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Listening to your Intuition

2011-06-29T13:49:00Z

Animal Illumination Summer Blog

Last evening I thought to myself that I should go out to visit one of my two horse herds. I had a thought that I needed to go visit them and spend some time. I had been out earlier in the day and as I was behind in my other activities I decided not to go.

In the summer the horses are out 24/7 in the big pastures and are able to graze and spend some great time just being in their natural state. Some will come in throughout the day to work, train, or be part of a FEEL exercise. I go out daily and check on them all, putting sunscreen on the 2 that have pink noses and fly spray everyone on the days that they need it.

Yesterday morning I spent some time with my young gelding working on his groundwork giving him some exercise, grooming and attention. I checked the rest of the herd then went on with my day. The thought in the evening to visit them again was not unusual but I still decided not to go out as they were far out in the fields.

At 2am I awoke from sleep with a strong knowing that the horses needed water. I started to think in my mind; when did I fill the trough last, did I check it in the morning, etc. I rationalized that there must be water and I could wait till the morning. I couldn’t fall back asleep and the thought kept haunting me for another hour. I considered going out to check it and then decided not to as there are coyotes and other animals out there in the night. Daylight would only be a couple hours away.

At 6am I awoke and went straight out to the horses and what did I find; the water trough turned over and empty. Sometimes the horses will play with it and turn it over but they didn’t do that this year so that didn’t cross my mind. As they all got their fill of water I felt badly that I didn’t pay attention to my intuition last evening. The thought was strong that I should go out and visit them but I thought it was more for my sake not theirs.

I cherish the time I go out in the fields spending time with their loving energy. They calm me, and I feel all the stress of the day leave my body; I become one with the herd. I had assumed that was the need I was l craving so dismissed it.

I wanted to write about this experience today as I am sure many of you have had similar experiences where subtle yet strong messages and thoughts come to you and it is often hard to know where they come from. Do they come from our logical minds or from our innate knowing, our intuition? Our Western culture has trained us to be in our logical minds and we rationalize our feelings and thoughts to fit into a convenient box. Sometimes the thoughts are abstract and indirect so we have to figure out what they mean. If the message in the evening was “go check the horse’s water trough” well, I would have listened.

I learned a valuable lesson through this experience and luckily the horses were perfectly fine through the night with no water. I learned I need to listen to my knowing mind more and stop my logical mind from rationalizing the messages, feelings, urges, and thoughts that come to me. Again, I have to thank the horses who teach me daily to live in the moment and cherish the natural gifts we all have.

Facilitated Equine Experiential Learning (FEEL)

2011-02-02T01:01:00Z

Facilitated Equine Experiential Learning (FEEL) is becoming more and more recognized as a formal personal growth discipline. Horses have a way of opening our hearts to connect to our authentic self and allow us to truly listen to our inner voices. The key to FEEL is that we learn from doing – Experiential Learning. There are various exercises designed for the horse and human interaction that bring about profound thoughts that can help teach us what we need to know.

In November of 2010 I started the 6 month certification process to become a certified FEEL Facilitator. Horses have had a deep impact on my life in the past 13 years and they continue to surprise and delight me. During the course the group first experiences the exercises themselves before learning how to teach and facilitate others. What I experienced in the first 2 days of the course alone brought light to some real issues I wasn’t even aware were influencing my life.

One of the exercises is called Reflective Round Pen. I first had to select a horse that I wanted to work with. We had already met the horses at the farm and I intuitively knew I wanted to work with a horse named Redman. Then Redman and I went into a 60’ round pen together.

I asked Redman to help me find a way to live healthy boundaries. I had a stick with me to draw a line where I wanted the horse to stay and not come close into my personal space. He respected the line and stood as I opened a heart connection with him. In silence we stood as I felt the emotions in my body and clear thoughts started to come in.

“To set healthy boundaries, do it from the heart. Open the heart, not close it down. Explain to the person the way you feel, and what new rules / contracts you will set to not let your boundaries be dishonoured. Then leave them with love and stay true.”

I decided to set the stick down in the middle and as I did that Redman came into my personal space and again I received the follow thoughts.

“You will need to have some tools to draw upon to help you incorporate your new insights into your life.”

