Murphy’s arrival

Life didn’t really return to normal after the passing of the old dogs. Having shared our lives for such a long time, it was very difficult to adjust to their absence. I especially missed their exuberant greeting early in the morning and at the front gate upon our return home when we’d been out.

Nikki had always loved doing the rounds in the garden with me each day as we walked from feeder to feeder, putting out seeds, fruit and bread crumbs for the wild birds. All the dogs usually accompanied me to the veggie patch at the bottom of the garden. They would sit in a semi circle around the enclosure, and wait for me while I picked veggies. It’s at times like these that I missed them the most.

Inca, the cat, carried on with her life as usual, but seemed to spend more time in the kitchen with Tess, the remaining border collie. I felt that she was sensing Tess’s loneliness and offered her company especially during the recent thunder storms.

I’d been giving Tess a few Reiki treatments and Bach Flower Rescue Remedy, to help her to cope with the parting of her friends.  But she seemed to sink into a depression and hardly wanted any food. I know animals suffer from grief just as we do, so I increased the Reiki and included some TTouch during the sessions as well, setting my intention for the healing to help ease the grief. We took her for walks and spent more time in the garden playing frisby with her and she seemed to perk up a little.

We’d decided that we’d not get any more dogs for a while, but then we wondered if it would help Tess if she had some canine company.  I believe that it’s a good idea to always consult the animals first about any upcoming changes in their lives. So I connected with her and asked if she would like a friend. I got the sense that yes she would like to have somebody to play with again.  I checked with Inca too, she said she didn’t really mind if it was dog, but definitely not a cat.

We decided against getting a very young puppy and opted for the chance of giving a shelter dog a good home. Our daughter Colleen put us in touch with an organization who’d rescued an eight month old Labrador-cross type dog from a busy street and was now in foster care.

For days before he’s arrival, I kept telling Inca and Tess that Murphy would be coming home soon. I’d look deeply into their eyes and visualise the young yellow dog being in our home. They seemed to understand what I was telling them.

We collected Murphy last Saturday and brought him home. Colleen, her dogs and Bronwyn and family came round to welcome him as well. It was wonderful to see all the dogs romping together in the garden.

Tess was a bit weary of Murphy all day on Sunday, but early Monday morning they’d made friends and playing together.

Murphy is hyperactive and needs lots of Reiki, TTouch and training, but I’m working on it and I’m pleased to say that Tess is helping me too, but in her own way.

Creating a sacred space for your soul

The Universe has many ways of communicating with us.  Very often when the universe feels we need a ‘cosmic klap*’ we will suddenly notice that we keep seeing messages about the same thing, in a book, on TV, an advert on a bus or hearing the same song on the radio.

My message came in the form of my Doreen Virtue’s Archangel cards. I kept drawing  the Space Clearing card. So I thought ‘yes, ok, it is time I did a clearing, as I hadn’t done it for a while. So I got busy and cleared out the clutter, old books and magazines and stuff I now longer wanted or needed.  I attacked my clothes cupboards and sent all the clothes I’d not worn for ages to an animal shelter’s charity shop. It’s amazing how clothes and stuff just seem to pile up.
 

I then performed my usual space clearing ritual with candles, salt water, Tibetan singing bowl and bell. Once the negative energy was cleared in each room, I sealed and protected everything with the Reiki symbols.

The whole house looked brighter and I could actually feel the vibrant energy as it swirled through the house. I felt a deep sense of peace and accomplishment. Another bonus is that I also sleep much better at night. I gave myself a congratulatory pat on the back for a job well done.

You can imagine my surprise, when I again drew the Space Clearing card the following day. I thought ‘naw… the Universe is playing tricks on me. The card says you can ask Archangel Jophiel for help, which I did. I immediately got the message that yes, I’ve cleared the energy in my home, but what about the other areas of my life.

 I then realised that to do a complete spare clearing, we also need to focus on clearing the junk from our handbags, the hard drive on our computers and our motorcars. After all, are the personal things we interact with every day, not also extensions of ourselves?

Like our homes, they’re not merely a means of shelter, but they’re also mirrors of ourselves. They reflect our interests and beliefs, our passions and our spirit. Our homes are the sacred space where we interact with the Universe. If we space clear on a regular basis it can be our sacred refuge from the chaotic world outside, offering peace and harmony for us, our families, our animals and all our invited guests.

*slap

Postcards from Beyond

“How will I know he or she’s visiting” is a question which often comes up during readings for my clients with their deceased animals.

The days following the death of our beloved animal companions is a very sad time for us, but we must not allow our grief to close us down and block the flow of love and communication which still exists between us. If we keep our hearts and minds open, we will be aware of the many different ways our loved ones keep in touch.

