Opening Ourselves to The Animals of The World...

"If you talk to the animals

they will talk with you

and you will know each other.

If you do not talk to them,

you will not know them, 

And what you do not know 

you will fear.

What one fears one destroys.

~Chief Dan George

It is essential to study Nature and Animal Totems to understand the spirit's manifestation in our natural life. A totem is a natural object, being or animal whose energy we tend to feel a close association to during our lifetime.  We can learn more about ourselves and the world that is unseen by studying and learning about animal/nature totems.  These totems have qualities and characteristics of those behaviors and activities of animals and other natural expressions. We begin to pay attention to and acknowledge a nature totem by honoring the essence that is hidden behind it.  We then use it to understand our own life's purpose better.  So, basically, nature totems are symbolic of specific types of energy that we align with in our lives.  This is especially true with the animal totem.  The characteristics of the animal totems will reveal a lot about our own hidden powers and abilities. When we study the totem, and then learn to merge with it, we can then call upon its energy whenever we feel we need it.

Land animals have represented the emotionals side of life, which reflects the qualities of life that must be overcome and controlled.  They tend to be symbols of power related to the unseen world that we learn to bring to reality.  Birds are often symbols of the soul.  Flying reflects our ability to rise to new awarenes, connecting heaven and earth.  As totems, they stimulate flights of hope and inspiration.  Aquatic life as a totem symbolizes the creative element of life.  It reflects guidance and to expressions of intuition and creative imagination. They are reflective of the feminine side of our essence.  

Spiritual beings and how they assist us in our physical world have been a part of all major religions.  The Greeks spoke to their many gods through oracles.  Africans had rituals and myths with movement and dance based on that of animals. The Native Americans imitated animals in ritual and dance to link them to the spirit world.  There is a common belief that spiritual guides often use animals or the animal's imagery to communicate a purpose to people.


Spiritual beings, or beings in spiritual form, can take on many forms, such as; ghosts, angels, saints, or ancestors or relatives that have passed. They help to give us strength as well as to protect us.  They use energy to heal, inspire, and even help us to grow.  One of the most common forms that our spirit guides take on are in the form of animals.  And as I talked about before, totems are natural objects or animals whose energy we feel associated with in our lives on earth. 

The reason I am talking about this is that I have been faced in the last 5 years head on with several of my own animal totems. Before that, I did not know they even existed or what they were. And when I spoke of it with others, they did not know what I was talking about.  Lately, I have learned what they are and why they have appeared at different points in my life.  I have also discovered that others are noticing them too, while others are open to learning about them more.

Start out with a very broad question--do you know your animal totems?

When you examine the animals you have been interested in and the times in your life that your interest was piqued, this is the beginning of the process of discovering your animal totem.

Do you have an animal that has always fascinated you?  It seems that we are drawn to what has the most to teach us.

At the zoo, is there an animal that you always want to see first?  This was especially important when you were a child.  Children are more open by nature, and therefore can more easily be aware of what animal is most important to them.

Are there animals that we frequently encounter in the nature or in the wild?  These animals have something important to teach us even if it is only about survival.
 
What animal are you most interested in now?  Our interests do change over time. We will have one or two lifetime animal totems that are for a lifetime.  Others become important to us only during times that we need teaching.

Is there an animal that frightens you the most?  Often, this is the one we must learn to come to terms with.  This is when it becomes our power totem.  These totems that we fear, when we can finally confront them without fear,they become our shadow totem. 

How about an animal that has bitten or attacked you?  Has that ever happened to you?  In this case, if you survive, it is a test to see if you have the ability to handle the power of the spirit totem.

Do you dream of animals or dreams of animals that have never left your memory?  It is very important if the dream or the animal is recurring. This is often true in children's dreams--they are very specific animal spirits.



