After seeing the beautiful turtle in my back yard, I felt blessed by turtle energy! Saturday night in my dream time turtle came to me again. In my dream I was visiting a doctor to see what was going on with my eye. She told me I have a very small turtle in my eye. (You know how everything in dreams seems to make sense!) I asked her if the turtle was dead or alive. She said it was very much alive and growing. Then I asked her if she could take the turtle out. She told me she couldn’t remove it until it matured. (I wonder now, did the doctor mean until the turtle matured or until I did?)
When I woke up the next morning I thought, ‘Wow, what is turtle trying to teach me?’ Turtle surely has another message for me, but I wonder what it was. I find often when Spirit is tugging at my heart I receive messages in three’s. So I wondered when I would receive another connection to turtles. I didn’t have to wait long.
The night before, I had decided to check out a new Unity Church in New Hope, Texas. In the morning, I called my sister right after waking from the turtle dream to invite her to join me. Our conversation was interrupted with a shout from my sister telling me her son, my nephew found a really friendly turtle! I laughed in surprise because here was turtle coming to me one more time within moments of my asking!
At the Unity Church in New Hope, I met a wonderful group of people who in addition to the Sunday morning, meet Sunday evening bi-monthly in order to honor the Earth through Shamanic practices. After the Sunday morning service, I told the group’s facilitator Lance, about the appearance of turtle in my life. In the evening Shamanic session, he was kind enough to bring additional information about my friend and guide the turtle.
As I think about it now, I realize turtle energy has come to be with me as I grow and mature. I’ve identified two other animals as my power animals. So, is turtle also coming to be a permanent power animal in my life? I not sure, but I do know she has come to help me now and I’m thankful for her presence.
Is her only message to me, “Take life step by step” or, does she have other ‘Whispers of Wisdom’ to share? I don’t know what she has to teach me, but I do know she has my attention and I’m listening.
Do you ever feel you are not moving fast enough? You have a dream, but it seems to be taking a long time to create? Well that’s how I was feeling yesterday when I spoke with my wonderful Soul Coach, Kalena. kalenaassociates.com
As we were talking about the various aspects of my business and life, I noticed a big huge turtle crawling along the fence in my backyard. In my excitement, I told Kalena about the beautiful turtle I saw! Her question to me was, “What does that turtle represent to you?” I couldn’t help but remember the story of the ‘Turtle and the Hare’. I told her, “The turtle may not move as fast as the hare, but he is steady, ever moving toward his goal. The hare may run to and fro, but this turtle was moving step by step along the fence making sure progress.”
I decided this was a message from Spirit to me, reminding me that if I take each step of my journey, no matter how fast or slow, I am making progress in my life. Here is the amazing thing. When I woke up this morning, I checked my emails and found this note from The Universe. tut.com
Here is the message I received from the Universe this morning:
Don’t be afraid. You needn’t slay the beast nor scale the entire mountain. That’s not how it’s done. You only need to move through today, Sandra. Think of the distance you’ve already covered. Focus on your strengths. Let each new step remind you of your freedom. Let every breath you take remind you of your power. Seek out friends and guides; they’re anxious to help. You’re not alone. You’re understood. This road has been walked before. Dance life’s dance, just a few steps at a time, and in the wink of an eye you will wonder to yourself, “What beast, what mountain? Was I having a dream?”
Love you,
The Universe
We’re already so proud, Sandra.
Spirit is always tuned into us and giving us the support and help we need. We’ve often heard the expression, ‘Rome wasn’t built in a day’. The life of your dreams is coming and actually, you are living that dream right now with every step you take. This moment is your dream coming true.
One of my father’s favorite sayings was, “Together we make it!” I like to add this: “Together we make it step by step”.
My mind was a million miles away, considering the changes coming to me when I saw a white streak run in front of my car. I slammed on my brakes just in time to not hit a small white dog. I thought to myself who in the world would let their dog out in this busy traffic? Quickly I parked the car and started on foot to follow the dog. I got close enough to see he was skinny, matted, and looked neglected. He had either been lost a long time or his people did not care for him. Either way, he was a dog in trouble and needed help. Using my softest, most gentle voice, I called to this frightened, lonely little being, “Buddy, it’s alright, I’m here to help you”.
