Salmon Teachings: How to navigate life

Learning from the Salmon in a group lead experience this past Sunday the salmon provided many meaningful takeaways for each participant.  Witnessing the salmon in the final cycle of their life we gleaned a lot about how to navigate our own lives no matter what phase of life we are in.  The creek offers great viewing of the salmon in many stages of the spawning  drive to go up the river, in the slow pools resting and acclimating,  to flowing 3-inch water where the majority of the fish body is out of the water, to fallen logs that create channels for rushing water  and the salmon must jump over to continue the journey.

The day was clear and crisp with many people out to view the salmon as we wound our way along the bank we could hear cheers, like at a football game,  for a salmon that had just navigated a treacherous part of the creek.  This led to a reflection to celebrate our own steps toward a goal as well as to allow the resting and the acclimation for where you are at after expending that energy.   A reorientation and an acknowledgment of the journey.

Also, the vigor and determination with which these salmon move to complete this cycle of life to ensure future generations offered a different reflection then how the majority of humans meet the last years of life.

The bank of the creek is littered with salmon who have completed the mission and now lay decomposing feeding the forest with their nutrients.  One particular female salmon had her belly slit open and thousands of eggs lay exposed.  This brought tears to my eyes for the unfilled potential for having come so far and not be able to complete her mission.  For me, it was a good reflection of how in the past during a project I would just give up mid-project turning away from what I truly wanted because the path seemed too hard.  Seeing the eggs exposed and wasted really hit home on the loss of the possibility of creation with each of those eggs representing for me an idea, a connection, a missed opportunity when I gave up and therefore perpetuating my own struggle with life.

The salmon returning home offers insight into the interconnection of life.

Creating Health Boundaries

I have been quiet for the month of April, taking a break from posting on social media.  I chose to really listen deeply to my own heart and strengthen the muscle of tuning to my vibration and to keep the focus on my dream and how I can contribute to the greater good.  It has been an interesting month of lessons through many reflections from my guides.  The thing about my guides is they know me well such as I love games, am a big fan of scavenger hunts, and I love to receive messages while out in the natural world.

 

 

This morning  I set out on my walk with asking my guides for a reflection of where my growing edge was for today. 

As I enjoyed my walk through the kaleidoscope of green in the explosion of spring in the forest, I was full of gratitude for this particular bit of earth that I have walked on for over 25 years.  Each season brings wonder and delight to me and my senses.

Since I live in Seattle, with a population of roughly around 760,000 these parcels of wilderness are a blessing. The parks department are always trying to find the balance between people, dogs, and respecting nature.  Currently, these trails are frequented by many people who walk their dogs off-leash instead of taking them into the corraled official dog park.  The City has been doing a great job of replanting a much-eroded hill by many dogs running up and down it chasing balls and each other.  Recently, they put up a fence to keep the dogs on the paths for us who choose to still walk the dogs off the leash.

As I crested the rise to where the fence begins, to my dismay, it was partially knocked down and there was a friend inspecting the damage.  As he left muttering about rude dog people who don’t respect the great effort of the city,  my heart hurt a little.  This fence had created a rift in the community that would meet in the mornings in the unofficial dog park where dogs run with wild abandon as we walk together and witness each others’ lives.  I did not think it was afternoon dog people who had knocked down the fence – on further inspection the weight of the fence had snapped the last pole and down came the rest.  Luckily only one pole had broken and low and behold there was a pole tamper lying under the down fence.

I was at a choice point here. Do I…:

• Walk on by and let someone else fix this – trying to point blame and deepen the rift?  Feeding the negative energy?
• Or contribute to the effort of a healthy boundary to help weave the web of balance between nature, people, and animals.  Then I burst out laughing HERE WAS THE MESSAGE FROM MY GUIDES and they even left me a tool to do the work.

So I jumped right in and started pulling up the heavy fence and using the tamping tool to drive the poles in.  After struggling with the first two poles, I understood the problem of why the fence came down.  The poles had only been driven into freshly distributed woody mulch – which was not a very stable foundation for the fence.  To make a difference, the poles need to reach the solid earth underneath.  After struggling with the first two poles and having 5 more to go,  I started praying and letting nature and my guides know I needed help in human form to help hold up the fence as I worked.   I was going to go see if I could find someone down the path.  The dogs and I set off to find able bodies and of course I saw two of the regular morning walkers.

