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From Maggie's Perch:~
Welcome to this Special
Edition of Wild Bird Talking
Falling leaves from the mulberry tree announce the start of autmn in
our yard. Maggie and his friends have again
been warning us of snakes and chasing them
out of our yard. We can never thank the birds enough for
being so
watchful and caring. They never leave us unaccompanied in the
presence of danger.
The relatively cool summer was filled with surprises. A pair
of rainbow-lorikeets
whom we had talked to on one of our walks in spring decided to join
their magpie friends
in our yard one afternoon, clearly making the old adage 'bird of a
feather flock
together' a thing of the past. Not wanting to be left behind,
the even
shier scaly-breasted lorikeets called me
out for a photo-shoot some days later. A willie-wagtail ,
decided he needed to see us for himself and promptly dropped by next
morning. We are very grateful for his gift as we
needed a good set
of photographs of these birds to accompany his feature in one
of
our stories today. Dimpy, our two year old pied-butcherbird has returned from
a long trip. We thought he had left home to make his own way
and are delighted to have him back.
Not least our hearts go out to all the peoples and creatures affected
by the floods, snow storms and drought in the regions around us and the
rest of the world.
We are delighted to bring you an issue on the fascinating
subject of Communicating
With Birds.
First, are two real life stories about messages from
wild
birds that are bound to make you shake your head in amazement.
The first is a true 'Believe
It or Not' story of direct communication from Clara de
la Cosmos. The other is about the intuitive
deeper understanding of the messages from well known Aussie bush writer
Brian
Taylor's forthcoming book 'A Swag
of Memories'
due to be released in August. Many thanks to publisher
Matthew
Kelly from Hachette Australia for letting us bring you this scoop.
We
are also deeply honoured and privileged to be able to bring you the
works of two leading animal
communication experts. Author of 'Animal
Voices', Dawn Baumann Brunke's
pointers on 'How
to Communicate with Animals' paints the broader
picture to complement our series on Communicating with Wild Birds.
How can we communicate with a sick bird and find out what is really
ailing them? Animal Reiki
practitioner Irene Brock describes
one of her powerful experiences as a student with an owl-finch and
introduces us to the work of leading Animal Reiki Teacher Kathleen
Prasad. We are very grateful to all the
authors for their wonderful contributions to our
magazine.
We hope you enjoy the selection of articles and
stories and you are welcome to forward it to your family and friends.
With
Warm Wishes,
From
Maggie
and me,
Gitie
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*****
Believe It Or Not! *****
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Ask
A Bird For Help
by
Clara De La
Cosmos
This
is a "Believe It or Not" story (no doubt), but very true. I
can't tell
you exactly why a small group of birds and I became friends -- suffice
it to say I rescued one of them and, after that, they started hanging
around... so I started talking to them. I have always had a
"way" with
animals -- nowadays, people would say I'm a "pet psychic" or "animal
whisperer". At the time (early 1970s), I was exercising my
psychic
abilities for the first time in public... and, I had an amazing group
of friends that let me.
Understanding birds was
new to me. Cats, dogs, old - birds, new. How was I
to know if I
really understood them? Then one day, one said he wanted to
land on my
finger. (Hmmm!!!!!) Assuming I understood him
correctly, I put my
finger out. In seconds, he flitted on to it for half a second
and was
off. I tried not to shout with amazement, but wanted
to. There were
other such incidences and, fortunately, my friend Mike witnessed many
of them. ...That's not the most amazing part of my
story.
I
was coming home from work, one evening, and some friends were in the
parking lot (of our apartment complex), looking for a bracelet Shelly
had lost. It was one she almost-always wore and had a lot of
sentimental value. They (seven of them, in final number) had
been
looking for forty-five minutes or more (Shelly longer). I was
just
going to set my purse inside my apartment and then come back out and
look.