Amazingly, after following him for a couple blocks, he allowed me to walk up to him. A woman in the neighborhood loaned me a leash and without resistance, Buddy, as I’d come to call him allowed me to put him in my car. Wanting to do the right thing, but with a feeling of sadness, I brought him to my friends at the local animal shelter. Within an hour of leaving him there, I received a phone call. The shelter told me Buddy seemed really afraid of the other big dogs. They asked if I would mind letting him stay with me until his people came for him. My heart jumped inside my chest realizing I could have him in my home!
My work allowed me to have a flexible schedule, so I found plenty of time to care for him. I bathed him, and gently worked to brush and clip the mats out of his fur. I brought him to the vet and began an active campaign to find his people. I created flyers and posted them around town. We walked door-to-door in the neighborhood where I’d found him and another area where I guessed he might be from. Yet, no one claimed him. Didn’t anyone even miss this cuddly guy?
Everyday I fell more in love with this little one. After a month of looking for his people, my friends at the shelter told me I could be Buddy’s permanent caretaker and best friend. It was very happy day.
Looking back, I realize Buddy came to him at just the right time. I found him on the streets in April, was divorced in May and in September of that very year our beloved father passed away. It was a difficult year, but somehow by caring for Buddy I was caring for myself.
Since then, Buddy has become my constant companion and is always near me. He helps with my Soul Coaching and Animal Communication work. He sits on my lap when I’m on a call or my client’s lap during sessions. I love him from head to toe including his cute under-bite, and the funny way he sticks out his tongue. He’s my boy and I’m blessed to have his in my life. When I think about the love and the closeness we share I wonder, who rescued who?
Buddy is my little white rescue dog. I often tell people he rescued me the day I found him wandering on that busy street. (But that’s another story.)
I was sitting next to Buddy this morning, seeing if he wanted to have breakfast. (He’d had an upset tummy, so I was sitting beside him on the floor.) He really wasn’t interested in eating, so I didn’t force him to do so.
As I was sitting there, just petting him and loving him and appreciating him, I said to him intuitively, “I wish you could talk to me out loud”. He looked at me with big brown eyes and answered me intuitively. He said, “We (animals) wouldn’t like to do that. We would never want to do that”. And I asked Buddy, “Why is that?”
He said, “Because humans already feel so disconnected from one another because of their feeble attempt to connect through verbal communication. It’s very limiting. When you talk to people, if you believe the only way to communicate is by talking out loud, verbally, then you feel alone when you’re not doing that. So we’re here, we’re here for so many reasons, but one of the reasons we’re here is to help humans remember they can intuitively communicate without words. Because if we didn’t do this for humans, how alone would they really feel? How disconnected would they feel?”
So Buddy showed me a picture of stepping into this flowing stream of energy. And as I stepped in to communicate with him, I felt bathed in connection. I felt bathed in a feeling of stepping into the One. And, what a wonderful thing that is! This is how all non-human life communicates.
As humans we too, can step into this energy and allow it to flow over, under, around and through us. Through this inner net of connection, we’re able to talk to anyone we choose because the energy takes us where we want to go. And if the other being of light whose meeting us in this energy flow is ready willing and able to talk with us, we can carry on a two-way conversation and it’s a beautiful thing.
Animals are here to help us remember we are not disconnected from one another. But at any moment we can step into this beautiful place of connection.
There once was a little one who lived in a home without a single window or door. It was a sad and dreary place. From morning to night she was told to spin a beautiful silken cloth.
Always somewhere in the back of her mind, there was a fantasy. She dreamed of a paradise she’d never been to before. It was a lovely place filled with bright colors, delicious smells and wonderful lively sounds. When she imagined being there, she was filled with hope and joy!
But, then, she would remember her reality and punish herself with feelings of guilt and shame for wasting precious spinning time on the insignificant little dream. She would get angry with herself and ask, “Who do you think you are? I’ll tell you who you are! You’re nothing but a humble spinner of silk! That is all you are now and all you ever will be!” After her tirade, she would continue her demanding work until she would fall into an exhausted slumber.
Nothing every changed in her small little world. She just worked and slept in her dark and lonely place.
She never had been comfortable in her dungeon, but lately she had begun to notice the more silk she spun, the smaller her gloomy little home became. She wanted to quit, walk out, but she was too afraid, so she continued doing the only thing she knew how to do. She spun silk.
One day, while she was hard at work, she heard a horrible ripping and tearing sound. It seemed her world was being torn apart! She feared this must be the punishment for wasting so much time on those foolish little daydreams. She supposed, “This is what happens to silk spinners who neglect their responsibilities in life!”
