Although officially retired from animal communication, I did work with a dog recently where the issues underlying her behavior patterns and personality quirks had eluded trainers, behaviorists, communicators, and certainly her people for years. I will call her Allie.

Allie was nothing like her predecessors of the same breed, in fact she was the total opposite. They had all had many traits in common, including a great affection for cuddling, a happy nature, easy trainability, a love for all people and exploring new territory. These were not Allie’s strong points. As you can imagine, her folks were perplexed by how different she was and were often at a loss as to how to handle her or what to expect from her in the future.

Some of the most common traits exhibited by individuals who are diagnosed with autism or are said to be “on the spectrum” are an aloofness, unpredictable behaviors and responses, patterns of “stimming” (self-stimulation), a lack of or inability to use language, and an over-sensitivity to stimuli. Translated to canine behavior, at least in Allie’s case, those manifested as avoidance (of affection, people, not wanting to be touched or petted, being leashed, and sometimes even of taking a favorite treat); hiding in or retreating to a safe, dark place under the bed; interacting with her humans only when she initiated it; and inconsistency in her response to and success with training.

I mulled on the case for a few days before sitting down to try to have an actual conversation with Allie. I allowed myself to be open to her while doing mindless chores, like washing dishes, so that I could get a feel for her and just “dip my toe” into the energy field of her situation off and on. It was during this informal process that it suddenly dawned on me like a bolt of lightning: “This dog is autistic!”

As a counterpoint to her *dis*-array of behaviors and personality traits, when I finally tuned into Allie more formally, it was clear to me that she was incredibly smart.  She had felt my psychic comings and goings so was ready, willing and able to be clear in her communications long enough to give me and her folks some good feedback on what she needs and why she is the way she is. She had picked up from her people, right from the first, how confused they were by how different she was and, at times, how downhearted they became when they could not shower her with the affection they had always bestowed lavishly on their canine companions. She showed me how her brain worked, her sensitivities, and how some of her knee-jerk reactions to certain things had been formed by how she was handled even before weaning. Certain stimulation had felt like an assault and had embedded certain responses in her already-different neurological system that would be lifelong.

She “got it.” Allie understood why we were talking and how this might help both her and her family be able to re-form their expectations about the relationship. She felt she had been a disappointment to her family, which I assured her she had not—just that they wanted to understand her better. The outcome of the session was that Allie asked her people to try to accept her for exactly who she is, now that she had shared with them her specific state of being, while understanding that she loved them deeply and was committed to them, even if she was unable to show it in ways more familiar to them.

From my own* education about and observations of autism (*I have a degree in special education, language and learning disabilities), it is apparent that the associated out-of-the-ordinary behavior patterns cannot really be changed. Certainly, each case calls for its own selection of therapies and education to enhance and create the best life possible for the subject and his or her caretakers, but the brain cannot be expected to shift to fit into whatever norm others might deem desirable.

And so it is with Allie and her family, who accepted her explanations unconditionally and with relief at having a better understanding of her. Allie is an amazing individual in her own right and showed me briefly that she has a clear vision of how she and her mom and dad are together to learn from one another… perhaps new things and in a different way.

Much can be learned about autism from Temple Grandin’s books about how being autistic has shaped her life and how she has applied her personal experience with autism to animals.

And, of all things, it was one of my horses that red-flagged the issue for me and brought it to the front of my mind.

Bella, my 21-year-old Mustang, developed a REAL snotty nose and runny eyes, with a sporadic deep cough but no fever. She was eating and drinking fine and was as crazy about her carrot treats as ever, so I knew there was nothing serious going on.

That said, after a few days I felt it was time to intervene so I consulted with my BFF and amazing holistic equine vet, Dr. Madalyn Ward. Besides administering one dose of a homeopathic remedy suited especially for Bella’s temperament and symptoms, Dr. Ward reminded me how important it was to make sure Bella’s first line of immune defense, her gut flora, was in balance.

So I flooded Bella’s system with probiotics for the next week and voila, her condition cleared up quickly and cleanly.

