Dixie: 00:00:00

today we're talking about something most people never get to witness, what

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trauma feels like from the animal's side.

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As a cat rescue, we work with feral and

previously unwanted cats who carry real

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livid trauma from life before rescue.

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We see the behavior, we treat the

wounds, but we often don't get to

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understand the inner landscape of

what those experiences leave behind.

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Our guest today, Leiah Bowden, is an

animal and interspecies communicator

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whose work blends core shamanism,

hands-on energy healing, and her signature

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soul journey energy portraits, spoken

impressions, renderings, and sun light

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language that reveal what an animal is

carrying, not just what they're showing.

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She's read for rescue animals before,

and her work gives us a rare window

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into the emotional and energetic

truth of cats who've survived

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abandonment, injury, and fear.

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Leia: Hello.

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Dixie: Hello.

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How are you, Leiah?

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Leia: I'm very well.

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And thank you so much for including

me in your wonderful work.

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Dixie: Thank you.

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I'm so very excited to hear about this

because as somebody who does energy

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work herself, i'm familiar with the

animal communication 'cause I have

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also dabbled in animal communication.

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But- … the approach that

you take is so much different.

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I'm very excited to learn

how- … this all works.

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Leia: Wonderful.

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Dixie: Before you started doing this

and before you became an interspecies

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communicator, what did you do

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Leia: I have to confess, I always

admired people who did what their heart

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prompted th- them to do full time.

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But I always had a job, a day

job, and my day job was as a

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communications director for elder--

for organizations helping the elderly.

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I was a director of communications for a

very good multi-level elderly facility.

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And and in the meantime, I did my energy

paintings and my work on the side and

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my animal communication on the side.

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But I had begun delving into

intuitive work, oh, in: 1974

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came upon me, and then gradually

I just opened to it more and more.

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And when I retired in…

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when did I retire?

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2012 or something like that.

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I then just jumped in full time.

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But I had been sensitive

to multidimensionality and

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energies m- mostly all my life.

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And how involved were you

with animals prior to this?

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I had animals.

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I always had a dog and a cat,

and I loved horses occasionally.

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When I had a chance, I rode.

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But I didn't engage with them in ways

that in, in ways that included speech.

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That is the perception of their thoughts

and their feelings as I began when I

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started doing animal communication.

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I would love to tell you how I started

that because I think it is, it's

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full of heart and it really speaks to

how when we open up to our intuition

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our real life blossoms as well.

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Okay?

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Yes.

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So- I would absolutely love to hear that.

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So what happened was my only child,

my son, went to college, and he

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was only an hour and a half away.

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But I found myself doing what

I had heard about other mothers

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doing when their little birds flew.

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I went into his bedroom and

I sat on his bed and I cried.

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And all of a sudden, I knew

that what I needed was horses.

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And so I called a friend of mine

who I knew owned some horses, and I

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called him up and I told him, and he

said, "Okay, you can come feed at 7:30

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in the morning and 7:30 at night."

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And so I started doing that, and that

led to working at some other barns.

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And in one of them, I

found a book on tape.

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This was, gosh, in 1993.

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So we didn't have Audible

or anything like that.

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We had books on tape.

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And I took the book on tape home.

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It was called How to

Communicate with Animals.

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Unfortunately, I don't

remember the author.

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I wish I could 'cause I'd love to give

her, I know it was a woman, credit.

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So I took it h- I listened to it, and

when I went back to the stable the

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next day I, as usual, I pulled out

the two horses that I loved working

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with most were Allie and Springer.

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They were both pregnant.

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Allie had eight foals.

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Springer's pregnancy was her first.

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And I started with Springer,

and I put her in the cross ties.

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And as usual, as I was currying

her, I said, "Oh, Springer, your

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baby is growing so beautifully.

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This is wonderful."

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And I heard a voice in my head

as real as if another human being

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were in my head talking to me.

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And the voice said, just like

this, "I don't want this baby."

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And it was shocking because it

wasn't something that felt other.

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It wasn't something that felt

distant or unrelated to me.

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Imagine sitting with a friend who

says that to you, who's pregnant.

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Y- you don't just say, "Oh, really?

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Okay, please turn your head."

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So I said, "Oh my God, w- why?"

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She said Allie told me it's not good."

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Okay.

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So I finished brushing her, led her back,

brought Allie into the cross ties, and

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I said, "Allie, I hear that you told

Springer that having babies isn't good.

