Pastor Julie Webb: Animal Communication and Healing

27/07/2024

How are you doing, folks? So far, we are okay, here in Lake County.

21/07/2024

I really do appreciate the new things I'm learning about some of our critter relations. The paper wasps and the mud daubers and spiders who have built houses in the front and back of my house (not to mention my mailbox, where the mail carrier knocked down a wasp nest by shoving mail through it, and NOBODY got cranky) now make me seem a bit untidy and unwelcoming to humans ... but have taught me about their gentleness.

When the tiny local ants (Thief ants, I think?) were driven inside my bathroom by rain earlier in the year, I began to notice more earwigs, too. Great, I thought. Earwigs have always given me the creeps: like, for me, in the Star Trek earworm scene, they could have used an earwig instead! But then I got one of those intuitive afterthoughts that come through sometimes: they are after the ants, I thought. So, I looked it up -- and, yes, earwigs hunt ants. Which means I had to understand and thank them a bit, even though I really wished they'd head back outside.

Then, yesterday, one of them accidentally pushed the envelope. During a Zoom call with an animal ministry client, while on screen, I took a swig of tea from my water bottle and felt something slide into my mouth that wasn't water. It was sort of tiny and firm and smooth and not round, not pulpy -- not some tea leaf escaped from the teabag. I discreetly (I hope) grabbed a piece of tissue and spat the thing quietly from my mouth, then held it off camera to look at it. Earwig. Eww! Alive or dead? Waterlogged, for sure; and no time to find out, so I wrapped them gently in the tissue and set that aside and finished my session with a lovely family who are nearing the end of their dog's life.

After the session, I remembered the tissue and re-checked, and there was a wobbly but living earwig in it. Antennae sort of stuck together, but I didn't want to further traumatize them, so outside they went.

I feel like maybe I have had enough critter lessons for now. 😅 But I'm sure there are more to come!

17/07/2024

13/07/2024

Go ahead: pet that tummy!

04/07/2024

United States friends, you may need this video this weekend. Try EFT (tapping) with your animal friends about fireworks.

If they prefer not to be touched during tapping, you can tap near but not on their body; or on yourself as surrogate; or picture the points in your mind as you tap at distance (as it's a form of energy work). You may be surprised how well this works! 🧡

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1011511733752151&id=100046800022834&mibextid=Nif5oz

EFT Tapping for 4th of July Firework fear in animals.
https://youtu.be/UAKvr2jLg5k?si=vWt0cyDteyZkp912

It's almost July and July can be terrifying for animals because of the upcoming holiday here in the states, the 4th of July.

Since the early days of my paper newsletters in the 90’s through to this date, I am always reminding people of safety first around this time of year. There are so many great tips out there of making sure you have your animals in this time of year and that they are tagged, etc.

I also love to share this EFT Tapping Video because it has helped so many people with fear of fireworks (and even thunder and other loud noises).

It is great to start doing this now so your animal is accustomed to the “tapping” and hopefully, by the time the 4th of July comes around, your animal will be fine.

14/06/2024

I'm attending this retreat this week, and just got to present a workshop about animal communication today. My Bella cat taught about 14 new people how to listen to another species! She rocked it, of course.

02/06/2024

Dang, paper wasps are so mild-mannered! 🧡 The ones who tried building their nest last year in the eaves over the back door have returned and chosen the underside of my old wooden bench. That's fair: it was overdue for an oiling, so it makes great building material.

I went out today to put out the bench cushion for summer -- and maybe to oil the bench a little first -- and found them. They are deep in construction mode, and just want to be left to it. I asked if I might unroll a rug under their bench, very gently, and they let me. Then I covered myself well, just in case, and asked them to let me lay down the bench cushion as their ceiling. They let me do that, too, with no fuss at all! They are teaching me about paper wasps, who are also pollinators.

28/05/2024

Apparently, I spent enough time in layovers at Heathrow that my phone now thinks I live there: I keep getting Heathrow weather reports. 😆 But I live here!

08/05/2024

Just out for an evening drive with elephants, today. Wishing you all might feel like this!

