Welcome to the How to Talk to Animals The Complete System: The Core Foundation Class 2

Breathe Easy “Breathing in I calm my body and mind, breathing out I smile… breathing… smiling…” Thich Nhat Hanh

Progress? What has happened for you so far? What discoveries did you while doing your assignment?

Your Imagination Develop your creative imagination

Your Creative Imagination Your job is to discover and develop the creative visualization and imagination skills that work best for YOU.

2 Basic Types 1.Projective Imagination – Be the observer of the action like the fly on the wall 2.Associative Imagination – Identify with the action and embody the experience like you’re doing it yourself Experiment and see what works best for you

This works best when… Creative imagination works best when you involve all of your senses to create a multisensory gestalt synesthetic experience Can you imagine hearing a bark or purr? Can you imagine smelling smoke from a campfire? Can you imagine feeling your animals soft fur or hair, their hard hooves or sharp nails?

Kinesthetics & Dimensions A more dynamic approach is to visualize, sense or feel an object before you… reach out and touch it, hold it, let it become real, sense it’s shape, it’s weight, it’s size Imagine holding the hand or paw of a loved one, or your animal’s leash… feel their warmth and aliveness Envision yourself flowing through a sequence of movements… use a dynamic, radiant sense of energy

Affirm That It Is Indeed THERE Whether you can see or feel the visualized object or experience, mentally affirm that it is indeed there. It’s like waking up to find your surroundings shrouded in thick fog. Although you cannot see your surroundings, you know they are still there. Imagining a feeling, mentally or emotionally, know that it is a living reality within you, only at a level of sensitivity that’s below the threshold of your current level of awareness.

Fill in the Details… Begin with a sense of the outline of an object, person or animal, and then fill in the details. Start with their shape, their form or outline. Then add other details as clearly as possible. Similarly, you can focus on a tiny part of the image and then mentally develop it.

Affirm It’s Completeness Even if the total image or scenario isn’t appearing as clearly as you’d like, affirm it’s completeness. For example, if you are visualizing a healing process, imagine that is has already worked through to completion. See, Feel & Affirm yourself as whole & healed. Stand in the possibility as though it were an actual reality.

Objectless Imagery Some of the most powerful types of visualization for enhancing health, performance & understanding of the mind involve objectless imagery of volume, distance & spatial relationships.  Imagine the volume of your hands, or of your whole body….  Sense the space and distance between you & other objects, animals or people…  Imagine hearing the silence before, between & after sounds…  Discover the space between thoughts and images floating through your mind…

Morph & Multiply Expand your capacity by making imagined objects bigger or smaller, by morphing the image into something else, or by multiplying the image (clone it) so that one becomes many, or many become one. Stretch your imaginative skills and see what happens! This insight into the fluid nature of the mind- stuff is of critical importance. Awaken greater wisdom, compassion & freedom through creative visualization

Integration Integrating these important imagination skills & insights, you will be well equipped to wisely use and apply creative meditation skills to enhance the quality of life – of your own and others.

Learning to Listen “The more you listen, the more and more you will hear. The more you hear, the more - and more deeply - you will understand. “ Kyentse Rinpoche

Simply Pause “The mystery, the essence of all life is not separate from the silent openness of simple listening.” Zen teacher Toni Packer  Notice sounds  Let your mind be a sensitive antenna  Create a receptive space of awareness

Let’s Practice! Become One with an Animal and FEEL what it’s like to BE them…

Assignment Practice with a fellow student

Tip! Antidote to Discouragement!

What’s Your Golden Nugget What is one thing that you found most valuable, insightful or that you think will be most useful to you?

“Don’t trip yourself up trying to do it right! The truth is that you already are doing it, you just may not know exactly how yet… Play! Explore! Approach everything with a sense of wonder, be curious, playful, feel compassion and a renewed sense of discovery.” Val Heart Quote