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Why is that?"

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And she said, again, clear as day,

I heard it, a voice in my head.

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She said, "Because they leave you."

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These were broodmares.

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Their job was to give birth,

and then the foals were sold.

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It was heartbreaking.

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And I told the owner of the stable

this, and she was mortified.

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I don't know what she did.

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M- my association with her was very

short-lived, and not at all because of

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any disapproval on my part, or anything.

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It's just that I then moved on to

another stable But it was shocking to

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hear this tragedy unfolding in my head.

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And interesting because several years

later, as I began writing about this,

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I realized I went to these horses

because my little boy had left me, only

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for college an hour and a half away.

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But my grief was what drew me to them

in the first place, and there they were,

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reflecting exactly what I was feeling.

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So that was my first foray into

opening consciously into the hearts

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and minds of non-human animals.

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And because it was so stunning and

heartrending, th- it informed me

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that this was not fooling around.

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This was not dealing with a

species that was any less worth

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full consideration and dignity and

respect than another human being.

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And that was my beginning

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Dixie: Wow, that's beautiful.

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It's amazing how it happens like

that too because- I had a similar

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experience with that after I took an

animal communication class, and so I

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definitely understand what you mean

about that clear voice that you hear.

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Leia: Oh yes.

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Dixie: That's right … I know a lot

of people are not open to that at all.

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But, I definitely am a believer.

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I have experienced it myself, and it's

just- Yeah … when you allow yourself

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to be open like that, and I think

unconsciously a lot of people talk to

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animals and get messages back from them

without realizing it, because- Yes … all

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animal lovers talk to your animal.

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You have a- Of course … full-fledged

conversation with your animal, and

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you, like- … will reply back to them

like you're having a conversation.

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And- … you might not hear anything,

but it's like subconsciously you

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know what they're communicating.

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You know what they want.

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Leia: That's right.

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That's right, you do.

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And I know that I've read that some

animal communicators receive images

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and feelings, and I know too as an

intuitive practitioner that sometimes…

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I know when I lead guided

visualizations, I've learned that

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some people are not visually oriented.

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And so when I say, "Imagine

a beautiful forest," it…

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sometimes it doesn't mean a thing.

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However, if I say, "Allow yourself

to feel comfortable completely

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and just feel it in your body.

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Imagine it might come through a

sound, or it might come through a

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memory, or the feeling of complete

relaxation might all of a sudden

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bring to mind a song that you love."

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Because people all perceive differently,

just as people learn differently.

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And so in order to encourage other people

to open themselves completely to the

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world, to engage in this magnificence of

creation, it's very helpful to help people

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accept that however they perceive is it.

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You don't have to see or hear

voices in your head, although the

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voices in my head are my most direct

way of learning and perceiving.

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Yeah, I get a lot of downloads.

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Dixie: Yeah.

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I know for me personally . like I

said I've heard the voices clearly.

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I also will occasionally get a

picture that pops up in my head.

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Particularly If I'm doing a

Reiki session, I will get the

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images popping up in my head.

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Leia: Yes, that's right.

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And sometimes when I'm working on an

animal, it has happened several times,

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that there's something going on with

the animal physically, and I look, I

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call it scanning the animal's body.

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I look, I scan, and sometimes I'll

see a grid over the animal, and I know

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that this is a multidimensional grid.

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It's a display of energy that

sometimes looks like a basket,

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a, a loosely woven basket.

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Sometimes it just looks like several

brightly colored beams extending up

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from the animal or down to the animal.

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Sometimes I'm not sure.

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Is it going up or is

it coming down and in?

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And that's an interesting thing too.

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And then when that happens It-- because

I do this at my computer, which is a

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whole other interesting way of working.

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As I'm sitting at my computer with

my document open and into which I'm

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typing the the information from the

animal I'm typing the discussion

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the story as it's unfolding.

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I open up a graphic program, and

I draw the image that I'm seeing.

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Sometimes I'll download an

image from the web of an animal.

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If the animal-- if the photo of

the album-- of the animal that I've

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been given isn't clear enough, and I

really wanna show where this distress

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is happening in the animal, I'll

download just a graphic of an animal.

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And then using the graphic program

on my computer, I'll draw this

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is the way the energy looked.

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This was the color, and it traveled

from the tail over the spine and then

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up through the ears and then a spiral

up from the ears," however it looked.