We set to work and as a team of three women, we worked pole by pole –  unbinding the fence from the pole then driving the poles deeper into the earth so they were solidly held.  Then we stretched the fence to the next downed pole and repeated the process.  Lucky for us, there was an extra pole laying around to replace the snapped pole.  I asked the tree that the last pole was very close to where the best location for the pole would be to avoid damaging its root and the place we were directed to the pole went in smoothly and held securely – thank you, tree.

We had replaced the fence back to its full glory – setting a healthy boundary for dogs and people and I had a great reflection in response to my request from my guides of where was my growing edge for today.

Healthy boundaries with a strong foundation and asking for help from people.

Each of us has a whole spiritual team and guides who are willing to give us guidance and reflections if you ask – I find it adds a great deal of fun to life.  I encourage you to start asking questions and be open to reflections and answers in the most unexpected ways!

Waiting for Big Dog

In this year of the Yellow Earth Dog, there has been an opportunity to learn from the Earth Dogs.  The other morning I had a magical experience with the Big Dog in my favorite woods.  These woods are magic – like most woods – but these woods are in Seattle, surrounded by urban neighborhoods, among the ferns and cedars, next to streams and creeks that welcome the return of the salmon in the winter.  These are the woods where my son, at age 1, demanded to be taken out of the backpack so he could hike the familiar trails during nettle season. The nettles were taller than him and magically he did not get stung once though my legs were getting stung as I followed behind him.  Thank you, fairies!  My son is 19 now and I have walked these woods weekly and delight in the familiarity of them as well as the newness of each returning season. I have had many, many magical encounters with nature.

Part of the loop I do, the trail makes a half circle through a grove of cedar and pine with the ferns creating a ruffly understory.  This particular morning, as I came to the middle of the half-circle, I could hear classical music playing and there sitting on a log in a beam of sunlight was a man clutching a very relaxed jacketed chihuahua.  He pronounced proudly  “Hello!  We are waiting for the Big Dog!”  the classical music emphasized the proclamation.  The reverence and awe with which he shared his news I felt as if he was Linus waiting for the Great Pumpkin.  Who could be this Big Dog?  Was this Big Dog going to share wisdom about life? Or bring long-awaited presents like Linus hoped for?  I paused to drink in the scene.  I wanted to behold this Big Dog who has music playing for his entrance and part of the welcoming party.

My dogs had gone on without me and were circling back to check on my whereabouts when we heard branches breaking.  Out of the ferns emerged a Big Dog with tongue hanging out and smiling from ear to ear.  We all cheered at her arrival – she bounded forth greeting all of us with enthusiasm and interest.  And then they all turned and went the other way – was that real – did I meet the Big Dog?  Was there wisdom or a gift I had received? Yes, there was.  It was a moment of time to cherish a blessing to witness how an animal and their human take delight in each other’s existence.  This man and Big Dog showed me how allowing each other the time to explore and run wild as well as being comfortable in waiting kept the connection to each other fluid, opening and loving.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

16,000 Crow Teachers

For the past 4 months, animals in the wild have been teachers for individuals who join me in Animal Experiences.  The intention of these experiences is to be in close proximity to wild animals and learn to be open and receptive to the teaching of the animals.    These animal experiences grew out of my deep longing to go to Africa and be amongst the wild animals.  I long to be in physical proximity to them – to hear their breath, to stand on the same quadrant of earth they are on, to feel the earth vibration as they thunder, or lumber or sneak by and to be open to their teachings.  This longing had me putting my energy outward and there was a feeling of lack and a  bit of Eeyore “Ho hum – not in Africa”  Then  I realized the wild animals all around me in this urban setting of Seattle have plenty to teach. They may not be the big cats or the mighty elephants but they are the NorthWest animals that are sharing this region of the world with me.

In November the spawning salmon taught about resting and allowing the energy to carry you forward.  In February the snow geese taught us about how the individual supports the group and the group supports the individual, both are necessary to thrive.

The Crow Experience on Sunday took us to the North Creek Wetlands at UW Campus in Bothell.  We arrived before dusk and wandered the wetlands to be serenaded by frogs and watched geese and ducks land on the pond.  With each new arrival, there was a loud discussion of honking and quacking.  This gave us the opportunity to play with where in our bodies did we feel the loud goose discussion and to be open to what they were communicating and we did the same thing with the frogs.  It was interesting to notice the difference the geese energy was more chest and throat and felt very much like a  logistical discussion whereas the frogs we felt in the lower torso and it was more of a serenade to the dusk and farewell to the day.

