​In 2005, I discovered I have healing hands. My friend decided to quit dialysis and all medications without a doctor’s care. Within hours of stopping her medications, she became agitated, uncomfortable and unreasonable. I felt compelled to slowly move my hands about six inches above her body from head to foot. I repeated this until she calmed. At her request, I repeated the process once or twice daily until her peaceful death without any medications five days later.

My experience with my friend was so powerful I began studying energy healing and offered sessions to others.  The more I worked with energy, the more energetic connections I saw. I observed scenes from people's lives, I saw deceased people, non-physical beings, and heard animals and plants talk. I found communication with them as natural as talking with my friends. 

There was no difference between communicating with people and animals whether they were alive or dead. I also learned they had a lot to say, which is why you have this book before you today. 

 We are still of service, even after death.

Listening to our animals brings a unique perspective to our lives and theirs. Enjoy this series of 4 communications that chronicle lessons learned in past and future lives as told by Princess Penelope, a feline currently present on earth with her human, Leona. In this first segment, Penelope illustrates that dying doesn’t preclude being of service.

Hello Princess Penelope (feline in body on earth). Your human, Leona, has asked for information about three past lives when your life and hers intertwined. We’re especially asking for those past lives that have a bearing on the current life. 

 The first image that comes up for me is, Penelope, I am seeing you as a cow, you are a milk cow. Leona, you are on a farm in a different country. I see grass. I see mud, sunshine, chickens. The farm animals are in service. They are meat and milk and leather and a source of income as well as a source of food and you (Penelope) are very important. And so Leona, I see you as a woman, you have children. Your husband is

away; he’s away at war. This is some time ago, 1860’s perhaps. And the farm is, I see a garden. I see a lot of space, there aren’t a lot of trees, it’s like rolling land. I don’t see a

nearby neighbor.

Leona you realize that the cow, I’m asking for a name—Maisie. I see you milking Maisie in the early morning with your head in her flank, in that little curve. Milking and

enjoying her warmth because it’s cold and her breath makes a fog when she breathes. The milk is warm and she is warm and you’re crying and there is not a lot of milk. You are afraid.

Maisie looks thin to me; I see her ribs. She’s not giving much milk, not just because she’s old, her feed isn’t very good either and so her milk is running out and she’s going dry and you are crying because Maisie is your source of sustenance. It’s for your children. And you are afraid you will starve if she dies. And the two of you, your lives are bound up together because if you don’t feed her, she will die because there is not enough food on the plain.  There are predators, it looks like wolves.

And if Maisie dies, you are afraid your children will die without the milk. But there are chickens and eggs. But she is more of a companion than the chickens. You take her out in the morning, you bring her back. You milk her, you feed her, you talk to her. She has these big brown eyes, long eyelashes. She feels really strong to you, like you could lean against her and that she supports you and that if she dies there will be no support and you will collapse.

As it happens, Maisie does die and, though you never thought you could do it, you do what you have to do. It’s a bloody, awful process even though you’re a semi-farm girl, but not really. You cut up that cow that was your friend and skin it. You have to use an ax, sharpen your knives, and you don’t really know how to do it, but you know that this is the key to life.

It’s a very literal representation that even though Maisie is dead she is still supporting you and she allows you to live and the children to live. You dry the meat and preserve it and cook it. It’s so cold the meat can stay frozen outside. You have to barricade the barn against all the other animals that want to eat meat and need meat in this very cold climate.

Princess Penelope (feline) shared one more past life with Leona about the continuum of lives and their interconnections. 

Could we see one more life that would have a bearing on today?

Penelope, I’m seeing you as a bear. A bear with a black coat and a brown snout with brown on the ears, like they make teddy bears now, but this is a real bear. In a forest.  I see it’s not a NW forest though, it’s more like birch and I see possibly like the Great Lakes area that I associate with Indians wearing leather and having canoes and Leona is a female and she’s young.

She first meets you when you are a cub and you are so darling. She cannot resist you. You are just a baby and no fear of humans and the two of you make a connection

before she runs away because she knows it’s dangerous. The mother bear must be

Karen Rose and her cats Sierra (deceased), Winter Rose, and Sage

 Me (Wanda): The question before us right this instant is which of these dear beings in Karen's life would like to tell her about their past lives together. So dear Sierra and Winter Rose, so beautiful, and Sage. And he said yes, he is with you, but he doesn't really see a past life. It is Sierra who is coming forward and Sierra, I would like you to show us three lives that you had with Karen before, that have something to do with her current life so she can bring that information forward.

So the first thing I see, it is really fast. I see Sierra lying on furs, real furs, animal skins in an opulent, for those times, castle. The walls are big, big hewn rocks. It’s probably

where they have those kinds of castles, England, further north, Scotland, Scottish seems more. Clearly you (Sierra) are pampered. It's so interesting.

I’m getting. . . Do you know Vanessa Redgrave in King Arthur (movie)? That’s the picture I'm getting. (laughing) I’m like, okay then. Alright. In that very sensual, in her private chambers, not the stuffy British kind of chambers with waiting maids and

so on, but just actually a well-born female whose life has been easy, as easy as life is in those times. There’s a lot of death and dying and maiming and people don't live very long. And, in a strange turnabout, sometimes cats live longer than their people. Yeah. You know, children die—maybe three out of five births—pneumonia.

