HEART STORIES
My life has been forever changed and blessed by the gifts I have received from the animals and all of nature. They have taught me that life is all about heart connections and the love that flows through them. They have shown me incredible beauty all around us. Through them I have learned about a profound trust in the process of the heart. That to listen to our hearts is to listen, really listen, to life all around us. That to love unconditionally is the natural state of all living beings. That the simple act of conscious breathing can reconnect our hearts to our souls. That love is more than the subject of prose and poetry. It is the language of our souls. That mankind has separated themselves from this very life-giving breath of the heart/spirit. That nothing is ever hopeless and no one is forever lost. The animals see us for who we truly are - unconditionally, without judgment - and try to show us that if we could only see ourselves for who we are that our paths would be so much easier. That the human heart is the most regulated heart on the planet. That the time has come to breathe and connect and to rejoin with the rest of Nature that we have separated ourselves from. And even more importantly, it is time to reconnect to ourselves again.
This is a time of great changes and great growth. The animals have been
sharing their messages of love and hope and peace with me for many years. In the past few years they have asked me to get their messages out even more. On this page, I will share a fraction of the many messages I have received from them. Each message or story speaks for itself and offers us a profound look into the deeper heart connections that these wonderful beings have shared. I call them heart stories as they touch the deepest parts of our hearts and awaken that connection that is there.
Dawn
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BY THE ANIMALS OF SPRING FARM CARES AND DAWN HAYMAN
TABLE OF CONTENTS
- The Return - The Story of Tucker - Updated 7/27/09
- In Memory of Jason - My Heart Dog - Updated 1/1/09
- The Wisdom of an Old Dog - Updated 4/16/08
- The Circle of Life - A Message of Spring - Updated 3/09/08
- The Passing of A Great Teacher - Gulliver - A Tribute from Dawn - Updated 8/12/07
- Even the Smallest Among Us Have Voices - A Message of Hope Updated 12/4/06
- Memorial From the Donkeys to All Equines - Updated 11/06
- Message from a Turkey Vulture - Updated 3/06
- White Buffalo Woman Message - Updated 10/05
THE RETURN - A MOST INCREDIBLE MIRACLE
THE STORY OF TUCKER
My life has been filled with miracles. But this latest one is not only a miracle, but the greatest gift of all. It is the story about a gift, the start of which began 15 years ago. On October 31, 1993, my life changed with the event of the fire which took our entire small animal facility and the twenty-four animal residents with it. Our horse barn and all the horses and goats miraculously were saved. But the animals, my friends, were all gone in less than 30 minutes. (Many of you have read about the fire and the miracles it brought to us in our book IF ONLY THEY COULD TALK, The Miracles of Spring Farm, by Bonnie Reynolds and Dawn Hayman.) That night, I shut down a piece of my heart and didn’t even know it. We had lost seven horses throughout that year to old age and various long term illnesses. It had been a year of great loss, more death than I had had to deal with in my life up to that point. Then, as if that hadn’t been hard enough, my heart took an even bigger hit. In August and September of 1994, I lost the two horses who were most dear to me. Deeteza, my spiritual teacher in Arab mare form, left first, and her death was most unexpected. Then one month to the day later, Sugar, an incredible teacher for me, also left very unexpectedly. A part of me decided then and there to not let another soul in to my heart again. Although I cared about and took care of the horses and dogs and cats in our care, I distanced myself to any great depth of connection.
That was not to last for long however. Many of you have read the story of the Gift from Deeteza, so I will not go into details here. But in October 1994, just a few days before my birthday, Deeteza, from spirit, informed me that she was sending me a birthday present, something that I could cuddle up with and that would soothe my heart. I was highly skeptical at just what that might be. On my birthday, there was a spectacular double rainbow and the faint start of a third rainbow and I heard Deeteza proclaim to me, “Happy Birthday! Your gift is on its way.” I assumed the rainbows were the gift and left it at that. Then, three weeks later, a friend called me to tell me that her dog had just had a litter of puppies. They were labs and she told me that she had this strong feeling that one of the yellow ones was supposed to come to me and she’d like to give him to me as a gift. I thanked her for her generosity but immediately turned it down. The last thing in my life I wanted right then was a puppy. But then I heard Deeteza say, “Happy Birthday Dawn, my gift has now arrived. I’ve sent you someone to warm your heart and teach you about trust.”