As dusk darkened the sky was filled with a cacophony of crow calls as crows started coming from all directions.  Crows are teachers of developing your willpower and speaking your truth. This was clearly taught in how they flew in all different directions and talked loudly with each other. They are not like a synchronized murmuration of starlings that undulates and flows. This was more of a very individual interactive dance.

They are also teachers of intention and this was illustrated as one person exclaimed: “I always get shit on by birds.”  And sure enough right on cue …….after she declared this her right shoulder received a big splattering gift.  Reinforcing that literally, energy flows were intention and attention goes.

It has been three days since I witness this mysterious and magical dance and I can still hear the calls and feel the strength of the individual within the flock.  The connection to self-has been strengthened by 16,000 crows coming into roost.

 

 

2018 Message from the Animals

On my walk this morning I asked the animal world for a message about how humans can navigate 2018 in a beautiful way and what we can do to support the balance of the animal world.

I felt the spirit world all around and was open to any messages.  As I approached the point in my walk with an expansive view from the Puget Sound to the Olympic Mountains the messenger was waiting in the form of a mature eagle perched on a tree jutting out from the cliff.

After some chit-chat and introductions, the eagle dove into his message

He started out emphasizing

Photo by marneejill on Visualhunt.com / CC BY-SA

“Everything is Energy.  People need to awaken to where they are putting their energy and how it affects their lives, their community, the world.  

Awaken to your place on the web of life.  

Accept who you are, acknowledge your gifts and start showing up in your fullness. 

Feed the web of life.”

 

 

He observed:

Humans spend a lot of energy being something they are not by trying to fit into places and spaces and ways of being that shut down access to their own true nature.

He reminds:

Access to your own true nature is always available it simply takes listening to your heart, listening to your intuition, listening to your body.  Your body is receiving information all the time and much is missed because humans are too mind oriented.

He invites:

Allow your true nature, your deep listening to guide you into acceptance of who you truly are.  Accepting who you truly are will help move stuck energy because when there is resistance or suppression energy gets stuck and flow does not happen.  Changes may have to be made to stay in the flow, to stay engaged in life, to awaken to you.  Be courageous – release what needs to be released.

He predicts:

The web of life will be fed with a whole new source of energy from people who are awake and aware of their place in the world.  Listen with your heart and your whole body and make changes that will allow your gifts to easily to unfold. As these gifts unfold you can start to show up  more fully, which will bring balance back to your individual life, and that balance will ripple out to bring balance back to the whole web of life.

And as he prepared to fly off his last message was:

‘To fly, one has to step off the branch and trust you will soar.”

Photo by marneejill on Visualhunt.com / CC BY-SA

Then he stepped off the branch and dove into the abyss and I could hear him say,

“Boom! Message delivered.”

 

 

 

Filling your stockings with chocolate? Be careful with dogs in the house!

Those stashes of stocking chocolate waiting to be delivered on Christmas Eve can be deadly for your dog if they find it early.  Chocolate poisoning is one of the most common causes of canine poisoning. Chocolate’s deadliness to pooches, however, depends on the size of the dog, how much chocolate was munched, the quality of that chocolate and whether it was milk, white or dark chocolate.

Older dogs, puppies, and dogs with other health issues are also more vulnerable. The symptoms of a toxic dose of chocolate begin within the first few hours after consumption — vomiting, diarrhea or hyperactivity. As time passes and more theobromine is absorbed, your dog’s heart rate will increase, which can cause arrhythmia, restlessness, hyperactivity, muscle twitching, increased urination and/or excessive panting. The third phase is muscle tremors, seizures, coma and even death.

Read this article for full details of how dangerous is chocolate for dogs.

My dog last year binged on four stockings full of chocolate and he is still here, thankfully. So, for this holiday season, I wanted to share with you the most recent experience I had with Prince, my lab, his chocolate-binging, and how I handled it.

My dog is a Labrador retriever who is dedicated to finding any forgotten treat, food or snacks in bags, coat pockets, or on the counter.  He could work in airport security he is so thorough.  He opens bags and finds food that has long been forgotten.  His technique for opening the bag usually does not damage the bag, somehow he has figured how to work the zipper.  If he goes for a treat in a pocket, he makes a tiny hole on the inside of the jacket pocket.  I am usually in the dark when it comes to his shenanigans until I put my hand in my pocket.

Luckily for me, he does not devour the packaging if he has had a binge-fest which is how I found out about his latest misadventure with chocolate last week. Turns out he had treated himself to 3/4 of a bar of 85% cacao, which he had extracted from a friend’s backpack.  I have been down this road before with him (and his eating of dark chocolate) so I know how quickly it affects him as well as how dangerous it is and the price tag for the vet. I knew I needed to act quickly to rid the toxic cacao from his system.  You have a window of about 4-6 hours after ingestion to act with positive results.

