Last week I was sitting on my deck early in the morning and I heard a beautiful sound while looking at the backyard and noticing bright red feathers behind tall grasses. For a moment I thought someone's chickens had gotten in the yard, but then I saw this gorgeous large pilleated woodpecker fly toward one of our pine trees and perch there for a moment. I took a lovely 20 second video because the moment seemed so magical. There was a squirrel on the tulip poplar tree which is entwined with the pine, and it was misty (rare in Georgia.) I recorded until the woodpecker flew to another tree and I posted the video on my facebook page as well as on a neighborhood page where people sometimes share this type of thing since we are fortunate to live in a neighborhood with mature trees and much varied wildlife. (The above photo is of a different pilleated woodpecker on a tree in our front yard a while back.)
 
As expected there were "likes" but then there were also some less positive comments. One person referred to the woodpecker by an expletive I won't repeat because he supposedly had pecked at their house. Another person said they were "not a fan" (?) and yet another, more kindly at least, with a smiley face emoji, said she loves them but draws the line at property destruction. I was fully prepared to have jokes made about the poor quality of the video (I didn't have a tripod) but sort of shocked that there would be animosity toward a rare beautiful woodpecker. This gave me pause. I considered the comment of drawing the line at property destruction, which I suppose sounds reasonable to most people, but I do not draw that line. I feel like having to repair a few holes on the side of the house or the deck is a very small price to pay for the privilege of living along side these amazing beings. I feel this way about all wildlife not only woodpeckers. Part of me also keeps thinking they were here first and we built houses on top of where their home was and now they have to deal with us in their habitat. The least we can do is care for them and protect them in our shared home environment.
 
I suppose everyone "draws lines" somewhere. I think it is helpful to pause and consider where our lines are and why. Do we feel like our property is more important than a living being? Is it money? Does money matter more? Or is it convenience? Do we draw the line at safety? When are we actually in real danger versus imagined danger? Which beings are "magical" and which ones are "pests?" What if it's a sweet looking rat gnawing on something in the shed? A mature tree casting shade where we would prefer sun?
 
We all make choices constantly that affect our environment. There is no way to avoid this, even if we are very careful. All we can do is our best, but I believe it is easier to do our best when we approach it from a place of love and compassion and awe.

Due to my connection with animals I am often forced to consider & reconsider choices, something that may have appeared simple ten years ago is more layered & complex now. I am in a human body too and I make imperfect choices. I killed a wasp once, probably about 12 years ago. She was inside our condo and I was afraid she would sting my cat kids. As soon as it happened I knew & felt I had done something very wrong. It was a choice made out of fear. I still carry the weight of taking that life. If I could re-do it I would have captured her and taken her outside. Which is what I have done ever since if one got in and what I have done with other insects for a very long time. So I suppose I was drawing the line at protecting my kids, but in retrospect I'm not sure they were in imminent danger. I still would protect my children from anyone, human or animal, but I hope that I would be more discerning about whether the danger was immediate and real or perceived. My lines shifted. Much wildlife suffers and dies because of perception, whether they are poisonous or not. Having spiders does not mean we will be bitten by them. Often an insect will sting or bite out of fear too. It is all they can do to defend themselves and their young. It helps to imagine ourselves in their position, considering the size difference. What if a giant picked up our house & threw it in a giant vacuum? It sounds silly but we sweep & vacuum spiderwebs all the time!
 
If we can see ourselves in their place and allow heart based compassion rather than fear to guide our choices we have a chance at shifting where we draw our lines while still feeling safe and doing the least amount of harm possible.
 

I met my new daughter a month ago. A friend invited me to go to cat yoga, which is a yoga class at a cat shelter, where the cats get priority, so if there is a cat on your mat you would do your poses around him or her. I think that is a really fun concept. We tried to reserve spots for early February, but even though we both put our info into the system at the same time, she got in and I didn’t. So we made a plan that she would go again with me on February 26th.  The yoga class was very fun and there were many sweet wonderful kitties in the room. I was drawn to a room next to the one we were in even though it looked empty, it had lavender walls, one of my favorite colors. It turned out to be the “kitten” room but there were only two kitties. One was a tabby boy that looked like my Merlin and the other was a little 6 month old orange tabby girl who was hiding in a cubby. I coaxed her out with a toy and she licked my hand & came out to play a little. I felt a strong connection. I went home but I kept thinking about her. I asked Merlin & Gracie Belle how they felt about a baby sister. I asked Jarvis & Juneau (my cat sons in spirit) and my guides. I pulled tarot cards. They said yes and one card was a tiger with a moon which made me think of a girl tiger and another card said “a wonderful new person coming into your life!” The name “Clary Sage” came to me. I saw orange kitty images everywhere I looked that week.

Even though I am an animal communicator, when it comes to my own life I still have concerns like anyone else when making a major life decision like adopting a new family member. I do not make it lightly. My husband and I had talked about expanding the family while Merlin & Gracie are still young (3.5 years.) The biggest concern for me was how Merlin & Gracie Belle would react & adapt. I decided to set up an appointment at the shelter that next Friday to spend a bit of time with Clary Sage and see how it felt.

I got a better look at her eyes and as she made eye contact with me I suddenly started feeling very strong emotion and even crying which is not typical for me. My heart had “spoken.” It overruled my brain and all the concerns and fears about change. I knew in that moment without a doubt that she wanted to come home with me and was already family. Ours souls recognized each other. I signed her adoption paperwork and left to get supplies to prepare a special room for her so she could have her own sanctuary as we began kitty introductions. The next day Steve and I went to pick her up. When we arrived there was a little tote bag with her records, some supplies and a hand made toy with her name on a post-it next to it. She purred when Steve carried her to the car in her cat carrier and I sat in the backseat with her on the long drive home. We learned from her records that she had only been placed in the kitten room less than two weeks earlier so if I had gotten a spot at the first yoga class I tried to go to I would not have met her because she wasn’t there yet.