27/04/2024

A lot of my clients have what dog trainer Marilyn Mele calls "fizzy" dogs, or else anxious dogs. Or "reactive", or otherwise sensitive.

Like most of you, I'm not a trained animal behaviorist. But I notice when I listen to some animals that they have sensitivities similar to mine, and they can sometimes feel overwhelmed. Research has shown that sensory-processing sensitivity exists in canines and many other species, as well as in humans.

So I find Marilyn Mele's new video series really thought-provoking, and think some of you may appreciate it, as well. It applies some of what we have learned about brain function, sensitivity, and trauma responses to the arena of dog training. In other words, what works for a less-sensitive dog may not work for a more-sensitive one.

There's a replay (no charge, and less than $40 if you decide you want to keep them) on during this weekend.

What can you do for your sensitive dog after you've "tried everything"? When your good intentions and best efforts fail to bring relief to your emotionally sensitive dog, doesn't it feel disheartening and frustrating? But...You're not out of options!

15/04/2024

Here's the article about Baby Motka and the Cats with Clergy -- I mean, Clergy with Cats -- group!

They're so feline-frenzied that the the group organized a road trip for members to transport a baby kitten from Oklahoma to a new home in Cincinnati.

13/04/2024

FARLOW WEDDELL WEBB
d. April 10, 2024
Into paradise may the angels lead you. ❤

We were just one month shy of having four years together. On May 11, 2020 (one month after Felix the Church Cat's death), a Napa rescuer from Whiskers, Tails and Ferals placed her faith in me and allowed me to take home the cat she'd rescued and named Farlow. He was an adult already; they thought maybe one or two years old, although he'd spent about a year in her care, and months of that waiting at Petco. Turned out he was closer to six or seven years old, probably -- old enough to have formed his own opinions and ways of being in the world. He was so highly sensitive that he'd spent much of his Petco time hiding in the litter box, and even though he'd clearly volunteered to come home with me, he freaked out at the actual loading to the extent that he temporarily stumped his rescuers.

I brought him home, and he headed for the closet, where he was when Bella joined us a day later. He remained in the closet for almost a week, only coming out under cover of darkness to eat and use the litter box. And so my intensive training began: Surrender, Julie. Surrender to this moment and stop trying to help or to make it better. Just be present and work with your own energy. As a pastor, I thought I had learned a lot about that already, but I'm still working on that lesson! I couldn't have had a more consistent teacher than Farlow cat.

What a sage (and an imp!) he was! He accompanied me all the way through my animal communication and energy work training, sat next to me for countless case studies and client sessions, and taught a number of animal communication classes. At the end of a class session, he liked to have me bring the laptop over and set it near him; he would walk over to the screen and stare directly into the faces of his students on the Zoom call -- in a way he never ever did at any other time when I was on Zoom -- absolutely blowing fuses in their heads as the cat who had just communicated with them showed them that he had meant it all. (In Joan Ranquet's school, we focus on the essence and favorite things of an animal to begin with, so they had listened for those things and had feedback from me on how accurately they'd heard him.)

He had several significant health challenges, and lived with metastatic mast cell tumors for the last year of his life. During this time, our beloved friend and his Aunt Indrani Das of Way of Artemis, my animal communication homework partner who had met him soon after his arrival in the household, did almost daily energy work on him. I'm not sure who benefited most from this! Farlow sure did: I know it extended his life and comfort significantly. I did, because my skeptical self got literally hundreds of examples of how real our connection is across time and space: Idee would let me know when she was about to begin a session, and when she finished, but time after time, I didn't need the notice, because I could see the change in Farlow. Session over? I already knew that, because my cat suddenly came swaggering back into the room all bouncy and happy. And I know that Idee benefitted, as her intuitions about him were confirmed over and over again.

I think he will continue to teach all of us, so I won't give away all his stories here; I'll leave them for future students to find for themselves. But I have some thanks to offer.

His last weeks were supported by literally hundreds of humans (and some of their animal companions), who offered prayer and energetic strength to our household. In fact, our sensitive energy wizard got such a boost of power whenever I posted online for support that I eventually stopped posting, concerned that he'd just never let go if we didn't wean him off the juicy energy! In particular, the Clergy with Cats Facebook Group and the Joan Ranquet - Communication With All Life school Facebook Group were so loving to us, as were many from the congregation I serve.

