February 19, 2025 • 40 mins
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Here on Let's Talk to Animals, the animals are the real podcast hosts. In this episode, we begin by unpacking a listener's question. If animals are perfect souls, why would they agree to come here to Earth and endure trauma, abuse, hoarding and abandonment at the hands of imperfect humans?
As an animal communicator and animal communication teacher, I always bring your questions straight to the animals for their response. Learn what the animals shared with me about:
🌟What it's like to come into a body and the challenges it holds
🌟Why a perfect animal would sign up to live with an imperfect human
🌟How animals can help other animals by going through tough times
🌟A contemplation to take judgment and condemnation out of the equation
🌟And so much more....
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Shannon Cutts (00:00):
Welcome to Let's Talk to Animals, the podcast all
species can enjoy together.
My name is Shannon Cutts.
I'm your friendly neighborhoodhost and guide.
I am a professional animalsensitive and intuitive, Reiki
master practitioner for pets andtheir people, and an animal
communication teacher.
In this episode of the we aregoing to take a deep dive into
(00:26):
one of the thorniest and mostdifficult issues that companion
animals in our world face.
Trauma, abuse, hoarding,rehoming, abandonment.
What do the animals have to sayabout this?
How do they feel about havingthese types of experiences at
(00:48):
the hands of our species?
And why would animals who havetotal free will to choose their
incarnation, to choose theirbodies, to choose their
circumstances, to choose theirexperiences in life?
Why would they ever choose tolive with humans who put them
through such difficultcircumstances?
(01:11):
That is the question on thetable today, and it is a tough
one and it is a deep one, and sowe will tread with care and
with empathy, which means tofeel as if, or to suffer with,
and with compassion, which meansto take passionate action on
behalf of, to inform ourselves,to understand these issues,
(01:34):
these very human issues, fromthe animal's point of view, and
to hopefully equip ourselves toease the trauma that often
occurs when a rescue animal hasbeen through these types of
experiences and then chooses usand joins our family.
So I want to open up today'sepisode in a rather unique way
(01:56):
by sharing a question that camethrough to me recently and a
little bit about the responsethat I offered in answering this
question.
So I got a question that saidHi Shannon, I started to listen
to your podcast about petschoosing their humans and it got
me thinking.
(02:16):
Why would a pet choose a humanwho inflicts immense pain, both
physically and emotionally, onthem?
Humans who need to pay back akarmic debt might need to
experience pain in anotherincarnation because they wrought
pain on a human in a previouslife.
But animals, in my opinion, areperfect.
So why would they decide theyneeded to experience a difficult
(02:39):
incarnation?
It doesn't make sense to me.
My cat asked me why he wassurrendered to an animal shelter
when he didn't know what he haddone wrong.
The rescue told me he had beensurrendered because the owners
thought he was too bossy.
I told him they were blanketyblanks who didn't deserve him
and I wouldn't change anythingabout him.
(03:00):
This is a tough one, right?
So many of you, I know, areliving with animals who have
gone through situations likethis in similar circumstances.
Others of you may be sharingyour family with rescued animals
from hoarding situations oranimals that have been rescued
(03:21):
off the streets, either in yourhome country or elsewhere around
the world.
You may be sharing your homeand your family with animals who
have been victims of multiplerehomings, like this listener
describes, animals who areenduring the fallout from not
ever feeling wanted, not everfeeling like they belonged, not
(03:46):
ever knowing with certainty thatthey will get their needs met.
In fact, I had a communicationwith a dog just this morning who
was dealing with resourceguarding issues, and when I
tuned in with her she said shejust didn't understand what
family meant.
She had never felt wanted, shehad never felt certain of
anything in her life, and so shedidn't really understand that
(04:09):
there was a different way to be,and we spent quite some time
working with her trauma and I'meagerly looking forward to
hearing the outcome.
But I want to share a portion ofmy reply to this listener who
asks about perfect animalschoosing wildly imperfect humans
, and I said this is exactly whyI love animal communication so
(04:33):
much it prompts us to enter intothese deep contemplations and
really form our own perceptions.
Even more importantly, I findit prompts us to ask the animals
for their insights, to invitethem to teach us and guide us
through just such thorny issuesas these.
The issue you raise isparticularly nuanced, so I'm
(04:55):
happy to share some reflectionsof my own.
When I regard a word such asperfect, I then ask myself what
perfection might look like andact like.
Let's say I am perfect, which Iam so not, but just as an
example, if I was perfect, Iwould hope to be perfect in
empathy, in compassion, ingratitude for the abundance in
(05:17):
my life, in self-care andservice to others.
And, as perfect me, I wouldhope that the empathy I feel
propels me to compassionateaction on behalf of those who
are struggling to live well, tonot harm others, to not harm
themselves, to find abundanceand gratitude, whether they
appreciate my efforts or not, orchoose to change their lives or
(05:40):
not.
So, as perfect me, I mightchoose to incarnate into close
company with someone who isangry, bitter, terrified,
someone who might evenpotentially harm me because of
their own inner darkness.
Why would I do this?
Because there is a chance mypresence in their life might
soften them, open their heart,ease their suffering, encourage
(06:02):
growth.
There are stories of theseexact types of transformations
that occur every day because ananimal enters a suffering
human's life.
Then there are stories wherethe best outcome does not happen
here on the earth plane, atleast from what I've personally
experienced thus far in life.
We all have free will.
Opportunities may be presentedto us to learn and grow, to
(06:24):
better ourselves, and we alsoget to say yes or no to those
opportunities.
So the animal bears risk thisperfect animal when they choose
to enter the life of animperfect human who might harm
them.
There is no guarantee theircompassionate act will be
recognized or accepted.
There is yet another side tothis many-sided coin, which is
(06:46):
that when an animal is rescuedfrom an abuse or neglect or
other horrific situation, theanimal's human rescuers get to
be heroes.
Their light shines brighter,their hearts grow in love and
gratitude and perhaps futureselfless acts.
They uplift our species andoften inspire others to do the
(07:06):
same.
Earth and again, this is onlymy perspective and is not meant
to be taken as fact, but earthfeels like a school to me.
So in this school scenario,this school hypothesis, any soul
who lives inside a body here isfree to learn and grow,
regardless of species.
So, yes, there is perfection,but there is also continued
(07:27):
evolution.
I have spoken with animals whocome here only once or twice
because it supports their workand service on the spirit side
to experience a boots on theground, earthly incarnation.
Those animals typically go backto the spirit dimension and
take with them greater empathyand compassion and are able to
more effectively care for theanimal souls who are returning
(07:50):
from their earthly lives in needof healing and unconditional
love.
And then some animals incarnateover and over again here on
earth, and there are manyreasons for this as well.
You also share a vitallyimportant phrase in your email.
In my opinion.
You notice I use thisthroughout as well, and also
share a vitally important phrasein your email, in my opinion.
You notice I use thisthroughout as well, and I love
this because it highlightsanother gift we all get to seek
(08:12):
our own truth and form our ownperspectives and opinions as we
go through our earthly lives.
It is both a gift and a sacredtrust that we bear.
The truth is, it is soimpossibly hard to witness
precious animals suffering onany level, and especially at the
hands of our own species.
I've talked before on thepodcast about how, for so many
(08:35):
years I didn't even want to be ahuman.
I used to wish I could justchange species and pick a better
, kinder one to join in with.
But now I realize being a humanmeans I can help the animals
and share my light, and so I'mable to make some peace with it.
