“A human being is part of the whole, called by us Universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings, as something separated from the rest – a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion – to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.” ~ Albert Einstein
As we are working through the grief of an animal companion, an important part of the healing process, as I see it, is to use what happened to grow as a human being; to honor our beloved pet by connecting with the unconditional love they so willingly shared with us and for us to share it with those we encounter in our daily life. And the compassion doesn’t just include other pets and humans, but all of life. In this particular article I’ll be talking about widening the circle of compassion to include wild animals – the ones that are often overlooked, ignored, or outright abused. The article is based on an incident that happened to me recently.
A rare meeting
I can probably count on one hand the times I have seen a fox in my life – and when I did see one, it was always briefly and from a distance. But recently an amazing thing happened. One day I looked out the kitchen window and saw a little fox – a most beautiful one, not fully grown. I stood there watching him for a while, feeling blessed that he chose to visit us. We saw him several times during the next couple of weeks, but then one morning we found him run over by a car in the street not far from our home. We got so sad for this precious little fox who was just trying to survive.Incidents like these usually leave you with feeling of sadness, pain and helplessness, but I immediately decided to do what I often do for both pets and wild animals: I did a Sacred Spirit Journey to ask for healing help and guidance for the little fox. This is what happened:
My spirit helper says, “And the body will return to the earth. We’re here to guide the spirit.”
I then focus upwards, sending out my awareness up like branches on a huge tree or lines of energy reaching far out into the universe. I become a vehicle for the energy, healing, wisdom to travel through.
“What is my part in all this?”, I ask my spirit helper. “Wouldn’t this [healing] happen anyway without me?”
He says, “All get help when it’s their time to cross, but you bring the intention, the heart, the personal touch and connection that means so much to this soul. Everyone needs to know they are loved, that they belong. Let’s go and find our friend now.”
It’s dark now, or just beginning to be dawn. My spirit helper is holding a little light. We walk towards the place where the fox is. Then it’s suddenly daylight and we’re standing in the busy street looking at what’s left of the animal.
We remove the body – moving it into some grass in the middle of a traffic circle with grass and bushes that is in the middle of the street. As we stand there in this circle of peace with the cars driving around us, we hear a little noise and see the spirit of the fox show up, looking confused and with a questioning look on his face as he looks at his own body. Fox looks at me with pleading eyes. I squat down next to my spirit helper and say to fox: “Hello my dear friend. We have come to help you. I live nearby; was it you who came to visit us?”
Fox nods.
“We’re so happy to see you. We feel blessed that you chose our garden. Are you in pain now?”
He looks at me for a little while and then bursts out in a howl.
“It’s okay, honey. We’re here for you,” I say.
He comes all the way over to us and lies down in front of me with shivering body, so close that he’s touching me. My spirit helper and I connect with our light and as we become light we envelop the little fox in our light. He calms down and eventually rests. After a while his features become more clear; he looks like a real fox, his real self. We’re bathed in spiritual light and there’s peace. He’s not scared anymore, but at peace, confident, even happy. Fox says. “Thank you for showing me the light – for bringing me out of the darkness into the light.”
Then we see a big spirit fox approaching. The little one gets excited to see the big one.
“Your time on Earth was short but important. It’s not the length of the stay that counts but how much impact you have, how many hearts you have touched. You have made an important contribution to our species, for your story will be shared [he looks at me firmly] and the demand for respect for us as equals with other animals will be shared too. We’re all beings living on the Earth together – We’re all a part of the big puzzle of life. We all have our unique gifts and contributions to make. Your impact is just the first ripple that the stone makes when it hits the water – meaning more ripples will follow. We honor you, little one, for this huge sacrifice on behalf of our species. Many animals suffer far worse fates than you, and this event is a call to action – a call to show compassion, to recognize and honor a fellow living being. We’re all part of the One – and by honoring one of us, you honor yourself too. Respect for others and respect for self go together. We can teach you respect and confidence and using opportunities and challenges that come into your life to survive and even thrive. Study us to live more passionately and authentically in the world.” And then he says to little fox,“Let us go.”
We see them walk away (into the west ). A whole day seem to have passed, because the sun is now setting. Their beautiful color blends into the sunset.
My spirit helper and I wave to them. They walk proudly off into the light.
I thank my spirit helper. He smiles. I end the journey.
Action steps
Look at what ways you can widen the circle of compassion in your life. Every little act of kindness to an animal or human in need helps. And if you happen to come across a dead animal, you can still – even if you don’t do shamanic journeying – help the animal by asking the universe for healing and guidance. (See also my article “When your pet just died…” for more suggestions.
I want to stress again how much it means to acknowledge and reach out with love to animals – even those that have died. I can give you an example:
A while ago my husband and I found a young black cat in the street, also killed by a car. When I contacted him, his spirit was still in a state of confusion and near to his body. He needed help to heal and move on after the sudden tragic incident. There’s one phrase he said that is forever etched into my heart. He said: “There was no place for me.” That broke my heart and made me determined to help wherever I can. Simply acknowledging a living being is a huge gift you can give.
And if you look at this in relation to the loss of your beloved pet and wish to honor your pet’s memory, I can’t think of a better way to honor and pay tribute to your angel animal than to reach out to another animal in need.
PS: The animals that come into our lives often have powerful messages and teachings for us. If you wish to look further into this topic and read about the qualities of various animals, you may find Ted Andrews’ book “Animal Speak” interesting as a supplement to the information you get directly from the animals you meet.
In the Widening The Circle Of Compassion series:
1) A Meeting with Fox
2) Spider Magic
3) A Meeting with Deer
4) Hedgehog Wisdom
Oh, Marianne, what beautiful work in the world! I truly love the idea of reaching out to an animal’s spirit even after it has transitioned. Love how you are sharing your unique gifts with the world!!
Marianne, this is beautiful. I loved reading about the shamanic work you are doing to serve animals. This is such a beautiful example of mutual flourishing. I think it’s wonderful that you’re helping people remember that animals are more than just their bodies.
I have tears in my eyes Marianne. Your post really touches home with my recent loss of my beloved Edgar. This may sound weird (or not because of the work you do) but I believe that in Edgar’s last few days, he was looking at me, counting on me, to bring him across rainbow bridge. In the end, when we sat there and prayed, Edgar wasn’t lost or confused. I cradled his head, and I as petted him, I asked him to say Hello to Taz for us. I have been so fortunate to be blessed with two of the best dogs and I was honored to be part of their pack.
Also, thank you for stopping by and reading my tribute to Edgar. Your comment really touched me.
Blessings,
Peggy