*Every animal has a spirit.
*The spirit may be its own or an image of another being to communicate a specific message to people.
*Every animal has its own specialty--medicine, magic, or power--to help you develop in your own life.
*Lifelong power animals are usually wild and not domestic animals ( with some exceptions). Even the exceptions are a link to the true power animal. For example: a domesticated cat is a link to a wild panther or leopard.  If you start with the domesticated form first, it will allow you to someday be able to handle and work more effectively with the true power form.
*Remember that the animal will choose you. You will be much more successful with the animal that comes to you.
*You have to develop a working relationship with your totem. Respect and trust them so they can respect and trust you. Like any relationship, this will take time, patience and much practice.
*Honor them by hanging pictures of them, drawing pictures of them, reading and learning about them, buying figurines and statues, and purchasing small tokens and images of your totem and giving them as gifts to those you care about. You can donate to a wildlife organization, or dancing and using the movement of the animal to keep the animal alive. Using your imagination is a wonderful link to your totem.
*Once you learn to work with the power of your totem, you are able to call upon any animal that you need for the strength that you are in need of.  Through your power totem, you align and shapeshift the energies of the other animals; you can connect with and draw upon whatever energy you need--speed, strength, etc.
*The key is to stay connected to at least one animal totem. You have the ability then to connect to as many as you may need. They may come to you daily--a different one per day, during changes in your life, during struggles, but the rule is that there is no limit to the totems you can work with.
*It is possible for more than one person to have the same totem at the same time.  A common animal totem is the wolf.  The energies and the spirit that the wolf reflects will be manifested differently and uniquely in each person because each person is different and unique.  The role that the totem plays for each person will be specific to the individual.

Here is an exercise to help you meet your power animal totem:

1.) First, you need to find a place to relax with no outside distractions.
2.) Close your eyes and imagine yourself entering a cave or a tree ( your choice). You could try it both ways and see which way feels better.
3.) Now after you have been in the dark cave or the tree for sometime, you will imagine yourself leaving.  Now see yourself entering a meadow.
4.) You will stay there a while and just experience the peacefulness and quietness of nature.  Listen to everything around you.
5.) You should see the animal totem/spirit enter the space that you are in now.
6.) Allow the animals around you to speak to you.  Listen to the movement of nature and the sounds that surround you.  What do you see--the form, the color,etc.?  It will all give you a message about its power.  You could even hear its thoughts in your mind.  Let the animal totem/spirit show you or tell you how it has helped you in the past and how it will help you in the future.
7.) Make sure to thank your power totem for making itself known to you, and ask it to please give some tangible evidence in the next couple of weeks for confirmation that it is your animal totem.  You will know because you will see it on the T.V., in figurines at the store, on pictures, and it may even appear in your dreams.
8.) Now you may step back to the cave or tree and go through to its other entrance point.  You may now exit.
9.) You may now take four or five deep cleansing breaths and make sure that you are grounded and connected.
10.) Now it is time to learn everything you can about your power totem.  Research and study the totem and its power. Meditate and contemplate on its power and how it applies to you and your life.

Thanks to Ted Andrews and his book, Animal Speak The Spiritual & Magical Powers of Creatures Great & Small.  As I go over this important information about animal totems/spirits, I will be using information from his book. I will only be quoting every once in a while. I have already read the book, and I remember it almost word for word because it was so helpful to me and for me. Obviously, when I number or bullet point things, those are taken from his book, but not directly. I really hope this helps you on your spiritual quest to understand yourself more. It really helped me a lot!  Thank you, Ted Andrews for all your wonderful words. I found the bood so inspiring. I love how he brought in, not just Native Americans, but Africans and Greeks, and many other cultures and ethnicities and religions. It is a wonderful book!

My power totem is the leopard/panther. I started out with the ordinary house cat. I always feared cats, so I had to face my fears. This one cat followed me everywhere and would even try to turn our doorknob from the outside. It would jump into my car and ride with me to the grocery store, etc., and lastly would leave me presents at my doorstep (dead chipmunks and squirrels). As I said, I always feared cats, never liked them, and was always a dog person. I always wore leopard clothing and purses and shoes. I loved leopard decor and such. Yet, I still feared them none the less. I always wanted to go to the big cat house at the zoo. I would dream about wild cats. I would even think that I saw leopards or panthers in public places in the corner of my eye, when in reality, you know they damn well could not be there.  And still, I would turn my head quickly to see.  Tomorrow, I'll go into what my power totem means to me....stay tuned...

  

Is It Possible to Stay Well And Avoid Sickness?

