Su Burnett

Intuition & Animal Communication

Praise

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Yesterday, I was speaking with my inspiringly creative friend about relaxing and letting go of that critical voice that as artist’s we were trained to listen too. She too went to the Nova Scotia of Art & Design. We had a group critique each week.  As a group we were expected to look at a piece and find what was out of balance, not in harmony and what we could fix in our own work and others. This was supposed to help us create works of art. For me, this training developed a way of looking at everything, myself, my life and became especially exasperating when I was practicing art. Instead of experiencing the fun, freedom and adventure that drawing provides me,  an inner, not so friendly, never pleased, inflexible voice, would question each action, drawing or mark, chastising me into constantly focusing on what I had to fix, change or improve. For some periods of time, I would get so upset, disheartened and depressed by this way of perceiving doing my favourite thing of all time, I would just stop. Sometimes for monthes  and monthes.

It has taken me years to be mindful and aware of this perception. That to change a habit like this, that I have to practice a new habit, Praise. That there is nothing to fix. That it’s the experience of drawing that is important, not what I will do with it when I’m finished or if it looks exactly like the thing I am drawing. The horses continuously remind me that after each and every task, to immediately find the five things I did to the best of my ability. Once, after my very first riding lesson,  when I was finding fault with my inexperience, they laughingly reminded me that I was still breathing and had at least stayed on! They point out that praising ourselves at every opportunity while we are doing the task is equally important.  To ingrain the new habit by repeating to ourselves very good, very good, yeah… throughout the day. Horses pretty much consider most of us humans perfect as we are. They’d like us to realize this too! They say that focusing on what we do well, accepting ourselves as who we are in the moment and throwing that critical strict faultfinding voice out for good, helps us to relax into our natural balance, natural talents and abilities. And most of all they are saying, it relaxes us so that we just naturally are doing our best and can ENJOY it!

Reiki Recharge

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ReikiI am in New Brunswick this morning. My view is spacious, with a river, vast amounts of green and clear, clear skies. The peace and absolute quiet of this place is a gift, a luxury, which I am appreciating immensely. It is giving me the opportunity to relax and recharge after a particularly chaotic few monthes.  The constant chatter in my head has ceased and deep breathing, stretching, swimming, some delicious food and lots of laughing with amusing friends has eased the tension in my body.  My companion for the day is gorgeous Oakey, an adventurous dog, she has crushed two bones in her leg and right now, by my feet is convalescing from this injury.

Oakey, called me last Friday, she said that I would benefit from a change in scenery and to come for a visit. When, I arrived on Monday, she was castless, having cleverly soaked the cast in the river and eased it off with the assistance of a trampoline leg.  She has gone through three casts, in two weeks, one was pink, one was purple, the one you see above in the picture is her present one. Oakey absolutely loves and delights in running really fast,  playing outside with her friend Pixie,  chasing balls and leaping and catching sticks in midair. Sometimes, she’s just a blur of movement. She had many questions about the cast, her leg and what it all meant. What WAS this tight stick thing around her leg for? Why was it there and what did it do, besides itch. click when she walked and prevent her from moving in a speedy fashion, it was driving her crazy.

I explained the benefits of the cast, that’s it’s purpose was to keep her leg straight and that remaining still, moving slowly, resting and recovering for 21 more sleeps, would heal the leg, providing a future of enjoyable movement on a strong leg. That keeping the cast on for this period was necessary for this to occur and that she must co-operate, relax and let the new cast be. With understanding and consideration of the worhwile benefits, Oakey agreed to do her best to keep it dry and keep the cast on for that length of time. She has been doing really well.

Oakey, has also requested a Reiki session, a few times every day, to speedup the healing process. Reiki is a Japanese word that means Universal energy or chi. Everyone has natural healing abilities, Reiki is a training that teaches us how to skillfully direct this energy with intention. I have been a practising Reiki Master since 1997. I love giving Reiki to animals, as they are espescially receptive to Reiki, they are aware of it’s amazing curative properties and have an innate desire to heal quickly and easily. They absolutely soak it up. It’s a very enjoyable experience.  In fact, experiencing the Reiki, as I give it to Oakey, is energizing and recharging me as well.

