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In present time there is a growing interest in health, nutrition and dietary supplementation for companion animals. Although there is no question that proper nutrition is an important ingredient in any lifestyle, there is often an extreme over-emphasis on its importance in the overall health of an individual, be that individual animal or human. The impulse to supplement the diet can become a kind of fanatical quest to find just the right substance to create health, overcome disease, or restore balance to the emotional body. The underlying motive in such a quest is often a subconscious need to make up for something that is lacking in relationship to the animal or in relationship to one's self if the supplementation is occurring in relationship to one's own health. Many times the whole dietary fanaticism with human beings arises from the same place of distortion that excessive weight loss or excessive over-eating arise - the desire to fill the self with something that is perceived as the missing ingredient in life - that magical something that will somehow make everything all right.
The impulse toward over emphasis on the physical health of animals arises,
in part, out of collective consciousness. Because consciousness is
accelerating in our time, there is an increasing awareness of just how badly animals have been treated by human beings in a historical sense. This awareness can be conscious or unconscious, personal or impersonal. Whether these feelings are conscious or not, they can create guilt, or a feeling of wanting to make up for the suffering that animals have endured at the hands of human beings throughout the centuries. These feelings can be further complicated if one's own karmic patterning contains incidents of abuse toward animals, or if in this lifetime one has exhibited some kind of unkindness towards animals. To a greater or lesser extent we have all experienced harming other beings.
As our consciousness evolves and expands, and as we become increasingly sensitive to the suffering of forms of life other than our own, we may experience a keen remorse over even the slightest unkindness that we have directed toward other beings. In addition, one can transfer one's own experience of abuse or neglect onto the animal and then attempt to repair "wrongs" to the self by focusing on healing the animal. Sometimes those of us who are afraid to reach out to other human beings for love and intimacy may feel safer relating to animals. This kind of distorted relating can burden an animal with issues and complexities beyond his capacity to understand and may result in emotional, behavioral and physical disharmonies. Often a person who relates to an animal in such ways misses out on the animal's true gift to them. Considering these factors we can easily see how the resulting emotions can be channeled into the whole arena of animal care. The awareness of the suffering of animals, and our part in such suffering, can be responsible for a tendency to be overprotective as well - such as keeping an animal strictly indoors who's purpose would better be served by being outdoors. In many cases these kinds of impulses are misguided attempts to make up for feelings of inadequacy at a spiritual level.
So much of what we do to care for our animals in the way of consumerism would better be accomplished by focusing on love. Any form of obsessive caring for the physical body, whether the focus is on the human body or the body of an animal is in many cases a misguided attempt to fill the self or fill the self of the other with love. Love is the substance that nourishes beyond all else. Although there is nothing wrong with experimenting with diet and supplements, and although it is wise to feed ourselves and our animals simple healthy diets, the most important factor in health remains love . . . that we love ourselves and that we fully love our animal companion.
Many people are fearful of intimacy having been disappointed by love and friendship, or through experiences of abuse or neglect. When this happens, a person is often fearful of expressing either self love or love of an animal or another person in a direct way, and so the impulse to love gets distorted and channelled in covert ways. This can be observed in the hovering, smothering mother syndrome in which the animal is constantly fed and supplemented with things that are perceived as good for him. What the animal really wants and needs, and what you yourself really long for, is love.
Grace, which is the continuous overflowing of the Divine Essence of God, which is Love, flows directly to us and to all of creation in equal measure and at all times. The supply is infinite and free. We don't have to go out and search for it, or buy it; it costs nothing and is around us and in us all the time. The grace we receive, though, depends on our ability to receive it. When we make our lives too busy, and when we have no quiet time to simply be with ourselves and with our animal companions we never have an experience of the in-flowing of grace from God that is constantly taking place. The best way to tap into the love that we all need so much, the love that is the very substance of life and which will make up for all the injustices that have ever been, is simply to recognize and to make clear the way for the in-flowing of God's grace to us, and from God . . . to us . . . to other beings. We can become attuned to that flow of love simply buy becoming quiet for a period of time every day. In this way we become aware that the love we so desperately need is in constant supply. The only reason that we are not aware of the constant flow of God's love, is that out lives have become so filled with thoughts, plans and activities that the quiet inpouring of love gets wiped out by all the activity, and thinking, and noise of life. But it is there none-the-less, constantly in the background, constantly flowing, and available to us in any given moment.
Wild animals, and healthy domestic animals have a natural capacity to attune to the in-flowing of love from God. The more domesticated an animal becomes, however, the more he becomes like us, and the more he may experience a feeling of separation from the one source of love which is God. Animals acquire emotional armoring from emotional and physical suffering just as human beings do. Feeling a need to protect the self can interfere or cut down on, the perception of the inflow of God's love. Even the most ill animal or the animal that has been damaged by neglect or abuse will just naturally rise to the highest energy that it can access. If we have an animal that is physically ill or injured, or who has come to us from an abusive situation, we can increase the animals capacity to open to love and to receive the love that is constantly present by simply tuning into that love ourselves. As we quiet ourselves by setting aside a certain time each day to do so we become increasingly able to receive the inpouring of God's love and then to direct that love toward the animal like a healing beam of light and energy. Over time the animal will regain his ability to access the love of God himself.