Without telling him a thing, I put him on the leash and handed my friend the bottle of hydrogen peroxide.  We went outside and I told her to pour in some hydrogen peroxide when I get his mouth open.  Vets encourage to give a few teaspoons at a time to induce vomiting, but I know from past experience that if I don’t get enough down him the first time, he is not coming back for more. Hydrogen peroxide works quickly and it is amazing to watch my black dog literally turn a dark green and start vomiting.  After emptying his stomach of all the chocolate he looked at me deflated and betrayed. But, he was still alive and we were going to get a good nights’ sleep.  The next treat was activated charcoal – it is suggested you make a nice slurry but I knew there was not a chance I could pry his mouth open again.  So a capsule hidden in peanut butter went down the hatch. The charcoal binds to many types of poisons and thus prevents their absorption into the bloodstream.

He settled down for the night – giving me a wide berth for the rest of the evening. We slept through the night with him eagerly showing up for breakfast the next morning.

 

 

 

Holiday Plans? Telling your pets what’s up will benefit the whole family.

As the holiday season is starting to get into full throttle with parties, events, and school breaks, often the dog or the cat is forgotten in the sense of being told what is going on. Having held space for hundreds of conversations for people, I know that the family pet is essentially the Family System Therapist.  They spend their lives in our worlds observing and responding to the energy, often taking on jobs within the family to keep the energy flowing, absorbing emotions of their people or acting out to get stuck energy moving. They know when something shifts energetically and disrupts their routine, especially holidays and big events.  If they are not told the details around why their routine will be disrupted, they often absorb the stress, overwhelm, and start acting out.

I have spoken with several animals this week who have specifically asked for more information about what is going on.  They asked for us to update them on plans as soon as they are made to help them understand this energetic shift. They actually want to be told what is happening day to day –  even it is the same old routine of a walk, work, home, walk, play, and sleep.  And they are requesting you to spice it up with information with details such as, “I have a big meeting today and I am tired and unprepared.”

Just you speaking about what is going on for you out loud helps them understand what they are energetically feeling. By speaking it, you own it, and they don’t have to worry about trying to absorb your stress.

Photo by minJKay on Visual Hunt

Regarding the holidays, again, they want specifics such as; who is coming to dinner, the timing of it, what their job is during the dinner and to hear any other details more information the better.  They will be more relaxed and you have one less thing to worry about.

This might be a new for you to tell your animal beloved companion everything and it may feel strange, ridiculous, or silly. Don’t worry, you can do this because all of our thoughts automatically get turned into images which the animals can understand.  I encourage you to try it consistently throughout the holidays and observe if there is a difference in their behavior as well as your stress level after telling them.  They are amazing therapists!

For more tips about planning for the holidays that includes traveling read this post Approaching the Holidays with your Animal. 

If you’re interested in learning more about what Animal Communication is, go here.

If you’re stressing about the holidays and your companion animal, book an Animal Communication session with me. 

 

Group Animal Experiences: Learning from the animals

In November I lead my first Animal Experiences.  It was two separate  Salmon Experiences with spawning salmon at Piper Creek in Carkeek Park.  I guided participants how to tune into their own innate intuitive abilities and listen for guidance from the salmon around a  certain question or their intention.  On both days all of the participants were able to receive wisdom from the salmon even when the amount of salmon present and the height of the creek was wildly different. One day the creek was running clear and slow teeming with salmon and the other running high, fast and very murky with a few struggling salmon navigating their way upstream past many dead salmon,.   

The salmon’s  teachings and wisdom as well as how the messages were heard/received either as a thought, a feeling, a knowingness, an image or hearing words, was different for each person because we all receive messages in our own unique way. 

 Upcoming Animal Experiences 

I have mapped out more experiences with wild animals for the next couple of months.  I invite you to join me to play outside and learn from the animals. Nature is the gym to strengthen your intuitive muscle and learn how to be open and receptive to receiving messages. And besides, it’s good clean fun.   I have tentative dates and meeting locations which may change based on migration patterns and where the animals are showing up.  

Eagles experience – Rescheduled to January 13 –   Skagit River or Nooksack River 

Eagles offer wonderful insights in trusting in spirit and learning to see the big picture and the interconnection in your life, and much more.

