When I got home from work last night, I was lost in thought and a little distracted and random-feeling. I was so thankful for my cats, who brought me back to the present with their insistent nudges and soft bellies, and low, rumbly purrs. Sometimes I don’t know what I’d do without my companion animals [...]
Category Archives: animals
bless pets
Also posted in blessings, contemplation, mindfulness, prayer, soul, spirituality, wellness
Tagged pets, tabby cat
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how to “whisper” something
In my last post I wrote about how I wanted to “whisper” my soul, and you may have been left thinking, “That’s all very well and good, Michelle, but how exactly does one go about ‘whispering’ anything – whether it be a horse, a dog, or a human soul?” I wish I knew the definite [...]
Also posted in bodywork, contemplation, mindfulness, soul, spirituality, wellness
Tagged behavior, Buck Brannaman, Cesar Millan, Dog Whisperer, horse whisperer
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soul whispering
Still from the 2011 documentary Buck, about the life and work of horse trainer Buck Brannaman. I ended up taking all of last week off blogging. It was restful and necessary and a smart thing to do, but it was also one of the hardest things I’ve done lately, because it triggered a lot of [...]
Also posted in bodywork, contemplation, mindfulness, soul, spirituality, videos, wellness
Tagged 2011, abuse, animals, Buck, Buck Brannaman, documentary, horse whisperer, horses, personal development, personal growth, soul, Sundance
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gone sleeping
I’ve written a whole month’s worth of blog posts about bedrooms. That should give you some indication of how much I love my bed. (For more indication, read this post about one of my favorite Elizabethan songs called An Evening Hymn.) There’s been a huge war waging inside of me for the past month. The [...]
nine lives
I am blessed by the companionship of two cats – three-year-old brothers from the same litter. They are beautiful and cuddly and annoying in equal measure, and last Friday I was afraid I might be losing one of them. The diagnosis? Urinary tract disease. Thankfully I was responsive to his signs of distress, and caught [...]
Also posted in contemplation, relationships, soul
Tagged blockage, cats, companion animals, feline urinary tract disease, lessons, life teachers, personal development, personal growth, pets, relationships
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glimpses of heaven
This past week has included one of the hottest days on record – ever – for my city. I’ve been sweaty and uncomfortable and crampy and cranky and headachey and many nights I haven’t felt like writing, but I’ve done it anyway. Strangely enough, this week has also been full of moments of pure bliss, [...]
Also posted in contemplation, soul, spirituality, wellness
Tagged contemplation, inspiration, personal development, personal growth, spirituality
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the ugly duckling
What’s your worst fear? For many, it’s being ridiculed or rejected – by their community, their family, or their loved ones. Do you remember the fairy tale The Ugly Duckling? A little creature emerges from an egg and finds himself in a nest of ducklings, but he looks… different. And the others pick on him. [...]
Also posted in contemplation, nature, soul, spirituality, wellness
Tagged analysis, archetypes, belonging, Byron Katie, Clarissa Pinkola Estes, fairy tales, folk tales, inquiry, interpretation, Jungian psychology, personal development, personal growth, soul, The Ugly Duckling, The Work, Theater of the Imagination
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transformation
The purpose of ritual is transformation. This could be as profound as the transformation from dead to alive, from acorn to oak tree, from caterpillar to butterfly, from fish to amphibian to land animal. Or it could be as simple and humble as the transformation of dough into bread, or paper into a book, or [...]
Also posted in contemplation, rituals, wellness
Tagged change, fish, personal growth, ritual, sun, transformation
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nest
When we talk about animals, we sometimes use the words “nest” and “home” interchangeably. But if you think about it, nests are really only temporary places for raising young. Birds build nests to lay eggs in… and so do wasps. Sometimes people call their homes or their beds “nests,” but what they really mean is [...]
rest
This is a photo of my two cats, Guy and Tear, sleeping on my bed when they were about 10 weeks old. Most beings need at least a little sleep. Home is where we rest our bodies. It’s important to be heroic, ambitious, productive, efficient, creative, and progressive, but these qualities don’t necessarily nurture the [...]
Also posted in bedrooms, home, interior design, rest, sleep
Tagged kittens, rest, sleeping, Thomas Moore
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