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And then I send that along with

the report to the animal's person,

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and I do the same thing for songs.

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Sometimes when I'm working on an

animal, there will be a melody that

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I hear, and sometimes it's not just

that I hear it, but I feel it in my

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throat like it, it's saying, sing me."

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It needs to be expressed.

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And so I turn on my recording app on my

phone, and I sing the song that I hear.

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And in fact, once I sent a song to a

person whose dog was so upset i-in the

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car that not even Trazodone helped.

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The dog would just scream for all

the time that it was in the car.

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And they told me after they received

the song that they played the song

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for the dog as she got into the car,

and she was quiet for the whole trip.

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Which was amazing to me.

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Isn't it wonderful when we learn that

the work that we do is effective?

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Wow.

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That's really great.

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So yeah, because I work alone at

my computer looking at a photograph

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of the animal, I have access to the

technology that allows me to show

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people exactly what I'm seeing.

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I do sometimes do sessions in person

because there are some times when

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people really want that immediacy.

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And so I do that, but I find that

when I do the sessions alone at

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my computer typing, and I type

very fast, and I include the tone

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of voice and what I'm seeing.

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Does the animal stop and look

down and look at me quizzically?

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I write all of that in.

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So that n- normally what my

clients get is basically a story.

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Looks like a conversation with

whatever additional images

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and/or songs have come through.

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So that was a long answer

to a simple question.

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Dixie: I know that I'm gonna have

a lot of listeners out there who

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have never heard about this before.

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… I understand what you're talking about

that the looking at the photo and

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everything, but can you explain how

you're doing this without actually

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having the animal physically in

front of you and just using a photo?

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Leia: Su- sure.

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The basis of this work is intuitive, and

this is why, for instance, energy work

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such as Reiki can be done long distance.

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Because, in fact, there is

nothing separating us from

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any other creation, period.

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Except what does separate us is our

mind that tells us I'm here, and

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that's there, and we are separate."

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And of course, that is true physically.

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I cannot touch something that's farther

away than what my arm can reach.

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But intuitive work, and

animal communication is

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intuitive, telepathic work.

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It can also, of course, be hands-on.

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Some people who, especially people who

are kinetic, who learn and perceive most

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directly and most vividly by a hands-on

technique need that animal right there.

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But I work intuitively.

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My strongest perception is what I feel

and see and hear in my, and I'll use this

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word, which is a loaded word, imagination.

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We tell children after they've

had a bad dream, "Oh, honey,

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it's just your imagination."

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And that's our way of

saying, "It's not real.

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It can't follow you.

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It's not here with you.

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You put it away."

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And thank God for that because we need

to be assured that we're not at the

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risk of anything that might pop into

our head, that physical reality is more

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important than non-physical reality,

and that's kind of the rule of this

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planet, and maybe other planets too.

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Anyway I, I have learned that what's in

my imagination, that field of perception

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in which I can go anywhere and admit

anything that I want- is a treasure trove.

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And so although the animal may be

in Indonesia and I'm sitting here in

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Northern California, or the animal

is in Ohio or Juneau, Alaska, or

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wherever, when I look at the photograph

of the animal, and by the way, some

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people don't even need a photograph.

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Sometimes it's possible to do it just

knowing that the animal is in trouble,

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and you know the animal's name.

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When I look at a photograph, I look into

the eyes and I say hello to the animal.

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I'll just pause there.

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When you go to someone's

house, you don't just barge in.

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You knock on the door.

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And so I sit there with my mental

presence in the field of perception

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so the animal can s- can feel it.

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And when the animal notices

me, the animal says, "Oh, hi.

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Why are you here?"

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Or the animal may say, "Oh,

I've been waiting for you."

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Or sometimes the animal

doesn't say anything.

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I just perceive that, let's say, the dog

is pacing back and forth worried, or the

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dog is sitting down and feeling depleted.

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I just begin perceiving.

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It-- because intuition works completely

separate from physical reality.

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Think of how you feel when you think

of someone you love, and a feeling

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of if it's a really wonderful love,

it, it-- you feel exalted, you

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feel expansive, you feel wonderful.

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And the person isn't sitting

there in the chair next to you.

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You're not holding that person's hand.

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You're just thinking of them.

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The response that we have when

we think of something is an

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example of how intuition works.

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We don't call it intuition.

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We call it, "Oh, when I think

of someone because I love them."

