Animals and the Afterlife (10 page)

Rajah

Lois Bark, Artist

New York

“I
F
I
THOUGHT THAT THERE WAS A REASON TO STAY
, that I could run and I could play, I would stay. I don’t see a good end to this. If my family is ready to let me go, then I am ready.”

Thus spoke Rajah, our Bernese mountain dog, through Gail De Sciose, the animal communicator whom I had worked with throughout Rajah’s illness.

On Rajah’s last day, he told Gail that he wanted to be in his bed surrounded by his family. However, that night my husband was coming home late and my son wasn’t coming home at all.

So, Rajah was in his bed, but he wasn’t surrounded by his family; I was the only one with him. Much to my surprise, in walked Jed and Caleb (my husband and son)—plans had changed and there we were, surrounding Rajah. Just what he wanted!

The next day, Gail told me that the night Rajah died, she was too upset to go to dinner with her husband, and instead went to her room, lit a candle and got into contact with Rajah. At the time, her husband wanted to know what it was about Rajah that had touched her so much. Her answer was, “I remembered Rajah saying, ‘Everyone loves me because I love everyone.’ I was struck at the time by how simple Rajah made it sound.”

Gail later related to me that she could see Rajah (in spirit) playing joyously on our back lawn. She said, “He’s running, and he stops and he rolls and says, ‘My body would not do what I needed it to do [toward the end of his life]. Now look at me! Being a dog is much more fun than being a human.’”

Rajah also said, “Last night,” (after death, when he was watching the house) “lights were flickering on and off.” At first I didn’t get it. I had no idea what Rajah was talking about. Then, when I later told my very skeptical husband about it, he was able to confirm what Rajah had shared with us. I had installed a new floodlight on the roof that day and when Jed (my formerly skeptical husband) and Caleb went to turn it off, they didn’t know how to use it and kept turning it on and off, on and off, and on and off.

Kim’s note:
This story is an example of the very common occurrence in which our departed loved ones will remain involved in the goings-on in our lives and will report back very specific incidents to let us know that they are indeed watching over us. These are often situations in which the person doesn’t understand the message at first, eliminating the possibility that the animal communicator is merely reading the thoughts of the person. Lois, like many, received the message from her departed dog and had no idea what it meant at first. It wasn’t until afterward that she figured out what Rajah was referring to: He had seen the lights flickering on and off, and indeed, that’s exactly what had been going on when he said it had.

Jokko

Donna L. Dodson, Legal Secretary
and Founder, Hearts of Gold Pit Rescue
Tennessee

O
NE WORD TO DESCRIBE MY CONTACTS
with Joanna Seere, the animal communicator: “Reassuring.” I knew she was communicating with my beloved pit bull, Jokko, when she told me he showed her a picture of him licking my face like crazy. Of the four dogs that I had at the time, he was the only one who was a licker.

After receiving IV fluids in the vet’s office, Jokko’s heart could not pump well enough to distribute the fluids, so he went into congestive heart failure. After an x-ray, he was diagnosed with cardiomegaly (enlarged heart). He got so weak, fighting just to breathe, and did not eat on his own for two weeks. I force-fed him every morsel that went into his mouth. When Joanna and I talked, she sent him some healing energy, and miraculously, he ate the next day, all by himself. Joanna said Jokko was fighting with everything he had to stay on this earth with me. He lived four more months before succumbing to anemia, liver problems, kidney problems, and possible bone cancer.

When he left his body, for the first time in my life I felt totally lost … I couldn’t function. I called Joanna again, and we communicated with him. He was so excited about his flexible body. He felt like a puppy again. Jokko previously had severe arthritis in his spine, so bad that the vet could not believe he could still walk. When Joanna communicated with him, he kept mentioning his flexibility and the absence of any pain.

He also told me to go outside and run with the dogs. Only I knew what this meant. Jokko’s favorite pastime was playing and wrestling and running in our fenced-in acre in the backyard. He would get so excited when I started out the back door, he would yelp in this high-pitched voice. If I hadn’t been outside often enough to please him, he would stand on the deck and whine, begging me to come outside. He told Joanna that he wanted me to run with the dogs and that he would be there when I did. I knew this was Jokko. I had no doubts in my mind.

I am still coping with losing the best friend I ever had. Joanna has been there for me, and I don’t know how I would have made it through this without her. She understands how deeply a human being can love an animal. She gives me a place that I can honor my feelings and get in touch with those feelings. She is truly a gift.