I can't control what otherhumans choose to do there's that
pesky free will again but I canbe there to help the animals
(08:56):
and also recognize that, like us, they have power and agency
over their own life choices.
To me, every one of us whocomes here chooses knowingly to
do so.
We each understand what we aresigning up for and why, and our
reasons make sense to us in thatmoment of choice.
We choose our own adventure,with full power and authority to
(09:17):
do so regardless of species.
So, then, my job and our jobshould you care to join me as
animal communicators, becomessimple To ask the animals,
listen to their stories, learnfrom them and share their
stories as a form of light toheal the world.
So that's where I from withwanting to share this episode
(09:41):
with you.
I notice cycles in my weeklyworkload, if you will the types
of pet parenting cases andanimal guardianship cases that
cross my path and right now weseem to be in a trauma cycle.
I'm getting a lot of inquiriesand requests for sessions around
(10:03):
issues like resource guardingand biting and aggression and
fights breaking out, and thereare a lot of reasons for this.
But the truth underneath,whatever the surface issue may
present, as is that somebody'shurting, somebody's scared,
(10:24):
somebody feels unwanted oruncertain in some way about
getting their basic needs met,and if we trace that back far
enough, we'll find what I calltheir origin story, the first
time that they had an experiencethat triggered the behavior
that we're now seeing, and often, as in the case of this
(10:45):
morning's animal client, this isa behavior four years in the
making.
So we've had neurons firing andwiring together for three years
as this dog was systematicallyleft behind and kenneled again
and again and again and thenrelinquished and rehomed, and
we've got a neural pathwaythat's been carved deep over
(11:07):
time.
We also have an opportunitybecause this dog finally landed
in the home of a woman who isdeeply spiritually evolved and
one of her first questions waswhat is our spiritual work to do
together?
What work did my new dog entermy life for us to do together?
(11:27):
And that is exactly why aperfect animal would incarnate
in an imperfect world and spendtime with imperfect humans,
because they have theopportunity to be of service
humans.
Because they have theopportunity to be of service.
(11:47):
And, let's be honest, ourspecies needs a lot of light,
especially right now.
Of course.
People have been saying thatfor years.
If this truly is a school,which I believe that it is, then
there's a lot of students at alot of different stages of
learning and growth andevolution.
Some students are quiteadvanced, some students are just
beginning their educationaljourney and they have a lot to
(12:08):
learn.
And in the same way that animalswho've been through trauma
carve a neural pathway from themoment of their origin story all
the way up until they enter ourlives, and that pathway takes
time to reroute and to detoxifyfrom and to heal from and to
close over, so too the humananimals that are inflicting harm
(12:32):
on animals.
They have an origin story.
It is said that when we'rehappy and healthy and all of our
needs are met, we don't hurteach other.
That's actually what Maslow'shierarchy of needs is all about
taking a look at those basicphysiological safety, shelter
and sustenance needs all the wayup to self-actualization, and
(12:56):
there's quite a span of space inbetween those two.
So when we're stuck at thatlowest level, no matter what
species we are, we're resourceguarding too.
And yet, because animals comeinto this 3D earth plane and
they vibrate at such a high purefrequency and they have such
(13:18):
immense capacity for forgivenessimmense capacity for
forgiveness, for turning theother cheek, for unconditional
acceptance, love and for serviceeven those with the densest,
darkest frequencies willnaturally be drawn to keep
(13:38):
company with them.
In fact, this is where, from ananimal communication
perspective, this is wheresituations of hoarding arise.
I just want more light, I wantmore light, I want more light,
more light, more light, moreanimals, more animals, more
animals.
But there's resource guardingand that human has an origin
story of not enough and a deep,deep neural pathway that says I
(14:01):
seek the light, I want the light, but I don't have anything to
give the light.
Of course we all are seeking tofeel better.
That's a natural speciesindiscriminate position.
If you watch seals resting on awarm, sunny rock out in the
ocean bay and you notice howhappy they are and they don't
(14:24):
move for hours.
But then, let's say, anotherseal comes and that seal wants
the sunny spot for themselvesand nips the sunning seal on his
butt.
Well, that hurts and you move.
So the truth is, at least in myworld and over my five decades
to date and with the animalsI've spoken with in my years of
(14:45):
practice thus far, what I amrepeatedly aware of is that pain
invites evolution, discomfortinvites growth, and that is what
I'm talking about when I'mresponding to this listener
question is that if, in truth,animals are perfect, I actually
(15:06):
have a core experience that weare all perfect in our soul.
But when we come here, weaccept, or even I believe we
architect incarnations, lifejourneys with milestones along
the path, and that may require,in order for us to learn the
lessons that we're here to learnand take that next step forward
(15:27):
in our evolution.
It may even require usself-limiting aspects of
ourselves, maybe cutting offcertain soul level tendencies
towards empathy and compassionand this perfect, unconditional
love, so that we are then ableto have these experiences that
will evolve us to the next level.
(15:47):
And the same can be true ofnon-human animals who come here.
And to highlight that, I canshare some stories from my own
practice.
I wake up in the morning and Inever know who I'm going to meet
on any given day.
I might meet a garden sprite, Imight meet an old soul, I might
(16:08):
meet an animal who hasincarnated into a physical 3D
body for the very first time.
And no matter how perfect wemay all be in our soul essence,
when we're fully and completelyconnected to source energy, when
we're here in the 3D, it cantake some practice navigating
(16:30):
our way around.
It can take some of life's hardknocks to help us acclimate to
this type of environment, withthis lower vibration frequency,
with individuals of alldifferent species around us all
going through their own lifelessons and with our soul
(16:50):
assignment to evolve.
It hasn't been my experiencethat we come into our
incarnations again, regardlessof species, with our entire life
journey planned out and bulletpointed and sub bullet pointed
and triple bullet pointed toperfection.
And then you're going to turnleft and then you're going to
(17:11):
meet this person, and then a caris almost going to hit you and
then you're going to be rescued,and then this it's more like a
flowing river, with a few reststops along the way, milestones,
opportunities and those micronavigation adjustments that we
make along the way.
Well, those are up to us and,seen from this perspective, we
(17:34):
really do live in a slidingdoors type of world where,
depending on what we choose, wemay end up with an entirely
different experience to get tothat goal or that milestone.
It's still bringing us to thesame basic milestone or
evolutionary opportunity, butthe how of how we get there can
(17:55):
look very different depending onwhat kinds of micro choices
that we make along the way.
One of my colleagues in thefield describes this as landing
in the wrong mailbox.
So an animal may not intend tocome here and end up in a
hoarding situation or an abusivesituation or a feral or a
(18:16):
relinquishment situation.
An animal might come here andeven in their soul level
perfection, be new to navigatingthis physical world in a 3D
body and they may have somelearning and growing to do to
trust their instincts and theirintuition to get a good read on
a human's personality at such abaseline level in this type of
(18:40):
state that anything is betterthan nothing, or they're so
focused on that lowest level ofjust getting my safety and
security and my food and waterneeds met that I'll go anywhere
with anyone because I don'treally understand how to meet my
own needs in this body.
There's actually a really goodmovie that you can watch.
(19:01):
It's one of those indie filmsand I absolutely adore it.
It's called Unleashed.
You can look it up.
It comes on Netflix from timeto time and you can find it on
Amazon and it's an older movieand the basic premise is that a
dog and a cat become humans dueto a freak of astrology.
They turn into humans and thedog and the cat both become men,
(19:24):
grown men, and the cat's alittle savvy, as you might
expect.
But the dog is clueless and yousee him trying to navigate the
lay of the land, now being in ahuman body.