 These visitations come in various guises and they always leave some form of confirmation, like a 'post-it' or postcard, confirming their visit. A popular one is a leaf or flower from the garden, a clump or tuft of fur on the lounge chair or bed, which you know was not there the day before. Sometimes there are rumpled pillows on the bed or couch where our pets used to sleep.

A client asked me to communicate with her cat in spirit to see if he was ok and asked him to give her a sign when he was visiting. He said “tell her to look out for the fur”
She phoned me the next day very excited, she suddenly woke up around midnight and was amazed to see a clump of fur floating in the middle of the room. She was almost speechless with joy as she knew that it was a message from her cat Magic.

A few days ago, we found a huge rain spider in our bedroom around 3.00am. My husband caught it and I went to open the front door so he could take it outside. I stayed on the veranda while he deposited it in the hedge. I suddenly got a feeling that Maxi was nearby and as I turned around I saw him lying on “his spot” by the front door. The vision was so vivid and the feeling so strong that there’s no doubt in my mind that he was definitely there.

The following morning I got another surprise when I rolled back the bed covers and found a tuft of black fur inside my bed, which I knew was definitely not there when I went to bed.  I asked “o.k. who’s hair is this?” I immediately got a picture of Nikki’s  laughing face and I got a sense of her saying “Got you!”  My pendulum confirmed that she had indeed been visiting. I smiled as I saw the three of them psychically. I picked up their sense of laughter, they thought it was very funny.

Last night I was sitting in bed reading, it was around 22.30h when I heard the floor creaking in the dressing room as it does when someone walks through to our bedroom. Inca my cat was sleeping next to me. Her head shot up and she just stated and stared into the dressing room. There was no breeze in the room but I saw the fringe on the fabric throw on my dressing table sway, just as it does when somebody walks past.

I said: “Ok so who’s out there, who’s visiting this time? Immediately a picture of Maxi flashed into my mind. Inca seemed quite relaxed about it and put her head down and went back to sleep.

This morning I found his postcard, a tuft of the dear Border Collie’s fur on the coffee mug beside my bed.

Karma in the ashes at the Labyrinth of Animal Remembrance

Our family had agreed to the ritual of scattering Nikki’s and Maxi’s ashes at the labyrinth on Sunday the 30 January. Our daughters Colleen and Bronwyn and grandson Cayden were joining us. Sadly Bronwyn had decided to release Karma, her beautiful Boxer during the previous week, as she’d been suffering from cancer for some time.

I’d connected with Mac-Tavish, Nikki and Maxi and asked if they would meet Karma at the Rainbow bridge as Bron was worried that she’d have to cross over on her own. I got the assurance that as Karma was part of their soul group, they would definitely meet her.

We painted the names of the dogs who had left us onto the stones and Cayden had great fun decorating his stone with bold splashes of colour. Bron asked me to connect with Karma and check if she was ok. I visualised the Reiki symbols and immediately felt the connection as my hands starting heating up. I saw the Boxer's face surrounded by the golden aura, she looked young and beautiful. She said she was ok and that our dogs had met her when she crossed. I saw them all together and told them that we’d be scattering their ashes and that it would be wonderful if they could come through too. Bron asked Karma to give her a special sign that she was alright and happy.

We walked the labyrinth in turn, scattering the ashes and placing our stones along the path as we made our way around the circle, while Cayden played the djembe drum. I passed the gently moving prayer flags and felt the presence of the dogs. They’d loved walking the labyrinth with me and I was certain that they were with us now. As I scattered their ashes in the wind, I felt the lingering sadness of our parting, but knew that the special bond we’d shared would last forever.

We received confirmation of their presence in the photos Colleen took. Bronwyn got her requested sign from Karma. There’s a stunning photo of Owen scattering Maxi’s ashes and Karma’s beautiful face can clearly be seen.

Hi... from heaven

Having the knowledge of Reiki and the sacred symbols opened a new world of  exciting experiences for me. I had a lot of fun experimenting with Reiki and its symbols; and I discovered it was great for connecting with people and animals in the spirit world.

Very often humans and animals require some healing once they’ve crossed over, especially if they suffered from a serious illness, accident or trauma at the time of  death. I found that Reiki was the perfect modality to assist them.

The day after Maxi departed, I decided to check in with him to see if he required any healing. I went into my healing room and lit a candle. I focused on him and visualised the Reiki symbols flowing to him. I sent him love and light by visualising a beautiful pink light flowing from my heart to his heart. I felt my hands heating up and I asked if he wanted or needed some Reiki. He said he would love some and I felt a stronger pulling in the center of my hands as he accepted the energy. His face was surrounded by the golden aura which I usually see whilst communicating with animals on the other side.

I asked him if he’d been alright while crossing over. He confirmed that he did and that Nikki and Mac-Tavish had met him. I beamed Reiki to him and I saw him looking young, vibrant and healthy. He was playing with his ball, an activity which he loved most here on Earth. Nikki and Mac-Tavish also came through, surrounded by the golden aura. They just seemed to hang there in my psychic vision, suspended in the bright golden light, as they absorbed the Reiki energy.