 

 Snow Geese – Trumpeter Swan Experience – February 10 –    Fir Island, Wylie Slough La Conner

These two birds have many teachings.  One of the teachings of the Swan is that we all have inner grace and beauty, and this teaches us self-esteem.  And the Snow Goose epitomizes the mystery of migration and our own inner quests.   

 On the list for future field trips are Sandhill Cranes, Gray Whale Migration,  Orcas migration and  Heron Rookery.

I am excited to offer these experiences and I enjoy the willingness of people to show up in the pouring rain to hear from the animals.   If you know of other migrations not to be missed in Washington, let me know and I will plan a field trip.

Navigating the river of life

Two things that feed and nourish my soul are ceremony and animals.  I also take delight in playing with people and animals in exploring animals communication and intuition.  Combining the three of them is heaven for me.  The past two weekends was a slice of this heaven as I  lead Salmon experiences which entailed opening sacred space for people to listen to the wisdom of the salmon as they returning home to Piper’s Creek to spawn.  The creek was wildly different each weekend.  The first weekend it was calm, clear and shallow we saw many salmon navigating their way up the creek.  The second weekend was fast, murky and high.  It was hard to see the salmon and there were not as many as the previous weekend, yet each participant got something from the salmon.

Listening to the wisdom required presence and being open and receptive while holding an intention to learn from the salmon.  Messages came in many ways such as thoughts, feelings, body sensations, knowingness, images and hearing words.  As humans, we are constantly sending and receiving messages and part of these experience was gaining understanding just how each person received messages differently thus strengthening their intuition and ability to speak with the animals.

For me after a ceremony, I have observed anything that is not in alignment with the information or messages or deep work I did during the ceremony presents itself to be dealt with.  Kind of like upgrading your wardrobe and having to get rid of all the old clothes that no longer fit or are your style.  My ceremonies also have an energetic container that offers support for three days after the ceremony with the intention of easy body integration and receiving other messages via dreams or guides.  Today when I was out of sorts I knew the teaching of the salmon of to continually return to my own deep river of inner knowing was stirring the pot of where I had not been listening to my own intuition, my own river.  I was so stuck the pull of the old story of the spaces and places I had not listened to myself and self-judgment had me spinning and flailing, I knew the salmon were offering me another teaching and I couldn’t hear it because I just felt like I was going under.  Leaning back into the container I listened for guidance on how to continue up the river and I heard “ASK FOR HELP.”

So I reached out for support from a mentor to navigate this river of life and she gently and wisely reminded me that  “Elemental awareness can give support: the light-filled sky and the water and earth below seen through the salmon’s eye.  They breathe and move and negotiate every obstacle one thing at a time because all we can be in is the present moment after all.  The salmon love to come home and they are focused on this and stay present.  They are transformed by the present moment allowing the creek to move them back when they need to rest, catching the undercurrent to move forward.  Honoring life, movement and the moment.”    This settled my nervous system and allowed me to refocus on the present moment.

The salmon continue to teach me about returning home to myself with compassion and tenderness and staying present in the moment.

 

 

 

 

Approaching the Holidays with your Animal

As you are gearing up for the holidays and are making plans, to do lists, menus, guest lists, or travel plans please remember to keep your beloved animal companions in the loop of what is going on.

Here are some simple ways to make sure your animals know what’s happening…

If you are traveling and they are staying home – tell them the plans. Just like you are talking to a friend, tell them about the trip and why you are going, who you are seeing, what you are going to do. Then let them know the number of days until you leave by counting how many meals until you leave, how many meals you will be gone, and when you are returning home. You could even tell them who is taking care of them, how long they’ll stay, etc.

Are you staying home and hosting Thanksgiving? Maybe you are having guests stay overnight at the house?  Let them know in advance who the guests are that are staying, how many meals until these guests arrive, and how many meals they are staying.  Clue them in where the person will be sleeping and how having these people around may alter their daily routine. Start sharing with them the whole holiday plan: all the details, people, schedule, menu, etc.  Include, in the details, when they will be tended to as well as how you want them to behave when people come over.  The more you share and let them know what’s going on the happier they are.

If you will be gone away just for the day, let them know this and once again tell them where you will be going, what you will be doing, and when you will be coming home.

Remember animals read energy and live in our energy fields so they know when something shifts energetically and disrupts their routine, especially holidays and big events.  Talking with them as soon as plans are made the more relaxed they are – and the more relaxed you and your guests are!

Photo credit: Amber Lowry via Visual hunt / CC BY-NC-ND