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It's the same thing, and it is a hard

sell to somebody for whom physical

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reality is really the only thing

that matters, and I respect that.

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I have th- people who I love

for whom physical reality is

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the only sphere of reality.

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But, and here's how I learned

that for me, physical reality is

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not the only important sphere.

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I was driving down the road many

years ago, and I was feeling very

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depressed, and I couldn't imagine

a way out of my depression.

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I couldn't imagine it.

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Now, nothing in my life was terrible,

but it was all my own feeling, and I…

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at that moment, I realized if a feeling

is so strong that you can't think of a way

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to feel differently, that feeling is real.

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You're not making it up.

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And you have to go with that, and

you have to find a way to deal with

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that feeling because it's real.

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That's reality.

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When you have a dream just as you're

waking up and in the dream you're crying,

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and you find that you're waking up

sobbing there was nothing physical going

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on while you were dreaming, but it was

real because it made a difference to you.

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You noticed it.

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There was an emotional connection.

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And so that's how I talk to people

about how intuition or our feelings

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or our thoughts are a form of reality

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Dixie: Yeah I totally can understand

everything that you're saying, and I

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think that was a very good explanation

for people who might not understand it.

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I would like to focus a little bit,

too, on the work that you have done with

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rescue cats that have experienced trauma.

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Leia: Yes.

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Cats are cats are a very

interesting species because

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they are so multidimensional.

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I find that cats who have experienced

trauma have found refuge in…

314

: 00:20:46

And this is a logical, this is

a logical thread now because

315

: 00:20:50

of what I just talked about.

316

: 00:20:51

They find refuge in the, what I call

their home dimension, in the place

317

: 00:20:58

where their bodies just are not.

318

: 00:21:02

They find companionship and a sense of

peace and escape in the dimension of,

319

: 00:21:11

we might call it their dreams or the

other dimension in which they hang out.

320

: 00:21:17

There was a cat once who couldn't

make her way in the room she lived in

321

: 00:21:23

because although there were pathways

that she could walk around, th- the,

322

: 00:21:28

the multidimensionality in her mind,

the home dimension was present as well,

323

: 00:21:34

and there were furniture in the room.

324

: 00:21:36

There was furniture like big desks

that she couldn't get through

325

: 00:21:40

or around that blocked her from

getting into that other dimension.

326

: 00:21:46

So the trauma that I've experienced

from cats, from, rescued cats, has

327

: 00:21:52

been that they they f- maybe will spend

a lot of time not being responsive

328

: 00:21:58

or not being available to their

person because they're spending this

329

: 00:22:03

other time in their home dimension.

330

: 00:22:21

Dixie: When you're dealing with

a cat that has experienced this

331

: 00:22:21

trauma, I guess how is it different

for them compared to a human?

332

: 00:22:22

'Cause that's gonna be the easiest

way for people to understand

333

: 00:22:27

Leia: The cats have this escape route, and

it's real for them, and they go into it

334

: 00:22:38

But they also respond to

repeated expressions of love

335

: 00:22:44

that respect their boundaries.

336

: 00:22:47

And they they need their distance.

337

: 00:22:51

They need to be able to not be

touched if their prior association

338

: 00:22:56

with touch was traumatic.

339

: 00:23:00

And finding out what they need.

340

: 00:23:03

F- for instance, some cats will want a

soft object, or some cats will-- Some

341

: 00:23:10

cats will want their human to relax.

342

: 00:23:15

It is sometimes traumatic for a cat when

the human is always busy, always, for

343

: 00:23:22

instance, on the computer or on the phone.

344

: 00:23:25

So a cat with special needs really

needs to be asked, what do you need?"

345

: 00:23:31

Or and for humans, that can be very

frustrating because we wanna pick

346

: 00:23:35

up our kittens and cuddle with them.

347

: 00:23:37

That's why we-- You know, for some,

a lot of people, in fact, pr- dare

348

: 00:23:41

I say most people, they want a cat

because they want that cuddliness.

349

: 00:23:46

They want the cat on their lap.

350

: 00:23:48

We want the comfort for ourselves.

351

: 00:23:51

But if we are taking in a rescue cat,

one who has been traumatized, we need

352

: 00:23:56

to realize that we are the safe haven,

and our own desire for connection with

353

: 00:24:02

that cat needs to take second place

to simply allowing the cat to be in

354

: 00:24:08

a place where it is physically safe.