(But) then, I noticed a little bird, a
friend -- he came very close. I had this overwhelming urge to
ask for
his help. I carefully chose my words and asked Shelly if
she'd mind if
I asked the bird if he had seen it. She probably thought I
was crazy,
but said "no, go ahead!" I turned to the bird, fluttering
close to me,
and said "Have you seen a bracelet? Shiny", making a motion
to my
wrist. The bird said "Sure!" and flew to the top of a sign
and said
"follow me". I told Shelly and a few others I was going to
follow the
bird. I was already planning how I was going to get out of
that
embarrassing dilemma if the bird didn't lead me to it and I wanted to
keep my friends. I was going to tell them I felt I could
understand
them, I had Mike as a witness to that, and "who knows?" (I felt it was
worth a try! Oh, yes, then (too) they all knew I had "gifts".
I
then walked toward the bird. He flitted a short distance to
another
sign and stopped. I followed. Next, the bird went a
longer distance,
to a tree across the main parking lot entrance way. I was
getting a
little shaky ("maybe I should go back and apologize to my friends"),
but decided not to give up hope and follow the bird. I could
see, in
looking back at my friends (and some strangers helping) that most were
giving up, at least for the time-being. The bird then flew to
a sign,
looking down, and said "There!"
I walked quickly
to the sign and, low & behold, a bracelet was there!
I first
thanked the bird, then I picked up the bracelet. It was as
Shelly
described. "Shelly, I think I found it!" She looked
a little
hopeful. I held it up so it could glitter in the evening
sun. We ran
and met each other and, sure enough, that was her bracelet!
She said
there was one night, about a week prior, when she had to park in that
other lot because ours was full. She thanked me & was
so happy! I
was blown away a bird found it and knew, the whole time, where it
was!
How wild was that!!!!??? It took about seven minutes from the
time I
got home until the bracelet was found.
Like I
said, this is a "Believe It or Not" story, but I truly believe animals
can help find missing people and things and, perhaps, help solve
crimes. Natalie Halloway?
Honest, this is a true story.
About
the Author:
Clara de la Cosmos lives in Florida, USA and originally told this
amazing story on her blog.
I had no problems believing it and I knew that our readers
would
want to hear about it too. Clara kindly agreed to share her
story.
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*****
Feature Story *****
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The Birds Are Telling Me..
(an excerpt from Banjo's Friend )
by
Brian Taylor
[Editor's
note: This is a beautiful story about the deeper messages
that
birds bring. Banjo's Friend is one of the stories from
Brian's
new book 'A Swag Of Memories' to be published in August by
Hachette Australia.]
One morning at home there was an absence of the customary twittering of
the willie wagtail that frequented our
garden (click here for
Aussie Bush legend Note). I went outside and
there he was, most forlorn, sitting on a twig, no busyness about him at
all. I mentioned to my wife how strange the bird looked, then
it
came to me: something had happened to Nan. Sure enough we got
word
that the old lady had just died.
At that time there was a drought on, and we were going downhill fast.
We cut our stock numbers down and couldn't plant any crops as there was
no soil moisture. The wind had blown away the soil we had
cultivated the previous year. There was no hope anywhere in sight. In
the previous twelve months we had only seen seven inches of rain. Trees
we had planted were under stress, and even mature trees in the forest
were shedding their leaves and dying. Some jovial people in the forest
suggested I don my corroborree hat and do a rain dance.
In a state of desperation I took the suggestion seriously and confided
in the memory of dear Nan Ruby. Armed with a corroborree hat
and
with the kindness and sincerity of that wonderful lady sitting easily
in my heart. I sat down on a log and seriously contemplated the
drought. A process of inner questioning and of enlightenment concerning
the well-being of all living things is the best way I can explain what
took place in my mind. That old Aboriginal woman led me by
the
hand through her spiritual land of the soil, the plants and the trees
and the birds. Of course she had taken me there before, but only a
little at a time.
Now every living thin was screaming for rain. The drought had a
stranglehold, wringing the life out of the tiniest creatures.
The
spirit of the land was in jeopardy. On my journey of
awareness I
seemingly visited all those plants, and the tiniest microbes in the
soil, and the roots of the trees on the fruitless search for moisture
in the arid soil.