And you think of dogs.
They pee anywhere, they poopanywhere, they will go, sniff
butts, they'll do all kinds ofdifferent things, they'll eat
anything they find Well, not allof them, but many of them.
(19:47):
And that might work if you're abeautiful golden retriever or a
labrador, but it doesn't workso well when you're suddenly a
human being.
People look at you funny andthey might lock you up.
So you can get a sense of it bywatching that movie what a new
animal might have to go throughif they're new to having a
(20:10):
physical 3D body and there canbe a big margin for error in
that and they can end up withsome pretty unsavory human
company if they're not aware ofhow things work.
Here, and returning to ourdiscussion of soul lessons and
soul evolution, we're lookingback at this perfect animal.
(20:34):
Well, again, why would aperfect animal choose to
potentially not for certain, butpotentially put themselves in
harm's way simply becausethey're so innocent and they
don't understand the concept ofhumans?
That might harm them to learnand grow, and in many cases in
the conversations that I've had,it is also to strengthen their
(20:57):
ability to help from the spiritdimension, or the soul dimension
, or that high vibration, light,energy dimension, however you
want to frame it or perceive it.
And I talked with a cat who hadbeen feral, had been a stray
cat and wandered in one day tomy pet parent client's property,
(21:18):
hung around for a couple ofyears.
This was a male cat, a blackand white cat, beautiful, small
adult cat.
And then one day somethinghappened.
And what he told me?
He was climbing on a fence, anarea of the fence, and it was
rusty, and he had an accidentand he passed out of his body
(21:39):
and the pet parent was justbeside herself.
What did I do?
What did I miss?
What happened to you?
Why couldn't you have stayedlonger?
And when I tuned in with him, Iwas so extraordinarily surprised
by what he shared with me.
First of all, he said the samething that so, so, so many
animal clients have shared withme and I really need to do a
(22:01):
whole episode just on this.
But he shared that hisassignment, if you will, or his
adventure here on the earthplane.
It wasn't about how much time,so, it wasn't about quantity, it
was about quality and seekingout a certain type of experience
.
And he was perfectly wellsatisfied with the amount of
(22:22):
time he had had.
It had perfectly achieved hisgoals and, serendipitously, had
introduced him to human kindnessin a very profound way through
the generosity of my pet parentclient.
And when I asked him well, whatwas your assignment, what was
your adventure, what was yourgoal or your intention when
(22:42):
coming here?
And he said well, I'm a mentorand a guide to other felines who
regularly incarnate in catbodies to keep company with
humans, and I've never been in abody here.
I am trying to empathize and becompassionate with these cats
who are returning and some ofthem have pretty rough stories
(23:03):
and I've never walked in theirpaws and I wanted to have an
experience.
So this is yet anotherperspective that we can try on
for size and take a look at thatsometimes, in order to be
really good at our heart'scalling, at our job, if you will
, the job that our heart choosesfor us that we say yes to, no
(23:25):
matter what it may require of usalong the way as we grow into
it.
Sometimes we are willing to gothrough really tough stuff in
order to be of service to others, to be able to empathize, to
feel with, to suffer as if, tobe compassionate, to know what
(23:47):
they need, which, of course,compassion again means to act
with passion on behalf of.
So this beautiful little cat,who was only with his pet parent
for two years, came into a 3Dcat lifetime for a couple of
years to experience what it'slike to have paws on the ground
(24:08):
here, and he had experiencedquite a wide range in his two
years.
He had been a stray and a feralcat before he found my pet
parent client and she took himin and he was always an outdoor
cat even then, but she providedfor him and offered him shelter
from storms and snow and offeredfood supplementation for him.
(24:31):
So he had a really good broadspectrum of experiences that
cats regularly experience here,and he went out on a high note
because he went out knowing thathe was loved and missed and
cared about In a very shortamount of time.
He got so much experience sothat he could be of service.
(24:54):
Because, just like and this, ofcourse, is a bigger topic for
another episode but just like,we humans have a guide who draws
us up and out of our physicalbody when it's our time to
transition and helps us makethat frequency adjustment,
because it's a lower, denserfrequency.
Here on the earth plane we havethese 3D bodies.
(25:15):
They're really useful.
They give us lots of bells andwhistles that we can use to move
about and navigate our worldhere, but once we lift out of
them, we are suddenly almostweightless.
We are vibrating at a muchhigher, lighter frequency and it
can be disorienting, even forthose who bop back and forth
(25:35):
frequently.
And these animals describe thespirit or the soul dimension as
their vacation home and theyknow it well and they are not
worried about moving back andforth.
Everyone gets a guide whenthey're returning home, but for
new animals in particular, itcan be vital that that guide
knows what they're going through, what it feels like to be so
(25:56):
discombobulated as you suddenlydon't have this body you've
become very accustomed tonavigating your world with, and
now you're transitioning into adifferent dimension.
I would imagine it's not unlikewhat the astronauts feel when
suddenly they are weightless inspace and then they have this
transition period where theyhave to come back to Earth.
(26:18):
And for astronauts that havespent longer periods of time
either out doing research or onthe International Space Station,
I've read accounts whereoccasionally, when they come
back, they're weak enough thatthey're wheelchair bound for a
little while and they reallyhave a longer convalescence
before they regain theirstrength.
So when we think about it thatway, wouldn't it make sense that
(26:42):
an animal who feels called toserve as a light mentor for
animals and this doesn't justmean shepherding them back and
forth into and out of a physicalincarnation, but also helping
them chart out the course ofwhat they want to learn, what
they need to learn their choiceof adventures, if you will, and
the major milestones and helpingthem understand the
(27:02):
implications of what they needto learn their choice of
adventures, if you will, and themajor milestones and helping
them understand the implicationsof what they're choosing, what
they might face along the way,as well as the opportunities and
the payoffs.
And he was telling me the wholeexperience was worth it.
Just to meet this pet parentclient of mine who was so kind
and loving and he said now Iunderstand why cats choose to
(27:23):
spend time with humans.
Before I didn't understand.
So there is a carrot or a fishat the end of the stick.
Even for these animals,especially for these animals
who've been in these types ofabusive or traumatizing or even
hoarding situations, there isfree will, there is the
(27:44):
opportunity for personal agencyand there is the invitation to
evolve and grow.
And even when we regard animalsas perfect I'm pet mom to four
and all of my animals areperfect and anyone who thinks
otherwise is thinking wrong, inmy opinion, and I'm sure, as
(28:06):
fellow pet parents, you'reprobably nodding your head right
now when you're thinking ofyour animal family.
In other words, we can seemaybe we have some tweaks to
make in certain areas, but wesee all the way to their heart
and soul and we know.
We know who they are and theyknow who we are.
And that's a beautifulpartnership and it can be all
the more appreciated if we'vebeen through situations we've
(28:26):
kept company with others otheranimals, other humans who are
not kind to us, who maybe havetrauma origin stories of their
own.
They're gridlocked in their ownbattle just to survive, let
alone thrive, and they'reevolving.
And coming here to this earthplane is always an invitation
(28:46):
for evolution, and we may notever really understand, unless,
of course, we ask the animaldirectly, which is what I do.
It's how I find out all thisneat stuff and I hear all these
cool stories and it gives me abigger picture perspective.
Oh, that's right, this earthplane, this 3D earth plane,
that's not all there is.
This isn't it.
(29:08):
We are not the center of theuniverse.
