animal medicine
Spirit Messages Of The Red Cardinal
If you live in North America, you’re probably familiar with the northern cardinal bird, also known as the redbird or red cardinal, commonly found across the continent. These bright red songbirds traditionally feature in the folklore, legends, and spiritual beliefs of various cultures.
The blood red coloring of this little bird’s plumage fascinated our ancestors and it is considered to be symbolic of life and vitality. Interestingly, in the Christian tradition the blood of Christ is a central religious symbol and the red-robed senior clergy of the Catholic Church are also knows as Cardinals.
In indigenous cultures, the cardinal traditionally also represents ongoing life, as well as a strong, lasting relationship because cardinals are a monogamous bird species. The appearance of a red cardinal in your life may indicate a need to start something new or examine existing loyalties and obligations.
Their red feathers certainly stand out amid the more common brown and green found in most of nature. The female cardinal is a lighter shade of pink than the bright red male, which is less easy to see. When you do notice her on your path, she is reminding you to look closer – chances are positive developments are on the horizon.
In native lore they are also associated with the direction of true North, symbolizing the guiding, unchanging Spirit. Folk tradition tells us that to see a cardinal means a departed loved one’s spirit is near, or an angelic guide is trying to send an important message.
Cardinals are also associated with the number 12, representing the annual cycle of months, as red cardinals are a year-round species. In addition, red is the color of the root (first) chakra in Eastern wisdom tradition, and also the Astrological sign of Aries, first in the Zodiac.
The Little Angel Who Rescued Me
In 2017, I visited the vet with Max, my German Shepherd, for dental work. Max was a rescue from Germany surrendered by his previous owner because he was considered a “too active” puppy.
While we were waiting at the clinic, he suddenly started pulling his leash into the operating room and began barking at me to move faster. I was caught totally off guard. He had never behaved like this before.
At the time he had been with me for over 10 years and had the typical issues coming from being an elderly dog. But he was the most people and dog-friendly dog you could imagine. He was never unruly or aggressive and he seldom barked.
I followed him and soon found the reason for his excitement. A small Chihuahua was tied to the examining table and looking at us. I then realized that Max had sensed the little dog was scared. He started to comfort him by lying beside him and gently playing with him.
When the vet entered the room, she was astonished to see the two dogs comforting each other with face licking and wagging tails. She then revealed that Cody the Chihuahua had been surrendered to the shelter she did volunteer work for. Mr. Cody had not found a forever home yet, because had been labelled “aggressive towards other dogs.”
Also, he was a hospice adoption because he was in an awfully bad shape. He suffered from serious heart failure and had never had dental work done before. The previous owner had him for 9 years and did nothing to ease his pain and suffering. No wonder he was acting aggressive – who wouldn’t be with 13 rotting teeth in their muzzle!
At the time, I had recently immigrated to Canada and I had to start over from scratch. I arrived here with only suitcases and my dog. I was definitely not planning on adopting another dog. But that was not what destiny had in mind for me.
The Spiritual Life Lessons Of The Spider
I recently saw with my own eyes a burly, grown man run screaming from his garage because he saw a spider! I could not help but wonder what he thought might happen to him? Was the tiny spider going to pounce on him and consume him entirely?
Of course, in some places in the world there are indeed deadly little creatures that could cause irreparable harm, or even death. However, in the area where we live there is really not much chance of this ever happening. Instead of running away screaming, the arachnophobic lumberjack should have appreciated instead the spiritual wisdom and life lessons his petite visitor embodies.
When we look closely at the life of a spider, we must recognize and respect its truth. It operates in a world that is dictated only by nature and honest survival. It makes its living by adhering to the laws of nature.
The spider creates creates a home for itself where it can be safe and comfortable by applying formidable patience and diligence. It takes infinite care in this process with extreme precision.
The spider does not have a strict deadline as to when it’s home must be complete. The web is carefully spun after a perfect spot is chosen that will be most advantageous. This miraculous, fragile home must be able to withstand rain, sleet, snow, extreme winds and any other element that nature sees fit to throw it’s way.
Once this arduous and time-consuming task is completed, the next phase is just as critical. The spider will then take on the task that all creatures, man and beast, must comply with and that is securing a source of nourishment.
The Manifesting Power Of Mindful Mornings
Mornings are special. The energy of the morning is different than at any other time. When the sunlight is still fresh and gentle, the world is calm and quiet, there is a magic to this time.
The first few moments of our day help to set the tone for our experiences throughout. Becoming aware and attuned to this fresh universal energy can be as simple as creating a small morning routine.
Now, I realize not everyone loves the morning as much as I do. If this is the case for you, the idea of creating a morning routine may not sound appealing at all. Starting with small, quick steps can make all the difference here.
Your morning routine is meant to set you up for success. It is about doing things you like in the morning, that get you in the right frame of mind and heart.
Bringing a bit of mindfulness into your morning can set you up energetically to respond more effectively to your experiences throughout the day.
