Su Burnett

Intuition & Animal Communication

Joy to the World

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To continue with our immensely enjoyable theme of singing, today the dogs would like me to share an experience.  A few monthes ago, I had the good fortune to catch up with a female dog named Patches. She and her human share an extraordinary bond.  A year or so ago, her human had asked me if Patches could tell us about her history. Patches came to her human, when she adopted her from the SPCA. She had been found under a little used underpass on an old dirt road, in a condition that indicated that she had been in the wild for quite some time.

Patches had many quirks, her human felt knowing her history would help explain some of these and help her to better understand Patches. So she told us her story, it was quite inspiring and remarkable that she had survived with her spirit intact, still willing to trust us humans, open to love, with only a few odd reactions to her environment. When, I recently got to catch up with her, she was no longer in survival mode, she was much calmer, peaceful and relaxed.

Her human asked about when they traveled together in the car. “Patches makes a yelping sound…it starts low, then it gets louder, it gains intensity and she does it the WHOLE trip!”

“So it makes you uncomfortable?” I asked her.

“YES! I am worried that she’s uncomfortable herself, unhappy, or is in distress and is trying to tell me something… sometimes it drives me crazy…” She answered.

“So it distracts you then?” I asked.

“Yes, I’m afraid she doesn’t like the car. I get so worried that there’s something wrong and I can’t figure out what it is…She has to come in the car…but we don’t go very far anymore, in case there’s something wrong…” She replied.

To this, Patches had a delightful response…which still makes me smile. “Oh….I LOVE the car! Everything is okay…” She said.

“Then why do you yelp?” I asked.

“I’m not yelping...” She replied. “I’m singing!” Then with great gusto and glee, I heard her singing…”Joy to the world…We’re in the car… Joy to the people passing by…We’re in the car!”

As I sang this to her human, she burst out laughing. “Oh,” she chuckled, “that’s good! Maybe I’ll sing along with her!”

Valdi- Grief and That Wonderful Song

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Singing is the topic of the week with the horses! They would like me to share some of my experiences of singing. They LOVE when we sing and rue the day that humans became so self conscious of making sounds vocally. To them any singing, whistling, clicking, etc are lovely and are merely us moving energy and air throughout our bodies using sound.  To the horses, these sounds have a calming influence, relax them and they always recommend singing while experiencing grief. They also want us to be aware that crying is merely our body releasing excess water and salt, it is only us humans who let our minds judge ourselves for this release.

So here is an experience that happened in Brentwood, Nova Scotia,  on Boxing day, December 26th, 2010.

Here we are, standing with our friends Sky and Clay. They are Clydesdales, tall, gorgeous and gentle. Sky has gorgeous blue eyes. Clay is rather funny, sometimes goofy, they are both very handsome and polite. They are incredibly sad today. Their fiend and teammate Valdi has died, he has been poorly for years, nature has taken it’s course and he is now buried behind the barn. They miss him very much. Especially, the sounds he made and his magnificent sense of humour. Valdi made them laugh and smile even when he was in pain. They are in a bit of shock and are physically missing their friend and teammate.

Clay is concerned about Sky. Clay understands that he is not clever enough to now be the leader of the heard. Sky seems confused and unable to take charge. “Could you sing that wonderful song please,” he asks. “Singing will cheer Sky up. ” He adds. ‘Mhmmmmm…what is that wonderful song?’I began to wonder to myself.

Years ago, in a workshop I learnt a song. It has been invaluable with animals since. I often sing it to animals who have experienced trauma, illness, injuries or shock. It calms their spirits, soothes them mentally and physically relaxes them. Singing comes naturally to me when I’m with certain animals…Perhaps that would be the wonderful song that Clay wants…

So…I start singing….Blessed are you. Freedom are you. You are the infinite within your soul. You have no beginning and you have no end. All this you are.

Blessed am I, freedom am I, I am the infinite within my soul, I have no beginning, I have no end, all this am I.

Blessed are we, freedom are we, we are the infinite within our souls, we have no beginning, we have no end, all this we are.

After warming up and singing a few rounds, I checked in with Clay… “Make eye contact, as much as possible, with Sky,” he says, “Add some rhythm too the song! Speed it up, move your body, sing louder and sing that wonderful song please!”

