Sky’s Blog

Not Everyone is Nocturnal

Ann was desperate. Her cat Missy, an indoor/outdoor cat who stayed in at night, was peeing in the kitchen and in the downstairs hall at night. Missy rarely meowed, but she would find paper to shred or knock over objects until Ann got up in frustration to see what Missy needed. Missy was waking Ann up 2 or 3 times a night. This had been going on for three long years and Ann didn’t know what to do. A friend of Ann’s, who was a client of mine, suggested that Ann try communicating with Missy to try to resolve the issue.

Missy let us know immediately where she stood — she said she was the “top cat” (Ann has two other cats) and “the queen of the house.” Ann said that this completely matched Missy’s attitude with the other two cats and with Ann as well.

Ann asked me to see if Missy felt she had a urinary issue. Missy didn’t “point” me at any physical problems and I didn’t feel anything when I “scanned” her body. In fact, Missy seemed a bit insulted that we would think that there was anything at all wrong with her. Ann said she’d had Missy checked by the vet and the vet didn’t feel Missy had any urinary issues either.

So what was the cause of the night time urination? Ann said there were several litter boxes in the house and that she kept them very clean. I asked Missy about her feelings about the litter box. Missy was very clear — “Why would I use the litter box? It just makes the room smell.” Missy also didn’t like the texture of the cat litter Ann was using. Ann said she would try a different cat litter and hopefully Missy would like that better.

I told Missy that she needed to be very, very sure to only use the litter box at night. I showed Missy the picture of the behavior we were looking for and Missy said she would try. I reviewed what Ann should do to reinforce the behavior we were wanting from Missy (using the litter box at night) — talking/visualizing to Missy the behavior she wanted NOT what she didn’t want. Ann said she would follow through with her part of the agreement. I told Ann I couldn’t guarantee that Missy would change her ways, Missy had free will after all, but I hoped that Missy would comply. Ann said she understood.

About 3 weeks later, Ann contacted me again. She was at her wits end. The good news was that Missy hadn’t peed in the house at night since out last conversation, but Missy was continuing to make noise at night and wake Ann up 2 or 3 times a night. Ann was afraid that Missy would pee in the house, so Ann was continuing to get up each time Missy made noise and tried to figure out what Missy wanted . . . Food? Pets? To go out? Ann said she hadn’t had a decent night’s sleep in years and she just couldn’t take it any more.

I asked Missy if she was hungry during the night. Missy said she didn’t like the wet food that was left out at bed time, “I don’t like old food. The [wet food] in the kitchen at night isn’t fresh.” Ann was getting up and giving Missy fresh wet food, even though there was dry food available. Missy also said she wasn’t particularly hungry at night. Missy showed me that she would eat a little of the wet food Ann put out for her, but without much enthusiasm. Ann confirmed that when she got up and gave Missy additional food during the night, Missy would just pick at it and not eat much. So obviously Missy was not waking Ann up because she was hungry.

I asked Missy if she woke Ann up because she wanted to go out. Missy said that since Ann was willing to get up, she was happy to have the chance to pee outside. But it did not feel to me that Missy was desperate to go out to pee.

I asked Missy if she woke Ann up because she wanted attention. Missy said that when she was awake at night. she got bored — so she made noise so Ann would get up. Ann provided an entertaining diversion for Missy during the night. Missy said, ” I just make noise and she gets up. I’m awake so she gets up and gives me something to do. She gets up every time — what’s the problem?! “

I explained to Missy that even though Missy was awake at night, Ann needed her sleep. Missy said that was silly — Ann should just take naps during the day like Missy did. I told Missy that it didn’t work that way for people — people needed to be awake all day and they needed to sleep all night.

I told Ann that Missy was right — Ann was getting up every time Missy made a noise, so to Missy’s way of thinking, Ann was cooperating with her. That works really well for Missy, but not so much for Ann. Ann laughed and said, “I guess she’s trained me pretty well, hasn’t she?”

I told Missy that from now on, she needed to be quiet all night so Ann could sleep. I told/showed Missy that she needed to be quiet from the time Ann turned the lights off at night until she got up in the morning, when it was light out. It was OK for Missy to be awake at night and if she was bored, she could go eat some dry food, have a drink of water or play quietly with her toys — which were not in the bedroom. I reviewed this plan several times with Missy and asked if she could do as Ann requested. Missy said, “OK — if I have to.” I assured her that she did have to and Missy said, somewhat grumpily, “OK.”

I reminded Missy that because Ann wasn’t going to be getting up to let her out, she needed to either pee in the litter box or hold it and go out in the morning when Ann got up. Missy was again clear with her feelings — “I’ll just hold it and go outside in the morning.” But she said she wouldn’t pee in the house anymore.

A few weeks later I heard back from Ann. Not only had Missy continued to “hold it” at night and pee outside in the morning, but Missy had not once made noise at night and woken Ann up! Ann reported that Missy had been sleeping on the bed with her and didn’t even get off the bed when Ann got up during the night.

Ann was finally getting the rest she needed and Missy was cooperating. Ann could not have been happier and Missy was happy and content too, now that she understood that Ann wasn’t going to get up to entertain her at night.

“I am grateful to Sky for sharing her gifts and enabling me to communicate with my cats and know what is going on with them. It was amazing to experience the joy of hearing their comments, each one so true to the cat’s behavior and know we were connected. This experience has put my mind at ease as I know I will be checking in with “my girls” on a regular basis through Sky. Sky is such a blessing — an Angel to animals and their care givers.” — Ann G., VA

By the Side of the Road

“I get so upset when I see dead animals by the side of the road — is there anything I can do to help them?”

Whether the dead animal is a wild animal or a domestic animal, most of us react the same way — we feel sad for a life cut short and ended so violently . . . we wish there was something we could do to help.

I always encourage people to send love to the spirit of the animal, to visualize the animal’s spirit surrounded by White Light (or whatever color feels right to you) and to ask whatever Higher Powers you believe in to help the animal’s spirit successfully cross over.