In our session this morning, Oakey suggested that I make the experience available to more pets, horses and humans and that it was time to organize a workshop again. So, in gratitude to lovely Oaks, her inspiration, her sense of humour and her delightful presence on walks, I am now organizing a Reiki One Training for Animals!

I will post this now, as I finalize the details and create a Reiki page on this website. Yeah, something wonderful, energizing and amazing to look forward too! So, check out our new page when it goes up, if you are interested in finding out more! It will be fun. Have a peaceful day and thanks for reading this!

Water Equals Energy

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An interesting, challenging week trying to write this blog. Each time I sat down to write, a few words sputtered out onto the page and then…nothing. This morning in frustration, I finally asked the horses for their input. “Drink water,” that was their recommendation. “You are very dehydrated and your focus, creativity and abilities to efficiently retrieve information are suffering because of this.”  It’s true, it’s summertime in Nova Scotia, last week it was 29 degrees celsius, this week  the temperature has dipped down to 15 degrees celsius, it’s like October out there.  With the definite chill in the brisk northerly wind, I’ve layered up in warm clothing, stretched to stay warmish and been consuming vast amounts of hot liquids. My intake of water has dropped along with the temperature.

So several glasses of water later, here I am writing! During a reading the horses often recommend that their humans drink more water. Here is why… Two thirds(about 75%) of the human body is made up of water. Drinking water activates the brain for

-efficient electrical and chemical action between the brain and the nervous system

-efficient storage and retrieval of information

-improves concentration and focus and alleviates mental fatigue

-heightens ability to move and participate

-improves mental and physical co-ordination

-releases stress, enhancing communication and social skills

All skills are improved by adequate hydration. Water intake is vital to our well being and in preparation for preforming, competing and in any time where possible stress is anticipated. So before you head out for a ride, are sitting at your desk working or are creating something wonderful, have a glass of water to hydrate! I am certainly grateful for the horses suggestion, after all the blog is written after a week of frustration, inability to create and lack of focus. Raise a glass or bottle of water to toast our wise friends the horses! Thanks!

How I became Professional Horse Whisperer- Part 4

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One of the questions I get asked frequently is how I became a a professional Animal Communicator, Horse Whisperer and Dr. Sulittle. So today, the horses would like me to share Part 4 of my story with you.

This story is really about how I started talking to horses. Before this experience, I had ridden a horse three times and been to the races once, I was unfamiliar with them and didn’t even know that I was fluent in Horse. There’s a certain synchronicity with horses and I’m still amazed how they seem to be able to make things happen. Often when I am low on funds, I’ve sent the message out to the horses that I need a reading or to do a clinic and voila, someone calls or books a clinic! I am sure that Double Expresso, the horse in this story, was somehow arranging things in the background, to get me acquainted with him, his racehorse friends and the horse world in general. It is due to him that I am a professional Horse Whisperer today! Anyways, here’s the story…..

Hong Kong, 2002

I’m standing on the roof of an apartment building, overlooking the Happy Valley Racetrack in Hong Kong. Listening to a lovely, soft spoken confident Chinese Television celebrity named Wendy. Her favourite bird, has escaped from the immense cage beside us and she’s anxious to see if I can track him. Not being fluent in bird, it’s doable, but like a crossword puzzle with very vague clues in a different language. He reports that he feels safe, is being fed and cared for and is alive, but is disorientated. I am unable to receive clear directions to his location.

Wendy is assuring me that she feels relief and peace knowing that her bird friend is okay and is inviting me into her apartment for some tea. It is a menagerie.  There are 3 dogs, quite a few cats, several more birds and many fish tanks with fish and turtles in them. Large photographs  and paintings grace the walls, displaying more dogs and horses. Wendy tells me of her dedication and passion for rescuing unwanted and abandoned animals in the Happy Valley area.