Okay, sing it again…feeling a bit self conscious, there are no humans around but am feeling as if the neighbours might possibly be peeking through their drapes, wondering to themselves what IS that women doing in that paddock? Shaking myself and doing my best to let go of self consciousness, I put some life into the song, grooving it up a bit and swaying my hips, singing louder and with some flair. As I sing, I make eye contact with Sky and Clay. They have gotten taller, their postures are finally relaxing, and they are holding eye contact for longer periods. Clay says ” wonderful, wonderful, a great song, would you sing that wonderful song though please! 

Mhmmmm…the current soundtrack in my head is all Christmas music..So….Laughing all the way….hahahahahahah ha ahahahahahahahha! … Over the fields we go….In a two horse open sleigh… Hey! I am pleased with this choice, amused by it actually, after all these two have been in competitions pulling sleighs, hitches, wagons and such. “Yes, Yes good one!” Clay agrees…”Please sing the wonderful song now!”

Mhmmmm…can vaguely hear some distant lyrics…Bluebird…Ahhhhhh…Gone away is the bluebird…here to stay is the new bird…de de de deeee….walking in a winter wonder land…. “Good, good.” Clay applauds us…”Now sing the wonderful song please!”

Gracious! All I can hear through the insistent, Christmas song soundtrack in my head, sounds vaguely like a Fat Boy Slim song…It’s a wonderful life…but no, even with my eyes scrunched up and humming uneven rhythms, I am unable to catch it…So. I sing a bit more, talk with my friends about their questions and concerns about Valdi’s bones and with their assurances of lifted spirits venture home.

Now, the thing is, that I witnessed the horses lightening up, I could see it in their eyes, hear it in their breathing, feel it as they relaxed and their postures straightened and lengthened…I did my best and could relax and get on with something else. But, throughout the next day, while clearing and organizing post Christmas disarray…My mind was still curious about the wonderful song…What WAS the wonderful song…If I could only hear it a bit clearer…

Two days later, I am visiting with Valdi’s human friend. The horses would like music in the barn, classical music, Valdi. They would like their human friend to release her grief, to dive deep into the pain of it, to cry, instead of swallowing it.  They remind her that tears are merely excess water and salt that the body wants to release. By being in the barn with them and the music, it would benefit them all to have a grieve together. I tell her about singing to them, and how it cheered them up. She mentions that she used to have a song for each horse in the barn, but hasn’t been that aware of music lately. She does play the radio for them though. The horses, point out that they enjoy when the radio plays music, but the in between bits, the advertisements,  are really loud and have a very staccato rythmn that can be quite jarring. They would like continuous music, like a CD, with no people talking in between.

After awhile, we walk out to give the horses some cranberries. Clay has requested that I bring some Vitamin D drops and cranberries and feed them to Sky to lift his depression. He loves the sun, it keeps his spirits buoyant. This is the 9th day without sun in a row. The Vitamin D will help him. As we are feeding Sky…once again, Clay says…”Sing please, sing that wonderful song…” So I sing…Blessed are you… for a few rounds….We notice how the sounds perk up the horses. Then, Clay, thanking me, asks for that Wonderful song please…OH MY….WHAT ARE THE LYRICS TO THE WONDERFUL SONG??????? HELP!!!!!!

I mention it to his human…does she know it….I think maybe Louis Armstrong or somebody sings it…It’s old…..She just shrugs…GOODNESS, I will be glad to find out what these lyrics are…..glad to actually hear the tune in my head…..

So upon arrival at home, I immediately look up Louis Armstrong and voila! Here is the Wonderful song!

I see trees of green, red roses too
I see them bloom, for me and you
And I think to myself, what a wonderful world.

I see skies of blue, and clouds of white
The bright blessed day, the dark sacred night
And I think to myself, what a wonderful world.

The colors of the rainbow, so pretty in the sky
Are also on the faces, of people going by
I see friends shaking hands, saying how do you do
They’re really saying, I love you.

I hear babies cry, I watch them grow
They’ll learn much more, than I’ll never know
And I think to myself, what a wonderful world

Yes I think to myself, what a wonderful world.
Oh yeah…

Yeah! Upon finding them I emailed them to my friend. I printed off the lyrics for myself and tucked them into my glove compartment in my car.  It was indeed a wonderful song to lift the spirits on those darker, sometimes lengthy grey winter days.  And now when lovely Clay asks for the Wonderful song, I can sing it too him and Sky! After all, those horse’s do have a habit of calling me in without warning as I drive by!