I myself have relied upon a daily regimen of probiotics + algae and digestive enzymes for the last 30 years and feel it is one of the main reasons my health has remained good into the more, ahem, elder years.

What I take is a convenient daily packet of 30 capsules called Essentials©, the added bonus being the blue-green algae in the formulas, which brings high-quality green food into my diet — especially valuable on those days I might not be eating enough leafy greens (a la the proverbial loved-or-hated kale).

For Bella I chose the single, most common probiotic, acidophilus, to flood her system with, and she gobbled the capsules up with her food without hesitation.

If you feel out of balance and want to try adding any of these probiotic or enzyme products to your regimen, PLUS the benefits of the wild algae micro-nutrients they are combined with, go HERE and just select the product(s) you want. (These are the two mentioned in this article.)

Meanwhile, as we wind down to the shortest day of the year, take it easy, eat smart, drink lots of water, and get plenty of rest.

Happy Holidays, Everyone!

As someone who has worked in the healing arts for the last 30+ years, traveling the nether regions of our world and universe in order to communicate with other species, both present and departed, I find I am often shocked by how others involved in these areas portray (actually, the best word would be “sell”) themselves.

Okay, I have a bit of a rant. I will try to keep it short.

I have always been turned off by what I call the guru mentality, i.e., that frame of mind held by some people who think they have achieved some esoteric, higher level of ability as a healer. Which can then sometimes, very subtly, become a “better than” attitude with others, including clients or patients.

In my book, Earth is a school, and we all come here, life after life, each time in whatever state we choose, in order to learn lessons that will help us reach a broader perspective and understanding of All That Is and to expand our soul consciousness. And no guru or credentialed individual will magically impart the life lessons we chose to learn this time around. They may have something to offer that opens a door, yes, but basically it’s up to us to plumb the depths of whatever may be presented before us as clues toward our soul advancement.

So what is it that shocks me? People involved in spiritual healing who promote themselves through not what they have to offer, but who boast about their personal credentials/certificates/degrees, or (worse) inappropriately share details of healing sessions they’ve had with clients in order to prove their “track record” — hopefully with permission, but I fear that is often not the case.

A true healer knows when their ego is involved and makes sure it doesn’t rule their work. Please don’t get me wrong. A healthy ego is one of the main things that helps us stay balanced in this world. It helps us attain goals, maintain boundaries, choose the right partners, know when something is wrong for us. It’s just when it gets too high-and-mighty that it can present a problem. A good practitioner, of any modality, will not take a case if they realize they are not clear and their ego may try to run the show.

So, if you are seeking a healer, of any kind, and come across the self-aggrandizing type of promotion described above, run the other way. It is a sure sign that the person’s ego is so heavily involved that they are puffed up and preening and so, unfortunately, may not be able to do the deeper healing work with you that they are, hopefully, truly capable of. It may also be a signal that they are simply insecure in their abilities or credentials so are compelled to “brag” about them. Neither necessarily means the healer doesn’t have great gifts and talents. Just that they themselves are on the same bumpy soul journey we are all on, and at this point their ego is ruling their trajectory for some reason.

Thus concludes my rant. Thanks for listening. Oh, and in this vein, a quote I heard recently that we could all take to heart and that will test our sensitive egos a little:

“Do something nice for someone and don’t tell anybody about it.”

As I’ve shifted my focus toward healing with hemp for both people and animals, I’ve begun collecting case histories. Here is a wonderful one that was really miraculous for an aging Siberian Husky, Shadow, who got into big trouble while being boarded. The oil used here is a powerful, broad-spectrum product and is 80-85% assimilable, as compared with 10-12% for most hemp products on the market. So its impact on Shadow was immediate and had spectacular results.

This is Shadow’s true, life-saving case, in his mom’s own words.