“No way!” I yelled over the telepathic channel. “I am not going to get a puppy.” But when I told Bonnie the story, she said to me, “how can you refuse a gift from Deeteza. Call your friend back and tell her you’ll take the puppy.” When I called back to accept the gift, I also learned that the puppy was born on my birthday.
The rest as they say is history. I named the puppy Jason Cadeaux Dee. (Roughly translated, Jason, gift from Dee.) Jason indeed opened my heart again. (See the story below on Being Jason’s Mom.) I lost Jason at the age of 14 years on New Years Day this year. He had deteriorated greatly in the last year of his life. I watched as dementia overtook his life until he could no longer function. And during that last year, I felt my heart want to close again, yet I knew I owed a debt of gratitude to this amazing being who taught me that love is never worth giving up on and he had set me up to never do that again.
Here is where the next part of the miracle begins. What I didn’t disclose publicly when Jason passed, was that he had let me know some very specific details about how and when he would return. He was adamant to give me this information before he left. It started months before he died and at first I was not open to hearing about it. He came to me one day and told me he had to tell me about his journey when he would leave this body and how he was coming back to me fairly quickly. I kept refusing to listen as I just wanted to focus on him in this body and not worry about the next one. But then he told me, “Would you go on a trip without a map and a destination and figuring out how you are going to get there?” Admittedly it was a good point. He also explained to me that he would not leave until exactly the right moment when everything was arranged for the complete journey back again. And he told me he was here to teach me that relationships surpass time. That was when I realized that Deeteza’s gift to me was not yet complete. Because she knew that I didn’t trust that. That’s why I didn’t want to know all the details of his return, because I was afraid I would be wrong and it wouldn’t happen. But he pushed and pushed until we had the following conversation.
“Mom, I’m coming back. Soon. When I leave this form, I will journey in the stars with Deeteza. She will come and get me. She will also help me return. The path back to you is clear. I will be a male Golden Retriever. I will not be a Border Collie so you need to get over that. (Six of our dogs are Border Collies all from Glen Highland Farm, a Border Collie rescue I am very involved in.) I will come to you through Lillie.”
“Ok, Jason, stop right there. Lillie runs a Border Collie rescue. How do you expect her to find a Golden Retriever puppy?”
“Don’t worry about details. She will find me and she will get me to you. She is my friend and part of the path I’ve chosen back to you. You will probably have to pay money for me this time, so be prepared for that. But I will be a part of rescue, you’ll see.”
So that was the first map coordinates I was given regarding his journey. Then, before he died, he filled in some more details. He told me that we could name him Tucker in his new form. He also then told me that he’d be back by the start of Glen Highland Farm’s Camp for dogs where I was teaching. (That was to start on July 18th.) And he assured me again that he was coming through Lillie and she’d find him without any trouble.
After he passed, Jason remained in contact with me periodically with updates. At one point, he told me that he was bringing a friend with him who needed help and that he thought it would be perfect. He told me the friend didn’t need to stay with him but he needed to get this being some help. And he again reiterated that he would be a Golden. He wouldn’t necessarily be pure bred, but the point was that he would look like a Golden.
As summer began, I began to get very jittery. The people closest to me all knew about Jason’s messages. And then sometime in June I got a very strong feeling that he was back in body. I wasn’t sure why I knew, but somehow I just knew. I told Lillie to start watching. Lillie was also being guided by Jason and she knew that somehow she would find him but even she didn’t have a clue how that would come about.
Then it happened. I received a phone call from Lillie one day in early July to immediately go check my email and then phone her back. She had just received an email about a listing on an internet ad list for Golden retriever/Border Collie mix puppies. It was in another state within Glen Highland Farm’s territory. Two of the seven puppies were pictured. One looked like a tricolor Border Collie and the other was all golden. Lillie called, and there was only one in the litter that looked like a golden, and it was a male. I drove several hours the next day to meet him. They were only 3 weeks old.
I didn’t expect this to be so clear, but as soon as the woman handed me the golden puppy and I held him in my hand, I knew instantly that it was Tucker. I was 100% sure. I cannot describe the emotion that went through me. It felt too good to be true. I set him down to nurse from his mother and instead of going directly to her, he went about 2 feet away from her and his littermates, sat down, threw his head back, and let out a howl like a miniature wolf. As soon as he did that, the tricolor Border collie looking pup waddled over to him, sat down next to him, threw her head back and did the same thing in unison with him. It was clear. She was the friend he brought with him. I put my dibs on those two puppies. The tricolor would go to Lillie.