355

: 00:24:11

I don't know if I've answered your

question completely because, of

356

: 00:24:14

course, when humans are in distress,

w- we reach out to other humans.

357

: 00:24:19

But we know h- we know people who just

would prefer to sit and not talk, and we

358

: 00:24:25

think that's strange behavior, most of us.

359

: 00:24:28

We think that something's wrong.

360

: 00:24:30

And yeah, maybe something is wrong, but

we need to allow that person their space

361

: 00:24:35

as well rather than saying, "Cheer up.

362

: 00:24:38

You've got nothing to be depressed about.

363

: 00:24:39

You're fine now."

364

: 00:24:41

Just as you can't say that to a person,

you also can't say that to a cat.

365

: 00:24:46

And also as an animal communicator, one

thing that I've learned is that there

366

: 00:24:51

are helper beings available to that cat.

367

: 00:24:55

And when in an animal communication

session, I connect with that helper being.

368

: 00:25:02

If the cat can't express what she

needs to me, the helper being can.

369

: 00:25:07

The helper being will explain to me what's

going on with the cat energetically and

370

: 00:25:13

will say this cat needs such and such."

371

: 00:25:17

And then the helper being, in fact,

can flow its own energy into the

372

: 00:25:22

cat and help in that way as well

373

: 00:25:26

Dixie: Yeah.

374

: 00:25:27

Yeah, that definitely

answers the question.

375

: 00:25:29

And I did like what you said too about the

whole thing with people wanting a snuggly

376

: 00:25:35

cat, but a cat isn't always snuggly.

377

: 00:25:37

I understand that.

378

: 00:25:38

I've had cats my whole life.

379

: 00:25:40

That is totally how cats are.

380

: 00:25:42

The cat is gonna come to you when

the cat is ready to come to you.

381

: 00:25:45

Yeah.

382

: 00:25:45

But being , a cat rescuer and adopting

out cats, that is one of the hardest

383

: 00:25:52

things to get an adopter to understand.

384

: 00:25:55

Yeah.

385

: 00:25:56

Dixie: And, specifically with a kitten,

because it's like I always tell people, a

386

: 00:26:01

kitten might be super sweet and cuddly and

snuggly when they're a baby, but when they

387

: 00:26:08

grow up- they're still finding their way.

388

: 00:26:10

They might not be like that anymore,

and that's a hard thing to get people to

389

: 00:26:14

understand who have never had cats before.

390

: 00:26:17

Leia: That's right.

391

: 00:26:18

And so the answer that some people

come to is, "Oh, I'll get another cat."

392

: 00:26:23

You know what happens when you bring

another cat into the household.

393

: 00:26:26

It might work, but I would al- always

recommend to people, if you're considering

394

: 00:26:33

getting another animal, either if

you're not intuitive yourself, you don't

395

: 00:26:37

have a strong feeling of what your cat

wants and doesn't want, find an animal

396

: 00:26:43

communicator who can tune in to your

cat and say, "We're considering getting

397

: 00:26:48

another con- another cat in the house.

398

: 00:26:50

How do you feel about that,

and what will be the rules?"

399

: 00:26:53

Because that first cat

will make the rules.

400

: 00:26:56

And and that, that always is helpful.

401

: 00:26:59

And if you know which other cat you're

considering, then it's good to introduce

402

: 00:27:05

the two cats multi-dimensionally first

and find out, like maybe the new cat

403

: 00:27:10

that you're getting thinks that he

or she is going to rule the roost.

404

: 00:27:14

So I think a lot can be done

proactively before the new cat comes in.

405

: 00:27:20

And I know I've taken this, this in

another direction, but because so

406

: 00:27:24

many people do want that cuddliness,

you'll keep on getting more cats until

407

: 00:27:28

you get the one that will cuddle.

408

: 00:27:31

Dixie: I do wanna ask

you another question.

409

: 00:27:33

You mentioned-

410

: 00:27:34

Leia: Sure

411

: 00:27:34

… Dixie: a helper being.

412

: 00:27:36

And- … so is that would that be

equivalent to like, a spirit guide

413

: 00:27:39

? Leia: In my experience of animal

communication, the helper beings

414

: 00:27:43

are in fact, there are two

kinds that I've experienced.

415

: 00:27:47

With a cat- I don't experience

a cat that I've known coming

416

: 00:27:54

into the scene and helping.

417

: 00:27:56

But what I do experience is

what I call an oversoul cat.

