Ripples

If you've read my profile, you would know that my favorite movie was Avatar. I loved everything about it, so I was bummed when it didn't win for Best Picture at the Oscars. Many people I spoke with about the movie said that it was a simple story that was unoriginal. Yeah? Well, it was still awesome! Its simplicity just made it easier to relay its message, AND it was the message that I loved so much. So, I was happy that it made megabucks at the box office because it's indicative of people being open to its message which was about interconnectedness.

One is affected by the other and therefore an action taken by one will have an impact on the other whether good or bad. It's like the ripple effect when you throw a pebble on a body of water, and you see the ripples of the water pulsating outward from where the pebble landed. Many individuals don't believe that their actions and/or thoughts necessarily affect a large number of people which is one reason people do not vote in the U.S. They don't believe it would make a difference. But each vote counts just as one action or thought can make a difference because the energy behind that one action or thought reverberates.

I loved the line in the movie, "I see you." The main characters of Avatar said it to each other at the end of the movie. My understanding of these three little words is that the characters see the essence of each other, acknowledging and respecting their own individuality but also knowing that there is a connection between them. It is that connection, an energetic or vibrational link, that exist in everything living which unifies us.

It seems to me that a growing number of people are looking for that connection with others and the environment in which they live. Many more people seem to be aware and concern about our affects on the earth, i.e. global warming. I believe this is the reason Facebook is so popular. It connects you with people with whom you may have lost contact. Although, I notice also that there are some "friends" who connect with you and then never hear from again after you've accepted them as a "friend." It is almost as if some people are trying to get as many "friends" as possible for their own ego rather than sincerely connecting with each friend, which would take a lot of time if you truly had over one hundred close friends. Perhaps, these individuals, who we never hear from again after accepting them as a "friend", are not ready to connect on any level other than an electronic one which Facebook or Myspace is. However, whatever reason they may have had to connect, the desire to connect was still there nonetheless.

Taking a microcosm of this idea of interconnectedness, I thought about the human body. Every cell in the human body has a consciousness whether you believe it or not. A cluster of cells is a tissue, a group of tissue is an organ and so on and so forth, finally comprising of the entire human body. As a comparison, you may consider a cell as an individual, a tissue as a family, and an organ as a group of families forming a society and so forth. Therefore, looking at all the individual cells of the human body, you may compare it to the population of people living in our planet. Respectively, the human body is similar to earth which sustains the people.

In Chinese Medicine, there is a life force or energy called "qi" that is ubiquitous in the body. Without "qi", there can be no body because it gives life to every cell in our body as it propels the blood to move, and blood contains the nutrients and oxygen which feeds the cells just as there can be no earth without the energetic force that maintains and sustains it.

How does a dog come into this topic? Most people consider their dog as part of the family. I certainly do. I consider each of my dogs as an individual. So, if something were to happen to one of them, it would naturally affect our family unit. I remember a few years ago on a Sunday morning. I had let the dogs out in the back yard because Morpheus and Elektra were barking at something to which I didn't pay attention, mostly because I was still half asleep. A few minutes later, I heard the sound of a cat fighting. I immediately ran outside to find a fairly big cat attached to Morpheus' face and chest. Morpheus was trying to pry off the cat whose claws were securely fastened on the sides of his face and chest. I screamed, "Away," at Morpheus who quickly stopped struggling with the cat and looked at me, which caused the cat to let go of him and hurriedly ran away.

Needless to say, Morpheus was injured. He had open wounds that were bleeding on his face and chest where the cat's claws were anchored during their fight. As Morpheus walked towards me, I noticed a limp in one of his forelimbs. Looking at Morpheus, I instantly panicked. Should I take him to the emergency? Fortunately, my fear and indecision only lasted a few seconds because soon after that I knew what I needed to do.

After helping him on our bed, I asked Augustine to wipe down his open wounds with hydrogen peroxide as I retrieved my cold laser and a pack of needles. The cold laser not only helps bring down pain and inflammation but it helps repair and heal open wounds. So, I was grateful to have it. I gave Morpheus an acupuncture treatment to calm him down since I could tell he was still frazzled from the fight as well as treated his elbow of the forelimb that limped. After his acupuncture treatment, I gave him an herbal antibiotic to prevent any infection from the open wound. I always have a bottle of the herbal antibiotic in my pantry just because it had come in handy in the past. As Morpheus rested, I wrapped his injured elbow to immobilize it. In the evening, I iced his elbow just in case.

