Journeying with Animals – An intimate workshop at my home

Saturday, June 16, 2012 from 10am to 4pm, $90; a light vegetarian lunch and herbal teas will be provided.

Shamanic Journeying allows us to more deeply explore our spiritual communion with animals by enabling us to…

…relax and travel into realms that honor the Spirit of all Life

…open up to the wisdom and healing available to us

…receive messages and teachings from the Masters – the animals themselves

…increase our awareness and consciousness of other species

…and enjoy the beauty and bliss of communing with the animals in a deep and soulful manner.

Gathering together in a small group, I will guide you through the Shamanic Journeying process. Everyone will have an opportunity to connect with a Power Animal and much more. There will be ample time for journaling and sharing your experiences.

This workshop is ideal for those who treasure the path of interspecies communication and wish to explore Shamanic Journeying as a resource to help broaden and deepen their experience with animals.

Space is limited so please contact me prior to registering for the workshop to ensure availability: (828) 337-4686 or rain@rainhummingbird.com. Thank you.

Directions and additional information will be provided after registration.

This is a beautiful prayer that reminds us to humbly honor all life as sacred. When we are open to receiving the messages from animals and nature, there is much we can learn. We need only to be quiet and listen. Enjoy!

Teach Us And Show Us The Way
by Chinook (Anonymous)

We call upon the earth, our planet home, with its beautiful depths and soaring heights,
its vitality and abundance of life, and together we ask that it

Teach us, and show us the Way.

We call upon the mountains, the high green valleys and meadows filled with wild flowers,
the snows that never melt, the summits of intense silence, and we ask that they

Teach us, and show us the Way.

We call upon the waters that rim the earth, horizon to horizon, that flow in our rivers and streams,
that fall upon our gardens and fields and we ask that they

Teach us, and show us the Way.

We call upon the land which grows our food, the nurturing soil, the fertile fields,
the abundant gardens and orchards, and we ask that they

Teach us, and show us the Way.

We call upon the forests, the great trees reaching strongly to the sky with earth in their roots
and the heavens in their branches, the fir and the pine and the cedar, and we ask them to

Teach us, and show us the Way.

We call upon the creatures of the fields and forests and the seas, our brothers and sisters the wolves and deer,
the eagle and dove, the great whales and the dolphin, who share our home, and we ask them to

Teach us, and show us the Way.

We call upon all those who have lived on this earth, our ancestors and our friends, who dreamed the best for future generations, and upon whose lives our lives are built, and with thanksgiving, we call upon them to

Teach us, and show us the Way.

And lastly, we call upon all that we hold most sacred, the presence and power of the Great Spirit of love and truth which flows through all the Universe, to be with us to

Teach us, and show us the Way.

Merlin, Feb. 2011

My sweet, beloved cat Merlin crossed over to the spiritual realm yesterday.

Merlin had only shown signs of being sick over the past few weeks. He was about 13. He had slowed down somewhat in the past year or so. But, all in all, he was his big, handsome, adorable self. And then two days ago, an ultrasound showed cancer in several organs. We took him home that night. Yesterday, he was very clear in communicating that he was ready to leave his body and our vet came to our home to assist him. Merlin passed easily and peacefully, with dignity, and in a ceremonial way that was honoring of him.  

Merlin was a Buddah; a Zen kitty; a Yogi master; calm, peaceful, serene. He adored being a cat; he loved being in his body and he was a skilled and avid hunter. Merlin would sometimes position his body in the most unusual cat-yoga positions and ‘meditate’. He was gentle, kind, patient and loving to everyone. On the rare occassion when someone who was not a ‘cat person’ would visit, they fell in love with Merlin. Everyone loved Merlin. He was the embodiment of grace and compassion; a true teacher in every sense of the word. I have many stories and teachings from Merlin that I will write about in the coming weeks and months to share his medicine and wisdom with you.

For today, I share some of my favorite photos of Merlin and my gratitude for the opportunity to have been blessed to live with such an enlightened being for 12 years.

A friend of mine, a medicine woman who lives very close to the land, phoned last night to tell me she had received a message regarding the animals that were recently slaughtered in Ohio. She was to do some work on her land to assist them in crossing over peacefully. And I was to do something to assist them as well, though what exactly was not specified. Before going to sleep, I asked to be shown what it was that I should do. Although I had vivid dreams, none felt particularly related to the animals. So, this morning we did a journey on the phone.  This is the message that came through from the Spirits of the Animals:

Their message to me: “It does not serve you, nor the people, to shut out the news of this occurence because it is too painful for you to feel. Feel the pain and wake up some more….  and share our message with the people.”