418

: 00:28:00

And I find that what I am m-motivated

to refer to this, this other cat

419

: 00:28:06

as simply Cat with a capital C.

420

: 00:28:09

If I'm dealing with a cat whose needs are

not physical, they are emotional, and I'm

421

: 00:28:16

having trouble figuring out or hearing

from the cat exactly what she needs,

422

: 00:28:24

all of a sudden I can either call on

Cat or I see, aha, Cat enters the scene.

423

: 00:28:31

Now, this cat usually appears

to me as an Abyssinian cat.

424

: 00:28:37

I have no idea why.

425

: 00:28:39

I met an Abyssinian once, and I

was just struck by how gorgeous

426

: 00:28:43

he was and how dignified.

427

: 00:28:46

And so maybe that is because, everything

that's happening in my head is a function

428

: 00:28:50

of my own associations, and that's true

of everyone who does intuitive work.

429

: 00:28:55

So I perceive this very dignified,

beautiful cat coming into the scene.

430

: 00:29:00

And when Cat is in the scene

with me, Cat takes over.

431

: 00:29:04

Cat looks at me and speaks to me

much as a teacher would speak to

432

: 00:29:08

me, and I respect that interaction.

433

: 00:29:11

I respect that cat.

434

: 00:29:13

And I know that Cat is the authority

figure, and so I obey what Cat says.

435

: 00:29:20

Cat may say, "This session needs

to end for right now because

436

: 00:29:24

Little One," or whatever the

cat's name is, "needs to rest."

437

: 00:29:27

And I say, "Thank you very much,"

and then I come back later.

438

: 00:29:31

Or Cat will say "Allow, allow a moment of

light to appear," and the light appears.

439

: 00:29:37

Whatever Cat says, I pay attention.

440

: 00:29:40

And so it is like a guardian

angel, but it's not an angel.

441

: 00:29:44

It is an oversoul.

442

: 00:29:46

It is a being whose presence

includes and protects the lives

443

: 00:29:50

of many other of its species.

444

: 00:29:54

It is a protector being, and it is

completely trustworthy and beautiful.

445

: 00:30:02

And when I'm working with dogs,

the protector being who comes in

446

: 00:30:06

is actually the spirit of one of

my last dog who passed, my Rosie.

447

: 00:30:12

And she comes in, and she's

actually a shamanic healing partner.

448

: 00:30:16

She comes in, and she does the healing.

449

: 00:30:18

Cat sometimes actually also does the

healing that's needed by moving energy

450

: 00:30:25

from its own field, its own consciousness

into the body, the etheric, the energy

451

: 00:30:32

body of the cat that I'm working with

452

: 00:30:38

Dixie: How can you take this information

that you're getting to help the cat?

453

: 00:30:45

Leia: The cat is helped

by that energy exchange.

454

: 00:30:49

It happens right then and there.

455

: 00:30:51

And then, of course, as I'm writing about

this, if I'm doing it in my normal way,

456

: 00:30:55

which is to be sitting at my desk alone

typing all of this out, if I'm writing

457

: 00:31:00

about it I type out the entire thing.

458

: 00:31:03

I tell the cat's person, "This is

what's happening, and I'm seeing

459

: 00:31:07

now that the cat's esophagus is now

clear," or, "I'm seeing now that

460

: 00:31:12

the heart rate has lowered," or,

"I'm seeing that the-- I'm feeling

461

: 00:31:17

the feeling of itchiness is going."

462

: 00:31:19

And then I might get information

that says, "The cat might need

463

: 00:31:23

some sort of salve," or, "Have

you taken the cat to the vet?"

464

: 00:31:27

Or I give the person instructions,

either instructions from cat or from

465

: 00:31:33

the, their own little cat about what

is needed to continue this improvement.

466

: 00:31:41

So do you have any specific

examples that you can share with us?

467

: 00:31:51

The examples are just what I've

given, that there is, for instance

468

: 00:31:57

a feeling of itching in one of

the cats that I was helping.

469

: 00:32:00

And I felt-- The cat said,

"There is a hot itching.

470

: 00:32:07

There is a hot feeling of

little critters moving in me."

471

: 00:32:12

And so I-- my sense was that

it was not an, an infestation.

472

: 00:32:17

It wasn't fleas.

473

: 00:32:18

It wasn't a tick or anything.

474

: 00:32:20

My sense was that it was bacteria.

