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Three Ways You’re Likely Sending Your Pet Mixed Messages, by Danielle McKinnon

(Article originally published in The Llewellyn Journal.)

For more than seventeen years, I've worked as a professional animal communicator; although I've had the pleasure to meet and help thousands of people and animals around the globe, I'm still often surprised how even the biggest animal-lovers out there can miscommunicate with their beloved pets.

Animals, whether domesticated or wild, captured or free, have the ability to tap into a person to understand, at a deeper level, what is really going on within them. Most people, however, overlook this innate skill in animals and instead rely only on the more basic senses to communicate their messages. Aggressive verbal commands, special training devices, and restraints are just a few of the ways we, as humans, try to control the animals around us. Animals really do have so much more to offer us, if we know how to listen and receive—and when we listen and receive well, we can avoid the miscommunication that is running rampant in today's human/animal relationships.

Animals have honed their intuitive abilities to help them survive in the wild. An elephant needs to sense when danger is coming from hundreds of miles away—and she can do that, not just through her trunk, but also through her knowing. A cheetah can sense a change in the energy that tells him his prey is near… and more. These "other" senses are well-developed in animals and part of their normal, every day lives—whereas for us… well… I have a whole business dedicated to helping people rediscover these abilities within themselves! It is because of these special skills that animals hold that animals have to much to teach us.

Here are some of the most common ways that, as a result of how animals are tuning in to you, you may be miscommunicating. As you read through the list, you may find that you were already subconsciously aware of these things happening; however, the real power comes from being cognizantly aware of these mis-cues.

Visuals
What happens when you read the words, "pink elephant?" You immediately picture a pink elephant, right? This is because our brain creates images to go along with what we're saying or thinking. Just as easily as you can blink, animals connect to the pictures in your head. Whether you're talking about something or simply thinking about it, animals can "see" what you're seeing in your mind's eye. Now, if you don't know how to work with this, you can end up with a confused animal. For example, when you read the sentence, "Get off the sofa," you most likely immediately think of an animal on the sofa—which means, the animal you're talking to is going to receive a mixed message between your words and the visual inside your head. But when you, instead, make the words and picture in your head match by saying something like, "Go lay down on your bed!" you're now sending a message that makes sense and can be clearly understood.

Feelings
One of the things that I've learned through my years as an animal communicator is the importance of transparency. If I'm unsure about intuitive information I'm receiving, I make sure to say this out loud to the person with whom I'm working. If I don't know how to interpret something, same deal. Many people, however, don't subscribe to the transparency theory and will present a face to the world that says they are happy/wonderful/satisfied, etc., when, on the inside they are feeling sad/worried/lonely/upset. This trait is particularly challenging for animals to understand as they tap into the emotions of each person they encounter. If you're feeling fearful on the inside and pretending to be happy on the outside, the animal tapping in to you is going to read you as untrustworthy. What are you hiding? Why are you behaving this way? Learning to match your outside and your inside will not only serve to strengthen the relationship with the animal in your life, but it will also positively affect the rest of your life as well!

Thoughts
Animals are actual mind-readers. Yes, it may sound crazy, but they can tap right in to what you're thinking about. And they understand what you're thinking about, too! When you're all wrapped up in your thoughts, re-hashing a conversation or something that happened at the store, the animal in your life knows it. But to an animal, whose very survival depends on being in the present moment, getting caught up in your thoughts is not a safe place to be. As a result, YOU will not feel safe to the animal. How does the animal choose to handle this mixed message (after all, you're not unsafe, you're just preoccupied!)? She chooses to do whatever she must do to get you into the present moment (and feeling safe again). For example, your cat may clue in to the fact that you're sitting in that chair re-hashing something that happened at work. To help bring your thoughts into a happier, healthier place, your cat may choose to pee on your foot or jump on your head. After all, the moment that cat lands on your head, you're not re-hashing work anymore, your thoughts are clear and present: get the cat off my head! To avoid the animal taking drastic steps to bring you into the present moment, watch your tendency to think about other things when you're with him. He'll thank you—and your pee-less foot will thank you, too.

Now that you know how in tune to your thoughts, feelings, emotions, and visuals the animals in your life are, it's time to take up a new type of responsibility in the relationship with your animal. Become conscious of what you say, and ensure that that matches the picture you're holding in your head. Work on transparency in your life, allowing the ick to be ick (and working through that) and celebrating the exciting moments. No one expects you to be perfect! Watch your thoughts as well. Know that the survival of animals in the wild is based on their ability to be present and in the here and now, and they are going to do whatever they have to do to get you present in the here and now as well. With these simple shifts in how you interact with your pet, you'll find that you can actually receive more love, more fun, and more comfort in that relationship than ever before!

Article originally published in The Llewellyn Journal. Copyright Llewellyn Worldwide, 2017. All rights reserved.

I've started using the law of attraction and it's turned my life around. I feel so much more confident and fulfilled. Several months ago I started my own vision board by making a collage of all the things I wanted in my life. I wanted a soul mate so I put on a picture of a famous footballer to represent my ideal man. I have known this guy from the neighborhood for a long time, and in the last couple of months, we've become good friends. He has the same first name as this famous footballer, and is everything I would want in a soul mate. It felt so right between us - or so I thought - for when I told him about my feelings for him in a text, he ignored me. We have spoken since that incident and he has even flirted with me, but never mentioned the text I sent him. I even had a dream wherein he said I was the type of woman he could fall in love with, and then he kissed me. When I woke up from the dream, I felt a magical glow all over my body. I have begged the universe to give me a sign that he either is or is not the one. When I think about not being with him, I feel sad. I know you can't force anyone to love you, but over the years something has always told me that I like this guy, even when I didn't know him very well. Is it stupid to continue to focus on manifesting this man in my love life? He's a Libra and I'm an Aries.