Because of my connection to the animals, I often find spirits of animals killed on the road asking me for help. The feeling starts in my 3rd eye — a persistent feeling that needs attention — and it does not let up until I make connection to the animal. It’s like the animal’s spirit is suddenly there in the car with me.

The first time I experienced this, it was more than a little surprising. It doesn’t happen with every animal, only those whose spirits have left their bodies, but have not crossed to Spirit. This is not an unusual occurrence when a death is sudden and traumatic, as in a road accident. When the animal spirits demand my attention, I do what needs to be done to release them so they can cross to Spirit.

A few years after I started talking to animals, I had a particularly vivid experience with this. I was driving west on Rt. 80 in Pennsylvania. It was the beginning of dusk — still quite light, but not bright day. I came over the top of a low rise and I saw on the road ahead of me a black triangle — the near edge of it went all the way across the road, then tapered to a point on the edge of the right shoulder of the road. I looked ahead to where the far point of the triangle terminated and I saw a bundle of . . . dead animal. The only clue that told me this was a deer was one single hoof that was undamaged.

At that moment, I crossed into the black triangle. It was like I was inside a movie. I saw and felt what the deer experienced . . . the giant semi tractor trailer slamming into the deer/me as the deer/I bounded across the highway, being dragged for what felt like an eternity, the deer’s body/my body jammed between the front bumper and the wheels, eventually chewed up and spit out by the giant wheels . . . the pain, the shock, the unending terror. As I passed the remains of the deer, the vision stopped — and I was again driving my car. I was so shaken up by this experience that I had to pull over and calm my shaking body. I looked back over the road — there was no black triangle visible.

When I stopped shaking and could be calm again, I realized I had to help the spirit of the deer, who was clearly “stuck”. Taking a deep breath, I connected to the deer’s spirit.

The deer was in panic and agony — she couldn’t understand why this had happened and kept re-living the experience over and over. I sent the deer unconditional love, White Light and compassion for what felt like a very long time. Finally, I felt the deer begin to calm. I told the deer that she needed to cross to Spirit. She said, “I can’t stay here, can I? It doesn’t do any good to stay here, does it?” I told her no, that she would be much better off if she crossed to Spirit. I showed her what the animals always show me they feel when they cross to Spirit — the feelings of the most intense love, peace, joy and freedom. I told her that is what awaited her if she could cross to Spirit. Finally, she said she was ready to cross to Spirit. I asked her if she could cross alone, or if she wanted me to call for another animal spirit to go with her. She asked for another animal spirit . . . and a rabbit appeared. I watched the vision of the spirits of the deer and the rabbit as they ran up the green, grassy hill into the sunrise. As they crested the hill, I knew she was safe in Spirit.

Then I connected with the doe in Spirit. She said she was sorry she had waited so long — that Spirit was a beautiful place — “the most beautiful place there is.” She said no one should have to suffer as she had when she was killed and then “stuck”, unable to cross to Spirit. I promised her that whenever I found an animal who was “stuck” that I would do everything I could to help them cross to Spirit. She thanked me and said, “We all thank you”.

I continue to help release animals to Spirit when they are “stuck” whenever they come to me for help. If you feel moved to do so, please do what you can to help them too!

Ranger Gets The Help He Needs

Kayla asked me to talk to her dog, Ranger. When I started talking to Ranger, the first thing he said was that he “wanted to be a good dog” for Kayla. Kayla said Ranger was a very, very good dog — she loved him very much. When I told Ranger that, he was so happy! He said he was grateful to have someone who loved him, finally.

Ranger showed me that he’d not had very much love or consistency with the family he was with when he was young. Ranger came to Kayla a few months before from a canine/inmate program at a prison. Ranger worked with at least two prisoners — the first one was new to dog training and wasn’t sure what he was doing, but Ranger said they learned together. Ranger said that the prisoners were kind to him, but he knew that neither of them were “his person”. Ranger said that his prison trainers told him that they were training him “to be a good dog so he could get a good home”. Ranger said he worked hard to learn everything and become a good dog, so he could find someone who would love him. Kayla reported that Ranger was an amazingly good dog — very obedient, happy and a wonderful companion . . . until she was out of the house for work.

Kayla’s main concern was Ranger’s severe separation anxiety. Kayla said that she crated Ranger when she left the house (he was crate trained in the prison program) and always came home to check on Ranger at noon and let him out and would be home at the same time in the afternoon. Kayla said that she was very consistent about the times she came home. Despite this, Ranger was showing increasing signs of anxiety when Kayla left him.

When I asked Ranger about this, he said that he was very worried that Kayla would not come back. Each time she came home, it was a miracle to him — he was so afraid that she wouldn’t come back! My feeling was that this anxiety was related to Ranger’s past. When I asked him about it, he said that the family he was with when he was young would often leave, come back and then leave again right away and be gone for for long periods of time. He never knew when they would be home to stay.

Ranger showed me that he was calm all the time — except when Kayla left. Ranger knew he could trust Kayla completely, but when he became anxious, Ranger was not thinking clearly. It was clear to me that Ranger didn’t even understand that it was possible to step back from the anxiety once it started. Ranger showed me that when he was over come with anxiety it was actually painful to him.

The next step was figuring out how to help Ranger learn he could be calm and relaxed all the time. I always like to start with simple things first. I made several suggestions including flower essence blends for calming and fear and having a dog walker come in the afternoon to get Ranger out for some exercise and suggested Kayla visualize Ranger being calm. I also suggested that Kayla try a Thundershirt for Ranger. A Thundershirt is a vest that applies pressure to acupressure points associated with calming/release of anxiety. Thundershirts don’t work for every animal, but it was certainly worth a try! Kayla was willing to try anything to help Ranger and implemented the suggestions as soon as she could.

