Creative Tools for Harmony in Your Household #9: Affirmations, Energy Healing and Prayer

I always ask my students what is the one thing that all energy healing modalities share? And the answer is very simple: Intention. Well, affirmations and prayer carry that too. You have an intention behind every affirmation and every prayer. In many ways, Energy Healing is an affirmative prayer. 

Here is what they each are and I use them together.

Affirmations

Pictures click off in your head as you speak the word. Affirmations are really for you, and creating them in a sing-song or an upbeat tone can get you out of your own head and out of that place of doubt.

An important component to making up a strong affirmation is that it has to be in the positive. Our subconscious mind (and animals receptive to what is in our subconscious mind) can’t break down grammatical contractions like don’t or can’t. If you say, “don’t dig in the yard,” both our subconscious mind and the animal are only going to see the picture of the dog digging in the yard.

Back in the ’80s a guy friend of mine had a brutal breakup with his girlfriend of seven years. He told me then that he didn’t want another relationship and that mentally he was putting a red circle with a slash through the word “relationship so that he didn’t attract one. Of course, girls looking for a relationship were drawn to him. Finally, a rather hip therapist told him that his subconscious mind couldn’t comprehend the red circle with a slash through it, and he was  attracting more of the subject dominating his thought―a relationship.

It’s the same with animals. Rather than saying “Don’t dig in the yard,” make up an affirmation about how “Buddy loves to sit in the garden.” The phrase must reflect the positive behavior.

I have a client who lives on a greenbelt in Denver. Coyotes and other creatures are known to roam through this suburban neighborhood. Her cat was very savvy. However, her husband feared for this little cat’s life and his fear was creating a resistance in the cat to coming home. I suggested giving the cat a boundary, by which he had to be in at 6:00 p.m. every night, and then he could have dinner. I had her take up all the feed bowls during the day (it’s better for their digestion anyway). We worked on a sing-song type affirmation, using positive words only: “You better come inside or dinner will be denied.” “The cat obeys the rules and is in by six.” Again, it wasn’t a phrase about you “can’t have dinner” because that would have played out as you better come in and even if you don’t you still get to have your dinner.

For timid animals people have used: “You’re always safe with me and there’s a whole world to see.”

By making the affirmation whimsical and fun, it also takes the negative emotion out of the equation that has previously fueled the discussion between you and the animal. Meaning if you have a lot of frustration around the fact that your cat has peed on the couch, the affirmation can’t be coming from a grumbling tone about using the litter box. If you made up a song about “how much we love the litter box” and made it more fun for the cat to want to please you, suddenly there’s a whole different energy around the litter box.

 A lot of people are timid about riding after an accident even though they know their horse is sorry. Perhaps on the day that you are going to just get on for the first time, you make up a little song about walking safely around the arena.

It goes back to the story I told about the teacher telling the class to always have a smile on your face while doing dog agility training. When the frustration goes up the intelligence goes down, and the intention goes right out the window. Maybe you feel dumb taking a sing-song approach to affirmations, but who’s listening anyway! Besides, think back to how powerful it was when Mary Poppins got Jane and Michael Banks to clean their room by making it fun.

When I’m leaving town for a work trip, I build it up as if the animals are going to have fun. I make it sound like, “Whooo, is this great. You get to break all my rules and do all these fun things you don’t get to do with me.” And I rarely worry about it.

Pippi is probably the best illustration of the affirmations at work. Holly called from Wisconsin for a phone session. Pippi, a Border Collie, lived with Holly, her husband, a Shepherd mix that was about 10, and a 5-year-old Golden Retriever. Pippi herself was about two and a half at the time and hadn’t been with the family for very long.

I tuned into Pippi and many details later, it became obvious that Pippi had a rough beginning. In her present situation the older German Shepherd seemed to be the goddess/matriarch of the farm and took care of everything. The five-year-old Lab was like a tub of love to people and dogs. Pippi acted like a scaredy cat, and in doing that barked incessantly at people and probably frightened off a few folks. I find that most people don’t stop to determine which type of bark they are hearing: Gee, is this a fear bark or aggression? So this was truly unwanted behavior.

When I got on the phone with Holly, I explained that Pippi didn’t want to be a scaredy cat but that there were several things going on to fuel her behavior: 1. Pippi didn’t have a real job, because they were all taken. 2. She was very unsure of herself due to her turbulent beginnings. 3. She knew Holly and her husband weren’t so sure whether to keep her because she didn’t really fit in.

Holly told me that Pippi was afraid of, and barked at, all farm help (especially men), the UPS man, anyone, and everyone. So we acknowledged how she behaved and that it was the opposite of the confident at-home dog she wanted to be. Then we reframed the picture on that. I suggested that Pippi be given the job of apprentice to the goddess/matriarch of the farm. Since that dog was 10, Pippi would be needed to run the farm eventually because the Lab was about love and fun and wouldn’t be able to run things as the Shepherd had.