Sometime later I managed to walk away in a somewhat dazed and exhausted
state, and put the corroboree hat back on its pedestal in the house.
To clear my head, I decided to go for a walk about the
property.
'S'truth, it was dry. I stopped my wanderings and leaned on a
crusty
fence post, noticing that the lichen had dried, died and curled like
the end of a Bedouin's boot. I stood there with an empty
feeling
and looked to the sky in faint hope of something, anything at all.
There was nothing; just the blue overhead, the haze in the
distance and the godforsaken parched earth. Not even a Molly
hawk; just a swirl of dust as a willy-willy went past, grabbing a
roly-poly bush and tossing it into the air in a dizzy spiral.
Pondering on the good seasons, it did seem a long time since I had seen
swallows, those gallant little warriors, herding flying ants.
At
storm time, ants would sprout wings and go skywards in countless
numbers to migrate and form new colonies. They relied on
strong
air currents to assist in their migration, and rain-softened earth
enabled them to build quickly their new habitat. This was
feast
time for swallows who, in their great numbers, would muser
the
masses of flying ants and then feed on the wing, in the same manner as
do sharks on bait fish in the sea. The closer the weather was
to
rain, the heavier the atmosphere became, bringing the swarming ant
masses closer to the ground. Thus the magnificence of this
natural phenomenon became even more apparent.
Leaning on the post, I mused over times past when I had witnessed other
battles of the sky. From a wisp of white (known to the
Aboriginals
as 'jombok', from 'jumbuck'), seemingly organic storm clouds grew like
mushrooms, then became dark, ominous, cold and frightening.
Great thunderous claps belted around inside these billowing
tinderboxes, then the most amazing drench bucketed down seemingly from
nowhere.
How long now had it been since my shirt stuck to my shoulders and the
water ran down my face? Brand spankin' new water, straight
from
the heavens you could say. The only consolation that came to
mind
was that as each day wore on, we were one day closer to a rainy day.
A movement on my hand drew my attention. I looked down on a
most
inquiring wingless ant. He was busy negotiating his way
around,
in the faint hope of finding something useful. I rolled my
hand
over to accommodate his busy search. We had nothing to offer
the
other, only life itself prevailed, and I guess that to the ant at least
was hope.
The it happened. Away to the west I saw a flight of pelicans.
'Funny' I thought, 'this is not pelican country.'
As I
watched they lost height and came down towards me. There were
eleven birds, and they looked so graceful, holding their wedge
formation and gliding so effortlessly. They came down even
lower,
and to my amazement did two complete circles right above me.
They
were so close that I could almost see the expression in their eyes;
then they flew away eastwards.
As I watched them go, something grabbed me, and I said 'Thank you old
Aboriginal lady for talking to me'. I now knew that in eleven
days' time we would get two inches of rain. Just for a joke I
told a near neighbour that I could get him two inches of rain in eleven
days and that it would cost him a thousand dollars an inch.
Sure
enough, in eleven days we got the rain, two inches of it, and not
predicted by the meteorological people I might add!
In the early morning following that deluge, I went down to the creek,
just for a look. I heard a horse tread on the sodden ground,
and
saw a horse and a rider coming down along the track. The sun
was
rising through the trees behind him, presenting a golden silhouette.
Even before he pulled up, I knew who it was; it was the 'old
fellow'.
Reg Williams sat his horse like no other that I have known.
Confidence, balance and patience; his tranquillity was
emphasised
by the collected stance of his grey Arabian. We exchanged
greetings, and the he said he was heading for the stock route, where he
reckoned some of his cattle would have gone, as all his fences at the
creek crossing had been washed away. we discussed the
wonderful
rain, and I couldn't resist telling him that I had contributed in a
way. My old friend sat and listened attentively to my story.
This great old bushman had known Ruby Bond, and over the years at
Rockybar Station he had employed members of her family as stockmen.
The glint of his stock-knife handle, held in place on a
well-plaited belt, reminded me that he and Ruby - arm-in-arm, shoulder
to shoulder - had once cut a cake at a multicultural dinner with that
same stock-knife.