I received an email from Kayla the next day . . . Ranger’s anxiety had continued to escalate — he had tried frantically to get out of his crate and had even bent the bars of the crate trying to escape. Kayla didn’t know what to do to help Ranger. As I read Kayla’s email, it was clear to me that Ranger’s anxiety was way beyond his control.

Much as I prefer a more homeopathic solution, there are times when prescription medication is what is called for — I felt this was one of those times. I suggested that Kayla contact her vet to see if a mild calming prescription would be possible for Ranger. I suggested Kayla be clear with the vet that she did not want to sedate Ranger, only allow him to have decreased anxiety so he could learn that he did not have to be anxious. My hope was that if Ranger could understand that it was possible not to be anxious, that he could eventually get off the prescription med and even be allowed free in the house. Kayla got in contact with the vet as soon as possible and started Ranger on the medication right away.

We talked to Ranger again less than two weeks later. The first thing Ranger said was, “Now I’m a really good dog!” Ranger showed me that he didn’t worry any more in his crate — he showed me that he slept and relaxed. Kayla said she only gave the prescription med to Ranger when he would need to be crated while she was at work. He said he felt a little “dull” when he got the medicine — “but that’s better than worrying — I didn’t know I could not worry!” He was very, very happy not to be feeling the extreme anxiety any more!

Kayla said that she had also gotten Ranger a Thundershirt, which Ranger loves! She said that Ranger was a bit worried the first couple times she put it on him, but within minutes, he was happy and wagging his tail. Now, he happily lets her put the Thundershirt on and even gets excited as soon as he sees it! I asked Ranger how the Thundershirt felt — the feeling he showed me was that it felt like a hug!

Since then, Ranger has not looked back! Ranger can be left out of his crate while Kayla is at work and he is relaxed and happy. Ranger is calmer when Kayla walks in the house and isn’t desperate or frantic when he greets her. Kayla said, “This is a big step for Ranger and will eventually lead to him being a much happier dog!”

” After we talked to Ranger the first time, when his anxiety got worse, I emailed Sky for advice. Sky didn’t hesitate to give me ideas and help me understand what Ranger needed. She truly went above and beyond for Ranger and me. She treated Ranger as if he was one of her own and genuinely cared about him! I could not be happier with Sky and everything she did for us. We are both so grateful for all the help Sky has given us! ” — Kayla L., CO.

Lakota’s Beautiful Feathers

I love talking to new breeds and species and in September 2014, I got the opportunity to talk to a parrotlet! Parrotlets are the smallest species of parrot. Even though they are small, they have plenty of personality!

Allison and her daughters and I had talked to their horses and cats a few times, but in September, Allison was very concerned about one of their four parrotlets, Lakota. Lakota had been plucking and chewing the feathers on her chest, back and legs for several months — to the point that she had bare, raw areas on her chest and back. [The photo on the left is of Lakota at that time.] They had taken Lakota to the vet, but Lakota was completely healthy. The vet had no explanation for Lakota’s self destructive behavior and suggested hormone shots, but Allison was very reluctant to do this.

Instead, Allison contacted me about talking to Lakota. Alison’s daughter, Calista, is Lakota’s person so I was very happy that Calista was going to be on the phone to ask the questions and hear the answers.
Allison and Calista were sitting in the car and Lakota was with them — climbing all over Callista as we talked.

As soon as I connected to Lakota she started talking. I kept having to ask Lakota to wait so I could relay the information to Callista and Allison — Lakota was talking non-stop!

Lakota said that she was upset and unhappy— her energy was very tense and angry. The problem wasn’t Callista, her food, her cage, her mate or the amount of attention she received. What she was unhappy about was Ladybird — the female parrotlet in the cage next to Lakota’s. Lakota said she had to be on guard all the time — she couldn’t relax. Lakota showed me that she was pacing all the time. Callista confirmed that Lakata did pace all the time in her cage. I asked her why she felt she had to be on guard. Lakota said that she had to protect her mate, Disco, from Ladybird. She wasn’t afraid Ladybird would hurt Disco — she was afraid that Ladybird would take Disco. Despite Lakota’s statements, she did not show me that Ladybird was being aggressive or doing anything to harm Lakota or Disco. Alison and Calista confirmed that this was true.

We asked how we could help her with this and Lakota said that she would like Ladybird to go “far away” — It was clear to me that Lakota wanted Ladybird out of the house! Allison said that the best she could do would be to put Ladybird’s cage as far away as she could in the house, so that Lakota never had to see her again. Lakota was still not happy — she said, “I want her to go away!”

I asked Lakota if she trusted her people to take care of her. Lakota said she did trust them and loved to play with Callista. I asked Lakota if she could trust her people to keep Lakota and her mate safe and protected — that it was Lakota’s people’s job to keep her and her mate safe and that Lakota could trust them to do this, now that they understood how worried she had been. It took some convincing, but finally Lakota was relieved that the responsibility for her and her mate’s safety was no longer on her little feathered shoulders — I felt a deep mental “sigh” — and she agreed to trust her people to keep her safe.

Next we asked about the feather chewing/plucking. We asked if Lakota thought she could stop doing this now that she knew she and her mate would be safe — Lakota said yes. As with all behavior changes, I needed to suggest something for Lakota to do when she gets the urge to pluck her feathers. Calista said that Lakota had toys in her cage but never played with them. I asked Lakota why she didn’t play with her toys and Lakota said she thought she wasn’t allowed to “because I have been so busy trying to keep Ladybird away.” In other words, if she played with the toys she would relax her guard and she couldn’t do that because it wasn’t safe. I reminded Lakota that her people would keep her safe now, so she could relax and play with her toys — especially when she felt like plucking her feathers. She said she would do that.

Allison and Calista also asked me to see if I could get Lakota to eat her vitamin supplement, which were always in the container at the bottom of her cage. Lakota knew where the supplement was, but wanted to know why she should eat them. Calista said it was because they wanted Lakota to be a strong bird and live a long time. Lakota said she was already a strong bird, even though she was little — but agreed to eat the vitamins and she agreed to tell her mate to eat them too.