“You are a Rockstar!”

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Ha, HA! I LOVE it, the theme of the week, according to the horses, is singing. It’s a wonderful reminder for me personally of the power, enjoyment and fun of singing. It has also made me aware of the soundtrack that plays in my head. The Pink Floyd song Money…Money…it’s a crime….. and the lyrics in their song Time…. You run and you run to catch up with the sun…but it’s sinking…. shorter of breath and one day closer to death… Have been tinkling away in my head for weeks, they are being erased at this very moment. They could possibly explain the ebb in energy and funding in the last few days!

I can clearly remember with a smile and much amusement, the day I had to appear in court in Hong Kong. I was feeling unnerved and anxious about the possible outcome. My gorgeous friend Jill arrived to keep me company as I got ready. She noticed that I kept singing and humming…I fought the law… but the law won.….by the Clash. Bringing this to my attention, with a smile and a twinkle in her eye, she suggested the lyrics from the song, I’m free, by the Soupdragons, pointing out they may be much more suitable and helpful!

So, here is the experience the horses want me to share with you all today. It happened in…

New Glasgow, Nova Scotia, Canada. December 18th, 2010.

 I am standing in a stall, in a very old barn. I am with a mother and her two daughters. There are two horses in the barn with us. Chief, is speaking to the mother. He really enjoys when she sings in the mornings, while she’s mucking them out. He’s a retired racehorse, in the barn where he lived for many years, they played the radio continuously. He misses the rock music it played. He would like everyone to sing all the time. Horse’s as a collective, rue the day when humans stopped singing. In my great Uncle’s day, humans sang while they worked, they hummed and whistled. Now, according to the horses we are rather mute. When we become self conscious they remind us that our voice is beautiful, even if we are out of key. That they enjoy when we sing immensely no matter how we sound to ourselves.

Chief has me tell this story, to the mother and has an interesting take on the subject of singing…”You know when you are driving your car, and a really great song you love comes on the radio…you know how you belt it out…the acoustics are great…you sound amazing to yourself, you sound so good to yourself that you could go on stage…in fact you know you sound so good, you could replace the singer of the band…you know this feeling? Well, that’s how you sound to us all the time. That great! You are a rockstar to us! So please, please…. Sing! Sing all the time! It’s fun and it lifts everyone’s spirits!”

 

“Sing Louder, PLEASE!”

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Sing, v.i. Carol, chant, lilt, troll, yodel, warble ____, v.t. Carol, chant, intone, cantillate, warble, hum, hymn, celebrate in song. Troll, v.t. 1. Send about, circulate, pass round. 2. Sing loudly.3. Angle with a trolling line; allure, entice, lure, draw on.____, v.i. 1. Sing a catch or round.

In 2001, I sat a 14 day Meditation retreat in Nepal. It was a grounding practise necessary for me to clear my mind and focus my awareness on my breath and a peaceful clear mind, we sat meditating for 10 hours a day, and had to remain completely still for an hour, 3 times a day. While practising with my Meditation teacher a few weeks later, he pointed out that I was rather serious about meditating, instead of sitting for an hour, I was now to laugh for 30 minutes, smile for 10, dance and move  for 20 and sing throughout. These are all considered meditating, so these exercises in focusing my awareness have been my practise since. Today the horses would like me to share some of my experiences of singing. They LOVE when we sing and rue the day that humans became so self conscious of making sounds vocally. To them any singing, whistling, clicking, etc are lovely and are merely us moving energy and air throughout our bodies using sound. Self consciousness to them is just our mind riding us and it’s voice is severe, judgemental and critical. They would much prefer if we rode our minds, instead of it riding us. So as you  move through your day today, pay attention to sounds around you, let them focus your attention and awareness on relaxing, breathing and enjoying yourself and being present.Add some sounds of your own, some humming, singing or sounding. Sing to your dogs, they love it….you may feel silly, but according to the horses’ that’s the point!

So, here is an experience that happened in the summer of 2010 at Free Spirit Stables in Nova Scotia, Canada.

