Shownotes
In this episode, I discuss the deep and transformative connection between humans and animals. Through a series of meditation and journal prompts, I guide listeners on a 40-day journey to explore what animals can teach us about life, trust, intuition, and community. With examples from her own experience as an animal communicator and stories of animals like wildebeest and giraffes, I illustrate the wisdom animals can impart. I invite listeners to participate in this contemplative process, leading up to World Animal Day on October 4th, to gain new perspectives and deepen their connectedness with all life.
Highlights:
- Deep Connection with Animals: I emphasize that communicating with animals offers profound insights into universal truths and can spark personal transformation.
- Trust in Human-Animal Relationships: Animals often trust humans more than we trust ourselves. They recognize our efforts and know that we're doing the best we can.
- 40-Day Journey of Transformation: By engaging with Karen's meditation and journal prompts for 40 days, individuals can gain a different perspective on life, animals, and the connectedness of all beings.
- Wisdom from African Wildlife: Specific messages from wildebeest, zebras, and giraffes illustrate how we can use our intuition, work in community, and utilize our unique gifts.
- Accessibility and Participation: Karen's prompts are accessible to everyone, regardless of their experience with animals, and I invite listeners to share their journey on social media and my website.
Listeners can find these prompts across my social media platforms and on my website at revkarencleveland.com/paws, and I encourage listeners to participate and reflect on their own connections with animals. Whether you're new to meditation or have a long-established practice, these insights offer a meaningful way to explore the oneness of life.
Transcripts
Hello and welcome to the Connectedness Podcast.
rev karen:Just as you might have guessed, I talk about connection and connectedness
rev karen:on this podcast, our connection with everything in the world around us.
rev karen:Whether you see it or not, we're all connected, and it doesn't matter if it's
rev karen:our dog, our cat, our God, our body.
rev karen:And I'll also talk about some more.
rev karen:Abstract connections like our career or our land, our community, our emotions,
rev karen:your body life is all about connection.
rev karen:So the sooner we recognize that, the sooner we can have an
rev karen:easier, more meaningful life.
rev karen:I will talk about these connections through different lenses.
rev karen:Things like synchronicities and coincidences are just.
rev karen:Everyday little bits of magic and miracles that we, we usually dismiss.
rev karen:It's really important that we pay attention to all of this so we can
rev karen:live an easier, more meaningful life.
rev karen:So welcome to the show.
rev karen:I'm your host, Karen Cleveland.
rev karen:Hey, welcome back to the show.
rev karen:In this episode, I wanna talk about connecting with animals.
rev karen:Part of the connectedness of all life is that we are indeed connected with
rev karen:the animals that we can communicate with them, we can be in connection with them.
rev karen:And I am, this is, this episode is kind of a kickoff to a series of journal prompts,
rev karen:meditation prompts that I'm doing to help people connect deeper with animals and.
rev karen:To help with self-reflection and to spark their own personal transformation.
rev karen:Because when we connect with animals, we can learn so many things that that
rev karen:might have never occurred to us before.
rev karen:So many things that are on a universal level, So impactful and,
rev karen:and potentially meaningful to our lives if we allow the information in
rev karen:and to incorporate it into our life.
rev karen:When I connect with animals, like for example with a client and their dog,
rev karen:cat, horse, whatever it might be, I enter this space with them and I.
rev karen:I begin to understand that they perceive life differently than we do.
rev karen:And maybe, so for example,, I had a client contact me one time.
rev karen:The vet recommended a leg amputation for their dog, and the person was completely
rev karen:distraught because, , it seems like just part of your life force to, to
rev karen:have a leg amputated and that we need it for play and for doing everything.
rev karen:when I actually connected with the dog and talked to the dog about the surgery
rev karen:and about what the problem was , the dog.
rev karen:was okay with it.
rev karen:The dog was like, my leg is not my spirit.
rev karen:My leg, my body is not who I am, I'm not gonna let it get me down.
rev karen:I will go on and have, , a perfectly active, happy life.
rev karen:And so we humans, We tend to get bogged down about information like that, right?
rev karen:We think it's so horrible.
rev karen:Life's gonna suck.
rev karen:Everything is going to be wrong.
rev karen:But the dog said, that's not who I am.
rev karen:I'm okay with it if that's what needs to be done.
rev karen:If my person believes that's what needs to be done, then I'm okay with it.
rev karen:And that's the other thing is.
rev karen:They trust us.
rev karen:They know we are doing the best we can.
rev karen:And even when we don't trust ourselves to make a decision like that, the animal
rev karen:knows we are always doing the best we can.
rev karen:, the dog did have the amputation and I heard from the owner months and months
rev karen:later that the dog was doing just fine.
rev karen:So that's one thing that, , a connection with the animals can do.
rev karen:They can bring you a different perspective Also.
