The Mirror-ing Effect
Many owners of pets will have heard of this term where the pet or pet owner reflects the problems of the other. I have seen many cases of lung problems, early cancers, arthritis, emotional issues (a biggie) that have arisen in the pet that after some soul-searching during case taking, also exist in the owner. Who started it (the pet or the owner) is debatable but dogs are particularly good at reflecting our inner problems. There is more to the comment ‘looking like your dog’ than meets the eye!
My dog had just been through a health crisis, starting with shaking and wobbles in the fore and a total collapse of his hindquarters. He is 13 years old and is beginning to show his years in self-restricting exercise, seeking the sunshine/heat, wanting a little extra attention and of course the grey muzzle, the coat a little ruffed around the shoulders and the gait not as fluid, with a certain deliberateness in negotiating steps and needing to re balance when sniffing the grass or lifting his leg to pee.
He had gone through three weeks of not wanting to move, in pain, not caring about himself – needing 24 hour nursing care. His condition needed the best that both veterinary medicine, natural medicine and the animal naturopath had to offer. Strong painkillers, homeopathics for nerve/spinal/joint issues, herbs for the muscular-skeletal system and ensuring nourishment to every body cell; massage especially around the neck area where tension was felt the most, and the Bioptron Light again on the neck region and along the spine.
And of course the best dog food, nourishing broths of organic chicken, vegetables, millet, buckwheat (alkalizing cereals) and organic brown rice.
At the beginning of the fourth week he began to show an interest in food, in becoming a little more active, seeking toileting places and his eyes becoming alive again. At the end of the week he offered me his toy ball – the beginning of real recovery.
At the onset of his illness I had suffered an injury at the gym. My arms became increasingly painful to move and handling him became a time-consuming and difficult task. I thought it was as a result of the gym injury but….
On the fourth week, as my dog emerged from his illness, I was taking a dive. I couldn’t move my arms, I found it extremely difficult to move my legs. I used the Bioptron on my neck. Herbs and homeopathy for nerves, spine and joint issues and I reduced my nutritional intake to broths, pain dampening my enthusiasm for food.
On the fifth week as dog now took himself to toilet and moved about pain-free I ended up in emergency. My medication was at the high-end of system support and pain relief, but at least after 24 hours I could now move about relatively pain-free and looking after myself and my dog with the degree of care I was used to giving.
As I look back over these weeks the similarities in symptoms was astonishing. Interestingly, I was given the same human drug equivalent as my dog had been on. In terms of age, we are probably about the same. We both share likes (people and dogs that show decorum) and dislikes (crowds ), tastes in food (fat-free), routine and planning, adventures.
The best of the relationship is that what he doesn’t understand about me, or I don’t understand about him, is that we just accept that is the way of things and is part of the uniqueness of all of us. We are here to share the journey together.
But why we had to share the same health crises journey is a ‘must-ask’ question.
Joseph Bartges, Professor of veterinary medicine at the University of Georgia has suggested that because we share the same environment and spend so much time together we may have similar health issues. I can buy into the environment a little especially if the environment is stressful or unhealthy due to chemicals. And because there is so much time together, the little things become noticeable earlier on in the process. But I am not talking about the cat that gets Feline Asthma due to one of the family smoking or the dog that’s fat and has a fat owner.
My search for the mirror effect actually dives into the complex web of connection that exists between animal/animal, people/people and animal/people. I am going to share a little extract from my Theosophical Talk “Is there life after death? ”
“….And then we have some Native American tribes who believe that animals have souls and are connected to the one great universal force. This belief is one of the reasons why they demonstrate immense respect for the conservation and protection of nature.
I would like to tell of my experience with animal consciousness that reinforces this idea of a connection to the great universal force.
Some years ago my beloved dog developed severe bloating; a life-threatening situation, which happened, of course, late on a wet Sunday night. Three of my vet friends worked through the night to save her life. At three o’clock in the morning I finally made it home. Alone in the stillness, my thoughts remained with my dog, back at the vet clinic, battling to stay with us.
From out of the blue, dog consciousness made itself known.
“You have done much work for us. Can we be of any help?”
I was deeply honoured and profoundly moved by the gesture. “My dog is terribly ill. Can you be with her and help her?”
“Of course,” came the reply.
As they left, cat consciousness came through, albeit a little cautiously.