She mentions a horse that she leases. It’s a retired racehorse. We must go visit it and find out what he has to say. She’s handing me a picture, I’m already receiving information which I translate to Wendy…There is something SO familiar about this hour…like we have met or something…yet, I have only been to the races once and know absolutely nothing about horses…then she mentions his name…Double Expresso. And then I remember! Of course I know Double Expresso, it’s probably the only horse name I even know!

A few years earlier….

I’ve been meditating and studying healing in Thailand and am back in Hong Kong  to earn some funds for a trip to Canada. My very dear, generous, funny friend Thomas is in town from Vietnam. He’s been hanging out at a bar, where everyone avidly follows horse racing, which is a absolutely HUGE in Hong Kong. The Hong Kong Jockey Club conducts nearly 700 horse races per year at their two race tracks where an average crowd attendance is approximately 46,000 per race card. Thomas has had a brilliant, amusing idea on how we can all benefit and make some money at the races. He has formed the PSS, the Psychic Su Syndicate. We use my Psychic abilities to pick the winning horses. Brian, a genius at betting, fills in the forms to garner the best returns and Thomas, flush from his teaching gig in Vietnam provides the wagering funds. The winnings will be equally split three ways between us, after Thomas is repaid the initial wager.

So, after a few meetings of the PSS, we’re off to the races. I’m now standing at the viewing grounds at the races, which I would see from Wendy’s roof. The races at Happy Valley are a buzz. We’re surrounded by sound, motion, excitement, passion and the vivid, bright, delightful colours of racing. I LOVE it! Everything is interesting, energizing and fun. A huge party celebrating risk, daring, speed, beauty and danger. Our picks have placed or won in the last six or so races. We’ve won heaps and I feel it’s time to stop working, relax, enjoy the atmosphere and have some fun. Thomas, still in a wagering mood, asks us for the winner of the next race. I suggest that he go to the paddock area and tap into his intuition and trust what he gets…Thomas returns, brimming over with excitement… ” I KNOW who is going to win! I just know it…and get this! His name….his name is Double Expresso! He’s our winner! He’s it!” enthuses our passionate coffee lover of a friend. So Double Expresso won,  and we won ourselves enormous amounts of funding to relax into!

And now, several years later, there I was holding his picture….

So, I accepted Wendy’s invitation and went to meet Double Expresso. What I remember now is how I thought I was going to a small stable in the middle of nowhere in the New Territories, near the border with China.  I had packed a lunch, had snacks, borrowed a thermos and had worn old clothes. I arrived at Bea’s River and it was a swish country club setting with miles of stables. I vividly remember entering the stables and being met by the divine smell of the horses. How everything slowed down and seemed to go in slow motion as hundreds of horses slowly turned their heads as I came in and curiously watched me walk by. How everything sped up as they greeted me and all started talking at once. Hundreds of horses with something to say. I can still feel my elation, joy, delight and bewilderment. The experience was wonderful and overwhelming all at the same time. Like diving into deep water and having to breath when surfacing, remaining calm, knowing you’re out of your depth and you can no longer touch the bottom with your toes.

Then, I met Double Expresso and him saying…”What took you so long to get here? We’ve all been waiting quite a while for you to show up…you speak horse!”

And so, my introduction to racehorses and thoroughbreds was made. It was just the beginning of many hundreds to come. Soon they, their owners and trainers would be my main clients. Now that’s a story for another blog. So tune in for How I became a Professional Horse Whisperer- Part 5, coming to a computer screen near you soon!

How I Became a Professional Animal Communicator- Part 3

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One of the questions I get asked frequently is how I became a a professional Animal Communicator, Horse Whisperer and Dr. Sulittle. So today, the horses would like me to share Part 3 of my story with you.

In 2002, I was living on Lamma Island, in a small fishing village  in Hong Kong. To get to and from the Island you had to take a ferry. I was talking with animals as a career and was learning in each moment how to be a Professional Animal Communicator. There are no schools or training programs when it comes to this profession, so I was relying on my intuition and getting used to suddenly providing a service, I still wasn’t entirely confident I could provide. It was exciting, but often overwhelming pretending I knew exactly what I was doing, when in fact I was actually hoping someone could just tell me the steps to take to actually be professional in this sudden, unexpected career. When people first called for a reading, I wasn’t sure how to set it up, so they would come to my house with their pets. This took a bit of getting used to, did I need insurance? How long would the readings be?  What was the fee? Just when I felt like I was starting to get the hang of it I was suddenly catapulted into celebrityhood…Here’s how it happened.