rev karen:So many times I have clients say that they are sure their animal is mad at
rev karen:them, whether it's a cat or a dog, or it doesn't matter what kind of animal.
rev karen:We put these human.
rev karen:human assumptions, onto these animals.
rev karen:I had someone who was absolutely certain their dog was very mad at
rev karen:them and didn't know how they would ever forgive them, but the dog knows
rev karen:that there's nothing to forgive.
rev karen:Again, it's kind of along the same lines that they know
rev karen:we're doing the best we can.
rev karen:I believe that we have some kind of unwritten, unspoken
rev karen:contract with our animals,
rev karen:They know what they're getting into when they come to live in a certain house
rev karen:or in a certain situation sometimes.
rev karen:So I think we need to stop, number one, being so hard on
rev karen:ourselves, but then also start.
rev karen:Being open to a broader idea of how the animals might perceive.
rev karen:So these 40 days of meditation and journal prompts, and these are designed.
rev karen:To take you deeper into connection.
rev karen:And they cover all aspects of, animal and people relations and, , farm
rev karen:animals and wildlife and safari animals and our pets, , ocean animals.
rev karen:, the 40 days contains like just a huge broad spectrum of.
rev karen:Different ways we can tap into not only the wisdom of the animals, but then how?
rev karen:How can it apply to our lives?
rev karen:What can we know for our life?
rev karen:I was trying to come up with a way to help people understand.
rev karen:The connectedness of life.
rev karen:Understand why I like to take people on safari and connect with the
rev karen:wildlife there because not everyone can come on safari with me, and not
rev karen:everyone even has a pet in their house.
rev karen:But that doesn't mean they don't love animals, and it doesn't mean that they
rev karen:don't want to connect with them more.
rev karen:There's all kinds of situations why people do or don't have or can
rev karen:do certain things, I wanted to be able to provide a different way.
rev karen:These are meditation or journal prompts.
rev karen:, you can take the prompt that I give you, you can take it into a
rev karen:short meditation, whether it's two minutes, five minutes, 10 minutes.
rev karen:You can take it, um, just into contemplation throughout the day
rev karen:and, and think about what what does that prompt mean to you, and of
rev karen:course, write it down in a journal.
rev karen:And see what comes out because , I know that at the end of 40 days, those that
rev karen:do this are going to have a different perspective on your own life, on animals
rev karen:and on the connectedness of all life.
rev karen:It's pretty much impossible To do something for 40 days, something impactful
rev karen:like this for 40 days and not be affected at the end, even if you skip a few days.
rev karen:And why am I doing it for 40 days?
rev karen:Well, 40 days is a period of learning.
rev karen:It's a period of test and trial and, , trusting and learning,
rev karen:see it all the time in the Bible.
rev karen:Because it, it's a period of time.
rev karen:It designates a period of time in which we fully embody something.
rev karen:We learn something, we're educated about something , and we embody it.
rev karen:So I'm doing it leading up to World Animal Day.
rev karen:October 4th is World Animal Day.
rev karen:It's also St.
rev karen:Francis of Assisi Day.
rev karen:I'm doing it leading up to that now.
rev karen:I'm not going to be around at home on World Animal Day, I will be on safari
rev karen:with the wild animals, but I think it's a great way to celebrate the Animals on
rev karen:World Animal Day, having this brand new perspective and connection with them.
rev karen:, I'll start putting out the prompts on August 25th, you can
rev karen:get them any number of ways.
rev karen:You're going to be able to find these prompts all over my social media.
rev karen:So on my Facebook stories, on my Instagram stories, on my TikTok, on
rev karen:my YouTube shorts, on, um, even a podcast, I have a separate podcast.
rev karen:For this, you can look up, paws and reflect, P A W Ss.
rev karen:Reflect now, there's a couple pause and reflect podcasts, so make sure you
rev karen:look for the one that is the 40 day transformation, and these are gonna be the
rev karen:shortest episodes you've ever listened to.
rev karen:They're, you know, one minute or less, they're 30 to 60 seconds.
rev karen:All I need to do is give you the prompt for the day for you then to consider.
rev karen:And if you listen to podcasts while you're running.
rev karen:Put the prompt in, you know, listen to it, put the prompt in, and then think
rev karen:about it as you run or whatever you're doing when you listen to podcasts.
rev karen:Back to the animals and why?
rev karen:I think it's, it's transformational.
rev karen:Sometimes different species have different messages for us.
rev karen:And for example, when I connected with wildebeest not too long ago
rev karen:now, wildebeests are the ones in Africa that do this migration.
rev karen:And it's a circular migration.
rev karen:It's not like a north, south, back and forth.
rev karen:It's a circle that they are constantly doing, and they come into Kenya just
rev karen:for a small part of the entire migration circle, . So the wildebeests told
rev karen:me , it's about following instinct, which is very similar to our intuition,
rev karen:but it's following instinct and knowing that if you go with the pull.
