In a letter to the United Nations, David
Monongye, a Native American Elder, wrote:
"The original instructions of the Creator are universal
and valid for all time. The essence of these instructions is compassion
for all life and love for all creation. We must realize that we
do not live in a world of dead matter, but in a universe of living
spirit. Let us open our eyes to the sacredness of Mother Earth,
or our eyes will be opened for us."
Getting caught up in the stresses and activities of daily life, it's easy to lose sight of this basic truth. The technological wonders, scientific and medical advances, and explosion of information in modern society are often more of a barrier to true understanding than a gateway to greater truth. Sometimes we need to take a different path to find our way to a meaningful connection with the natural world.
Susan Chernak McElroy, an animal lover all her life, had resisted being labeled an "animal lover" for many years. But when her life was turned upside down by a diagnosis of cancer, she began to realize how important relationships with animals had been to her:
"During my cancer journey, in my search for methods and memories of healing, I finally began to acknowledge the tremendous inspiration and healing presence offered to me by the animals in my life: past and present, real and imagined. The animals who have touched my life were my most powerful and enduring teachers and healers."
Out of this experience, McElroy undertook a personal mission to heal the broken relationship between humans and animals, collecting dozens of personal reflections on our spiritual bond with animals and accounts of profound experiences with animal companions and wildlife. The stories, published in her book Animals as Teachers & Healers, range from the mundane to the truly extraordinary, the amusing to the heart-wrenching.
Jackie Geyer's story of Chloe, a three-legged raccoon who often visited her backyard feeder, is one of the most unforgettable. The plucky raccoon endured injuries and misfortunes, including the loss of a second leg, but she not only persevered, dragging herself to the feeder on her two front legs, but managed to raise several generations of kits on her own.
Inta Rudajs' telepathic communication with a puffer fish, caught on a large fish hook, certainly falls into the category of amazing tales. While scubba diving, Rudajs sensed the injured fish was asking for his help and didn't seem to be afraid even when Rudajs had to take him out of the ocean to remove the hook. Some time later, when he was diving in the area again the same fish approached him, circling him several times, then flipping over to reveal the scar from the hook, as if to say, "Thanks for the help, I'm doing fine now."
McElroy's inspiring book concludes with the hope that "perhaps the time has finally arrived for us to sit down and 'take our place' at nature's table and share bread with the many animal nations already seated there for centuries without us. Perhaps the animals will forgive us our long absence and welcome us back. And perhaps they will rejoice that their lost brothers and sisters have at last returned to their souls' true home."
In his book Love, Miracles, and Animal Healing, veterinarian Allen Schoen shows how the loving human-animal bond helps him heal his animal patients. Schoen trained at the best veterinary schools, but in his practice he began to incorporate acupuncture, herbal remedies, and homeopathy, all of which frequently worked when traditional science-based medicine failed. His central message is the great healing power of love and compassion for all living things.
By Dr. Schoen's side for much of his practice was his remarkable dog, Megan, a rescued stray. Through the shear force of her will to live, Megan had overcome an advanced case of heartworm - usually fatal - and severe malnutrition from her hard life on the streets. In gratitude for her home at the veterinary practice, she pitched in at every opportunity: mothering a litter of newborn kittens while their own mother recovered from surgery, nurturing a half-dead ferret who'd all but given up on himself, and willingly donating her own blood to save badly injured animals.
When the nearly lifeless body of a badly mauled lamb was brought in, Megan whimpered in sympathy and quickly took charge of the little patient's treatment, licking her wounds and nuzzling her gently throughout the night. Miraculously, in the morning the lamb was on her feet and well enough to return home. Schoen attributes this kind of healing to an intangible factor "that makes one patient get better and another fade away."
"For the lamb, that something was Megan. In the deep communion between this canine Florence Nightingale and her patient, I could see a healing power that went far beyond anything I had learned in veterinary school. With her simple outpouring of love, Megan had touched the very essence of the other creature to cause a physical transformation within. The special bond that now existed between them had apparently energized the lamb and enabled her to respond positively to those complex inner chemical and electrical forces that can further the healing process."
This inspiring book is filled with hopeful testimony to the amazing power of this bond to heal the body and soul of not only the patient, but often the doctor as well. Dealing with the cold science of medicine had nearly severed this vital emotional link. But opening his mind to the "potential for healing beyond the conventional approaches" reestablished the connection.
Though Megan is no longer by his side, the lessons she taught Dr. Schoen live on in his practice: "the reality that love it the only force that can make us thoroughly sensitive and responsive to the needs of others, animal and human alike."
"Until he extends his circle of compassion to include all living things, man himself will not find peace." - Albert Schweitzer
Animals as Teachers & Healers, Susan Chernak McElroy. Troutdale, OR, NewSage Press, 1996.
Love, Miracles, and Animal Healing, Allen M. Schoen, D.V.M., and Pam Proctor. New York, Simon & Schuster, 1995.
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