July 2002

A dog, a snauzer is sitting at the top of my stairs, refusing to budge… as the people who brought him are waiting impatiently in my lounge…something very odd is occurring, nothing makes sense…The dog is stubbornly insisting that I take him for a walk without the humans…Leaving two strangers in my house and taking an unfamiliar dog for a walk is raising resistance in me. The dog is persuasive and my intuition is agreeing with him…I convince the humans of the benefits of sitting and enjoying the view on the veranda, lock the door and begin to walk the dog… Who is now happily chewing on some grasses, which will ease his constipation and stomach concerns.  After the dog has stretched, sniffed and has had a long period of munching…I ask him about his humans…They know absolutely nothing about him, his routines, his habits, when and what he eats…it’s very curious and odd.

“I just met them. They borrowed me.” He states.

“Borrowed you? What does that mean?” I ask.

” I met them at the office, before we got on the boat. They aren’t mine. I don’t know them… I’ve never met them before….” He says.

This is really confusing us…Why would someone borrow someone else’s dog and then hire me to talk to them…WEIRD!

“So what do I do? Just take you back and make them pay for just walking you?!!!!!” I ask.

“Just pay attention…” He replies, happily sniffing the vegetation.

“O-kay…” At least some of the dog’s health issues have been eased along by our walk and his eager intake of natural grass remedies. In Hong Kong, where he lives and walks, everything is concrete with tiny groomed patches of greenery, with signs prominently posted stating NO DOGS ALLOWED. This abundance of grass is a rare treat of a feast for him.

Back in the house, I question our guests as to whose dog it really is. As neither clearly know what and how often he eats. I repeat my conversation with the dog, who says that neither person is his owner and that he just met them.

The women is now telling me that they are journalists from a Chinese tabloid magazine. She is showing me a hidden camera in her purse! She is admitting that they borrowed the dog from a colleague at the office before they got on the ferry. Unable to expose me as a fake or fraud, she’s asking if I am willing to be interviewed for an article, what day is good for a photo shoot?

And suddenly there I am in a magazine, I am famous, Dr. Sulittle, The Pet Psychic, The Horse Whisperer. This garners me incredible amounts of business, the pictures in the article were terrible, although my friend Cookie who posed with me, looked great! When clients actually met me, they often said ” you look so much better in person!”

How I became a Professional Animal Communicator Part 4-  The Horses coming soon!

Smile, Smile and Smile some more.

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Am very excited today, I have a clinic at a stables in two days. I am booked for 6 hours, plus my 2 hours driving time. I love and really enjoy clinics, meeting horses in person, experiencing their smell, their personality and their sense of humour is always a delightful part of my job. Meeting and having the opportunity to talk with their humans is always engaging, informative, inspiring and down right fun. I am sooooo looking forward to it!

In preparation for that amount of work, standing for 6 hours, remaining focused, friendly and using all my senses to translate,  part of me wants to conserve energy, rest and remain still. The horses on the other hand have a different perspective than me, they are recommending relaxing, energizing, stretching and smiling!

To smile, smile, smile, smile and smile some more.  That all I have to do is stretch my body, do some twists, lunges, forward and back bends, take a swim and relax in the sun, enjoy the day….And to smile for ten minutes at a time. This will help me be able to smile for six hours straight in two days.  So am off to relax on this lovely holiday and smile with everyone I meet! Hope you’re smilin’ too!

How I Became a Professional Animal Communicator- Part 2

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Lamma Island, HK

One of the questions I get asked frequently is how I became a a professional Animal Communicator, Horse Whisperer and Dr. Sulittle. So today, the horses would like me to share Part 2 of my story with you.