“I returned from an expo to find my dog very sick… had kennel cough that went into pneumonia – he had no breath sounds. Fortunately I could not afford to leave him at the hospital. What I did have was some PMB Hemp CBD!
Within hours of the first dose he ate for the first time in six days; within six hours he wanted to go for a walk; within a day he was almost back to normal, and within three days the residual cough was all gone, energy and zest for life all returned to normal.
Miraculous! I have no doubt this product saved his life! I have my dog back and no antibiotics! No $3k vet bill. And I could have saved the $500 ER bill if I had realized CBD should be my go to! Thank you PMB! ”

PMB stands for PrimeMyBody, the company that made this oil. The name of the product is now Prime My PET Hemp & Health Blend, and you can order a bottle of it HERE if you’d like to try it, either for an acute malady or for everyday health. I have my most recent rescue pup on it because I don’t know her background, genetics, or nutritional history, and I want to give her as many advantages as possible.

I will follow up soon with a detailed description of why this product — and its counterpart for humans, RECEPT — is “broad spectrum”, so is very different from other hemp products on the market today. And more case histories will follow, for both humans and animals.

Long story short, Bella underwent what is a fairly simple and not uncommon surgery a few years ago to sever the annular ligament in that area, which was impeding and putting pressure on other damaged tendons and causing a great deal of pain. While this surgery is often very successful, that was not the case for Bella, and she has continued to have pain and swelling, though milder, ever since.

If you have a horse or dog in pain, you are probably familiar with Previcox©, a prescription NSAID painkiller. It does provide relief, though not necessarily complete relief, but it also can be hard on the gut, the liver and the kidneys. So, at least according to my vet, it should be given in a 3-weeks-on/1-week-off schedule.

Bella has been on Previcox© for years, and I always worry about its impact on her overall health.

So I am going to do an experiment. I’m going to give Bella daily hemp oil instead of Previcox© for at least two months and see what happens.

Why? Because, after taking daily hemp oil drops myself for the last year and a half, the pain from back injuries I’ve struggled with for the last 11 years is 95% gone 95% of the time. Not being fond of or able to tolerate THC, I’ve used oils high in CBD, which are the most common non-THC products found on the open market. I’ve tried more than one brand and taken a dropper-full two to four times a day.

But recently I’ve graduated! To a totally new form of hemp oil that has a much broader spectrum of cannabinoids and terpenes and is processed through a proprietary nano-technology method to produce a liposomal product that is highly bio-available and assimilable. Per milligram, this new oil is about eight times as effective as any parallel product on the market. And the price is very reasonable. I won’t need to take nearly as much each day, either, to get the same results I’ve gotten with other brands.

This is what Bella and I will both be taking — me, forever; her, for as long as it takes to get a read on what hemp oil can do for animals in pain. This new Prime My Body product, Recept, is backed by science and is leaps and bounds ahead of any other oil you can buy on the open market. And every batch is analyzed by a third party to make sure of its consistent high quality and purity of ingredients.

I will report back after I’ve had time to see how this might help my Bella. It will be an answer to my prayers if it’s effective for her pain and will make a huge difference in her quality of life… and in her mom’s state of mind!

If you’re curious about this new broad-spectrum oil, you can go HERE and read about it or order it. If you have pain, depression, sleep problems, or inflammation (to name just a few things hemp can help), you may want to dive into the world of Recept. Let me know if you’re interested!

CBD – A New Frontier in Medicine

Have any of you readers tried CBD yet, since it was legalized a couple of years ago? I have been taking it in oil form for a year-and-a-half with phenomenal results in the areas of pain management and positivity. After an injury 10 years ago, I’ve struggled constantly with pain and have done just about everything known to man to try to ameliorate it. Not one who can tolerate prescription painkillers or opiates, I’ll admit I’ve taken more than my fair share of over-the-counter NSAIDS—not good for the stomach, liver and kidneys! 

Although I do still get body work regularly, I can honestly say that those days are bygone now, and taking an aspirin or ibuprofen is rare for me. 

I have recently switched to a new CBD oil product which is uniquely processed so is 80% assimilable instead of the usual 10-12%. More on that below, but first, here is some basic information I and a cohort have learned in researching more about this amazing panacea. With her permission, I have borrowed from her blog post.

Just What IS CBD?

