Angel Animal Messages for the Earth
By Allen and Linda Anderson
As we travel around the country introducing our book
about the spiritual connection between people and animals, we have the good
fortune of meeting the most loving people on the planet. Their compassion and
love for animals spills over into the rest of their lives in the form of
volunteerism, kindness, and care for the earth.\
At bookstore events we ask the people, who have
gathered to meet us, to share their stories of animals in their homes or in
nature who have delivered a spiritual messages. Like the Greek meaning of the
word angel, we believe that animals are messengers who tell and show us we're
loved, protected, and treasured.
Sometimes the message an animal sends is one that makes
humans laugh when they receive it. A woman at a bookstore told us a story about
a delightful and creative little cat. She'd been observant enough to understand
this animal's message.
It seems this cat for many years had been an "only
child." A very careful animal, he always looked both ways before crossing the
street in front of their house. When the woman brought home a dog, the cat
wasn't sure he was ready or willing to adjust to having a stranger share his
home. He was determined to let her know of his unhappiness with this situation.
Very dramatically, and when he would be certain the woman saw him, the cat ran
into the street, hurled his body onto the pavement, stretched his arms out as if
to say, "I have nothing to live for now that you've invaded my space with that
dog."
Fortunately, no cars were coming. The woman scooped up
the cat into her arms and reassured him that he was still her Number 1 son. When
the little thespian finally realized his drama wasn't going to get the dog
thrown out, he adjusted to the change. Eventually, the two animals became the
best of friends.
Earth Messages
As Earth Day approaches, we can again look to the
animal kingdom for messages about how to give all of creation the respect and
care it deserves.
Myrtle, an eighty-five-year-young mother of two cats,
wrote to us about her memories of a special cat named Christian.
Myrtle says she was raised during the Great Depression
years. Her parents worked hard to support their family. When her father got
blood poisoning and became too sick to work, her mother took a job as a
saleslady at a novelty store. The owner of the business also bred canaries. To
add extra income for her family, Myrtle's mother decided to raise the birds
too.
The family's cat Christian, given this name because his
favorite napping spot was on the big Bible on the living room table, enjoyed
watching the birds when they were in the house. The summer, when her mother
started raising birds, was also when Myrtle became what she calls "angel
conscious." She writes, "Our Sunday school teacher had asked us to memorize a
Bible verse about angels. The one I'd chosen was Hebrews 13:2: 'Do not neglect
to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels
unawares.' Christian was soon to prove he was a cat angel."
Every day Christian followed Myrtle's mother from cage
to cage as she fed and watered her canaries. After the mother birds' eggs had
hatched and the babies were old enough, she moved the entire bird family to the
garden aviary where people who wanted to adopt a bird could see them better.
Christian spent hours watching the birds in their outdoor home.
One day Myrtle's mother forgot to secure the padlock on
the aviary door, and six baby birds escaped. She was frantic as the birds flew
into the bushes. She ran around, trying to catch them while Christian watched
from the sidelines. That's when he proved his love included all of God's
creatures.
Myrtle writes, "I guess knowing he was an angel,
Christian must have said to himself something like, 'Fear not. God rescues and
He saves.' (Daniel 6:27) Maybe he thought, This is right up my alley. Make way
for a superior bird catcher."
While the family watched, not knowing what would happen
to the baby birds, Christian gently scooped them up, one by one, carried them to
Myrtle's mother, and placed each of the babies in her hand. She then returned
the infants to the aviary. Christian continued his rescue mission until each
little bird had been brought home unharmed.
Myrtle ended her story by saying, "We could hardly
believe what we'd seen. From then on we knew Christian was one of God's special
angels. Mama's canary business prospered, and nothing was ever too good for our
angel cat."
Do you think all creatures have a divine spark which
enables them to choose love over power?
We do.
What If
These stories and the hundreds we've collected from all
over the world show animals as conscious, sentient, spiritual beings who reason,
create, and choose. These are concepts most people find difficult, even
unnerving to believe.
One day, Linda was watching "Good Morning, America," a
daily national television program. That morning the guest was Jack Hanna,
accompanied by a man who trains rare and exotic birds. As the man did his
routine of having parrots interact with him by carrying on conversations and
finishing his song lyrics, host Elizabeth Vargas kept asking, "But these birds
can't really think, can they? They're only mimicking humans, right?" Linda found
it amusing to hear the note of panic in Elizabeth's voice at the thought that
these birds could be something more than intelligent robots.
So the question for today is: What if?
What if animals are much more than we've ever realized?
What if they don't need for us to attribute human characteristics to them but
have their own special qualities? What if, since they've lived on this earth for
much longer than we have, they know a few things we haven't figured out yet? How
will this change the way you view and interact with the animals on this
earth?
What if?
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Angel Animals® Network