Their message to everyone: “What is done to one is done to all. We are not the only ones who have been treated in this way. Every moment of every day creatures are treated disrespectfully and dishonorably. What is done to one is done to all. What has been done to us has been done to all. The trees weep, the stones bleed and humans suffer. The purpose of this madness that has happened to us has occured to wake the people up, to help them recover from their amnesiatic state. What is done to one is done to all.”

Imagine that your relative, your sister, your brother, your child had been the one killed. What the animals are reminding us of  is that this is exactly what is happening. We are all connected. There is no separation. We are all One. And our relative IS the one being killed. We are related to all animals, all life. Their words, “what is done to one is done to all,” are a sharp blade of truth slicing through the unconsciousness that is so prevalent in our culture. There is a belief among many in our culture that there is a hierarchy, and humans are at the top of it and that they have the ‘right’ to have dominion over another. This is an ego-centered perspective that is untrue. We are not separate from any other being; we are all One.  What is done to one is done to all.

As we become more conscious, we heal ourselves and others. Living our lives with the awareness that we are all connected and that every thought, action and reaction affects everything and everyone is a choice. We can choose to live consciously, in a state of compassion and love towards ourselves and all others, or not. It is a choice we make. Today, I am deeply reminded of this truth. I choose to share this message with you and to awaken a little more this day.

Travis (photo courtesy of Janet)

We now explore a few basic steps to help you communicate directly with animals.

The first three parts of this Animal Medicine Series were intended to familiarize you with what animal medicine is about, to help expand your understanding of creatures, and to explore the healing aspects of animals. Now let us look at the basic steps involved in animal communication so that you can receive the healing messages and wisdom from animals yourself.

Basic Steps to Communicating with Animals

As you might imagine given my name, I have a special relationship with hummingbirds. About 15 years ago, while sitting in circle with a Native American elder, we were asked to pull an animal medicine card as our totem animal (the card deck and book are entitled “Medicine Cards” by Jamie Sams & David Carson). I received hummingbird and its message was about Joy! Over the years, I’ve come across a number of books, cards, posters etc. that convey similar messages. However, it has been in watching and communicating with hummingbirds directly that I have received the deepest messages. Some years ago when I felt it was time to choose my last name (to replace the surname I had at the time), I said a prayer asking for assistance and guidance. Three visits from hummingbird hovering right in front of my face made the choice obvious. Whenever I am visited by hummingbirds, I always feel joy and uplifted. In fact, as I have been typing this post now, a little hummingbird has hummed her song and hovered at the glass feeder outside of my office window while enjoying the sweet drink. What a gift!

If you have not already connected with a particular animal as a totem or helper in your life, perhaps you might like to consider asking for one as a way to assist you along your path.

Following is an excerpt from the Medicine Card book to learn more about the medicine of Hummingbird:

Eagle is considered the medicine of shamans and healers in many Native American traditions. It is a powerful medicine with direct connection to the Divine. Eagle feathers are considered to be the most sacred of healing tools and when one is touched by the shaman’s eagle feather, instant healing can occur.

Below is a series of photos that I received from a friend which chronicles the transformation process that eagle can choose for itself in mid life (I do not know the originator of the images or text unfortunately). I found this very inspirational since I had the opportunity to go through a similar process in my mid forties. There was a great deal of pain associated in releasing the old to make way for the new. However, for me, it was absolutely worth the temporary discomfort in order to be able to soar to new heights. My life is now full in ways that I never even dreamed possible for myself. I would gladly shed every tear again in order to be able fly with wings wide open now.

I hope you find these images and information inspirational in assisting you on your path and knowing that anything is possible. May you spread your wings and fly high like the eagle.

In Native American tradtions, “medicine” is considered anything that is healing and improves our connection to Great Spirit and all life. This includes healing of the mind, body and spirit. Medicine brings you in harmony and balance with your Higher Self resulting in deeper consciousness and awareness of the true essence of love. Animal medicine is simply the healing messages from animals.

Observing how animals live is one way to gain greater understanding of the medicine that they carry and the wisdom they can teach us. However, my experience has been that connecting with an animal telepathically, through animal communication, is a deeper way of receiving the animal’s insights and medicine.

All animals are sentient beings and when we are open to receiving their messages of wisdom and love, we have the opportunity to receive healing. This, in short, is what animal medicine is about: connecting with the healing aspect of an animal.