November 2010
Animals in Spirit
by Dawn Huebner
Many animals have left their physical bodies
from illness, accidents or even human error during the past few months and more will follow with the onset of the winter season.
When animals leave us, we've been taught to use terms like "died or "passed away", yet "crossed over"
or "transitioned" are more accurate descriptions. During the transition process, animals leave their physical
bodies and cross over into another spiritual realm, yet their spirit remains totally intact. Through animal communication sessions with animals in spirit form, animals
have taught us a lot about their transition experience. When animals cross over, they are never alone as there are many other
animal and human spirits there to assist them. They go to another spiritual realm often referred to as heaven or "the
other side", where they attend a brief orientation as things work quite differently there. After that, they have
freedom to move back and forth to visit their beloved family members on Earth. During this time, they are also
in training for a job/role based on their skills, experiences and preferences. It's ironic that just when a beloved animal is feeling ecstatic
after being freed from their physical body and any pain or discomfort, then the animal's human family experiences
a tremendous amount of grief and emotional pain from the loss of their beloved animal. Animals in spirit form want
to help ease the grief of their family members, so they do their best to give their human family a sign of some
kind to let them know they are okay. Signs from animals can come in many different forms such as through dreams,
new or moved objects, or even electrical disturbances in a home. When this happens, it should be a comforting experience. Above all, animal spirits love spending time with
their human families, so although animals are no longer in their physical body, they are never truly gone. The love
bond that exists between animals and their human families extends beyond our earthly realm, and eventually the time comes
when human family members cross over and are reunited once again with their beloved animal spirits. Until then, animal communication can be a great resource to help soften
the grief from losing an animal, regardless of whether an animal crossed over recently or many years ago. It's
a great opportunity to reconnect with your animals (in spirit form) to find out more about how they are doing, how they
spend their time and how they communicate with you and your family members. An animal communication session can
provide comfort and peace of mind, especially during the holidays when family memories can trigger intense grief over
the loss of a beloved animal.
JULY 2010
6 Steps to Communicating with your Animal before the July 4th holiday
by Dawn Huebner
There are several things you can do to prepare your animal for the upcoming noises
on the July 4th holiday. The best option is to keep your animals indoors, if at all possible. Many animals
traumatized by the fireworks flee for their lives in an effort to escape the loud noises and once they go missing, it can
be incredibly challenging to recover them. Even animals kept indoors can become incredibly anxious as they hear fireworks or feel their vibrations. Another
way to help prepare your animal is to talk with him/her prior to July 4th, just like you would talk to a young child.
Here are steps for talking with your pets about the upcoming holiday:
1. Talk with your animals a week or so ahead of time. Tell them that in a a specific number
of days, people will celebrate the 4th of July holiday by lighting fireworks that make very loud noises. It is best to talk
out loud with the animal in the same room or think the sentences in your head since animals are telepathic and pick up our
thoughts.
2. Explain the loud noises
are part of a national celebration for people and your animal will be safe during that time. Explain the time of day
when fireworks are likely to start and and finish, such as before or after mealtime or during a specific part of their
daily routine. If you don't know the timing of the fireworks for your area, you can tell your animal the noise
is likely to start at sundown and continue for the next hour or two. They may even hear some scattered noises
before or after that, yet reassure them they are safe and that the loud noises will pass.
3. Every few days, remind your pets again
about what will happen as the July 4th holiday approaches. Just like people, sometimes animals forget what you
tell them, so reminding them every few days before the event can be helpful.
4. If you plan on being out for the evening, sometime prior to leaving, make sure to tell your animal how long
you will be gone, (how many hours). Explain there may be loud noises, yet you have made sure your animal will be
safe during that time. Once animals
know what is going to happen, they are much better prepared for the loud noises they will encounter and they'll be less likely
to react negatively or destructively. During the fireworks, if your animal is
showing signs of anxiety, you can also drown out the noise with calming music, a quiet radio program, a calming movie or TV
program.
Keeping your Animal Safe during Big Scary Noises
by Deb Spindler
Speaking from the energy
perspective, there are several ways to help your anxious animal deal with the noises of the July 4th and thunderstorms.
Firecrackers and thunderstorms can be very scary to animals and induce anxiety. To help minimize the stress, be calm and grounded yourself. To calm yourself, take several
slow, deep breaths. If you are at home and able, be truly there and "present" for him during the storm.
Place your hand on his heart chakra to support him energetically. Set your intention to calm him, while reassuring
him that he is safe and protected inside your home. Encourage him to go to a "safe place" to "weather
the storm". The safe place may be behind the couch, under a bed or coffee table or maybe in the basement. Remind
him of his safe place with every recurrence. Several products that I have experienced, can help when storms or firecrackers are predicted. The Bach Flower
essence Rescue Remedy is wonderful in those short term fearful situations. Rescue Remedy can be bought at a local co-op
or natural food store. Follow the directions on the bottle and further dilute the remedy. The drops from the original
bottle will last a long time due to dilution. Put several of these drops in the animal's mouth, paws or rub on your
hands and then on his ears. This is safe for any animal. Another favorite of mine is Peace and Calming - a Young Living essential oil blend. This
helps calm anxious animals or people. Mix a couple of drops (depending on the size of your dog) with olive oil and apply
to all four paws. My experience is that the essential lavender oil is a substitute for cats. I have also experienced
the same effect for people with each of these products as well, so don't hesitate to use them in the same way and at the same
time for you. You can contact me at 612-247-0388 to order Young Living oils.