Eventually I felt the pull of energy lessen in my hands. I thanked them for allowing me to communicate with them and for the chance of sending Reiki to them. I released them in love and light, by visualising beautiful pink light flowing to them and the vision of their beloved faces slowly faded.

I was so grateful that I was able to connect with them in this manner and to know that they were happy and well. It was comforting knowing that they were all together and enjoying life in that place of golden Light which we call Heaven.

Goodbye Beloved Maxi

Maxi 27/11/1994 – 27/12/2010
Good bye dearest Maxi, may your soul fly on wings of love to the Light. We love and miss you. We know you’re at peace now in that beautiful place where love and Light reign supreme. Your spirit lives on and so do all our happy memories of you. Nikki and Mac-Tavish are waiting at the Rainbow Bridge for you. We’ll catch up with the lot of you there one day too.

Maxi’s health had been on a steady decline for a while and after Nikki’s death we noticed a rapid deterioration. When he refused to eat we knew he was also on his way out. Maxi had always loved his food, in fact he’d earned the name of Hoover, as he would go around and check all the other dog’s dishes and hoover up any left-overs. If there weren’t any visible signs of food, he’d still give the dish a couple of licks, with a   just-in-case-I-missed-something, sort of tongue action.

Sending Reiki to my animals had been part of my evening routine for many, years. I’d always asked for healing for their highest good and I knew that the healing energy had supported and helped them to cope with their ageing problems.

I connected with Maxi and sent the usual Reiki and also asked him if he was preparing to cross over. He confirmed that he was getting ready to go, “but just not yet” was the response, I heard in my mind. I asked him if he wanted to go on his own, or would he prefer the help of a vet. I got a sense that he wanted to go on his own, but also if things got too bad then it was ok for the vet to help. I told him that I loved him and that I released him in love and light and that he must go when he was ready. I asked Nikki and Mac-Tavish to meet him when he crossed and they assured me that they would.

He was battling with his legs, but he seemed to be hanging onto life,  reluctant to let go. After all he’d defied death twice in his life before. Maxi was actually my husband Owen’s dog. Owen rescued him from being sent to the SPCA as his previous family were unable to take him with them when they relocated to a “no animals allowed” housing complex. And of course he’d literally stared death in the face when he was bitten by the puff adder.

On the night of December 26, his hind legs collapsed. I did some hands on Reiki and TTouch, which I felt helped to ease the pain that I picked up in my hands. I saw his body visibly relax as the pain seemed to ease. I told him again, that I loved him and  that I released him in love and light.

He was still with us in the morning and we knew it was time to release him. Once again pet angel, Loure, from Paw Print Pet Cremation Services took care of the cremation and return of Maxi’s ashes.

Our grief was overwhelming having lost the last of our golden oldies. Owen in particular was devastated, as he’d formed a strong bond with Maxi during the many hours they’d spent playing ball on the lawn together. I sent Reiki to Owen that night as he slept, as I was worried what the stress could do to his heart and blood pressure.

Reiki is just one of those wonderful healing modalities which can be used to send love and comfort to somebody who needs it at that time.

The Christmas Pawtrait

On Christmas day we always tend to miss our recently departed family and friends more than other times, and Christmas 2010 was no exception for me.

Although it was a bright, sunny day, it wasn'

t how I felt inside. The day before had been the one year anniversary of Mac’s passing. I really missed both the Setters that day, as they’d  been such busy, inquisitive dogs and they’d always participated in everything we did.

I was grateful for the company of our other animals, Inca the cat and Border Collies, Maxi and Tess, who dozed in the dappled sunlight while I set and decorated the tables beneath a green canopy of trees at the bottom of our garden.

We were having Christmas lunch with our family and I felt certain that Nikki and Mac would be visiting us in their spirit form as our outdoor celebrations had been a favourite. They loved mingling with the visitors, always on the look out for a titbit or two. Mac always tried his luck. He went from person to person, sitting in front of them, mesmerizing them with his huge brown eyes, waiting for a morsel to fly from their plate straight into his mouth. It never happened, but that didn’t stop him from trying.

The family arrived and we set about opening our Christmas presents without delay, as my Grandson Cayden was anxious to see what the fat man in the red suit had brought for him. There was much ooohing and aaahing as each gift was unwrapped.

My daughter Colleen handed me a biggish package. I eagerly unwrapped it, wondering what it could be. I was absolutely stunned when I opened it, so stunned in fact, that I burst into tears. Colleen had surprised me with one of her beautiful PetPawtraits. It’s the most amazing likeness of Nikki and Mac-Tavish, they look so alive and vibrant, with their big shining eyes.

