Here's a post I made to another list that you might find interesting.
I have had a few cases of animals living past lives as humans; I'm sure I'd have had more by now except most clients don't ask me to explore that question with their animal friend. Penelope Smith, in "When Animals Speak", says "Most domesticated animals that I have communicated with have had experience in other lives as humans. They are comfortable with human thinking and human problems. They enjoy helping people through their often complex and emotionally turbulent lives. They often easily accept being a cat or horse, even though they haven't inhabited those forms before. In previous lives as humans, they usually loved those animals, understood them, and identified with them, or they are very conscious of their choice of species and quick to learn how to enjoy life as that animal. Some animals who have been humans before tend to act like, even demand, the "privileges" of human living. Animals who have had no human experience, or have never been a domesticated animal, can be fearful of humans and find it hard to tune into often confusing or chaotic human thinking. Some animals may just want to hide out for a while and be "feral," while they maintain a minimal or safe contact with humans. They have made some decision to learn from the path of being close to humans, but it may take them awhile to respond to humans as something besides predators or alien beings. By respecting their choices and understanding their situation, we can greatly assist fearful animals to progress in the direction of amiable coexistence. Experiencing and mastering another way of life is usually the main purpose for changing forms and seeking totally different circumstances. An individual's passion or major concern usually has some past-life thread. For example, people working now to rescue or assist animals may have tried to help animals for lifetimes, or they may be attempting to make up for having hurt them in the past. Horses who easily learn and excel at dressage may have been equine champions previously. Horses who resist an activity may have mastered that activity already and wish to go on to something else." [pp 177-178, "When Animals Speak"] Penelope has a whole chapter on this topic, as well as a section on how animals perceive death including from the soul perspective. Your animal friend is here in this form at this time because s/he chose to be. With sick pets, we humans have to be careful not to project our desires or need to "heal" onto an animal when it would interfere in some way with their life path. It's a fine line; we want our animal friends to have the best lives possible, but we have to take care not to force them to move along because it pains us or disconcerts us to see them struggling in some way. They have to want to move forward, that's the key. You can certainly talk with them and ask them how s/he views her/his life with you, what her/his life purpose is, and is there anything you can do to assist her/him with that and with her/his health issues. Your animal may be here in service to others (such as the joy s/he brings to animals and humans alike) because s/he is "making up" for something he did in past life/lives. For example, [I'm using he as an example], he wants, he chose (at the soul level, before incarnating), the experiences he is going through. There is learning there for him, even if it just looks painful to us. We can offer assistance; it's sometimes hard to know when it's assistance and when we're forcing their perceived "issue" into the light rather than letting them get to that place of enlightenment on their own. He may also be here to teach others (only he knows what he's here to teach, so you'd have to ask him), and to offer others unconditional love as well. Sit quietly with him, get centered, come from the heart, and ask him what he might need from you to make this life the best it can be. He may need nothing from you except love, and necessary (but not invasive) medical care from time to time. You can offer him Bach or other vibrational essences (first send the concept of essences to him and ask him if those sound and feel useful/helpful/appealing to him, then trust your instincts), energetic healing (such as Reiki or other forms), color therapy, acupuncture, chiropractic, herbs . . . . Ask him what he would find helpful and then be open to what he sends you. He may say "nothing"; he may send you a color, a feeling, a knowing . . . trust your instincts there. It's always important to ask the animal if they wish healing assistance before providing it (this is a principle of Reiki and other energetic healing modalities -- the being has to want it and be open to it, it's never sent without permission). I learned this lesson in a big way from my dog, Max (he showed me a previous life as a dolphin). I worried about him incessantly for several years because he had many, many health issues (mostly due to vaccinosis). Two communicators relayed to me at different times that Max did not feel he needed much assistance, nor that he was as ill as I believed he was. He was learning from his experience, and still doing the work he came here to do [one of which was showing me how to "walk the talk" and be true to myself]. I believe health issues we and they struggle with are set up before we "arrive" here, and by learning from and working through them, we/they are able to offer assistance to others who are open to it. For instance, how many people on this list came here because they started learning about health issues from the holistic care perspective out of desperation because conventional medicine wasn't working? Had your animal friend not had health issues, you would not have been directed to this part of your path. I'm not saying animals suffer for us; quite the contrary. They have their own experiences, and they are willing to share their experiences with us and help us learn and grow. Bless them for that. Just as we learn and grow from our own issues and are able to help others who struggle with the same issues. We don't force other humans to do anything about what we perceive their issues to be (the old "we can't control others" concept), we just offer assistance and knowledge if they want it. It's a spiral. The animals teach us, we assist them; we teach others, they help us learn too. The more knowledge and experience gained through adversity (and prosperity in all ways) by a soul, the higher they move in their evolution. Kat Kathleen A. Berard, Animal Communicator, Bach Flower Essences Practitioner and Holistic Care Consultant KATALYST FOR ANIMAL WHOLENESS, INC. www.katberard.com [EMAIL PROTECTED] EMAIL ME TO RECEIVE A COMPLIMENTARY SUBSCRIPTION TO THE MONTHLY "KAT'S JOURNAL" NEWSLETTER! "If you don't know what your passion is, realize that one reason for your existence on Earth is to find it." Oprah