At the request of my friend Donna and her daughter Alicia, I am visiting a horse rescue center. I am in a rather dark barn, leaning on a stall wall, with mud up to my shins, whispering to a horse. She’s so sweet, she has been stuck in this dark stall for months, unable to make physical contact with her Mum and the other horses or go outside into the light. She has never had a halter on.

For the first two years of her life, she lived outside with her Mum. She had never, ever been inside a man made structure. Although neglected, she experienced freedom and as close to wild as a horse can get these days. Upon arriving at the rescue center, she broke through all the electric fences, not knowing what they were and experiencing fear and anxiety, she got quite spooked. Without any means to lead her, getting her safely back to the barn took considerable time, effort and energy for the humans. For this little horse in her perspective she ran as she naturally would do, then got shocked from some wire and then got chased for hours.

To keep her safe, a stall had been haphazardly built within the barn for her, there was a huge gap, between her and the other horses. Until she could get a halter on, she was stuck and experiencing loneliness. Donna and Shelby, the owner of the stables wanted me to ask the horses if they have any suggestions in getting the halter on this baby, so that she can go outside and enjoy the air and have physical contact with them again.

The horses ask me to sing to the horse, that by singing I will gain rapport with her and encourage her to develop trust in humans again. So I sing a song that comes naturally to me, to calm spirits and relax animals.

After singing this a few times, the horses ask for a song in particular. “Can you sing KUMBAYA please?”

KUMBAYA…mhmmmmm, oh dear….for some reason this song makes me gringe…it reminds me of being incredibly uncomfortable and self conscious as an adolescent at summer camp, when trying to be like everyone else was confusing, lonely and anxiety inducing. Mhmmm….but this little horse is so sweet and deserving of relaxing, getting the halter on and getting outside, so that she can  get some sun on her body…so I lean over the makeshift fence and haltingly, whisper the words to the song….

“Louder, please…” The horses request.

Mhmmm, I glance over my shoulder, there are lots of people in the barn now…strangers who have gathered, curious about me and what I do….I am experiencing extreme self consciousness now…sing louder in front of a crowd? AND sing a song that makes me gringe… Mhmmmm… Taking a deep breath and clearing my throat, I hesitantly raise the volume of my singing….

“Sing louder please…” The horses say.

Darn! Okay…deep breath…exhale…and away we go…round after round of Kumbaya, as loudly as we can. Then, it becomes clear to me that Donna is the human the horse trusts enough to get her halter trained. Now, according to Donna, she is NOT a horse person. She likes them and everything, but it is her daughter who is passionate about them and has horse in her blood. She knows nothing about the tack, training or handling of horses. She receives the information about being the halter trainer with some disbelief, trepidation and fear. She doesn’t even know what a halter is or how it even goes on the horse. There must be someone else she suggests. But according to the horses, Donna is the one, they suggest she goes in the makeshift stall, sings Kumbaya and eventually the horse will be calm enough for a human to place something over her head.

There are many more questions for other horses, so as a group we leave this little horse, and move off to the paddock. Soon, I am ready to leave, say my goodbyes and get in my car. Before I can leave, Donna knocks on the window and jumps into the passenger seat of the car. She thanks me profusely for coming out to visit, saying that I probably had no idea how helpful the information I got was for everyone involved at the center. Then, suddenly she switches gear and in the middle of “how wonderful it was, how great….” She spluttered out loudly “How BLEEPING weird it was! ” To her surprise and delight, she has fallen in love with this lovely little horse, coming out to visit her, even when her daughter isn’t around. She likes to touch her and brings her treats. There is definitely a special bond between them  it’s like she was friends with this horse before. She can’t explain it, she enjoys it, but is puzzled by the whole thing. Now, what she is finding super weird about what just happened is…. so weird in fact, that it is causing her to swear…is that as a child she used to sing to herself when she felt anxious, alone or afraid…the song she ALWAYS sang to herself was KUMBAYA! “How amazing and weird is that?!!!!!” She says with wonderment and bewilderment in her voice, still  a bit freaked out by it, she asks. “How did the horses know that?”

To be honest, I was amazed and a bit weirded out myself. How DID the horses know that?AND what if my self consciousness about singing loudly in front of strangers had got the better of me? What if my judgement of the ‘coolness’ of a song had prevented me from singing it? Donna would not have heard the song, which calmer her, eased her anxiety and brought her peace.