Changing Views

January 27, 2014

  

I just watched a video about a new study at Emory University where they are trying to understand canine cognition. They’ve trained a dog to be still in an MRI machine and they watch the brain while they give commands that sometimes involve food treats and at other times don’t.

With MRI, the team can visualize how specific parts of a dog’s brain respond to stimuli like food and social rewards. By evaluating brain activity, they can infer how much of a dog’s motivation is about food rewards and how much is the result of social interaction with a human. They say, “We’re finding strong evidence that it is not just about food.”

Duh! It’s hard for me to not be a little irreverent when I read this stuff. Have they ever spent any time with a dog?  Maybe it’s these kinds of studies that will finally ‘prove’ that animals are feeling, thinking, emotional beings, and should be treated as such.

It is very difficult for me to see that science still hasn’t yet embraced the field of telepathy. The quantum physicists are on board, but when will the behaviorial sciences and biologists catch up?

I had wanted to do animal research when I was young – sit in the jungle with Jane Goodall and study chimps. Then I wanted to do cetacean research to understand whales and dolphins. When I discovered telepathy I realized that this would answer so many scientific questions. What could be easier than asking the animal directly the What, Why, Where and Who of their lives?

While it seems we are still in the infancy of accepting telepathy and animal communication, I am seeing slow progress. When I took my first class in 1988, now 26 years ago, people thought I was nuts. I couldn’t mention it to everyday people without them backing quickly away. That is not the case now. Almost everyone has at least heard about animal communication or know someone who has used a communicator or they have seen something on TV.

A former student of mine has been working for the past two years on her PhD project in animal communication. She has been talking to people’s pets and recording the accuracy of their interviews and her results are quite impressive. She’s blazing a trail to legitimize this field through the scientific method.

A few months ago, I was delighted to have a student in an animal communication workshop that is a professor at a Canadian university. She teaches a class in “multiple ways of knowing”  and wants to bring telepathy and animal and nature communication into the curriculum.

So I guess that things really are changing. It’s just taking longer than I would like.

Sea Turtle Nesting

January 16, 2013

Baby rescued from a nest

From May through October, Florida beaches are home to sea turtle nests. Females come ashore during the night and lay about 100 rubbery eggs the size of ping-pong balls. They haul themselves up on the beach, dig a hole about 18 inches deep, lay their eggs and then cover them up. In about three hours they are heading back to the water. I love walking on the beach in the morning and looking for fresh turtle tracks coming from the water and then going back out again.

Here on the gulf coast the most common sea turtle is the Loggerhead. We have a very active ‘turtle patrol’ group that stakes the nests so they aren’t disturbed. In about 60 days the hatchlings make their way to the water at night and swim out to the seagrass beds where they live for several years. These little babes weigh less than an ounce and are only two inches long. Their sex is determined during incubation by the nest temperature: boys like it cool and girls like it hot.

Digging up the nest

A few days after they leave, the patrol digs up the nest and counts the eggshells. Bob and I attended an excavation this summer and were delighted to find that about ten little turtles were stuck in the nest. This gave us a rare chance to see them! They were all released a few hours later under the cover of darkness.

This past summer there were 370 nests on Anna Maria Island alone. From those nests, approximately 23,178 little hatchlings headed into the gulf. Scientists estimate that only 1 in 1,000-10,000 hatchlings live to adulthood so it’s a pretty tough life. Adult turtles can grow over 3 feet long and weigh 200–300 pounds. Sea turtles live their entire lives in the ocean and only the females come ashore to nest.

All sea turtles are endangered but I’m thrilled to see that so many are nesting in my own backyard. Perhaps next year I can join the turtle patrol. Wouldn’t that be fun?

Cats and Grounding

January 8, 2014

If you’ve ever had a cat, you probably noticed how sensitive they are to energy or changes in energy. This is a big part of who felines are and it rules much of their world.

Many cats feel that their job is to keep the energy clean in a household. They are constantly moving around adjusting the vibration. Some dislike a particular person because their energy is too chaotic or disrupts what the cat has established. Other cats can sense and/or see spirit or vortex energies. There are also some cats that don’t pay attention to any of these things, but in general cats are concerned and involved in the energetics of their home and body.

It is not uncommon for me to get calls about cats that are anxious, aggressive, restless, or depressed. Very often these cats only live indoors and they tell me that they have a build up of internal energy that they have no outlet for. It is very important for these cats to get outside and touch the earth. This grounds their energy and lets the excess drain off. Of course it is also a wonderful way to stimulate the senses, but the grounding aspect is frequently overlooked.

I realize that some areas are not safe for cats to roam and in these instances there are a few alternatives. Some cats take well to walking on a harness and leash. It takes time and training indoors, but once they are comfortable you can begin walking them outside. When I was on my road trip, I saw many cats in RV parks that walked on leashes.

They can also spend time outside in an enclosure. This might be something you make yourself, or there are many companies that make kits to assemble. There are also ways to fence your yard so that your cat can’t get out and other critters can’t get in. Here are links to several cat enclosures or systems:

http://www.purrfectfence.com/

http://www.cagesbydesign.com/t-suncatchercat.aspx

http://www.petenclosuresnorthwest.com/

http://www.catiospaces.com/

http://catfencein.com/

http://www.catfence.com/order.htm

If you have a cat that needs to touch the earth for his or her mental and physical wellbeing, try one of these ways to help them do that. 

