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WHY WE LIKE IT
READERS SAY...
READ AN EXCERPT
WHY WE
LIKE IT:
If you suspect the extraordinary resides in the ordinary, you'll
have absolutely no trouble believing our animal friends can, indeed, be guides for the
soul. After all, GOD is DOG spelled backwards.
I had a cat once, Allie. I was sitting at my desk, writing, Allie
on my lap purring. Taking a break to rest my eyes, I absentmindedly petted my cat, then
glanced down at her. She was staring up at me with a look that shocked me because of the
thought that popped into my head at that precise moment: What if God is disguising Itself as
my cat? I mean, it damn sure seemed like it; her look was that serene, that
wise, that loving. I stared hard at her, she stared back, and I kept waiting for
her to speak. But she didn't...at least, no words came. Still, I definitely got the
message.
ANIMALS AS GUIDES FOR THE SOUL explores numerous incidents like
mine---some of them infinitely more profound, startling, and/or uplifting.
Through a series of charming and very moving vignettes, Susan
(author of the best-selling ANIMALS AS TEACHERS AND HEALERS) shows us how the animals in
our lives can amplify our spirits. Susan is a 100%, died-in-the-wool,
ain't-ashamed-to-admit-it animal lover, touching more animals in her lifetime than many of
us ever will. Which is great! Immerse yourself in a Way long enough, goes the saying, and
you will See. Hers is the Way of Animals, and so Susan sees. Best of all, she has the gift
of sharing what she sees, so we can see it, too. Animals can teach us a lot
about ourselves---about our Souls---if only we'll open ourselves to the lessons.
Sometimes all it takes is an open line of communication. Susan
talks to her animals...the donkeys, the cats, the birds, the llama. She also talks to
animals that aren't hers, exactly, but who share her land: raccoons, wasps, moles. They
seem to listen, Susan gets her lessons, and in many cases there's a JOY to the learning.
It's not all pleasant, though. Some lessons come only with
considerable pain, both on the part of the animals and on the part of the humans who see
their pain. Susan recounts tales of cruelty and injustice to animals that literally caused
me to choke; I was profoundly saddened. But such things do occur, and by bringing these
episodes into the light we stand a good chance of reducing or eliminating them.
When you find a book that enlightens you and moves you
emotionally, you've got a winner. ANIMALS AS GUIDES FOR THE SOUL is just such a volume. If
you've ever loved an animal, you owe it to yourself and your animal friend to read this
book.
READERS
SAY...
"You need to read this book! It will open your
mind to an entirely new way of thinking about animals. And, more important, it will open
your heart, as it did mine. It is impossible to resist the warmth and wisdom of Susan
McElroy’s unique voice. Her stories are personal, inspiring, true, and beautiful.
Shining with compassion and insight, ANIMALS AS GUIDES FOR THE SOUL will inspire you,
teach you, and challenge you."
--Jeffrey Mousaieff Masson, Author of DOGS NEVER LIE ABOUT LOVE
and WHEN ELEPHANTS WEEP
"Susan McElroy belongs to another species from
ours—an older one or a newer one, I’m not sure which. This means she interacts
with the creatures around her (human and otherwise) in a way that is distinctly her own.
In sharing her soul-shaking adventures with us, she doesn’t so much write books as
recreate for us the terms of enchantment she works upon the world—a process as
fascinating to watch as the awakening of a modern-day Merlin!"
--Daniel Quinn, Author of ISHMAEL
"Susan McElroy has done it again by sharing a heartwarming, life-shifting
collection of stories to transform the relationship between all living things! This book
is an essential contribution to the awareness that the relationship that we share with all
living things is so critical to our lives. A must read for all animal lovers!"
--Allen M. Schoen, D.V.M., H.S., Author of LOVE, MIRACLES AND
ANIMAL HEALING
"ANIMALS AS GUIDES FOR THE SOUL is an energetic, passionate and powerfully
imaginative mosaic . . . ‘Soul’ is a testimonial of McElroy’s incredible
talent for weaving others’ stories with her own and producing an underlying message
or attaching an inherent value to the experience. The result is a psychological
salve."
--Ranny Green, Seattle Times
"McElroy seeks to formulate a creed that will put humans and animals on
equal footing. Whatever one thinks of that belief, few will deny that McElroy offers
bountiful food for thought and meditation."
--Publishers Weekly
"Open, honest and generous, Susan Chernak McElroy reveals the
possibilities of magical encounters and surprising connections with animals in daily life.
With such a guide, we gain the understanding necessary to transform our agonized
relationships and to restore ancient alliances so that as human animals we can again live
happily on this planet among all the wondrous creatures."
--Deena Metzger, Author of WRITING FOR YOUR LIFE
"Many are the tales, from many a culture, of animals saving human lives.
But this new set from Susan McElroy—stories of personal experiences related by the
people who had them—contains a new message: the life that is saved is the life of the
soul."
--Katy Payne, Author of SILENT THUNDER: IN THE PRESENCE OF
ELEPHANTS
READ
AN EXCERPT:
There are people who can communicate
telepathically with animals. I no longer doubt this phenomenon exists. There are too many
amazing, verifiable stories of direct and accurate communication between animals and
skilled communicators, also called animal psychics. From time to time, I have had
communications like these with my animals, and hundreds of people have written me
detailing astonishing and frequently unexpected "conversations" with their own
animals. Often, these communications just happened, leaving the owners stunned and
delighted--and a little hesitant about sharing their experiences. "My husband will
think I'm going nuts," one says, or "I can hardly believe this myself. How can I
expect anyone else to?" Frankly, I think it would be unusual to go through a lifetime
with an animal and not have miracle moments when you simply knew what your animal was
telling you. However, difficulties can arise when we try to communicate with our animal
companions on our schedule and according to our needs, and find that we cannot manage to
repeat our conversational success at will. I am one of these people---the telepathically
challenged!
Many readers assume I am an animal psychic, and they are terribly
disappointed to find out that I am not. I too am disappointed that I am not. I even took a
class designed to teach telepathic or intuitive communication with animals. The flyer said
that in two days we would have the basics down for mental communication with our animal
partners. Some of the participants at that workshop did indeed go home with a new
understanding and the ability to "talk" with their animals. I believe that
everyone is capable, to differing degrees, of honing mental abilities like these. These
intuitive abilities have always been part of our natural repertoire of communication. But
I have also come to believe that developing effective and consistent telepathic
communication with animals takes a tremendous amount of effort and commitment for most
people. Some of the participants at the workshop I attended had been practicing this skill
for years, and fretted that their abilities are still very much hit or miss. One of the
best animal communicators I know, Sharon Callahan, said that although she is regularly
asked to teach animal communication workshops, she has no interest in doing so. "What
I'd really have to teach is deep meditation. You can't 'hear' what's in an animal's mind
until you empty the noise out of your own, and that can take months or years of meditation
practice--at least it has for me. Most people don't have the time or the commitment for
this sort of work. It takes total focus, and total dedication. You have to want it that
much."
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