The hole in her tiny home became larger and larger until finally she fell right out! “Ouch!” she cried. Then she wondered, “What is that blinding brilliant light?”
Suddenly, she felt something she’d never felt before. It was a soft and balmy breeze. The moisture on her body began to evaporate. Her eyes began to see everything she had created in her imagination. The smells, the sounds, all of it was here! “How could I have known? It’s all real” she exclaimed! Next, the most remarkable event occurred. As she released all her fears and doubts, the gentle wind took her up and up and up. In that moment, she began to move her mighty powerful butterfly wings and happily fly away!
Often people ask me how I became an animal communicator. I tell them, “My Dad taught me!” Of course, I’ve studied animal communication with fine teachers, (see About Sandra), but I don’t think I would be doing this work without my father as a role model. So, let me tell you a little about him.
He grew up on a farm in Wisconsin with three brothers, one of which was an identical twin and they all remained close friends through out life. Dad also had a half-sister who came to live with them from Sweden as a teenager. Both parents migrated from Sweden to Wisconsin before the brothers were born. Being from the old country, his parents loved them, but didn’t feel comfortable showing physical affection. When my Dad was a boy, he longed to love and be loved. He told us he’d made a decision as a child that when he married, it wouldn’t matter if he had boys or girls, he was going to show them love.
Our parents had four daughters. Mom worked hard running the household and lovingly took care of her four little girls. While, Dad worked a full time job during the day and did side jobs building kitchen cabinets from our home garage after dinner. But no matter how tired he was, every night at bedtime when we were young, he would tuck us in bed with silly made-up songs and exciting animal stories. We were all loved as if we were the only child. All four of us some how still think we were our parents’ favorite child!
Dad always told us we could do or be anything. He complimented us by telling us we were smart and beautiful, even when we looked goofy in our school pictures. He liked to point out the best in us. He wasn’t jealous, but rather loved to celebrate our triumphs. When we were younger, he helped us sort out our candy at Halloween and when we were older, he sometimes counted our tips as waitresses. I know what you might be thinking, but no, he didn’t take our candy or waitress tips. He loved to make a big deal about even our smallest accomplishments. He often told us how proud he was of his girls.
He was always grateful for any kindness we showed him. He was often moved to tears by a Father’s Day card. He told us it was a sign of strength when you could authentically show someone how you feel. He had a way of making all of us feel special and unique. It was one of his greatest gifts! He didn’t just do this for his daughters, but for everyone he met. It would just about ruin his day if he couldn’t get the clerk at the grocery store to smile!
I know some of you reading this may not have had a loving and supportive family. My Dad knew this about some of our friends and often offered to ‘adopt’ them. He became a safe place for many people including friends and strangers. They always seemed to feel comfortable confiding in him. People trusted him to kindly listen and give good sound advice that was for the individual’s best good.
So, how was he my first animal communication teacher? Well, he talked to the animals. He would ask them a question out loud and then answer the question for the animal. As a family, we thought this was quirky and unusual, but accepted this behavior as just our Dad. He appreciated all types of animals: dogs, cats, and horses, etc. At breakfast, he often told us what the birds outside our window were thinking and saying. He loved all animals, domestic and wild. He couldn’t see a domestic animal without stopping to talk to it and giving it love.
He enjoyed connecting with wild animals, too, much to my mother’s chagrin. Once we went on a family vacation to a ski resort. Well, we didn’t exactly go to the ski resort. We ended up going to the dump near the resort to feed the wild black bears that came there to feast. Dad would throw marshmallows on the ground for the bears at first a long distance away, but then a shorter distance until the bear would be really close. My Mom would call out warnings to my Dad to be careful, but she and my sisters would sit safely in the car. But, of course, I had to be right next to Dad. All of a sudden, the bear that Dad was feeding the marshmallows to, charged toward me. I ran so fast to get in the car that I had to make two loops around! (For years after, my family teased me about how fast I could actually move.) It turned out the bear wasn’t after me. She was leaving the territory quickly because a bigger bear was coming in.
Dad spent many hours in the woods, watching the birds, chipmunks and squirrels. He absolutely loved being out in nature, walking in the woods or fishing at the local small creek. He would always tell us an interesting story about the animals he saw there.
