Connecting With Your Second Helper

You can use either purchased cards or pieces of paper with animal's names written on them to meet your second animal telepathy helper. My favorite is a deck called "Medicine Cards" by Jamie Sams and David Carson, and another favorite is by Ted Andrews and is designed like a tarot deck. Both come with a book of information about the behaviors of the different animal teachers and their medicines. These cards can also be used for asking questions or for a daily inspiration.

If you have a deck of animal cards you can do the following:

Find a quiet place where you can sit down undisturbed. Light a white candle, making sure it won't set fire to anything because you'll be closing your eyes. The white candle is used to invite good energy and good things to come to you. Have a pen and paper ready to take notes or sketch pictures. Before beginning, you can say a short prayer, stating your intentions, and asking that your efforts be blessed if you'd like.

Shuffle the cards and lay them face down on the floor or on a table in front of you using either a fan design or a grid. Close your eyes and take 3 slow, deep breaths in and out. Do the alternate breathing exercise I talked about earlier in the entry entitled "Note to Self: Stop Talking to Me!" to relax and clear your mind, or use whatever method works best for you. With your eyes closed, focus on the blank screen you see in your mind.
Say the following sentence out loud, repeating it three times: "I wish to meet my second animal telepathic communications helper".
Open your eyes and focus on the cards which you have laid out face down before you.
Pick up whatever card you feel drawn to, turn it over and say hello to your second helper.
Close your eyes, and thanking that animal for coming to you, ask for their name and if they have anything to tell you.
Then using your pen and paper, write down whatever pops into your mind, even if it sounds silly.
When you are finished, thank the animal again, give thanks for any blessings you have asked for and blow out the white candle.

As mentioned before, this animal will represent your strengths in communicating with animals and you will want to familiarize yourself with this animal's medicine and think about how it pertains to you.

And as with the first animal, your second helper is already committed to you and your cause and is very happy to receive the words "please" and "thank you" in return for any help asked for or received.

If you do not have a deck of animal medicine cards, you can make your own being as creative as you'd like. Or if you have little time, simply cut up some squares of paper and write the name of an animal on each one.
Here's a list of animals - feel free to add any that are not included if you want.

Ant, Antelope, Alligator, Armadillo, Badger, Bat, Bear, Beaver, Black Panther, Boar, Buffalo, Butterfly, Coyote, Crow, Deer, Dog, Dolphin, Dragonfly, Eagle, Fox, Frog, Grouse, Hawk, Heron, Horse, Hummingbird, Jaguar, Moose, Mountain Lion, Lizard, Mouse, Lynx, Otter, Owl, Opossum, Porcupine, Prairie Dog, Rabbit, Raccoon, Raven, Salmon, Skunk, Snake, Spider, Squirrel, Swan, Turkey, Turtle, Weasel, Whale, Wolf.

Above is a photo of Sam teaching youngster Mick how to dig. Sam is an excellent digger and Mick picked up the lesson very easily because it was a natural talent he already possessed; he just needed to be shown how. Most dogs love to dig and Mick thought it was a really fun lesson and didn't have to be reminded to practice every day. But aside from being fun and being good exercise, digging is helpful for catching mice, unearthing tasty spring dandelion roots, making a cool hole to lie in, and a way to avoid the necessity of having one's front toenails clipped.

A Thumbs Up From Your Second Animal Telepathy Helper

The second animal you meet who will help you with animal telepathic communications will also come to you by his or her choice, know and like you, and help your communications flow smoothly.

But whereas your first helper represents the challenge you will have when communicating with animals, your second helper represents a strength or ability you already possess that will enhance your communicating ability. This asset is something you will want to be aware of and further develop for sure.

When I met my second animal telepathy helper, I was almost as surprised as when I met the first. She told me she had a mate, many children, and that I could call her Mrs. M. Mrs. M is a Prairie Dog who likes to act like a squirrel sometimes, and uses mime instead of words.

Being totally unfamiliar with prairie dogs, I had to do quite a bit of investigating to find out about Mrs. M. I learned that Prairie Dog Medicine is all about community; helping one another and working together. But the other side of their lesson is teaching the ability to "go underground" so to speak when life gets too stressful and you need to be alone in order to replenish yourself.