It was going to be a long wait until they were ready to come home! I couldn’t wait. Each day, Tucker would ask me when I was coming back. And each day he would update me on what he was learning. One day he told me that he was learning how to sniff things and not fall on his head and that it wasn’t as easy as it looked. Another day he told me he was learning how to growl. Each day it was something new. Even though I wasn’t there to see him, it was a whole new way of experiencing a puppy. But I had one more surprise. The person who had these puppies contacted me when they were only four and a half weeks old and told me they were ready to go. They were eating and drinking on their own and she was sending them all to their homes. Although it was way too early, we knew that we had to get them. They came home on July 18, just as the Glen Highland Farm camp for dogs was beginning. Every little detail that Jason had told me BEFORE he left had transpired just as he said it would.
As we drove down the very rural road to the place where he was born, it became staggering as to how in the world I could have found him there. It turns out the ad on the internet had only been on for a couple of hours and then was removed. Yet in that very narrow time frame, someone saw it and got it to Lillie. And she knew as soon as she saw Golden Retriever mix that it just had to be him. If this can happen in just this one instance in my life, than how many millions of things are occurring in your lives and all around this planet every single day that are planned out the exact same way? It is mind blowing to think about it. Tucker is still the continuation of the gift sent to me 15 years ago when I needed to know most of all that love transcends time. Relationships transcend time. This is not just my story, it is a lesson for us all.
As I write this, Tucker and his sister, are safely napping in our living room. It turns out his sister, who we are calling Grace, has some significant neurological problems. There is a chance it is a serious degenerative brain disorder that she was born with. Whatever it is, Jason was right that he would bring a friend who needed help, and we are doing all we can to help her. Each day I can look at this Golden boy and know the journey he has been on to get back to me. It brings tears to my eyes just to look at him. It warms my heart to feel his wonderful soul energy back in my life. And it blows my mind that he could get back to me the way he did AND know about this path before he even left.
This is not just a story about reincarnation. This is an example about the reality of heart connections. This is just one picture illustrating the depth of relationship and the strength of love to connect two hearts. I offer this story to all of you so that you may look to the hearts that you are connected with and to understand the divine path that guided you all to be together. That path is always there for you, forever.
Welcome back little golden man! I look forward to this next part of our journey together.
BEING JASON'S MOM
A Memorial
Jason was given to me as a gift in two different ways. When my amazing horse teacher/friend Deeteza died in August 1994, I was beyond devastated. I took her loss especially hard. On October of that same year, I got a message from Deeteza, in spirit, that she was sending me a gift for my birthday which was the very next day. I kind of scoffed at the idea and said something to her like, “wonderful, a gift from a dead horse, what could that be?” In my grief I was really asking for it. She told me only one thing. “Watch for a lady with a yellow lab.” As luck would have it, we were hosting a seminar for dog training that next day. I waited to see a woman arrive with a yellow lab but no one did. Later that day, some supporters of the farm arrived and asked to pay tribute to Deeteza and do a mediation by her grave. After showing them where it was, one of them said, “I hope you don’t mind but I brought my dog.” Out of the car jumped a yellow lab. Ok, I was now paying attention. It was a rainy day but the woman went with her dog to the grave site to meditate. I had to go back to the seminar we were hosting in case I was needed. I was not teaching at the seminar but was sitting among the participants in a large circle and found my mind wandering.
All of a sudden I was aware that no one was talking and everyone was staring at me. I thought I must have missed someone asking me a question. The sun had come out and this beam of sunlight was bathing me like a spot light. The workshop leader said to me, “isn’t that odd, look at the sun on you and it is still pouring outside.” I jumped up, looked out the door and there over the farm was the brightest double rainbow I had ever seen. I heard Deeteza say to me, “Happy Birthday! Your gift is on its way.” I assumed the gift was the rainbows which was very impressive and so I thanked her. Sure enough there was a lady with a yellow lab on the farm and the rainbow at the same time. It was a great validation.
