"Creature Thoughts"
GAZEHOUND'S ANIMAL COMMUNICATION NEWS
March 2009
================================
Keeping in touch with the animals....
and the people who love them
================================
Focus
Although my newsletter articles are not usually “how-to” suggestions, as I sit here this month trying to rattle the muse into talking, I keep coming back to the word “focus”.
“Focus” can be a stumbling block when trying to connect with our animals.
When we are unfocused, when our minds are chaotic, it becomes difficult to communicate telepathically. When we're reading a book at night, and grow too tired to stay clear-headed, we read the same paragraph a half-dozen times and still don't know what it said. It's very much the same when we practice our animal communication skills while battling scattered thoughts.
Not only does proper focus move our thoughts in the right direction, it helps our animal friend to know how important he is at that very moment, and every moment of our lives. When we are talking to someone else's animal, it shows respect, and that we consider her thoughts and feelings to be of great value.
We all have occasional trouble keeping our thoughts from wandering. Rather than reinvent the wheel, I thought I'd share what some of my favorite authors have to say on the subject: animal communicators and others. Not only is it helpful to practice staying focused when in the presence of the animals, we must strive to become more deeply connected with our inner selves and the universe around us. The more connected we are to all that is, the greater our ability to truly reach the individuals with whom we share creation.
Penelope Smith, who originated the most popular workshop format for teaching animal communication, suggests: “The first step in overcoming this habit [of allowing distractions to interfere with our connection] is to find a time when you and an animal friend can be together in a peaceful environment. Sit comfortably within a few feet of each other, or whatever distance is agreeable to the animal. Don't try to grasp for attention or do anything that might be distracting. Just look at the animal quietly. Let all distractions, thoughts, or images of other things melt away, and focus softly on the animal. Continue to do this until you feel very relaxed and calm, with a relatively clear mind.”
[Penelope Smith, Animal Talk, page 54.]
Many teachers from all walks suggest various forms of meditation to help us to clear our thoughts, gain a greater sense of connection, and stay focused.
“It is said that we humans generate about forty thousand thoughts a day. That's a lot of thinking and self-talk. Imagine your mind as a telephone (pre-voice-mail, that is!). Most of the time our lines are busy – in order for anyone to get through, we have to hang up, decrease the number of thoughts we process, and become receptive and ready to listen. We need to open the line to receive others' communications. A number of relaxation and centering techniques can help us do this, including yoga, tai chi, and meditation. Of these, meditation is the easiest, for it requires no special training. I encourage people in my workshops to meditate every day.”
[Carol Gurney, The Language of Animals: 7 Steps to Communicating with Animals, p. 13]
“One way to master your mind is to learn to quiet your mind. Without exception, every teacher in this book uses meditation as a daily practice. [...] Meditation quiets your mind, helps you control your thoughts, and revitalizes your body. The great news is that you don't have to set aside hours to meditate. Just three to ten minutes a day to begin with, can be incredibly powerful for gaining control over your thoughts.
[Rhonda Byrne, The Secret, page 23]
Mike Dooley, one of the teachers in The Secret, and the founder of TUT.com (Totally Unique Thoughts), also recommends only meditating for five minutes a day. He suggests in his audio-seminar, Infinite Possibilities, that by limiting yourself to short periods of concentrated visualization, it accomplishes the task without giving you spare time to allow your mind to wander.
Another great technique for practicing focus is journaling. I have used various forms of journaling for many years, and always finds that it helps greatly. If done faithfully, writing in a daily journal can even be thought of as a form of meditation.
“It may be useful for you to think of the morning pages as meditation. It may not be the practice of meditation you are accustomed to. You may, in fact, not be accustomed to meditating at all. The pages may not seem spiritual or even meditative [...] but they are a valid form of meditation that gives us insight and helps us to effect change in our lives.”
[Julia Cameron, The Artist's Way, page 13]
The author goes on to say that there are many ways of meditating, and that through meditation we acquire and acknowledge our connection to an inner power source, to insight, and begin to feel our creative identities. Journaling is another path to the same goal, and can lead to a more focused way of connecting with all life.
“Through the process of focusing your attention and following your thoughts, certain changes invariably occur. Disciplined practice makes you more spontaneous, more inventive, more self-respecting. Your mind becomes calmer, but at the same time, more alert. Your capacity to empathize with others grows and with it your ability to love and forgive.”
[Linda Trichter Metcalf, Ph.D, and Tobin Simon, Ph.D., Writing The Mind Alive (The Proprioceptive Method for Finding Your Authentic Voice), page 129]
Certainly, becoming calmer and more alert, with a greater capacity for love, is a key component to becoming a better interspecies communicator.
