- Protection – Always protect yourself psychically; meditate and ask your guides to help you communicate. Protect yourself by mediating and asking that a bubble of white light be formed around you. You do not want to attract negative energies and in doing this work you always ask for the "highest of goodness to come through."
- Photo – Use a photo for best results. A connection is best created if the eyes of the animal are looking at you or are at least visible. They say the eyes are the windows to one's soul. Eyes really do form a connection between you and the animal's soul. Even if it is your own animal, a photo is a great way to start.
- Ask Permission – Ask permission to talk and approach gently. Imagine sending healing energy, love, and the desire to communicate. You wouldn't approach an animal in real life by sticking your hand in front of them. Act like you would if they were in front of you. Act gently.
- Simple Questions – Start with simple questions, such as, "What is your favorite treat?", "What things do you like to do?", "Where do you play", "What do you do with your mom?" You are looking for little details to identify them and you can ask more serious questions later. They may jump right in and tell you their concerns.
- How The Thoughts Come Back – You don't hear a voice of another in your head and you don't see a "vision" (or at least I don't!). The communication seems like your own thoughts coming to you with emotions and images but with their personality. So you may think you are making it up in your imagination. The difference is that it comes through with their personality, as if you are "in their shoes." So although they are your thoughts, you may feel a strong emotion for no reason and you may feel different than you normally would.
- When You Know You Are Connected – A good sign to know your are in tune with your animal and that the thoughts coming are really communication.
- Emotions That Are Foreign To You – Emotion that you wouldn't normally experience, such as getting excited when you talk about bacon strips. That you feel like you have stepped into their body and their emotions.
- Seeing From The Animal's Prospective – Seeing thoughts physically from the animal's point of view, such as being small and looking at large feet at eye level.
- Speed – The message comes back to you at lightening speed, sometimes before you've finished the question. There is no straining for an answer. So as you form your question, "what is you favorite…?" Before you can say "toy” you have a thought of a large blue ball.
- Unusual Answers – That the answers are quirky little details that you wouldn't normally think of that surprise you. Such as, "I enjoyed visiting the Geisers" or "I choked on a bell."
- Ask Some General Questions - Ask general questions, such as, "Do you have any toys?" The purpose of this is to confirm details with your client so that you know if their animal is really there. It is usually not the big events that are important, rather small instances that will identify the pet. "Yes, I love my yellow bird toy that Mommy put in the fridge by mistake." If this toy exists and the owner put the toy in the fridge, then you can be sure that this is the animal coming through.
- Alive Or Passed-On – Usually I will get a feeling if the animal is alive or passed over, but not always. Sometimes I ask and they tell me details of how they passed to identify themselves to their owner. If an animal has been lost, this can sometimes be very difficult to tell and they don't always tell me. Cats can also be illusive, since they seem to wander in and out of their bodies when they are alive.
- Name – Sometimes a name will "pop into my head." This might be a little off, but sound similar or the same initial. Such as, "Fleesie" when it is "Fluffy."
- Health – If the client has a health question, first ask the animal if they have any issues. If they don't offer anything, then I do a "body scan" mentally. Any issues that come up, I ask if they want me to send Reiki healing. Sometimes they will know the medical terms and sometimes not, but they know what is wrong with them, what will make them feel better, and even if they are not going to get better. Of course I always tell the client to check with their veterinarian.
- Behavioral Problems – Don't expect a "problem" to be resolved because they have communicated why they are doing something. You still have to work through the issue and many times it's the owner that needs to make a change. I can offer a compromise- "If dad does this, will you feel ok not to do that," but in the end I can only communicate what is going on and can't "fix" a problem.
- Owners Projecting The Wrong Images – Animals pick up on our thoughts and we can be sending subconsciously the wrong "message." If we are worried about a behavior that an animal has, then in worrying we are projecting exactly the images that we don't want, however the animal just picks up the images and may think that is what they are supposed to be doing. So if you have a concern, consciously send images of the animal behaving perfectly.
- They Know Future Events – They seem to be aware of conversations they hear, but also conversations they are not present for. They can also predict future events and are aware of things going on in their owners' lives. I often find in readings they have messages to their owners about their jobs or the owners concerns that there would be no way of them knowing and they sometimes give visions of the future to reassure the owner.
- Past And Future Lives – The same pet may reincarnate in your lifetime and I often find examples where an animal spends several life times with the same owner.
- Tracking A Lost Pet – It is useful to learn some communicating techniques in case your pet gets lost, so that if they do, you can try to locate them. However, locating a lost pet is very difficult. The emotions that come with the anxious owner can make it even worse. And occasionally, the pet left for their own reasons and doesn't want to be found.
- Animal Healers – In my work, I have found several examples of animals that are healers. Of course, just having a pet can be therapeutic. However, I have found examples of animals that have healing powers and help their owners with physical ailments, giving their owners Reiki healing or for some other healing purpose.
- Energy Transfer- Pets and their owners transfer energies all the time. If we come home stressed out, we may transfer our energy to our pet and vice versa. Some animals even show physical illness from their willingness to absorb our negative energies. Be aware of this and make a conscious effort to release any negative energy and to transfer positive energies of love and light.
For more information on medium and pet communicator Gail Thackray, please visit gailthackray.com/. Her book, "How To Talk To Your Pets," is available at amazon.com.
