2001
Animals
A Fresh Start
I ordered some day-old chicks through the mail and asked to be sent animals that wanted to work with me — they are now 1½ months old and have been out in the chicken yard for two weeks without incident.
Interestingly, we had built an additional chicken coop for them, and they refused to go into the old chicken coop at all, preferring to crowd three-deep into their specially made coop. They are 20 quite delightful birds that come when I call (our old chickens were suspicious and aggressive). I'm looking forward to learning from them. We have raised the height of the fence and added a strand of electric wire, just to reduce temptation.
I feel we had all that animal energy come in because the land was changing its energy to one much more receptive to wildlife. Perhaps the hens did choose to leave; in any case, I felt I learned a great deal and feel even closer to the land. Perhaps there could have been a way to work with the nature spirits so that I didn't have to go through the ground rules for every new individual that showed up.
I tried to walk the fine line between impressing my boys with the seriousness of the wildlife outside without scaring them to death. I think I succeeded. Oddly, they had nightmares about the fox but nothing else. I think they are pleased to have such creatures—in their backyard, too.
In the last week, I've been present twice when a small bird has crashed into one of our windows. Both times, they appeared seriously injured and in shock: eyes blinking spasmodically, panting, lying on their side with wings at odd angles. The first one I picked up and did Reiki on (a form of energy healing). She was able to sit up straight but still looked critical. Then I thought to open a Nature Healing Coning. Within seconds after doing so, the bird closed its bill, straightened its bent wing, closed its eyes and fell into a deep sleep for about five to ten minutes. It then woke with a start, looked at me and flew off, right as rain. The same thing happened with the second bird. I have worked with injured birds extensively in the past and have no doubt that these birds would have died—or recovered much more slowly—without this energy process. What a thrill it is to be able to hold them and look into their eyes and offer this to them!
On another front: Last year we adopted a young dog, Maisey, from the animal shelter. She had been very abused in her previous home and had a lot of "emotional baggage." We had the hardest time convincing her she was supposed to do her business outside. Apparently she had been beaten for going in the wrong place. We spent many evenings hunched in freezing rain, staring at each other for half an hour. Then we'd go inside, and she'd slink behind the sofa and pee. Finally, I decided to try a calibration process.*
From that moment on, she never soiled in the house again and seemed to know exactly what was expected. A few months ago she began to develop a lick-granuloma on her leg. (This is a non-healing sore from obsessive licking.) I took her to the vet, who prescribed a steroid spray and bandaging the leg for up to two months. The vet said in obsessive-type dogs (part-Border Collie) this is very difficult to ever clear up. Maisey thought very little of the medicine or the bandages. After a week or so, I decided to try a calibration process again. Within three days she was no longer licking, and the wound healed in less than a week. No recurrence.
I recently have the strong feeling I am pressing into a ring-pass-not experience. I have been led to read books that are triggering very strong memories and showing new directions. My latest assignment is to re-read Dancing, which I read a couple of years ago. I thought, "Well, I already know what this has to say, but I'll read it again anyway." Well, let me tell you, I'm only 50 pages into it, but there are at least two dozen things I swear were not in there the first time I read it. I look forward to a wild ride. Thanks again, Machaelle, for blazing that trail.
E.W.R., California
* Editor's Note: When using the calibration process with animals, do it within the Nature Healing Coning for Animals.