A couple of weeks later, a friend of mine called to tell me that her black lab had just given birth to 10 puppies. She said to me, “Dawn, I keep having this very solid feeling that one of the two yellow ones is supposed to go to you. I’d like to gift him to you.” Ringing through the telepathic channels of my mind and heart I heard Deeteza singing out “Happy Birthday!!!!”
“Oh no! I screamed back over the telepathic channels. I can’t be having a puppy! Why couldn’t you have knit me a sweater or something! A puppy??? What are you nuts!?” I thanked my friend for the kind thought but declined the dog. When I got off the phone and told Bonnie the story, she said to me, “Dawn, how on earth can you turn away a gift from Deeteza? A puppy may not be convenient but there must be a reason. We can make it work.” At that point, we were living in the small farm house after losing everything in the fire the year before. And after all that loss, then the loss of Deeteza, I made a secret vow to never love an animal like that again. Now, of course, you can see why Deeteza was sending me this puppy.
Reluctantly, I picked up the phone, called back my friend, and told her I’d take her up on the offer after all. I asked how old this puppy was and she said….. “oh, he was born on October 20th.” I nearly dropped the phone. That was my birthday. The day of the double rainbows. I could hear Deeteza laughing all the way. When I made the several hour drive to pick up this puppy, I was still having my doubts. And I was still determined not to get too attached to it. Deeteza always comes to me in the form of a red tail hawk when she is trying to stress a point with me. When I got to my friends house, she let my puppy out in the yard to pee before the long car ride back home. As this 10 pound bundle ran around the yard, a hawk streaked down and swooped over the pups back. I jumped, terrified that the hawk was going to grab the puppy. “Oh, don’t worry,” my friend said, “that red tail hawk showed up when this litter was born and hangs out here all the time while they are in the yard.” Ok! Ok! I got it! The puppy and I went home. In the car, riding next to me in a box I had prepared for him as a bed, he looked up at me and said, “ok, we are not going to have to do any of that training stuff now are we?” And thus began an incredible relationship with Jason.
Needless to say, he melted my heart, and taught me about reconnecting and loving again. He opened me in ways that are profound, private, and eternal. I have endless stories I could tell about his humor, his wisdom, his wonderful way of letting people who he loved know how much they were loved by him. He taught me to laugh again, he was there to comfort me when I cried, and most of all he was my best friend. There is one story I want to share that truly captures Jason for everything he stood for and for our love for one another. Jason always referred to me as My Mom. Its not just that he called me “mom”. He actually called me “my mom.” And what that meant to Jason is what brings warmth to my heart, tears to my eyes, and a humbleness that I cannot express. This is what it means to be Jason’s Mom.
Jason loved stuffed animal toys. When he was just a few months old I had to go on a 5 day trip to California. We missed each other dreadfully and at the airport I bought a stuffed dog with big floppy ears. When I brought it home and presented it to him, his eyes grew big as saucers and he very carefully picked the toy up in his mouth and carefully set it on the floor. He checked it all out and then he carried it over to his bed. My office manager saw this and asked me if it was safe for him because the eyes were plastic and he might choke. I told her that I’d keep a watch. A while later, sitting at my desk, Jason came over to me, I stretched my hand out and he put his mouth in the palm of my hand and deposited something. It was two plastic eyes from the dog toy. “Here, he said, “take these so I don’t choke on them.” I couldn’t believe it. He then went and brought the toy into my office and told me with great confidence, “this is Alfred, mom. We don’t need to take his nose off because I won’t choke on it.” Thus started years of relationship with Alfred.
Alfred was sewn up more times than I can remember. When Margot found a thread worn place or a hole from Jason licking it or sucking on it, she’d get out her sewing kit and Jason would sit and watch her sew him up. He always looked so concerned. One day, during one such surgical procedure, Jason was getting very concerned. “Jason, Alfred will be ok, Margot is making sure she is very careful with him. It won’t hurt.” I explained to him.
He sighed deeply, looked me in the eyes and said, “Mom, Alfred is not alive in the same way we are. He doesn’t feel anything. I’m just sorry I put a hole in him.” Then he glanced at me again like he couldn’t believe that I thought Alfred could feel pain.
This was a most typical kind of Jason exchange that we would have regularly. Then one day, I got the lesson of a lifetime. I came into our living room to find Jason tenderly cleaning a spot on Alfred. Alfred by now was about 8 years old and his days were numbered. But, hey, that is old for a stuffed dog! I thought to myself that Jason was going to be devastated the day we’d have to take Alfred away, or that Alfred just fell apart. I should have known better but I walked right into it.