Cannabidiol (CBD) is a natural, non-psychoactive constituent of Hemp (Cannabis Sativa) and, although it sounds almost too good to be true, has been found to be effective for a multitude of imbalances, including the following:

• providing pain relief
• decreasing inflammation
• improving sleep
• helping with mood balance & depression
• lowering the severity of seizures or stopping them altogether
• helping control anxiety
• promoting healthy immunity
• supporting nervous system conditions, including Multiple Schlerosis and Parkinson’s

Cannabidiol (CBD) is completely different from Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive chemical that is contained in larger amounts in Marijuana (Cannabis Indica), and modern extraction methods allow CBD formulas to contain virtually no THC.  

The Little-Known Endocannabinoid System

Hemp-based CBD oil has the potential to change the way we look at preventing and treating disease, for both ourselves and our animals. Little did I know, until recently, that the body has a system to help do this, called the Endocannabinoid System (ECS).

The Endocannabinoid System (ECS) is a set of receptors throughout the body that helps regulate homeostasis, or balance.

Discovered in the 1990’s by Israeli researcher Dr. Raphael Mechoulam, the Endocannabinoid System is a biological system that exists in all mammals as well as other types of animals. 

The body is actually able to make its own chemicals to activate the ECS. For example, researchers have found that exercise increases the sensitivity of cannabinoid receptors in the part of the brain that activates pleasure. The “runner’s high” that used to be solely attributed to the release of endorphins is actually linked to the ECS. The more we exercise the more the ECS is stimulated to release hormones that create a sense of bliss.

Hemp-based CBD oil is a safe way to activate this system with no concerns about side effects or addictions. 

How is CBD Oil Absorbed? 

The short answer is that CBD oil is not very well absorbed in the digestive tract. The larger fat molecules do not easily pass through the digestive lining. This is why results of taking CBD oils can sometimes be disappointing even when very high quality hemp is used to prepare them.

The good news is that an amazing technology is making CBD oil more bio-available. It is called nanotechnology and has made it possible for CBD oil to be transformed into tiny, liposomal particles that are absorbed directly through the mucous membranes in the mouth. 

The CBD oil I take now is produced using this technology, and, after just a couple of weeks, I am learning that I do not need to take as much of this oil as I did of previous CBD products. I can honestly say I am 90% pain-free now 90% of the time, my mood and outlook are sunny, and OMGosh, my sleep these past few days has been like a bear in hibernation!

Concerns About CBD Oil?

There really are none or very few. But, as great as CBD oil is, it can’t take the place of good health management, so it is as important as ever to follow good health practices in our daily dietary and exercise habits.

CBD oil holds so much promise as a way to enhance our own health and that of our animals. It is a natural compound that impacts the body and mind in a positive way. The option now of having a pharmaceutical grade CBD oil is a real breakthrough for using this product and changing lives.

If you’d like to know more about this new, lipisomal form of CBD oil, take a look here: https://letabug.primemybody.com/prod_SING1018.

The weeks have passed. And Bear passed with grace and dignity, in spite of her difficulties, but then let me know that she would still keep watch on my family and my property until she knew I had some“thing” in place to fill that need. She took her job very seriously, and her dedication to my safety was 150%, never-wavering.

So, as you also may know, and since Bear’s particular attributes made me a total devotee of the Great Pyrenees breed of dog, I gifted myself with a baby the day before Christmas Eve. Also a Great Pyrenees. Also a female. Name, hmmm? … I am still figuring out who she is, a couple of weeks later.

Anyway, that is not the point of this post. The point is that now, on January 4^th, after a good three months of total rest from my work and honoring my own needs–which have involved hours and hours of laziness, naps, hanging out with my horses, and binge-watching all kinds of t.v. series–this morning I all of a sudden KNEW that I was ready. Ready to get back to it, to try to use my interspecies communication skills to help others again, not only with their feathered, scaled and furry loved ones, but also to open their own psychic doors in order to better understand the intricate web of Oneness we are all a part of here on Earth.

