Re: AC Kat - How can you tell?

[Nina]

Kat,
Thank you very much for the considered response to my questions.  It all 
makes very good sense.  I do question the things that 'come through' 
because of my background and experience in working with animals.  I  
follow my instincts, but I never know for sure where that 'intuition' is 
coming from!  I like the idea of not only practicing listening for the 
animal's communication to me, but practicing and testing my input to 
them.  I think we'll work on "Do you want a treat?"  Their reaction to 
that will be easier to gauge, it's a rare day that I ask that question, 
(out loud) and don't get four tails wagging under the cookie jar!  Your 
suggestion of 'not pushing the energy at them' was something that hadn't 
occurred to me.  I'll work on being less pushy!

Thank you also for the reading list.  I have started reading on the 
subject.  Among others, I've read Animal Talk by Penelope Smith and am 
now reading Awakening to Animal Voices by Dawn Brunke.  They were 
recommended to me by AC, Gretchen Kuntz, a wonderful lady that has 
helped me with my babies, (and a crow family I recently had dealings 
with!).  I find myself nodding my head as I read.  It's always 
reassuring to have my own thoughts, feelings and philosophies reaffirmed 
by others.  As you've probably already noticed, I can't help speaking my 
mind, and it does sometimes result in people scratching their heads, or 
avoiding my company altogether :) . 

I do think it's important to ask our animals what it is that they want 
in terms of difficult, or ongoing convalescent  medical care.  The 
problem that many people have with contacting an AC with help for that, 
(if they believe it is possible in the first place), is the same problem 
that plagues us when we make the decision on our own.  The 
responsibility we feel and the gravity, or even the finality of the 
decisions we make, always to some degree or another, leave us with 
impossible to answer 'what if' questions.  It is so very important to 
listen to our own hearts and those of our animals with as clear a head 
as possible under such difficult circumstances.

Thanks again, I'm so glad you were gracious enough to join our group and 
answer our questions!  I hope you'll stick around for a while, you're a 
wonderful addition to our list.
Nina


Kathleen A. Berard wrote:

Hi, Nina. The best way you know is through actively practicing your
attempts to communicate with them telepathically. For instance, you're
sitting there reading a book, totally absorbed in it, and from nowhere
pops in the idea that "I should take the dog for a walk" or "he wants a
biscuit" or "I should go see what he's doing, it's gotten too quiet".
That is you picking up information from the dog. 

You can also try it in reverse: be reading your book and send your dog
an image of you going to the door, getting their leash, and taking them
for a walk. Or send them the thought, "would you like a biscuit?" and
see what happens. Sometimes they respond to what you send, if they're
open to your messages and you send it with a soft focus (not "pushing"
the thought at them). Animals are very adept at picking up our
intentions (how many cats disappear when it's time to go to the vet? How
did they know?), our emotions and the mental images we send. Learning to
do this just takes practice. 

I highly recommend reading a few books about animal communication to get
more information about what-all is involved, it's a bit more (but not
much more) complicated than I'm describing. See
www.katberard.com/res_media_books_ani_comm.htm for suggestions. The
books I start folks off with are Animal Voices and Awakening to Animal
Voices by Dawn Brunke; Animal Talk and When Animals Speak by Penelope
Smith; and Learning Their Language by Marta Williams.

I don't believe you can be a good dog trainer without employing some
telepathy because you learn to read body language yes, but what about
the information you receive that has nothing to do with body language?
Just that sense of "knowing" you get about something, or a thought pops
in from nowhere, or a picture comes to you in your mind; it's probably
the animal relaying information to you because it's not you consciously
thinking those things. You as a trainer are in a different, more skilled
position, because you understand body language, so I can see where it
might be a bit confusing as to what you already know and what's coming
from the animal. But there are those little pieces of info that occur to
you - perhaps "inspiration" if you will - that could be coming from the
animal. 