There is so much more out therethat even when we transition,
even when you and I lift up andout of our bodies and we
transition back into that plane,we may still not be aware of
all the nuances of what'savailable to our non-human
animal companions.
There is a subset of animals andin fact it's the majority of
(29:31):
animals alive on this planettoday who do not choose to keep
company with humans.
And so the discussion of whyperfect animals would willingly
choose to endure trauma ordifficulties at the hands of
humans, it changes when we starttalking with the wild animals
(29:52):
here on this planet because theyare not choosing to keep
company with humans.
In fact, what they are doing isholding space for humanity as a
whole to up-level.
They are coming here willingly,volunteering en masse to come
here and to occupy areas wherewe are actively predating, we
(30:14):
are deforesting, we are suckingthe moisture out of the ground,
we are mining for all we've gotand we are destroying wild
habitats and then being forcedto live with the consequences of
our own free will actions.
And animals get caught in thecrossfire and it's important for
(30:35):
them as well as for us to havefull awareness of their free
will, of their free agency,because when we're aware that
they have full choice, just likewe do, there is profound
respect and humility andgratitude that arises when we
recognize their service to usand how we keep messing up again
(30:59):
and again and again.
And there may come a day forour planet when there isn't a
single wild animal soul who iswilling to volunteer to come
here to give us yet anotherchance to mend our ways and to
recognize that we are killingoff our sustenance, our baseline
(31:20):
, lifeline, needs, in the waythat we are managing or
mismanaging our planet itselfand the resources available to
all of us and that's a reallytough topic and I'm not going
down any kinds of environmentalor political roads here, because
those are topics for adifferent podcast with a
different host.
(31:40):
Let's just say it that way thatgroups of wild animals are
still choosing, willingly, tocome and be born here and live
in the diminishing forests andthe vanishing natural waterways
(32:02):
and the disappearing opengrassland areas that are being
conscripted by miners anddevelopers and loggers and other
types of human activities, andrecognize that they're coming
here and it's like they're allwearing little warning, warning,
(32:24):
warning tags saying wait.
Are you sure you want to do this?
You want to think about it.
I think about it again.
You want to think about itagain.
You sure that you want to raiseour home?
You sure that you want toconscript our land?
Are you sure that you want tothink about it?
You want to think about itagain.
You want to think about itagain.
You sure that you want to raiseour home?
You sure that you want toconscript our land?
Are you sure that you want tosuck our waterways dry?
Are you sure you want to changeour climate, a climate upon
which we all depend, giving usthe contrast that our species
apparently needs in order tomake informed decisions about
(32:47):
what we do with this world thatis not ours alone, but has
always been, is now and willalways be shared.
So those are my thoughts fromthis moment in time on why
perfect animals, whether theyare wild, feral, stray or bred
from birth to be companions tohumans.
(33:10):
Why would they choose to livewith us, especially when we're
such works in progress?
I have made so many mistakeswith my own pets.
My tortoise Malti, who'srecovering from metabolic bone
disease, is perhaps the mosttraumatic example of some of the
mistakes that I've made.
Trusting the wrong humanveterinarians was a huge mistake
(33:31):
I made.
That cost her I won't even gointo it and I live with that
every single day.
And I ask her why did youchoose me?
Why would you choose to livewith me, knowing that this was
very likely to happen to you?
And when I ask her thatquestion, she looks back at me
and I feel such waves of loveand I receive the image of
(33:54):
myself learning to talk withanimals.
And I know that she chose mebecause I give her and her
species a voice, I raiseawareness of these types of
issues and I take action to mendthe broken places that I've
created One of the examples ofthat and I just got a really
(34:17):
sweet email from somebody who'sactually making good use of this
resource with her own youngred-footed tortoise.
But I created the RedfootTortoise Care website with a
super talented herpetologist andcreated an entire resource
guide and a learning tool that'soffered free If you have
red-footed tortoises or knowsomebody who does.
(34:37):
This entire learning guide isfree from a master herpetologist
because I didn't want any othertortoise and their person to go
through what Malti and I hadhad to go through.
And she said that's why I choseyou.
Of course it wasn't a given.
It wasn't a given.
There were so many slidingdoors there.
She actually ran away when shewas one and I had the hunch.
(34:58):
Even though I wasn't talkingwith animals yet, I had the
intuitive hunch that she wastrying to decide if she wanted
to stay with me or go and be awild tortoise.
And when I asked that questionof the animal communicator I was
working with to locate her andbring her home, that came up.
She said I am deciding.
I'm not sure I want to go downthis road.
(35:18):
And I said well, that's fair.
If you don't want to, then Iwill accept that, and that's
that unconditional love.
I had no intention of harmingher and yet I did so.
There's also a deeper element.
Whenever we look from theoutside, looking into somebody
else's situation, their choices,their worldview, their quality
(35:39):
of life, who they're keepingcompany with, there's always an
invitation also to look back atourselves and say where do I see
that behavior reflected in myown life?
This is a very, very highspiritual discipline.
It's very, very humbling tolook at someone else who may be
abusing or mistreating orhoarding animals and say where
do I see that behavior in my ownlife?
(35:59):
Why am I looking at this otherbeing with judgment or
condemnation?
I'm not trying to say thatthat's what you're doing, but I
know that I've been guilty ofthat in the past.
And so when I look at someoneelse who's perpetrating such
what I can only call just evilupon innocent beings, I first am
(36:20):
tasked to look back at myselfand say where have I perpetrated
evil?
Where have I done wrong?
Where have I even intentionedthe best and have been too
wounded or traumatized myself torecognize that what I was
giving was so far from that?
We don't know what anotherperson or another animal's world
is like until we ask.
(36:41):
And that is why I do the workthat I do and that is why I
teach others how to communicatewith animals, because the only
way to develop true empathy andthe only way to be able to act
appropriately, passionately, onanother's behalf is to take a
walk in their shoes or paws orclaws or wings or shell, to ask,
(37:05):
to have that conversation, todevelop that awareness through
their eyes and ears and nose andmouth and skin and heart and
soul, and then take a look backat ourselves and ask ourselves
are you still judging, are youstill condemning, or can you not
see a reflection within yourown life as well?
(37:27):
And this is how we reallyup-level the ones that it is
toughest to see the light in.
Well, that's where we're calledto try hardest to see the light
, because without our ability tosee into their soul and to
still detect some light there,nothing will ever change for the
animals we love.
So I hope that this episode,while sobering and difficult to
(37:50):
present, I've definitely foundmyself breathing a little more
deeply and trying to staycentered, as I'm talking about
such an emotional topic, and Iappreciate you sticking with me.
I'd love to hear your thoughts.
This is an ongoing, evolvingdiscussion.
It's definitely a conversationhere, never a monologue.
I may learn something newtomorrow from the animals on
(38:14):
this very topic and if and whenI do, I will come back here and
I will record a new episode andI will share it with you.
But for now, this is what theanimals have been able to teach
me thus far and may justrepresent how far along I am.
This is what I have thecapacity to learn, so I welcome
wisdom and insight with kindnessand respect and I look forward
(38:39):
to your thoughts and yourquestions.
If there's anything else thatyou would like to know about or
learn about along the lines ofthis topic, I can go to the
animals and I can ask them andcome back and unpack it with you
.
So let me know what's on yourmind and what's in your heart.
Thank you so much for being alistener.
If you enjoyed today's episodealthough enjoyed might not be
(39:02):
the right word maybe if youappreciated it, or if you could
feel like it enlightened you ormaybe lifted some of that
heaviness a little for you,please do take the time to leave
a review or a comment or aquestion.