I first moved to Hong Kong when I was 16 and have spend over half my life living there. In 2001 I was working in Nova Scotia, Canada and was experiencing a distinct lack of enthusiasm for my job as a psychic. After helping to solve some murders, receiving threatening phone calls about being a devil’s instrument and finding my skills a bit overwhelming, I decided to move back to Hong Kong and make a new start. Change was in order and I was excited to back on my home turf and ready to pursue a new job.  The horses and animals had something else in mind though! Here’s what happened…

Lamma Island, Hong Kong, 2002

Here I am on the beach…Deep breath and aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah! The heat of the sand, my delightfully bare skin is soaking up the humid air and sun. My toes are wriggling with glee in the sand,  kicking with abandon in the surf. The gentle lap of the waves, the inspiring, peaceful view of the Lamma landscape. A March day in Hong Kong, China.

Out of nowhere a dog whizzes by…Showering sand…stops in a blur a few feet away, turns his head and looks at me….

“WOW! You can understand me…” He says in amazement, surprise and glee.

“Mhmmmmmm, I can!” I smile back, his reaction amusing me.

“WuuuuuuuuuuuuuYA! You HAVE to tell my human something for me…I am soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo ITCHY!” He replies, sandpapery sounds accompany his leg as he frantically scratches his belly.

“Oh…um…sorry…I just can’t…” My thoughts are whirring, worrying and wishing to escape…Just casually approach a total stranger and admit I talk to animals? WHAT?!!!!! WHAT will he think? That I’m crazy! I think I’m crazy half the time! What if I am? I may be burnt at the stake or something ridiculous like that…Aaaaaaahhhhhh, to have a normal job….all these PSYCHIC SKILLS are just tooooo weird sometimes! Like right now in fact!

The dog is now coming closer, making eye contact… “PLEASE, you gotta, I tell you, this ITCH is driving me crazeeeeeeee!”

I am still reluctant and hesitant and experiencing extreme confusion as to what exactly my responsibilities are as someone who can talk to and understands dogs. Then he sends me the itch….it travels up my toes, shivers up my spine and spreads throughout my skin….My whole body has become one big ITCH!

“Oooooooooooooooh…okay…I’ll do my best…” I reply, as I rise, following the dog to his human who is now relaxing on some rocks. A deep breath, a smile and faking confidence, I translate for our friend, who I now know as Patches. He tells us that the green shampoo is causing extreme ITCHI-NESS for him and his friend Sam.  To PLEASE stop using the green shampoo.

His friendly owner shrugs and says “We don’t use green shampoo…”

WHAT?!!!!!!!! NO GREEN SHAMPOO our mind screams…glaring at Patches…I’ve blown my cover as a weird person who thinks they can talk to animals and there is NO GREEN SHAMPOO, PATCHES! Now I’ll have to hide everytime I see this man. Soon everyone on this tiny island will think I’m crazy! I’ll have to move to Japan or something and get a teaching job!

It’s now a few weeks later…I am strolling through Lamma village. A crowd of people are flowing towards me, a ferry from Hong Kong Island has just emptied.  OTTTooooooooooo…. approaching us is Patches human…Quick jump sideways into this doorway! Shoot! Tooooo late….Here he is…smiling, beaming, very excited, glad to see us…Already telling us a story…

“I have to tell you what happened! It’s amazing! Patches and Sam go to the beach three or four times a day, with our helper. The other day, we came home from work and she was shampooing the sand and salt water off them after their walk on the beach. She was using GREEN washing up liquid ( dish washing detergent) ! It was GREEN! The dogs go to the beach FOUR times a day…They were getting shampooed FOUR times a day with GREEN washing up liquid (dish washing detergent)! No wonder they were so dry and itchy!

Well, I owed Patches an apology….a big one. He had provided PROOF that I was actually talking to him, not imagining it, not making it up in my head nor was I a crazy person.

Patches friendly owner Phil, completely believing in my abilities to communicate with animals, soon recommended me to his contacts at the SPCA in Hong Kong. Heaps and heaps of calls started coming in from Chinese animal lovers to talk to their pets. I suddenly had a career as an animal communicator.

How I Became a Professional Animal Communicator- Part 3 – Tabloid Media coming soon in the next blog!