Kim’s note:
Again, this is an example of an animal who has given his person a specific message to let her know it’s really him. The messages we receive from the Other Side aren’t necessarily profound; they are usually about the very common, mundane occurrences from their lives to let us know it’s really them. Knowing they’re continuing to live on in spirit, and that they’re still connected to us, helps us to cope with our grief.

Wiggie

Debra Tadman, Kindergarten Teacher and Art Teacher
California

I
HAD FOUR CATS
at the time I called animal communicator Sharon Callahan. My oldest cat, Wiggie, had just died. I’d had Wiggie for seventeen years. Wiggie and I had a very close relationship.

After Wiggie died, I was heartbroken! I knew he’d had a long life with me, though I felt like I had lost a child. He had seen me through a marriage, divorce, other relationships, three moves, and other life experiences. He would always be at home waiting for me to return. And he let me bring in three other stray cats to live with us, without batting a paw. The last of the three condos that Wiggie lived in with me, I purchased. He lived with me there for about ten years.

During the tenth year, Grandmother, whom I loved dearly, took a turn for the worse and died at the age of 93. When she was living, she would always ask how my cats were doing and loved hearing about my cat adventures. A few months later, Wiggie had his last days on Earth and transitioned on.

This is when I called Kim, because I needed support from a fellow animal lover who knows the pain of losing these precious friends. She suggested I call Sharon Callahan. I sent a photo of Wiggie to Sharon, and when I talked with her on the phone she told me the rest. I was amazed at what she said. Sharon told me that Wiggie was sitting in the lap of someone close to me who had just died. This was my grandma; I was amazed. Sharon said that they are my guardian angels and will be helping out in the next few years.

Sharon told me that Wiggie was very concerned about the condo that I am living in. Wiggie told her, “It is a very toxic place for Debra and the other cats, and she needs to do something about this because it is detrimental to Debra’s health and the health of the other cats.”

About a year later, my niece, Heather, was coming to visit me for two weeks. I decided to paint the inside of my condo and remove the “popcorn” texture that was on the ceiling. Oh my; I had some of the popcorn ceiling tested and found that it contained asbestos. I had to put my three cats on a patio in cages and have all of the popcorn ceiling removed.

The wood paneling that was going to be painted had to be removed because it had been exposed to the asbestos. When the paneling was removed, there was mold all over the walls. The walls were disinfected from the mold, and parts of it were removed. When parts of the walls were removed, it was discovered that the aluminum wiring needed to be replaced because there were little mini fires that would occur in the outlets. Needless to say, my whole condo went through a major transformation.

Wiggie had said that my condo was a toxic place to live and something needed to be done. To this day I can’t believe how accurate and true that reading was. There is no way that Sharon could have known this.
I
didn’t even know until I started to have some painting done.

Other things Sharon told me about Wiggie were so true.

One by one, my other three cats have joined Wiggie and my grandmother. Each time, I called Sharon Callahan and received amazing insight. I’ll never forget my condo experience. Wiggie knew what needed to be done. I think of my loved ones—who have transitioned—always, and I know they continue to be with me, my precious animal family and my dear human family.

Kim’s note:
It’s not uncommon for our loved ones in spirit to warn us of things we don’t yet even know about, indicating not only that they are still watching over us, but that our well-being still matters to them. Wiggie is truly acting as Debra’s guardian angel.

-
C
HAPTER
6
-

Bridging Heaven and Earth: Conversations with the Other Side

The language of friendship is not words, but meanings. It is an intelligence above language.

—H
ENRY
D
AVID
T
HOREAU

O
VER THE YEARS
while researching this book, I attended presentations given by all of the popular mediums, including George Anderson, John Edward, Sylvia Browne, James Van Praagh, Rosemary Altea, Suzane Northrop, and others. This was before mediums were a regular part of prime-time television. For those who still may not know, a medium is a person who is able to receive information from those who have passed over to the Other Side and deliver messages to those of us on
this
side, thereby acting as a bridge between the physical world and the world of spirit. Like animal communicators, mediums often bring tremendous comfort to those who are grieving the loss of a loved one.

When I first began, I knew that mediums were known for connecting people in this world with
people
in spirit, but I wanted to know their viewpoints on
animals
. So, at each of these group readings (a “reading” is what it’s usually called when a medium receives and delivers messages), I sat quietly in a room filled with people who were hoping to receive messages from their departed loved ones, watching to see what took place. At group readings, not everyone receives messages. The medium simply delivers the messages, as they come, to the people they are intended for. However,
everyone
in the room benefits from the validation of the afterlife that they receive by witnessing the experiences of others.