Since that weekend I have incorporated a love approach, an open heart and compassion when asking family members, friends, co-workers and even my animals when I notice a boundary issue. The experience truly has given me the awareness when this issue comes up in my life and how to deal with it in a compassionate healthy way.

This one example was very powerful for me and as I continue my studies and practice sessions the learning just keeps on coming.

I am so excited to announce The Oasis Farm and Wellness Centre will be offering FEEL workshops and individual sessions starting May 2011 and truly hope that others will experience such beneficial journeys as I have.

Working with Behaviour Issues

2010-11-18T00:27:00Z

I was taught a key lesson by my cat when dealing with behaviour issues that I will share with you.

We have 4 cats in our home. First there is Topaz, my Bengal who is now 10 years old. I also have Abby who is 5 years old and the two of them get along fine. My youngest daughter moved away from the farm and got 2 cats of her own, Jude and Sadie who are now about 2 years old each. When my daughter moved back home with her cats, Topaz decided she was not going to have anything to do with Jude and Sadie in ‘her’ home. Topaz would chase them around the house and fight.

We have had to separate the cats into two parts of the home, 2 on the main floor and 2 on the upper level and luckily there are doors to separate them, which we keep closed, but the doors do have glass so the cats can still see each other.

Topaz, the alpha cat, started to ‘spray’ right at the door where she sees the other cats. This is obviously cat marking behaviour but not acceptable in my home.

My first instinct when I hear the cats calling at each other, is to yell at them to break it up, sometimes chasing her away from the door. The incidents were getting worse and my attempts at talking to her, asking her to stop were falling on deaf ears. Her instinct was just too strong, I thought. Anger was mounting in the house and my husband was even suggesting we should find her a new home. This was not an acceptable solution to me.

I decided to talk with her again from a difference place in my heart. I sat with her and tuned in, I opened my heart, and really asked her what was going on. She proceeded to tell me she missed the run of the house, she missed our old dog that passed away, she missed sitting on the couch with us and she wanted to be loved and live in peace too. I asked her “how can we stop this behaviour” and what I received back was “with Love, you can’t stop anger with anger it just doesn’t work”.

It was such an obvious answer to me, why didn’t I think of it before. Now when I hear her start to meow in the tone I know is her fighting tone, I go over and pick her up and cuddle her, open my heart, send her love and she settles down. She has started to come and sit with me again on the couch. She lies beside our new dog, Trinity, and wants to start a loving relationship with her. Trinity is still a bit too playful but time will fix that.

When animals act out it can be for various reasons. For behavioural issues I tend to go through the following steps to determine what to do:

Rule out any physical or medical issues that could be causing it, including medical help if needed.
Talk to them to determine if it is emotional issue. Ask them the following questions:

Why you are behaving this way?
How does this behaviour make you feel?
Is there something physical that is bothering you?
Is there something you need to help you?
What can I do for you?

If needed look into training programs to help you, such as Ceasar Millan’s programs for dogs, natural horsemanship for horses, etc.

My lesson in this situation was to open my heart and love. I have learned the same lesson with my horses recently and I am trying to do the same in all aspects of my life with remarkable results. I want to thank Topaz for another opportunity for a life lesson. I am happy to report she has made tremendous progress as well.

The Beatles had it right! All you need is Love.

Halloween is Not Always a Treat for Pets

2010-10-28T19:11:00Z

I have included some great advice from The Toronto Humane Society:

Halloween is a time for fun, mystery and make believe. As many of us get ready to join in the festivities and open our homes to trick-or-treaters, The Toronto Humane Society would like to share some important safety tips for pet parents to follow leading up to October 31.

Unlike us, pets do not revel in the celebrations of Halloween and can become nervous. Costumes, decorations, loud noises and frequent visitors to the front door can cause anxiety in our pets.

Provide your pet with a safe place. Pets should not be in the room or near the door when trick-or-treaters visit; seeing someone in a scary costume could cause your pet anxiety and she/he could easily bolt out the door.

Prepare a safe place ahead of time and introduce your pet to the area. If you have a crate, your dog may find it more comforting. You may wish to keep your cat in a room, where people are not coming in and out, for a few hours until the kids are finished trick-or-treating.