The Golden Cord

December 23, 2013

When people call me about lost animals, especially cats, I always recommend that they do the following golden cord exercise. If a cat is alive and not locked in somewhere, it almost always brings them home. It works well with dogs and other pets too.

You can also adapt this visualization to communicate with your animal when you are away, whether you are just at work or across the world. Making this connection will let your animal know that you are thinking of them and can decrease any anxiety they are experiencing about you being gone.

Here’s how you do it. Sit quietly and get in a meditative state. Imagine a golden cord coming out of your heart, going out into the darkness and connecting to your animal. Make a strong connection and really hold your focus. Then pull gently on the cord and tell the animal it’s time to come home, they’re safe and it’s okay to return now. Tell them that they should follow the cord and that your energy is with them to keep them safe. Send a strong visual of your pet following the cord right to your doorstep and coming inside. Tell them that you have a yummy treat waiting, whatever they love the most. The more you can do this from home, the better and quicker the results are.

If your pet is safe at home, and you are the one away, just use the cord like a telephone wire (remember those?) and talk to your pet through the cord. Send loving feelings from your heart to theirs. They will feel it and understand that you are still connected to them and sending love. If you are on vacation, you can tell them each day that you’ll be home in 4 nights, then 3 nights, then 2, etc. When my clients do this while on vacation, their pets are always calm and content when they return.

The golden cord is wonderful tool and you’ll find this description in the resources section of my website. www.MaryGetten.com

Holiday Pet Hazards

December 15, 2013

During the Holidays there are many new hazards for our pets. Here's a quick reminder to ensure that you and your pets have a safe and joyous time.

*  Holiday Food - Fatty foods can cause pancreatitis and gastrointestinal issues.  Chocolate, coffee, and onions are toxic to dogs and cats.  Rising dough on a counter top is irresistible to some pets, and can cause serious problems. Don't forget that dogs, cats, birds and small pets can easily consume wrapped food gifts under or on the tree. Not only are the food items a problem, but also the wrappers are impossible to digest.

*  Holiday Plants - Many lilies are deadly to cats. Mistletoe, poinsettias and holly cause gastrointestinal upset for all critters. Christmas tree water can be filled with chemicals or bacteria and pine sap is dangerous if ingested. Secure your tree to the wall so your pets can't knock it over.

*  Decorations - Tinsel, ribbon, ornaments and hooks are attractive play things for many small animals.  If swallowed they may cause internal blockages requiring surgery. Broken glass ornaments can cut paws and mouths. If your pet likes to play with things on the tree, decorate the lower third with unbreakable wood or plastic ornaments.

*  Candles - Put burning candles in places that are inaccessible to your pets. They could set themselves on fire or tip the candle over and start a fire in the house.

*  Batteries - Don't leave batteries for those Christmas toys lying around. They are fun to play with, but contain corrosives. If ingested, they can cause mouth ulcerations and intestinal issues.

Remember to tell your pets about any visitors that will be coming, or if you will be away over the holidays, and if things are going to be stressful, give them Rescue Remedy in their water dish.

Blessings to each and every one of you humans, cats, dogs, horses, birds, reptiles, fish and small critters.  Have a wonderful holiday season filled with joy, laughter, friends and good times. I love having you in my life.

                            Mary

Iguanas

December 9, 2013

I have a lovely client that takes in homeless or disabled iguanas and gives them a fantastic free roaming home in her large and jungly back yard. It is an amazing place and I was lucky to visit there a few months ago.

One of her older iguanas was not climbing the trees anymore and she worried that she might be in pain. Perhaps she had arthritis or a leg injury? When I connected with her and asked about this change in behavior, she assured me that her limbs were working fine and she was not in pain, even at her advanced age. The problem was her eyesight. Her vision had gotten bad and when she climbed a tree, she didn’t have the depth perception or acuity to feel comfortable climbing back down. She decided that it was just better to stay on the ground.

This information was quite a relief to her person and she now understands the issue.  It was also great to know that this change didn’t bother her at all. She still felt like she was the queen of the yard and was content and happy.

Animals are so much better than humans at accepting their bodies and disabilities. They just find a way to make it work for them and carry on. That’s a lesson we could all learn from them to make our lives happier.

Don't say Don't

December 2, 2013

Animals communicate with the world telepathically all the time and are always open to and reading our thoughts. Generally they get their information from the mental pictures we unconsciously create when we think about or say something. So why don’t they do what we want?

It’s very simple really – we are often picturing what we DON’T want. This is basic human nature; thinking, focusing on or talking about we don’t want. It’s how we are wired, but to have fantastic communication with your animals you need to talk, think and focus on what you DO want.

Let’s say that your cat has been clawing on the couch. When you leave the house in the morning, you look at her and say “Don’t claw on the couch while I’m gone”. What picture do you think appears in your head when you say this?  The cat clawing on the couch! Your kitty, being the friend that she is thinks, “Cool, I know how to do that!” Even if you could picture it, they wouldn’t understand the circle with the line through it.

Then if you are mad at your cat for couch clawing she will be even more confused. To switch this around, you need to talk to her as often as possible about how much you like it when she claws on her post. “Remember to claw on your post while I’m gone today.” “I just love it when you claw on your post.” Eventually she’ll get the message that you really DO want to convey.

This is true for any behavior you’d like to change or modify. Another tough one is “Don’t be afraid.” We say that a lot, so turn it around to, “You can be calm and relaxed because you are safe.”

My rule is if you’re going to say DON’T – DON’T say it! Always say exactly what you DO want and your animals will learn to trust your mental images.