“Hullo,” I said. “Have you come to help, too? I would really appreciate it. My dog needs the help and prayers of us all.”
Cat consciousness had a private discussion. I added, “My dog never harmed cats; she was always most respectful of them.”
There was a palpable relaxation. “Would you mind if we just sent a representative?”
I replied that I would be most grateful for any assistance, and thanked them most profusely.
A few minutes after they left I saw the funny side of ‘sending a representative’, bless them. I burst out laughing, delighting in the sense of humour that accompanies animals and spirit, and elated by the comfort their support provided
When the vets visited my dog first thing in the morning, she was sitting up barking, demanding to come home.
This experience with both the dog and cat consciousness led me to some questions.
Did my sick dog ask for help from dog consciousness or did dog conscious know what was going on in the human sphere?
Because cat conscious came in too I don’t think my dog would have contacted them. They would have supported the request for help from both myself and dog consciousness. This interaction meant that all consciousness, humans, dog and cat, although separate entities, are connected in some way.
I had read Rupert Sheldrake’s “Dogs That Know When Their Owners Are coming Home and his hypothesis of Morphic Fields that can link animals to particular places and provide directional guidance for navigation, migration and homing.
Sheldrake mentioned that the Morphic Fields might have something to do with the magnetic fields of earth, which have direction as well as a magnitude, (vector phenomena) and the scalar quantity , which has magnitude but not direction for example, temperature.
But they don’t explain premonitions e.g. fits, comas, epilepsy, the ‘mirroring’ of owners illness’s, or death. This could only happen if animal ‘fields of awareness’ were present not only in the past, but in the now and in the future – they would have to be of a timeless presence.
When I was contacted by Dog Consciousness I had the distinct and strong impression that they were an organization of consciousness in their own right, having structure, intention, and like our own collective consciousness, full of love. Dog consciousness also had the ability to tap into our consciousness for they definitely knew exactly what was going on.
The other strong impression I received at this time was that of the similar structure of Cat Consciousness. Remember I said ‘they had a debate and agreed to send a representative,’ indicative of some council hierarchy. They were obviously in touch too, but as an entity in their own right.
I became convinced then that each animal had it’s own collective consciousness. There were others, plant consciousness, insect consciousness, the consciousness of crystals, of trees, mountains, the consciousness of our planet earth; all separate entities but all closely connected with each other and all belonging to the one great consciousness of the cosmos…. the belief of The Native American Indian.”
It is this connection that permits sharing and empathy with other non-human species. It requires co-operation on the part of both parties and if you and your dog have that communication 24/7 then your feelings, emotions and intentions are instantly recognized by the other party.
There is an element of taking some of the negative energy of the life force experienced by the sick dog/person and transferring it to the carer to permit a healing response. This may be a conscious intent or, in the whirlpool of good intentions, taking on board a little too much and overwhelming the system of the recipient. The energy fields are reflected in the same body parts of both parties. In Rowan’s case his loss of leg function, became my loss of arm function. As he faltered in the fore legs, so did my legs (the cross-over effect) As his neck became immobilized, so did mine. It’s as if the systems were empathizing with each other – for better or for worse! This effect can be seen in homeopathic and other healing mediums such as crystals, where the healing agent of the medicine resonates with a particular region or organ of the body. Remember, everything is connected!
It would have been wise with hind-site, to have taken some protective precautions…
Animals ‘fields of awareness’ between species would explain how dogs could, by using their own innate abilities, provide early detection of cancer, the onset of epilepsy, and other issues in people they don’t know. They are acutely aware of any disruption in the energy fields (auras) of these people, just as they are aware of danger threats or energy changes in the earth or atmosphere with earthquakes, electrical storms and atmospheric pressure. Other animals/mammals have this ability too as it is part of their survival technique.
I suspect humans used to be reasonably adept but a talent lost in time.
These ‘fields of awareness’ connected by the universal web of life permit a total awareness of what is happening, in timelessness (which is perhaps why reincarnation is so orderly – but that’s another story!).
Should we be encouraging people to reach out and access these fields of awareness, whether it’s via an essential oil, a crystal, or a special place to re-energize and refresh – it is perhaps because of the disappearance of these special places that we are now being overtaken by stress, anxiety and a desire to belong .. often to a cult rather than that offered by that special place.