How I Became a Professional Animal Communicator -Part 1

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Su with Holly

One of the questions I get asked frequently is how I became a a professional Animal Communicator, Horse Whisperer and Dr. Sulittle. So today, the horses would like me to share my story with you.

I’ve been psychic and able to use telepathy as long as I can remember. I’ve been a professional Psychic since 1998.  I became aware of the amazing benefits of using telepathy with animals in 2000. Up until then I had been developing, practicing and honing my skills to assist humans. And then, I babysat our lovely dog Holly, while my parents were in Europe for two weeks.  So here is the story…

Summer 2000

Holly Boo, a poodle of divine cuteness, gentleness and sweetness. She greets everyone she meets as a possible friend and is wise, wise, wise. She is a Buddha of a dog.

She’s enjoying relaxing in the peace and solitude of a house with humans away. She’s on holiday, sleeping and stretching for hours on end in the sun, in her warm cozy spot.

As everyone is away in Europe on holiday, I am in charge of her well being. I’m also enjoying the freedom of solitude, creating in my Studio. It’s a bit of a jaunt to the house where Holly is resting. Unfamiliar with her routine, I keep getting distracted in my drawing by the thought of checking on her. The thoughts are so persistent, I cease my activities and scoot down to the house…Arriving in a distracted, out of breath, anxious manner…I find Holly…in a trance…relaxing, dozing, snoring. At ease. Peaceful.

So I return to the studio…immerse myself in creating….After hours of deep musing I surface and Holly pops into my mind…I am enjoying myself immensely…I really wish to continue drawing… ‘After all’ I say to myself, ‘the last time I rushed to the house, she was asleep…’ I begin to distrust my senses and continue to draw.

I’m thirsty and have to use the bathroom, so I return to the house. Holly is frantic…Eyes wild, shaking and barking at her own reflection in the window and the echo of her own bark. I pick her up, soothe her through touch and sound. As her distress eases, I wonder what to do….

An interesting idea occurs…It’s worth a try…Telepathy, receiving and sending messages over distance…I use it all the time with people…I seem to remember using it with animals as a child…I’ve also seen a woman on TV, who talks to animals, so it is possible, maybe she uses telepathy to communicate with them.  I’m sure I can do it. It would certainly save me energy and it would be more enjoyable for us both, if I was more in tune with Holly’s needs.

“Send me a message, when you feel like a visit” I say to Holly. “Some kind of a message…”

After a bit of fine turning and practicing, in our sending and receiving skills, Holly and I had a wonderful holiday together. We both relaxed and enjoyed our solitude, as well as really, really enjoying each others company when we were together. Since then we have continued to communicate together telepathically, she has a lovely sense of humour and is such a joy to spend time with.

It was also very cool to know that it was possible to use telepathy so easily with dogs. After this experience I became much more curious about it and would practice with dogs that I met at parties and when I was out and abound. Often they were far more interesting than the people in attendance!

How I Became a Professional Animal Communicator-Part 2-Patches and Sam…coming in the next blog…stay tuned!

Lost and Found

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“Miracles ARE possible. You MUST believe this right now…Focus ALL your awareness and intention on this being true. That it is possible that one can occur in this very moment.”  My friend,  Kat the Cat, is counselling me…. I’m pacing, unsettled, impatient, frustrated and submerged in my feelings of powerlessness… “Calm down…deeeep breaths…. and RELAX!” She orders. “BELIEVING IS actually and action and DOES do something! You are only ‘THINKING’ that you can’t do anything and all this dramatic pacing and sighing is only depleting your energy and making you anxious and useless! Cease now and focus!”

Okay….Phew…Kat the Cat is probably right….I am agitated and anxious today…2 days ago, I was contacted to see if I could communicate with a lost black lab, named Jake. He’s been missing now for 6 days…At first, I talked to him clearly, establishing that he was alive and well, missing his pet food, feeling sheepish for wandering off, but with his sense of humour still intact. I was certain yesterday that he would be found. Was sure that when I checked my email, there would be one ebulliently informing me that Jake was home. No email…no calls…lost, lost, lost, still not found.