All pets should wear proper identification. ID tags and microchips, with current information, are essential. Even indoor pets should wear id in case they slip out during frequent visits by trick-or-treating kids. If your pet is not wearing identification and escapes, the chances of finding her/him decreases dramatically.

Re-think bringing your dog or other pet out during Halloween as your pet could become frightened, lost, or injured. Walk your dog before the sun begins to set so she/he is settled at home once people prepare to set off for tricks and treats. Sadly, pets are often victims of cruel pranksters, especially on Halloween. Black cats are particularly vulnerable.

Pet costumes may seem like a cute idea, but if they are too restrictive or uncomfortable, they can cause unnecessary stress. If your pet is not happy being dressed up, respect her/his boundaries and remove the costume.

Do not surprise your pet with your own costume. Familiar people become scary when wearing costumes and masks. If you plan to wear a costume, introduce your pet to the disguise prior to putting it on; display the costume so your pet can see it, and then give your pet a tasty treat so a positive association is established.

Halloween treats like candy, candles, pumpkins, make-up and decorations can be dangerous if ingested so it’s important to keep an eye on your pet.

Staying Present with Your Animals

2010-10-08T01:06:00Z

October Blog

Being Present

This month’s blog is all about being present in the context of Animal Communication. Personally speaking, this year has been a very busy one on all fronts of my life, and I can say that I have not always been able to stay present.

I believe John Lennon termed the saying “life is what happens when you're busy making other plans”. Lately I have been thinking “life is what happens to you when you are not living in the present.”

When we find ourselves in the fast pace of life it can be hard to stay present and in tune with our animal friends. Days turn into weeks, weeks into months and next thing you know you haven’t practiced really talking to your animals, or even being tuned into yourself.

The other day a good friend, distressed that her cat Morris went missing the day before, emailed me and asked if I could help to find her. I took some time out of my busy day, found a quiet place and tuned into Morris and received a very clear picture of where he had been all night and I described the scene to my friend. I described the house and the yard and told her that there was a garden shed in the back by a fence. I knew that he was under the shed or had been there over night. She told me that it sounds exactly like her neighbour’s house and her yard and there was a garden shed as described. She also told me that a feral cat use to live there and she use to take care of it. Morris was found later that day out in the neighbourhood and was returned home safe. She was thrilled!

After I finished talking to Morris, I went about my day but I continued to stay present, or in other words, connected to my intuition.

I went to the fridge and took an organic nectarine and after washing it took a bite. I immediately had a thought that there was a bug in the nectarine and not to eat it. My thinking mind said, ‘don’t be silly, you eat these every day, there is no bug’. I took another bite. Again, I had the thought a little stronger this time … ‘there is a bug in there, don’t eat it’. So listening to my knowing mind I took the nectarine back to the kitchen and took a knife to it to open it up. Yes there were bugs in it.

I have had a number of past students say to me that they have been so busy that they haven’t been practicing and really want to get back to talking with their animal friends. I can honestly say that I too find myself in the same situation. Life gets busy, we are cramming so much in our days, that we don’t take the time to quiet our minds and truly stay in the present moment, connected to our knowing minds.

Learning from these experiences, what I am trying to do myself and recommend to all my friends is to be present. What this means is at certain times of the day or during specific events of the day, make a point of practicing to connect to our knowing minds. Perhaps it might be when we get a drink of coffee, tea, or water, or at the start or end of your meal, or perhaps every time you go to the restroom. Close your eyes, take a deep breaths and think ‘Relax and Connect,’ (take a few deep breaths if needed). Open your heart and feel all the love and good feelings and healthy energy flowing in and around you. This will slow your racing beta mind down to the alpha state. If you practice this daily or as much as you can, next thing you know you will be hearing your animals tell you they need to go outside, or in my case the bugs in my nectarine telling me not to eat them.

Next month I will write more on how to practice with your own animals and would love to hear any fantastic experiences that others have had.

Blessings,

Ingrid

Preparing your Animal for Change

2010-08-15T23:17:00Z

I was patiently awaiting the birth of our first foal, sleeping in the barn not to miss the moment. I was grateful to witness the whole event and be there for my mare should she need any help. It went flawlessly and we had our first little colt. It took less than an hour for Galeon to find his wobbly legs and make his way over to me sitting in a lawn chair at the opening of the stall door. He slowly raised his head to smell my face and proceeded to try to find a drink of milk on my ear lobe. From that moment I was in love!