The guestroom was transformed into a kitten room with her own litterbox, food & water dishes, toys and beds (in addition to the big bed.) Clary was very comfortable and took a nap on her new dad’s arm within an hour of arriving home. I was making sure to keep my normal routine with Merlin & Gracie so they would feel comfortable despite the changes. Later that evening I went in the room with Clary to give her a Reiki session to help her heal from her recent spay surgery as well as to help her heal emotionally from having been “returned.” I felt her strongly absorb & accept the healing Reiki energy. She moved closer to my hands and got very relaxed. What I mainly “got” from her emotionally was a deep overwhelming sense of relief. Relief that she had made it home with us. That she found us after all she went through, having been weaned too early and having had to be too self-reliant & independent at a too young age. She craved love like air but was afraid to ask for it.

She purred every time we played with her. She rested for a few days, deep solid healing & peaceful rest. She chased a ribbon with so much enthusiasm. She began learning to snuggle. First she only pressed against me. Another day she laid on my legs. She accepted Reiki energy healing daily & soaked it up like a sponge. She looked up at us with big trusting eyes and our hearts melted.

It was time for the introductions to begin with her new brother & sister. I will write about this process in an upcoming blog post.

Snakes share a lot of knowledge about healing, and are even visually represented on the Rod of Asclepius which is an ancient Greek symbol associated with medicine, consisting of a serpent coiled around a rod. Snakes shed their own skins, which makes them wonderful examples of transformation and releasing that which no longer serves us in our lives, like old limiting beliefs. Snakes are here to help us, to show us what is possible. They have no arms or legs but they can move with amazing speed. They move with an “S” curve type motion, always graceful. They taste the temperature. They harbor no hate for us, although they do get tired of being misunderstood, feared and killed so often.

If you are one (of the many) who fears snakes, don’t feel bad, but please consider exploring that fear. When we confront our shadows we can shine light on them. Bright light can make an Anaconda look like a baby garden snake. Consider how a shadow can make someone appear like a giant at a certain angle. That is how fear warps & distorts our emotions. The fear could have been passed down ancestrally, either consciously or subconsciously. Try sending love to a snake somewhere. It could be sent to a photo of a snake, like this one posted, which I photographed at the Atlanta zoo. You could visit one that is (humanely) captive, like in a rescue sanctuary or an animal companion who spends some of their time in an enclosure, so the barrier helps you feel safe. These are ambassadors. You can ask them to show you where they would be in the wild if they were free. When you feel love there is no room for hate or fear. Think about what is lovely about the snake? The shiny scales? The colors? Some look like they are smiling.

Please take an imaginary leap with me. Imagine that this snake is a person on their way home from work. Maybe they accidentally drove into your lane and frightened you as you had to quickly move over, or perhaps they are that relaxed person walking slowly as you are on the way to your car, they are enjoying the sunshine, while you are rushing and you feel they are intentionally blocking your path? Think about why they are enjoying the sunshine, maybe they live in the moment, maybe they need vitamin D to feel healthier. Who are they going home to? Is their dog patiently awaiting them? (This exercise might make us feel more kindly toward people as we commute too) Snakes are not people, but they are individual beings, as we are. I believe sometimes a bit of imagining can help us relate a bit better and lose some of the fear.

We can also think about why snakes were given such a negative image in myths? What do they represent to you? Ultimately there is the symbolic snake and the actual real snake that may be in your garden. Please give them a chance at life, they are as much a part of our natural environment as the birds and the squirrels and (depending on where you live) most are non venomous and want to get away from you even more than you want to avoid them!
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I understand that there are poisonous snakes and this can be a concern especially with small dogs or children. That does not have to mean a death sentence for the snake. I live in Atlanta GA and we have an organization called the Amphibian Foundation that will actually come and pick up copperheads (our poisonous snakes) and safely relocate them unharmed to a nature preserve. If you do find a copperhead here in Atlanta and don’t want them in your yard, you can call the Amphibian Foundation. www.amphibianfoundation.org/ Please check for similar resources in your home town/country. If there are no outdoor animal companions or small kids, you can consider simply letting them stay. They do serve an important role for the ecosystem and if they were all gone there would be drastic consequences. Depending on the size of your yard, you could consider having certain areas that are more suited for wildlife, separate from sitting areas. This may sound cliché but I still love the saying “live and let live.” 

When I see someone connecting at this level with their animals, treating them with the level of kindness and respect  that accompanies this type of soul connection, I am able to feel kinship and love towards that person too. This extends to those that have experienced the love even if their companion has crossed the rainbow bridge, or those who perhaps don't currently have an interspecies family, but who find other ways to connect with them, such a protecting and forming connections with wildlife and helping in any way possible.
 
Seeing this seed, watching it bloom into love and gratitude for all that animals so freely share with us, becomes my way of connecting with other humans. It helps me to see them as a being, instead of as their occupation, politics, religion or a combination of personality traits that differ from mine. I am not perfect and don't always succeed but I do notice that if I know someone truly & deeply loves and cares for at least one animal I feel at least the roots of a possible connection sprout.


*The photo is of Perry, my beloved companion who crossed over the rainbow bridge many years ago.