Five stars would be amazing.
It really helps our littlepodcast get known.
There's lots of podcasts outthere and I am grateful for
(39:23):
every single one of you wholisten to.
Let's Talk to Animals, and Isend you all my love.
Okay, new episode coming in twoweeks and until then, I look
forward to seeing you back hereagain very soon.
All my love.
Bye for now.
Welcome to Let's Talk to Animals, the podcast all
species can enjoy together.
My name is Shannon Cutts.
I'm your friendly neighborhoodhost and guide.
I am a professional animalsensitive and intuitive, Reiki
master practitioner for pets andtheir people, and an animal
communication teacher.
In this episode of the we aregoing to take a deep dive into
(00:26):
one of the thorniest and mostdifficult issues that companion
animals in our world face.
Trauma, abuse, hoarding,rehoming, abandonment.
What do the animals have to sayabout this?
How do they feel about havingthese types of experiences at
(00:48):
the hands of our species?
And why would animals who havetotal free will to choose their
incarnation, to choose theirbodies, to choose their
circumstances, to choose theirexperiences in life?
Why would they ever choose tolive with humans who put them
through such difficultcircumstances?
(01:11):
That is the question on thetable today, and it is a tough
one and it is a deep one, and sowe will tread with care and
with empathy, which means tofeel as if, or to suffer with,
and with compassion, which meansto take passionate action on
behalf of, to inform ourselves,to understand these issues,
(01:34):
these very human issues, fromthe animal's point of view, and
to hopefully equip ourselves toease the trauma that often
occurs when a rescue animal hasbeen through these types of
experiences and then chooses usand joins our family.
So I want to open up today'sepisode in a rather unique way
(01:56):
by sharing a question that camethrough to me recently and a
little bit about the responsethat I offered in answering this
question.
So I got a question that saidHi Shannon, I started to listen
to your podcast about petschoosing their humans and it got
me thinking.
(02:16):
Why would a pet choose a humanwho inflicts immense pain, both
physically and emotionally, onthem?
Humans who need to pay back akarmic debt might need to
experience pain in anotherincarnation because they wrought
pain on a human in a previouslife.
But animals, in my opinion, areperfect.
So why would they decide theyneeded to experience a difficult
(02:39):
incarnation?
It doesn't make sense to me.
My cat asked me why he wassurrendered to an animal shelter
when he didn't know what he haddone wrong.
The rescue told me he had beensurrendered because the owners
thought he was too bossy.
I told him they were blanketyblanks who didn't deserve him
and I wouldn't change anythingabout him.
(03:00):
This is a tough one, right?
So many of you, I know, areliving with animals who have
gone through situations likethis in similar circumstances.
Others of you may be sharingyour family with rescued animals
from hoarding situations oranimals that have been rescued
(03:21):
off the streets, either in yourhome country or elsewhere around
the world.
You may be sharing your homeand your family with animals who
have been victims of multiplerehomings, like this listener
describes, animals who areenduring the fallout from not
ever feeling wanted, not everfeeling like they belonged, not
(03:46):
ever knowing with certainty thatthey will get their needs met.
In fact, I had a communicationwith a dog just this morning who
was dealing with resourceguarding issues, and when I
tuned in with her she said shejust didn't understand what
family meant.
She had never felt wanted, shehad never felt certain of
anything in her life, and so shedidn't really understand that
(04:09):
there was a different way to be,and we spent quite some time
working with her trauma and I'meagerly looking forward to
hearing the outcome.
But I want to share a portion ofmy reply to this listener who
asks about perfect animalschoosing wildly imperfect humans
, and I said this is exactly whyI love animal communication so
(04:33):
much it prompts us to enter intothese deep contemplations and
really form our own perceptions.
Even more importantly, I findit prompts us to ask the animals
for their insights, to invitethem to teach us and guide us
through just such thorny issuesas these.
The issue you raise isparticularly nuanced, so I'm
(04:55):
happy to share some reflectionsof my own.
When I regard a word such asperfect, I then ask myself what
perfection might look like andact like.
Let's say I am perfect, which Iam so not, but just as an
example, if I was perfect, Iwould hope to be perfect in
empathy, in compassion, ingratitude for the abundance in
(05:17):
my life, in self-care andservice to others.
And, as perfect me, I wouldhope that the empathy I feel
propels me to compassionateaction on behalf of those who
are struggling to live well, tonot harm others, to not harm
themselves, to find abundanceand gratitude, whether they
appreciate my efforts or not, orchoose to change their lives or
(05:40):
not.
So, as perfect me, I mightchoose to incarnate into close
company with someone who isangry, bitter, terrified,
someone who might evenpotentially harm me because of
their own inner darkness.
Why would I do this?
Because there is a chance mypresence in their life might
soften them, open their heart,ease their suffering, encourage
(06:02):
growth.
There are stories of theseexact types of transformations
that occur every day because ananimal enters a suffering
human's life.
Then there are stories wherethe best outcome does not happen
here on the earth plane, atleast from what I've personally
experienced thus far in life.
We all have free will.
Opportunities may be presentedto us to learn and grow, to
(06:24):
better ourselves, and we alsoget to say yes or no to those
opportunities.
So the animal bears risk thisperfect animal when they choose
to enter the life of animperfect human who might harm
them.
There is no guarantee theircompassionate act will be
recognized or accepted.
There is yet another side tothis many-sided coin, which is
(06:46):
that when an animal is rescuedfrom an abuse or neglect or
other horrific situation, theanimal's human rescuers get to
be heroes.
Their light shines brighter,their hearts grow in love and
gratitude and perhaps futureselfless acts.
They uplift our species andoften inspire others to do the
(07:06):
same.
Earth and again, this is onlymy perspective and is not meant
to be taken as fact, but earthfeels like a school to me.
So in this school scenario,this school hypothesis, any soul
who lives inside a body here isfree to learn and grow,
regardless of species.
So, yes, there is perfection,but there is also continued
(07:27):
evolution.
I have spoken with animals whocome here only once or twice
because it supports their workand service on the spirit side
to experience a boots on theground, earthly incarnation.
Those animals typically go backto the spirit dimension and
take with them greater empathyand compassion and are able to
more effectively care for theanimal souls who are returning
(07:50):
from their earthly lives in needof healing and unconditional
love.
And then some animals incarnateover and over again here on
earth, and there are manyreasons for this as well.
You also share a vitallyimportant phrase in your email.
In my opinion.
You notice I use thisthroughout as well, and also
share a vitally important phrasein your email, in my opinion.
You notice I use thisthroughout as well, and I love
this because it highlightsanother gift we all get to seek
(08:12):
our own truth and form our ownperspectives and opinions as we
go through our earthly lives.
It is both a gift and a sacredtrust that we bear.
The truth is, it is soimpossibly hard to witness
precious animals suffering onany level, and especially at the
hands of our own species.
I've talked before on thepodcast about how, for so many
(08:35):
years I didn't even want to be ahuman.
I used to wish I could justchange species and pick a better
, kinder one to join in with.
But now I realize being a humanmeans I can help the animals
and share my light, and so I'mable to make some peace with it.
I can't control what otherhumans choose to do there's that
pesky free will again but I canbe there to help the animals
(08:56):
and also recognize that, like us, they have power and agency
over their own life choices.
To me, every one of us whocomes here chooses knowingly to
do so.
We each understand what we aresigning up for and why, and our
reasons make sense to us in thatmoment of choice.
We choose our own adventure,with full power and authority to
(09:17):
do so regardless of species.