So it’s very lovely. Karen. you must be, I would say, 17 or 18. You’re already married. Looks like you have a child. Not very old. Looks like a five-year- old, an 18 month old. The one (child) in-between appears to have died already. Sierra is old for a cat in those times. She’s quite fat. You picked her up outside, in like a granary, when she was a kitten because she's so beautiful and brought her in. So she had been learning to hunt for mice and there’re still mice in the castle and there’s still opportunity, but she only hunts for fun because you feed her all sorts of wonderful goodies and delicacies and that’s why she’s quite round as she sits there.

Thank you Sierra for that very clear picture. What is it about that life you wanted me to know? She (Sierra) says, “I liked it! I really liked it.” (laughter) Yes indeed. Alright. So she would like better food. She would like more treats and things she's not supposed to have. Just sayin’. Okay. We got that out of the way. And she would like real fur to lie on. Well, I’m just going to say I’m not sure that you Karen agrees with that. And she’s (Sierra) saying, “But they were dead a long time ago, you know.” (chuckling) You know (Sierra), not the point here. Okay, so. Sierra, you’re funny, funny, funny. But Sierra. she says, “I know, I know. But I’m talkin’ about last time, I’m talkin’ about next time.”

Me: (I try again to redirect the reading to a past life.) There’s somebody there now. Now let me check. Okay. Now, who am I talking to? Let’s be sure. Is this Winter Rose? I get, no, it’s Sierra. Alright. Are you sure?

Sierra: Yes.

Me: But Sierra, we’re in a different time period here. Were. . . Where are you? She says,

“Well, I’m here.” (to Karen) So, is she (Sierra) still with you? I mean not physically, but. . . .

Karen: (unintelligible). No, no. But I think, yes.

Me: Yes?

Karen: But I think in another cat.

Me: Ah. Is that what it is? Because, I cannot, in my mind, they cross each other, you know—Winter Rose and Sierra.

Karen: This is a different cat.

Me: A different cat. Because I saw the picture of Winter Rose. And I’m like. . . well, where do you think Sierra is? ‘Cause I’m really getting her alive.

Karen: Winter had two biological brothers and one of them is named Sage. Sage is my lung cancer cat. But ever since I have known Sage, he has done very Sierra-like things. That’s how he wants to be held and pampered and spoiled and lay around. (chuckling) When he got sick, he was quite round and rotund.

Me: Alright, you guys. (laughing)

Karen: I have always thought that Sierra was Sage.

Me: Okay, Sierra/Sage. I don’t know. This is quite unusual. I did have a client yesterday where the other cat kept talking and it took me a while to sort it out. Well, Sierra/Sage, is there anything else you want to tell Karen now?

Sierra/Sage: I really hate the food. I want more play. Don’t like it outside. (unintelligible

from Karen) Pardon me?

Karen: He doesn’t get to go outside. No good comes from outside.

Me: Yeah. Well, you’re very loved Sierra. You’re very loved Sage. But I really would like to go to past lives.

Sierra/Sage: Maybe you should talk to someone else.

Me: (chuckles) This cat is very in the present. Is there anything else?

Sierra/Sage: I like to be warm.

Me: I’m asking if Sierra or Sage can tell me something really specific so that you (Karen) will know, it will be really indicative that you, that this is this person. And I'm seeing a play thing, it's a stick and it has a string and a little thing that bounces on the end. Is that?

Karen: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

Me: Okay. Thank you. I appreciate that affirmation. (chuckling)

Karen: That’s Winter’s play thing though.

Me: Oh, that’s Winter’s! Alright. So I’m going to switch gears here. Winter. Winter Rose. What a beautiful name. (to Karen) Have you watched that movie with the cats?

Karen: I don’t typically watch an animal in peril.

Me: But Arthur, King Arthur with Vanessa Redgrave.

Karen: Oh. I just remember Vanessa Redgrave in a movie about King Arthur. But I don’t remember a cat.

Me: There wasn’t a cat in the movie.

Karen: Oh.

Me: No, there was no cat. My point is, but why do they know that scene?

Karen: Well, you know. I don’t know. It could just be. . .

Me: It’s just interesting.

Karen: I’m obsessed with Scotland, as you probably can tell, and want to go there.

Me: No, I didn’t actually know that. It’s so funny. It’s a unique reading. (laughter) That’s why we’re doing it. Alright. I'm just going to wait and we’ll see. Quite a personality

there.

Cats: But there is something to learn from that. We like those things. We really like those things. She (Karen) should learn that, know that.

Me: Do they have real fur (to lie on)?

Karen: No, of course not. On them, but no.

Me: You guys are just going to have to lie together. It’s so interesting Alright. but I was thinking of something possibly with a little more depth. (chuckling)

Karen: Could that woman be me?

Me: Oh yeah. I’m sure they’re showing that one. And the purpose for showing it is, is treats. I’m seeing like beef. They want more treats, not dried stuff.

Karen: They want beef?

Cats: Yes!