At the end of the session, Lakota’s energy felt much better — she was relaxed and happy! Calista reported the each time I spoke to Lakota, she would pause in what she was doing and appeared to be listening. When I would start talking to Calista and Allison, Lakota would continue whatever she had been doing. They were amazed to watch her response!

[ Alison and Calista told me later that Ladybird’s mate had crossed to Spirit in the spring and Ladybird was very lonely without him. Lakota did not seem to be particularly attached to her mate, so they put Lakota’s mate in Ladybird’s cage. Ladybird was happy again. In hind sight, they realized this was the start of Lakota’s problems — Lakota began feather plucking and chewing a few weeks later. During our conversation, Allison kept saying, “That makes so much sense” — but did not explain why until later. After our conversation with Lakota, the impact of this small event became completely clear. The photo on the right is Lakota after she stopped feather plucking, following our conversation with her.]

” Lakota stopped plucking and chewing her feathers immediately after our phone call with Sky. We moved Ladybird and her mate’s cage to the other side of the house as Lakota requested. Since then Lakota has stopped pacing, regularly plays with her toys and now eats her vitamins — And even got her mate to eat his too! Lakota is one happy bird! If you have a bird with a behavior problem, it may be a simpler fix than you realize. Please call Sky — she helped us and our sweet little Lakota tremendously! ” — Allison W., CO.

Peace for Sam at Last

Shannon came to see me at a metaphysical fair in Colorado. I’d talked to her dogs and her cat before;
including Sam – her Great Pyrenees mix dog.
We’d talked to Sam in the past about aggressive tendencies toward people, dogs and objects like bouncing balls. Despite Sam’s odd behavior at times, Shannon and her family adored Sam and most of the time, he was a sweet and loving dog.

That day at the fair, however, Shannon only wanted to talk to Sam.

As soon as I connected with Sam, he said, “I am so sorry I was such a bad dog.”
I could feel his anguish, sadness and remorse very strongly. When Shannon heard this, she began to cry.
She then told me that Sam’s aggression had gotten out of control. He had attacked both Shannon and her son and had injured them both in completely unprovoked attacks. Shannon felt she had no choice but to put Sam down because he was unpredictable and dangerous.

We asked Sam what had happened — why did he attack Shannon and her son?
What I felt from Sam, when he showed me what happened before and during the attacks, was complete mental shut down, loss of connection to reality and complete inability to control his actions. Sam showed me that he was fine one second and “not there” the next — like his consciousness wasn’t even present when the attack occurred.
Sam showed me that there was no cause, no provocation for the attacks — it was like a switch being thrown and he went from being a sweet, loving dog to a very dangerous animal in the blink of an eye.
Shannon confirmed that this was exactly what happened. Shannon said she was sitting on the couch watching TV, not moving — Sam was on the floor at her feet facing her — when Sam suddenly launched himself at her.
Thankfully Shannon’s husband was able to grab Sam by the collar and drag him off of Shannon or her injuries could have been even worse. Sam attacked Shannon’s son in a similar way.

Sam was extremely upset about the attacks — I felt his fear when he lost control, his shame and anger when he realized what he had done, his guilt and sorrow that he had hurt the people who loved and trusted him.
He kept saying how sorry he was, that he was a bad dog and kept replaying the events over and over to me.
He said was glad that they had put him down — he didn’t want to hurt anyone else and he knew he couldn’t control himself.

We tried to reassure Sam that his family would love him always, forgave him and only wanted him to be at peace.
But Sam was in extreme emotional distress. Every time I came back to him to ask another question or tell him something, Sam again re-played the events and expressed his extreme shame, fear, sorrow and guilt for what he had done.

This level of extreme distress is not normal for souls that have crossed to Spirit — even animals who have experienced abuse do not have this extreme emotion when they tell me about what has happened to them.
They remember the events, they have feelings about the events — but the “sting” of the emotions is no longer there,
they have an attitude of peace and understanding about what happened.
Sam’s level of extreme emotion and inability to have perspective on what happened is something that I have experienced with souls that are “stuck” — meaning animals (or people) who no longer have a living body, but who are not fully crossed to Spirit either. This is a state of continuous emotional agony — not somewhere that any soul should have to remain.

I asked Sam “where” he was — he showed me that he was at the vet’s office. It was clear he knew he did not have a physical body, yet he was anchored in that location. He was not “haunting” the vet’s office, but his Spirit couldn’t leave there — he was “stuck”. Sam was clearly frantic to let his family know how was sorry he was about what happened and was frantic to get back to them.

I told Shannon what Sam had said and that I felt he was “stuck”. I told her I could help Sam cross to Spirit with her permission. With tears in her eyes, Shannon said, “Please help him — I knew something wasn’t right.”

I sent Sam unconditional loving energy and told him that he couldn’t connect with his family, release his guilt and sorrow or visit with his family as a Spirit until he crossed to Spirit. I had to repeat this several times before Sam was able to “hear” me, but he finally did. I told him that he could cross to Spirit whenever he was ready and he slowly calmed down, releasing the extreme emotions. Finally, I asked Sam if he was ready to cross to Spirit and he said yes.
I asked him if he would like me to ask another animal from Spirit to come to and help him cross over — Sam said, “Can you send someone, please?.” I then saw a reddish-brown, long haired dog with Sam.

The next image I saw was Sam and the reddish-brown dog running up a green, grassy hill into a beautiful sunrise, which is the image animals always show me as they cross to Spirit.
At the top of the hill Sam looked back and said thank you to Shannon and to me for helping him to be at peace.
As Sam and the other dog ran over the hill to the other side, I was filled with the most intense feelings of love, joy, peace and freedom — this is what animals show me is the feeling that those who cross to Spirit feel every moment they are in Spirit.

As I shared what Sam had told me and shown me with Shannon, including the image of the reddish-brown dog who came to help Sam cross to Spirit, Shannon began to cry again. She said she knew, in her heart, that the dog who came to help Sam cross to Spirit was their golden retriever, Baeron, who had crossed to Spirit years ago.