In addition, prairie dog burrows are symbolic of the labyrinth within the mind, and also of the Lower World which is one of three realities a shaman travels to in order to gather information.

Once I learned something about Mrs. M and thought about how her teachings pertained to me personally, I felt encouraged and very thankful for her help. I'll tell you exactly how to meet your own second helper in the next post.

A Heads Up From Your First Animal Telepathy Helper

Aside from helping your telepathic conversations flow smoothly, whatever animal comes to you will also symbolize the challenge you will have in talking with animals. It's a big plus to know this up front so you can do something about it. Remember that you are the little one who knows nothing in this situation and the animal is like your mom or dad.

Here's a photo of K.C. teaching her little ones, Danjim and Bella, the proper procedure to initiate playing, which is to start with a play bow. When the puppies were small, they used to just pounce on K.C. and each other when they wanted to play. But as they got bigger, this was no longer acceptable to the adult dogs in our family. Bella is copying K.C. but Danjim isn't quite getting it. He jumped on her like he normally would and got a whomping. But after a couple of reprimands, he caught on and got to play with mom instead of getting punished.

When Ooneeta the armadillo appeared to help me, at first I was puzzled. I knew that armadillo's have a hard protective shell and they can roll up in a ball if attacked by an enemy. But in talking with animals, what would I need to protect myself from? It took me a while, and a number of conversation with animals, to figure it out. I realized that what I had to protect myself from was taking on the sadness and pain of some of the animals I was talking with.

When animals communicate telepathically, they send not only words and pictures, but emotions and sensations too. So if an animal is happy and energized, I feel that way also. On the other hand, if an animal is sad, tears will pour from my eyes. If they are tired or depressed, I will feel the same. Sometimes, but not always, if an animal has pain, I will fell the same pain briefly.

Receiving emotions and sensations from animals through telepathy is normal and they usually pass quickly. The communicator acknowledges them and then lets them go. But I am the type of person who feels great empathy with animals. When one of our dogs gets sick, after a while I feel sick myself. If a dog feels stressed and nervous, I pick up their feelings and can become stressed and nervous. Empathy for another's suffering is a good thing, but it's not good to make their suffering your own.

So I knew this was something I needed to guard against, and like Ooneeta, I needed to arm myself with a protective shell when I talked with animals.

Armadillo also teaches about setting boundaries to protect yourself, and your personal space. In this regard, I needed to stop worrying about some of the animals' problems. Although just having their person know what's bothering them and hear what they think and feel is a great relief to animals, sometimes changes are needed too or problems will continue and get worse. I can tell people how their animals feel and what they would like, but that doesn't necessarily mean the person will follow through. Sometimes they can't and sometimes they won't. So although I am dedicated to relaying messages as accurately as possible, and making sure the animal's person understands what the animal want them to know, I cannot personally "fix" problems. I have to accept that I have done the best I can and not feel responsible for the final outcome.

There are many books on the market you can refer to for information about Animal Medicine and symbols, but I think these three are the best:

Medicine Cards by Sams and Carson
Animal Speak by Ted Andrews
The Penguin Dictionary of Symbols by Jean Chevalier and Alain Gheerbrant

If your local bookstore can't order them for you, these books can also be found through Amazon.com or on eBay. And if you hate to read, or all your extra money is going to fill your car's gas tank, you can search the internet for information using keywords such as "animal medicine", "totem animal", "power animal" and "animal symbols".

After meeting and thoroughly acquainting yourself with your first animal telepathy helper, it's time to do the same with your second helper and make your "team" complete.

Becoming Friends With Your Animal Telepathy Helper

Once you've met your animal telepathy helper, it's important to learn about their species, and what "medicine" they carry. As I mentioned earlier, this animal already knows you and took the time to learn everything about you by studying your behavior and your life. He or she has chosen to be your supportive friend and mentor because they like you and find you worthy. In return, you will want to find out about them too. Here is a photo of two friends; Jasmine, and Mick when he was a pup. Jasmine chose to take Mick under her wing and be his teacher.

