Something I get asked a lot is how to tell if one's pet is seeing spirits, if they are, if they can, or if they should be encouraged.
I will address the latter before I continue: should pets be encouraged when they see spirits? Yes. In my opinion they should, unless it freaks you out. This decision took no time for me at all as animals are often my eyes when it comes to spirits that can't always communicate regularly. They call my attention to spirits when I am distracted, and often their body language is enough to let me know the tone of the communication.
For anyone, learned in seeing spirits or unable to see spirits, it can communicate a lot to watch your pet when it is communing with spirits.
They can tell you if a spirit is happy, playful, depressed, angry, scared, lonely, or more importantly: if you are being warned about an upcoming or current event.
Next, how can you tell if a beloved pet or wild animal is seeing a spirit, or many spirits? It's a tall order but I want to share with you my experiences seeing spirits interact with animals. I will divide this into different animal categories, starting with a universal species category.
Before I do - there is a question I think you might ask yourself - why don't animals flee at the sight of a spirit? Well animals, unlike humans, aren't told that the dead are "scary" or "a figment of your imagination". They aren't ridiculed for seeing spirits, they aren't told it's scientifically unlikely, they aren't told "if you can't get it on film consistently, it's not there" and so deep in their core their ancestors have long accepted spirits as the norm. They exist, they rarely bother us, and oftentimes, they warn us of dangers. Many, most, also care about us and love us, guard us, play with us, show us where food is, and where to seek shelter. So many spirits make it their afterlife's creed to protect animals. Well, who among us wouldn't like to have a tiger, whale, jaguar, shark, bison or elephant as a friend? I'm sure there are many out there, but more would than not ;)
Before I digress into a novella...
How to Tell if an Animal Sees Spirits - Examples from Experience
All Species
1. Eyes will follow something unseen with great interest.
2. Ears will do the same as #1
3. Their attention will be harder to get (I think because spiritual communication is much more involved and attention filling)
4. There will usually be a brief but perceptible pause after the behavior as the creature exits the spiritual communication "mode".
5. Familiar behavior! When a loved one of the animal dies, it can really traumatize the animal friend - just as much and sometimes more than its human friends. The spirit of that loved one appearing can make the animal's transition much easier - you might see the animal "perk up" and act like the person is in the room. For example, the animal will roll onto its back and expose the vulnerable belly while making happy body language (purring, wagging tail, etc) - or whatever behavior the animal exhibited when greeting the departed loved one, playing with them, etc.
Dogs!
(Including the All Species List too)
1. Specific barking at the spirit
They will bark at what their ears and eyes are tracking. The tone of the bark
will tell you what kind of communication is taking place - is it a playful bark? The spirit may be playing, indicating an "all is well" communication.
Is it a territorial bark like your dog uses when someone is on your lot? This usually means a spirit is new to the dog's territory, and if you haven't moved within the period of a year - a new spirit could mean a newly dead person, a nomadic spirit, a concerned spirit who hasn't - until now - shown itself, or even a spirit looking for a new home if its home is now unsuitable or gone. I will post more about these kinds of ghosts soon.
Is the bark aggressive, snarling, snapping jaws and even drooling during this? This could mean the spirit is trying to upset the dog on purpose to warn you, or, a rare circumstance: it could mean an aggressive spirit. An aggressive spirit is what most people call a haunting, but the word haunt for me is more a highly and long frequented place and a haunting in the ghost sense can occur out of the blue for just a few days. In either case, it is a warning.
Is the bark fearful and accompanied by whines? This could be a warning or again, a sign of an aggressive spirit. Accompanied by the ears back, eyes big, urinating, laying down playing dead, regression to puppy behavior - contact someone who speaks to spirits after exhausting physiological causes through a vet. I am always here, mark the subject line *emergency* and my filter will filter it to a new inbox for emergencies I have (more on this later) - my address is (take out the commas , and spaces I add them for spam protection as the more spam I get the less I can go through and find actual emails ( I get about 400 spam mails every couple of days ) - until I can afford a better mailing system. A,roo,lu-deadconversations ,@, yah oo . C,a
Does the dog bark at the spirit, then at you? This is a direct communication from the spirit to you. The dog is trying to "translate" the information to you. Pay close attention to the other signs the dog is showing you. Follow its eyes and see where the eyes go, this can give crucial clues. See if the dog is using a paw or snout to point at something. If the dog pulls a "Lassie" and tries to get you to follow it (taking a few steps, waiting, sometimes barking a bit, then as you come closer it repeats until the desired location where it can start barking, it can lay down, lick the spot, pounce with front paws on it etc) follow and then take notes on what it is showing you.
2. "Speaking"
Any dog owner/friend has heard the cute and amazing sounds that dogs can make other than barking. Maybe you've seen those adorable videos where dogs say "I love you" or "I want my ma-maahh" lol. Or the traditional confused sound "Baroo" or "Arrrru" or even the happy yippy singing type sounds.
Long strings of vocalizations without looking back at you can indicate a friendly exchange between a spirit and the dog. Spirits can communicate deeply with animals, able to exchange many complex ideas - dogs will then emulate the communication with these long talks. They aren't saying words as far as I can tell - more like sending ideas directly. Animals are so much more intelligent than the regular human gives them credit for.