The only way to validate it is to practice, see what happens, and also
do the reverse: deliberately send information (thoughtforms, concepts,
images, feelings) to the animal and see how they react. Now, please
don't think you can't communicate if they don't do anything! You may not
have gotten through, they may have been distracted/anxious/agitated and
cannot focus on what you're sending, they may not want to do what you're
asking . . .

Getting validation is sometimes easier when working with another
person's animal because you have no preconceived notion (assuming you
don't know the animal) of who they might be. You ask for certain data,
then you scan the situation or ask the animal what could be helpful,
what do they need/what's missing in their life, what is the feeling and
reason behind why they do they do a certain behavior, etc. and see what
comes back (in whatever form: words, pictures, sounds, feelings,
thought-forms or concepts, physical sensations . . .)

When it comes to talking with an animal that is near the end of its
life, sit quietly and get centered. Ask them how they're feeling and let
them know that you do not want them to stay and suffer for you. That you
will be okay when they go; sad, but okay. This is so important to tell
them because sometimes animals will hang around a lot longer than they
should, just for us. Then you tell them it's okay to go to the Light
when they're ready. And then ask them if they want assistance out of
their body [you convey - gently- the euthanasia process, i.e. a poke
with a needle and they fall asleep, another poke with a needle and their
heart stops beating and their spirit is free to let go of the body].
You'll get a sense of knowing, one way or the other, whether they want
assistance or they want to go under their own power. Sometimes they
change their mind and want assistance when the going gets rough (if it
does). You just have to trust your instincts and intuition. There comes
- I promise you - a definitive moment when you look in their eyes and
you just know it's time, if they're wanting assistance.

And one question to ask yourself about any of the information you
receive, regarding whatever, is: if I'm wrong, is this going to hurt
anyone? And, if I'm making this up, why would I make this up and not
that up? Chances are high that you're not just making it up/thinking it
yourself. It's coming from the animal (yes, even thoughts of euthanasia
assistance can come from them before you ask them). Never feel bad or
guilty about asking an animal if they want assistance; if they seem to
struggle near the end, ask them again if they want assistance if they
previously said they want to go on their own. Trust your intuition. If
you're still not sure, have a professional communicator ask them this.

Kat

Kathleen A. Berard, Animal Communicator, Vibrational Essences
Practitioner and Holistic Care Consultant
KATALYST FOR ANIMAL WHOLENESS, INC.  www.katberard.com
[EMAIL PROTECTED]

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-----Original Message-----
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Nina
Sent: Friday, June 10, 2005 12:31 PM
To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org
Subject: AC Kat - How can you tell?

Hi Kat,
While we have you here, I'd like to pick your brain some more about AC.

My question concerns communicating on our own without the help of a 
professional AC.  I feel, like most people that have a close 
relationship with the animals in their care, that I do have a connection

with the animals I come in contact with.  I've always thought that the 
"reading" I do mostly involves caring enough to pay attention to body 
language and mood.  I, (almost automatically at this point), piece 
together details relayed to me by my clients about home environment, 
specific 'behavioral problems', dog's temperament, history, health 
considerations, personality of the humans/dogs involved, etc.; I take 
all these things are into consideration to try and figure out the whys 
of whatever is causing communication breakdown and what to recommend to 
fix it.  (Did I mention, I'm a dog trainer?).  Because I'm committed to 
helping people relate better to their animals, I naturally pay close 
attention to the details.  How do I know that what I think I'm getting 
is what the dog, cat, bird, etc. is really sending and not just what I'm

projecting?  A simplistic example would be, "Oh, you want to go 
outside?", and the dog runs to the door.  How do I know that the dog 
really was asking to go outside, or just figured, well, since you're 
asking, why not?  Clients have said, wow, you know what he's thinking!  
Most of the time, it seems that anyone with eyes in their head, could 
see what they're trying to get across.  How do we know that we are 
getting messages from the animals?  How can we validate that what's 
coming through is from them, and not from us?   When we ask if they'd 
like a new collar, the answer's not that important.  When we want to 
know if they want to keep fighting a debilitating illness, or are ready 
for help crossing over, it's very important.
Nina