“Jason, you are such a good Dad to Alfred but he is starting to not look very good these days,” I explained.
The all too familiar heavy sigh came out of Jason as he turned to face me. I knew I’d had it now.
“But Mom…..” he began. “Alfred can never die. He is not really alive in the way we are. And I understand that sooner or later he will fall apart. But for now, let’s bring him to Margot to see what she thinks.” ( I got it, he wanted a second opinion!)
He was going to walk away then but he stopped, came back over, sat down facing me and told me this: “Mom, there is a reason I call you My Mom. First of all we must get one thing straight. I am NOT Alfred’s Dad! I am Alfred’s mom.”
Oh boy. Now I thought I had a real mess on my hands. I wasn’t sure just which talk to have with Jason first on this one. But he didn’t give me a chance.
He continued: “Being a Mom has NOTHING to do with gender. There are lots of women who are not Moms and there are lots of men who make great Moms. Being a Mom has to do with how you treat others. It has to do with how you love and how much compassion you have no matter what someone does to you. It has to do with loving and giving and nurturing the best you can in another. There are many women who have given birth who aren’t Moms. You don’t just become a Mom because you give birth. And you can BE a mom without ever giving birth. You see, I see Alfred for what he is, a great gift from you that you brought back for me from far away because you cared about me and knew I’d like him. Because of that, I want to make sure I have him for as long as I can. He reminds me about how much you love me. It’s the same reason I call you My Mom. Because you love me and let me love you. You are everything My Mom could be. That is why Alfred won’t die. When this one wears out, I bet you will find me another one and then I will move on to cherish that one, because it came from you. Alfred is not real, but you are.”
And that folks sums up what it was like to know Jason. It explains why it was that I loved him beyond measure. It is why today when he had to leave this body that wore out with time, I have to trust that when he tells me he’ll be back soon, he will. It is what it meant to be Jason’s mom. An unbelievable honor that I hope to live up to.
On Christmas Day we knew that Jason wouldn't be with us much longer. He suddenly stopped eating and soon after he could no longer drink anymore either. But Christmas afternoon as Margot and I were standing in our kitchen feeling great sadness about the coming loss, I heard Margot suddenly gasp and she asked me to come over to the window. Perched just a couple of feet outside our window was a red tail hawk just peering in the window. She stayed there while Margot and I looked at her and once she was sure we had seen her, she quietly turned and flew off. We have never seen a hawk that close to our house before. There is no hunting there so this bird was really trying to get our attention.
A few days later, Deeteza contacted me and told me that she was the one who brought Jason to me and she would be the one to take him back with her, before she brings him back around again. As Jason spent his last few hours with us, he urged me to envision him with Deeteza in the stars with a big angel. He told me that this would be his journey and his path back and he wanted me to be sure I saw it. I did a meditation with him and saw the path he would take when he left his body. When he left today, I knew exactly where he'd be. And I can't wait to one day be with him again.
Here is a movie tribute to Jason
THE WISDOM OF AN OLD DOG
I was walking with my dog today and I heard someone say something about the “old dog.” As I watched him walking ahead of me, his footing a little less sure than once was, his hearing not so great, and his eyesight playing tricks on him, tears sprang to my eyes as I saw the “old dog” for the puppy he once was. They never saw him in his prime. Running and leaping and being completely goofy. Chasing leaves and retrieving sticks and rolling in the grass. That puppy now seems like a distant shadow fading in the sunset.
Just as I thought these things about him and felt the sadness in my heart, he turned and looked at me with those eyes. His eyes of wisdom, sometimes hard earned; eyes that told a story. Not just his story, but my story, and our story together. Eyes that watched me grow up just as I watched him grow old. Those eyes showed me what he knows about me. How he sees me for who I am when even I can’t. How he knows me in a way that very few others even understand. How he opened my heart to love again when it had closed from great loss. How he taught me to laugh and be silly when I thought I had to be serious. How to see the beauty in a day of rain and mud. How to walk and not worry where we were going. How to sit and watch a sunset and know that every day is a good day. How to be yourself by just being your self. He taught me all these things.