Since I didn't want Morpheus jumping on and off the bed, I had Augustine put the mattress from our guest bedroom on our living room floor. That night, we all slept in the living room. Even though Morpheus was almost back to normal the next day, we didn't walk the dogs. I supposed we could have walked Ripley and Elektra but we didn't want Morpheus to feel left out. Being a sensitive boy, he would get a little depressed. Ripley and Elektra didn't seem to mind not being walked. They seemed to understand especially after I explained to them the reason. We actually started walking the dogs four days after Morpheus' injury because he didn't exhibit a hint of discomfort or limping. Of course, it was a slower and shortened walk. However, we continued to sleep in the living room for over a week to make sure that Morpheus didn't do any jumping. It wasn't very comfortable because Augustine and I were cramped with the three dogs on a queen size mattress. But we tolerated it for Morpheus' sake. Also, during the week, Morpheus got acupuncture treatment almost everyday. He was a happy boy because of it.

Because of Morpheus' injury, we were all affected by it in some degree. We had to change our normal routine to accommodate Morpheus. As a family unit, we are interconnected and therefore affect each other, whether it's due to a physical condition that limits either one of us or an emotional state that causes stress. The affect on Augustine or I can consequently influence our behavior with people outside our family unit just because of our interaction with others. And, those others may affect many more and so forth. The affect may be slight and subtle or profound and apparent. Regardless, there is an affect. Thus, depending on our physical, emotional or mental state, we can cause an energetic wave rippling across whether we are conscious of it or not. Most people are not aware of it. But we are all linked vibrationally.

Going back to the words "I see you," it's so much easier to say these words to my dogs and feel the meaning behind them than to say them to people. I don't know if you feel the same way or can relate to this, but when I talk to my dogs, and not necessarily saying these three little words to them, but just having a conversation with them, they are not dogs to me. I feel as if I am conversing with a consciousness that is unconditional love and happiness to which is what I am connected. I respect and acknowledge who they are as individuals but I know that we are part of each other, and this is why I feel their limitations when they are experiencing one and vice versa. We all have this unconditional love and happiness within us. We are just distracted. We have allowed our daily routines to takeover our consciousness making it difficult for us to "see" each other as we truly are.

Love your dog. If you don't have one, adopt or save one. Then, think about all those people in your lives that you influence in one way or another. Yes, some of us are aware of how our actions and thoughts can affect our dog and vice versa. But we are less inclined to be conscious of them with the people around us. As I said, every living thing is interconnected. A diseased liver can affect other organs in the body and thereby weaken the entire body just as the contaminated Gulf of Mexico is affecting not only its sea life but also human lives whose livelihood has been lost. Certainly, other ramifications will emerge showing the affects of the oil spillage on other living things and elements of our earth. And, I am sure that the lack of foresight to have any safety back up plan that would have prevented the damage that continues to occur in the Gulf started with one person's thought who influenced others to think the same way. Let us be mindful of our thoughts and actions with ourselves, our family unit and outside of the unit because we do create energetic ripples that will affect everyone eventually.

Thank you for visiting my now biweekly blog. The managing of work, personal and home life with all of my wonderful activities made me realize that a biweekly blog is more realistic for now. Any comments is truly welcomed.

Reflection of Us

About a month ago, I listened to an audio by Deepak Chopra. It was the one about happiness. What caused my ears to perk up was when Deepak started to talk about Cesar Millan. Apparently, Cesar had told Deepak that American dogs were unhappy compared to Mexican dogs. And, what Cesar would do was put the unhappy American dogs amongst the Mexican dogs and that would normally do the trick. However, there was one American dog that couldn't get over his depression even after spending time with the Mexican dogs. Cesar thought it was odd until he discovered that the dog's owner was chronically depressed. Because of the owner's emotional state, the dog was unable to overcome his own depression. This made perfect sense to me since dogs are so connected with their owners, they become part of their owner's vibrational energy and in doing so help alleviate some of the emotional burden that the owner is carrying.

There was this doggie client a few years ago who had a beagle. The beagle had irritable bowel syndrome as well as a weak hind end. After the third treatment, the beagle wasn't improving much, so I started asking the client questions about herself. I found out that the client was a psychologist and that she too had a bad low back problem and was diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome years prior. However, her finance was preventing her from seeking proper care which was causing stress in many aspects of her life. I wasn't surprised that both my doggie client and owner mirrored each other's physical ailments. It happens often. So, I suggested that she took care of her own problems to bring down her stress level which will consequently help her dog's own physical problems. Unfortunately, after that talk, the client and her dog never came back. Perhaps, she felt that I had no right interfering with her problems. My intention was to illuminate how her problems were spilling over to her dog who I was trying to help. Some people just don't like to be confronted with the truth.

Ordinarily, I would think about people like that client and I wonder if they were aware of their emotional impact on their dogs, and then feel sorry for the dogs. However, looking at a different perspective, perhaps our dogs come into our lives to put a mirror in front of us to help us see and scrutinize our emotional turmoil. With that in mind, I asked myself, which dog is a reflection of me? Or, are all of them showing parts of myself that I need to work on but am in denial? Hmmm, I would have to give myself some time to think about that.

