s long fingers unfurled and caressed the slumbering earth.
Before we left for the vet I said good bye, I told him that I released him in love and Light, I thanked him for everything and for the wonderful life we’d shared together over the past sixteen years. I told him it was time now, for him to fly quickly to the light on the other side.
We brought his body back home. While we awaited the arrival of Louré from Petangels Pet Cremation Services, I lit a candle in his honour with some incense and sent Reiki again to assist the journey of his soul to the Light.
A few weeks later we had a family ritual at our Labyrinth of Animal Remembrance and scattered Mac’s ashes. We also honoured him by painting his name on a stone and placing it on a special spot in the labyrinth. This small act is symbolic of the healing that takes place over time. The writing on the stone will fade with time; and in time we begin to recover from the grief and loss of losing a loved one. Healing the empty feeling we carry inside that is the aching hole in our hearts.
One of my earlier Reiki clients was a man who’d been a heavy smoker for many years. He was then in his mid sixties and suffered from emphysema. He’d undergone several lung operations and was still recovering from an operation when he came to see me. He’d tried many times to give up his nicotine addiction, but had been unsuccessful. He also suffered from insomnia. His breathing was very laboured and he wheezed badly.
I began the session with my usual prayer and centred and grounded myself. I drew the Reiki symbols and requested protection from negativity and asked for assistance and guidance from God, Reiki guides and other spiritual helpers.
I immediately felt the wonderful healing power surge through my hands as they heated up when I began the treatment. I channelled Universal healing energy, blissfully aware of being in tune with the Universe, of being vibrantly connected to the Source. It’s the most magical feeling which I cannot justly describe. This is what I enjoy doing most of all – being connected to the higher spiritual realms.
As we progressed his breathing eased and I felt his tense muscles finally relax.
I was working over the chest area when I psychically saw two black shapes, resembling black beetles and wondered why the guides were showing them to me. I was extremely puzzled as the vision remained. Suddenly I heard a guide’s voice saying ‘Fill the lungs with gold!’ I immediately channelled gold light and saw the shapes change from black to gold. Only then, did I realise that I had been seeing my client’s scarred, nicotine-filled lungs. ‘Flush the body with gold light’ said the voice again. I channelled gold light again, flushing the entire body with its brilliance.
As my client sipped Reikied water after the session, he said it was the most incredible experience he’d ever had. He was in awe of the heat that was emitted from my hands and most of all by the fact that he hadn't felt the need to use his asthma pump during the treatment, in fact his wheezing was barely audible.
When he phoned me the next day, he babbled excitedly: ‘It was most extraordinary, the heat from your hands stayed with me for about four hours – it even misted up the car windows as I dove home.’ He said his cat had suffered a bad facial injury on one side of her face and was bind in one eye. ‘When I arrived home she followed me around until I sat down. She then climbed up on my chest and snuggled up inside my shirt with her injured face buried in my chest. She remained there for about an hour, just absorbing the energy.’ This was an usual action for this cat as since the accident she had not allowed anyone to touch her face.
That night his stomach and lungs eliminated and expectorated their dark toxic waste. He couldn’t believe how much better he felt after just one treatment. He was in the process of relocating to another province, so he only managed a few more treatments. During that time his sleep improved and he managed to cut down dramatically on his smoking.
Sending distant Reiki is a wonderful means of helping wild animals to heal from wounds, injuries and other mishaps which befall them in the wild. The only information required is the breed of animal, for your reference and their location. The following story indicates the creative manner in which it can be used.
A friend who was then living on a farm in the Soutpansberg area in Louis Trichardt, South Africa contacted me in 2003. Rozanna urgently requested help for a neighbouring farmer. A lynx (a type of wild cat) had been killing his sheep and he was reluctant to shoot her. He was prepared to find another solution so she asked me to try and contact the Lynx and communicate the danger to her.