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Left: Nan Ruby Bond
Right:
The
author
with Reg
Williams
(R.M.)
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That was a special day, 8 August, the day I remember as the anniversary
of the death of Albert Namatjira.
When I had concluded, Reg just sat on his horse, fingering the reins
and
nodding his old brown hat in acknowledgement; I would like to think in
approval.
Since that time, whenever or wherever I see pelicans, there is
an opportunity for me to say, 'Hello. Hello Nana Pelican'.
Australian
Bush Legend:
The Willie Wagtail is recognised
as a special messenger bird, good - bad or
just a bad gossip! "_never discuss personal business within their
earshot, for it will not remain confidential." Even so the
bird
has a certain implication.
About the
Author:
Brian
Taylor is an experienced
bushman, having worked as a stockman in outback Queensland for most of
his working life. In recent years he has authored
several books. Two of his bestsellers are 'The Brumby Mare' and
'The Moonlight
Stallion'.
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*****
Feature Article *****
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This
article is an excerpt from Awakening
to Animal Voices and gives an overview of the 'basics' of
animal communication.
There are many ways we can tap into our natural abilities to
communicate with animals. No matter which method you choose, however,
it all boils down to one thing: relationship. Any form of meaningful
communication involves relating to others (as well as ourselves) in an
honest and authentic manner. One wonderful benefit to communicating
with animals is that it requires us to feel our deeper relationship
with all life and share ourselves from that connected state of
awareness.
As we open to
the energy that flows through all life, we open ourselves to instant
relationship. We know that we
share a common awareness, for we feel it moving through us, connecting
us with every other living being. Our ancestors embraced this
connection and communicated fluently with the natural world. We also
carry this ability within ourselves. Remembering it is simply a matter
of shifting perspective, deepening, and tuning our consciousness.
Different
Ways to Sense the World
Llama, dolphin,
eagle, cat; human, salmon, whale and rat: underneath our fur or
feathers, skin or scales, we are all composed of the same universal
essence. Still, obviously, we are different. Among the 1.5 million
species on earth, each of us has a unique vibration in form. Our
perceptions of the world are unique as well, based on our sensing
mechanisms (fingers, whiskers, trunks, antennae) and the ways we use
those sensing mechanisms to know the world.
Many animals
have completely different sensing mechanisms than we do. Consider the
bat’s ability to echolocate; the squid’s undulating
propulsion system that powers it through water; the snail’s
intimate sensing of the world through the length of its body. Part of
the adventure in communicating with other beings is learning how to
open our feelings, thoughts and senses in ways that can be mutually
understood.
So, How
Does It Work?
As we relax into
a quieter, more tranquil state of being, our logical mind slows down.
Our habitual ways of seeing the world shake loose and we become more
receptive to perceiving in different ways. As rigid thoughts of how
reality “should be” release their hold, we shift to
a more intuitive state of being, one that is quite naturally capable of
telepathy.
The word telepathy
comes from tele, meaning distant or far away, and pathy,
meaning feeling or perception. Telepathy is feeling from a distance, or
perceiving from far away. It transcends the way we normally understand
time and space. With telepathy, we can expand our awareness to connect
on inner levels with any other being. With telepathy, we rediscover our
fluency in the universal language.
We can receive
telepathic information from animals in many different ways. This may
include visual images (pictures or movies within the inner theatre of
the mind); inner feelings (an ache in the body that corresponds to an
animal’s body, or sensing emotional feelings, such as fear or
excitement); inner hearing (what an animal is hearing, or hearing an
animal’s thoughts within the mind); or intuitive flashes (a
sudden “knowing”). We must then translate these
inner impressions in ways that we (and other humans) can understand.
Many people
discover that they have a preference for one mode over another. If you
are very visual, you might get a lot of pictures, and you may want to
practice sending images in return. If you like to talk and share ideas,
you might sense an inner translation of words and sentences that
resembles a dialogue. Over time and with practice, you might strengthen
all modes and discover that you enjoy communicating in a variety of
ways.
