The Light of Human Nature in Dark Times: 3 Lessons from the Divine Animal Kingdom
Benjamin Hoff, author of The Tao of Pooh, said, “Lots of people talk to animals. . . . Not many listen, though. That’s the problem.” As an Animal Reiki Master Teacher for the International Center for Reiki Training (ICRT), I teach people to channel life-force energy to people and animals, in order to remove emotional blocks that impede their flow of energy through their biofield. Reiki helps bring them back to homeostasis, the rest-and-digest rather than fight-or-flight mode. When we learn to channel Reiki to others, we begin to uncover those “clair” senses that so many children freely express: clairvoyance, clairaudience, clairsentience, and claircognizance, for example. Because animal clients can’t talk the way we do, we have to learn to listen differently — to really tune in. And what can we learn from the animals? Through my ICRT Animal Reiki classes, The Divine Animal Kingdom has taught me three important lessons about the light of our authentic human nature that may help you as well.
First, animals remind us that human beings are animals, and I mean that in both the biological and in the best sense. Animals have incredible awareness. Their senses of smell, sight, and hearing surpass our senses in many ways, but we also have the ability to be fully present in each moment. We have the innate ability to sense whether someone is “off” or if any environment poses a threat. We can hear the truth when we are truly listening. We can see signs when we pay attention. And I’m not talking about mystical mumbo jumbo. I mean actually using our senses of sight, hearing, smell, and touch. These gifts are just part of our survival instincts. But in this virtual world we live in, we forget to incorporate these talents. Perhaps we have shut down our senses as a self-protective measure. We are constantly bombarded with images, sounds, and smells as the consumerism age has ironically consumed us. However, teaching Animal Reiki during this pandemic has brought my attention to how we all have been able to slow down and return to our true animal state. People are spending more time in nature with their families instead of spending money at the mall or online. As I teach students exercises to connect with the animals and caregivers they wish to help, I have returned to the inherent knowledge we all possess: to become aware of what is in front of me, behind me, to my right, to my left, above me, below me, within me. When we slow down, center, and ground ourselves, our awareness returns us to our authentic human nature. We are incredibly intelligent (mentally and emotionally) and resourceful beings.
Second, animals have shown me that our authentic human nature is one of love. Our capacity to love animals is one of the few things that truly connect us as human beings. I remember a shining example from late October 2020, right before the presidential election in the throes of the Covid-19 pandemic. My fifteen-year-old cat, Lazarus, was ready to cross the Rainbow Bridge. I took him to the vet and held him as he breathed his last breath in my arms. That evening I posted a picture of him on Facebook with the sad news. I was astonished at the outpouring of love on my wall from people who had been bitterly arguing with each other the very same day. Granted, not all people love animals, and the loss of a child brings out similar empathy, but I was in awe of how quickly people can shift from a hateful state of mind to a state of love and compassion when they deal with animals. I have seen big, tough men endanger their own lives to save a dog or even a wild animal. Animals can bring out the best in us. At our core, we care about others. Human beings are compassionate beings unless they are under extreme stress. Not everyone is an empath, but we possess a deep capacity to feel others’ feelings when we allow ourselves to do so. That’s why we enjoy movies so much. We love to feel others’ pain, joy, trials, and triumphs. We have a gift for walking in others’ shoes when we have even the slightest recognition of their journey in our own.
Finally, teaching Animal Reiki has reminded me that we are a part of Earth. We depend on trees to breathe. Trees depend on us to breathe. We depend on clean water to hydrate our bodies. We can live without food much longer than we can live without water. Our bodies are water. Our bodies are air. Our bodies are earth. Our bodies are fire in the form of electrical currents between cells. We are earthbound. We seem to have forgotten this truth. In fact, I have been ashamed to be human when I look at what we have done to our planet and to each other. I have been angry with humans and critical of “human nature.” However, the Divine Animal Kingdom has shown me that I’m looking at only part of the picture. We live in a dual world, but when we can pull back and see a more complete picture, we realize that authentic human nature has another side as well. Some people protect the environment and the beings that inhabit it. In the Holy Fire® Reiki lineage I teach, at the master level, we discuss the Authentic Self and our divine purpose on Earth. Instead of striving to eliminate the ego, we heal it. We understand that the purpose of the ego is help us accomplish our divine purpose on earth — as human beings. Our souls come here to learn as humans, not as godlike, perfect beings. I recently had an experience that helped me see this bigger picture. I was fascinated with the Sphinx moth this summer. Most days I could find two or three flitting from flower to flower in my zinnia garden, which I planted in the pots with my tomatoes this spring. I worried the POA would complain about growing vegetables on the front porch of my townhouse, so I tried to camouflage the tomato cages with towering stems topped with bright pinks, yellows, reds, oranges, and off-whites. It worked. These Sphinx moths, which look like tiny hummingbirds, were my bonus beauties all summer. I lingered in the sweltering Arkansas August heat and humidity as long as I could to admire their grace and agility. I hardly noticed what was eating my tomatoes until most of the leaves were gone. Big, fat, green hornworms! I found two of them munching nonchalantly on my Big Boy tomato plant. I started to pull them off and put them in the ravine behind my house to dine on other fare. But something stopped me. This Animal Reiki energy has made some powerful changes in me the last few months. So I googled hornworms. I wanted to be sure they could find something to eat in the ravine. And guess what I learned? Guess what tomato hornworms transform into? That’s right — beautiful, magical Sphinx moths. So I left the two hornworms to chomp away on my tomato plants. I sent Reiki to the plants because I felt bad for them. And I gave myself Reiki to bring myself into this elusive balance that nature seems to have that I frequently do not understand.
Our authentic human nature is one of understanding and misunderstanding, light and darkness, compassion and judgment. But when we focus on awareness, compassion, and connection, we find the balance we need to move forward.
