This morning, before the coffee had finished brewing and before I had put my glasses on, I was perusing FaceBook and found a post from Jenny Pavlovic of 8 State Hurricane Kate fame.  Jenny said a woodchuck had gotten under her truck and she was asking about the significance of woodchuck.

What a great way to start the day and to incorporate the wisdom of animals in your life! First you notice the animal, and then find out what the animal signifies.

Woodchuck, also known as groundhog, speaks of the following:

• Getting to new areas of interest: are you entering a new time of studying, building?
• Hibernation: is it time (regardless of the season) to pull back and reflect?
• Rebirth: what is it time to let go of?

Animal-Speak: The Spiritual & Magical Powers of Creatures Great & Small by Ted Andrews, is a magnificent reference book to have on hand as you are studying and learning about the animals.  It helps you to identify and meet your own animal helpers, those animals that will guide you through the everyday of your life.  It is also a comprehensive dictionary of more than 100 different animals, birds, reptiles and insects, giving you basic as well as symbolic and historic information on the animal.  I highly recommend this book as a fundamental in your own library.  True confessions here: My copy is well worn and well loved, but it’s never where I need it.  I have been considering getting two more copies…..one for the car and one for the upstairs, leaving my original copy in the office! That way I will always have one on hand when I need it. If only there was a digital copy for my computer…..

What animal is reaching out to you today? Remember: U2CanTalk2theAnimals!

Harmony,

Janet Roper

Back to the Talk2theAnimalsBlog

If you like stories about dragons, elves, humans and halfbloods, you’re really going to enjoy The Elvenbane (Halfblood Chronicles, Bk. 1).  I started reading it as summer fun, deck reading, and I was quickly amazed at the different underlying thoughts and philosophies that were woven underneath the main story.  Yes, you have dragons and fire, elves and magic, halfbloods and wizards, dragons talking to halfbloods and so on.

This is the concept that truly fascinated me: the elven kept the humans as pets. It gave me a rude awakening as to how pets are still considered in society.  Made me think about the word ‘pet’. I’ll be writing more about that in a future post.

This book itself is magical: it can be a fun summer read, it can take you away to fantasy land, or it can stir up your mind and open your eyes.  Your choice.

Click on the link to purchase The Elvenbane (Halfblood Chronicles, Bk. 1).  After you’ve read it, leave your comments and let me know your thoughts. It will be fascinating to hear what you think of the book!

Harmony,

Janet Roper

Back to the Talk2theAnimalsBlog

I was having lunch recently with Marita Rahlenbeck of Honoring Earth.  On the table was a copy of Charlotte’s Web, which Marita was rereading. Marita asked if I remembered the scene in the doctor’s office with Mrs. Arable talking about the amount of time her daughter Fern spends in the Zuckermans’ barn, just watching and listening to the animals:

“It’s about Fern,” she explained. “Fern spends entirely too much time in the Zuckermans’ barn.  It doesn’t seem normal.  She sits on a milk stool in a corner of the barn cellar, near the pigpen, and watches animals,  hour after hour.  She just sits and listens.”

Dr. Dorian leaned back and closed his eyes.

“How enchanting!” he said. “It must be real nice and quiet down there.  Homer has some sheep, hasn’t he?”

“Yes,” said Mrs. Arable. “But it all started with that pig we let Fern raise on a bottle.  She calls him Wilbur.  Homer bought the pig, and ever since it left our place, Fern has been going to her uncle’s to be near it.”

“I’ve been hearing things about that pig,” said Dr. Dorian, opening his eyes.  “They say he’s quite a pig.”

“Have you heard about the words that appeared in the spider’s web?” asked Mrs. Arable nervously.

“Yes,” replied the doctor.

“Well, do you understand it?” asked Mrs. Arable.

“Understand what?”

“Do you understand how there could be any writing in a spider’s web?”