Not long before Dad passed away, he found a tiny black kitten that had been thrown out of a car near their lake home. Mom and Dad cared for this small creature giving her a home, food and shelter. She used to sit on Dad’s shoulder while he worked in the garage building kitchen cabinets. This little kitten would not leave Dad’s side. One evening, my parents went to town to go to church as they did every Wednesday night. They kept the kitten in the back room with food and water. When they got home from church that evening, the little kitten had past away. They felt when they had found her, she must have been sicker from the abuse and neglect than they knew. My Dad’s heart was broken. He openly wept for the loss of this sweet tiny stray cat. He didn’t understand how people could be so cruel to such a helpless being. He lovingly buried her near the garden in his work shirt that she’d been laying on when there found her.
I suppose Dad’s favorite dog was probably Duchess. He told us Duchess was the one that really taught him the most about unconditional love. During the day, she would practice throwing her ball over her shoulder and catch it on the other side. She taught herself this trick and Dad praised her for her brilliant performance every night when he came home from work. Duchess really loved Dad, too. She was his girl!
He often said, “Humans could learn a lot about love from the animals.” I believe animals are capable of loving us even when we don’t love and appreciate ourselves. I also believe the animals need us, too, especially those of us who really care for them. If you have animal companions in your life, reach out to them now. Let them know you love them with your words and your actions. The truth is they have a message for you, too. Are you listening?
There once was a little boy who longed to love and be loved. Every night he prayed, “Dear God, when I get older may I please have a wife and children. I promise to love them and teach them love, everyday!” And God remembered the Little Boy’s Prayer.
One day, when the little boy grew older, he saw a beautiful and kind young lady. He was very shy and new at romantic love. As soon as he met her, he felt embarrassed and ran away. But as time went on, they grew in love and married. Together, they learned about compassion and caring. And God remembered the Little Boy’s Prayer.
Because the little boy kept his promise, God sent four little girls to him and his wife. He taught his girls about love. His children invited their friend’s to visit. He loved his children’s friends and taught them about love, too. As the little boy’s love grew, so did his heart. And God remember the Little Boy’s Prayer.
Because the little boy kept his promise, God sent him animals of all kinds to love. He talked to the animals and loved them. He taught everyone around him to appreciate and care for the animals. And God remembered the Little Boy’s Prayer.
Throughout his life, the little boy kept his promise and so God sent him neighbors, friends, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and even strangers to care for. He loved them all and taught them to love others. And God remembered the Little Boy’s Prayer.
When the little boy became very old, his heart could no longer contain this great love. It was then God looked around the world and found the little boy’s gift had blessed all of creation. So God smiled and said, “Come home and be with me little boy. Your work here is done.” And God remembered the Little Boy’s Prayer.
On this day and every day forward, it is my commitment to listen and act upon the guidance I receive from your sweet, small inner voice. Help me to hear you above the commotion and clatter of my false self. I know when I honor this guidance I also assist others in creating sanctuary on earth. Fill me with an understanding of a diverse world in which humans, plants and animals cooperatively live and thrive as one. Guide me with your love for it is the only presence and power in the universe.
Silly me! I watched a disturbing movie last night. It was a psychological thriller in which the star of the movie turned out to be the killer. Yuck! Because I’m empathic, I connected with her victimized character. Victims coming from a survival mode can do horrific things, just as predators do.
So in this frame of mind, I started thinking about something disrespectful an associate had said to me earlier in the day. I was very irritated and couldn’t shake the put down. I tried playing Free Cell until 2:00 am, and even yelling at this person alone in my bed, but nothing helped. Fortunately, I was able to finally fall asleep. My dreams reflected my state of mind.
When I woke up, my throat felt sore and my lungs congested so I decided to lie in bed a while longer and do a meditation. As I lay on my left side, I allowed all the anger to drain out of me, and down into Mother Earth. I repeated this with my right, front and backsides. This brought me ease, and I drifted back to sleep.
Now in my dreams, the animals came to me including my dogs, many cats, and a rabbit. I also saw a horse chewing on the root of a tree, reminding me to get grounded and release the root of the problem.
Finally, even as I was writing this article, a dove slammed into my window. I checked on him to see if he was alright. At first he couldn’t fly, and I considered perhaps I should call a bird rescue organization. He took that responsibility away from me by finally flying away. Did the dove come to help me break through my own glass barrier and remind me of the peace that comes from releasing and letting go? I don’t know. But I do know I’m learning to listen to the animals, for they are my teachers.
Animal Communication Blog