What would your animal relatives say about you?

Crow Call
Photo: Rose De Dan ©2011

It has been my experience that animals can see into a person’s heart.

There is a Native American legend that says, “When a human dies there is a bridge they must cross to enter into heaven. At the head of that bridge waits every animal that human encountered during their lifetime. The animals, based upon what they know of this person, decide which humans may cross the bridge…and which are turned away.”

Many of us believe we treat the domestic animals who share our homes well, but do we really see them as they truly are, or do we treat them as extensions of our needs? And what about the rest of our relatives? Imagine how many members of All Our Relations – birds, spiders, bees, squirrels, raccoons, coyotes, fish – have crossed your path, even if only briefly. Did you treat them with respect?

Do you celebrate and enjoy the sound of each bird’s song or call, or are you caught up in your own thoughts, distracted by music or cell phones? Do you treat your animal neighbors carefully, respecting their lives (and your own) by using natural products, or do you pollute your home, yard and air with chemicals?

When you visit the zoo do you respect the hearing of the animals by keeping your voice low and soothing? Do you respect their feelings by finding something to celebrate about their species, or do you make fun of them and judge them on the basis of their appearance?

If there were a judgement, what would your animal relatives say about you? Would they say that you were self-centered, too busy to care about how they felt, lived, or died? Or would they say that you had an open heart and did your best to listen to what they had to say, and thoughtfully made choices with intent to create a better world for All?

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Think Outside the Cage
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About Wild Reiki and Shamanic Healing:

Rose De Dan, Wild Reiki and Shamanic Healing LLC, is a mesa carrier in the Peruvian shamanic tradition. In addition she is also a Reiki Master Teacher, animal communicator, author of the acclaimed book Tails of a Healer: Animals, Reiki and Shamanism, and creator of Animal and Reiki Art. As an animal shaman, she views her role as a healer as one of building bridges between people and animals, and of empowering them to reconnect with Pachamama, Mother Earth.

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