rev karen:The pull is intuition, instinct.
rev karen:What is it that's pulling you in, drawing you near?
rev karen:If you go with that, you can trust what's going to be when you get there.
rev karen:So it's important to always listen to that pull and follow it because you will be
rev karen:served by what you get when you follow it.
rev karen:And I think that's an an important message, , for us.
rev karen:For them.
rev karen:Yeah, it's very important that they continue on their migration
rev karen:so they have their needs met and it's equally important for us.
rev karen:I believe that some people have a hard time doing that.
rev karen:not some people, a lot of people, most people even I have a hard time doing that
rev karen:sometimes because it seems so out there.
rev karen:We wanna say, why would I do that?
rev karen:I can't imagine any good reason we let our head get in the way
rev karen:about why we, why I would do that.
rev karen:So it's really important.
rev karen:So that's something very specific that the wildebeest gave me
rev karen:and it might be a little more.
rev karen:General, , that being in community is important.
rev karen:The zebras, the wildebeests and the giraffes they're not a tight
rev karen:community, but they're usually around each other because they help
rev karen:each other out in indirect ways.
rev karen:The giraffes, you know, have this grand vision, this distant vision.
rev karen:The, , zebras have short vision.
rev karen:They're low to the ground and they see what's near, and the
rev karen:wildebeest can't see much at all.
rev karen:But they can, they can smell and they can hear.
rev karen:So between the three of 'em, they work together.
rev karen:They use their gifts, they use their God-given gifts.
rev karen:not only do they support themselves in that, but they support those around
rev karen:them because, , they then know the giraffes know that if the wildebeest.
rev karen:Believe it's time to move, then it's time to move.
rev karen:And the wildebeest knows that if the zebra sees something dangerous and they start
rev karen:to go, then they know it's time to go.
rev karen:So there's, all kinds of information.
rev karen:You might get something very specific.
rev karen:You might actually hear words, you might see colors,
rev karen:Information will come to you in many different ways.
rev karen:And then if you are participating in this, I really would love for you to share.
rev karen:So whatever your social media is, if it's TikTok or, Stories or it's
rev karen:also gonna be on my Facebook page.
rev karen:Please comment.
rev karen:You don't have to sign up for it.
rev karen:I'm just putting it out there.
rev karen:Because I think the more people that begin to connect with animals and
rev karen:the more people that begin to connect with themselves and globally with,
rev karen:with the entire earth and world and universe, the better off we all are.
rev karen:And if it helps you to establish a very short practice that you don't
rev karen:already have, I think that's good too.
rev karen:You don't even have to use these prompts for the entire 40 days if it's starts a
rev karen:practice where you don't already have one.
rev karen:I think that's great and you don't have to meditate for a half hour.
rev karen:You know, You can just close your eyes, listen to the prompt, close
rev karen:your eyes, just two minutes, three minutes, and see what comes up for you.
rev karen:That's, that's a start.
rev karen:That's a perfect start To start with your own mindfulness and, and being in the
rev karen:presence and allowing other information in that can help inspire you to move
rev karen:or act or think in a different way.
rev karen:. So thank you for listening to this episode.
rev karen:If you want to participate, you don't have to sign up.
rev karen:You can if you've missed some.
rev karen:Now, I know not everyone's gonna listen to this before it starts.
rev karen:It's gonna be available anytime.
rev karen:Even if you listen to this in a month or in three months, or in a year, the
rev karen:series will still be available to you.
rev karen:So you can go to my webpage and sign up if you need access to the prompts that
rev karen:have already been released, and that would berevcarecleveland.com /paws.
rev karen:P a Ws , but if it's before October 4th, 2023, you can just go to my
rev karen:social media and look that way.
rev karen:Rev Karen Cleveland, , for Facebook at Rev Karen Cleveland for Instagram.
rev karen:Rev KC for TikTok and YouTube is also at Rev Karen Cleveland.
rev karen:I really wanna hear your feedback if you do this and what, what it has
rev karen:meant to you, what kind of insights you have, because I really do believe it's
rev karen:going to be impactful for your life.
rev karen:Thanks.
rev karen:Bye-bye.
rev karen:If you enjoyed the show, don't forget to head over to rev karen podcast.com.
rev karen:That's R E V K A R E N podcast.com.
rev karen:There you're gonna find the tools for finding more meaning
rev karen:and happiness in your own life.
rev karen:Plus, if you have a story that you want to share with me, either on or off the
rev karen:air, be sure to look for that form.
rev karen:Make sure you follow me so you get notified when new episodes drop.
rev karen:And also I'd love to connect with you and my Facebook group
rev karen:Connectedness with Rev, Karen.
rev karen:So head over to rev karen podcast.com.