Colleen has been blessed with the fantastic gift of not only being able to capture a life-like impression of the animals she draws, but she also manages to create the divine light in their eyes, like she’s looking into their souls, bringing them back to life on the canvas.
 

I love the pawtrait. Each time I walk past and see their happy smiling faces and the light shining in their eyes, I feel comforted, knowing they’re together and happy, doing all the things they loved to do... on the “other side.”

Fields of gold

After Mac-Tavish’s death it was comforting to know that his sister was still with us as her presence was the last remaining physical link to him. But now the absence of both these black Setters left a deep sadness in our hearts and a vacant space in our home.

I didn’t get a sense of Nikki still hanging around on that first night. She just seemed to be gone. I got a sense that she was at peace and had been very ready to go the Light on the other side. Each time I thought about her, a wonderful warm feeling of peace and contentment came over me. It would be there for just for a little while, then the sadness would blast through me again.

Often newly departed people and animals require healing before they can advance on their journey. Lighting a candle, saying prayers for them and sending distant Reiki can greatly assist them

The sacred Reiki symbols which a Reiki Master teaches students in the 2nd degree level enables the energy to be sent over vast distances, including time and space. I use these symbols to connect and communicate with animals who’ve crossed over to the spirit world.

The following day I lit a candle in my healing room and sent Reiki to Nikki. I immediately had a psychic vision of her smiling face. She looked young and beautiful. Her head was surrounded by an aura of gold light, which is the band of light I usually see when I communicate with animals on the other side.

Then Mac-Tavish’s face popped into the picture, also looking young, with his usual lopsided grin. They looked at each and suddenly took off, running wildly, with their heads up and tails stretched out behind them, just like they used to do when they were young.  What a beautiful scene, the whole area was filled with gold light and the dogs were running through a field of golden wheat. There was a beautiful rainbow in the background.
I was so grateful for the knowledge that they were both together and happy. Also for the confirmation that they were enjoying life on the other side, still doing what they loved best……..running wildly…… just as they did during their younger days here on Earth.

Farewell beloved Nikki girl

 

Nikki (Nikkita) 16 August 1994 – 13 December 2010
Farewell dearest Nikki girl , may your soul fly on wings of love to the light. We love and miss you. Thank you for 16 wonderful years of love and loyalty. You’re at peace now, in a beautiful place where angels sing and flowers never fade. Your happy memories will live forever in our hearts. Your brother Mac-Tavish is waiting at the Rainbow Bridge for you, see you both there one day too.

Unfortunately ageing is part of this physical life we live and our animal companions are not exempt from it. It starts with the greying of the fur around the mouth, like a fine sprinkling of icing sugar. Suddenly the grey spreads, covering their face and head. Next thing you notice your dog is finding it a bit harder to stand up each morning. It slowly dawns on you that the day you’ve been dreading is approaching.

Nikki had been deaf for a while when she also started going senile. She’d walk around and around the house for hours on end, or tread a path through the front door and out the back door, just walking in and out, that it almost made us dizzy. What was truly amazing, was that she still knew instinctively when it was meal times, as she would wander into the kitchen and wait expectantly for her dish to be put down in front of her.

She started getting lost when she went out at night. We had to go out and look for her in the bushes at the bottom of the garden. One evening we heard a strange cry coming from the rockery behind the house. Noticing that she was not in her bed, we dashed outside and found her wedged between some huge rocks and spiky plants. My husband, Owen had to crawl over rocks to reach her, while I held the torch so that he could see. She was a black dog, who was difficult to see in the dark. We managed to extricate her and thankfully she seemed unhurt. I gave her Rescue Remedy for calming and Reiki for further healing.

Towards the end of November 2010, her appetite dwindled and she slept most of the time. Only venturing outside briefly for short walks around the house. As the days progressed into December, we knew her time was getting close and we hoped that she would cross over on her own. I continued to give her short Reiki treatments which she then preferred and sent her distant healing at night. I told her I loved her, I thanked her for being part of our lives for so long, I told her I released her in love and Light, and assured her that it was ok for her to cross over when she was ready to do so.

When the 13 December dawned, we knew it was time for us to release her. I told her this and from the look in her eyes, I knew she understood. I said goodbye before we left for the vet, my tears ran down my face and dripped onto her beloved soft furry black head.

The vet said that 16 was a very good age for a big dog and wondered how she’d managed to live so long. I’m certain that the regular Reiki treatments helped her to cope with old age’s infirmities.

Once again we left Nikki’s cremation in the expert hands of Lourė from PawPrint Pet Funeral & Cremation Services and arranged for the return of her ashes.

When we returned home, I lit a candle for her and sent her Distant Reiki. I visualised a beautiful pink light flowing from my heart to hers as I sent her love and Light to help her on her journey to the Sprit World.