So, then, my job and our jobshould you care to join me as
animal communicators, becomessimple To ask the animals,
listen to their stories, learnfrom them and share their
stories as a form of light toheal the world.
So that's where I from withwanting to share this episode
(09:41):
with you.
I notice cycles in my weeklyworkload, if you will the types
of pet parenting cases andanimal guardianship cases that
cross my path and right now weseem to be in a trauma cycle.
I'm getting a lot of inquiriesand requests for sessions around
(10:03):
issues like resource guardingand biting and aggression and
fights breaking out, and thereare a lot of reasons for this.
But the truth underneath,whatever the surface issue may
present, as is that somebody'shurting, somebody's scared,
(10:24):
somebody feels unwanted oruncertain in some way about
getting their basic needs met,and if we trace that back far
enough, we'll find what I calltheir origin story, the first
time that they had an experiencethat triggered the behavior
that we're now seeing, and often, as in the case of this
(10:45):
morning's animal client, this isa behavior four years in the
making.
So we've had neurons firing andwiring together for three years
as this dog was systematicallyleft behind and kenneled again
and again and again and thenrelinquished and rehomed, and
we've got a neural pathwaythat's been carved deep over
(11:07):
time.
We also have an opportunitybecause this dog finally landed
in the home of a woman who isdeeply spiritually evolved and
one of her first questions waswhat is our spiritual work to do
together?
What work did my new dog entermy life for us to do together?
(11:27):
And that is exactly why aperfect animal would incarnate
in an imperfect world and spendtime with imperfect humans,
because they have theopportunity to be of service
humans.
Because they have theopportunity to be of service.
(11:47):
And, let's be honest, ourspecies needs a lot of light,
especially right now.
Of course.
People have been saying thatfor years.
If this truly is a school,which I believe that it is, then
there's a lot of students at alot of different stages of
learning and growth andevolution.
Some students are quiteadvanced, some students are just
beginning their educationaljourney and they have a lot to
(12:08):
learn.
And in the same way that animalswho've been through trauma
carve a neural pathway from themoment of their origin story all
the way up until they enter ourlives, and that pathway takes
time to reroute and to detoxifyfrom and to heal from and to
close over, so too the humananimals that are inflicting harm
(12:32):
on animals.
They have an origin story.
It is said that when we'rehappy and healthy and all of our
needs are met, we don't hurteach other.
That's actually what Maslow'shierarchy of needs is all about
taking a look at those basicphysiological safety, shelter
and sustenance needs all the wayup to self-actualization, and
(12:56):
there's quite a span of space inbetween those two.
So when we're stuck at thatlowest level, no matter what
species we are, we're resourceguarding too.
And yet, because animals comeinto this 3D earth plane and
they vibrate at such a high purefrequency and they have such
(13:18):
immense capacity for forgivenessimmense capacity for
forgiveness, for turning theother cheek, for unconditional
acceptance, love and for serviceeven those with the densest,
darkest frequencies willnaturally be drawn to keep
(13:38):
company with them.
In fact, this is where, from ananimal communication
perspective, this is wheresituations of hoarding arise.
I just want more light, I wantmore light, I want more light,
more light, more light, moreanimals, more animals, more
animals.
But there's resource guardingand that human has an origin
story of not enough and a deep,deep neural pathway that says I
(14:01):
seek the light, I want the light, but I don't have anything to
give the light.
Of course we all are seeking tofeel better.
That's a natural speciesindiscriminate position.
If you watch seals resting on awarm, sunny rock out in the
ocean bay and you notice howhappy they are and they don't
(14:24):
move for hours.
But then, let's say, anotherseal comes and that seal wants
the sunny spot for themselvesand nips the sunning seal on his
butt.
Well, that hurts and you move.
So the truth is, at least in myworld and over my five decades
to date and with the animalsI've spoken with in my years of
(14:45):
practice thus far, what I amrepeatedly aware of is that pain
invites evolution, discomfortinvites growth, and that is what
I'm talking about when I'mresponding to this listener
question is that if, in truth,animals are perfect, I actually
(15:06):
have a core experience that weare all perfect in our soul.
But when we come here, weaccept, or even I believe we
architect incarnations, lifejourneys with milestones along
the path, and that may require,in order for us to learn the
lessons that we're here to learnand take that next step forward
(15:27):
in our evolution.
It may even require usself-limiting aspects of
ourselves, maybe cutting offcertain soul level tendencies
towards empathy and compassionand this perfect, unconditional
love, so that we are then ableto have these experiences that
will evolve us to the next level.
(15:47):
And the same can be true ofnon-human animals who come here.
And to highlight that, I canshare some stories from my own
practice.
I wake up in the morning and Inever know who I'm going to meet
on any given day.
I might meet a garden sprite, Imight meet an old soul, I might
(16:08):
meet an animal who hasincarnated into a physical 3D
body for the very first time.
And no matter how perfect wemay all be in our soul essence,
when we're fully and completelyconnected to source energy, when
we're here in the 3D, it cantake some practice navigating
(16:30):
our way around.
It can take some of life's hardknocks to help us acclimate to
this type of environment, withthis lower vibration frequency,
with individuals of alldifferent species around us all
going through their own lifelessons and with our soul
(16:50):
assignment to evolve.
It hasn't been my experiencethat we come into our
incarnations again, regardlessof species, with our entire life
journey planned out and bulletpointed and sub bullet pointed
and triple bullet pointed toperfection.
And then you're going to turnleft and then you're going to
(17:11):
meet this person, and then a caris almost going to hit you and
then you're going to be rescued,and then this it's more like a
flowing river, with a few reststops along the way, milestones,
opportunities and those micronavigation adjustments that we
make along the way.
Well, those are up to us and,seen from this perspective, we
(17:34):
really do live in a slidingdoors type of world where,
depending on what we choose, wemay end up with an entirely
different experience to get tothat goal or that milestone.
It's still bringing us to thesame basic milestone or
evolutionary opportunity, butthe how of how we get there can
(17:55):
look very different depending onwhat kinds of micro choices
that we make along the way.
One of my colleagues in thefield describes this as landing
in the wrong mailbox.
So an animal may not intend tocome here and end up in a
hoarding situation or an abusivesituation or a feral or a
(18:16):
relinquishment situation.
An animal might come here andeven in their soul level
perfection, be new to navigatingthis physical world in a 3D
body and they may have somelearning and growing to do to
trust their instincts and theirintuition to get a good read on
a human's personality at such abaseline level in this type of
(18:40):
state that anything is betterthan nothing, or they're so
focused on that lowest level ofjust getting my safety and
security and my food and waterneeds met that I'll go anywhere
with anyone because I don'treally understand how to meet my
own needs in this body.
There's actually a really goodmovie that you can watch.
(19:01):
It's one of those indie filmsand I absolutely adore it.
It's called Unleashed.
You can look it up.
It comes on Netflix from timeto time and you can find it on
Amazon and it's an older movieand the basic premise is that a
dog and a cat become humans dueto a freak of astrology.
They turn into humans and thedog and the cat both become men,
(19:24):
grown men, and the cat's alittle savvy, as you might
expect.
But the dog is clueless and yousee him trying to navigate the
lay of the land, now being in ahuman body.
And you think of dogs.
They pee anywhere, they poopanywhere, they will go, sniff
butts, they'll do all kinds ofdifferent things, they'll eat
anything they find Well, not allof them, but many of them.
(19:47):
And that might work if you're abeautiful golden retriever or a
labrador, but it doesn't workso well when you're suddenly a
human being.