Vish Busawon sweetly took over and did a few Scalar Wave case studies with him at the last when Idee needed a day off. Lorrin Maughan held a couple of wonderful animal communication sessions with him when I wanted clarification, and she helped me tap (EFT/acupressure tapping) through some of my feelings about letting him go. Marie-Christine Lochot (of Animal Talk and Healing by MC Lochot) reached out in her own grief and accompanied us through the last days, offering a beautiful animal communication session on the day before he died, and supporting him, as so many others did, while he made the crossing. Rajashree Maa (Joni Dittrich, PhD), my spiritual friend and teacher of The Wisdom School: Home of Kali-Ki Reiki, checked in on us and held our household in love; she also offered Reiki that caused Farlow to curl up on his head in blissful relief! Rose De Dan of Wild Reiki and Shamanic Healing wasn't even aware of accompanying us, but she did, through Indrani's gift of her "Storytelling for People and Animals" series (available at reikishamanic.com): Farlow and I listened together to the whole series on some of the last nights of his life, and it helped soothe us both. Acupressure lessons from Jill Todd of Dr. Jill Todd: Complementary Veterinary Medicine and Jill and Joan Healing served us well when Farlow needed some relief. I used Reiki skills I had learned from Wendee and Friends and Animal Reiki Source to help me be present with him. Countless friends, family, and colleagues made me feel held in loving arms.

Dr. Joanna Holtz and Jenn of MIddletown Animal Hospital came to the house because they knew and understood Farlow, they made his leaving so truly peaceful and kind.

Joan Ranquet, you teach us the same lessons Farlow valued: to be present and "hold space" without trying to change things. You also teach the skills I and others needed to be able to support Farlow during this season of his life. It felt different to go through this dying process with him than it did with other cats, before I learned what you taught me. And I knew that you were holding space for us.

And Indrani Das -- words cannot express the lifelong debt of gratitude I owe to you for sharing the Farlow Experience with me, halfway around the world, from start to this particular finish. I know that you and your cats share the grief felt now by Bella and me, because you loved Farlow so well. A deep bow of thanks to you, my distant family members, with so much love.

Every night we spent together, I ended the day by offering Farlow, then Bella, my thanks for favorite moments we'd shared that day, and then singing this adaptation of an old Welsh lullaby. I whispered it to him as he went to sleep for the last time.

Sleep, my cat, and peace attend thee,
All through the night
Guardian angels God will send thee,
All through the night
Soft the drowsy hours are creeping,
Hill and vale in slumber sleeping,
I my loving vigil keeping,
All through the night.

P.S. The photos below don't show all the romping and all the attitude! I never had my camera ready to catch those. 😆 "Weddell" is a kind of seal, because Farlow was my Selkie cat.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/tRZMPF1eG89j4hEB9

24 new items · Memory by Julie Webb

12/04/2024

I don't know about you, but I needed some good news this week. Here's the story of Baby Motka, which has been unfolding delightfully in the Clergy with Cats Facebook group over the past few weeks. Read and enjoy! Actual kitten video from a Cincinnati newspaper in comments.

https://www.episcopalnewsservice.org/2024/04/12/episcopal-nun-helps-stray-kitten-in-oklahoma-find-a-home-in-ohio/?fbclid=IwAR1Zv4q7RBUeOI7GGeBi4uMi7trpFzz7PdR-rf2wxnAO8PKKp9MPNDJ4KvY

[Episcopal News Service] Sister Diana Doncaster of the Community of the Transfiguration, an Episcopal religious order for women in Cincinnati, Ohio, was one link in a chain of people who helped an …

03/04/2024

I get to attend the Wild Church Network retreat this year, and to share a workshop experience of Intuitive Interspecies Communication (Animal Communication). So looking forward to sharing this time with people whose heart is already attuned to mine. Join us if you can!

(The online booking process has been having some glitches, so holler if you want to come but run into trouble.)

