A Spiritually Enlightening Online Magazine. July's Theme: "Creating Your Own Reality"
Volume 4 Issue 5 ISSN# 1708-3265

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Illuminations Aleesha Stephenson About the Cover Carole Devereux Manifesting your Own Destiny Douglas De Long Steppingstones to Your Reality Rev. Cheryl Jewett The Judge in my Head Toria Betson What Are We Creating Through Procreation? David Suzuki PhD The Journey of Empowerment Understanding Your Purpose And Fulfilling It Linda Drake Bumper Sticker Fundraiser "Proud Parent of a Homeschooler" Scott Wood Technically Tarot Jeannette Roth Pet-sense Jean Hofve DVM Walk Your Talk Aleesha Stephenson Wyrd Lynx John Sacelli Lifetalks Dawn Baumann Brunke Being Mindful Janet Alston Jackson Meditate a Moment Featuring: Aleesha Stephenson Light Lean Healthy Being Movie Mary Robinson Reynolds Sacred Mirrors Cards Alex Grey Deck Reviews Los Scarabeo Tarot of Metamorphosis M. Filadoro and L. Di Giammarino Vanessa Tarot Lynyrd Narciso

Human beings, in order to preserve their uniqueness (and superiority), have come up with a variety of criteria to separate themselves from other animals.

The making and utilization of tools was touted as uniquely human, until researchers found that birds - including crows, woodpeckers, vultures - and fellow primates such as chimpanzees, gorillas, and monkeys - also create specific and use a variety of tools for specific situations.

Altruism, personality, abstract thinking, culture, problem solving, self-awareness, deception, pride, creativity, cooperation, verbal communication, and humour have all at one time been said to distinguish us from "lower" animals - and one by one these pillars have also fallen as animals' abilities and thought processes have been illuminated.

One thing which might still make humans unique is our ability to plan for the distant future; i.e., intention. While other animals can clearly form intentions for the short term (a chimp will create a tool for the immediate purpose of pulling termites out of a hole), we humans can imagine many future possibilities, and form intentions to choose a particular path. And by our intentions, we create our own reality.

But is this truly a feature of humans only?

Since the middle of March, I've been very busy with the pet food recall situation - working hard to find and disseminate correct information to consumers. Then I was out of town for more than a week. With all the stress and very little rest, it was no surprise when I came down with a nasty fever, cough, and congestion. Because there was a sort of "inevitable" feeling about it, I probably had formed an underlying intention to get some rest, and my body enforced it by creating the illness.

However, I could also see another intention influencing the situation.

I work from home, and my cats are used to having me around pretty much all the time. They don't like it when I travel. So naturally, they were in "hog heaven" when after being gone for 9 days, I was sick in bed for a week. They were utterly content to stay right there in bed with me. Day and night, they scarcely left my side. Did their desire to have me home with them have the force of an intention? And how much weight did their intentions carry in creating the situation?

Over the years, I've witnessed some remarkable "coincidences" involving animals. In particular, many dogs and cats manage to get themselves found or adopted by exactly the right person at exactly the right moment. The people involved are mostly bemused; most had no conscious intention of getting a pet at all. I'm convinced that these animals are creating these new loving relationships though their intentions.

I've also noticed that when animals reincarnate, they often find their way back to their original people. Their journeys can take some remarkable twists and turns, and may cover many miles and many years.

For instance, I have a friend who developed a strong bond with a neighbor's dog in a little mountain town. He had a short, rough life, terminated by his owner with a shotgun. A year later, he reappeared in a shelter in San Rafael, California, where she was living for a few months - the dog clearly recognized my friend and wouldn't take no for an answer. In that life, a drunken roommate let him out in the middle of the night, and he was killed by a passing car. On his third incarnation, he popped up in the city shelter in Boulder, CO. This time, he stayed with my friend for 15 years.

Now, it was definitely my friend's intention to keep finding this dog, but I can't help but believe that his intention to find her in each lifetime was the key which facilitated their reunions.

Maybe it's time for us humans to acknowledge the spiritual, intentional side of our animal friends, and start working with them to create a beautiful reality that works for all.

Dr. Jean Hofve has been a holistic veterinarian for more than 12 years. She founded SpiritEssence in 1995, which remains the only line of essence formulas for animals created by a veterinarian. Dr. Hofve does health, nutrition, and behavior consultations through www.littlebigcat.com.

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