People look at you funny andthey might lock you up.
So you can get a sense of it bywatching that movie what a new
animal might have to go throughif they're new to having a
(20:10):
physical 3D body and there canbe a big margin for error in
that and they can end up withsome pretty unsavory human
company if they're not aware ofhow things work.
Here, and returning to ourdiscussion of soul lessons and
soul evolution, we're lookingback at this perfect animal.
(20:34):
Well, again, why would aperfect animal choose to
potentially not for certain, butpotentially put themselves in
harm's way simply becausethey're so innocent and they
don't understand the concept ofhumans?
That might harm them to learnand grow, and in many cases in
the conversations that I've had,it is also to strengthen their
(20:57):
ability to help from the spiritdimension, or the soul dimension
, or that high vibration, light,energy dimension, however you
want to frame it or perceive it.
And I talked with a cat who hadbeen feral, had been a stray
cat and wandered in one day tomy pet parent client's property,
(21:18):
hung around for a couple ofyears.
This was a male cat, a blackand white cat, beautiful, small
adult cat.
And then one day somethinghappened.
And what he told me?
He was climbing on a fence, anarea of the fence, and it was
rusty, and he had an accidentand he passed out of his body
(21:39):
and the pet parent was justbeside herself.
What did I do?
What did I miss?
What happened to you?
Why couldn't you have stayedlonger?
And when I tuned in with him, Iwas so extraordinarily surprised
by what he shared with me.
First of all, he said the samething that so, so, so many
animal clients have shared withme and I really need to do a
(22:01):
whole episode just on this.
But he shared that hisassignment, if you will, or his
adventure here on the earthplane.
It wasn't about how much time,so, it wasn't about quantity, it
was about quality and seekingout a certain type of experience
.
And he was perfectly wellsatisfied with the amount of
(22:22):
time he had had.
It had perfectly achieved hisgoals and, serendipitously, had
introduced him to human kindnessin a very profound way through
the generosity of my pet parentclient.
And when I asked him well, whatwas your assignment, what was
your adventure, what was yourgoal or your intention when
(22:42):
coming here?
And he said well, I'm a mentorand a guide to other felines who
regularly incarnate in catbodies to keep company with
humans, and I've never been in abody here.
I am trying to empathize and becompassionate with these cats
who are returning and some ofthem have pretty rough stories
(23:03):
and I've never walked in theirpaws and I wanted to have an
experience.
So this is yet anotherperspective that we can try on
for size and take a look at thatsometimes, in order to be
really good at our heart'scalling, at our job, if you will
, the job that our heart choosesfor us that we say yes to, no
(23:25):
matter what it may require of usalong the way as we grow into
it.
Sometimes we are willing to gothrough really tough stuff in
order to be of service to others, to be able to empathize, to
feel with, to suffer as if, tobe compassionate, to know what
(23:47):
they need, which, of course,compassion again means to act
with passion on behalf of.
So this beautiful little cat,who was only with his pet parent
for two years, came into a 3Dcat lifetime for a couple of
years to experience what it'slike to have paws on the ground
(24:08):
here, and he had experiencedquite a wide range in his two
years.
He had been a stray and a feralcat before he found my pet
parent client and she took himin and he was always an outdoor
cat even then, but she providedfor him and offered him shelter
from storms and snow and offeredfood supplementation for him.
(24:31):
So he had a really good broadspectrum of experiences that
cats regularly experience here,and he went out on a high note
because he went out knowing thathe was loved and missed and
cared about In a very shortamount of time.
He got so much experience sothat he could be of service.
(24:54):
Because, just like and this, ofcourse, is a bigger topic for
another episode but just like,we humans have a guide who draws
us up and out of our physicalbody when it's our time to
transition and helps us makethat frequency adjustment,
because it's a lower, denserfrequency.
Here on the earth plane we havethese 3D bodies.
(25:15):
They're really useful.
They give us lots of bells andwhistles that we can use to move
about and navigate our worldhere, but once we lift out of
them, we are suddenly almostweightless.
We are vibrating at a muchhigher, lighter frequency and it
can be disorienting, even forthose who bop back and forth
(25:35):
frequently.
And these animals describe thespirit or the soul dimension as
their vacation home and theyknow it well and they are not
worried about moving back andforth.
Everyone gets a guide whenthey're returning home, but for
new animals in particular, itcan be vital that that guide
knows what they're going through, what it feels like to be so
(25:56):
discombobulated as you suddenlydon't have this body you've
become very accustomed tonavigating your world with, and
now you're transitioning into adifferent dimension.
I would imagine it's not unlikewhat the astronauts feel when
suddenly they are weightless inspace and then they have this
transition period where theyhave to come back to Earth.
(26:18):
And for astronauts that havespent longer periods of time
either out doing research or onthe International Space Station,
I've read accounts whereoccasionally, when they come
back, they're weak enough thatthey're wheelchair bound for a
little while and they reallyhave a longer convalescence
before they regain theirstrength.
So when we think about it thatway, wouldn't it make sense that
(26:42):
an animal who feels called toserve as a light mentor for
animals and this doesn't justmean shepherding them back and
forth into and out of a physicalincarnation, but also helping
them chart out the course ofwhat they want to learn, what
they need to learn their choiceof adventures, if you will, and
the major milestones and helpingthem understand the
(27:02):
implications of what they needto learn their choice of
adventures, if you will, and themajor milestones and helping
them understand the implicationsof what they're choosing, what
they might face along the way,as well as the opportunities and
the payoffs.
And he was telling me the wholeexperience was worth it.
Just to meet this pet parentclient of mine who was so kind
and loving and he said now Iunderstand why cats choose to
(27:23):
spend time with humans.
Before I didn't understand.
So there is a carrot or a fishat the end of the stick.
Even for these animals,especially for these animals
who've been in these types ofabusive or traumatizing or even
hoarding situations, there isfree will, there is the
(27:44):
opportunity for personal agencyand there is the invitation to
evolve and grow.
And even when we regard animalsas perfect I'm pet mom to four
and all of my animals areperfect and anyone who thinks
otherwise is thinking wrong, inmy opinion, and I'm sure, as
(28:06):
fellow pet parents, you'reprobably nodding your head right
now when you're thinking ofyour animal family.
In other words, we can seemaybe we have some tweaks to
make in certain areas, but wesee all the way to their heart
and soul and we know.
We know who they are and theyknow who we are.
And that's a beautifulpartnership and it can be all
the more appreciated if we'vebeen through situations we've
(28:26):
kept company with others otheranimals, other humans who are
not kind to us, who maybe havetrauma origin stories of their
own.
They're gridlocked in their ownbattle just to survive, let
alone thrive, and they'reevolving.
And coming here to this earthplane is always an invitation
(28:46):
for evolution, and we may notever really understand, unless,
of course, we ask the animaldirectly, which is what I do.
It's how I find out all thisneat stuff and I hear all these
cool stories and it gives me abigger picture perspective.
Oh, that's right, this earthplane, this 3D earth plane,
that's not all there is.
This isn't it.
(29:08):
We are not the center of theuniverse.
There is so much more out therethat even when we transition,
even when you and I lift up andout of our bodies and we
transition back into that plane,we may still not be aware of
all the nuances of what'savailable to our non-human
animal companions.
There is a subset of animals andin fact it's the majority of
(29:31):
animals alive on this planettoday who do not choose to keep
company with humans.
And so the discussion of whyperfect animals would willingly
choose to endure trauma ordifficulties at the hands of
humans, it changes when we starttalking with the wild animals
(29:52):
here on this planet because theyare not choosing to keep
company with humans.
