WHY WE LIKE IT: This is the first of Susan's books to examine the deep nature of the relationship between people and the animals they love. Anyone who has ever loved an animal knows their mere presence brings lessons and opportunity for healing. We've all heard tales of nursing home patients who respond dramatically when kittens and puppies are brought into their rooms, especially when the animals are allowed to stay as pets. When we're sick, our animals comfort us, hovering near to offer love. ANIMALS AS TEACHERS & HEALERS is full of many examples of astounding lessons given and healing provided by animals of all kinds---dogs, cats, horses, wolves, crows, whales, puffer fish (!), and many more. This is also the author's story. Susan, diagnosed with cancer when only 37 years old, recalled the lesson of her beloved dog Keesha, who had herself died of cancer a few years earlier. Susan's story is moving not only because of how she chose to face her diagnosis, treatment, and the problems of fighting cancer but also because of the special memories of a long-dead animal friend, and how these memories helped Susan overcome what seemed like a death sentence. As I write these words my cat, The Buddha, is sleeping quietly on my desk, between the keyboard and the monitor. She does this often, and by her presence she amplifies me. I wish I could put it more profoundly than that, but I don't need to, really---Susan has done a masterful job of it with this volume. I can tell you truthfully: I've rarely read a more touching, honest book. After Ballantine published it, ANIMALS AS TEACHERS & HEALERS became a best-seller. That in itself isn't important; what is important is that this book will show you a side of your animal friends you might not ever have seen otherwise, and let you know how lucky we all are to have such fantastic friends in our life.
READERS SAY... Soul food for animal lovers! A moving and convincing testimony for animals as teachers and healers, validating the vital, nurturing human-animal bond. Must reading for anyone who has ever loved an animal--or wonders why others do. ---Jack Canfield, author of Chicken Soup for the Soul This book is a treat for anyone who cares about animals or secretly thinks they might be angels in disguise. ---Dan Fields, New Age Journal A wonderful book for anyone who has forgotten how to see angels. There are many life-affirming messages here but the bottom line is this: In a time of crises or self-doubt, should you need to know what the true value of your life is, to feel the unconditional love and support of the Creator, look into the eyes of an animal. They have been put there, close to you, for you to see. ---Rachel Naomi Remen, M.D. Medical Director, Commonweal Cancer Help Program
READ AN EXCERPT In the early 1980s, I lived for a year on a sailboat. My most vivid memories of my times at sea are of the animals---the dolphins, whales, and seals. One night I was blessed by a killer whale. Our fifty-foot sailboat was at anchor in a placid, isolated inlet east of the northern tip of Vancouver Island. We had just begun our nightly card games in the boat's main salon, serenaded by john Denver on tape crooning "Starwood In Aspen." Water lapped gently, imperceptively rocking us from side to side, when suddenly a sharp sound blasted through the side of the hull. It was high-pitched, wailing, and intense. I leaped to my feet and charged up the companionway to the deck, followed closely by my sailing partners. There along the railing pressed a huge, black dorsal fin, glistening in the moonlight like mercury. Our deck was five feet from the waterline, and the fin extended gracefully beyond that, up and over the lifelines. On deck, I heard a sound like fifty skin-divers clearing their snorkels at once--the outward blasting breath of whale spewing a steamy vapor over our cockpit. At the bat's waterline rested an enormous expanse of black, muscled back and the gleaming white saddle that identified our night visitor: Orca, the ancient symbol of creation. "Oh my God..." was all I had a chance to gasp before the fin lurched away and disappeared into the black water. The ripple of the whale's dive sent a rocking shudder through the bat and we grasped hold of the rigging to keep our balance until the water stilled. We all held a moment of stunned silence, and then the excited chatter began. Had the whale been drawn by the sounds of the stereo? Was it singing along with John Denver? Would it come back? I retreated below in silence. I was amazed by the sheer size of the whale, the utter enormity of its one breath. I had never seen such a dazzling mountain of life so near. The impact was overwhelming. I couldn't seem to catch my breath. So much life! Years later, a friend gave me a deck of special divining cards, called Medicine Cards, that are illustrated with animal images. The description of whale medicine in the accompanying book resonated with my experience: "If you pulled the Whale card, your are being asked...to allow yourself to be sung to by those who have the original language." I remembered instantly the eerie, sharp sounds that vibrated the hull of our boat. The whale medicine declared: "We are the only creatures that do not have our own unique cry or call. Find yours." Eight years later, I would be reminded again to find my own voice. Cancer would be the messenger. Had the Orca been the first?
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