April 2010
Animals Crossing Over
This past season, some of my clients have had their beloved animals leave their physical bodies. It brings
up the topic of death that we so often want to avoid, yet its one we must all face when we have the privilege of having an
animal grace our lives. Many animals make their transition out of their physical bodies in the spring or
late fall. Just as the seasons change, it seems to trigger underlying health issues in animals. So when spring
is a time of hope and new beginnings, it can be especially challenging when dealing with the grief & loss associated with
the death of a precious animal. For many people, even the thought of losing their beloved animal triggers painful
emotions and the grief process can start even while the animal is still alive. Then to make matters worse, people are
faced with important decisions about an animal's treatment, level of suffering and euthanasia. Quite often, these decisions
need to be made, yet with very little time to make them. Since each animal has a distinct personality, each one
has a preference as to whether they prefer to die naturally, whether they want assistance from a vet, whether they want to
die alone or with their family around them etc. So it can be helpful to work with an animal communicator to find out
as much as you can about their preferences. It's a wonderful way to honor your animal's wishes at a very critical time
in their life. A session with a healing touch practitioner can also be beneficial for your animal by preparing it for
a smooth transition physically, emotionally and spiritually. Essential oils and energy work can address physical issues,
like pain and anxiety, as well as the emotional and spiritual side of your animal to facilitate a calmer and peaceful transition
for your beloved animal. Animals tend to take their impending death much easier than most humans as they know their spirit or essence
will continue to live on even after they leave their physical body. They understand the only thing they take with them
is the love and connection to their family members (both human and animal). To those of you who have experienced
the loss of a special animal in your life, my heart goes out to you. Rest assured that your animal's spirit is never
far away and in time, you will be reunited again. Trust that the bond you form with your animal transcends time and
can never be broken.
February
2010
LET'S DIVE INTO FOOD
by Deb Spindler
Most of
us like to dive into our food, especially our animal friends. I'd like to spend a few minutes diving into the topic of
food for our animals. How do we select our animal's food? Do we grab a convenient bag of kibble as we race through
the grocery store? Do we watch for sales or the best coupons? Maybe we choose the kibble by the well-known name
brand or the "natural" disclaimer on the bag. Are we unknowingly limiting the quality of our animal's food
with our own shopping habits? How important is our animal's diet anyway? Any vet will tell you that animals
are enduring more chronic and acute illnesses. They seem to be living shorter lives and increasingly dying at an
age much less than their expected lifespan. Good nutrition is key to the animal's (and our) overall health and optimal
functioning of the immune system and organs. We can go a long way in minimizing the increasing animal health concerns
such as allergies, arthritis, dental disease, cancer, degenerative diseases, skin and coat issues. Many of our
animals are overweight and suffer similar weight related illnesses to humans - heart disease, joint issues and diabetes.
The type of food we feed them is critically important as it directly affects their well-being, quality of life and life-span. So
where do you start in this maze of animal food products? We are fortunate today. There are many high quality foods
available that range from raw food diets to kibble. That choice is based on each individual situation.
I'm not going to debate that here. The goal of this article is to stimulate you to learn more about the quality of food.
Educating yourself about animal nutrition is important before you start walking the maze of products. So pick up your
kibble bag, read the ingredients and consider what you are serving up for your pet. How do we begin to choose a good commercial
food for our animal? Dogs and cats are meat eaters by nature, with cats requiring an even higher percentage than dogs.
Although they may do well on diets with less meat, most will do better on high quality meat protein. It is important
to know the meat content of any product you are buying. Ingredients are listed by the highest volume to the lowest. If
you see corn, soy or wheat listed first, you know that most of the product is not protein. Minimally, the first ingredient
or two should be a protein source and listed as specific meats such as chicken, turkey, duck or chicken meal, turkey meal
or duck meal. Both are clean, non-rendered muscle tissue. Non descriptive meat sources such as Meal and Bone Meal
or "by-products" are the lowest quality meat sources; often non muscle based and slaughter house wastes. By-products
are not digestible forms of protein. Read for other ingredients on a label. Try to avoid artificial coloring which
provides nothing except esthetic quality for the people who feed the animal. Look for the preservatives added.
BHA, BHT and ethoxiquin are often used in lower quality food. Other things to avoid are excessive amounts of sodium,
sugars, flavor enhancers and texture stabilizers, like promptly glucates, glycols, etc. Human grade food will help to minimize
toxins, including pesticides and hormones, used in processing. Organic ingredients will have the least amount of these.
Fresh food is usually healthier than processed food. Treating or supplementing a dry food with fresh foods, such as
carrots, apples, fruits, cheeses and vegetables can give them some of the benefits of fresh food with their kibble. Finally,
obesity in animals is a major problem, just as in humans. Feeding more or less according to their weight is so important.
Grain based treats are often part of a dog's diet and can add additional calories fast. Nothing beats exercise to help
maintain weight, both from burning more calories and facilitating digestion. So go lace up your shoes and enjoy
a walk with your dog!