Karen: Which they actually used to get. They haven’t had it in a while. I don’t even want to buy it, so we typically have fish. But they do tend to favor the beef. They’re cats. They’re not supposed to eat cows. (laughing)

Me: But they ate mice. They ate moles. You know. So interesting. Alright. Are we going to be able to go a past life? Yes, Alright. And so what I see then, in the immediate picture, is like a cheetah. They show me a big cat hunting. Okay, now is this about Karen or is this about you?

Cats: It’s about us. (laughter)

Karen: That would be my children. Me, me, me.

Me: It’s so fun. Let me think about this. This is the first cat that I’ve read a past life for

and so maybe that's why it's so different because it's just totally different from a horse or a dog because they have a very different role in people's lives. (unintelligible) Yeah. Yeah. Much more independent, can easily go feral. So interesting.

Me: Alright. Let’s try again. So did you have a past life with Karen?

Cats: Yes, but not in the sense you are thinking. We have been around as familiars, in the barns, in the forests, but we did not begin having a personal relationship, as you would call it, with humans until quite recently. We stayed out of the way, out from underfoot. We were valued for what we did. You know they killed all of us who were black.

Me: I appreciate you coming forward so that I could have this experience. So can you tell me . . .What can you tell me that would be useful for Karen?

Cats: Let’s talk about us some more.

Me: (chuckling) Well, alright. Alright. We can talk about you. (laughter) Alright so, Sierra. Yeah, you know that they killed them all.

Karen: (Unintelligible. Karen shares information from another past life reading with Sierra during the time when Karen had a familiar.)

Me: Yeah. Wow. Well. They’re not going there. Well I remember that. So tell me more. Ah. Okay.

Cats: So Karen could learn from us. She should indulge herself more.

Me: These guys are a riot.

Karen: I like ‘em.

Me: They’re very fun.

Cats: And she’s learned from us to be fiercely independent because we are fiercely independent, except we like to cuddle. We do not want to give up the cuddling. We like the cuddling. Cuddling is really important. We like laying on her and by her and near her.

Me: So, why are you speaking to me as a “we” instead of an “I.”

Karen Rose and her cats Sierra (deceased), Winter Rose, and Sage continued.

Me (Wanda): Okay. So let me ask you some other questions. Do you come back often? You know, like people sometimes don’t come back for generations or take another body.

Cats: Oh yeah. We come back pretty often, wouldn’t you say? Yeah. Yeah. I think we do. I can’t remember a time right off hand when we weren’t back. We like it here.

Me: And I’m getting flashes of, uh, they’re like movie pictures. They’re not like, they’re not like the pictures I usually see. They’re like stereotype pictures, you know like King Arthur’s castle, and Tarzan on the, kind of thing, on the. . . . It’s not like the pictures I usually see where I am in the scene. Oh, pardon me, I’m sorry . . .

Karen: (unintelligible about her seeing things as movies)

Me: Oh, is that right? So you think I’m seeing possibly as you see.

Karen: Maybe.

Me: Oh, that’s so interesting and certainly possible. I’ve known other people who see things like cartoon figures. They see them as cartoons. I have to say I’m very glad I’m not charging for this. (laughter)

Karen: You’re practicing.

Me: Yeah. So interesting. I see them as being very opportunistic, very flexible, very adaptable, very “do what works,” make friends where you need to make friends. So that it's like nothing is off limits. Like if there's a dog that it would be best to be friends with, they can be friends with it. Very interesting. And they’re really, I’d call it non-judgmental. They’re like, moods don't bother them, other people's moods. They’re like, Nyeh. Nyeh, which is quite different from a dog energy.

Karen: Mm-hmm.

Me: So let me ask you. Sage, what is your purpose in Karen’s life today.

Sage: I’m just here to love and be loved. That’s all there is.

Me: And what about you, Winter Rose?

Winter: I am here to watch. I watch things. I watch her. I watch the other cats. I watch the birds. I am a watcher. I have been with Karen before when she was very little. And

it was in the South.

Me: I'm seeing a plantation kind of thing.

Winter: And she was always holding a cat. Her parents say, “Put that thing down.” Always with the kitties in the barn. And of course she brought them and of course she had them in the kitchen area, which wasn't in the house, it was outside the house in

Karen Rose and her cats Sierra (deceased), Winter Rose, and Sage, continued

Me: Thank you Winter, though I still see Sierra too. Winter, you have very commanding eyes. Thank you for that . Would you like to show us another one?

I’m seeing the streets of England and again I see it like a daguerreotype, do you know what I mean by that?

Karen: That’s exactly how . . . (unintelligible)

Me: And with coaches and I’m seeing it more like the inner city, where it’s muddy and dirty and sooty and dusty and I see you as a male, a young male. Maybe 10 to 12

Karen Rose and her cats Sierra (deceased), Winter Rose, and Sage, continued.

Me (Wanda): So, is there a third life you’d like to show?​ I get a picture of a kitchen, and you’re a female, and a cook. You’re surrounded by people. You cook for a restaurant. It’s a happy place, more like a bar. You’re in the back, not up the front with the customers. It’s teeming with life; there are cats, there are mice, there’s a dog. There are people. There are servers. There are people who prep food. 1800’s. You have like a peasant blouse with a, not a cummerbund, but it’s a, yeah, whatever it is that goes around your waist. Then a full skirt. You’re a full figured woman, robust and definitely in charge, but in charge with a huge sense of humor. You love to cook.