Medicine is a Native American term referring to the behavioral traits of a animal and the lessons associated with those traits which we humans can benefit from by mastering. In this way of thinking, they are the teachers, we are the students, and whatever lesson it is that we need to learn at the moment, the appropriate teacher is sent to us by Great Spirit. Of course, animals don't give lectures in universities and write on blackboards, they teach by example. So it's up to us to learn about them and what they can tell us by observing the animals themselves and/or reading books or articles.

There is both a positive and a negative side of each animal's medicine, meaning that if the lesson is learned and applied, the results will be positive, if the lesson isn't learned, or ignored, the results will be negative.

For example, dogs are primarily known for their loyalty and unconditional love. Their capacity for love and loyalty far surpasses anything most of us humans are capable of, even at our best. They will forgive their people over and over again and the faithfulness and adoration they bestow on us is a big part of why we love them so much in return. That is the positive medicine of Dog.

However, even dogs have a breaking point, and continuous abuse of their love and loyalty will eventually break their good spirit. Depending on the individual dog, they may become depressed, sullen, uncooperative, fearful, ill, run away, or even bite in self defense. This is the negative aspect of Dog's medicine.

The lessons dogs teach (and the other animals too) can be applied both on a personal level and in relationships with others. Loving yourself enough to care for your mind, body, and spirit and being loyal to your dreams and ideals is important in order to be happy and healthy, as is forgiving yourself for mistakes you make. And being loyal to those who care about you, or help you, and forgiving their imperfections and mistakes is an important part of having happy and healthy relationships with others. Not doing these things can adversely affect yourself, and those around you. And also, as Dog teaches us, being loyal and loving to those who are not loving and loyal to you can eventually break your good spirit too.

I've used dogs as an example because most people are familiar with them. The animal who has chosen to help you with animal telepathy may be one you are completely unfamiliar with, but even if you feel you know them well, take the time to do the research, and observations too if possible, (documentary films can be helpful if you are unable to actually see the animal in person). Aside from knowing and appreciating your helper's talents, and forming a friendship, there is another reason for getting to know them which will be of great benefit to you when you start talking with animals.

Meeting Your First Animal Telepathy Helper

After you've created your Sacred Space and have practiced going there, it's time to invite your first guest.

You'll be asking to meet one of two animals who will be helping you with telepathic communications. You may already have a favorite animal you feel strongly connected to, but in this case you don't choose; he or she chooses you.

When I asked to meet my telepathy helper, I was very surprised when an armadillo appeared. Her name is Ooneeta and she is a spirit animal.

Some people believe that all spirit animal helpers are really parts of ourselves, images that come from our higher self (super-conscience), and that their traits symbolize our talents or weaknesses, and provide clues as to what direction we should take if we're undecided about something. For instance, the appearance of a beaver would symbolize industry; reminding you to work hard, and the appearance of a dog would symbolize loyalty; suggesting that you should stick with something or someone.

I believe that's true in some cases, but having communicated with animals who have passed, I know that like us, their spirits continue to live even after their bodies die. And like humans who have left their bodies, they can choose to help those who remain on earth if they so wish. View your helper in whatever way you are most comfortable with.

Here's how to meet your first animal telepathic communications helper:

Find a quiet place where you can sit down undisturbed. Light a white candle, making sure it won't set fire to anything because you'll be closing your eyes. The white candle is used to invite good energy and good things to come to you. Have a pen and paper ready to take notes or sketch pictures. Before beginning, you can say a short prayer, stating your intentions, and asking that your efforts be blessed if you'd like.

Close your eyes and take 3 slow, deep breaths in and out.
Do the alternate breathing exercise I talked about earlier in the entry entitled "Note to Self: Stop Talking to Me!" to relax and clear your mind, or use whatever method works best for you.
With your eyes closed, focus on the blank screen you see and then visualize the path that leads to your sacred space.

Walk to the gate, unlock it, step inside, then close the gate.
Once inside, take a few moments to look around and appreciate the beauty all around you.
Be seated on your chair, pile of pillows, mound of moss or whatever you created to relax on.
Speaking out loud, repeat the following sentence three times: "It is my intention to meet the animal who will be my animal telepathic communications helper".

Many times an animal will appear right away, but some are shy and take a few moments to show themselves. Look carefully around your sacred space in all directions, including the sky and the ground. Is there movement in the trees or the bushes? If so, reassure the animal that you are friendly and looking forward to meeting them.