475

: 00:32:24

And so I wrote this to the person,

and they took the, the animal

476

: 00:32:29

to the vet and had blood tests.

477

: 00:32:31

And there was, in fact, there was

some bacterial infection that was

478

: 00:32:37

going on that hadn't been obvious

in any way, and they hadn't taken

479

: 00:32:42

the cat to the vet in a while.

480

: 00:32:44

So sometimes that's exactly what happens.

481

: 00:32:47

Or there's a feeling that the

cat wants blue food or cool food.

482

: 00:32:53

And so I'll suggest, blueberries

or cool water or something

483

: 00:33:00

that doesn't excite the body.

484

: 00:33:03

And sometimes the, the cat will

tell me, I want live food."

485

: 00:33:07

The cats that-- This is very frequent,

that a cat will say because it wants to

486

: 00:33:11

hunt, "I want a recently dead being."

487

: 00:33:16

And sometimes then you can get,

food that's expensive that's

488

: 00:33:21

been refrigerated or frozen.

489

: 00:33:26

Dixie: That's very interesting.

490

: 00:33:27

After all the animals that you've

worked with, what have they taught

491

: 00:33:32

you about resilience, and what do

you wish every human understood

492

: 00:33:37

about their emotional lives?

493

: 00:33:39

Leia: Thank you for asking that.

494

: 00:33:42

What I've learned from the animals is

that we exist in service to other beings.

495

: 00:33:51

People are here, and we are all thinking

that we're here to achieve something.

496

: 00:33:57

We're here to learn something.

497

: 00:33:59

We're here to master something.

498

: 00:34:03

And so we carry that with us.

499

: 00:34:05

But animals have taught me that

we are here to experience the

500

: 00:34:11

balance of living in harmony.

501

: 00:34:14

And however that can happen,

that is the great prize.

502

: 00:34:19

That no matter what we may feel we have

achieved in our lifetime or what goal we

503

: 00:34:25

have for our own achievement that hasn't

happened yet, the process of getting there

504

: 00:34:31

is more important than reaching the goal.

505

: 00:34:35

And the process, if the-- the

process should always include

506

: 00:34:41

taking each step in harmony with

what is going on in our lives.

507

: 00:34:46

And if what is going on in our lives

is so chaotic or so destructive in any

508

: 00:34:53

way, chaotic or destructive, define

that as you might, then we need to

509

: 00:34:58

change the circumstances of our lives

so that we can experience harmony.

510

: 00:35:05

And right now on the planet,

there is so much going on that

511

: 00:35:09

is addressing that exact point.

512

: 00:35:12

There is so much that is not in harmony.

513

: 00:35:15

There is so much conflict.

514

: 00:35:16

There is so much fear.

515

: 00:35:19

So for one thing, I advise

people to turn off the TV.

516

: 00:35:23

Don't watch the news.

517

: 00:35:25

You can get the news.

518

: 00:35:26

You can find out what's going on in

the world by looking at headlines.

519

: 00:35:31

And of course, yes, you'd

like to be informed.

520

: 00:35:33

Find a source that gives you

facts without inciting fear.

521

: 00:35:38

Our animals will act out.

522

: 00:35:40

We call it acting out.

523

: 00:35:42

They're just trying to get our attention

to say, "You're not on the right path.

524

: 00:35:47

You're not feeling yourself as a

being of harmony and grace, and you

525

: 00:35:52

are a being of harmony and grace."

526

: 00:35:55

That's what I've learned from the animals.

527

: 00:35:58

Dixie: We learn a lot from our animals.

528

: 00:36:01

The energy exchange between the the

family and their pets is definitely there.

529

: 00:36:07

And I think sometimes it is important

to just kinda calm down and listen.

530

: 00:36:13

Leia: Absolutely.

531

: 00:36:14

And listen to the animal.

532

: 00:36:16

Listen to what is just around you.

533

: 00:36:19

We need more silence.

534

: 00:36:21

We don't have enough silence.

535

: 00:36:23

Dixie: Thank you so much for

having this conversation with me.

536

: 00:36:26

It's been very enlightening,

537

: 00:36:28

And

538

: 00:36:28

Before we go, how can people find you?

539

: 00:36:31

Leia: I am at lightspeak.com.

540

: 00:36:35

L-I-G-H-T-S-P-E-A-K.com.

541

: 00:36:40

And there's a Contact

Me button right there.