I just saw that Teacher Appreciation day is coming up in a few weeks, and although there are many human teachers for whom I’m enormously grateful, I started feeling the feels for the animals who teach us every day.
In a recent Zoom mediumship class, just as my teacher was explaining how to reach a deep connection with a loved one on the other side (so deep you can feel what it feels like to be them and even feel their mannerisms), her dog George climbed onto her lap and snuggled in super, super close. My teacher said, “Actually, this is a great example of the connection I’m talking about!” She also said he hadn’t snuggled so close like that in ages.
When I TA’d an animal communication class out of state a few years ago, I asked the students to connect in with my senior cat Nell and ask her questions about where she likes to sleep and what her body feels like. They all received spot-on information from her. Meanwhile back at my apartment, my cat sitter (who’s super intuitive herself) was sitting with Nell on the couch, and all of a sudden in her head heard the message “I am honored,” and knew it had come from Nell. I know Nell was expressing how she felt acting as my TA.
My cat Calla teaches me every day. She’s been through so much—she had several injuries when the rescue found her, and she had to have part of her back foot removed. Yet every day she’s sweet, happy, hilarious, frisky, and wise. She’s the epitome of being in the present and finding joy in every moment. She gives me perspective and a fresh take on things when I find myself wanting to dwell on the past.
Even if you don’t have a pet, any animal can bring you what you need at just the right moment. One day I was taking a break on an outside bench at the Omega Institute during my first mediumship class. I was feeling overwhelmed with self-doubt and some perfectionism-self-judgment when a robin on the grass hopped over to my feet and looked up at me. I felt he was telling me to keep going, keep moving forward. Then I looked up the symbolism of the robin spirit animal: Believe and trust in yourself and move into new beginnings without fear.
I recently read an article about a dog who found an eagle trapped in a manure pit on a Pennsylvania farm. The dog kept trying to get the farmer to come to the pit, until the farmer finally listened and followed him. (Just like a scene from Lassie.) The eagle suffered from hypothermia and lead poisoning, but was treated by a wildlife center, nursed back to health, and released into the wild a few weeks later.
The dog’s lesson for us humans? Help everyone, even if they don’t look like you…and animals will keep trying to get their wisdom and unconditional love through to us, always and forever. ❤️🤓