I connected with Sam again, now safely in Spirit. His energy was calm and peaceful. He thanked Shannon for her love and forgiveness and expressed his love for her and the family. Shannon and I both shed tears of gratitude that Sam was finally free.

The Gift of the Fawn

Even in a short time, we can make a difference in the life of an animal — and they can make a difference in ours . . .

Joanne lives in PA and has woods near her house. One night in May, very late, Joanne was woken up by the sound of an animal crying pitifully. Her husband didn’t hear the crying and Joanne later checked with her neighbors and they hadn’t heard the crying either — but Joanne heard it. She went outside to look, but didn’t see anything and reluctantly went to bed.

At 5 AM, Joanne woke up and could still hear the crying. She went into the woods, where she frequently walks, so see if she could find the animal.

Near a creek which had recently overflowed, she found a tiny fawn. As soon as the fawn saw Joanne, she came right over to her. Joanne felt a heart connection with the beautiful fawn the instant she saw her. The trust that the fawn showed in coming to her melted Joanne’s heart. Joanne carried the fawn home and spent the next hour or so with her. Joanne took the fawn, who Joanne had been calling Bambina, to the local wildlife rescue.

The rescue staff said Bambina was only 1 1/2 to 2 weeks old. Joanne knew the staff at the rescue would do the best they could to help Bambina — but she was so tiny and so young. Sadly, Bambina died 5 days later.

Joanne contacted me a few months later. She said she needed to know why she and Bambina shared this experience.

We talked to Bambina in Spirit. Bambina was so grateful that Joanne found her that morning. She had been so frightened and lost and was grateful for the kindness and love she felt from Joanne, even for the short time she was with Joanne. Bambina said she could “see” that Joanne had a kind and loving heart and would help her, which is why she walked over to her right away.

Joanne wanted to know what happened to Bambina’s mother. Joanne had looked for Bambina’s mother, but couldn’t find any trace of her. Even though it was not hunting season, Bambina showed me her mother dead on the ground with a arrow through her chest. My feeling was that this was an accident — target practice gone wrong. Bambina, hidden near by, was panicked and didn’t know what to do. She showed me running and trying to hide, panicked and afraid. She couldn’t tell me how far she’d gone, but to Bambina, it seemed like a long way. My feeling was that she’d been on her own for 24 hours or so.

We asked why Bambina didn’t survive. Speaking from the perspective of a soul in Spirit (being able to see “The Big Picture”), Bambina said that her body was too weak and she was too young to survive. My feeling was that she had some kind of an infection, possibly respiratory, and that her body was too weak to fend it off.

The shortness of Bambina’s life was understandably upsetting to Joanne. She wanted to know if there was some kind of lesson or reason for it. Bambina said that her short life was definitely challenging — but held important lessons for her soul . . . That even though people could be cruel (by killing her mother) they could also be kind and loving — as Joanne was. Bambina said that Joanne’s loving kindness made all the difference to her.

Bambina said that she did not want Joanne to be sad. She said that she would now be a Guide for Joanne — that she would walk with her in the woods. Joanne said that she walked in the woods all the time and would be honored to have Bambina walk with her. Bambina said that, although Joanne had always felt a connection to plants and animals, it was time for Joanne to connect to the animals and plants in the woods in a different way. She said that the nature beings would have messages for Joanne, so she needed to listen and allow herself to receive them. Joanne said she was grateful for the messages and understanding to come and that she would allow herself to receive them.

Bambina asked me to let Joanne know that she was in the part of the Spirit world that I think of as the Recovery Place, so her Spirit could recover from the challenges of her time on Earth. Animals generally don’t appear to me there as the age they were when they crossed over — and the fawn was no exception. She appeared to me as a full grown doe — beautiful and full of gentle energy. The fawn said that this is the way she wants Joanne to visualize her — the way she will be when she walks in the woods with Joanne.

Finally, the fawn said that the lesson of this experience for Joanne was this: that it’s not the amount of time that you have to give love and kindness that matters — it’s that you give it. Joanne said that she understood and that she would look forward to walking in the woods with the fawn — who was now a doe.

P.S.: After we talked to Bambina, Joanne emailed to let me know she’d been out running errands that same day and drove past a beautiful, full grown doe standing on the side of the road. The doe looked calmly, right at Joanne, then turned and ran away. Joanne knew this was a message from Bambina — “See, this is what I look like now!” Joanne said she will continue to look for messages in nature and will continue to connect with her beautiful new Guide in deer form.

” I didn’t understand why the fawn and I shared this experience together. But I knew it was meaningful. That’s why I talked to Sky. I needed her insight. It was a very powerful and emotional experience for me, and I feel a bond that I can’t explain with ‘my’ fawn. I feel like it was a special gift, and I am grateful. ” — Joanne S., PA

Talking to Elephants

“ Can you talk to elephants? ”

That was the opening question of a new client who sat down at my booth at a metaphysical fair in CO a few years ago. I told her that I’d not talked to any elephants previously, but since I have not found any species that I couldn’t talk to, I was certainly game to try!

I asked if she had some kind of personal connection with the elephants and this is the story she told me . . . She had been making donations to the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, a sanctuary for elephants and rhinos in Africa, for several years. By donating, she was able to sponsor elephants and get regular updates on their progress. The summer before, she made a trip to Africa and was able to finally meet the elephants she was sponsoring and many others at the sanctuary. She had pictures of a couple of baby elephants that she wanted me to talk to.

She handed me the first photo — a female baby elephant. I asked the baby if we could talk to her and she said yes. The first thing that came through was the baby’s personality — she was very attracted to people and loved interacting with them! Her energy was very bright and fun loving. Whenever there were visitors, she showed me that she would always be near them — touching them and asking for scratching/petting. My client confirmed that this is what she experienced with this baby when she visited the sanctuary.