Animals respond very quickly to love directed toward them. The reason that an animal will open more quickly to the healing of love is simply that an animal's way of operating is more simple and pure than our own. An animal doesn't have the complicated thought processes and emotions that human being have. Animals certainly do have emotions, but the emotions are not complicated by convoluted thinking. It is much easier for animals, than it is for most humans, to simply resonate to the highest energy presented. The same method can, of course, be used on human beings, but requires much more in the way of time and effort to break down the ego defenses so that the love can get through. With an animal, it is usually very, very, simple. It is so simple that it is merely a matter of making time to do it.
The best way to facilitate opening to the grace of God is simply to be quiet with ourselves for a time each day. Once in the morning and once at night is good, beginning for a few minutes and gradually expanding that few minutes until we spend a half an hour in the morning and a half an hour again at night. As we allow ourselves to sit and just to be still, we will find that we are increasingly aware of the love of God that surrounds us. In this state we can simply ask that our past and the past of our animal friend be cleansed and healed by the gentle in-flowing of God's grace. It is wonderful to include the animals in this quiet time.
At first we may find the process of sitting quietly uncomfortable because of the thoughts that seem to race through our minds faster than ever, and perhaps feelings of physical agitation. If our intention is to feel the love and the presence of God then that is what will happen if we simply persist. Another wonderful way of connecting with the love of God is to simply spend time in nature every day. In most cases just putting ourselves in a natural environment in the woods or near a lake or stream facilitates the quieting of the mind and opening of the heart. Meditation time can be combined with time out of doors to double the effect. If you find yourself sitting out of doors in nature one day, and you begin to feel the inpouring of God's love, you can channel that loving energy to your animal friend whether or not he is there with you. Just imagine your animal receiving that love as a gentle beam of golden light or a warm vibration of energy. Animals are naturally telepathic, and they easily receive "love at a distance."
As we increasingly spend quiet time with ourselves we will find that we have less and less of an impulse to scurry about and read things, research things, go to stores, look for supplements, read about products, and send for information. Simply by being in that state of experiencing union with God everything else takes care of its self. Our system simply comes into balance, disharmonies are corrected, and the body and the subtle bodies naturally come in to attunement when we rest in the grace of God's love. When this happens, the need for exotic supplements, rigorous diets, exhausting exercise programs and expensive therapies become less and less important in our lives. As we rest increasingly in the grace of God's love, and as we include the animal in that process, all things are made right. To include the animal we need do nothing more than acknowledge the sacredness of his presence in our life. The animal will feel our rise in consciousness and will simply feel the love pervading our physical systems, our thinking systems, and the
environment in which we live. The animal will resonate to the new state of consciousness automatically, because that is what animals do . . . they resonate to the energy of the environment in which they find themselves. As they resonate more and more to the high vibration that we are nurturing, they will become increasingly healthy and their physical and emotional systems will become capable of acquiring all of the nutrients they need from any simple sensible diet that we provide them with.
Much of the health care fanaticism that exists in our time, although it can be well meaning and helpful, can also simply make our life more complicated and confused. Much of the animal health hype is guilt producing and people who don't have the money to by expensive supplements and engage in exotic therapies for themselves, much less for their animals, can be made to feel as if they are incapable of providing the animal with what it needs.
Love is the supreme healer. If we don't have the resources to do anything, if we don't even have a dollar in our pocket, the supply of love from God is always present to draw upon, and it is free and available to everyone. We do our animals the most good by simply attuning ourselves to the in--flowing of God's grace. This one thing will have more benefit for our animal than anything we can put in or on his food, or any particular form of therapy. God doesn't intend health and well being to be expensive matters. God's love is as available to a blade of grass as to an orchid and to a mongrel dog as to one with a pedigree; it recognizes no difference. God has given us the Earth and Earth will sustain us, and what she gives forth will sustain us as long as we love Her and attune to the love of God. Anything in our diet that might be lacking, even minor pollutants that might be present, will be offset by the in-flowing of the love of God.
For your own health and the health of your animals, think simple. Feed yourself and your animal a simple, healthy diet containing simple healthy ingredients. Supplement with a minimum of good things. Focus your attention on love, and focus your attention on peace and peacefulness for at least part of your day every day. Feel the love of God that flows to you and through you to the animals and directly to the animals as well. Your life will be happy and healthy and the life of your animal friend will be happy and healthy too. You will rest peacefully knowing that you are in God's hands and that God will take care of those things that you cannot. The healthiest people in the world are not people who use nautilus equipment or who take mega-vitamins. The healthiest people are those who live simple lives in attunement to the earth and in attunement to God. The healthiest animals are the animals who live in proximity to such people.
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