The
Basics: Four Easy Steps
The basics of
communicating with animals are not that different than communicating
with people: you share an interesting thought or observation and await
a response. This may excite you to share something else and listen
eagerly to a reply. And so it goes, back and forth, an exchange of
information, ideas, thoughts, laughter, sadness, joy and delight. What
could be more natural?
1.
Attuning
Attuning is about moving deeper in relationship, intimately feeling the
bonds connecting you and your animal friend. To begin, get comfortable
in a quiet place. Close your eyes, breathe deep and allow the center of
your being – your heart, your mind, your soul – to
connect with your animal. Feel your animal connecting to you. Sense the
flow between the two of you. Don’t force the situation;
rather, let it unfold. Your only goal is to quiet yourself and welcome
the adventure.
2.
Stating your Intention
As you sense a deeper connection, address your animal directly, just as
you would a good friend. You can use words (I’d like
to talk to you) or images (picture yourself conversing) or
feelings (feel your desire to communicate). Or, use all three (say it,
picture it, sense it). In truth, it doesn’t matter so much
what you do or how you do it since this isn’t about doing,
but about being. Allow yourself to be in that place that genuinely
desires to connect. It may help to first express your feelings
– I’m nervous about this, but
I’d really like to talk to you. Or, you might ask a
question: Is there anything I can do for you?
What’s it like to be you (a dog, a cat, a horse)? Do you have
a message for me?
3.
Receiving
Here’s where you let go of everything and open up wide for
the answer to come. Let go of all your thoughts about what could happen
or might happen. Sshhh … how can you
hear when you are listening to doubts or planning what to ask next? Be
open, relaxed and receptive. Welcome any and all feelings, sensations,
images, words, smells, tastes or combinations thereof. Don’t
judge what you get or wonder if it is “right.” It
is what it is! Allow the full message to come to you before you send a
second message.
4.
Closing, Giving Thanks
As my wise, old dog Barney used to say, “Good
manners never go out of style.” Offer warm feelings
and thanks as you end your conversation. By thanking your animal, you
acknowledge your appreciation and make first contact something you can
build upon. Remember to thank yourself too! Thank your intuition and
desire to connect with life in a deeper and more meaningful way. Even
if you don’t sense anything, thank your animal and yourself
for a very good start. Really mean it, too, because although it may
seem that what you are doing is little, what you are being is deep and
expansive and very great indeed.
Sharing
the Mystery
Every conversation, just like every relationship, is about sharing our
own inimitable take on the mystery of life. There is no “one
way” for everyone. There is no “right
way” either. We each need to find what works for us.
As you continue
to tune into animals, remember that the universal language is one we
already know and share with all life. Since it has been awhile that
humans have used this language in a conscious way, we are a little out
of practice. So be kind to yourself. And celebrate yourself, for in
learning how to remember, you are helping the entire world to remember
too!
In the next issue Dawn writes about Reconnecting With Animal Wisdom which looks at how communicating with animals will change our world.
About
the
Author:
Dawn
Baumann
Brunke is the author of
Animal Voices
and Awakening
to Animal Voices and
also
Who Lives Here?,
a series
of animal and nature books for children. Dawn
has also published short stories in LadyBug (for
children), Leviathan (anthology),
and
Rosebud
(literary quarterly), and has won both Grand Prize and Editor’s Choice
in the Alaska
Daily News/University of Anchorage creative writing
contest.
Dawn has published over three dozen interviews,
including talks with natural medicine writer Dr. Andrew Weil; former
NASA
consultant Richard Hoagland; noted speakers Gregg Braden, Patricia Sun
and Caroline
Myss; and many animal communicators.
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*****
Feature Article *****
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Communicating With Wild Birds - Part 1
Making
Friends With our Feathered Neighbours
by Gitie House
Wild birds love
communicating, but tend to fly off in a flurry at the first approach if they
aren't used to humans, or don't know you, or are
feeling shy. A little perseverance and some techniques can
easily help foster a rich and rewarding friendship with our avian neighbours. Nowadays
some birds let us gently
urge them to come out of hiding and pose, such as the koels,
and still others calls us out and introduce themselves, like the scaly-breasted
lorikeets, galahs and the rosellas. Once
the birds got used to us talking to them, we found that they changed
their attitude. Even after being away for months from the
yard,
they suddenly drop by, call us out, happily sit in the open,
enjoy the attention of the camera and keenly socialise with some
of the
other
species.