A Border Collie not having a job is close to being one of the worst offenses on planet earth: And here she was, third in the pack, and both the good jobs (running the joint and love) already taken. That is a very difficult position to be in for any dog, but especially a Border Collie.

So I asked Holly if she and her husband could see Pippi as the Apprentice rather than a scaredy cat. She said that she probably could. I explained that sometimes holding the new vision can be challenging because the past behavior will frequently juxtapose the picture you’re trying to hold in your head.

So I said, “I’m going to give you some affirmations for you and Pippi. But first I need your “Pippi good dog” voice. So Holly spoke in a higher tone saying “Good dog Pippi.”

I said, “Okay keep the Pippi voice and repeat after me: ‘Pippi loves the UPS man.’” She repeated the new phrase. We went through all the people who came to work there and created a whole script about how much Pippi loved them.

Then, divinely timed of course, Holly said “Oh my God, you are never going to believe this but the UPS man is coming down the walkway toward the house.”

I said, “Don’t panic, put the phone down and do the affirmations.”

 Holly put the phone down and in her silly “good dog Pippi” voice stood there greeting the UPS man and speaking to Pippi about how much she loved the UPS man, how fun it is that he comes to visit, blah, blah, blah—a stream of consciousness all about Pippi, love, and UPS man. Pippi didn’t bark, apparently she even got a little smell of the guy and backed away. Off the UPS man went—happy, since he wasn’t threatened by Pippi’s fear barking. Holly came back on the phone line. She couldn’t believe it.

 Since then, the combination of Pippi being able to tell her story, acknowledging that she was heartbroken from the past; didn’t have a job; reframing the picture of her as the apprentice to the goddess/matriarch of the farm; and creating some affirmations for the specific places where there was complete breakdown in communication prior to the consultation, have created a really welcome home and fulfilling place for Pippi to be. Pippi also fulfills her breed-specific need of being a full time working dog!

Within an hour, Pippi’s circumstances had been changed forever. She continues to thrive and has gotten to know the farm helpers. Holly and her husband’s commitment to helping Pippi succeed should also be commended. It seemed kind of wacky to say, “We love the UPS man,” but in truth, what’s wackier―letting a dog seem out of sorts in life, or saying silly phrases that can be life altering?

Energy Work

The laying on of hands goes back to Christ and before. Whenever we lay our hands on another with intention, we can affect their energy. Just for starters, rub your hands together and then pull them apart, slowly. See how far out your hands go while still maintaining that energy or magnetism between them. With intention, this can only have a positive effect.

Laying your hands on an animal after a surgery can have a calming effect. Laying on your hands when an animal is scared can have a soothing effect. Knowing that your animal is out of alignment and laying your hands on the spine can actually morph the spine right to where it’s supposed to go. Laying on of the hands will at the very least relax an animal.

I went out to a barn to talk to a horse in Enumclaw, Washington. I didn’t know anything about the family but when I got to this one horse they told me that they didn’t know why she was so upset. I got quiet and connected with the horse. After I had made my notes I just automatically put my hands on the area above the ovaries. The woman asked me why the horse was so upset. I told her because her person had completely disappeared and abandoned her. The woman said, “That would be my daughter. Since she left for college two years ago, she has abandoned all of us.”

Both the horse and the woman were experiencing the abandonment. Then I asked if they were planning to breed the horse (the horse was confused about this). The woman said yes, but that the horse hadn’t come into heat in two years, since her daughter left. There were tears out of the woman and audible relief out of the horse in the form of a big sigh. They talked about what the woman could do with the horse if they weren’t going to breed her.

When the horse was pulled out of the stall, with a splash (I’m not kidding) she came into heat before our very eyes. I personally think it was the combination of the woman and the horse releasing their sorrow and the hands over the ovaries relaxing the system.

There are many techniques that don’t require your hands. There are techniques like Reiki, Theta, and the Bio Scalar Wave created by Dr. Valerie Hunt, just to name a few. I personally use the Bio Scalar Wave along with some other little techniques. I center myself and proceed through the animals body, knowing the personality and or physical complications, I go in and energetically balance the system to allow itself to get back on course. The body wants to survive. Sometimes a condition or “illness” has a strong hold on the animal. Through energy work, you can reprogram the healthy tissue or the strongest organs to dominate the condition.

Like animal communication, energy knows no time or space. So the recipient doesn’t have to be in the same room or country. Marianne the woman with Hannah (the dog with Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever) went through so much trying to keep Hannah’s immune system going strong. I could be anywhere in the country and I’d get an e-mail from Marianne saying Hannah needed some work. I’d get quiet, connect with Hannah and then would be able to work on her from anywhere. Moments later I’d get a call from Marianne saying, “Wow, we thought this was the end and then she just got up and trotted off!” This went on for years.

Whether you are a skilled energy worker or making it up as you go along, the most important things to remember are to have a good intention and to have no agenda. I know that sounds tricky—intention but no agenda is almost contrary. But it’s not. The right intention is for the highest good of all. No agenda means you may not save their life.

