“Bear one another’s burdens” (Gal. 6:2) crossed my path several times over a couple of weeks — on a website I visited for a writing assignment, on a store facade I passed in Berne, Indiana, and more.
I wasn’t sure what to do with it. But I knew who to ask: a retired pack mule I recently began working with in my animal communication and animal Reiki practice.
Story, a distinguished 27-year-old donkey-Percheron cross, trained and worked as a pack mule in Wyoming before returning to her owner in the Midwest. Sadly, as her owner’s health declined, so did her activity level and care. When he went into a care home, she found a forever home and second career with Summit Equestrian Center.
Paul probably wasn’t talking about anything an equine (even the donkey Jesus rode into Jerusalem) might carry when he urged the Galatians to bear one another’s burdens in order to follow Christ’s teachings. Still … I wanted to know what “bearing burdens” meant to Story.
When I asked, Story acknowledged the physical burdens she’d carried. But she didn’t dwell on that.
The real burden, I heard from her, is uncertainty. Not knowing exactly what she was required to do, where she’d be going next, how she would be treated, whether she’d be fed on time. That’s a much greater weight.
Story’s new person has reassured her, with reinforcement from me, that she is home. She doesn’t have to carry loads of equipment. She can choose the work she does, and so far she’s chosen to support veterans. I can well imagine that those who have carried the weight of war, and maybe still never knowing when panic or despair might hit next, find a fellow traveler in Story.
By following through and offering someone a word of encouragement today, a hand with the groceries tomorrow, or ourselves a moment of grace any day, we can ease all our burdens. It doesn’t take any grand efforts. Even small actions lighten the load for animals who need to know they’ll be cared for today and tomorrow, no matter what they carried yesterday.
Respect for animals and their people is the foundation of my work as an animal communicator and practitioner of Kathleen Prasad’s Let Animals Lead® animal Reiki meditation method. This means an animal is free, at any time, to choose not to communicate with me or participate in a meditation session. We can try again another day or I can issue a refund. Either way, the animal’s “no” is honored.
It also means that regardless of who pays, I must have permission of the animal’s owner for an animal communication or meditation session. By owner (or guardian) I mean the person who is legally responsible for the animal, whether that is an individual or an organization such as a shelter or rescue.
That permission is required is stated on my website, but it’s still come up a couple of times recently. So this is to let you know where I’m coming from and how you might handle potentially problematic situations.
Why permission is needed
Having permission from the person who is legally responsible for the animal:
Keeps everything above board, which naturally brings better outcomes for the animal communication or meditation session.
Protects the animal and respects the boundaries and relationships of all humans involved. (Put another way: Say you have a child, or an adult for whom you are legally responsible. Barring some kind of emergency, you would not want a friend or relative to arrange a counseling session or alternative treatment for that person without your permission. Anyone who tried to do so, however well intentioned, would probably lose your trust. You wouldn’t think much of the practitioner involved, either.)
There’s an animal you love and want to support with animal communication or meditation who isn’t technically yours. How do you handle that?
Here are some examples:
A rescued horse has been returned — again — to the sanctuary where you volunteer. The vet has ruled out injury or illness as a cause for his behavior issues. The director, barn supervisor, and other volunteers are all at a loss as to where or even whether to try to place him next. Asking the horse could yield information about the behavior and what kind of home he wants, and you are willing to pay for the session out of your own resources.
You are fostering a cat from your local animal shelter. The cat has been over-grooming to the extent that raw, bald patches are showing up on her legs and belly. The cat was thoroughly checked out by the shelter vet before coming to your home, and there is no medical cause. You know from experience that this is a common sign of stress, and the bald patches could put off prospective adopters. That is, if you don’t adopt this sweet kitty yourself. You’re happy to pay for a meditation session to help her feel more relaxed and secure.
Your sister is struggling with decisions regarding the care of her dog, who is severely ill. Her veterinarian has placed a couple of choices before her, and she is overwhelmed. You love this dog, too, and you’d do anything to help your sister. Should you just go ahead and book the session, see what the animal has to say, and then tell your sister?
In the above scenarios, I need the permission of the sanctuary director, the shelter director/adoption supervisor, and your sister, respectively. Talk with the animal’s owner, share a link to my website, and offer an animal communication session as a gift to support the animal — and them. They’re also welcome to contact me with questions. If the answer is yes, I am honored to help. If the answer is no, that is absolutely fine.
If you are interested in a meditation or communication session but are not sure about permission issues, contact me. Some situations are just confusing. I will do my best to help you sort it out and find the best way forward.
Giving animals a voice is a responsibility, and part of that responsibility is maintaining the trust and respecting the boundaries of the people and animals involved.
It lets us all speak, and more importantly listen, freely.
Photo by Karolina Grabowska/PexelsPhoto by Pranidchakan Boonrom/PexelsAnger can lead to tragedy. What if each of us could, in some tiny measure, steer our anger onto better terrain?
In animal communication sessions, an animal will often show me an angry person in a current or past household.
It could be an abuser. It could be a situation that led to a person or animal living in fear, getting hurt or neglected, or losing their home. Maybe all of these.
It could also be someone who would never harm an animal or person, but is struggling with human stuff. Animals are naturally wary of angry people, though many wish they could help with whatever the problem is. Animals don’t understand the specifics, but they get the threat. Their humans mean the world to them.
What if we could harness our anger to recognize and solve problems rather than create more problems?
An essay I read in seminary, “The Power of Anger in the Work of Love” (in Making the Connections: Essays in Feminist Social Ethics) made me think that might be possible. Theologian Beverly Wildung Harrison said anger is “better understood as a feeling-signal that all is not well in our relation to other persons or groups or to the world around us.” Though anger doesn’t automatically lead to wise or humane action, she added, it can help get us there.
That is, if we calm the heck down first and think it through (my addition).
Can we learn to deal with our anger without being jerks … or worse? Sometimes a pause of even a few seconds can buy life-changing time to respond rather than react. We may not be able to change the situation, but we can change the energy we send out. It matters, I promise.
Using anger constructively might seem too good to be true in an age of pointing fingers and putting up walls. However, check out this excellent Kiwanis Magazine story by my friend Julie Saetre. It dives more deeply into why people are so angry these days and coping in a way that might actually help.
Also, please support those who work tirelessly (and often thanklessly) to help animals affected by abuse and neglect. Increasingly, domestic violence shelters are teaming up with humane societies so that people in abusive relationships can get themselves and their pets out of harm’s way.
We all owe it to the animals, one another and ourselves to do better.
All Creatures 