Although it is not always easy to keep our mind focused enough to clearly share thoughts and emotions with our animal friends, it is possible to improve with practice. Don't be afraid to try, even if you feel that you are not focused enough. Our non-human brethren are patient, and always willing to help us learn and grow. With their love and acceptance, and with the tools at our disposal, we will overcome those off-kilter moments and move ahead, growing more and more connected with all life around us.
================================
FYI NOTES and NEWS
Don't Forget....
... that gift certificates do have an expiration date. If you've given them as gifts, or have them tucked safely away at home, check those dates and be sure to redeem them before they expire. I'll try to post a reminder in each issue of “Creature Thoughts”.
Remember, too, that the extended expiration date of gift certificates purchased during the 2007 Holiday Special ended on January 31st, 2009.
Website Features
The Book Shop
The Animal Communication Book Shop can be accessed as an external link from the Gazehound.com front page and the main Animal Communication page. On the "Introduction" page (reached by the button of that name in the side menu), the shop itself is built right into an inset at the bottom. I hope you find this a convenient way to research and review books on animal communication, as well as a number of other topics such as positive training, natural pet care, and "good for the human soul" sections.
New Books Added: The Positive Training section of the bookstore has a few new titles for your enjoyment.
Click and Connect by Teah Andrews puts a lovely emphasis on the relationship you can build with your dog as you train, with a focus on clicker-training.
When Pigs Fly by Jane Killion is a fun look at training with dogs who are declared “difficult to train”, a reputation held by certain breeds (my own Salukis included).
Fighting Dominance in a Dog Whispering World by Jean Donaldson and Ian Dunbar is a DVD that takes a look at the old “dominance theory” of dog behavior and how modern research indicates that it's archaic and obsolete ... not to mention potentially harmful to our dogs and the humans who love them.
Rover, Get Off Her Leg by Darlene Arden is a light-hearted (but very helpful) approach to training with a focus on problem behaviors.
Important Updates
Little Changes Here and There:
Visitors to the website may note that there are quite a few minor changes as I've been striving to catch the details of the site up to date. Feel free to email me if you find anything that doesn't work for you when you visit.
Don't forget that you can always keep up with changes and info on rates, policies, and "other fun stuff" on my website: http://www.gazehound.com, and that you can find archives of this newsletter and other articles on my Creature Thoughts Blog: http://gazehound.blogspot.com.
E-News List:
It has become more important than ever, due to recent circumstances, that all of my clients are subscribed to my e-news list. Thus, whenever anyone inquires about information, or sets up an appointment, they will receive both an invitation to the list and a separate note from me letting them know they've been invited. I strongly encourage all my clients to stay in touch, by remaining subscribed to this list. And please feel free to forward this newsletter issue to any friends, family, and acquaintances whom you feel might be interested in joining us.
Want To Help Our Wild Friends?
Northeast Llama Rescue and Barnyard Sanctuary and New York Wildlife Rescue (an IRS 501(c)(3) charity) accept Paypal donations through their website at http://www.redmaplefarm.net. If you sign up to shop online through iGive.com, at no cost to you, every purchase you make through the iGive gateway will earn a donation for the animals.
To sign up to shop through iGive for NYWRC:
http://www.igive.com/NYWildlifeRescueCenter
And even if you don't sign up (but why would anyone not sign up since it's free and painless?), you can still earn money with each internet search simply by logging in to the iGive search engine:
http://www.isearchigive.com/NYWildlifeRescueCenter
I set the above link as my homepage in my browser to remind me to search through iGive and earn pennies for the animals each time. iGive's usual one cent per search is currently doubled, too, so get using it now while we can earn the big bucks!
================================
Gayle Nastasi (of Gazehound's Animal Communication) is a professional animal communication consultant and writer, who hopes her connection to the animal world can serve as a way to help her fellow humans enrich their relationships with their animal companions. By better knowing our non-human friends, we ensure a kinder future for our world and we learn what it means to be a unique and essential part of all that is. Permission is given to forward this issue to anyone you feel might enjoy it, as long as it is understood that copyrights are held by Gayle Nastasi, and the author's name, and links to her website(s) are left intact. If this publication has been forwarded to you and you would like to subscribe to Gazehound's free monthly e-newsletter, “Creature Thoughts”, just visit the newsletter link below.
--------------------
Gayle Nastasi
Animal Communication Consultant
http://www.gazehound.com/pets
Free monthly e-newsletter & emergency list:
http://www.gazehound.com/pets/acnewslist.html
Creature Thoughts Blog:
http://gazehound.blogspot.com
Online Book Shop:
http://astore.amazon.com/gazehound-20
