Communication from the other side

Several months ago, a friend of mine loaned me a book by Jeffrey Wands called "The Psychic in You." At the time she gave it to me, she said there probably wasn't much in it I didn't already know, but she still thought I would enjoy it.

It's been sitting on the table, with a stack of other books that I hope to read someday, and I had been wondering if I should just return it to my friend, since I haven't found much time for reading lately but the other day, I felt compelled to pick up the book. I sat down on the couch and thought I'd read a chapter or two and the next thing I knew, it was way past my bedtime and I was half way through the book.

It's been an enjoyable and interesting read. Jeffrey Wands is a psychic and a medium and in the book, he shares stories about his experiences with his clients and those on the other side, that he communicates with. He also writes about how he learned about his psychic abilities and how he learned to trust and embrace his abilities over the years.

I've been feeling inspired to learn more about communicating with those on the other side, so the portions of the book about his medium skills were very intriguing to me. There was one part where he talked about the signs people get from their loves ones who have crossed over that really caught my attention.

It was a section on smells that those on the other side seem to be able to create, to let people know of their presence. I had heard of that before, but mostly in reference to good smells, like the smell of a mother's perfume that catches your nose or the smell of a grandfather's pipe . . . I didn't know that they can also bring forth not-so-pleasant smells, if those smells are ones they believe will clearly communicate that they are here in spirit.

He shared a story of two sisters whose father had passed many years earlier, and apparently, the father had some pretty bad body odor from time to time. Years after his passing, the sisters would occasionally catch a whiff of the pungent odor their father used to give off when he was alive and they wanted Jeffrey to confirm their father's presence in their home.

The story made me laugh out loud, as I remembered something that occurred a few months after Lucky had passed. My ex-boyfriend was over at my house and we were sitting on the couch visiting. At one point, I went into the kitchen to refill our water glasses and when I walked back into the family room, my ex was standing up with this really odd look on his face. I asked him what was wrong and he said, "I swear, I just smelled Lucky's gas." I looked at him inquisitively and then played along as he asked me to smell here and there, but I didn't smell anything. I joked that maybe Lucky had come to visit him, but I wasn't serious, because it didn't occur to me that they could really come through with unpleasant smells from the other side.

But, as I was reading Jeffrey's book, I realized that it probably WAS her and it seemed fitting that she would come through to him that way, since he was probably more bothered by her bad gas than anyone else I knew. I had gotten so used to it, I barely noticed it anymore, but he was always bothered by it, often feeling like he could throw up when he smelled it. It made me smile to think she was making an effort to reach him, especially since he isn't too sure about the "other side" stuff and always believed that when we die, that's it. Maybe she was trying to help him re-evaluate his position on the spirit world by giving him a sign that only she could create. :-)

If you're interested in exploring your psychic abilities, I recommend the book. It's an easy read and his stories are entertaining as well as thought provoking. It definitely made me more aware of what I am smelling around the house since I started reading his book. :-)

Communicating with Animals

A few weeks ago, a couple people were asking me exactly how animal communication works. They wanted to know if I actually heard answers to the questions I asked animals or if I got the information another way. I really had to think to answer the question at first, because it wasn't a simple answer and because I have been able to communicate with animals since I was a little girl, it's not something I even think about anymore.

I get information in so many different ways . . . by actually feeling what the animal is feeling, by pictures they give me (that I often have to interpret), by watching their reaction to the things I say and sometimes just by "knowing" the answer without having to even think about it - as if information was just put into my head. Chances are, other animal communicators get information in other ways as well. There isn't just one way to communicate with animals as they each have their own styles, their own way of sharing information.

In the event that any of you are as curious as the folks I spoke with a few weeks ago, I thought I'd share a few examples of how I pick up information. I believe we all have the ability to communicate with animals, it's often just a matter of developing the skill, so maybe this information will help you in your own quest to communicate with your animals.

When I pick up what the animal is feeling, I literally feel their feelings. It is often in response to a question or what someone has said, like the time one of my clients asked me how their dog was feeling about an upcoming trip and I immediately felt anxiety running through my body. Or the time I was working with a dog and one of his guardians made a comment about how dumb he was, and I immediately felt sadness and some frustration. When I said, "I don't believe he is dumb at all, in fact I believe he is quite smart" the dog immediately ran over to me and licked my knee.

