We all have different levels of awareness and attunement to the world around us. Even throughout an individual’s life our signature set point will fluctuate as various moods, emotions, energies and awarenesses ebb and flow. What we eat, our hormones, our age, health condition and other physical circumstances will all have various degrees of effect on our abilities to process the environment and our perceptions of it.
Because we’re human we are forever questioning our progress through our lives. We note our position in an array of hierarchies we deem to be important — most of which have nothing significant to add to our physical well being. These tendencies get in the way of our natural inborn abilities to just be. We’re often projecting, planning and envisioning times that are not the present.
While we are born with an amazingly fine tuned intuition it seems as we acquire language, culture and other of the human life filters we start becoming less aware of how we are instantly changed and affected by subtle energies around us. Apparently those aspects of Homo sapien life that are logical are easier to share overtake those that are more esoteric as we build our consciousness in relation to the world around us.
Not so with animals. After an earthquake what do people report their pets were doing hours before the shaking started? Acting strangely. They are sensing the shake well before any of our scientific instruments can measure it. What are they responding to? Subtle energies is what I’m suggesting. Unhindered animals start seeking higher ground well before any tsunami waves sweep over the land.
What are they sensing that we humans miss? You’ve heard of dogs who know to alert their epileptic human partners of an oncoming seizure well before the human or her instruments might know one’s brewing? Equine clinician Pat Parelli says “Horses know what happens before what happens happens.”. He uses it in the context of training them to be lighter on the cues – I’m sharing it here because I think all animals know what happens before what happens happens with a lot more consistency and subtly then we usually give them credit for way beyond any formal training session. Until we start paying better attention that is.
The calm of a cat extends out from the physical kitty
It’s as though we’re all driving on Life’s superhighways but while animals stay focused on their travels we people are forever texting. Our acquired preoccupations seem to get in the way of our abilities to really be present in our world. We do a lot of living in our heads is what I’m saying.
Activity
With a Horse
Spend an entire day in the company of a horse or horses. My riding readers will be happy to note that any sort of proximity is perfect – even (maybe even especially) trail riding! Pay attention to your overall mood as the day spent in this way flows on.
- Does you attention shift to other things? What?
- Do you notice different things than you usually do? What?
With a Dog
Spend an entire day in the company of a dog or dogs who are at liberty to exert themselves without leashes or other specific guidelines. Arrange to take them to a dog park or other such place where they can be free as the centerpiece to this day. While you can put yourself in charge of the travel arrangements and logistics to and fro — do not be the boss during the play. Just be one of the dogs. Take their lead. Be like them.
Note: unleashed dogs sort out their rank order quickly and with minimal fuss when left alone to do so — generally it is the trepidation of their human companions who elevate chance meetings to unpleasant end — stay out of it! Dogs know how to socialize, let them.
Note to the Note: Be aware of people who might be present who do not get the concept of dogs being able to take care of their meetings for it is they who will unwittingly spark mean spirited outbreaks at the ol’ dog park.
- Does you attention shift to other things? What?
- Do you notice different things than you usually do? What?
With a Spider
Spiders; weavers, trapeze artists, horrific life-juice suckers are also practitioners of patience and creativity par excellence. They are consummate waiters with a knack for determining which triangulations in space will afford them optimal prospects. Go forth and find webs. Pay particular attention to their locations. Note their symmetry and regularity of the individual strands that make the whole. Then remember these are wee bugs doing this with their butts!
- Locate the web’s architect.
- Pay your respects.
- Find some more.
- Repeat.
Creative Consideration
Draw a picture of your favorite animal’s energy aura. Use your imagination. Play with color, shape and space around and within this creature. Add some glitter, draw yourself in there and have that energy envelop you in it’s effects.
Discussion
- What is it about animal energy that you think might be different from that of humans?
- Can we learn to re-discover our more intuitive responses to such energies? Why or why not?
- Are these energies measurable? How? Or why not?
- Are there similarities with BEing with animals to meditation? What are they?
That last discussion point is completely loaded. Meditation can be learned easily by practicing being present with animals. You don’t have to go all bendy legged and zen. You can just go out and spend quiet time with quiet animals. I think of horses as natural mediators. I have seen the ones I live with totally zoned out on the ickiest of all the weather days and instead of complaining or seeking shelter they seem to enter a state of existence where everything’s all good even though to me it looks simply horrid. Mind you, it’s not like they aren’t happy to come into the barn and eat some oats at that point – but that seems to be its expression of being present. What the heck – meditation isn’t about suffering, it’s about being! And sometimes one is invited to exist with one’s favorite snacks!
Creative Consideration #2
Go fix yourself a delightful snack and be present while you consume it.