First I'd like to briefly talk about diet. Now I'm not a dietition, and I'm not gonna tell ya what to eat.  What I am going to tell you is to listen to your body.  If your body doesn't like a certain food, then don't eat it.  It's that simple really.  There are many times when we eat something and tell others that we love that certain food, but we we will surely regret it tomorrow...NO! Stop now!  If you eat something that always bothers your stomach, or gives you some type of physical problem the next day, don't eat it.  Your body will thank you later.  Also, when I was working as a nurse, I was a diabetes educator, and if I had to tell one thing that I learned from my days as an educator, it would be to avoid too many carbohydrates and always eat some protein with your meals.  All carbs break down to simple sugar in your body, and a small amount of protein (lean protein) with every meal helps your insulin levels to stay stable longer.  Good sources of protein are: chicken, fish, turkey, eggs, legumes, and beans.  Peanut butter is a good source of protein with an apple for a snack too!  I love animals, but I do not believe in being a vegetarian.  I think we are meant to eat meat; afterall, we have canine teeth!  We are organisms made up of protein ourselves, so we need protein to survive.  The diabetic diet is the perfect diet to follow really. A diabetic cannott eat a ton of sugar and not affect his or her health.  And the same is true for everyone else:  If you keep your carbs low, you'll not only feel better, but your immune system will pick up as well.  I also believe, personally, that imitation sweeteners are not good.  The body tastes something sweet, but doesn't get the calories.  In a sense, the body ends up craving even more carbs.  Also, sweeteners are not good for the kidneys and bladder.  And diet soft drinks are often high in caffeine, which isn't good either.  I think as long as you eat your regular food groups, you shouldn't need supplements. Talk to your doctor though, because many people being tested for certain auto-immune diseases and fibromyalgia have extremely low levels of vitamin D and B-12.  You may need to take supplements of those.  Prenatal vitamins may be a good source of both of those.  It's important to get your Omega fatty acids, so if you are not getting those with your diet, look into getting supplements for those, such as flax seed oil or fish oil.  Ask your doctor what is right for you.  It will help with inflammation, high cholesterol, and even constipation.  Also, I will add to this that you shouldn't abuse alcohol or drugs. You are killing thousands of brain cells as well as harming your liver and pancreas.

Another aspect to staying healthy or not is stress.  It is important to have a hobby or something to busy yourself with when a part of your life becomes stressful.  Instead of just becoming incapacitated in response to a stressful situation, I write in my journal, blog, walk or play with my dogs, meditate, play on facebook, pray,or do research.  I have to give a part of my brain some relief from the stress. If you have a routine that is the same day in and day out, your mind will go numb from lack of stimulation.  To prevent this, you should try different jobs or rotating your normal routine periodically.  You can try meditation to change your focus. It also sharpens the mind. Meditation is pretty powerful in that it can be active, rewarding, and relaxing all at the same time.  It is very good for affirmation of your goals too.  The mind will visualize, so that the body will follow suit.  Sometimes when people get sick, and they change their lifestyle, job , or other stress-related factors, they will often actually get better. Well, even if that is not the case for you, if you follow this advice, at the very least, you will be healthier and happier.

Sometimes it isn't just the stress of this life, but the cell memories over the past lives into this one that affects our health.  If you drowned in a past life, you could have a fear of water, because your cells, whether you remember it or not, can carry these memories from a past life to this life.  Sometimes these fears and phobias don't appear until we reach the age we were when the trauma occurred in our past life.  Birthmarks, too, can be scars of our past lives.  Sylvia Browne had mentioned a woman with a brown birthmark on her back was shot with an arrow when she was a Cherokee in a past life. Now she is afraid of people sneaking up behind her and experiences severe pain in that area.  If it is from cell memories of our past lives, we can release the fears we have left over and be safe today.  We can then eliminate the physical and mental symptoms that these memories cause.  ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS see your doctor to get everything checked out to make sure first.  Holistic an alternative therapies are nice adjuct therapies, I believe.  I follow medical doctors advice first, though. 

Lastly, I want you to be aware of your interactions with other people.  Make a point of being aware of how other people affect us.  You may have to be a bit of a detective, but you can do it.  Many people that are excessively draining of your energy are so, not because they are bad people, but because they are just self-centered.  You may find yourself constantly having to give out your energy to make them feel better.  The answer may simply be a little bit of honest.  First impressions are more accurate than most people may think.  Listen to your first impressions--the more you listen, the more powerful your psychic ability becomes.  Try trusting your instincts more.  If you really enjoy being around someone, then this means that you are on the same wavelength.  Chances are you rejuvenate each other.  If you have an immediate bad vibe, they could be dark inside, or off your energy wave.  Move on. If you feel neutral, a friendship would not be beneficial to either of you, and it could be quite boring.  Even if it is a family member that is draining your energy, you must distance yourself from them. It can be done quietly without upsetting them.  Children can be draining even though they are so pure, but it isn't their fault.  We become zapped of our energy around them because we are over doing it.  If you are feeling sick, look around you.  Make sure you are following your doctor's advice first of all.  But also see who you are with. Be completely honest with yourself and move on. If you are putting out a spiritual and giving vibe, the right people will be attracted to you.

"I am the master of my life and my chart, and no one can take this away from me. I succeed and stay on track."  Sylvia Browne

Life's Most Difficult Challenge--Death And Dying...