Do you see a rabbit in the grass, or a bird watching you from a tree? Is there an ant on the ground before you, a caterpillar on a leaf beside you? Insects can be helpers too. Don't be disappointed by the size of whatever creature comes, and don't reject an animal you feel is insignificant, weak, or unattractive because all animals, insects, birds and reptiles are equally powerful. Once in a while, an animal you have known in the past will come forth - lucky you!

If an animal appears who scares you, is showing their teeth. or looks mean, you may order it to leave immediately, and ask for another animal to come. If however the animal is one you don't particularly like, but is acting friendly and unthreatening, try to keep an open mind. In working together, and discovering their talents and powers, you might be pleasantly surprised.

For example, I'm not fond of hornets, in spite of them being very fond of me. I have been known to run away screaming if I see one, and any that came into my house were immediately killed. But a few years ago, I received help from a hornet and changed my opinion. Sometimes I still run away from them screaming, but if one gets in my house, I help them to get out. And believe it or not, they are intelligent, cooperative, and easy to communicate with.

It's good manners to thank whatever animal arrives, and ask for their name as you will need it to call them in the future. Your spirit helper may then disappear quickly, but may stay around for a bit and answer questions. Whatever responses first come into your head, even if they sound silly, open your eyes, write them down immediately, then close your eyes again. Ooneeta only visited long enough for me to find out her name and sex. She ate something in the grass, and then left, saying she was busy, but whenever I needed her, I could call her name three times and she'd come right away.

If two or more animals appear, ask which one is there to help you with telepathic communications. And if by chance you do not see any animals, birds, reptiles or insects in your sacred space, you can still go back another day and try again. But pay attention to any creatures that may suddenly pop up repeatedly in your life afterwards. Are you seeing crows, dragonflies, squirrels, or some other animal everywhere you look? If you do, when you go back to your sacred space, ask for that animal to appear, and see what happens.

After meeting your spirit helper, be sure to thank them again, then open your eyes and using your pen and paper, make a record of what happened. You can draw pictures too if you'd like, then close your eyes when you're finished. Whenever you're ready to leave your sacred space, walk back to the gate, open it, go outside shutting and locking the gate behind you, walk down the path, and then open your eyes. If you asked for blessings before you started this exercise, remember to say thank you for whatever you got even if you think you got nothing, then blow out the white candle.

Hopefully you will have met your first spirit helper and made an important step towards your goal of communicating with animals. The animal who has volunteered to help you will be with you always, knows all about you and already likes you. You have a friend for life and the only thing that is required from you in return is to remember to say those three little magic words that everyone likes to hear; "please" and "thank you".

Creating A Sacred Space For You And The Animals

Creating a sacred space inside your mind is fun and easy.

In the process of imagining your space, you will be training your mind to create clear pictures and hold them in place. This is important because when you communicate with animals telepathically, they will often send you pictures to clarify their thoughts. And in turn, when you communicate with them, you will be sending pictures too.

Along with being a safe place to go when life gets stressful, your sacred space can be used to meet animals you'd like to communicate with, and also animals in spirit form who will be assisting you.

During a thunderstorm last year, K.C., pictured above, showed us her idea of a sacred space. Out of all the places in our 2-story home and the attached kennel building, she chose this towel shelf in the kennel. It's cozy, protected on 3 sides, comfortably padded with clean towels, and she can see everything that's going on in the kennel.

Here's how to create your own sacred space:

Find a quiet spot where you can sit comfortably and where you won't be disturbed. Have paper and a pen handy in case you'd like to take notes or make sketches.

Close your eyes and take three deep breaths in and out.

Visualize a beautiful place outdoors where you feel safe and happy.
This place can be real or one you create in your imagination.

For some people, it's helpful to start by looking through books or magazines on travel or nature, then cut out a picture that appeals to them. Or maybe you have a gorgeous photograph taken during a vacation that you'd like to use.

Choose a place that makes you feel happy, relaxed and peaceful. Are you in a garden, a forest glade, on top of a mountain, on an island in the middle of the ocean? What kinds of trees, plants, flowers and rocks do you see? What is the season, weather, temperature? Visualize what your special place looks like in all directions as you look around, and include the sky and the ground.