Engaging a new bird's interest takes a bit of time in the beginning.
With practice one can win them over and develop a two-way friendship.
Other birds watch this developing social interaction with interest from
a distance and, seeing the
special relationship between you and other feathered friends, sooner or
later, one by one, they, too, start to venture forward to forge their own
friendship with you. The main steps involved in getting
acquainted are:
- Talking in a way that makes the bird feel comfortable
- Listening to the bird's message
- Understanding the bird's actions
- Responding in a way that builds trust
- Making time for new friends
Sweet
Talking A Bird
There are several ways to attract a bird's attention. You can
call
out to them gently and talk to them when putting out the water
and food. Or you can talk to them while they are eating and
drinking. Or you can just talk to a bird directly.
If this
is your first time, and the bird is not used to talking humans,
the
bird may retreat in shyness, fly off, or pretend to have not heard you.
Do not feel discouraged or dissuaded by any of this.
Just
wait for the next opportunity and try again. As the bird
becomes
familiar with the sound of your voice, recognises your body language,
gains confidence that you are not a threat, they will begin to relax
and interact more positively. Remember that your conversation is a new
development for them and they have to figure out how best to respond to
your initiative.
What can you talk about to a wild bird, you ask. Well, you
can talk to them about the weather. For instance, do they
like the sunshine, or the rain? How did they cope with the storm?
Hope they are not too hot and dry or cold and wet.
Whatever is happening around you, is affecting their lives
too. You will be surprised as to how much they do understand.
In the beginning they will not know your words, but regardless, they will
follow the tone and they will begin to recognise care, concern,
and interest. Wait for a reply for a short while, even if you
don't get one, before returning indoors or changing your activity.
What that does is signal to the birds that you are looking
for a response from them.
Talk softly and gently so as not to scare the bird.
Modulate your voice and try to speak with a
slight lilt.
Birds translate our words into the closest sounds in their
own language and the languages of other birds. In their minds
they try to repeat the sounds, even those who are not good at mimicking
other creatures. Do not
blindly imitate
their sounds directly. Our aim is to communicate
with the bird meaningfully, not to send them wrong messages or to trick them
in any way. Some of the sweetest sounds they make may
mean something entirely different in their language. For
example,
I noticed even with Maggie and his family that some of their
disputes, and their sounds for territorial boundaries sounded very
sweet. If I repeated these sounds when talking to any of
them, I would be telling them to keep
away! Quite the reverse of what I wanted. It's best to talk
from your heart in your own language, and
let the birds learn to intuitively understand your intentions from the
sound of your voice and to feel the warmth of the love you radiate.
Talk to them even when you think they are not listening. Birds
have the advantage of being able to keep an eye on the
going-ons over vast areas from their perches on tree tops, roofs, lamp
posts and the like and being ever alert they are always on the
watch for what
others in their neighbourhood are doing. The bird community is also
very interactive, they follow each other's dialect and will spread the
message.
The
rainbow lorikeets in 'Surprise
Guests Drop In For A Spot of Lunch',
for instance, were not always that bold. The first time they
visited our yard was in early spring last year. A soft rustle from
behind made me turn my head for another look at the mulberry tree.
In the early spring the tree looks very attractive,
speckled with black ripe berries and red new berries against
the
bright green leaves. I heard a soft movement and suspected
there
was a bird hiding in its depths checking out the fruit. But
I
couldn't see him at all. 'Hello', I said
softly, 'I
can't see you. Where are you? Are you enjoying the fruit?'.
I heard no sound or movement. I waited a
few seconds before continuing, 'Will
you come out and say hello to me?', 'Thank you for coming, I would
really like to see you. Will you let me take a photo?'.