You slap at the cats, otherwise. . . There’s a cat that lays up above the stove where it's really hot. So you have this wooden stove and then there’s this back and then there's this top up above and that's where the cat likes to be. And pots and pans hanging up

 Diane Westbrook and her horse, Red

Diane asked me to do a reading with a horse who had been in her present life. When I asked for who would like to step forward, Red came forward to talk to Diane about her role in Diane's life and the decision to end Red's life. Red was an Appendix (1/2 Thoroughbred and 1/2 Quarter Horse). She was over 16 hands.

 And who I’m seeing is Red (mare). Hello, Red. And I’m asking Red’s purpose in your life and Red is clear that her purpose was to teach you that animals have feelings and suffer the same emotional challenges and joys as humans do. They can feel rejection, the joy of birth, the pain of death for a child.

And she wants you to know that he’d been lame, she’d been lame a long time. And a

horse that’s lame on one foot, all the other feet go too. It’s just not possible. Like a dog can be three legged, but a horse really can’t. And she knew that her time had come but . . . .and she also knew it had become more and more painful. And in those days there wasn’t a lot to be done and there wasn't any purpose in doing it, because it could not be solved.

And so she says you shouldn’t feel badly because it was not horrible or awful. She didn’t regret going. She felt her life was complete. She was sorry she couldn’t see the foal grow, but the foal would have left. It’s the nature of horses that the foal would leave at some point and she was very sad that it was so early. But she felt really good about your life together. She loved all of it.

She did not want to go to someone else.  She was aware that a lame horse did not have a good life on other ranches if they continued to live. They were often misused and worn out and thrown away. So she preferred that it be as it was. That she wasn’t all broken down and painful. That she didn’t have to wait that long.

And she appreciated all the extra time you spent with her. And she understood and knew that she could not ride, be ridden. It was just too painful. She enjoyed it for the first moments, but after the fact, there was such a price to pay. So, in a strange kind of funny way, she appreciated Sally because she didn’t have that obligation anymore, but she missed the heart to heart connection with you. She really appreciated it when you recognized that and spent that time with her.

Diane gave this further information about Red after the reading. Red was lame with ringbone at least a year before she was bred. She had a foal (a little filly) that died unexpectedly at 4 months. Red was devastated. We kept Red for a couple of years

Diane Westbrook and her horse, Red

This post is from Red, who was a warhorse in the lifetime described. He tells his person, "All fighting isn’t bad. Fighting can be fun, it’s exhilarating to have a strong body and to use it to the ultimate degree. That is deeply satisfying. The greater the risk, the greater the satisfaction." Red's purpose in showing this life was to explain to his person how people can feel that way and remind her, at one time, she also felt this way.

Looking back in past lives, the first thing I see is Red as a war horse. And war horses were treated well in this time period when horses in general were not treated well because war horses were highly valued. And they needed to be strong and  hearty and healthy. And they wore armor and the knights on them war armor so they had to be large.

In this lifetime you also were a knight, a warrior wearing the armor and you and your horse were a team. You both enjoyed the fray. There was all this training and then play kind of stuff, the fake fighting where no one was supposed to get hurt, but in reality, you know, people could get hurt. 

And I see you and the horse travelling across a desert, are with a group of soldiers. It’s very, very bad travelling circumstances. There’s not enough water. There are knights who are dying and left in their armor because you can’t carry anymore. It’s very grueling, but you both survive and are even more of a team than in the past. 

And you're both getting older. And you’re achy from old war injuries and Red is achy from old war injuries. And Red keeps working because he’s a strong horse who can carry things. Even though he can’t be a war horse anymore, he has a phenomenal constitution and he carries burdens. A lot of things were done with horse power, so he continued to serve an important part. And you two didn’t get to live as closely anymore because he continued to work and you had to “retire.”

And I see you farming, but the best days of your life, the days that you tell your children and grandchildren about, are the war times and the excitement battle and the bravery of Red. And how you two enjoyed it so much. It was the highlight of your life.

All the danger, the adrenaline pumping, and the blood, and the smells, and the crash and clang. It was also, it was odd. It was that feeling of tremendous exhilaration coupled at the same time with tremendous loss, with pain.  It was hard to get your mind around it in a way. It was just the cost of war. Young men dying in their prime. Horses having to be killed because they had been injured. It was a much more physical time. It was, a, people died all the time. It wasn’t that unusual. And dying in battle was a glorious, absolutely glorious. 

 Diane Westbrook and her horse, Red, continued

This post is a continuation of the reading with Diane's beloved horse Red, who is a stallion in this past life, and later a mare. Diane is a female Indian. And so the message in this life is about being in the present and appreciating the small things...It was a calm life. There wasn’t much excitement in great contrast to the war life. And the purpose of showing this life is to show there is great satisfaction in an ordinary life, where nothing spectacular happens. Life just goes on. Life just happens.