Long strings of vocalizations looking between you and the spirit can mean the spirit is trying to talk to you. They are communicating that they have much to say. The spirit might point at you frequently and so the animal understands the conversation is, at least in part, about you. My pets have always enjoyed a good spirit conversation, but although usually quiet, it can get quite wordy : )
Short bursts of vocalizations can mean the message is clear and simple. If these vocalizations aren't accompanied by stressful body language (ears back, wimpers, growls, urination, growls) it's not urgent and just a simple message like "I miss you" or "I love you" or "snuff the candle before you leave the room". If the dog exhibits stress, the message is a clear and short warning, so be aware and take stock of your home - check smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors, oven, and other things that pose dangers, and take stock of your current situation and look for threats then be aware. If this happens more than once, consider it may be a health warning or automotive issue. Spirits won't warn you if it's something small unless you communicate with them on a daily and predictable basis.
I can't go through all vocalizations now, I could write a book about how much I have observed with animals and their relationship with ghosts, but I must keep this post relatively short.
3. Digging!
Dogs that dig vigorously after speaking to spirits are doing so under the spirit's direction. I have seen dogs dig where homeowners later have found lost items they've pined over for years. It is hard sometimes as animals have different intensities of senses than us - if they were directed by spirits, or if they can sense something there. Corpse sniffing dogs can be drawn by their sense of smell to bodies deep underground, sometimes particles get moved by decomposers such as worms up to higher depths. I have seen a dog at a house I was brought to, digging where I sensed a big electrical problem. He might have heard the arcing of the electricty - or some other sensation - it's hard to say as the spirit in this person's home wasn't very communicative. I am a firm believer, however, than most of the time when animals find these things - be it bodies or live wires - it's usually their heightened senses. But sometimes, like when finding long lost items the animals never botherd with before, or weren't born before it was lost, spirits are the cause. The spirits usually point out the item to cheer someone up or because they hid the item in the first place. Sometimes it's time for you to use the item. Sometimes they hid it for safe keeping. In the case of hidden money, they show you just in time, that is: if you are listening!
Cats!
Just like dogs, this includes the list of all species behavior.
I have less experience with cats than I do dogs and rodents, however I have some, perhaps enough, firsthand experience with them through the decades. Cats seem more tuned in to spirits than most animals, earning their historical place as spiritual animals.
1. Purring at the space where the attention is fixed is a wonderful sign. Don't worry when this occurs. Some cats are just purr machines and will purr at the drop of a hat, so it's a hard thing to measure. If the cat only purrs with petting or positive attention, then you know for sure it is a good encounter.
2. Tail flicking (rapid and sporadic) occurs, in my experience, when spirits are annoying the fancy feline. This in and of itself is not important, but if accompanied by hissing, hackle raising, or even growling can mean the spirit is taunting the animal and you need to find out why.
3. Hackles raising, growls and hissing, combined with swatting - I saw this about eight years ago, an aggressive spirit was causing a child in the household to have horrific night terrors and strange medically unexplained seizures. The cat would station herself at the child's bedroom door and when the night terrors would come or just before, the cat would act up. She started with a low growl, followed by swatting and hissing, and end up at a sort of grunting sound the owner would never otherwise hear from the beloved cat. She would jump up and bare teeth, a whole militaristic display! Then as the terrors subsided (the parent could not sleep during these fits) the cat, Suki or Suzie I think, would lay down and sleep quietly. When we helped the spirit to leave, the sweet pet did not do this behavior since. Aggressive behavior from cats, at the spirit they are following with eyes, while not moving from their spot could show a defensiveness, protecting someone or the house itself.
4. Talking, or long strings of vocalizations, usually mean the cat is happily chatting away with the spirit. This is another good sign. If the happy chat is ended or interspersed with hissing or growling or barking, it's possible it's an argument, warning, or threat. The cat can be pleasant at first, but when the spirit gets too close, too active, or even too touchy-touchy - the conversation can turn into confrontation. This isn't bad in and of itself, as cats like their personal space from dead and living alike, but if it is a consistent and growing aggressive display - the spirit has probably either outlived its welcome or is becoming a danger to the house.
5. Crying at the place where its eyes, ears, or body is focused on can mean the cat wants something from the spirit or that it wants you to get rid of the spirit from your home. It's not a good sign, especially if it is very out of character.
6. Licking the air or ground where the cat is tracking is a good sign, meaning the spirit is someone trusted, friendly, or at least not a threat. Licking the air usually, from my experience, is the spirit extending a manifestation of a hand.
From dogs and cats and the species wide list, you can see a trend. I don't think it would be within my power to list all common animals and pets at the moment, and so I will continue on another day.
It's easier to understand the situation your animal friend is telling you if you observe them carefully day-to-day and understand the way they communicate with You. Animals can do many of these things and not be seeing a spirit, it might be hallucinations or too much catnip in the case of felines, or even an animal eating fermented berries or fruit, or stealing a lick of your intoxicating substances (please don't). It is good to use common sense and to document the behavior, and to find ways to exclude other possbilities.
Animals are wonderful treasures in more ways than our eyes on the next iteration of life. Spirits treasure them even centuries after death (perhaps more, it's hard to put a date on ancient spirits) and so must we. Caring, loving, and protecting them should be a primary concern - and then comes looking for messages of life after death, a sweet connection to help protect us and our animal friends.
I will write more when my hands stop cramping ;)
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
This weblog documents my experience as someone who communicates with the dead. I will share as much as possible without revealing the person or people that commissioned me to speak with their loved one or loved ones.