Sometimes the information comes from pictures I get in my mind. The other day, I was giving a reiki treatment to a dog who had never had one before, although the humans and other animals in the house have had reiki treatments before. I was commenting to the guardian that I was surprised at how calm he was, as often animals are a bit nervous the first time they get a reiki treatment and as soon as I said it, I got an image of one of the other dogs in the house. I laughed and said, "Oh, Guy told him what to expect, that's why he isn't nervous."

Another way I get information is just by watching the animal I am working with. I have learned over the years that it is very important to pay attention to what is being said in the presence of animals because their behavior will often tell you how they feel about what has been said. One time, I was working with a dog who had severe separation anxiety. The dog was relaxing on the floor with me and her guardians, enjoying the reiki treatment, when the guardians brought up a recent incident where the dog had chewed up the inside of their car during a bad bout of separation anxiety. The dog immediately jumped up and hid on the other side of the room. There wasn't any other interpretation besides "the dog feels really bad about doing that to your car." Her guardians assured her that they weren't upset with her, they were just worried about her and wanted to help her feel less anxious. Once they said that, she walked back over to where we were sitting on the floor and laid down in front of me, ready to resume her reiki treatment.

It's a little harder to describe the last way I pick up information . . . when something is just in my head. It happened today, when I was sitting in the backyard working on my tan and a crossword puzzle. :-) I heard the buzz of a hummingbird and looked up from the paper. Right there in front of me was a beautiful hummingbird, idling steadily at eye level for a minute. The next thing I knew, I was saying, "I'm sorry, I'll take care of it now." It took me a second or two to figure out what I was responding to because my response was so automatic, but I quickly realized the hummingbird told me that the water in the feeder needed to be changed. As I had promised, I immediately got up, washed out the hummingbird feeder and refilled it with a fresh batch of sugar water. It has made me smile this afternoon to see visits from at least ten hummingbirds since I freshened up their supply. I think they are pleased that I was able to get the message that was delivered to me.

As I mentioned before, I believe we all have the ability to communicate with animals. It's just a matter of paying attention to what we pick up and then learning to trust that information. So, when you are talking to your animals, watch how they react to what you say, pay attention to how you feel and what pictures pop into your mind. You may be surprised by what you can pick up yourself. From experience, I would say, learning to trust what you pick up is actually the more difficult part of learning to communicate with animals, but in time, that trust will come.

Give it a try and see what you able to do yourself! I think your animals will appreciate the effort, regardless of how good you are at first.

Happy Birthday Lucky

This past Monday, July 12th was Lucky's birthday. She would have been 15 years old, if she was still here. I felt it was important to honor her on her birthday . . . I just wasn't sure how.

Our annual tradition to celebrate her birthday consisted of going to Bill's Cafe, our favorite restaurant, where Lucky would get a side of sausage, that she was allowed to eat all herself . . . and then we would head over to our favorite beach in Aptos. Lucky would chase her tennis ball

and play in the water until she could barely walk anymore. It was what we did every year, with the exception of last year. Since she wasn't able to chase the ball anymore, we skipped the trip to the beach and went to the park instead. We did however go to Bill's, so she could enjoy her side of sausage. :-)

This year, as her birthday neared, I was unsure of what I wanted to do to celebrate. I wasn't sure if I was up for going to Bill's without her. I knew I would probably go to the beach, but I wasn't sure what else I wanted to do. The night before her birthday, I felt a strong pull to get my video tapes of her and watch them. I spent some time Sunday night watching video of her. Much to my delight, watching the videos just made me smile. No tears, no sadness, just a lot of laughter as I watched her, so full of life, opening presents, eating sausages, playing in the ocean.

The next morning, I got up and after getting some coffee in me, I found myself pulled back to the couch to watch some more video of her. I came across birthday after birthday, listened to my voice off camera saying, "Would you like to go to the beach?" and watching her cock her head and then jump up to get ready . . . and hearing my voice ask, "Are you having a good birthday, sweet girl?" as we played at the beach. I giggled as I watched her open her gifts each year (the wrapping was merely a plastic grocery bag that I would tie on top and Lucky was quite an expert at untying the bag to find what was inside).