“Oh, no,” said Dr. Dorian. “I don’t understand it. But for that matter I don’t understand how a spider learned to spin a web in the first place. When the words appeared, everyone said they were a miracle.  But nobody pointed out that the web itself is a miracle.”

“What’s miraculous about a spider’s web?” said Mrs. Arable. “I don’t see why you say a web is a miracle – it’s just a web.”

“Every try to spin one?” asked Dr. Dorian.

Mrs. Arable shifted uneasily in her chair. “No,” she replied. “But I can crochet a doily and I can knit a sock.”

“Sure,” said the doctor. “But somebody taught you, didn’t they?”

“My mother taught me.”

“Well, who taught a spider? A young spider knows how to spin a web without any instructions from anybody.  Don’t you regard that as a miracle?”

“I suppose so,” said Mrs. Arable. “I never looked at it that way before.  Still, I don’t understand how those words got into the web.  I don’t understand it, and I don’t like what I can’t understand.”……

Mrs. Arable fidgeted. “Fern says the animals talk to each other. Dr. Dorian, do you believe animals talk?”

“I never heard one say anything,” he replied. “But that proves nothing.  It is quite possible that an animal has spoken civilly to me and that I didn’t catch the remark because I wasn’t paying attention.  Children pay better attention than grownups.  If Fern says that the animals in Zuckerman’s barn talk, I’m quite ready to believe her.  Perhaps if people talked less, animals would talk more.  People are incessant talkers – I can give you my word on that.”

When’s the last time you heard an animal talk to you? Remember: U2CanTalk2theAnimals!

Harmony,

Janet Roper

Back to the Talk2theAnimals Blog

If you are interested in animal communication and have not read this book, I highly recommend you stop reading this post and purchase the book now. Animal Talk: Interspecies Telepathic Communication is written by animal communication pioneer and maven Penelope Smith.  Written from her passion for all things animal and animal communication, this book bears out Penelope’s expertise and mastery.

No matter where you are on your animal communication journey, Animal Talk: Interspecies Telepathic Communication has something for everyone, ranging from a step by step process of communicating with the animals to Penelope’s view of the future of life forms on earth.

Have you purchased the book yet? If not…….you can do it now! Animal Talk: Interspecies Telepathic Communication

Harmony,

Janet Roper

Back to the Talk2theAnimals Blog

I do believe that yesterday’s post about Spider has started me thinking about the small ones, the creepy-crawlies, the insects.  It can be easy to brush them aside, even to kill them out of annoyance.  Maybe it’s time to learn about the insects and how to relate with them.

Luckily there is a book available that can help us. Joanne Elizabeth Lauck is an environmental educator.  She writes our relationship with insects is broken because our culture not only teaches, but encourages us to hate these small creatures.  We then learn it’s ‘them against us’ or they are either eating us or our food.  So we reach for the insect repellent or turn on the closest bug zapper.

This book opens minds and leads us to new understandings with our fellow creatures.  Even with dogs and cats, my attitude towards fleas changed forever when I read what she had to say about the fleas.

Are you ready to have your world view on insects turned upside down? If so, I highly recommend you check out this book.  To purchase, simply click here The Voice of the Infinite in the Small: Re-Visioning the Insect-Human Connection.

Inside of a Dog: What Dogs See, Smell, and Know

I haven’t read this book yet, but it’s on my to-read-soon-list.

Psychology professor, dog lover and author Alexandra Horowitz conducted an eight year study and discovered our dogs know us much better than we know them.

This book is not intended to be a scientific study, but rather she invites readers to imagine what life is like when your nose is 18 inches from the ground, what it’s like to be able to smell a spoonful of sugar dissolved in two Olympic pools worth of water…what it’s like to be so observant of their human’s actions they know what the human’s next step will be.

I am looking forward to reading this book, seeing how, or if, it correlates with animal communication.

Purchase this book by clicking on the book or the link, and discover for yourself what life is like for your beloved dog companion.