For the next 4 years Galeon and I have continued to have a strong link and he looks to me for guidance and comfort when scary situations appear, like the tractor that was moved a few feet over from where it was yesterday. I hear his thoughts very clearly and can respond to settle him down.

In the summer of 2010, as a 4 year old it was Galeon’s big day to go off to training and learn to be under saddle. It was a big moment for him as he needed to learn how to load and travel on the trailer and be away from his herd and family. I helped to prepare his mind by talking to him and explaining what was going to happen and what to expect.

I told him that he was going away for a couple of months to learn how to work like his Dad. He was going to come back home once he was fully trained and I was not abandoning him as he was being intrusted to someone that he already knew, a natural horsemanship professional Annie Lalande.

I told him to make me very proud and to listen and learn from Annie as she had much to teach him. Once we arrived at the farm I introduced him to some of the other horses including 2 he had known from the past and explained how and when he knew them.

The next day I went to visit to reinforce I had not abandoned him and to see how he settled in. He was in the single paddock in the back of the arena by himself with the gelding herd on one side of the fence and the mare herd on the other. He stood looking at the mares to be as close to them as possible. I asked him if he had met the boys on the other side and if he wanted to introduce them to me. He turned before I could make a movement and started to lead me over to the boys’ side. They all came over and everyone smelled noses and I explained to him that he was going to be in with them in a day or two. He had a huge sigh, then a snort of release and with tension relieved began grazing alongside the fence.

During the week I tuned in from home several times to see how he was doing. The first thoughts were very clear as he was telling me “You would be so proud of me. I started working and I am learning very quickly”. I went to visit him a few days later and watched him work and Annie said to me “I am very proud of him, he is learning very quickly.” She also mentioned that he has such beautiful movement. After the lesson Annie and I were brushing Galeon and I was telling her the story of his Dad, Diestro and how he would take care of me and keep me safe in the winter when the ice came off the arena roof. Little did I know Galeon was listening to our full conversation as the next event clearly shows.

One of my students and very good friend Sarah had asked me how Galeon was doing. Telling her nothing, I instead asked her to tune in and talk to him and see what he tells her. Here is the result:

“As soon as I tuned into him his head popped up and he spun around like he is so happy to be talking to me, like an excited little boy! He tells me he is a big boy now, he’s proud to be learning and training and he can’t believe what he can do and how much he is learning. He wonders if I know that he’s away from his Mom for the first time, like far away for the first time, he is thinking about his friends but he knows he’s coming back. He can’t wait to show off what he has learned, he says he is beautiful and he feels like he can float, he wants to show off what he knows and what he has learned. He’s like a little boy that is all excited to go to school for the first time and is all dressed up and proud of himself... he’s feeling really good. He also made me believe that he wants to be your horse, he wants you to ride him and he will take care of you. He wants to prove to you that he can do it and he will take care of you, he just kept saying that he would take care of you if you ride him.”

The next day Sarah wrote me again with the following update:

“I was sitting at home and I kept getting side tracked with questions from Galeon... it was very strange, it was like he wouldn’t let me work (can I ask you something, can I talk to you for a minute). He’s worried about the saddle and the rider part; he doesn’t know what to do. I explained it all to him and what he needs to do and just to worry about keeping his balance and keeping all 4 feet on the ground. Strange but he seemed to be asking me if I could run through it with him and explain it to him. He seems to be nervous about getting a person up there and what it is going to feel like, what will he do... so very strange that he just kept coming through so strong for about 5 mins... he’s thanking me now!”

I realized I was so worried with him leaving the farm that I didn’t even explain anything about the saddle and what to expect. I was glad Sarah was there to help him through it.

Helping your animals through change starts with the knowing that they can understand us and that they look to us for explanation and guidance. Change is scary for all living beings and with a little upfront explanation it can help take some of the stress out of the situation.

This entry is an excerpt from the book Animal Illumination.

Galeon Learning how to have a bath with the hose.

Welcome to Animal Illumintation Blog

2010-08-14T22:17:39Z

Welcome to my blog. It is my intent to post Animal Communication experiences that may be of interest to you. If you have a topic you would like to see, just let me know.

Blessings,
Ingrid Brammer