Fact: animal friends who share our lives mirror us
- psychologically and physically.

LAST MONTH WE BEGAN AN EXPLORATION of how our animals mirror us – how they soak up our issues and reflect them back. We also said that, like any mirror, you won’t see what is being reflected unless you choose to look. You can stand sideways on, with your back to the mirror, or have your eyes shut, but the reflection is still there! And covering it up doesn’t really help either. I encourage you to turn face on, eyes wide open, and face your reflection/s – for both/all your sakes.

We started out last month looking at psychological reflections in what some have reported as being a rather sneaky way! I thank you for your feedback and shared insights following the exercise - and for the laughs along the way. To the woman who described her dog as being a tart I applaud your honesty. And to the man who said he saw two of his dogs as being absolutely perfect, just like him, but his third as rather troubled – no, you cannot blame that on your wife, sir!!

This month I want to look at physical mirroring, which can span from the plainly obvious to the downright mysterious.

Horses are great physical mirrors of their riders. In fact, I know a very well respected McTimoney chiropractor who insists on working with the rider as well as the horse – knowing full well that if she just adjusts the horse, things will only return to square one as long as the rider remains un-adjusted. She has even been known to pick out the rider on a competition yard before she is introduced, just by working on the horse’s body.

Ever heard the saying that pets begin to look like their people (or vice versa)? Well, there is certainly some truth in this (sorry to those of you with snakes), and I don’t only mean in the blindingly obvious - such as a lithe athletic greyhound and their go-faster owner, or the short and stocky appearance of a bulldog and…well, I’m sure you get the gist - but also in their way of moving. Check out how your animal moves, where they show stiffness or inhibition and see how that matches your own physical way of being. Check right now where you are holding any tension in your body and see if it reflects in your animal friend’s body (in the case of four –leggeds, your arms are their front legs, whereas with birds your arms are their wings).

Dogs are particularly strong reflections, and many have contracted to come along to take burdens off their owners – emotionally and physically. Take note where problems are recurring, or are chronic and difficult to treat – sometimes our doggy friends just won’t let up and insist on dealing with our stuff.

For the not so obvious reflections we need to delve deeper and it is useful to use the chakra system as a route map to the cause. I once worked with a young dog with bad lung problems. There was nothing else the vet could do but try to keep her comfortable and stable with drugs. This little dog adored her person, they were so bonded and what was happening was painful for both of them. Her health was deteriorating and it was looking like she may not survive.

Amazingly this little dog told me sthat he knew she may have to go in order to help her human friend. As I talked with her person I learned how much loss she had suffered in just a few years – and how much grief she was holding inside herself. The possibility of losing her doggie companion was the last straw and she was struggling to ‘hold it all together’.

The lungs are connected to the heart chakra and reflect grief issues. In not dealing with her own grief, this lady’s little dog had reflected her suppression and it had eventually affected its lungs. She did this with absolute love and devotedness and with the intent that this would indeed be a final straw – the one that would allow a much needed process of release and, consequently, healing to occur. Anger can be a part of the grieving process, as can loneliness and loss of hope – again, all issues connected to the heart chakra, which can create physical dysfunction in the lungs.

I talked to her human about her suppressed grief and encouraged her to go with it, to fully feel the pain of this potential loss and to allow any other hidden pain to emerge along with it. She had never been able to talk with anyone before about these feelings and, despite her obvious pain, was already beginning to see the relieving affects of allowing feelings to just be. In this instance, it was not necessary to explain the cause of her dog's illness, but just to be with them in their time of need, to give healing to both their heart chakras, and to help her recognise how ‘holding it all together’ would benefit no-one. The human sought counselling and healing. The little dog made a slow but sure recovery.

Take a good honest look at your animal friend’s health, and make a note of any part of their body that does not function so well, or is dis-eased. Now match whatever parts of the body or conditions you have written down with the seven main chakras. You can either refer to a book for further information about chakras and their physical and emotional links, or sit quietly and reflect within. You have just begun a wonderful healing journey for yourself and your animal friend.

© 2003 Elaine Harrison

 NB: As I said last month, some animals come into our lives having already played sponge to other people’s issues (as in the case of rescued animals), while others bring with them karmic stuff that may manifest in a myriad different ways. But – they are never there by accident and even though conditions may be rooted elsewhere, they still carry a message for us if we care to listen.