The silence from the other side was broken by some more
rustling,
and a head popped out briefly. It was a lorikeet. I
said, 'Thank you for
showing your self. I love you. Can I get the camera? Please stay for
me.' When the bird stayed for a while and had become accustomed
to me, I went
in, got the camera, focussed the lens and continued requesting
the
bird to come out as sweetly and gently as I could. To my
amazement, the bird did come out and let me take a shot before disappearing
into the leaves again. I asked the bird to come out again and
the bird obliged me
once more, this time showing me that it was a rainbow lorikeet.
Then I realised that these were the same birds that we had
spotted on
a tree along the road on one of our walks, and we had talked to them
and
thanked them. And they had been watching us for months
talking to the magpies and were delighted when we showed an interest in
them. It gave them the courage to overcome their shyness and
come to see us instead.
In the next part, we will look at the Art of Listening to the Birds,
in more detail as there in lies the secret of transformation.
* * *
You can send your questions on any of these steps to editor@wingedhearts.org and I will do my best to answer them.
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*****
A Healer's Story *****
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For one of my homework assignments for Kathleen's
Animal Reiki
Workshop, I decided I would like to work with a wild animal.
Since I
live in a well populated area, I headed for the zoo. I arrived shortly
after they opened and the weather was windy and cold so I knew there
would not be many people around yesterday. Even though I had visions of
working with a big animal like an elephant, lion or giraffe, I tried to
keep my mind open to working with any animal that would like Reiki. I
decided I would walk most of the zoo and then return to the animal that
I felt was most open to me.
I never really considered myself a
“bird person” and if I’m short on time I
normally walk right past the aviary at the zoo. But in trying to be
open to all the animals and also due to the cold wind, the aviary was
the first building I headed for. I enjoyed viewing the locals through
the one way glass as they helped themselves to the large bird feeder
outside and I considered returning to the bird rescue area that held
injured birds that can not be returned to the wild. I continued
wandering from room to room and I entered a room that contained about 3
dozen small exotic birds with many patterns and colors that were free
to fly around the room as they wished. It was not the happy, chirping
birds or the brightly colored birds that caught my eye. Sitting, almost
hidden by plants, along the walkway was a small, brown and white bird
that sat quietly with her (for some reason I felt it was female)
feathers all ruffled and breathing heavily and looking quite
distressed. I watched for a few minutes as her mate repeatedly
approached her and tried to encourage her to feel better. Realizing
that I had just gotten to the zoo and had many more animals to visit I
left the aviary and continued on.
After an hour or so and
visiting many other animals, I could not stop
thinking about the little brown and white bird that was so distressed
and clearly not doing well. 
So
I returned to the aviary and found her
about a foot from where I had left her before. Her mate continued
trying to encourage her to feel better. It was such a tender, loving
gesture to watch it made my heart hurt for them. I knelt down (I felt I
needed to get as close to her level as possible) and began offering
Reiki. The room was really soaking up the Reiki energy and she turned
to face me. After a short time she hopped on a branch right in front of
me and it seemed like we were old friends. She began closing her eyes
for longer and longer periods of time. As I sat there, with her at eye
level, I saw something that I could not see with her on the ground.
There wrapped around her legs was a clear, thin nylon strand that she
could not free herself from. At this point I didn’t know if I
should go for help or continue the Reiki that she was enjoying so
much. I also noticed that many of the other birds were moving closer
and
closer to me and becoming quieter and quieter. It was such a beautiful
moment I just had to continue the Reiki for a while longer.
Finally, I
couldn’t stand knowing what her problem was and not helping
her so I went for help. After making another pass through the aviary
and not finding a staff person, I left the building and headed for the
nearest concession stand. I explained what I had found and asked the
worker to call a zoo keeper. The teenager went to his manger and asked
him to call a zoo keeper and the manager nodded in agreement. I
returned to my little bird who had now taken shelter in the corner of
the room as far away from the increasing foot traffic as she could get.