29/03/2024

Of course, Farlow made it into my Good Friday reflection. 🧡

Good Friday Reflection 2024
Lake Ministerial Association Service
Noon, United Christian Parish, Lakeport

When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, “Woman, here is your son,” 27 and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.
John 19:26-27

A beloved member of my household, who happens to be in the body of a cat, has been living in hospice care with metastatic cancer for the past eight or so months. You know how, sometimes, when someone goes into hospice, they actually do better? Well, this guy has done pretty well for all this time, but this week, he’s drawing near to death.

I know that many of you have tender hearts for other animals, and that’s as it should be. If we properly understood the way in which Jesus upends all of our systems of hierarchy, and how Christ has been present everywhere in all Creation from the beginning of time, we would treat the whole world differently than we usually do.

When we have the privilege of sharing a household with another species, one of the things it teaches us is what we share in common. Among those shared things are love and care, for sure. We care for each other, and we want to know that the other will be okay even when we’re not there. You may think I’m anthropomorphizing if I apply this to another species, and you are free to think whatever you want; but I know that you know the Golden Rule, which says that the way we are to behave in the world is to treat others the way we’d like to be treated. So, I find myself assuring Farlow cat, as he dies, that Bella and I will take care of each other. We will be okay.

Jesus sort of does this from the Cross, doesn’t he? The Jesus John shows us is not so lost to his own suffering that he cannot think of the others around him. He thinks of his mother. He thinks of his disciples. He wants them to take care of each other.

He thinks of “the disciple whom he loved” – a disciple who is never once named in the Gospel according to John, but whom many scholars take to be a stand-in for all of us. WE are the disciple Jesus loved. He is thinking of us, even as he bears the pain of the world.

He gives his mother into our care. And he gives us the gift of his mother for our very own. His mother, Mary, the God-bearer, as she’s called in Eastern Christian tradition. Mary, who gives us the Magnificat, that perfect understanding of how God’s justice and mercy transform us and the world. Mary, who knew how to say a courageous Yes to the call of the Divine. Mary, who recognized and called forth the gifts of her child at the wedding in Cana. Mary, who never gave up on him and never abandoned him.

Just as Jesus gives us the One he calls his Father, he also gives us his mother. What have you done with this gift? What does it mean for you?

I guess you don’t have to have statues of Mary in your church to accept the gift of relationship that Jesus offers here. Whether Mary is herself to you, or the role model for all disciples, or a stand-in for Mother Church, or Mother Earth, or something else, there’s a gift here, and an invitation. Here is your mother. Take care of each other.

Galilee Lutheran Church

28/03/2024

Now entering the great Three Days of Holy Week with a Farlow cat who is drawing near to his own death. -A good time to pray for all beings who find themselves suffering or near death. We know we are connected with you all in love. ❤️

17/03/2024

Every day, Bellla teaches animal Reiki meditation: I am supposed to sit behind her while she drapes her tail over my arm (and presses down!), and be in a lovely warm bubble with her as she eats. 🧡

10/03/2024

Polydactyl Power, brought to you by Farlow.

🐾 He has 6 digits on each front paw instead of the usual five; five on each hind foot, instead of four.

Just take a moment, breathe, and appreciate those toe beans with me. 🧡

(We offer deep gratitude for all who have been praying for us as he lives with cancer. We feel your kindness!)

06/03/2024

My polling place, , was hopping! Open until 8 p.m. Pacific.

Note the Bella cat hairs on my Reiki sweatshirt.

29/02/2024

Here's my animal communication teacher and friend, Joan Ranquet, teaching college students at her alma mater! I am so excited about what is developing for Stephens College students.

And Stephens College isn't the only school exploring the possibilities of intuitive interspecies communication: the University of Saskatchewan now offers an annual symposium on the subject.

https://www.stephens.edu/news/details/renowned-animal-communicator-joan-ranquet-shares-insights-on-human-animal-interactions-at-stephens-college/?fbclid=IwAR09vXhv-4rajtXj4naUYh7VMkZVQEnHx0sSB5_tAVXTkiE1erp0UrR2rXI

Stephens College welcomed alumna Joan Ranquet '82, internationally recognized animal communicator, back to campus February 5-9th for a series of engaging sessions focused on human-animal interactions.