I was delighted (though not surprised) to find that the subject of animals came up at each and every group reading I attended. Usually there was at least one person in the audience who received a message
not
from a
human
on the Other Side, but from a recently departed
animal
. The people were always visibly touched by these messages. Whether or not this happened, there was inevitably someone in the audience who
asked
about animals, and the mediums always stated matter-of-factly that
of course
there were animals in the afterlife. Many of them then cited specific stories of their own on this subject. I had heard what I was looking for.

I never actually received a personal message during these group readings, but something very significant did happen when I went to see psychic medium George Anderson. I brought my copies of the books
We Don’t Die
(written about George Anderson by Joel Martin and Patricia Romanowski) and
Lessons from the Light
(written by George Anderson and Andrew Barone), for George to autograph, which he did during a break.

After the seminar was over, I asked Andrew Barone (George Anderson’s co-author), who was also at the seminar, to autograph my copy of
Lessons from the Light
as well. At that time, he appeared glad to see me and told me that George had asked him to keep an eye out for me, because he had something for me. My mind was racing as I wondered what it could be.

He then gave me a beautiful framed picture that George had asked him to give to me. It was a picture of a saint with animals, and he told me it was St. Martin de Porres, whom George had seen standing behind me when I had approached him for an autograph earlier that evening. He had somehow felt compelled to bring the picture with him on the airplane to this particular seminar, and as Andrew told me later, “I thought it was odd when George told me he packed it, but after this many years I have learned not to question why the souls [those in spirit] ask George to carry a picture clear across the country—there will always be a good reason.”

When I first looked at the picture, I was stunned. There was a dog looking up at the saint, and also at his feet were a cat, a bird, and a
rat
all sharing food from the same bowl. All of the animals in the picture were meaningful to me, as my life has been deeply touched by
all
of these types of animals. However, I was particularly struck by the rat in the picture.

How unusual for a rat to be portrayed so prominently in a portrait of a saint,
I thought to myself,
and how appropriate!
George Anderson had never met me before and had no idea who I was (or that I would be at the seminar that night), nor did he have any way of knowing that the animals I’ve loved and rescued throughout my life have included so many rats (in addition to the other animals portrayed). By the time this event took place, dozens of rescued rats had entered my life, and they now had their own room. I felt a surge of sheer delight and wonder as I gazed at the rat in the picture.

I was equally struck by the fact that I instantly knew where I would hang the picture in my home. In fact, I had left a space open for it and now realized that I had somehow been expecting it. There is a corner in a hallway of my home with a few pictures of spiritual figures with animals. Jameth and I refer to this as the sacred hallway, and this sacred corner is just outside the rats’ room. When I originally hung the pictures there, for some reason, I felt compelled to hang them in such a way that there was a spot left open for one more picture. I just had a feeling (though I had no idea why) that an ideal picture would be arriving for that spot, so I should leave it open. As soon as Andrew gave me the picture from George, I knew that was it.

I was deeply moved when I received this most precious gift, and I asked Andrew to thank George for me. I wanted to thank him myself, but by then there were many people crowded around him so I never got the chance that night; but I went away feeling that something profound had just taken place.

I hung the picture that very night and it fit perfectly in the space left open for it. To this day, it hangs right over the hallway where the rats run and play when they joyfully bound out of their room, frolicking and running freely. Interestingly, in the picture, the saint is holding a broom, and he and the animals are standing on a tile floor. The hallway in our home has a tile floor, and a favorite game of the rats is to climb up and down a very similar broom, which is kept nearby.

I really didn’t know much about saints when this took place. I knew who St. Francis was (often referred to as the patron saint of animals, and known for his ability to communicate with animals), and I had always delighted in the fact that I was born in St. Francis Hospital, but I had never even
heard of
St. Martin de Porres. When I asked Andrew who this particular saint was, he told me, “The saint George saw standing behind you (that was how he knew you worked with animals) was St. Martin de Porres, who, like St. Francis, believed every thing on the earth that was alive had a soul and was part of God’s family (which ran contrary to the Church’s stance—and often got him in plenty of trouble).”

He added, “We wish you success with your very important work—it is considered so important to the Infinite Light that St. Martin de Porres took time out of his work to stand behind you at a seminar.”