Yet as his body declines and seems to betray the soul inside, he continues to teach me that life is what it is. That the journey is always new. That his body may not be as strong, his mind not as sharp, but his love is just as pure as the day he took my heart within his. No, he is not an old dog. He is a wise soul.
I stopped walking, blinded by tears, knowing our journey together was coming to a close. And just as the puppy who once led me on new adventures, he understood my heavy heart and he heard my heart thoughts that whispered from mine to his. Although his ears may not hear so well, his heart hears just fine. He stopped, turned around to see why I stopped walking and just looked at me with those eyes. “Come on,” he said, “I don’t have all day. We need to keep moving. We must always keep moving. Don’t just stand there and get lost. We have things to do. You can remember memories later, but right now let’s keep making new ones.”
As I still stood there he heaved a sigh and turned to move on. He looked back a few feet down his path and said, “I sure hope I don’t have to come back and get you. Its not as easy anymore.” And I swear I saw his eyes shift from old and wise back to young and devilish for an instant. And I walked on to follow him and continue our walk together, understanding 
that he may look different but he is still the same teacher in dog’s clothing that I’ve always known. My heart still ached thinking of the day we wouldn’t walk this path together. As he kept walking he said to me, “the old dog is still moving. That’s all that matters in a day.”
THE CIRCLE OF LIFE
A Message of Spring
I woke up this morning to a blustery March day. The promise of spring is all around. The flock of robins and red wing black birds, the slight hint of green starting to appear in the horse pastures, are all a sign of what is awakening from the winter slumber. But another reminder of the circle of life is in my view as well. From beneath the melted snow appear three mounds of earth. Their visage a reminder of what has been lost and lives that have moved on.
They are the three graves of the three horses that we lost only in the past month. As a sadness fills my heart, I am struck by the scope of life that is within my view from my window. Life that has ended, and new life beginning with the coming of spring. For a moment, through my grief, my thoughts went to feeling sad that those three horses will not know the thrill of new sprouting grass this year. They won’t feel the relief of warm weather and the feeling like we have all just been through a winter slumber and now will reawaken to another year of teaching and sharing this farm. And as quickly as I had that thought, I was reminded what those three horses stood for and what they did with their lives.
For them, they did awaken to a new day in spirit. They are enjoying a new beginning and a new day. It is just not where I can see them. And in that moment of recognition I felt each of those horses come to me, one by one. Mariah, Tasia, and Buddy, the mule. Each of them letting me know that they were still here on the farm. That they are still a part of the teaching. That the mounds of dirt I was looking at did not represent them or all they lived for and loved for and gave unconditionally. They showed me, that just like on all the other graves, new life would sprout and grow. “We are not in there,” Tasia whispered in my ear. “We are running free,” added Mariah. “We are eating everything in sight,” quipped Buddy.
And then, this message flooded through my heart, and took me away from my feeling of grief:
Look to the life and the growth and not to the piles of dirt where we do not reside. Look to the robins picking through the exposed earth. Look to the grass starting to green all around. Look to life. There is never a death that does not lead to life. They are one and the same. Look for us in your heart where we are as alive as ever. Then look to the day and the time ahead and know that you are standing at the door of a new beginning. Each day. Every day. You have an opportunity of renewed life. Take this gift and use it to the fullest. Awaken each morning from your dreams as if it was the very day your life is beginning. Walk forward and into what you are given. Let this be our gift to you and all who listen.
When a Great One Leaves (Reflections on Gulliver's Death)
by Dawn
At the moment his heart stopped, I swear the earth paused for just a moment to respect his greatness. All of nature gave silent nod to one who understood, honored, loved unconditionally the earth he walked. The grass bowed in homage to a being who many times gave pause to thank the grass for all it had given to him.
His body could no longer contain his spirit, needing to fly. In one breath, one beat of his heart, he left this earth, left our touch, to take residence in our hearts forever.
Although we fear that we will feel an emptiness where once he stood. We know that the blessings he left us will fill this farm forever. His voice only silenced to our ears, will live on in our hearts. His soul, will dance in the wind, shine in the sun, and twinkle with the stars.
He has left us only in body, and we shall miss him greatly. But what he taught us is beyond his passing. He taught us to live. He taught us to love. And he taught us to always remember he is here in every beat of our hearts.
He showed us the beauty of a flower. He taught us how to see with our inner eyes. He taught us that life is alive around us everywhere, And all we have to do is see it, believe it, and trust it.