As I sat there on the couch, enjoying the videos, I was still mulling over what I would do next. I still didn't feel like I was up for going to Bill's, but felt that going to the beach would probably be alright. All of the sudden, there was a knock at the door and it was one of my best friends, delivering a side of sausage that he had just picked up from Bill's. I was so touched, I shed my first tears of the day.

A little while later, I left for the beach. I could feel Lucky with me when I got into the car and it made me smile. I pulled out a subdudes CD that I hadn't listened to in a while (a live CD from many years ago), and popped it into the CD player. It was smooth sailing over Hwy 17 until we got to Hwy 1 and then traffic was almost at a dead stop. My usual 35 min. trip to the beach had turned into a 55 min. trip but for some reason it didn't stress me out. I was enjoying the music and knew I'd get to the beach soon enough.

As I exited the freeway, the song Suger Pie came on. I was surprised because I had forgotten it was even on that CD. I made a mental note that if traffic hadn't been so bad, I wouldn't still be in the car when that particular song came on. And as I pulled up in front of the beach, the most meaningful lines of that song began. The hair stood up on my arms and it felt like it was divinely orchestrated.

The lyrics at that moments were: "Now time has passed and you're so far away, can't get used to not seeing you each day . . . but there's one place in the back of my mind, where I can go to see you anytime . . . and for you to me, forever you will be my sugar pie, sugar pie, sit by me." Fighting back a few tears, I got out of the car and made my way down to the beach.

I hoped I might find a sand dollar (I thought it might be nice to have a momento to remember the day) so as I walked a couple of miles down the beach, I kept scanning the sand in front of me, looking for a sand dollar, but I never saw one. When I turned around and began walking back in the direction I came from, I set the intention "If I'm meant to find a sand dollar, it will be right in front of me and I won't have to look for it."

As I walked back, I spent more time looking at the water, and just enjoying the scenery. After about a mile, I looked ahead and saw a german shepherd coming my way. It made me smile from ear to ear and as I passed the shepherd and his guardian, I said, "You have a beautiful shepherd" and he smiled back and said, "thank you." I took two more steps and then right there in front of me was a sand dollar . . . a perfectly pristine sand dollar. I picked it up and held it in my hands. It made me happier than words can explain. I smiled from head to toe.

When I left the beach, I wasn't quite ready to head back over the hill, so I decided to go to one of my favorite restaurants in Santa Cruz, a Hawaiian grill that has fantastic poke. They have an outdoor patio that welcomes dogs, so over the years, Lucky and I had been there together quite a few times. I got some poke and a beer and sat on the outside patio, just enjoying the experience, thinking about the interesting coincidences of the day (Sugar Pie coming on as I pulled up in front of our beach, finding the sand dollar seconds after seeing the german shepherd). I felt like she was there with me and it felt good. I said, quietly enough that no one else on the patio could hear me, "Are you having a good birthday, sweet girl?" I felt the answer was yes.

When I got up to leave the restaurant, three people walked by . . . each with a german shepherd on the end of their leashes. I got a knot in my throat, but mostly, it just made me smile.

The gift that I got, from honoring Lucky's birthday this year and watching the videos of her, was the reminder that she enjoyed life . . . and the more simple the pleasure, the more wonderful it was to her . . . it was one of the ways she and I were alike. Finding the sand dollar made my day. I didn't need anything else to make it a perfect day. Having a friend remember me and Lucky's tradition of going to Bill's and being kind enough to pick up a side of sausage for me on her birthday touched me deep in my soul.

It didn't take much to make the two of us happy beyond words. This concept of simple pleasures was something that was reinforced by Lucky over all the years we were together. She got tremendous joy from the simplest things, but she was in no way simple. She loved very deeply but never lost track of herself. She knew what she wanted, but she didn't want for much.

Getting a tablespoon of yogurt in the morning made her eyes sparkle . . . being able to lick the spoon sent her over the moon . . . every morning. Seeing a child she knew walking towards her was enough to fill her whole heart with joy. The way Lucky lit up in the presence of children is something that I still hold as one of my most treasured memories of her. That is why I want to include these two final pictures from Lucky's birthday last year.

