What animals’ souls brought into my life

What have animals’ souls brought into my life? Quite a bit. But first, I had to see that animals have souls.

No mention of animal souls growing up

Growing up in suburbia, I had a limited relationship with animals. I loved finding crayfish and pollywogs in the local creek. Hearing the birds sing. Folks had dogs, cats, birds and fish as pets.

We had cats. We loved them!  But Dad had to rehome them when Mom got super allergic. At least, I hope he found a new home for them. I think he said he was “Taking them to the farm”.

At the time, I remember my sister muttering under her breath, (we were teenagers), “Maybe Mom should leave and the cats can stay…” I that thought, too.

I certainly didn’t hear about animals having souls in religious classes. We focused on how people need to get to The Good Place, or more accurately, stay out of The Bad Place. Animals weren’t part of the discussion; they lived as a backdrop to the human story.

Animals have feelings!

I am not sure when, but somewhere along the way, I realized animals have feelings, just like humans. That started my deeper understanding of who they really were as part of Creation. Not just a backdrop to the human story, but beings in their own right.

Timmie and Eddy shift my perspective

When my dogs Timmie and Eddy visited me AFTER they had passed on, I realized animals have souls. Their essence survived the death of their bodies. Wow!

What non-human souls brought into my life

Even before I knew they had souls, I grew spiritually by just by living with my non-human companions. And I’m still growing. Read my blog, Connecting with our animals for more peace and joy. Here’s what these lovely souls brought into my life.

• Experiencing how their personalities showed affection and love increased my understanding and patience with how love can be expressed.
• I found a growing desire to treat my non-human companions with love and respect.
• Because of who they were, my ability to feel love and compassion dramatically increased.
• I found solace in their company.
• Play and silliness became a regular part of my adult life.
• Being forgiven for imperfect behavior towards them made me want to do better for them.
• Having to make tough medical decisions allowed me to discover self compassion.

Plus, I started to value and respect other non-human species from a more personal perspective. I already knew they were a crucial part of the planet’s health! But I realized they have their own lives, personalities, joys and challenges. And I want them to thrive, not just survive.

Would you like to understand your beloved animal companion better? I can help!

Find out about my UConnect animal communication class!

How have you changed for the better because of your relationship with your animal companions? I’d love to hear more!