I began the session with the Reiki symbols and the distant healing symbol assisted me to connect with her immediately. I focused on my heart chakra (the area in the centre of my chest) and I felt a deep connection with her, as I visualised a beautiful pink light flowing my heart to hers. I asked permission to communicate with her. I felt her acknowledgement as my hands heated up. I psychically saw her, just standing there, with her head held to the side, as if she was listening to something entrancing. I told her telepathically that she had to stop killing the sheep immediately and showed her a picture of a gun. I let her know that if she continued she would be shot and killed. I urged her to go higher up into the mountains where there was an abundant supply of suitable wild animals she could hunt for food.
I sent Reiki to the situation and requested help from the Reiki Guides and Holy Angels. After a while my hands grew very hot as she accepted the energy. Then something amazing happened. I felt that I had merged with her. I was in her body, looking out through her eyes. I was running along the ground though tall clumps of thatching grass. I could feel the ground moving beneath me, my heart was pounding and thumping so hard and I experienced a drumming sensation in my ears. Eventually this sensation faded. I then saw the lynx carrying her kittens in her mouth, one at a time, away from the farms at top speed.
Rozanna called me the following evening and confirmed that no more sheep had been killed. Her husband and neighbouring farmers checked the spoors at the water holes and without a doubt, there was no trace of the lynx’s spoor. I felt certain that Reiki had assisted with the whole situation. Everybody was very pleased that the lynx had got and understood the message and saved herself, her kittens and the farmer’s sheep.
I then sent Reiki again, this time expressing gratitude to God, the Reiki Guides and Holy Angels and the wonderful energy….. that is Reiki.
One morning in the autumn of 2006, Maxi, our old Border Collie was sniffing in the fallen leaves on the lawn when he was bitten by a highly venomous puff adder.
Thankfully my husband Owen was at home that day and drove the car as we rushed him to the nearest veterinary hospital. I sat in the back of the car with Maxi and gave him Bach Flower Remedies. Rescue Remedy to help with the shock and Crab Apple for cleansing. I also kept putting Rescue Remedy on the actual bite on his face.
I did Reiki and some ear slides, a TTouch technique, by moving my thumb and forefinger from the base of his ear to the tip, to prevent his body from going into shock. I drew the Reiki symbols and used the Mental/Emotional symbol to clear the poison from his system.
By the time we got to the vet his face and neck were beginning to swell. He received immediate attention and was put on a drip. Because of Maxi’s age – he was twelve at the time – the prognosis wasn't positive. We were advised that the puff adder’s poison would cause the skin to rot in the area of the bite, so if he recovered we should be prepared to deal with that situation. We stayed with Maxi as they placed him in a kennel and said a teary goodbye, not knowing if he would ever come home again.
My Reiki students’ network, family and friends sent Reiki and prayed for his recovery. I sent distant healing to him and all the other animals in the hospital for healing for their highest good. The next day his face and head were swollen to twice the normal size. That night I sat with his photo between my hands and beamed distant healing to him, visualizing the poison and swelling leaving his body. I asked God, Reiki Guides and St Francis of Assisi (the patron saint of animals) for help.
When the phone rang early the next morning I was expecting to hear bad news. The vet said the swelling had miraculously gone down during the night and that we could go and collect him! When we arrived at the animal hospital, all the other animals were leaving as they had also made a speedy recovery (another dog also had a snake bite) much to the vet’s surprise.
Living in the country gave my animal friends free reign, my newly acquired kitten, Inca, was no exception. She loved playing outside all day, swinging from trees or chasing and hunting butterflies and skinks. The problem was that she would rush home briefly for supper and then disappear until the small hours of the morning.
She was enjoying life to the fullest, it was all a great adventure to her, so I was rather reluctant to curtail her escapades. But I felt that being a kitten she was at some risk due to the presence of birds of prey and certain wild animals.
