Could Animals Teach Us How to Appreciate the
Earth? By Allen and Linda Anderson
During a radio interview we did a few months
ago, the host asked if listeners were learning spiritual lessons from animals.
One young man called in and said he loved his dog, but didn't think she was
teaching him anything spiritual. He thought he could only get spiritual insight
from the one source that illuminated his religious beliefs. How could a dog ever
demonstrate a spiritual principle?\
Then the host asked him if he thought he'd
learned anything by sharing his home with this animal. The man said he was
looking at the dog, resting comfortably on his couch, as she patiently waited
for him to take her for a walk. He said as much as this dog loved her walks, no
matter how busy he became doing graphics out of his home office, the dog never
pestered him. He said he often wished he could be as patient as she is.
We smiled, listening to this man describe a
spiritual quality--patience--while denying that an animal had anything of
spiritual value to teach him. He was demonstrating something that we've seen in
the hundreds of stories we've collected from around the world and which we share
in our newsletter, book, interviews, and workshops. Repeatedly, people who are
willing to put the human ego aside, tell us how animals show from their
hearts--not through animal instinct, behavior or training--unconditional love,
compassion, forgiveness, and joy.
If we want to understand how to appreciate
Mother Earth, respecting all life and treasuring gifts from the Creator to
creation, we have to look no further than our furry, flying, flowing, and
feathered friends. Animals offer us some of the most enduring and endearing
examples of gratitude. And if we're grateful, we'll do everything possible to
preserve the beauty and abundance that nature offers us every day.
A Grateful Kitten
When people want to ridicule those who
conserve and protect the Earth, they call them "tree-huggers." Maybe that's not
such a disrespectful description when hugging a tree means showing
gratitude.
We had an example of "tree-hugging" recently
when Cuddles, our kitten, sparked the fire of gratitude in our hearts.
Cuddles has taken a fancy to the edges of our
sofas. She flies into the living room and immediately stretches herself out for
a good scratch, leaving the fabric in tatters. We've read articles about how to
change this behavior but nothing seemed to work. Finally, an organization sent
us a booklet with a chapter that showed a photo of a tall scratching post made
of gnarly yarn. It was a cone-shaped structure, perched firmly on a stand that
didn't wobble. The article mentioned that this type of scratching post worked
well and would save our furniture. To get a cat to use the post, the author
suggested rubbing catnip on the yarn and then getting down on all fours and
scratching the post to show the cat how to use it. This sounded like a pretty
weird thing to do, but we were feeling pretty desperate to save our sofas and
were willing to try it.
While shopping at the pet supply store, we
found a post that looked like the kind in the photo. We brought the post home,
smeared catnip on it, called the kitten into the living room, and hunkered down
on the floor, trying to entice her to try follow our lead. She watched for a few
minutes and then began scratching the other side. The sound, touch of the twine,
and smell of catnip combined to bring her into some kind of kitty ecstasy. She
scratched and stretched and rolled and purred.
Then she did something we will never forget.
She stopped this intensely pleasurable experience for a moment, looked into
Linda's eyes, and with all her emotion communicated wordlessly, "Thank you."
Then she returned to her joyful pursuit.
Later that day Allen found Cuddles alone
with her new "friend." The kitten sprawled out on the floor in front of it, her
cheek pressed against the platform, and her little arms hugging the post with
all her might.
Gratitude.
It brought tears to our eyes to see such a
heartfelt display. We couldn't stop ourselves. We had to sit down right away and
talk about the many things we appreciate, especially our animal family of
spiritual teachers. Cuddles had evoked the spiritual quality of gratitude with
such intensity that we could do no less than take a moment to reflect on the
abundance and love all around us.
Could an animal help you to remember to be
grateful for the blessings in your own life, for the many gifts from the
Creator, especially the gift of creation?
How to Give Thanks, Animal-Style
On another radio interview, the host told us
how his dog reminded him daily to be grateful. He said that when he puts the
dog's bowl in front of him, piled high with food, the dog never lunges into it
immediately. Instead, he always stands in front of the bowl, looks up at the
man, and with his eyes expresses such thankfulness that it almost moves the man
to tears. The host believes that this is the dog's way of saying grace before
meals, offering a blessing for the food he is about to receive.
A woman from Switzerland wrote to us about
how expressing her gratitude for the animals and earth showed her the true
meaning of love.
Kathia said that she was participating in a
workshop held in the San Bernadino desert. The residence where she was staying
had a hot tub outdoors at floor level. One night she couldn't sleep so she got
up in the hours before dawn and decided to soak in the hot tub.
She closed her eyes and let the warm water
lull her into a meditative state. She began to contemplate on a question that
she'd wondered about for a long time. Inwardly, she asked God to show her what
love is. She asked, "What is love?"
Kathia said that she seemed to drift away
into a world where wild animals roamed peacefully, living together in harmony.
It was such a wonderful daydream that she felt a rush of gratitude as she
lingered there. Suddenly though, her quiet moment was interrupted by the sense
that something was licking her hand. She looked up and met the gaze of a pair of
deep, sparkling eyes looking into hers. It was a coyote who had silently
appeared and brought the answer to her question.
"This is love," Kathia whispered as she
basked in the glow of appreciation for such a beautiful example of her spiritual
connection with all life.
Could you try the same approach as Kathia's?
When you're out in nature or relaxing at home, sit quietly, close your eyes, and
reflect on the question: What is love? Fill yourself with gratitude for the
blessings that are all around you. Be alert to the subtle yet profound ways your
question may be answered.
Gratitude.
A spiritual virtue that leads to respect for
life, for the earth, for each other. We can learn it from the animals.
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