In fact, what they are doing isholding space for humanity as a
whole to up-level.
They are coming here willingly,volunteering en masse to come
here and to occupy areas wherewe are actively predating, we
(30:14):
are deforesting, we are suckingthe moisture out of the ground,
we are mining for all we've gotand we are destroying wild
habitats and then being forcedto live with the consequences of
our own free will actions.
And animals get caught in thecrossfire and it's important for
(30:35):
them as well as for us to havefull awareness of their free
will, of their free agency,because when we're aware that
they have full choice, just likewe do, there is profound
respect and humility andgratitude that arises when we
recognize their service to usand how we keep messing up again
(30:59):
and again and again.
And there may come a day forour planet when there isn't a
single wild animal soul who iswilling to volunteer to come
here to give us yet anotherchance to mend our ways and to
recognize that we are killingoff our sustenance, our baseline
(31:20):
, lifeline, needs, in the waythat we are managing or
mismanaging our planet itselfand the resources available to
all of us and that's a reallytough topic and I'm not going
down any kinds of environmentalor political roads here, because
those are topics for adifferent podcast with a
different host.
(31:40):
Let's just say it that way thatgroups of wild animals are
still choosing, willingly, tocome and be born here and live
in the diminishing forests andthe vanishing natural waterways
(32:02):
and the disappearing opengrassland areas that are being
conscripted by miners anddevelopers and loggers and other
types of human activities, andrecognize that they're coming
here and it's like they're allwearing little warning, warning,
(32:24):
warning tags saying wait.
Are you sure you want to do this?
You want to think about it.
I think about it again.
You want to think about itagain.
You sure that you want to raiseour home?
You sure that you want toconscript our land?
Are you sure that you want tothink about it?
You want to think about itagain.
You want to think about itagain.
You sure that you want to raiseour home?
You sure that you want toconscript our land?
Are you sure that you want tosuck our waterways dry?
Are you sure you want to changeour climate, a climate upon
which we all depend, giving usthe contrast that our species
apparently needs in order tomake informed decisions about
(32:47):
what we do with this world thatis not ours alone, but has
always been, is now and willalways be shared.
So those are my thoughts fromthis moment in time on why
perfect animals, whether theyare wild, feral, stray or bred
from birth to be companions tohumans.
(33:10):
Why would they choose to livewith us, especially when we're
such works in progress?
I have made so many mistakeswith my own pets.
My tortoise Malti, who'srecovering from metabolic bone
disease, is perhaps the mosttraumatic example of some of the
mistakes that I've made.
Trusting the wrong humanveterinarians was a huge mistake
(33:31):
I made.
That cost her I won't even gointo it and I live with that
every single day.
And I ask her why did youchoose me?
Why would you choose to livewith me, knowing that this was
very likely to happen to you?
And when I ask her thatquestion, she looks back at me
and I feel such waves of loveand I receive the image of
(33:54):
myself learning to talk withanimals.
And I know that she chose mebecause I give her and her
species a voice, I raiseawareness of these types of
issues and I take action to mendthe broken places that I've
created One of the examples ofthat and I just got a really
(34:17):
sweet email from somebody who'sactually making good use of this
resource with her own youngred-footed tortoise.
But I created the RedfootTortoise Care website with a
super talented herpetologist andcreated an entire resource
guide and a learning tool that'soffered free If you have
red-footed tortoises or knowsomebody who does.
(34:37):
This entire learning guide isfree from a master herpetologist
because I didn't want any othertortoise and their person to go
through what Malti and I hadhad to go through.
And she said that's why I choseyou.
Of course it wasn't a given.
It wasn't a given.
There were so many slidingdoors there.
She actually ran away when shewas one and I had the hunch.
(34:58):
Even though I wasn't talkingwith animals yet, I had the
intuitive hunch that she wastrying to decide if she wanted
to stay with me or go and be awild tortoise.
And when I asked that questionof the animal communicator I was
working with to locate her andbring her home, that came up.
She said I am deciding.
I'm not sure I want to go downthis road.
(35:18):
And I said well, that's fair.
If you don't want to, then Iwill accept that, and that's
that unconditional love.
I had no intention of harmingher and yet I did so.
There's also a deeper element.
Whenever we look from theoutside, looking into somebody
else's situation, their choices,their worldview, their quality
(35:39):
of life, who they're keepingcompany with, there's always an
invitation also to look back atourselves and say where do I see
that behavior reflected in myown life?
This is a very, very highspiritual discipline.
It's very, very humbling tolook at someone else who may be
abusing or mistreating orhoarding animals and say where
do I see that behavior in my ownlife?
(35:59):
Why am I looking at this otherbeing with judgment or
condemnation?
I'm not trying to say thatthat's what you're doing, but I
know that I've been guilty ofthat in the past.
And so when I look at someoneelse who's perpetrating such
what I can only call just evilupon innocent beings, I first am
(36:20):
tasked to look back at myselfand say where have I perpetrated
evil?
Where have I done wrong?
Where have I even intentionedthe best and have been too
wounded or traumatized myself torecognize that what I was
giving was so far from that?
We don't know what anotherperson or another animal's world
is like until we ask.
(36:41):
And that is why I do the workthat I do and that is why I
teach others how to communicatewith animals, because the only
way to develop true empathy andthe only way to be able to act
appropriately, passionately, onanother's behalf is to take a
walk in their shoes or paws orclaws or wings or shell, to ask,
(37:05):
to have that conversation, todevelop that awareness through
their eyes and ears and nose andmouth and skin and heart and
soul, and then take a look backat ourselves and ask ourselves
are you still judging, are youstill condemning, or can you not
see a reflection within yourown life as well?
(37:27):
And this is how we reallyup-level the ones that it is
toughest to see the light in.
Well, that's where we're calledto try hardest to see the light
, because without our ability tosee into their soul and to
still detect some light there,nothing will ever change for the
animals we love.
So I hope that this episode,while sobering and difficult to
(37:50):
present, I've definitely foundmyself breathing a little more
deeply and trying to staycentered, as I'm talking about
such an emotional topic, and Iappreciate you sticking with me.
I'd love to hear your thoughts.
This is an ongoing, evolvingdiscussion.
It's definitely a conversationhere, never a monologue.
I may learn something newtomorrow from the animals on
(38:14):
this very topic and if and whenI do, I will come back here and
I will record a new episode andI will share it with you.
But for now, this is what theanimals have been able to teach
me thus far and may justrepresent how far along I am.
This is what I have thecapacity to learn, so I welcome
wisdom and insight with kindnessand respect and I look forward
(38:39):
to your thoughts and yourquestions.
If there's anything else thatyou would like to know about or
learn about along the lines ofthis topic, I can go to the
animals and I can ask them andcome back and unpack it with you
.
So let me know what's on yourmind and what's in your heart.
Thank you so much for being alistener.
If you enjoyed today's episodealthough enjoyed might not be
(39:02):
the right word maybe if youappreciated it, or if you could
feel like it enlightened you ormaybe lifted some of that
heaviness a little for you,please do take the time to leave
a review or a comment or aquestion.
Five stars would be amazing.
It really helps our littlepodcast get known.
There's lots of podcasts outthere and I am grateful for
(39:23):
every single one of you wholisten to.
Let's Talk to Animals, and Isend you all my love.
Okay, new episode coming in twoweeks and until then, I look
forward to seeing you back hereagain very soon.
All my love.
Bye for now.
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