I confronted her early one morning after breakfast. Sitting opposite her, I looked into her eyes and asked her telepathically if I could communicate with her. She looked at me in surprise, and I heard a sort of giggly “yes.” I told her I loved her, by visualising a beautiful pink light flowing from my heart to her heart. I physically felt the connection when a feeling of warmth entered my chest.
I told her I was worried about her staying out so long on her own during the night and early morning hours. I told her I would prefer it if she came home earlier in the evenings. I felt that she’d understood my message, as she did come home earlier….around midnight. This of course was not what I wanted.
So another pep talk ensued. I told her that midnight was still unacceptable to me and I would appreciate it if she could be home by 8.00pm every night. I kept repeating the words 8.00 o'clock while simultaneously visualising a clock face, indicating 8.00pm. I asked her again "do you get it now Inca, I want you home by 8 every night please?"
The following evening I was busy working in my healing room, when I was startled by a white-tortoise shell apparition as she launched herself through the window. The time was exactly 5 minutes to 8.00!
Learning to communicate with animals telepathically was not only a lot of fun, but it also led me to discover who my animal companions really were. I discovered their likes and dislikes, their fears and phobias and a whole lot more. I was amazed that I could “hear” their voices clearly in my head.
Whilst cooking supper one evening, Mac-Tavish sauntered into the kitchen and approached the stove. He greeted me in his usual fashion, a lopsided grin, mouth open with tongue lolling to the side, eyes bright with anticipation. I was busy stirring cream into the spinach when he made an upward motion with his head towards the pot and asked: ‘So what’ve got cooking there?’ ‘Spinach’ I replied. ‘Can I have some?’ was his quick response. I said ‘Mac you’ve never eaten spinach and I’m sure you won’t even like it.’ ‘Try me’ he said.
I ladled a small amount of spinach into his dish and he wolfed it down. I was surprised, as I know many humans who can’t stand the taste of it and here was this hound simply loving it. He repeatedly asked me, ‘can I have some more,’ until he’d eaten almost half of our portion.
Each day Mac-Tavish came to check on the cooking and always asked ‘can I have some of that?’ Perhaps my vegetarian way of life had influenced him, because he went absolutely mad for beetroot, raw grated carrots, gem and butternut squash, sweet potatoes, green beans, peas and mielies.
I checked with Nikki and the border collies Maxi and Tess and they also enjoyed the veggies, so it was incorporated into their daily meals. No more boring dog food, they were on a BARF diet of raw minced chicken, brown rice, gravy (with only a sprinkling of dog cubes). Beetroot contains a lot of fibre which can cause tummy upsets, so it was only given in very small quantities, much to Mac’s dismay.
It became a habit, Mac continued to check on the cooking each day, in the hope of a hand-out, like a canine Oliver Twist, 'please can I have some more?’ was his constant refrain!
Nikki and Mac-Tavish, our Labrador/Irish setter cross companions, entered our lives in 1994, as two black fluffy bundles of mischief. The brother and sister duo were inseparable, they would often sit in mirror image to each other. They appeared to be deeply connected on a subconscious level, as they continued to act simultaneously, but independently of each other.
Living on a small holding they were able to enjoy the freedom of the countryside. Much to our dismay they soon discovered the location of a game farm, situated several kms behind us. They would disappear early in the morning and return sometime in the late afternoon, tired, panting and covered in all manner of twigs and greenery. Obviously very thirsty, they would plunge their faces, up to their eyes, in a bucket of cold water, expelling a number of bubbles as they slaked their thirst.
It was around this time that positive proof of animal telepathic communication entered my mind. I would notice that the setters were missing and I'd think 'Nikki and Mac, wherever you are, you'd better come home NOW!' Initially I was amazed that within about twenty minutes they would suddenly appear, running like the wind. They would look at each other, with a look which could be interpreted as saying; "Oh Boy....now we're in trouble."
I felt intuitively that this was not just a series of coincidences, so I embarked on a journey of animal telepathic communication.