He is greater than great, larger than life, and as wise as the earth herself. And he shared all of that with us so that we could continue in his stead.
His teachings live on through us. His voice will never be silenced. His love will never be lost. And he will never be forgotten.
IN MEMORY OF GULLIVER
For the past 14 years Gulliver has been taking me on an incredible journey. Many people have been touched by his teachings at the many workshops he helped teach over the years. His contribution to my life, my heart, my spirit, and my teaching is immeasurable. And the extent to which we will all miss him is commensurate.
I often compared Gulliver as to the principal of a school or the head master. When he needed me to move forward or to move faster, he’d call me into his “office” for a chat. He was no light weight teacher. Yet, he taught and guided with the most gentle ways. He was direct, straight to the point, and hit direct to the heart. He was patient, yet he let me know
that he didn't have time for dawdling. He was here to work with me, and to share what he needed and wanted to share, and he wanted to waste no time. Whereas Deeteza, the Arab mare who was my first master teacher, worked with me on my listening and learning better communication, Gulliver’s role was to work with me on my teaching. It was with his support, wisdom, guidance, and love, that I shifted my workshops this past year. He was pleased with the results. He participated in the full new series of workshops and then he told me his work with me was done for now. He told me this just days before I was to teach the second AWAKENING THE HEART workshop of the year. I knew then that he would be leaving soon, yet I didn’t want to hear it. His general health had gradually declined over the past year. For those of us who cared for him on a daily basis, we noticed him slowing down and he began having some joint problems. It was nothing alarming but it was degenerative in nature and he slowly declined. Yet, his teaching never wavered. If anything, he worked with me harder and with more urgency. His death was not unexpected but it was extremely difficult for us to accept. It seemed that he would be here on this farm forever. It is hard to remember a time he wasn’t here. Hard to remember a workshop I taught without him.
Gulliver was not arrogant, but he knew who he was and why he was here. Deeteza, was called the Great Voice by the animals of the farm. Gulliver, was called the Great Eyes. There was something about him that when he looked at you, you knew he had just looked to the depth of your heart and soul. Many people have been deeply affected by him in this way. His eyes were filled with the unconditional love with which he looked at the world and all of us.
Gulliver loved this earth. He taught me to look at the simplest of things, like a blade of grass, and to see the beauty of it all. Grass was one of his favorite topics to talk to people about. He loved to give deep philosophical messages about grass, because he revered grass as the life force that fed him. He was a gentle soul. Totally at peace at all times. I never saw him get angry, never felt him lose his grounding, and never experienced him shy from his truth of this world and his mission. He came to teach. He did so. He came to experience life. He did that too. And all the while he walked this earth, he touched a lot of hearts. All of you who experienced Gulliver at workshops understand the depth at which he worked, lived, and taught. I think of the number of lives he has touched, and it is immeasurable the impact he has had.
Gulliver shared a lot of teaching with me in public, and shared a lot of himself to many visitors. But he also did a lot of work behind the scenes in private. He touched my life in a way that can never be measured. He has asked that the details of his death be a private matter between himself and those who cared for him on a daily basis. But I can share that his passing was as enormous as his life. I can share some of the things that happened, as an example to the enormity of his life.
We knew a day in advance of his passing that he would be leaving. As we prepared a burial place, which he has also asked to be private at the farm, our first glimpse of what his passing would be like occurred. Margot was on her tractor mowing an area to mark the grave site when she looked
across a field and saw a large bird in a tree. What was so unusual about this was that the bird was standing on the top part of this large dead tree with its wings completely spread out. She called me to come up to where she was and by the time I got there the bird was standing with wings folded in. It was a turkey vulture and we instantly knew the meaning. It had come to start the ritual of calling in the spirits for the great one that was about to journey. (See story below: Message from the Turkey Vulture). Gulliver told me that his journey would be made easy for him by many helpers. I stood and watched the turkey vulture and as soon as Margot moved back to the area of Gulliver’s grave site, it spread out its wings and bowed its head. It gave chills down our spines to see that. It was so deliberate.
All of the animals of the farm, wild and domestic, knew of his passing. There was a moment after he passed that I swear you could hear everything stop just for a moment of silence. His passing was loving and peaceful. And his eyes never once changed from seeing us to the depths of our hearts as he moved from his body to spirit. His life was complete, his mission fulfilled. He told me, “what better statement can a being make than to say I came and completed what I came to do. This is a life fulfilled.”