So wow! Just open the doors of intention and whatever it is you are ready for will start pouring in! Three consultation requests came in immediately today, including one dear kitty destined for the Rainbow Bridge just this evening—they just FLEW in via email, requests for help, help, help.

And… the BEST thing! I felt not only ready for it but excited, inspired, and honored to be a part of the work again. So I’m thrilled to be back to my work, am “open for business,” and will be re-scheduling the two animal communication workshops I cancelled in the Fall.

Meanwhile, little what’s her name (Snowy Chloe / Holy Terruh Clara / or Eliza —still not quite sure), is keeping me SUPER busy and on my toes so she doesn’t chew off the other dogs’ or cats’ ears when in playful mode. Nothing like baby excitement about the world to help us remember what it’s all about, right?!

Thank you, Universe and all my angels, for hearing my intentions and honoring them so completely. Intention is THE most powerful action tool we possess! Happy New Year to all!

It’s a time for being quiet and hibernating. It’s a Bear time. In Native American tradition, the introspection of Bear medicine takes us “… to the place where all solutions and answers live in harmony with the questions that fill our realities.   …… Each and every being has the capacity to quiet the mind, enter the silence, and know.”***

Little did I know when I named my magnificent Great Pyrenees yearling “Bear” that her untimely and tragic demise six years later would catapult me into one of the most painful experiences of grief, introspection and seeking in my life.

I should have noticed the signs weeks before they became so acute as to be irreversible—a cruel cancer invaded my girl’s system, making her last month one no dog should have to live through: not being able, literally, to eat—a high point in every canine’s life, and most certainly in Bear’s. Specialists and advanced diagnostics, meds, herbs and homeopathy all got us no closer to resolution, so it was just a few days ago that she and I agreed it was time for her to go.

But she has not left—her spirit woke me up in the middle of the night last night poking my shoulder firmly, twice, with her nose to check on me, like she has always done when I took a nap during the day. Yes, that kind of thing can happen. So we talked for a while.

As for me, I have been plunged into such a deep grief that it’s as if her loss stirred up a stew of all the sad events of my life and brought them all bubbling to the surface at the same time. The grief is so strong I can’t even pull apart the pieces in order to examine and make sense of them, much less try to process through them.

Perhaps on some level I did sense what was to come, as the beginnings of her symptoms coincided with the disappearance of my energy and creativity–in early July. So perhaps, subconsciously, that is why and when my life’s trajectory veered straight into a head-on collision with one of those painful but unavoidable cycles of introspection we must all go through from time to time.

So I now try to be patient and just “be” in Bear time, hoping this stew of bitter grief will eventually reduce down into a palatable blending of life’s flavors that will bring me back to days full of enjoyment and appreciation. I’m listening to a lot of music, hanging with the horses, and shedding lots of tears.

As for Bear…  I am using the same techniques I employ when I check on clients’ animals who have passed on, to make sure they don’t hover here too long, and that they go on to the light where their soul can expand and venture forth into new dimensions and new opportunities, just like ours do.

I talk to Bear every day, and one day soon I’ll know she has spread her angel wings and flown. But true to her breed, she was and is still my guardian, so I think she’s waiting for me to emerge from this well of confusion and grief I have fallen into before she takes flight.

I don’t want to be selfish, but saying ‘goodbye’ to Bear still feels unfathomable to me. But I’ll make it, I know I will!

************************

***Medicine Cards, by Jamie Sams & David Carson, Bear & Co., Publishers

This is one of my favorite morning coffee spots, and today, soaking up its beauty, I was meditating on what gifts we can offer ourselves that make us feel whole and full of grace.

Gratefulness came first, because I was feeling full of it as I sat, savoring the play of morning light through the landscape and watching my furry ones darting through the rocks and trees. Spending just a few minutes each day feeling grateful floods our cells and our entire being with divine light. It’s the most delicious feeling of goosebumps all over–kind of like falling in love!