Later, I did more research on St. Martin de Porres, and I was further amazed at what I discovered. He was born in 1579 in Lima, Peru, and at a young age, he joined a Dominican priory (monastery). The son of a Spanish officer and a freed black woman, he referred to himself as a “mulatto dog,” but he was known in his community as the “father of charity.” He is often called the patron saint of social justice and is a popular saint for those who feel despised or who experience deep suffering. He took care of the poor, the sick, the abandoned, and those who were looked down upon due to race, social class, and even species.

St. Martin de Porres had a vast knowledge of herbal medicines and was known for his amazing cures. He was also gifted with prophecy, clairvoyance, and other such abilities. The startling miracles he performed, which included raising the dead, caused Martin to be called a saint in his own lifetime. Even sick and injured animals came to him for healing, and he set up a shelter/hospital for stray cats and dogs and nursed them back to health (an incredible thing to do back in those days).

To this day he is remembered for his love of animals. He never ate meat, and he extended his love even to rats and mice, whose scavenging he excused on the grounds that they were hungry. As he put it, “The poor little things don’t have enough to eat.” I was covered in goose bumps as I learned that this incredible saint felt the same love and concern for animals—including rats—that I had always felt.

As great as his healing abilities were, I discovered that St. Martin is probably best remembered for the “legend of the rats.” It is said that the prior (his superior at the monastery) objected to the rats, so he ordered Martin to set out poison for them. Martin obeyed, but he also felt deep compassion for them. So he went out into the garden and called softly to the rats—and out they came. He told them about the poison and assured them that he would feed them every day in the garden, if they would stop annoying the prior. This they agreed upon, and forever after, they never troubled the monastery.

Though I certainly don’t claim to be a saint, I was amazed at the parallels between his life and my own. I, too, have always felt a deep compassion for the underdogs of our world, including rats. I, too, take in many sick and injured animals, treating them with various herbal remedies; and my home is often referred to as a “rat hospital” where amazing healings take place. I, too, am a vegetarian (a vegan, actually), and although I am now well aware of the health benefits of such a diet, my original impetus to give up meat was my love for animals.

The more I learned about St. Martin de Porres, the more significant his presence became to me. He is also known as the “Saint of the Broom” (for his devotion to his work, no matter how menial), and he called himself “Brother Broom.” I now think of him every time I sweep the floor, and every time my beloved “rat children” joyfully climb up and down the broom during playtime. St. Martin is truly an inspiration to me in my own commitment to protecting creation and promoting the sacredness of life in all forms. I am forever grateful to George Anderson for making me aware of this most remarkable saint. (For more information on psychic medium George Anderson, visit
www.GeorgeAnderson.com
.)

T
HE
C
AT’S
M
EOW

W
HEN
D
EBBIE
A
RXER
, a registered nurse in New York, scheduled a personal reading with psychic medium Natalie Smith-Blakeslee, she had no idea that her recently departed cat would come through.

“When I went to see Natalie,” Debbie explained, “I did not expect to hear from my cat, Bijoux. I just didn’t think of animals communicating from the Other Side. I went just for a psychic/medium reading. I
never
asked about my cat or told her I had a cat that had died. She brought up a recently departed and very close male spirit. It was a huge surprise that my cat came through. I think he knew I needed to hear from him, and that I had unresolved guilt issues surrounding his death.”

During the session, Natalie (the medium) described very specific and unusual details of Debbie’s home, explaining that Bijoux, the cat, was describing the house to her—including details of his favorite room. There is no way Natalie could have known these details, as she had never been to Debbie’s home, yet Debbie was able to confirm the accuracy of these details.

Natalie delivered other equally accurate messages from Bijoux, including a mention of his collar (which Debbie hadn’t been able to find) and his whiskers (which, as Debbie again confirmed, had become “stubby little whiskers” when he got old and sick). Natalie explained that Bijoux was mentioning these things so Debbie would have verification that it was really him.

However, she then began talking about something that made absolutely no sense to Debbie.

“He’s also talking about your tires,” she said. “Did you do something to the tires?”

“No,” Debbie responded.

Natalie asked if Debbie had tires in her garage, and Debbie again said, “No.”

Natalie then mentioned seeing a tire off of its rim, but neither of them was able to understand what this could mean. Natalie thought perhaps Bijoux had played inside tires, but this was not the case. Bijoux continued describing tires, and Natalie kept asking Debbie if the message made any sense to her. Debbie continued saying, “No.” She didn’t understand this message at all. Neither of them had
any idea
what Bijoux could be talking about. Bijoux was very insistent about getting this message across, but it continued to perplex both Natalie and Debbie. As it turned out, they wouldn’t understand the significance of this message until later on.