Back to Hannah and Marianne: I was actually at their house―most of our relationship has been phone and e-mail―and I did some energy work on Hannah. She was lovely and receptive to work with. We would go into a trance together. This time, we were in so deep it actually felt like the air was turning into water and suddenly it seemed Hannah was drowning. In the work, I pulled her up to air. After I was done, Marianne asked me what happened. She said she could sense that we were in a very deep hypnotic state.

I said, “Funny you should say ‘deep,’” and I proceeded to tell her what had happened. Larry her husband piped in that Hannah was the only Lab on the planet that hates water and refuses to swim. Marianne suggested that maybe Hannah drowned in a past life. About a month later Marianne called and said, “Joan, you’re not going to believe this, but Hannah jumped in the ocean today and swam and swam.”

My intention had been to go in and work on Hannah’s  immune system, and anything else that came up. Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought to go in and heal “swimming” for an eight-year-old Lab. But after that, Hannah was a swimmer.

A friend called because her dog, Smooch, was in terrible shape after what most of us (herself, her vet, and other healers) concluded was the result of ingesting the herbicide, Roundup. The dog was in the hospital in Orlando on fluids. Shannon asked me to work on Smooch. I told her at the time what I tell everyone about an animal in such a critical state: this may help the animal stay here and be healthier, but it could also make the crossing more blissful.

Though she was distraught, she also knew this was how it had to be. Prior to that night, if we did energy work on the dog, he had some immediate relief in the form of passing urine. So we all had some glimmer of hope regarding helping Smooch to stay here.

I ran the energy and it was like floating through his system. When I got to the chakras (see page TK), not only was I trying to give them a spin in a clockwise manner, I was trying to put the proper colors in place and all I could see was white, the most glorious white as if somebody had a spotlight on them, reflecting back up to me. I brought the energy in, but it felt like it was falling back out. I was aware of somebody being very upset as if Western Medicine had failed them, but I thought that was odd and kept trying to get it out of my head.

About five minutes later the phone rang. It was Shannon in Orlando. She said that Smooch had crossed over a few minutes ago. She also said that the vet had called her in hysterics, upset with how hard she tried, and yet failed, to save her. We all had done the best we could, and Smooch had a glorious passing, so she really didn’t fail.

Energy work has helped aggressive dogs. Energy work has helped nervous dogs. Energy work has endless applications. It’s resetting the system. A lot of the above techniques combined could be your own special little energetic formula!

Prayer

Last but not least, praying is one of the most important things you can do. I know that when I’m in trouble, scared, or out of control, that’s the first thing I turn to. But there were times when my habit was to freak out about a situation or try to control it. After enough pretty rough experiences, I now know that I’m taken care of.

Sometimes things happen so we can learn to put our attention on God and away from ourselves. Or they remind us to get back in that state of One Mind. If you have an aging or ill animal companion, don’t forget the prayer, along with glucosamine or the power meds. A lot of us have mental blocks or feel awkward about the religion we were raised with and attach prayer to that feeling. Sometimes simple mantras are appropriate. I have a lot of them! If you do have a particular prayer from your childhood that you resonate with, shout it out. Don’t be shy.

Mantras

• Om. Om has a long o sound: Enjoy it as much as the extended mmmm  (This is a sacred Hindu syllable.)
• Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti,  (Om, peace, peace, peace.)
• Lord Jesus Christ, Have Mercy On Me: inhale on the first phrase, exhale on the second  (This is known to Christians as the Jesus Prayer.)
• Be Still and Know That I Am One With God  (From the Old Testament book of Psalms.)
• Shalom  (Hebrew for “Peace.”)
• Bismillah Al-Rahman, Al-Rahin: The name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful.  (An Islamic prayer from the Qur’an.)

There is a book called The Way of The Pilgrim that tells of a man in Russia who walks all around the country and teaches that repeating the Jesus Prayer over and over brings you to a euphoric state daily. (Again, the repetition raises your frequency.) The idea behind repetitive prayers is that you make it part of your subconscious. Furthermore repetitive prayers or mantras work automatically to raise your frequency. When you raise your own frequency, you are much more available to be of service to someone sick or dying without taking everything on.

Prayer Box

Sometimes it seems there are just too many prayers to be answered. In my office, I have two boxes: 1. Immediate Prayers; 2. Answered Prayers. When I hang up from a phone session or I’ve been to a home with a challenging situation, I write down the situation on a Post-It note and date it. I place it into the prayer box. That box is filled with lost animals and seemingly unsolvable illnesses and behaviors.         

Every so often I go through the prayer box and notice that some of the prayers have been answered. Immediately that Post-It note goes into the Answered Prayers box. I keep the Immediate Prayers box next to my desk so that I have easy access between phone sessions. I keep the Answered Prayers box on my bookshelf in front of my desk, so that my eyes glance upon it regularly throughout a session to remind myself in any seemingly hopeless situation that prayers are answered.

Excerpted from Communication with all Life, Revelations of an Animal Communicator (Hay House, 2007)