Speaking of Animals

Listening to your animals

Susan Hamlin — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 19:38:00 +0000

We’re breaking the ice in the buckets up here this month. I love this time of year even with the limits the weather brings. A few friends, a pot of soup, and a quiet evening, sharing the time with friends - human and animal - without any pretense of going anywhere or doing anything that costs a penny.

So often I hear people say they want to learn to listen to ther animals intuitively. Here’s a simple, at-home, do-it-yourself exercise that’s just right for cabin fever days.

Find a little time alone with your animals. Give yourself a vacation from talking out loud. Being silent, engage in your regular routine with your animals and let things unfold naturally. Don’t worry, there’s no way to get this wrong!

It may feel funny at first, but your animals will know what to do. If you hear a thought pop into your head, trust - just for fun - it’s your animal giving you a communication. Try acting on it, even if it means going to the refrigerator and pulling out a treat you thought about when you were looking at them. This will give your animal validation that you’re learning to listen. Keeping it fun and experimental will help reduce performance anxiety - one of the limiting energies for developing communicators.

From there, anything is possible - it’s all about intention and holding the lines open. Fall into the natural rhythm of listening to your animals and guiding them with your thoughts, body language and loving energy. It’s as easy as being quiet, waiting and asking. Enjoy the process!

We have choice in the energy and intention we project to others. By holding ourselves in a quiet, loving space of listening, every human has the natural skill to communicate freely with all animals. It’s fun to do this exercise, especially with cats who relish the chance to see people going here and there for them as they practice communicating in the traditional way. I hope you have fun with this and let me know how it goes.

From the Celts, for the season

Susan Hamlin — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 18:59:14 +0000

The new bird seed created a festival at the feeder today! Chickadee-dee-dee. Digging out from a couple of feet of snow, with wind chills below zero, it’s a treat to support these friends of the air in a small way.

This Irish poem, from the 9th Century AD, carries the intimacy the natural world and the seasons on its wings. Before technology and instant expectations, the Celtic people looked to the land and the animals to renew their energy and for spiritual guidance. We have little of their music and art today. People of action and deep connection, the Celts did not have written language for a thousand years.

There’s nothing more true than the companionship of our animal friends this time of year … teachers of the best kind, they show us by example how to be graceful in all the seasons of our lives. Enjoy the season of ice and hug your horses!

I have news for you:
The stag bells, winter snows,
summer has gone.
Wind high and cold,
the sun low short its course,
the sea running high.
Deep red the bracken, its shape is lost;
the wild goose has raised its accustomed cry.
Cold has seized the birds’ wings;
season of ice, this is my news.

Ireland, 9th century A.D.

Gifts of the season

Susan Hamlin — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 09:48:51 +0000

Pileated Woodpecker in winter

We’re settling in for a long winter’s nap at home in upstate NY.

A foot of snow is on the way for tomorrow. More to the south. We filled the bird feeder ahead of the storm and brought the snow shovel inside. When you grow up in Buffalo you learn about winter.

This is the season to hold your loved ones close. Especially if they’re furry and give off a lot of heat!

The first visitors to the new born child whose birth we celebrate on Christmas were animals. The humility of the manger is a gentle reminder of our own simple humanity, where we can go to renew our sense of wonder and kinship with all life.

deer in winter

Holding the space for new life over thousands of years, the animals of the fields give us the gift of warmth, patience and deep peace … living clean under the skies of the Winter Solstice.

The soft eyes of these peaceful vegetarians invite us to join up with the web of life; stop and listen to their quiet stories.

May your heart be warmed with the true spirit of the season. All beings are linked in the quiet hush of winter.

What we do matters. Each act of kindness, however small it may seem, will shine across the universe. Be safe in the snow, stay warm, and keep in touch.

Welcome!

Susan Hamlin — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 23:43:01 +0000

Welcome to Animal Trax Blog! This is a community dedicated to the human animal connection & the place animals have in our hearts and homes.

We’re in the middle of a revolution of understanding about animals and their inner world. It’s an honor to be working with animals and people who “get it” - everyday heroes who are eager to have a deeper, respectful understanding of the beings they share their lives with.

We’ll explore practical, every day solutions, holistic living ideas and hear the stories of the animals themselves.

Please bookmark / shortcut this site. Stop by over your morning coffee and help celebrate the human animal connection. Thanks for visiting!