Next, she asked if the baby remembered what happened to her mother. The scene immediately came to me, filled with the feelings of panic and intense terror . . . the baby seeing her mother riddled with bullets and falling to the ground, as the mother tried to shield the baby from the poacher’s guns. The baby, in terror and panic, not wanting to leave her mother and not knowing what to do. As the men came toward the body of her mother, the baby tried to hide and thankful was ignored by the poachers. The baby showed me returning to her mother’s butchered body, crying in agony and fear, until kind humans came and brought her to the sanctuary. As I related this to my client, both of us cried. After we could talk again, my client told me that what the baby had shown me matched the history that she had been given by the sanctuary.

We asked the baby if she liked being in the sanctuary. She said it was very nice and that the people were so kind. She said they understood elephants. My feeling from her was that the sanctuary staff treated the elephants like “people” . . . 4 legged, very large people, but with the same needs as a human being — for comfort, companionship, touch and love — and that was the most important part for her. She said she was very happy there and knew that the staff would take care of her until she was big enough to “go out” — into the larger wild part of the sanctuary.

We talked to another baby — a male — who mercifully was very young when his mother was killed so he did not remember the event. His personality felt very different. Although he too loved interacting with the people, he also liked playing tricks on them — taking their hats off their heads and picking things from their pockets and running away or hiding them. He thought this was wonderfully funny — and the people did too! My client confirmed the accuracy of the information I received from this baby too.

We also talked to an adult male elephant, a patriarch, who had recently crossed to Spirit as a result of old wounds suffered at the hands of humans. The dignity and grace of his Spirit was an honor for me to experience. We asked how he felt about crossing over due to his injuries. He said that humans still do not understand that all life on earth is ONE. Damage done to one species is damage done to all. All life is precious, he said, but until all humans take this understanding into their hearts, the world can not be at peace. My client wanted to know if the patriarch felt he would stay in Spirit or if he would reincarnate and return to earth. He said that when his Spirit was ready, he wanted to return to earth. He said he wanted to return to the sanctuary so he could continue his work — helping people understand. He said people who visited the sanctuary came away changed, with deeper understanding and more open eyes and hearts. He said that was the best way to change people — one at a time — so they could feel the truth in their hearts.

As I always do when I communicate with an animal, I thanked each of the elephants we talked to for speaking with us. I thanked my client for the privilege of speaking with these beautiful animals . . . and I thanked Spirit for the honor of being able to hear them from my heart. It was an experience I will never forget and will always be grateful for!

*******************************************

If you would like to donate or foster an elephant or rhino at the
David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, go to –

(http://www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org)

You can foster an elephant or rhino for as little as $50.00 year.

Laus: The Miracle Cat

Laus was a young feral cat and had been in a cage for 6 weeks at the vet’s office. The vet had hoped to socialize Laus and get her a home, but Laus continued to be mean and agitated. But for Judy and Dave, the vet’s warnings about Laus’s behavior came too late. It was love at first sight and they brought Laus home that day. In Judy’s words, “Laus proved to be quite a stinker — alternating between sucking on our shirts and biting us!” But nothing Laus did dimmed even slightly the complete unconditional love Judy and Dave had for her. In time, Laus became a loving — if opinionated and forceful — member of the family.

After 14 wonderful years of loving and laughing at Laus’s antics, Laus started having health issues. Laus was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer in September of 2012. Judy was told to take Laus home, shower her with love and wait for the end — which the vet felt would be in 3 months. As Judy was leaving the vet’s office in shock, one of the vet techs suggested that Judy contact me so that she and Dave could say good-by to Laus.

I spoke to Laus and Judy soon there after. Judy was particularly bonded to Laus and was completely distraught about the short prognosis for Laus’ remaining life. She was already grieving and was an emotional wreck. She did not know how she was going to live without Laus.

So I was rather surprised when I connected with Laus — she did not “feel” like a gravely ill cat to me! In fact, she had good energy and was very talkative. When I told Laus what the vet had said — that she was expected to cross to Spirit soon — she would have none of it! She said she had no intention of crossing over soon. I had no doubt from the energy she put behind that statement that if she had anything to say about it, she was NOT going anywhere!

When I asked Laus to tell me how she was feeling physically, she pointed me at her left lower lung — Judy confirmed that this was the location of the tumor. When I “felt” through Laus’ body, I could feel the tumor clearly. But it did not seem to be bothering Laus excessively. Laus said she was not having any pain, although she did feel pressure from the tumor. Laus was able to tell us that she felt better since they had started treatment for the tumor, so Judy knew they were on the right track. Laus just didn’t understand why the vet was making such a big deal about it!

Laus was very opinionated and had a lot to say about pretty much every aspect of her life. She loved her food, but didn’t like the pillow that they had made specially for her because when she laid down on it, it made a “crinkly” sound she didn’t like. Laus knew she was beautiful and said that she ran the household — which Judy confirmed! We asked Laus about the other four cats in the house and Judy confirmed that Laus’ analysis of their personalities — and how they interacted with Laus — was right on. This included Laus’ opinion of their Maine Coon cat, Melvin — who she said was terribly “needy”. When we talked to Melvin, he said he LOVED Laus, but had to “adore her from afar” because Laus was not exactly a cuddly cat.

Judy wanted to know about what happened when Laus was a tiny kitten, before coming to the vet’s office. Laus showed me that she was feral and living in a dumpster with her siblings and her mother. Her mother left one day and never came back. My feeling was that she had died. One after another, Laus’ siblings died around her — but somehow Laus survived until she was rescued and brought to the vet’s office.

Laus is a very direct and to the point kind of cat. At the end of the session, Judy asked if Laus had anything else to tell her. True to form, Laus did not mince words. She told Judy that she had to stop being sad all the time. Laus said she had no intention of dying any time soon and that Judy was wasting whatever time they had left fussing over her, worrying and being sad. Laus didn’t know how long she’d live (although she thought it would be a long time) so she told Judy in no uncertain terms that she needed to stop worrying and start enjoying whatever time they had left together.

