Touching Animal Souls

http://www.facebook.com/#!/event.php?eid=269036013110103 Durban book launch for "Touching Animal Souls" - Thursday evening 17h30 at Musgrave Centre - Adams bookstore,  Customized playing unplugged.  You welcome to attend.  Just let us know

http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.myspace.com%2F573121411%2Fmusic%2Fsongs%2Fbaby-dinosaur-83840240&h=JAQCX_TAEAQDTRsmMrgNcei7vqHqXz_QLcrCx3UVCWH-lvg Produced for kids.  Go take a listen.  Like a little story, but much like a creative visualisation guided 'meditation'  Enjoy!!

Dolphins literally live in the moment.  They are conscious breathers.  They think about it everytime they breathe.  Any yogi or guru will constantly remind you to come to your breath.  If we are thinking about our breathing, we are conscious about our feelings, and when we are feeling our feelings, without labelling them, we are in the moment. It is amazing however that I often find myself caught up in the moment, and unable to see the trees for the wood.  I think this is when I loose myself in the feelings, rather than staying with my breath.  Giving myself away to the emotion, and at the same time looking for excuses - so necessarily out of the moment so that I can find someone to blame. Here's to staying conscious, even when I sleep.

There is a theory that when looking after wild animals, a certain amount of stress is potentially not a bad thing.  An expert in animal care was relating a story to me today about a man who was breeding birds as part of a conservation project.  Over time his breeding program was perfected, and then, there was suddenly a lack of success.  The optimal conditions were looked at.  Nothing could improve what was occuring.  So, a decision was taken to try and "stress" the birds a little.  The man rigged up a bird of prey dummy to swoop over the nesting areas once a day, making scary noises.  Enough to scare the breeding pairs.  It was not long before breeding improved.  The conclusion to the exercise was that a little stress is not a bad thing. I think there may be a different way to relate this conclusion.  In solitary confinment, people do not thrive.  Babies that are not held and comforted don't grow as fast as those who are....

I arrived home this afternoon from work and a function feeling drained and tired.  A little headachy, nauseous and ready to pamper myself.  But before I could do that I needed to muck out some stables, fill up the dog and cats water bowl, pick some lettuce for the pig and give the horses some hay.  Before I knew it, I was embroiled in another feeling altogether.  It is the first real spring summer day we have had in a while, and being outside surrounded by affectionate horses, bounding loving dogs and a pig looking for a kiss on the snout, I began to feel alive.  I suddenly noticed birds chirping louder than I have in a long time (when I was feeling low and miserable I had not heard them).  To top it all, the first yellow billed kite of the season swooped over our home.  Now I sit typing out my joy, with a kitten purring at my feet and a daschund curled up next to me.  And we wonder why animals are therapeutic.  Attitude shift.

I probably have a martyr persona.  I have noticed in the past that the attention I have received from working really hard or similar has been a pay off of sorts.  This type of self-awareness has been described as personal growth.  I find it easier and easier to have this consciosness about myself,  for the most part that is. Then there are parts of me that hit over-drive and angst faster than the speed of light.  Buttons in me that are so hot that just a breath of air on them makes them ignite a fire of passion and emotional tremblings inside me.  There are two very distinct buttons - when you mess with or upset my children - when you are mean to animals. What is it that turns me into a blind maniac?  Is it a Jungian super hero complex, or is it a natural maternal instinct? With these questions burning inside me, I notice that there are instinct triggers in animals too - not messing with their young is a trigger for sure - survival of the species...