When you have lost your beloved animal companion, one of the best ways to honor your pet and move from guilt to forgiveness, peace, and love, is to learn from your pet. This article is a continuation of “Into The Wave – On dealing with guilt after pet loss” and it is inspired by my beloved angel cat Pittiput.
Today I suggest you to contemplate the following:
What is the essence of what your animal companion taught you?
That is a very important question to ask yourself, and it will not only bring you healing and peace, it will help you reconnect with your angel animal and honor them as you move forward in your life. For when you identify their one big lesson to you, and you keep that message in your heart and implement it in your life, then you won’t be stuck in grief, sadness, and emptiness, you will be able to much easier move forward in your life with your angel animal by your side. Learning from them is the highest tribute you can pay your companion.
There are different ways to go about finding the core message or teaching your animal had for you:
- You can communicate with the animal in the afterlife, for example by using the Easy Exercise For Connecting With A Pet In The Afterlife” and the meditation “A Sacred Meeting In A Magical Garden“
- Ask for a message or insight in a dream
- Ask for a sign or synchronicity in your daily life
- You can do a meditation and when at peace, set the intention and either ask your animal to show you or you can go over and identify some of the most important qualities your animal companion had, and note down what comes
- Ask yourself: If I had to sum up my animal companion’s qualities and message in one sentence that best describes them, what would that be?
- It could also be that your animal companion’s message or teaching to you is best shown to you in an image, possibly a photo or an image in your mind’s eye, such as, for example, your animal friend playing happily, thereby reminding you to play and to invite joy into your life; or an image of your animal sitting peacefully doing nothing, reminding you to take time to do the same.
Their core message can also be how they lived their life, like for example my cat Pittiput. His message “Live in faith” makes very much sense to us, because we experienced him when he used to live in a park before he came to us. He was a very kind and also a very social cat, who loved to meet and spend time with the people he met in the park. He had an instinct who it would be safe to approach and he definitely lived his life in faith. We, of course, were worried for his safety until we could get him home, but he has taught us so much about letting go of fear and stepping more into a life where we live more in faith and trust. We often get signs and greetings from him, and every time we do, we are filled with love for him and gratitude for all that he was. And every time we are reminded of his main message to us. When I experience his message I don’t just see some text or hear some words, I have the image and all the memories of our time with him present in my heart and mind, and I take yet another step toward allowing his message and teaching become part of my life.
Take some time and do this exercise now and write down your answer.
If you don’t get one crystal clear answer right away, just write down what you do get, and return to this exercise again at a later time to fine-tune or clarify the essence of your beloved animal friend’s qualities and teaching to you.
What is your animal companion’s main message or lesson to you? I invite you to share your insights in the comments section below.
Even though it’s been over a year 2 of my dogs has passed, I still hurt so much and only recently I find myself thinking of how much they loved me , how I missed so much when they were alive, they were only love and love,, I miss them, one of my other dog will be 14 t
Years old on Sunday ,he has been ailing for a long time, I had thought he would be the first to go, but alas he is here still very tired and sad looking , I dread the day he will have to go, but thanks to your post and great advice I am learning to let go and see only the Beautifull times. My dogs thought me to love ,patience compassion and understanding , and most of all to love myself and a chance to do it better, As I have a sml girl I adopted… Thank you for your care and love…..
I read your article “Easy Exercise For Connecting with a Pet in Afterlife”. Yesterday I told my cat I will meet her last night and I have questions to ask her. I tried to feel her but maybe because it was intentional I could’t get into the mood. I fall asleep heavily.
Btw I got a new kitty, from the same breeder and same fur color so it will make me feel like it is still her. I never ever want to accept that she is gone. I am finding ways for her to come back to my life.
This morning around 4-5am, I got waken up by the new kitty. She came to my bed and rub me, lick and kiss me. She hasn’t done this for a few days. She did it maybe two times before. I had her for 19 days. But last night she stayed the longest with me. She stayed with me for a long time. I was just thinking about the super enjoyment I had with my old kitty last night before falling asleep. I felt I’d never have that again because the new kitty wouldn’t do it. But she did it!! She even stayed closer to me – she glue her body to my head, rub and kiss me.
However I didn’t get answers from my questions. I will try it again today.
There was another time I was on the bed crying hard and calling out loud for my old kitty. The new kitty suddenly came to my head from the other corner of the bed, and tried to rub and kiss me.
Anyway I don’t know if I am just being imaginary or trying hard to find signs to assume it is her, or there is really a spiritual world…
Thank you so much for this suggestion of learning from our deceased beloved pets. I had been learning from my sweet cat Buddy since the beginning of his time with me. He was in such dire straights then, facing cold and starvation before I took him in yet remained sweet natured and friendly. It took him little awhile to trust me, but when he did he was a loyal and loving friend. His history will always remain a mystery, but I suspect he left his previous “home” because he was being abused. How anyone could hurt that lovely soul is beyond my comprehension. I am still deeply grieving his loss and trying to come to terms with guilt and blame, but am trying to be a better person in his memory. I am very grateful to you for the messages of understanding in your newsletter for those of us dealing with pet bereavement because there is very little of it in society, even amongst family and friends.