Harmony,

Janet Roper

Back to the Talk2theAnimals Blog

Horses with a Mission: Extraordinary True Stories of Equine Service

So many times we humans think helping animals is a one way street: we help them.  But help is always a two way street. It would be beneficial if we humans not only remember the animals can and do help us, but that help can and does changes lives.

This book, or any of the Angel Animals books are good reminders that animals reach out to us in love, compassion and respect.

In this book you will find 21 true life stories of equine heroes, including the story of Molly, the pony who survived Hurricane Katrina and the loss of a leg.

To purchase this heartwarming book, simply click on the book or the link.  To find out more about the wonder work Angel Animals does and their new club, click here.

Harmony,

Janet Roper

Back to the Talk2theAnimals Blog

I am very excited to announce the collaboration of Talk2theAnimals with the Angel Animals Network Club.

Linda and Allen Anderson started the Angel Animals Network, a place to discover and benefit from the miraculous powers of animals. Their mission is to collect stories of animals and their people, which are told in the person’s own words.  These stories are then turned into Angel Animal books, which can be purchased on their site, your local bookstore or Amazon.

They recently started the Angel Animals Network Club, a place to bring kindred spirits together and enjoy benefits of membership.  There are different levels of benefits, and starting with the Gold Level one of the benefits is a FREE 10 minute animal communication session with Talk2theAnimals!

I am very excited and honored Talk2theAnimals is a part of this wonderful group. Linda and Allen are passionate animal supporters and reach thousands of people the world over through their books and appearances.  I invite you to become a member of the Angel Animals Network Club at whatever level you feel comfortable!

Harmony,

Janet Roper

Back to the Talk2theAnimals Blog

The Animal Manifesto: Six Reasons for Expanding Our Compassion Footprint

One of the benefits of social media is finding out about all things that interest you, like books.  I saw this yesterday on FaceBook, and I have added it to my ‘must read soon’ list of books.

In our world, we still think too much of power over the animals.  We tend to think of ourselves as the superior species, therefore creating a position of ‘them’ and ‘us’. Anytime we find ourselves in a ‘them’ and ‘us’ position, it usually turns into a ‘them’ against ‘us’.

I am looking forward to reading this book, and I’m all for expanding our compassion footprint with all creatures.

This quote sums it up very nicely:

“We need books like this. We need writers like Marc Bekoff to remind us of the emotional lives of animals and of our mismanagement of the wild. We need to be reminded that we share this world with other animals, that we do not own it, that we do not even run it. We ignore all of this not only at our peril, but to our great loss.”
— Martha Grimes, bestselling author of Dakota and The Blue Last

To purchase the book, simply click on the book or link. If you’ve already read the book, share your thoughts about it in the comments.

Harmony,

Janet Roper

Back to the Talk2theAnimals Blog

A Year at the Races: Reflections on Horses, Humans, Love, Money, and Luck

As my horsey friends and I often discuss, people either ‘get’ the passion between a person and a horse, or they don’t.  If a person understands that passion, words are not needed.  If a person doesn’t understand that passion, there’s not enough words to describe it.

Jane Smiley ‘gets’ the love between a person and a horse.  As she says, “A love story, at least a convincing one, requires three elements: the lover, the beloved, and the adventures they have together,” Smiley begins. “If the lover isn’t ardent, then the story isn’t a love story. If the beloved isn’t appealing, then the lover just seems idiosyncratic or even crazy; and if they have no adventures, then their love is too easy, and they have no way of learning anything important about themselves and one another.”

All three elements are in this book as Smiley tells the story of two of her thoroughbreds, Wowie and Waterwheel, during a season at the track. She talks of the races and goes behind the scenes to the backside of the track, giving folks not familiar with the racing life a different perspective. She also worked with an animal communicator to see what her horses thought of the racing life

To purchase this book, all you need to do is click on the book or the link.  Happy reading!

Harmony,

Janet Roper

Back to the Talk2theAnimals Blog