And I’m seeing a horse pulling a travois, the two poles with a skin between them to carry burdens. It’s a nomadic Indian group. I’m looking for where they are, I was assuming North America, but it looks like possibly South America. This couldn’t be the first people who used that method.

And so, once again, Red was a valued horse. I thought male, but as I look. . . I’m going

to look a little more closely here. And so I’m actually getting two lives here, one is male, as the stallion, and one is female. And they are in the same group. And as a stallion he is known for his fire and his temper and he’s valuable for breeding others because of his strength. And I'm asking if these occurred simultaneously and I’m being told no.

I get that they didn’t keep many stallions. They did geld them, even in those early, early days to decrease fights and to . . . . Interesting, the group was very sophisticated in their use of horses. And the horses had different jobs, it was stratified. The horses worked even when they were fully pregnant. You had to be strong to survive. And there weren’t a lot of horses. Not everyone got to ride. A few men rode: the young, the strong, the really supple, but most of the people walked.

The mares were used to pull. And they were also ridden too. They didn't have the aggression of the males though, except I’m seeing some fights among them. Certainly more aggressive than the horses we see today. Quite feisty there. I see them as much smaller. The people were also much smaller though.

And I’m asking about this life. And so, Diane, I’m seeing you as a female, Indian, short, stocky like the people are. Black hair. It’s an interesting life. There is some wealth, but it is not evenly distributed and it's not it's not about the food or housing. It’s the wealth of decoration and ornament. So the king, the leader, has finer, beaded garments and bands. The shaman has finer ornamental finery that he wears for ceremonial purposes.

But in general, it’s a nomadic group, not very large, that moves from place to place to

 Diane Westbrook and her horse, Red, continued

This post is a continuation of the reading with Diane's beloved horse Red. It appears Red stayed with this group for more than one incarnation. And so I’m asking for a third past life that has relevance for today. And the purpose of this life is about letting go and releasing and recognizing that even the wounded have self-direction and make their choices and letting them be truly free. And recognizing that you cannot protect or choose for others, whether it’s for animals or people. That what we see is best for them may not be their path. 

And the image that comes up, is of a, it’s not really a wolf, and so I’m assuming it’s a coyote. But it’s a wild dog and the image is of him crouching, head lowered, snarling, looking very dangerous. And he’s very young, but he’s, but he’s not a baby, but he’snot full grown. He’s like an adolescent. 

I see. His foot is caught in a trap. And you are appalled. There is no way to release the trap and you do what has to be done. You see that he’s been chewing on his leg to

release it. Actually, hit him on the head, with a . . .You found what you could use as a stick. You were hoping he would take it in his mouth because you have to. . . .somehow he has to be confined so he can’t bite you. 

But it ends up you knock him out and then you cut the leg off and bandage it and carry him to a place where you can tend to him. You just don't want him to die; it seems so unfair.

And you're young, probably a teenager or less.  It's like a prairie. A sod house. And your father is against it, but you're quite determined. And there's not, uh, for anyone to survive, a human to survive something like that would be very unusual. But you steal some liquor. You bathe the wound in salt water. You do everything you can think of that might possibly help him heal. 

And he does recover, but he is wild and he runs away when he’s well enough and able enough to. And you wonder what happened. You think he couldn’t live out there alone. But now and again for a couple years you would see him, like he was coming by to say hello and greet you. This went on for a couple of years and then you didn't see him anymore. It looks like the family moved. But you think of him often and that he would rather be wild and free, missing a leg, than to stay around.

And the purpose of this life that we’ve explored is about letting go and releasing and recognizing that even the wounded have self-direction and make their choices and letting them be truly free. And recognizing that you cannot protect or choose for others, whether it’s for animals or people. That what we see is best for them may not be their path. Even if he had been killed the next day by a farmer with a shotgun or by another predator that was how he wanted it to be.

And you longed for a . . .for something to love, and someone to love. It was a difficult life with a harsh father and a, uh, an ineffectual mother who was withering with the hardness of the life and the children and it’s not a healthy family. There was no love; there was just survival. 

Only through animals was there a connection and recognition of the other. In this lifetime you were useful, but ignored. And so you were as much a tool as any other animal that came. There was no respect or appreciation of you as a person or an individual. It was about work: helping the family survive. doing what was needed. 

And you longed to be free like that coyote. And you would have rather have taken your chances somewhere else than stay there. But options were limited. But when you got older and an opportunity presented itself, you did run off. And it looks like there was a man came by on a horse and you didn’t even think about it, you just left. 

And it was a, uh, the life that you ran to was not better, it was different, but you were very thankful. Because different was good and you were free. And that’s the point of this lifetime. It didn’t have to be better. Different was good and free was good and you understood the choice the coyote made. Risking death was better than being in a situation that felt foreign and unnatural and didn’t support who he really was, which was a hunter on the plain.

Is there anything more?

No, that’s it.

Alright. Is there something you would like to tell Diane as a final comment?

Diane H. and her cat Princess

In this reading, Princess (deceased feline) tells her human, Diane H., to claim her gifts. Princess says, “At this time and place, you can live a life of passion; of passion for what you do, for your talents, for your gifts.”