27/02/2024

Jon Stewart, giving a beautiful tribute to his beloved dog. 💜 When someone is good for you, their love makes you radiant.

https://fb.watch/qu9uQES790/?mibextid=Nif5oz

17/02/2024

A deer path in my neighborhood, connecting an open space to the street.

In her book, _Church of the Wild_, Valerie Loorz offers a reflection on some of the stories we read during Lent. Ched Myers, she says, points out that Jesus is baptized, not just "in" the river (the preposition that's used for all the other people getting baptized by John), but "into" the river. It's like he's becoming part of the river.

And then, immediately, he is sent out "into" the wilderness, the "mouth-place" of God, and ministered to by wild beasts and angels (depending on where you put the comma, given that Koiné Greek has no punctuation). It's an old, old practice for the Divine to offer the wilderness as a place of restoration and reorientation. Dan Erlander liked to call it the Wilderness School.

What if, during this season, we humans---at least, those of us who need to---learned to see ourselves as being restored into our proper relationship of interbeing with the rest of Creation?

14/02/2024

Artificial light confuses nocturnal insects

"When artificial light does not interfere, nocturnal insects keep their backs pointed toward whatever direction is brightest, which is typically the sky versus the ground.

"This evolutionary trick has helped the critters know which way is up and keep them level during their night flights. However, when the insects pass by an artificial light source, they become disoriented, believing that the human-made lighting is the sky, said co-lead study author Samuel Fabian, an entomologist and postdoctoral researcher at Imperial College London’s department of bioengineering."

Moths reasons for hovering around lights are likely quite different from what most people assume, new research has found.

14/02/2024

When you undergo anesthesia of some kind, or take a bunch of medications, it can sometimes take a while to get your energy and clarity back, right? In theory, this is partly because your body is processing and clearing all the medication it took in. The liver bears a great deal of the load when it comes to clearing and cleaning in the body---even clearing simple-seeming things like allergens.

Thinking about this, and about the medications Farlow cat is taking these days for his cancer (mast cell tumors related to a kind of inflammation/immune response that's almost like an allergic reaction) and his heart, I decided I wanted to try supporting his liver. So, I'm giving him Standard Process Hepatic (Liver) Support.

I thought some of you might want to know it's out there! I don't get any compensation from them for sharing about this product. Standard Process also makes Canine products, and other supplements for cats, including Enteric (tummy) Support, Whole Body Support, Renal (Kidney) Support, and more.

Note: Farlow doesn't like the plain tablet, although I gather some cats do. I have to break it in half and coat it in his favorite tasty probiotic powder, then serve it with his favorite treats!

Purchase Standard Process products online from Natural Health Improvement Center. We are a premier practitioner authorized to sell Standard Process Inc. supplements.

07/01/2023

From my SARA friends!

Do you ever feel discouraged by the myriad of issues facing animals in our world today?

The Shelter Animal Reiki Association (SARA), a global non-profit renowned for its work bringing peace and stress relief to shelter and sanctuary animals since 2008, has organized an incredible, free, online conference because we know that for the world to change, the way we interact with animals needs to change. Animals show us daily how to be better, kinder, and more resilient—and now it's time to follow their lead.

Join us for
Letting Animals Lead Us to a Better Future:
A Virtual Conference for People Who Want to Take Action to Help Animals
February 2-4, 2023

SARA has brought together leading voices for animal advocacy—wisdom teachers, authors, professors, animal rescue experts, and veterinarians—to empower you to light the way to a brighter future.

This diverse group of experts distills their collective wisdom and compassion by offering practical, down-to-earth tips that make a profound difference in the lives of our animals, ourselves, and the world around us.

Register today to join us for an uplifting and inspiring event that promises light and hope for a better world.

Register link here: https://letanimalslead.org/

04/01/2023

After visiting the vet for a wound (which he's healing himself, he thanks you very much), Farlow had to return today for his allergy testing. It meant a blood draw---from the neck, it turned out!---and he was Not in the Mood. So, in order to avoid putting him through another vet visit, I gave permission for them to use Gabapentin on him, just for today. This is the guy I brought home! High as a loopy kite---and in this video, finally settling down for a snooze.