Below is a list of things you can do in the morning to create a personalized routine that works for you. You certainly don’t have to do all them! Just pick one or two to get started and build from there.
While consistency is important, if something is not working for you, change it up and try something new. This routine should be fulfilling and meaningful to you.
Affirmations – Start saying ‘I AM’ affirmations. As you are getting ready in front of the mirror, look yourself in the eye and speak aloud three ‘I AM’ affirmations, for example: I am learning to let go of fear and negativity. I am worthy of abundance and fulfilment. I am grateful for all the good things in my life.
Gratitude – Place a note somewhere you are going to see it in the morning that reads: ‘What am I grateful for today?’ Every morning you see it list three things aloud.
The Girl Who Healed Animals At The Pet Cemetery
I grew up in Germany. My dad, coming from an extremely poor background, worked his hands to the bones to provide a roof over our heads and food on the table. Mom and dad married when she was only 19 and we lived in a house built beside my grandfather’s on a small farm.
My maternal grandfather was a pharmacist and had bought the land on the hill, where he built his house after he came back from the war. He had been imprisoned in France. Times were hard, but the land my grandfather was able to purchase the land at a low price. It was the last lot on the hill, before the heavily forested area, and it was an old pet cemetery, which was unknown at the time.
Around the time I went to high school, I started finding injured animals. Or maybe they found me? The first was a black bird with a broken wing. I brought her home and named her Raven. I learned how to feed her, and how to stabilize the wing so it could heal.
The next animal was a mouse. She had a bloody foot and was almost frozen to the ground. She was barely alive and seemed relieved as I picked her up and carried her home. I put her in a terrarium I had inherited from my brother, after he had used it for his ‘frog project’ in school. His 143 tadpoles turned into frogs all over the backyard, and mom was livid! Thanks for my Dad, they all moved to a pond.
My next surprise guest was a black cat. I came home from soccer practice and there he was, sitting on my desk in my room. It was a problem, because mom did not want any pets in the house! Period. I could hide the small animals, but what to do with a big, black cat?
I begged my parents to let me keep Fritzi. He was like a dog. He followed me wherever I went. My family voted for Fritzi to stay, on mom’s condition that he sleep on the porch. But, of course, Fritzi the black cat slept on my pillow instead. Sadly he was killed after a few months, when I called him for lunch and a car ran him over. I was devastated. Heartbroken.
Connecting With Your Dragon Guides
Did you know you have dragon guides? Yes, we all do! Perhaps you have even more than one. Thousands of years ago dragons did exist in our world, even though today we see them as ‘fantasy’ creatures. Within every myth, legend and fairytale, there’s always some truth.
Just like everything else that we have ignorantly failed to understand throughout the course of human history, we were fearful and afraid of dragons. So, we took a ‘defensive’ approach by destroying them, instead of living in peace with them.
Dragons are highly intelligent creatures, much like the dolphins of today. They are also highly intuitive, and if we had chosen to work with them in the correct way while they were still here in our world, they could have been greatly beneficial to our lives. Instead, we extinguished them out of fear.
They came from another dimension to be with us on the Earth plane – most likely from the 5th dimension or beyond. By ‘dimension’ I mean a more intelligent and civilized plane of existence, where all creatures are more aware and considerate of the other beings around them.
I believe the dragons came here thousands of years ago to help us evolve and teach us to be more respectful of nature. But, after centuries of trying to co-exist with our violent, destructive species, they gave up and went back home to their higher dimension realm.
But you see, because they are so smart, they found another way to continue communicating with those of us who are open and willing to learn from them and today we can telepathically connect with them. Dragons are guides that come to us as spirit animals throughout our lives, depending upon what we are going through at that moment in time.
Our Healing Circle Of Cats
I belong to a healing meditation group for women. We gather in a circle and discuss the past week’s goings on, and also direct healing energy to anyone who needs it. Many of the members in the group are lightworkers. Some of them may not have been aware of the true extent of their spiritual abilities, when they first joined the group, but as they continued attending they learned many things to open up, expand, and develop their spiritual gifts and talents.
Our most recent gathering was especially interesting to me. As usual, we were passing the ‘talking stick’ around. This custom comes from an ancient Native-American tradition of tribal democracy. The talking stick is passed around in the group, enabling the group members to speak in turn.
The first lady to share was a very wise women, and of the kindest people I have ever met. She talked about rude one of her family members were to her recently, for no reason at all. She also shared how she “about had it” with her brother. He is constantly criticizing her, and looking down his nose at her. Apparently, he feels she doesn’t live a ‘normal life’ and he does not appreciate, among other things, her work as a Reiki practitioner and an energy healer.
A few other women then also shared stories of their unfortunate dealings with family and friends, who were very judgmental and condescending about their spiritual interests and practices.
When it came to be my turn to share, I was very open about how I had decided I was not going to attend an upcoming family wedding, because the father of the relative getting married is a very bigoted and unpleasant man,. He is racist, has no respect for anyone, and is very controlling. Simply put – he is a hater.