About two months ago as I was speaking with one of my doggie clients, the topic of dogs coming into our lives for a reason came up. This particular doggie client has a cattle dog named Chopper. This client had never had a dog like Chopper. He was paranoid, always expecting the worse, and didn't show much affection, all of which were the opposite of the dogs my client was used to having. The other peculiar behavior Chopper had was a fear of men. My client couldn't understand this phobia because she had had Chopper since he was a very young pup and there was no incident that would cause Chopper to develop his phobia. Anyone who had to handle him had to be a woman.

Through the years of observing Chopper and trying to figure out the reason Chopper came into my client's life she finally had an epiphany just a few years ago. Please allow me to recount her story briefly. When she was a young girl, her stepfather attempted to molest her more than once. The last time he tried was when she was fifteen years old. He had chased her around the house and finally had gotten on top of her. Her mother wasn't home. Fortunately, my client was able to fight him off. As a result of her stepfather's last attempt, she tried to commit suicide. Luckily, what my client thought were her mother's sleeping pills were actually her diet pills of which she took a handful. Needless to say, my client lived but had lost fifteen pounds within a week due to the vomiting that occurred during the days that followed her suicidal attempt. She was completely dehydrated. Her parents never took her to the hospital for care and observation.

Because my client basically took amphetamines, she was revved up and talked continuously that she ended up calling her mother and telling her what had happened. Her mother didn't believe her but instead accused her of being in love with her own stepfather. How insane was that thinking? It's appalling that because some mothers are so insecure and afraid of being alone that they would rather be in denial about the truth. Instead of protecting her daughter, my client's mother sided with her husband which, of course, created a slew of emotional and psychological havoc for my client. Why would a mother not take her daughter's side? I don't understand that mentality. If you leave a husband, it would end the relationship. However, if you sever your relationship with your daughter, she remains part of your flesh and blood, and thus there will always be a connection.

My client thought she had worked through her past and had found peace within herself until Chopper came along. He became her mirror that reflected the issue she had not completely resolved. When my client finally realized the origin of Chopper's fear of men, her perception of Chopper completely changed and understood what a gift he was. He represented the wound that was still inside my client, and his behavior reflected the darkness in her life that needed some light.

I felt privileged that this client felt comfortable enough to disclose her personal history to me, and, of course, gave me permission to tell her story if it were to find its way in my blog. This client informed me that she was grateful for Chopper who helped her re-examine herself emotionally. She said that even though her fear of men did not prevent her from loving and enjoying men, the uneasiness towards men was still present. She knows now that she needs to continue working on her anxiety towards men as a result of her attempted molestation. Even though her perpetrator didn't succeed in sexually molesting her, she was traumatized regardless. She said to me, "Although I was never molested, I still had all those feelings of someone who was."

"Of course you would have those feelings," I replied. "You had to ward off an adult man when you were a teenager. That took a lot of courage, AND it was traumatic."

So, if dogs enter our lives to help us by becoming a reflection of us in order to give us awareness of what we are in denial about, then dogs are truly our "guiding" angels manifested. Their mere presence gently reminds us of what might be going on within us. They become a constant reminder until we are ready to confront and deal with our own issues that prevent us from living a healthy existence as well as continuing with our personal growth. Many times the answer we are looking for is right in front of us and we can only see it when we have the clear intention and readiness for it. It is as if your dog is a walking billboard parading your challenges in front of you. Yet, there are some people who do not see it and instead think there is something wrong with the dog.

"Why isn't my dog getting any better?" is what I would hear on rare occasions. When I hear that question, I'm thinking, "Well, what's going on with you that's hindering your dog's health?" Of course, out loud, I would ask in a more diplomatic way. It's funny to me that some owners do not see the influence their emotional state has on their dog. But perhaps it may be that they are unaware or refuse to look at their emotional state because if they did, they would have to do something about it like CHANGE! Not many people want to do that. They would rather continue their self-inflicted suffering since it's easier than changing because it's familiar and therefore comfortable.

Love your dog. If you don't have one, adopt or save one. Then, if your dog is exhibiting a behavior that you have no clue where it came from, then look within yourself. You may just find the answer. The dogs that come into our lives, whether accidentally or by choice, have a a reason to be there. I consider them to be a "guiding" angel if they are selected to be with us by divine order to help us look at ourselves in a non-judgmental, subtle way. Our dogs allow humans to be less resistant in making an emotional inventory if they knew it would help their dogs. What I've noticed with the majority of my doggie clients is they are willing to look at any and all possibilities that may be at the root of their dog's behavior and/or physical problem because they love them so much. The consequence of that action may lead to their own enlightenment when the source of the problem points back to them. Many people take offense when a person confronts them of their problem. However, people soften up and are more likely to take responsibility for their behavior when they realize that their dog has been affected by their issue. Dogs are certainly one of our best teachers with regards to learning about ourselves because they teach us by their reflection of us in the most unassuming way.

Thank you for visiting my weekly blog. Any comments are welcomed.