I wasn’t sure how Judy was going to take this — Laus did not pull any punches delivering this information. Judy was quiet for a few seconds and then told me that Laus was right. She had been sad, full of dread, worrying, fretting and hovering over Laus constantly since Laus was diagnosed with cancer. Judy said that after hearing Laus put it into words, she realized that she wasn’t making the most out of whatever time she had left with Laus. Judy is a natural worrier so it would be challenging for her to not worry, but she said she would do her best not to worry and enjoy every moment with Laus. Laus said she’d be a lot happier if Judy could be happy — then they could really enjoy each other again. Judy said she would do her best.

Nearly two years have gone by since that first conversion and Laus is still going strong!

Judy schedules a chat with Laus several times a year to see how she is doing and to discuss things as they come up. One of the things we check on each time are Laus’ medications/side effects. When we spoke to Laus the first time, she complained of feeing “dopey” from one of her meds. We could tell which medication it was based on when it was given each day and when the “dopey” feeling occurred. By adjusting the dosage and checking to see how Laus was feeling, Judy and the vet were able to be sure that Laus was receiving the maximum benefit from the medication with a minimum of side effects.

As Eleanor Roosevelt said, “Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, and today is a gift; thats why they call it the present.” By learning to let go of her worry, Judy has been given the gift of enjoying all the “presents” that her time with Laus can give her — and Laus is very happy about that!

” We have discussed Laus’ life as it happens and Sky has been able to give us invaluable information about Laus’ treatment, feelings and love. It has been so important to talk to Laus and get her input on anything that comes up, no matter how small — or if I’m just feeling anxious about how she’s doing. We all feel better after we talk to Sky! We hope Laus continues to stay well and we know that Sky will be there for us to guide us through this journey. We cannot thank Sky enough for sharing her wonderful gift with us! ” — Judy C., FL

Demetria: The Argumentative Diva

Demetria, or Demi as her person Robyn affectionately calls her, is a very determined cat. In fact, Robyn says she is a true diva! Robyn loves Demi and does her best to give Demi what she needs and wants.

I first spoke to Demi in April. Robyn, her husband Bob and their furry family were living in challenging times. Robyn had moved to south Florida for work and took their other cat, Ladybug with her — Bob remained in Canada with Demi and their dog Sammy. Robyn had taken Bug (as Robyn calls her) because Demi doesn’t do well with change. Our first conversation, which included Bob who was visiting in FL, started with talking to Demi about peeing outside the litter box, which she’d been doing on and off for a few years.

We asked Demi what started this behavior. Demi indicated that she was mad because Robyn had started fostering kittens. Demi did not want to have to share Robyn’s attention with the kittens and showed her displeasure clearly by peeing outside the litter box. Robyn said that she had thought that was the issue and had stopped fostering kittens, which was a very difficult thing for her because she wanted to help homeless kittens — but Demi came first.

Since Robyn was no longer fostering kittens, we asked why Demi still wasn’t using the litter box. Demi said that since Robyn left, Bob was not keeping the litter box clean enough to suit Demi. Bob admitted that he could do better with this and agreed to make sure the box stayed clean. But there was more to it than that . . .

Robyn was concerned that Demi was having physical issues and asked me to see if Demi was having any pain. Demi pointed me at her lower back/hips — the pain level she showed me was significant. When I scanned her body, I felt that she had arthritic changes in her lower back/hips. Robyn knew that Demi had been injured in a car accident as a kitten, but did not know the specifics of the accident. Demi showed me that a car had partially backed over her when she was lying on the driveway. Robyn said that this explanation correlated perfectly with the injuries that had been identified. Demi showed me that the pain was making it difficult to step up over the edge of the litter box. Bob said he would cut down the front of the box so Demi could get in more easily.

I asked Demi if she would be willing to use the litter box if Bob adjusted the box so she could get into it more easily and if she was having less pain. Demi didn’t see why it was a big deal that she was peeing outside the litter box — it took a LOT Of convincing to get her to say she would “try” to use the box! Considering how stubborn Demi was about this, I was glad that at least she said she’d try.

Robyn wanted to take Demi to the vet so they could see if anything could be done to help reduce Demi’s pain. I explained to Demi why she needed to go to the vet and what we expected would happen (including the exam by the vet and x-rays). Demi was highly insulted that “they would do things” to her. After much convincing, including letting her know that the more cooperative she was, the sooner she’d be back home — Demi finally said that she “would be vocal, but would cooperate.” She really felt all this was an affront to her dignity!

About a month later, it was finally time for the vet appointment so Robyn asked me to talk to Demi again. Bob had cut down the front of the litter box and he had been diligent in cleaning the box . . . and Demi had been really good about using the litter box! We told Demi how grateful Robyn and Bob were that she was using the litter box — she took the compliments as her due for good behavior.

Next we talked about the vet visit. Clearly, Demi had been mulling this over in her mind, because when I told her the appointment would be in a few days, she was very defiant and said, “I’M NOT GOING!!” We told her that the vet tech was someone she knew and liked, but she didn’t care. The only way to describe her response is a tantrum! She was adamant that if she was taken to the vet, she create a fuss — I was honestly afraid she would hurt either the tech or the vet, she was that upset. I finally had to tell her, in the strongest possible way, that she could NOT hurt anyone. I told her she could vocalize, but could not claw or bite anyone. I couldn’t get Demi to promise to behave, but she said she’d “try”. Robyn reported to me later that the vet visit went very well — no one was injured and Demi did cooperate, even though she was not happy. Demi got an extra special treat of tuna that night as a “thank you” for her good behavior!

A few weeks later we talked to Demi again, to see how she was feeling. Demi showed me that her low back/hips were tight, but not painful. Unfortunately, Demi had started peeing outside the litter box again. Her initial response was, “Oh, that again? It’s not a big deal — it’s just not always convenient” to use the litter box. I had a lengthy discussion with Demi about why it was important to use the litter box, reminding her that Bob had done everything she asked to make the litter box work for her and that if she could use the litter box sometimes, she could use it ALL the time. Demi started arguing with me, saying that she uses it when she feels like it. I told her that she had a nice place to live, good food and is well cared for and that the best way to thank her people for all that is to use the litter box all the time. She did not seem impressed with my suggestion and I was not confident that she’d comply.

