Dear Friends,
Currently, I seem to be surrounded by chicken energy, literally! The neighbors down below me have chickens and my new next door neighbors have recently brought home chickens. Last week when I went to visit a dear friend, she took me to see her neighbor’s chickens. I never realized how beautiful these creatures are. They look like exotic dancers with their soft feathers of various colors! They have a sweet little trill as they talk to one another and to others. I also did not understand how intelligent they were until now as well. I just learned chickens communicate with more than 24 different sounds and each has a different meaning!
The other day, I woke to my neighbors two chickens strutting quietly across the lawn. It was serene and beautiful to watch them gently pecking the ground for bugs and other yummy treats. Luckily, I was able to see them before letting my dogs out. I talked gently to them and encouraged them to follow me as I led them back to their own yard.
I was amazed when the bigger of the two birds started talking to me very sweetly and she encouraged the younger more immature bird to follow. She trusted me and in an instant we were friends. They walked down the stairs with me to the bottom part of my yard, and went through the gate with me and into their pen. They didn’t hesitate for a second.
Unfortunately, they came back later and I did not see them before letting my dogs out in the yard. My younger dog thought it was great fun chasing them and he succeeded in catching my new friend. She passed away within a few minutes. I was very sad in that moment. In meditating over this incident, I realized she easily could have saved herself by flying over the fence but she would not leave her buddy who went into the bushes. In fact, I sense she put herself in harms way to save her friend. I am deeply and profoundly touched by her sacrifice.
Why am I sharing this with all of you? First of all, it is a deep reminder to never judge a chicken by it’s feathers so to speak. For a while now, I have felt the plight of the chickens around the world and how they are treated and it has deeply saddened me. However, I never thought of them in terms of consciousness other than they are living beings and I don’t want to see any creature suffer.
This beautiful being was so open and chatty, very strong and lovely. It was a tremendous reminder to stop for a moment and pay better attention to life around me. I have 2 crows that have adopted me for the past 4 years and apparently are not leaving. I have decided to relax into accepting their presence and started paying attention to their reason for being here. It feels that they are watching over us and the rest of my animal family and bird friends. Yes, they get a bit pushy that is their nature, but they seem to know when to pull back and let the others share in the goodies of the yard.
Another creature I have also taken for granted are fish. Again, I never like seeing them suffer as they are living beings, but I never paid much attention to their intelligence and ability to communicate. However, I do remember my brother telling me how his fish would come to the tank window to connect with him. I also remember snorkeling in Jamaica years ago and how a little fish followed me around and kept coming up to my mask, over and over, and looking directly at me.
But just as I came to appreciate chickens this past week, I have come to appreciate fish on a deeper level for their intelligence and abilities. A sweet animal loving friend sent me a video of a fish at the bottom of the ocean creating an amazing mandala to attract a mate. This little guy spends 24 hours a day for 7 days creating this incredible object. He has to keep working because if he stops the currents can destroy his creation. After he finishes his project, he cleans up any debris to make it more attractive for his potential interest.
When I watched this video it brought tears to my eyes. That is how deeply it touched me. This sweet little being even appears to be smiling and having fun! Here is the link if you care to see this amazing video. I promise you, you will never think of fish the same way again! http://inspirationbygod.net/3550/an-unbelievable-artist-in-the-ocean/
So why did the chickens cross the fence? In this case to open up my heart further to all living beings. Every single lifeform on this earth has a purpose, an intelligence and connection to the divine. Even a tiny spider has consciousness and I have recently felt a very big spirit in a couple of different spiders I have encountered. All of the examples above are a wonderful reminder to keep an open mind when encountering other creatures or human beings. Even a person who seems “dull”, may hold amazing wisdom and talents. It is also a special reminder to not judge yourself as well. Animals are pure conductors of their talents and abilities. If we pay attention, and observe how effortless life flows through them, we can learn to do the same.
May all of you step into your own inner wisdom, talents and abilities and share them openly and freely and unselfconsciously as my feather friend and this little fish! And may you always find love and respect flowing from and to you from the creatures of this earth!!
Namaste,
Rosemary