Next pick a special spot in your space where you will be able to sit down comfortably and see everything. Would you like a jeweled golden throne, a medeival wood carved chair, a flat polished chunk of granite, a pile of silk pillows, a soft mound of moss? Again, looking through books and magazines can be helpful, and if you'd like, you can make a collage picture of your choices. Or if you are artistic, you could paint one.

When your sacred space is complete, create a protective circle around it. Your circle can be a stone wall, a fence made of wood, wrought iron, electrified barbed wire, or a force field of brilliant white light. Whatever you feel would make the safest and most secure boundary, use that.

Next you will need a entry point; a gate or door that opens to your circle that has a lock and a key. Create whatever type of entry, lock, and key you would like. Maybe you will have an antique metal key, a special crystal that fits into an opening cut to fit it exactly, a magic wand, or perhaps a security panel on your gate that scans your palm or your eye.

Finally, choose a name for your space and place it on a sign of your choosing, and hang it on your entry way. Then make a pathway leading to the gate being as creative as you want.

When everything is finally finished and to your liking, enter the gate, close it behind you, take a deep breath and enjoy looking around at the beautiful sanctuary you've made for yourself.

You now have ownership of the most wonderful place on the planet where everything is perfectly arranged just the way you want, your privacy and safety, is guaranteed, and last but not least, you didn't have to remortgage your home or win the lottery to get it!

When you're finished enjoying your creation, go back out the gate, close it, lock up, and put your key in a secure place on your person. I store my key inside my heart, but any part of your body will do. Then return to your daily life, knowing that whenever you need it, your sacred space will be there waiting for you. You can visit any time you wish, and the more you go, the more at home you feel and the more real it will become.

But wait, there's still something important missing, isn't there? Notice I haven't mentioned birds, insects or any other creatures. That's because everything and everyone in your sacred space is there by your invitation only. And if someone ventures into your sacred space who you do not wish to be there, you will ask them to leave and they will go.

However, once you have put the thought out into to the Universe that you want to learn to talk with animals, have practiced making your mind quiet and receptive to telepathic communications, and created your sacred space, I assure you that your efforts will have been noticed and appreciated, and that two very special animals are anxiously awaiting your invitation so you can meet.!

Note to Self: Stop Talking To Me!

I don't know about you, but there sure is a lot of noise going on inside my head, complete with background music. There's always a non-stop dialog of to-do lists, worries, plans, replays of conversations, and whatever else decides to pop into my mind. And all this is accompanied by songs, sometimes even songs that I don't like. That stuff sure makes a lot of racket and it never seems to want to shut up.

In order to be open to communicating with animals telepathically, you need to silence the inner chit-chat and make the world go away for a bit.

If you're a Buddhist monk, proficient at meditation, or already have your own good method, then this will be no problem. If not, try this:

Find a quiet spot where you won't be disturbed by anything or anyone.
Make sure both your nasal passages are cleared.
Be seated in an upright position, preferably in a straight back chair.
Close your eyes and take 3 slow, deep breaths in and out.
Place the middle finger of your left hand over your left nostril and take a slow deep breath in through your right nostril.
Then place that same finger over your right nostril and slowly breath out through your left nostril.
Note: If it's more comfortable to breath in with the left nostril and out through the right, then do that.
Continue breathing in through one nostril, taking a slow deep breath, then breathing out through the other nostril.
While you're doing this, with your eyes still closed, focus on the spot between your eyes in the middle of your forehead. What you should be seeing is a black, blank screen. This blank screen is where you will be receiving images during your telepathic communications with animals.

It usually takes me only about 5 times of breathing in and out alternately between nostrils to quiet things down in my head and focus on the blank screen.
If a thought or voice comes through, just acknowledge it and then let it go.
Repeat this alternate breathing 10 times.

Then when you're finished you can open your eyes.

You might feel a little dizzy or spaced out, but that's normal and the feeling will pass quickly.

Practice doing this at least once a day, for a week. At the end of a week, you will most probably be able to turn off the chatter and thoughts in your mind, but if not, don't give up; just keep trying.

By doing this exercise on a daily basis, you will not only be practicing being able to open your mind to telepathic communications from animals, but you will also be giving yourself a few minutes of mental peace every day, and training your body to relax when you ask it to.