At the beginning of June, a family member flew with Demi to FL so she could live with Robyn. We’d prepared Demi for the trip and she did great — of course, the sedative she received before leaving helped too! Demi had been excited about seeing Robyn again — but “not so much” about seeing Bug. When we let Bug know Demi was coming she said, “OH NO!”

The next few weeks after Demi came to FL were pretty stressful, as the cats worked things out between themselves. Bug made it clear to Demi that she wasn’t going to let Demi walk all over her and Demi gave as good as she got. Since Demi was stressed, she started peeing outside the litter box again. Robyn tried several different types of litter boxes and finally found one that Demi likes — an under the bed storage container with the lid removed.

Peace has not been restored totally — but the cats have mostly established a kind of tolerance for each other. Demi isn’t 100% on using the litter box yet — but she is getting better. Robyn says that it is Demi’s loving behavior toward people that is her best quality — she rubs on and will sit on anyone who comes into the apartment — including the plumber! As Robyn says, “Demi’s affectionate behavior balances out the times she makes me want to pull my hair out!”

So Robyn is going to love Demi through it — whatever it takes!

” Gaining the insight that our companions really do understand and strive to communicate with us has brought the bond between myself and my own animals even closer together.” — Robyn T., FL

Sadie: Putting the Trauma Behind Him

Events in our lives can have a big impact on our animal friends. Sometimes they give us subtle signs that they are disturbed, other times it is very obvious. In either case, we need to listen so we can help them through it.

One such animal who was traumatized is Sadie, a 12 year old male Green-Cheeked Conure, whose person is a woman named Sam. Sam has loved and cared for Sadie since he was 8 weeks old. Sadly, Sam’s husband crossed to Spirit in 2010. In Sam’s words, “Sadie is all I have — he’s my best buddy.”

Sam was shocked to come home on October 26 to find that her locked home had been burglarized. Her first thought was not of the damage the thieves had done or the loss of her possessions but of her beloved Sadie. She immediately went to check to see if he was alright. Although unhurt, Sadie was clearly traumatized by the home invasion. Sam reports that despite her efforts to reassure Sadie and help him get past the traumatic event, Sadie wouldn’t interact with her and “would only perch at the back of his cage shaking and quaking.” Sadie wouldn’t eat or drink anything, much less chatter to Sam — even though he was quite a chatterer normally.

Although traumatized herself by the break-in, Sam was most concerned about her beloved Sadie. At the suggestion of a friend, Sam scheduled an appointment with me to talk to Sadie two weeks after the burglary.

As soon as I connected to Sadie, he started talking about the break-in . . . ” There wasn’t anything I could do —
I couldn’t stop them! ” He was so upset! If Sadie was a person, he would have been crying, he was in so much distress.

Sadie needed to vent his feelings about what happened before we could talk about anything else, so we let him talk. He felt it was his responsibility for taking care of the house when Sam was out (Sam admitted that she always said, ” Take care of the house, Sadie ” before she left the house). When the thieves broke in, Sadie felt helpless — there was nothing he could do but watch them. He was very literally caged and was powerless to stop them. He was terrified, but he could do nothing. He felt he’d let Sam down and that he had failed her. As Sadie continued to vent his feelings, I could feel him let go of the emotions and release the the trauma of the experience.

As Sam listened to Sadie’s words, she began crying. Sam was able to relive the experience of the break-in along with Sadie and release the feelings she had been holding in as well. Gradually, both Sam and Sadie were able to return to a place of better emotional balance.

I reassured Sadie that, for Sam, the only thing that was important was that he was safe. Sam said she did not know what she would have done if anything had happened to Sadie — she didn’t care what earthly possessions she lost, as long as he was safe. When I told Sadie this, he said, ” She isn’t mad at me for not taking care of things? ” I assured him she was not — that she was grateful that he stayed still in his cage and didn’t attract the attention of the thieves. All that mattered to Sam was that Sadie was safe. I could feel Sadie sigh with relief when he heard this!

We next told Sadie that from now on, Sam was going to take responsibility for keeping their house safe — that it wasn’t Sadie’s job any more. I explained the alarm system that Sam had purchased — that was challenging for Sadie to understand, but he got the point — that it was not up to him to guard the house any more. He said, ” I’m just a small bird, but I would still guard the house for her if she wanted me to. ” That brought tears to Sam’s eyes — and mine too — but we assured Sadie that Sam would be responsible for the safety of the house from then on.

I assured Sadie that his only job now was to be happy and be a loving companion for Sam. Sadie told me that was easy — he could definitely do that! I asked if he felt like he could start eating and drinking and chattering with Sam again. Sadie said he thought he could, because he felt so much better now.

Finally, Sam asked me to tell Sadie how much she loved him and that she was so grateful to have him in her life. Sadie said he that he sees Sam as his ” partner ” and would do everything he could to show her how much he loves her.

In the course of the conversation, I could feel Sadie’s energy go from extremely worried and upset to calm and happy . . . Sam’s energy improved during the conversation as well. It was a healing experience for both Sadie and Sam.

Sam emailed me a few weeks later to tell me that, immediately after our communication session, Sadie started eating and drinking and had returned to his normal chattery self! She said she also felt calmer and more relaxed and said that the appointment had been therapeutic for both of them.

” I called Sky after the break-in and she talked to Sadie and me — and calmed us both down immediately! Sky talked to Sadie again this spring — twice in two weeks, while I was on vacation in FL and Sadie was boarded at the vet’s to be safe. She checked on him, reassured him and told him what was happening. I can’t tell you how reassuring it is to have Sky in Sadie’s and my life! ” — Sam H., CO