Death and dying is something that everyone will experience at some point in their life at some time in your life. It is also something that without a doubt will return from time to time again in your life. One thing is for sure, you can remember that you can and will survive it, and be proud to know it is one of life's most difficult challenges, if not THE MOST DIFFICULT challenge.

It is important to know that every one's grief is different. It is all relative. To each person, that special someone that is close to them that they lose is a life-changing experience. To many, the death of a child, is by far the hardest of all. Although death is a very natural part of our life-cycle, and the beginning our a new life on the Other Side, or whatever you may choose to call it, it is extremely hard for the living that are left behind to deal with the loss and the grief. I strongly believe that we are here on earth, our own hell, to learn the hardest lessons that we will ever learn. Learning to live through the death of those who have died, is quite possibly the hardest lesson of all! You see, they are happy on the Other Side. The are not sad for us or missing us, but it is terribly hard for us to get through each and every stage of grief to get through missing them and accepting that they are going to be OK, and that we are going to be OK, and to know that we will be with them someday and just as happy as they are when we are finally Home where we are supposed to be--when it is our time of course...

So you see, funerals and wakes and memorials are for the living not for the dead. They help us to move on, to accept our new life on earth, in our hell without these certain people that have moved on to another life on the Other Side, our true Home. We just need this extra time to say our good-byes, to pray, to cry, and to see family and friends for comfort and strength. We will understand this when we die, or perhaps as we are dying. Right now as we live and breathe, it is just too hard to grasp that there is no pain and suffering on the Other Side, there is no waiting because there is no time, and there are no struggles or testing because we learn that stuff here in our own hell on earth...In a way, we could look at our life on earth like one big dream, and when we wake from it, we will wake at Home on the Other Side, safe and sound with family and friends.

Why is it that when we lose the ones we love, we are left with such an empty, hollow ache in our guts? It's an actual physical symptom, like coming down the hill on a roller coaster. Well, that person is physically ripped from our existence physically, but we still have the memories, the love, the thoughts, the words that were spoken, and the spirit remains alive on the Other Side. Yet, we still ask the age-old question, "why him?" It seems like the good people are always taken away from us so suddenly or too soon. But there are still so many dark, evil entities living here blatantly hurting others and making other people's lives miserable!

I have read from several of Sylvia Browne's books that each person gets 5 exit points that we can take to go Home to the Other Side. It may seem hard to comprehend, but good people tend to take their exit point fairly early to cross over to the Other Side. They do so many times because they are tired of life here on earth, these kindhearted people feel they have completed their mission from God here on earth, and they are just simply ready to go.

I believe in the afterlife. I don't know if it is called Heaven, but I believe all our loved ones are there, that time is not a factor, that it is the most beautiful place you can imagine, that all of God's creation goes there, so my fur kids will join me too, and that knowledge is a priority, so there are many books and halls and temples of this and that to expand the mind even on the Other Side. People have visited this afterlife in dreams, astral travels, near-death experiences, and hypnosis regressions, and all have described the same features. We are talking about people from different cultures, ethnic backgrounds, and religious groups, who are believers and skeptics alike, and they all have seen the same thing. If you were a researcher studying these accounts, you would not only believe, but you would have confirmation!

Some make it to the Other Side and some don't. So we see ghosts and experience hauntings. These ghosts are the restless souls of all the people who have ever died, who had unfinished business or unresolved conflict on earth or suffered a traumatic death and do not know they have died, and they make up a very small percentage.

All loved ones that have died can come to us in our dreams, but that doesn't mean they are ghosts. They can communicate through scents like the cigar they used to smoke; dropping coins like pennies; ringing phones; and making electrical devices turn on and off. Animals and children can usually see loved ones who have passed over, and it is very likely to be because of their innocence--no one has told them yet not to believe or that what they see isn't there.

I'm not going to go into past lives because if you've read this blog before, you know how I stand on that. I believe in it. I believe that we will come back again and again until we have all the knowledge we feel we need to have on the Other Side. I would like to keep coming back until I know all I want to know about myself and about the human condition. I know I won't know that in this life, so I will at least come back once more. But because this is a very hard life for me, of which I put into my blueprints, I believe that I won't come back many more times because I'm trying to learn a lot in a single trip to earth. There are people that hypnotize for past life regressions, and the most traumatic seems to be the birthing process from heaven to earth, or our hell. When a person remembers this, it is too painful and traumatic, that it must be observed by the person and not experienced in the regression. That is amazing! It only shows that when we die and go back there, that it truly is a peaceful and wonderful place that we were pulled from in the beginning of this life on earth, only to rejoin our true Home again when we leave this one in the end--the new beginning.