So Princess would you show me a past life that has relevance and meaning for Diane's life today in the here and the now?

"Yes."

Thank you. So she says that you and Neil were together before, but not as husband and wife. And I see a farm and animals and a barn and some pigs and sheep. I see you as a female; you are milking. You look very much like you do today. It's interesting there are barn cats and Princess says she was one of the barn cats. She’d twine around your legs.

It looks like a large farm, so that there were people like yourself who worked the farm separate from the people who lived in the house on the hill. It was more like a

fiefdom, is the word that comes, where there is a landlord who owns great parcels of land and then the people who live on it farm the land and then give a tithe.

And I'm looking around. I see ducks and chickens. I'm looking for children. I’m not seeing any children. The older children have moved away. The smells of the barn. There's a horse as well as cows. It smells good. It smells rich and earthy. The milk is warm. You can hear the ping of it in the pail as she’s milking.

I’m asking what the purpose of this life is and why we're being shown it. And Princess says it was a happy life. It was a natural life. We hunted (she's speaking as cats). We had babies; there was plenty of food. There were lots of mice and it was very secure. There were really no predators; the dogs kept the predators away. And that sometimes you would squirt milk at her.

I’m asking if there's something to be learned in this life. And this life is about that every, every job is of value and has its own satisfaction. Cleaning the stalls—it could be considered a messy, not very interesting, dirty work. But you don't see it that way. You get to be with the horses. They smell good. And they give that sort of whinnying sound.

And you're very comfortable there. And you would a thousand times rather be outdoors with the animals than inside cooking the meals and making socks. You know: knitting, hand making clothes. And so you have taken the role, it's a much more masculine role. You have a younger sister who was very feminine and was all about, you know, flowers and vases and crocheting, and all of that and she did marry and have children. But you, your hands are very rough and calloused from the hard physical labor. But it was labor you really enjoyed and you were a joy to your parents in their old age because they could never have managed without you.

And for you, it wasn't it wasn't something that you were giving up. It actually gave you

an excuse for being there, so that you didn't have to explain why you weren't married and away with your husband and so on . You were taking care of your, of your elderly parents and people thought that that was very wonderful. So you got a lot of positive feedback about it and weren't considered like an old maid, though you were very masculine for that time. You preferred men’s clothes.

And I see Neil who was briefly with you. It looks like it was sort of a marriage, but it was. . . Neither one of you were really that excited about it. It was just, well of course you're going to marry, and of course you're going to do this, and of course you're going to do that and, and so you did. And I see that he left. It wasn't with animosity. And so,  I’m looking for, there were two or three children. But the children left early too and when the children were gone then he also left. So he, he did his duty, but he wasn't interested in being married any more than you were.

And so, this life is about following your heart. And in that time and place you couldn't say, “I love being in the barn and I'd rather be there than anywhere. I like growing things; it's wonderful. I like the chickens.” You’d pick up the chickens and, and pet them and nuzzle them. And they would run to you. Princess is the only cat that I see really twining around you. You had a special affinity even then.

And so the lesson for this life, and maybe it's not a lesson so much as a blessing. And that in this life, you don't have to give reasons for what you're doing that are different from the actual reason. You have an opportunity in this life to be more forthright; to claim your right as an animal communicator, as an animal healer, and without apology.

Diane H. and her cat Princess

Alright. So just asking if there's a third life that you would like to share with Diane. So Princess comes forward again. I’m not seeing anything. So. And I’m seeing a pioneering woman, very plain dress, brown with a white collar. Reminds me of the Puritans. On the East Coast. It’s cold; it's blustery. And I see you again as a female in this life, churning butter, you know, with a, like so. It's a very plain life. I don't see decorations. It's a, those things are considered ungodly.

I don't see softness. Everything is utilitarian. I don't see color. It's all very brown and grey. And art is not valued. Any kind of decoration is considered sinful and self-aggrandizing. And any kind of attempt to improve how you look or have your hair in an attractive style is considered again sinful and being against God and about being, you know, attractive to men. It's very suppressing of sex. Having large breasts is considered shameful, even though it's no fault of the girl, because it's so sexual.

The animals, even their mating is considered, that's considered what separates the animals from the humans in that humans can suppress their carnal desires. They're not like the animals, going out and mating with whoever. It's a very strict and very oriented to the life away from this life. To the life beyond. To the spiritual life. To uh, nuns and priests, they are considered to have the highest spiritual lives because they do not engage in their carnal desires. And they take a vow of poverty and they refuse all comforts and wear clothes that are itchy and scratchy and allow themselves to be cold. They don't take care of themselves because they don't want to give in to the body's impulses.

And so one's pleasure is supposed to come from the, the spiritual life. The connection with God, who's a punitive, patriarchal God, who makes judgments and punishments and, and the people through their church also make judgments and punishments. And the father is the head of the household just like the Father in Heaven is the, is the head and so women are expected to conform to what the man wants and to defer to him on all things. Just as the Father in Heaven is the head of heaven and so the father in the household is a head of the house.