Bella the found greyhound

Finding and tracking missing and lost animals is a part of my job which I  always approach with a bit of  reluctance. I am always willing try to talk to the animals and do the best that I can to help in any way, but it is often hit and miss though. The animals don’t always know where they are. So tracking them is often frustrating and pinpointing their actual location sometimes impossible. Jake wandered off into a very large wooded remote area, with many lakes, confusing roads and very few people.

Writing this is focusing me though, and Kat the Cat is right. It was pretty miraculous when a lost greyhound Bella was found after being lost for 7 days. When her owner called sobbing with joy and relief to report that she was holding Bella in her arms, thanking me for my assistance, I felt as if a miracle had occurred.

Jonas smiling after being found

Or the Bengal tiger Jonas I met, who along with Shawn and Todd, the camels were stolen in Quebec and found after 4 days, that could be considered a miracle.

So I will take Kat the Cat’s  advice to heart and now actively believe a miracle is occurring right now. I am seeing Jake being found right now. I am sending him healing and lots of love. I am certain someone will contact me any moment now, saying “We found Jake! He’s a bit thirsty and hungry, but Jake is OKAY!”  After all, as Kat the Cat is reminding me…Believing is doing something, it is a practice, so I am practising, practising, practising. I am practising with all my heart and my whole being. And please, as you read this, send some love Jake’s way, I would appreciate it very much, thank you.

Reacting to Abuse

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Today, the horses, actually one horse in particular, my friend Red would like me to recount an experience we shared.  Often in my job, I have to ask a horse about their history…it helps explain behavioural issues that may be occurring. Listening to their experiences of abuse and mistreatment are something I must deal with on regular basis.

Fortuneately, the horses themselves have taught me a great deal about dealing with my reaction to my fellow human beings who are abusive. It has always amazed me that horses and animals, still love humans, are willing to trust us and have great compassion, after experiencing severe abuse. Their resilience, spirit and matter of fact attitude inspires me each day to approach this issue in the same manner. Red, in particular has taught me well, she is  a Buddha of a horse, sometimes bossy and stubborn, but always generous in sharing her wisdom and experience.

I was visiting with her one day, doing an acupressure treatment on her back.

There were two horses in the barn who had arrived within the last year, who had been abused. Hit repeatedly with pitchforks and other metal objects. A woman who had helped rehabilitate these horses was also in the barn, cleaning out their stalls, she was in a foul, impatient mood. As she was mucking out the stalls, she kept brandishing the pitchfork at these horses, coming very close to hitting them. As I saw them cowering and becoming more and more agitated, my reaction was one of anger and judgement of the women’s actions. After several minutes of witnessing this, I had a very strong desire to storm over and quite forcefully tell the women off, stop her, soothe the horses and point out that what she was doing was wreaking havoc on the hours we had spent encouraging the horses to trust again and that she was doing the exact same thing as their previous abusive owners.

As my temper was ready to erupt and as I began to move in her direction…already ready to say something…I heard Red say…In her own indomitable way…

“Be silent. Stand still and mind your own business.”

Shocked, I looked at Red and demanded that she explain….this woman was doing damage to these horses, abusing and scaring them…it was up to me to make her aware of what she was doing and make her stop….

“Your reaction is full of anger and judgement…you were about to go say something in a very unkind tone to point out that her actions are wrong….you were about to use an abusive tone…you were just about to abuse her….she has just experience abuse at home by her husband. You were just about to continue the cycle. Be compassionate instead…send healing and love to this woman, this will help, not telling her off, anger against anger only leads to more anger. Be mindful and react with peace.”

It took me a few minutes to let go of my anger and actually listen to Red. Then I experienced an AHA moment, of course everything she said was true, I was fully aware that I had just been prevented from using abusive language towards someone who was only practicing what she knew in her environment, what she had been taught, what she herself was experiencing.

This experience has stayed with me, I often have an instant reaction to abusive people and want to condemn them and ostracize them…Luckily before I react, I still here Red’s words…’Be silent, stand still and mind your own business.’  Which I do, which gives me a moment to regroup and do my best to react with kindness, compassion and awareness.