It truly is amazing, but we see this as our home right now because it's all we really know. We have moved around a lot because my husband is a professor. We have lived in St. Louis, MO; Lexington, KY; North Providence, RI; and now Decatur, GA. Except for my birth city (and now the current city, but I'll get to that later on), every place that I knew as home, I didn't want to leave. You develop friends and relationships, and you have a house and pets, a life. It is comfortable. You think nothing could be better, until you move somewhere else. Now for me, it was a little different with St. Louis; although I had the relationships, the place never felt like home. Sure I cried when I couldn't see my friends and family everyday, but welcomed Lexington. I LOVED KY! I felt I had been there before, and the same for RI. When we left both of those places, I thought I could never find another place to love and meet people again, a home. Well, you always do, but as humans, we always miss our loved ones when we leave them for an hour, a day, a month, years, or forever--or at least until we go Home to see them again for a new forever.

I can touch on divorce, but not with any experience of my own. Many people have said that it is worse than death. They don't get near as much sympathy as when the other person dies...This is probably true. You also may compound this with any feelings of failure or isolation that may have gone along with the marriage/divorce. There may be guilt, rejection, and no one really wins, especially when children are involved. There is a learning curve with divorce. You are forced to throw yourself back into the world--to work, family, friends, life...

Grief can be seen as selfish. There is definitely a void, and I feel that it is your right to feel sorry for yourself for as long as you need to for that time to mourn the loss. You never will "get over it" as some people might tell you to do. Everything for the rest of your life will remind you of that person, a song, a smell, a taste, a place, pictures, etc.

What can we do about it? Well we never know when the death of a loved one or a memory will turn our lives upside down. So in the meantime, make the most out of every moment with your loved one. Remember to tell them--family and friends--as often as possible how much you love them and how important they are to you, how much they mean to you. Hold your loved one a little closer each day...

A good thing to do is to write in a journal the things that you loved most about that person, and then on the other side of the paper write what you wish you could have said to them if they were still alive. It is very therapeutic. In case of divorce, write what you could have done differently, and on the other side of the paper write what you did bring to the relationship that was positive.

For me, I lost an uncle, an aunt, an energy healer teacher and friend, and now my 13 year old dog, companion, friend, and fur kid is slowly passing on to the Other Side. It has been a rough 2009 to 2010. I lost my grandma in 2006, who had many of the abilities that I have, so I have no one to talk to about what I deal with from day to day. She always just "knew" things. Now I understand that part of her, and she isn't here for me to talk about it with her. That is really sad for me. I have only one grandma left, but her mind is gone to Alzheimer's, she has begun her journey to the Other Side.

It isn't supposed to be easy. Pray, pray, pray. Talk to others about it. Write about your feelings. Talk to those who have passed, and you will get signs from them that they are still somehow among us. The Other Side is not so far away, it is just another space and time, but they walk among us, and know what we are doing here on earth. Stay in tuned to the signs that your loved ones may be sending you. Right now is hard for me because, my grandma that I spoke of that had abilities like me, always wanted to see our baby, so I know that we will have a baby. She never gave away what the sex would be, she knitted a yellow blanket, not pink or blue. Sadly, when she died, all of her personal belongings were thrown away in a family dispute. I lost the blanket. I hope that somehow she will get that blanket to me. The adoption is a tough waiting game to begin with, but I always thought she would be here to see the baby. So I know when we finally adopt, she will be here. I hope I will know she's here, and I hope the baby will see her and know just how special she is!!! Also, my dog, Max, was just diagnosed with diabetes. He is not doing very well. I have not prepared myself for the day that he would leave. He is not the type of dog that expresses himself like other dogs, and he keeps his distance normally. Now he is very close to me, losing his sight, and giving me feelings of no fear, no sadness, only peacefulness. He has clarity even though he is nearly blind. He feels safe. I am a mess. I know that I will see him again. But I think, for me, the love of a dog, is by far different from the love of a person. They love you unconditionally. There is no judgement. They know who you are truly, and that is that. Also, they are who they are, and that is that. They don't want you to change for them, and they are not going to change for you. They go Home peacefully, without any worry of what happened here. We should be more like our dogs...

Sylvia Browne suggests saying to yourself everyday this week: "I do not push against life; instead, I let God and my chart guide me. I measure my life by my motives when I fear that I have done wrong things, and I realize that I did not mean to hurt anyone."