Look Who's Talking

by Kara L. Stewart, Horse Illustrated Magazine (reprinted with permission)

For some people telepathic animal communication ranks up there with UFOs on the believability scale. Others swear by it- they've seen their animal's behavior problems disappear and ailments pinpointed that previously avoided detection.

If we think about it, many of the treatments we use today were once considered "alternative." Chiropractic care, massage therapy, acupuncture, Bach flower remedies, laser therapy and other modalities now considered acceptable treatment options were once pooh-poohed as weird or implausible. Even training methods have evolved as more horse owners seek to achieve a partnership with their horse rather than a relationship based on domination.

Besides, how many of us- and our vets and trainers, too- have said, "If only Buster could tell us what was wrong?" Wouldn't it be helpful if, instead of guessing at the cause of a training or health issue, you could ask your horse and receive his answer directly?

Are you Listening?
It's possible, according to the thousands of animal communicators throughout the world. Perhaps the best part is that telepathic communication isn't limited to a select few people with inborn abilities. We can all do it. In fact, we already do it- we have just tuned it out. Plus, they say our animals are trying to communicate with us all the time. We're just not listening.

Penelope Smith, formerly a human counselor and one of the founders of the animal communication field in the early 1970's, explains it this way. "Telepathy is about feeling, and you receive these feelings in a variety of ways. You can receive images, smells, tastes, feeling in the body and thoughts."

Tuning In
"Telepathic communication is like a heartbeat- it's happening within us all the time without our conscious awareness," says Carol Gurney, animal communicator and author. "It's not a gift that I alone have. All people are born with the ability to communicate with animals, but as a whole, our society doesn't rely on intuition. People need to learn the gut response and that intuition, and then listen to it."

Animal Communicators say that, as children, we all have greater intuitive abilities because we haven't been taught yet to ignore that part of ourselves. As we grow into adulthood, most people leave intuition behind and rely more on left-brain thought and verbal analysis of problems.

"With our education, religious beliefs or otherwise, we start to make intuition a mystery rather than something that's usable," explains Jim Worsley, Animal Communicator and Conscious Energy Breathing Consultant. But it's not a mystery.

He adds, "we're in communication with every being on the planet. We all breath the same air, we all share the same spiritual essence."

"We all have this ability," adds Joyce Leake, Animal Communicator and Author. "Many of us have just forgotten how, or we don't have the self-confidence to believe the messages we're getting are real."

Long-Distance Calls
For some people, it's one thing to believe that a communicator can tune into an animal that's an arm's length away. It's quite another when they hear that communication can take place from miles away without ever meeting the animal in person.

"Its not about consciousness. Its about energy," explains Carol. We all have an identifiable energy- it's like our fingerprint. No two beings' energy is alike. Through the use of energy- along with the animal's name, description, age and who they live with- you can tune into that being's energy."

In fact, according to Carol, communicating telepathically is actually simpler. "It keeps the communication cleaner, and it's easier to do it than with the body there."

What's The Trick?
As a whole, animal communicators suggest that it's important for a person to "get quiet" so it's easier to receive communications from animals. "Otherwise," says Penelope Smith, "your own thoughts and feelings are in the way."

In this overbooked frantic society, how do we do that?

Says Carol, "Even when we're talking and communicating to people, we don't really listen. We process something like 40,000 pieces of information a day and there's so much going into our heads. Find something that helps you slow down, like Tai Chi, Yoga or meditation, and work with it to calm down."

But before horse owners work on getting quiet, Penelope encourages them to evaluate their perception of animals in general. "You have to recognize animals as fellow beings and look at them as equals. I don't mean equal meaning being the same as human, but equal as fellow intelligent, feeling, thinking beings. And, you need to be willing for them to teach you," she explains.

"To get quiet with them, drop your thinking and preconceptions. Become receptive and open," Penelope explains. "Taking nice deep breaths, just sit quietly with your horse rather than doing something with him."

Meditation is a method people use to quiet their minds. "The problem with meditation," shares Jim, "is that people think they're supposed to be doing something with whatever is happening. Instead, I ask people to sit down and feel confused for ten minutes and not worry about getting anywhere with it. When people are willing to start doing that, they reach a point where they start to notice a difference."

However, he notes, "Quietness doesn't mean no thoughts. It means being willing to listen."

Joyce has a slightly different approach. "How do you quiet your mind? I don't know- I tried for years," she says. "One day, I decided that maybe I didn't have to quiet my mind. I found that the more I stopped trying to quiet my mind, the more information came in."

She adds, "It's like having a conversation in a crowded room. You accept the chatter around you, yet you're still able to receive messages from the person you're talking with because you're focused on him or her."

Let's Talk
Several of the communicators interviewed agreed to do a telepathic consultation with Eddie, my 13-year-old Arabian gelding. I gave all communicators the same questions, and tried not to sway the outcome by giving extra information. In fact, good communicators don't want to know more than the basics that let them tune into that animal: Eddie's name, age, breed, where he lives (at home turned out on our small acreage) and how long we've been together (a little over 4 years). I also shared that we show in English flat classes in local open shows and he lives with a companion donkey, Serena.

I tried to come up with questions that wouldn't lead to foregone conclusions. Plus, I asked one question to which I thought there was only one answer: how did Eddie hurt a front leg last November? But, after receiving the responses, I realized that Eddie has a penchant for sticking his legs through the smooth wire fences along his property and pulling shoes loose, rubbing hair off his leg and so on. Although I may have been thinking of one particular incident, Eddie may have answered thinking of a different situation. So much for my attempt for scientific accuracy.

So, how did the communicators do? Overall, I have to say the comments were on track. Some comments I have no way of verifying, but they're interesting to keep in mind for the future. Some seemed not to fit at all from my perspective, while others had that Twilight Zone quality of "how in the world did they know that?" To be fair, my view of the responses is subjective- unconsciously filtered through my own sense of Eddie, our relationship in the world.

The way I look at animal communication is that if it can help answer questions, or resolve problems, then why not try it? Carol says, "Animal communication is real, and there's evidence and proof that it works. We've worked with vets who were stumped by a horse's symptoms and had tried all the tests and options they could think of. When a communicator was brought in, he or she pinpointed the problem. When the vet checked that area again, it was verified that indeed there was something amiss in an area they had overlooked."

If a communication doesn't produce results, there's no harm done- and it can be entertaining. The only thing you're out is the fee for the consultation, which is usually under $100.

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