Sometimes the only way I can help animals is to help their people. Many times, the behavior problems that people are experiencing with their pets stem from something going on in the owner’s life. The animal is simply reflecting a behavior or lesson for the owner. By learning to mindfully connect with our pets, lives can be transformed, for humans and animals.
Now you may be thinking, “But I’m already connected to my animal.” You love your pet. You buy the best food, you go on walks together, and you give them the best medical care. Your pet is family. How could I suggest that you are not connected?
Yes, you are connected, but there is a deeper connection, a place that most people are not used to going. There is a place of connection that creates a language, not of words, but one of shared consciousness. It’s in this space that you fully understand that humans and animals need each other on a spiritual level.
We need animals to remind us of the qualities that lead us back to our true self.
Compassion
Animals have demonstrated compassion time and time again. Elephants that protect the injured and the young members of the herd; the pod of dolphins in New Zealand, that circled a group of human swimmers to protect them from a great white shark that was in the area; the dog that adopts the orphaned kittens and keeps them safe, all of this is showing us compassion.
Be Present
Animals don’t waste as much time being obsessed with the future as humans do. We spend a great deal of time wondering what will happen next, what we should be doing, what do people think of us, and on and on it goes. There is so much in our society that distracts us and takes our attention away from the present moment. We miss the beauty of the moment.
Live Lightly
It pretty much goes without saying that humans don’t know how to live lightly on the planet. In the wild, animals live in tune with the planet and use its resources as needed. Learning to be attuned to our surroundings and how to live without causing mass destruction to our environment would serve humans well.
Those of us that live with animals know that they have feelings and that they express their emotions in a raw, unfiltered way. Their joy is contagious and their grief is deep, but there is never a doubt about how they feel. Animals live their lives fully present and unafraid to show their true selves. They have achieved a freedom that most people only dream of finding. But if we listen to our pets, mindfully, they will show us the way back to our true self.