Astrea:

I love the vision board thing! When I was broke and needed a new car, I did the same thing you're doing. I cut out and put up pictures of my little red Toyota MR2, and three weeks later it was in my driveway.

The Law of Attraction will work for people know how to use it, so I know you're on the right track. Some people might say that the LOA isn't designed for something like getting a certain partner, but I disagree. You can make it work for you if you take the time to do it right.

Libra and Aries can make great soul mates, though often the Aries isn't patient enough to wait for the Libra to catch up. It will take this guy a while to come over to your way of thinking. Libras like to feel they're in control, and your text took him by surprise.

Don't fret; things will turn around after the first of the year. He didn't talk to you about your text because he simply wasn't ready. Since he's still flirting with you, the text didn't damage your chances one bit.

While we're on the subject of texting, I want to take this opportunity to ask everyone who texts others with their deepest feelings a question: What the heck are you people thinking?!

Every day I counsel people who texted something important to someone, and are agonizing over the response (or lack of response) they got. Telling people that you think you love them in a text may seem safe, but it's just plain silly, and it hardly ever yields the desired outcome.

One of the hardest things for the computer/ cell phone/ email/ text generation to understand is that people have to interact face to face in order to fall in love. Personal interaction is essential for building personal relationships.

Texts are for light or practical matters; they're for flirting, not making lifetime commitments. Telling someone deep personal information in a text is chicken and kind of pushy, for the texter clearly expects the person to respond in kind.

What's that you say? You don't have the courage to walk up and express your feelings because you fear rejection? Well, join the crowd, kiddo. Everyone fears rejection.

The key to building any long lasting relationship is communication between two people. It's nice that we have all this technology to aid us in doing that, but for real love to flourish, people have to actually spend time together with their cell phones, televisions, computers and blackberries powered off.

The LOA can only do so much; people have to be willing to put themselves out there in PERSON to get big results.

*****

Susyn:

The ritual you describe is very powerful and similar to one I recommend to clients who want to attract a soul mate. The reason it works so well is because it helps us define our true feelings and get focused on our desires.

As you say, when you took action to create the vision board, suddenly things began to happen. It would be hard to ignore all the signs and events that point toward your friend.

With the exception of your text message, it appears things are going well. What's hard to fathom is why you've opened your heart to him but he's not returning your feelings.

Perhaps he's old-fashioned and wants to be the one to make the first move. If this is the case, be patient: Men typically move much slower than women when it comes to relationships.

It's also possible that by deciding he is your soul mate, period, you've limited your focus to this one person, when he may merely be a representation of the one you are trying to draw in.

Here's the problem with that: instead of staying focused on yourself, you're intently focused on him. This will create more and more resistance from him, so the best way to tell if he is really the one is to take your focus off of him and all your feelings for him, and return your attention to yourself.

This is what manifested the change in the first place. You'll notice that once you turned all your attention to him, movement toward a relationship stalled.

Also, remember that you're dealing with a Libra, which is a sign of the zodiac that doesn't make decisions lightly or quickly, but instead tends to sit on the fence indefinitely.

As an Aries, your nature is to get an idea in your head and then rush to act on it. As polar opposites in the Zodiac, Aries and Libras couldn't be more different in how they approach and process life.

Keep in mind that whatever you focus on, your friend will focus on. Presently you're focused on him, so that's what he's thinking about too - himself. If you'd like him to think more about you, you can change that in an instant by making yourself your first priority, even if it means saying no the next time he wants to hang out or chat.

The most important thing to keep in mind as you continue your quest to discover if this man or someone else is your soul mate, is that until you can master the art of keeping your focus on yourself, it will be hard to manifest fulfillment.

The more you focus on yourself, the more you'll glow with spiritual light, and then you'll attract a soul mate like a moth to a flame.

Good luck on your search for true love, Aries!

Astrea:

Many times in life we hear, "You will always have what you NEED, but not necessarily what you WANT." Your spirit must have needed to experience the feeling of leaving your human body, and the suggestion in the next chapter of Sylvia Brown's book was all it took to get you there.

Even though you hadn't read it yet, your SOUL recognized the title of that chapter as something it had been seeking, and your soul, knowing that you had that reference to read after your experience, got with it and out you went!

While I don't usually recommend her books, Sylvia Brown has a wide reaching and powerful effect on lots of people. A Gemini like you would be able to relate easily to her writing and put it to good use. Synchronicity - you gotta love it!

I like your description of "getting caught." That's exactly what it feels like, isn't it? One minute you're free and hovering above the room, and the next minute, ZAP! back down into your corporeal form you go!

As a little kid, I loved that "feeling of return." With practice, most of the time we can control that event, but sometimes, when our physical ears hear a distracting noise or something else occurs to knock us back into reality, back we go. With practice you will be able to control your return better.

I find it interesting that you were visiting your mother-in-law and not someone in your own genetic family. Evidently, you and your husband got married for reasons that are even deeper than love. His family's interest in "psychic stuff" will nurture your children in such matters and help them to grow into their own abilities.

You'll never have to be concerned that when your daughter visits them, she'll be discouraged from exploring her own psychic life and power. My parents encouraged me to develop my psychic senses in a time when it wasn't nice to even discuss such things in public. Heck, it's STILL not considered a great topic at the dinner table in some families!

Your kids will get to talk about it ALL and ask questions and read and study. This is going to give them such an edge in life! Talk with your husband about how you want to present this to your kiddos, so that you are united in your approach and ready to tell them their experiences are all natural and okay.

A word or two of warning: Geminis often have difficulty staying grounded in REAL LIFE. Don't get so strung out on your ASTRAL life that you neglect what you're doing here on Earth.

You are at the beginning of a long journey to learn where your power really lies. Try to be patient with this process and take your time.