As I mentioned before, we weren't able to go to the beach because Lucky's back legs were no longer working, so we went to the park. She was laying there on the grass, looking a little bored and I

was feeling guilty that she wasn't having a great fourteenth birthday . . . when all of the sudden, she sat up so straight and tall, it shocked me. I swear, she had a smile on her face and her eyes just sparkled. When I turned around to see what had grabbed her attention, I saw one of her little three year old friends walking towards us with her dad. The joy that Lucky felt was obvious to anyone who was in the vicinity and it was contagious. She just lit up and when her little friend got over to her, she greeted her as if she had just been given the most amazing, spectacular present anyone had ever received on their birthday.

I know my sweet girl is still guiding me from the other side, helping me to remember what is important in life . . . helping me to remember that the sweetest joys in life can often be the most simple ones.

Dealing with grief

This week, I got an email from one of my clients who lost her beloved dog this spring. She attended a Pet Memorial Collage workshop at the Silicon Valley Humane Society and felt it was a really positive experience. I thought it would be helpful to share the information, in case any of you are still grieving the loss of a pet, and are interested in exploring this as an option to further process your grief. It doesn't matter if the loss was recent or a long time ago. There is no time limit for dealing with our feelings and there is no time limit for honoring those that we loved and lost.

The next workshop is taking place on July 24th, from 2:00-4:30pm. The fee is $30 if you sign up in advance, $40 if you pay at the door. The class is held at the Humane Society, on Ames Avenue in Milpitas. You can register by going to: http://giving.hssv.org/cal

My client shared a few words about the class and I am pasting them below, so you can see what she thought of the experience in her own words:

I thought maybe you would like to recommend the pet memorial collage workshop to your clients that have lost their animals. I enjoyed the class and the teacher. We introduced ourselves and shared pictures of who we would be honoring and a little about them.

We started by putting rocks in a glass (it was to represent the grief that we carry with us). Then we did a meditation to meet with our animal and get a message from them. We were then free to work on our collages. When we were done, we put them on another table so everybody could look at them. Then we shared our collages and the story it represented to us.

We ended with the option to take our grief back home with us or to leave it. I chose to leave it. It was just nice to share the stories and be with people who have a love for animals in the same way that I do. It was a nice way to honor our animals.

I hope everyone had a wonderful 4th of July. For me, it was a mixed bag. It was my first 4th of July without Lucky, which was both good and bad. It made me miss her . . . and yet what I didn't miss was the trauma she experienced every 4th of July . . . so it many ways, it was the most relaxing 4th of July I've had in 15 years.

The sound of fireworks can be overwhelming and downright dangerous for some animals. I worry about animals more on the 4th of July than any other day of the year. We can't imagine what they experience, because our hearing isn't as good as theirs, but seeing the reaction that many animals have to the sound of fireworks made me begin to really dislike the holiday.

I spent many years in the bathtub with Lucky, which was where she would go for refuge. She would be panting and drooling, totally inconsolable. I was always afraid she would have a heart attack and I began to dread the 4th of July. I tried every kind of holistic remedy for calming her. None of them worked. One year, I even tried a pharmaceutical drug to calm her down, (I was that desperate), and even that didn't help.

About 5 years ago, someone suggested that I take her out in the car during the firework displays, since my car was more sound proof than my house, so that became our new tradition. I'd load her into the car, bring along some cd's we enjoyed and we'd just drive. We'd get to watch the fireworks, in every city we drove through on the freeway, but we didn't have to hear any of the loud booms, which helped her stay calm and made me much happier.

So this year, I didn't have to protect Lucky from the sound of the fireworks, so I didn't need to fill up my car with gas. I was at my parents house and we were sitting in the family room, with both their dogs sacked out on the couch. When the loud booming began, my heart started to race, years of protective instinct kicked in and I was ready to jump up, grab my parents dogs and head for the car . . . and much to my surprise and delight, they both slept through it all.

I sat there feeling so grateful that not all animals are as afraid of fireworks as Lucky was, and grateful that she was on "the other side" where the fireworks couldn't bother her this year. My hope is that in time, I will start liking the 4th of July again. This year was a pretty good start.