And because your life is difficult with a lack of personal expression of your unique personality and abilities. There's no room for anything new in this community. You strive to have a connection with the divine. Cannot manage it. So the way to connect with the divine is to be on your knees, at a bench, praying, and connect through some mental process and theoretically through your heart. But the way you connect with the universe is, again, it's through flowers, plants, and animals. And this is your entry into the divine, through something very concrete.

When you look in the cow’s brown eyes with the long eyelashes, there is a peace that comes over your soul that is not possible praying in your community, as you list off all of the things that you did wrong and what you could have been better, done better and you swear that you will do better next time and it’s this. . .. And you never feel forgiven. You never feel accepted. You always feel like you haven't done enough. And you know that you are not connecting. But you can't say that. And so instead you say, I think so. I must be. Because you're well thought of, but you're not happy.

Because you feel there's something deeply lacking in you . Other people are speaking in tongues and you just . . . . And other people are, you know, their hands are up and singing and praising God. And you pretend, but really you're not feeling anything. And you cannot discuss this with anyone, except maybe the cow, the chickens, and the birds.

I do see a cat, again on the outskirts. but again it's not a close relationship. It's. . . the cat is very fearful. And I see both TB and Princess there. But they, they don't come out. They hide. They are, it’s like they're not really supposed to be there. If anyone saw them, they might shoot them. And so they're very skittish, very wild. That's where

there's food. So they hang around. And they're very much watchers. They watch the people and they come to predict when, when the people will come and put out grain. I see what the problem is there. Not only do the cats catch the mice and the rats, they also, they also kill the baby chickens. Everyone gets very mad at that.

And so I'm asking for the, what is, what is the purpose of showing this? And the answer I get is that the purpose is to let you know that your connection to the universe is through the physical, the beauty of the natural world—the unspoiled naturalness of animals. And this is where your connection comes through. Because with animals, with flowers, you have a heart to heart connection and there's an emphasis on being in this world.

The message is that there's plenty of time for the world that comes next. You'll be there soon enough. There's no rush. And to be here now, soaking in the revelations that are available on this earth and through living things.

And then I'm asking about rocks and crystals. And I get, yes, there's a connection there too. The wonder of, the wonders of this earth would never be fully fathomed. There is much to learn, that all of these are access points. And I'm seeing a crystal. It’s shaped like the quartz crystals are but it's not quartz. I don't know what it is. It’s an access point.

It’s like when you hold this in your hands or when you have your hands on an animal or when you are arranging flowers, these are access points to the divine. And you know this, but you are looking for something more. And wondering if there's something more.

And it reminds me of when I told people I had psychic envy. That all these people could do all these things that I couldn't do and that I wanted to do, and I called it

Diane H. and her cat, TB, continued

In this past life, feline TB tells Diane H. “What you need to know now, is that no one will suffer or be deprived or lack anything because you are being still and being in the moment and doing something solely for yourself that does not benefit anyone else; does not have a product. That is just solely for your pleasure.”

So I’m asking for another past life that has some bearing on Diane’s life and the first one (of the cats) I hear from is TB. And he's saying that the four of you have been together in the past. It was long ago, on another continent. Africa? Zimbabwe? That was not its (country’s name) at that time. In a village as a small girl. The native peoples were very dark. And there's a lot of decoration with reeds that have been dyed and beads and reeds. And I see you sitting working with your hands. You are an artist. The artistry is your weaving of a tapestry of the earth and the sky. And the pictures you make aren't representational, but they are to you. Another person wouldn’t know.

They wouldn't see the original scene. But you see it because you are looking at it energetically and as your eyes perceive it. And so you make very beautiful things but your family and the village consider you lazy and sort of a ne'er do well because you're

distracted by a butterfly. You're sent to get water. It's not the time it takes to get there and come back because you are drawn away to all of these other things that interest you. And the family is not appreciative of this and they're quite. . . They bawl you out. That you are impacting other people by doing this (dawdling on the way and back) in a negative way. Like if you're sent to get water, “We need water now. We don't need it later, you know, Papa needs water now and you left him thirsty because you did not attend to what you were supposed to do.” And you are sensitive.

And they thought you were a little slow because your mind would drift and they didn't realize that you were seeing things differently from how they see them. And so when they saw a landscape and an animal, uh, they saw something different than what you did. But there was no way to communicate your impressions and the wholeness of it. And you weren't encouraged to and you were told, “No. Stop that nonsense. This is what you need to know about. This is what you need to see.”

And so as you got older, with every year older, there were more things to do and more responsibility and the society, even though they had decorations, were close to a subsistence society and so the women worked very hard. There were those few years of childhood where you didn't have to do as much, perhaps because you weren’t strong enough. 

But by twelve every, every female child had to be contributing. Pounding the skins; pounding plants to make, like a flour, and gathering firewood. Cooking and making everything that was worn. And your opportunity to be artistic became more and more limited unless you stayed up late at night and there was a light very early in the morning. But it was drummed into you that it was not about things being pretty; it was about supporting the community.

And the lesson of this life is because you were very concerned about others and you felt responsible, that's how they managed to get you to be more conforming and to do more of what you were supposed to do. Because they'd say, “See. Look,

your grandfather's thirsty. That's because of you. You made that happen. And so, you know, your grandma is hungry. It's because you didn't get that flour. You didn't get it so we could have it for dinner.”