Her mate was still by her side. After waiting another 20 minutes I grew
impatient and returned to the non-emotional teenager who again turned
to his manager and ask about the zoo keeper. The manager said he had
forgotten to call and acted like I was bothering him but reluctantly
pulled out his radio when he realized I was not just going to go away
again like I had the first time. After watching him until he made the
call, I then returned to my little bird. Within 5 minutes a zoo keeper
was there looking for her and I pointed out the distressed Owl Finch in
the corner.The zoo keeper agreed she was not doing well.
She went for a
net and entered the exhibit through a back door which was right next to
my little bird. The bird was startled and flew (which surprised us).
The zoo keeper called for help and within a couple minutes someone else
appeared. With all of us looking, we discovered my little bird and her
mate sitting side by side in the shelter of the bushes at our eye level
and there shining in the sunlight was the nylon string that bound her
legs.
Since well over an hour had passed I left my little bird in the hands
of the skilled zoo keepers who promised they would take care of her. Of
all my lessons I felt this was the most surprising, powerful and
rewarding of all.
About
the Author:
Irene Brock is a Level III
Reiki
practitioner residing in southeastern Michigan. She also holds
certificates as a Spiritual Healer, Lightworker and Feng Shui
consultant. Irene is an independent distributor and educator for
Nature’s Sunshine vitamins and herbs. She may be reached at
healingforce@yahoo.com.
About Animal Reiki:
"Reiki is a gentle,
non-invasive holistic energy healing system that
yields powerful results for the body, mind and spirit. When using Reiki
to heal, the practitioner channels healing energy through her hands to
the client either directly or from a distance. It is ideal for use with
animals because with Reiki, the animal controls the treatment,
accepting Reiki in the ways that are most comfortable. Easy for people
to learn and use, Reiki can do no harm, even when used by the most
novice practitioner. It always goes to the source of the problem and
always works for the highest good." Kathleen
Prasad, Animal Reiki Source.
------------------------------------------------------
About the
Teacher:
Kathleen Prasad is a Reiki Master
Teacher and the Founder and Director Animal Reiki Source.
A life-long animal lover, Kathleen has been
practising Animal
Reiki since 1998 and teaching full-time since 2002. Kathleen
has co-authored the book Animal
Reiki: Using Energy To Heal the Animals
in Your Life and her work has been
featured in
many
publications including Animal
Wellness Magazine, Natural
Horse Talk Magazine and Dog Fancy.
Kathleen has taught Reiki to staff of
many organisations such as Guide
Dogs for the Blind,
The
Elephant
Sanctuary
and the BrightHaven
Healing Arts Centre for Animals.
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*****
Coming In The Next Issue *****
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Coming
In The Next Issue:
We are very excited to be able to bring our readers a collection of
articles and stories from around the world. The next issue features
contributions from:
- Reconnecting with Animal Wisdom - How Communicating With Animals Will Change Our World - by Dawn Baumann Brunke
- Communicating with Wild Bird - Part 2 - The Art of Listening to the Birds
- Award winning Australian Wildlife Artist Janet Flinn will share tips on sketching birds
Would you like to submit an article or your bird story? We would love to
hear these stories and share them with others. Please drop us a
line at: editor@wingedhearts.org
Invite Your Friends: If you would like to inform your friends about WingedHearts.org and invite them to subscribe to the Wild Bird Talking E-zine click here.
Many Thanks To our Readers: Many thanks to our friends and readers from around the world
who have visited the site and sent us their comments. We are very
grateful for your support, and interest.
Blogs - Comments: Share your ideas, opinions and bird friendships by adding comments to the
blogs.
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New Site
Spotlights @ WingedHearts.org:
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wouldn't want to step on one of these - see Grounded!
for:
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I View:
Comment on current topics - check out the Blogs:
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favourites on: The
Sticky Beak,
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Tales,
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Every season brings new activity and the stories are never the
same, so keep an eye out for the new releases with
announcements in the blogs. For info on the photographic equipment we use and featured books/dvds
visit: Resources
Tell us your favourite stories and characters by posting comments in
the blog or by sending an e-mail to me at: editor@wingedhearts.org
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