Listen! Do you hear it?

Okay, you say. I’m listening. To what?

To the wisdom from your animals. Everything is connected, including us to our animal friends, and them to the rest of the world. They know stuff before we do. And they react in very different ways than we do, because they are in the right now, not in the past or the future.

I heard a great story from a trusted resource the other day. We were talking about my horse, Declan, passing, and I said when he left his body two of our horses, who could not see him, whinnied. (The third horse, Tango, came out to witness and personally wish his friend a safe journey.) My friend said she had gotten a young horse from someone who had the mom horse. About a year later, her young horse seemed off, and she couldn’t understand it. Young horse just seemed very depressed, and it came on quickly. Not long after noticing how her horse was behaving, she got a text message from the person who had the mom horse, that said they had put mom horse down, pretty much at the moment when young horse got sad.

They were miles apart. How could young horse have known, if not connected?

They feel things before we do. There are many stories about animals who will wake their people because of danger; earthquakes is a big one. They can feel it in their bodies minutes before the tremor strikes. 

Pay attention. Your animal friends are very much tapped into “the Force”, and can help you navigate difficult situations. 

We coach with our horses, who are excellent judges of character and emotion. If you tell me you’re feeling fine and nothing is bothering you, and the horse won’t come near you, I know you’re fooling yourself. Horses (and other animals too) like what’s called congruence - what they see is what they get. 

My neighbor invited me to ride her ex racehorse. First, I am the type who wants to have a solid relationship on the ground with a horse before I ever climb on board. I didn’t know this horse at all. She was big, powerful, big, could run fast, did I say big? She was also older and gentle, but it didn’t matter. What I saw was big, powerful, fast - BIG. I stood on the mounting block and sobbed into the horse’s neck, I was so afraid to get on. I told her (the horse) that. I said I really wanted to ride her but I was afraid. I asked her to help me out. I owned how I was feeling. Once I calmed down a little, I got on. She stood completely still. Then we had a lovely ride. Because I owned my fear, I was in congruence with what was going on in my body, and she could deal with that. I was being real, and so was she.

Watch a dog. Unlike horses, dogs want to trust us, and that lands them in trouble sometimes. They can sense when something is off, and they’ll show you, but you have to be aware of it, or they’ll cover it up (hmmm, kind of like a certain two-legged predator I know). Then the two-legged predator might do something ugly, but the dog will want to make up and be friends. They are forever hopeful.

Cats, although they are much more subtle and not generally as needy as dogs, will get themselves in trouble because they want the relationship. Trust me on this one, you non-cat people. Cats want relationship. They are also willing to take care of themselves if they get the negative vibes often enough. Dogs will suffer through and continue to hope.

But all that negativity takes it toll on the animals. It’s our job to pay attention to what they’re telling us, and act accordingly. We’re supposed to be the smart ones, right? Right. 

In my world, I will look to my animals for advice and counsel, because they can help me navigate my own negative thoughts and emotions. Oh, yes, they know when I’m not in alignment, and they always call me out. 

So pay attention. If your animal starts to act strangely, or has a knee-jerk reaction to something you’ve done (especially a rescue animal), listen carefully. Watch. Think it through. Love them enough to make a change if needed. They don’t ask for much, just to be loved and cherished and heard. Kind of like us.