And so you felt really guilty and responsible and blamed and you knew that they must be right. And so you began doing more and more and more. It was like you could never do enough. Food didn't keep, you know. Things spoiled. So you couldn't like make ahead a whole bunch of stuff in terms of food because it spoiled. It couldn't be preserved. They could preserve some meats through drying.

And there are reverberations of this in your life today in that your need to always be busy and always be doing. And to have a product. And this is, this coincides with Neil’s (Diane’s spouse) projects. The things that Neil does, they always have a product. There's a measurement or a physical product and so he looks very productive. And as you look at what you do, there is not a product as much as a process. And it's the process that is important and valuable. And this is true in terms of healing, in communication, but also in meditation and. . . . and just be in the moment enjoying and not doing anything. Just sitting in the backyard for the pleasure of sitting in the backyard and enjoying the moment.

The reverberations from this past life (I'm just clearing these) have made this (just sitting) difficult for you to do . And what you need to do now, to know now, is that no one will suffer or be deprived or lack anything because you are being still and being in the moment and doing something solely for yourself that does not benefit anyone else; does not have a product. That is just solely for your pleasure.

And I hear you say, “What do you want me to do, just sit here all afternoon?” And TB says, “Yes, it is.” TB is like, “You should be more like me.” And that's clearly from the present life.

So I’m asking where TB was in this life (that he just showed us). and he was wild. He was, he was a cat, but they don’t have bobcats, but not a big cat, but a feral,

problems no matter what you did or didn’t do. It wasn’t fixable. But none of us knew that. I never was one to bear ill will. It was what it was. I knew everything you did for me was always done from love. Perhaps my experience prevented another animal from having to go through a similar experience.

I feel you are at peace with my physical death just as I am. Snarf and I and Baxter all know that we live within you. We like it there. We like it here. It is a continuum, not an either or; not either here or there. For some it is, but not for us.

Memories of Pleasure or Pain

I see the picture of me being attacked in the shelter still haunts you as a terrible incident. Let it go. I let it go long ago. Sometimes human memory brings comfort; sometimes it doesn’t. There is the advantage of recalling the good times over and over from birth to the present. But there is also a decided disadvantage if the mind is filled with memories of tragic events, pain, and loss.

We have it easier. The memory can be buried so deep we may have a physical response to a similar situation, but the specifics of the original event are not relived without the trigger. It appears there is both an upside and a downside to human memory. Perhaps if you remember this, you will nudge your memories to the upside and let the downside go. There is no reason to hang on to memories that don’t bring you joy. Let them go. Use your human capacity to hold on to pleasure so you can experience it again and again.

I am always near and always far. It is the nature of this state of being.

With much love, Shelby, who you know as both a dog and something more that seemed human to you because there were no other words.

fine. A little more tired a little earlier. Big deal. They‘d be tired too. I’m aging faster than they are, you know. Seven years faster or more! They’re worried about when to pull the plug, so to speak. Not to worry. They will know. I trust them to do what’s best for

me. They always have. I may surprise them and live longer than they think! I like life. Life is good. If life is good, I want to live. When it isn’t, I’m ready to go.

I have no regrets. Animals don’t have regrets, you know. We give it our best. When we chase the cat when we’re not supposed to, we’re sorry. It’s over. We don’t go back and say, “I wish I hadn’t done that.” Same with food we’re not supposed to eat. Big deal. No regrets. Life is good. I like this time. I liked the times before. I’m sure I’ll like the time that comes after this.

hearts, like a hologram that was manifested for a time that could be seen and experienced in physical form that is now no longer in physical form, but is still with you. On earth, there is the desire for the physical body—its feel, its touch, its movement. All of that is irrelevant here. Movement is not a concept. It is being. And being is everywhere. Being permeates the space. There is no edge of being, no end of being, it just is,

​What can help us heal after the loss of an animal friend? This dear dog speaks rather sternly to his human who feels guilty about the decision to end his life by euthanasia.

My human knew that I was dying; that I was painful; that there was no hope. I don't understand why she thinks it would be wrong to shorten my pain. I can tell you that if she had not euthanized me she would be agonizing today over why she didn't euthanize me.

I didn't want euthanasia to be hard for her. I wanted her to see it for what it was: a giftto me. Yes, it's very hard to let someone you love go, especially if you think they're really going to be gone. But clearly, I'm not gone. 

The body is gone, but what would she have preferred? Would she have preferred to see me howling in pain? Would she have preferred me to starve to death from being unable to eat? Would she have preferred me to have sores on my body from being unable to get up? 

Euthanizing me was a gift to me and a gift to her. She not only ended my suffering, she ended hers. Except she didn't let it end. She's still agonizing about it. 

​Physical death is not an end, it is a change of form. Just as water can become ice or ice become steam. Each is a different expression of the same substance. Know that animals as spirit easily pass between our world and the afterworld. They are as close as our thoughts. We miss their physical

presence, but their spirit presence is always available. ​I see people, animals, and other non-physical beings as energetic fields that coalesce near us whenever we call their name. In this way, our loved ones can go forward after their earthly death, yet always return to us when called by memory.