Spirit Guides and Pet Bereavement
Mike
faced a tough challenge and handled it differently using the combined
technology of the shamanic and Gnostic Christianity spiritual paths....
Our beloved family dog was put to sleep yesterday after 15 years as a
wonderful, big-hearted companion, especially to my 85-year old mother since
my father died 7 years ago.
When I saw him 4 days ago (not having seen him for a while) I was shocked to
see him weak, losing weight severely (he was for many years big, strong and
"lusty"). I realised that he was dying - struggling to live, not yet ready
to "let go". I wanted him back to what he was before - for things to be
"as they were before", but realised "the chips were down", "the dice thrown"
and I began to grieve - feeling an aching painful yawning chasm opening up
inside me, and a gnawing, terrifying fear at my impotence to change things,
restore things or to make them "perfect" or "painless".
It is at these times that a spiritual belief system ("death is not the end,
just a transition") can be so supportive, if we are lucky enough to have one
(fortunately I do) and also having a spiritual practice e.g. prayer,
meditation, rituals etc whereby we can interact/dialogue/remonstrate or in
other ways "work through" our resistance, rage, sadness and grief.
For me a "shamanic" spiritual path
(see www.sunflower-health.com/courses/shamanic.htm) has opened up in the
last decade, combined in an uncommon (but not unknown!) way with Gnostic
Christianity - see discussion of GC at:
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/cheal/ if you are not familiar with it.
The reason I mention this, is because of 2 events that have been really
helpful to me...
As I spent time with the dying dog, I prayed with all my heart to St.
Francis to take care of him and to lead him into the "next world". As I did,
in my "mind's eye" St. Francis appeared and he was holding our dog ("Glen")
in his arms. I felt greatly comforted and reassured by this unexpected
vision.
Two days later, I happened to be leading a shamanic practice called
"shamanic journeying" - a kind of guided meditation facilitated by a beating
drum (an ancient healing practice which goes back at least 30,000 years).
I had not been thinking of Glen, but in my meditation vision, St. Francis
appeared, holding Glen, as before, in his arms. He turned and carried Glen
off up a hill. For some reason, which I don't yet understand, at one point,
Glen transformed into a log in the arms of St. F.
At the top of the hill was a circular depression in which a crowd of shamans
(see the above link for explanation) was gathering - to receive Glen (HOW
WONDERFUL!!).
Glen took up a stance on a pedestal in the middle of the gathering, he was
now in the form of a wolf, and howled up to the sky (with his nose pointed
straight up) in a kind of triumphant way.
I realised that Glen had re-connected with his ancestral "wolf spirit"
identity.
I know that wolves are very special animals, with a marked 6th sense and a
very strong sense of family ties. Glen was a border collie herding dog,
always looking out for and worrying about the members of his human family
and always overjoyed to see them after any kind of parting.
My 2 spiritual experiences took away that awful terrifying fear which flows
from the illusion that life (consciousness) can ever be lost or destroyed -
only the body decays.
However, today, after the final parting, I had to deal also with my personal
remorse "I should have done more" and my rage "this wonderful creature
deserved better/should not have been destroyed so pitifully".
I wrote a letter to Glen asking for forgiveness (received of course!) and a
letter to "Death" telling death just how darned angry I am! - Having
"cleared" this rage, I feel at peace.
My peace come to all who read this message and to those magical spirits who
come into our lives in animal form!
Namaste!
In loving memory of "Glen"
Michael
www.brothermichael.org.uk