Next I thought about forgiveness and how, in the past, when I have felt hurt or offended, finally reaching the point where I’m done with it and hold no residual ill will or energy toward the perceived offender, the sensation is like having a wet, heavy, wool coat removed from my shoulders. It’s an incredible blessing, that feeling, and lightens us immeasurably in our vibratory level, improving our health in every respect. Forgiveness often can’t be rushed, but does become easier with practice. Holding a grudge literally HURTS and keeps us bogged down in an awful state of mind, so forgiveness is one of the greatest gifts we can offer ourselves.

These thoughts were overwhelming this morning, so I felt moved to share them in case they might help anyone get through these especially violent and tragic happenings of late. Try a little gratefulness today and, if you’re ready and can feel it in your heart, a little forgiveness too. Maybe it will take some of the heaviness away and lighten the psychic load.

Blessings to all.

So… with that disclaimer, please excuse me while I ahthropomorphize here:

I had a “riding” lesson with one of my mares yesterday, my Quarter Horse “Corazon,” that left me laughing out loud and feeling most joyful!

But it MAY have been because I was, dum-ta-ta-DUM…  ANTHROPOMORPHIZING!

WhatEVER. What happened was SO humorous and fun that I will never forget it. I SO wish I had had a camera to capture the expression on Corazon’s face at a certain moment!

First, you have to understand: I’m going through a whole re-learning process myself, with my two mares (my “girls”), focusing on how to handle this dern lead line that connects me to them when I am working with them on the ground instead of in the saddle. They are great when we are “at liberty,” just hanging out together, or when I’m just hacking about on their back, but sometimes when I have them on a lead line and ask them to do something (like, ahem, walk with me quietly and mannerly over to wherever we’re going), well, sometimes… not so good.   I’ve gotten really lazy about this stuff in the last few years because my girls are both so “sweet” and easy to manage (ahem).

So, I am working from the ground yesterday with Corazon, and am clearly confusing her with my handling of the tools at our disposal (a lead line and a wand with a little flag on the end).

Corazon is doing great……. as long as our instructor is handling the tools. But once I take them over…. forget it! Poor Corazon! I can see the confusion on her face when I ask her to change the direction in which she is moving! (And yes, there IS a reason we are doing this work, from the ground instead of from the saddle, but that would need to be spelled out in a whole other blog. Very technical, but important. Blech! Plus, Corazon had a lot of BAD handling in her early years, so we are also working to neutralize that early emotional impact.)

So. We stop the lesson so that LETA can practice “changing hands” with both the lead rope and the wand. Practicing this back-and-forth, back-and-forth thing.

While I am practicing this back-and-forth thing, my trainer steps over in front of Corazon, facing me and energetically blocking my practice movements so that Corazon will not perceive them as being directed toward her. (I thought this was a very smart move on my trainer’s part.)

BUT… and here’s the part I will never forget and WISH I had on camera! As my trainer stepped in front of Corazon, Corazon kind of lowered her head and swivelled it around to the side of my trainer so that she could still see me—like a child peeking out from behind its mother’s aprons! Horses are, by nature, curious creatures, but the expression on her face was one I have never seen on any horse’s face I’ve ever had, in 30 years of horse-ownership! She was SO curious as to what I was doing, and SO eager to understand! She HAD to peek around our trainer to see “What’s UP, Mom?!,” and to know if she was still supposed to be responding to my actions! If she HAD been a kid, her expression could not have been more clear in what she was feeling!

I started belly-laughing out loud. My instructor couldn’t see it, but immediately could FEEL Corazon’s move, and started laughing too! It was knee-slapping funny, at least to the two of us!

So, I guess what I’m saying here is:  We must be careful so as not to attribute feelings to our animals that we ourselves (as humans) hold. But MAYBE there are situations where our animals do actually experience emotions that are parallel to our own, and when we witness them and feel them, we should not diminish their impact and importance for that animal! We should appreciate and honor them, and… when appropriate break out into a big guffaw!

For my precious Corazon (which means “heart” in Spanish, by the way, because she has such a huge one), I KNOW that that look on her face yesterday conveyed what anybody else, of any race, breed, or species, would have conveyed:  she just wanted to know “WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON?!”