The following is a message that Gulliver gave to me many years ago, in 1994, when I once asked him, “Why are you here at the farm?” This was his response.
I have come through other dimensions through fields of time that only vaguely resembled wisps of grass blowing in a gentle breeze on a bright sunny day. A Spirit sprung forth from the light of the Great One. Waiting to see when I would be called by the small voice. The one who knows not quite what they have or who they are. It is my message to reconnect them to our Mother. As the Great Voice has paved the way before me, now I the Great Eyes must show them the way. As I traveled on to a body awaiting my presence, I soaked in the light to take with me. The awaiting body brought to them by so many caring hands ‑ the brigade of ghosts as they call themselves. Old friends that continue to take post over the place I will now call my home. As I descend through times and emotions and take up my place in this physical form, I bring with me all of the knowledge, wisdom, beauty, and love which flows forth from Her heart. I will connect with them in the way the Great Voice prepared for me with her brilliant heart and heartfelt words. Her words were also from the Mother of All Life. Just as through my eyes they will see Her and connect with her. I bring with me Her visions. Her hopes. Her very beauty and the eyes with which to see them. I know they will see me for who I am. I will trust in them to acknowledge my form. The Great Voice is still a part of the place which I will live. Her voice I know I will hear in the trees. I will hear it in the grass. And as Our Mother makes her way through us to live here also we shall all rejoice together. This is my gift and one that I so freely long to give and shall give without hesitation to all who come and look with me through my eyes.
For those who care to come with me on journeys only thought to be dreams, we can fly to what you believe to be distant places. To the highest of mountaintops, the deepest of valleys, and the longest of waters. There are only tomorrows when you are not enjoying today. A look through my eyes will connect you with Her. With all of the beauty, love, and nurturing of the universe itself. A deep look through my eyes will show you that all journeys are based in realities. There are no non‑realities, only misconceptions of Her love. Hiding places. Alone. You will not be able to hide in my eyes. For I have seen too much kindness. Felt too much love. And helped give too much hope. There is never a dark day, only a diversion away from looking to the light. My journey continues now through my eyes, through Her eyes. And as I take this form now I shall truly love all who come to me. My heart represents a much bigger heart. My breath is the breath from a much deeper place. My blood, the blood from the veins of all of life. My love is but a reflection of those who have invited me to come. And like a beacon, together we will all call to all who need to come home. Their hearts are aching. My eyes shall see them come as the Great Voice sings her songs and beckons them to our waiting embrace. With this I shall be proud to take up residence in this fine physical form and be with all of my blessed friends, in a stable, once again one with the ages.
As I reread that now at the end of his life, it bears repeating his last message to me about his life. “Mine is a life complete. I achieved what I came to do. I now leave complete.”
His eyes have opened many, many hearts. His voice will never be silenced because he teaches on through all he has touched. I, for one, will forever be grateful to the teacher who taught me to teach. To the friend who taught me to love. And to the master who showed me that all that he taught me is clearly in my heart and to trust that heart he taught me to hear.
A MESSAGE ABOUT HOPE
“Even the smallest among us have voices, if only you would listen.”
I heard this as I walked through our barn one morning. We had just found a mouse that had fallen into one of our horse water buckets during the night and drowned. We felt horrible for the mouse and I thought how horrible it must have been for the horse to watch the mouse drown. The statement hung in the air with a certain profound heaviness but I needed to continue with my routine and moved on.
The next day, just at sunset, barely any light left to see very far in front 
of me, I was to hear it spoken again. At the farm we all carry walkie talkies with us to communicate from the various buildings should there be an animal emergency. It has kept us all connected as a whole but it has its downfalls as well. One of them being that it is a public channel and we are not the only ones on it. In a twist of fate (or not), some local deer hunters use the same channel on a neighboring property. Our nature sanctuary is bordered by a hunting coop. Out of the near darkness, I heard a gunshot ring out across the landscape and a chill went down my spine. Over the walkie talkie one of the hunters talked with great excitement. “Hey boys! Sign me up for the hunter of the year award! I got another one down.” Another hunter answered him with great excitement. And the first hunter yelled again over the radio – “this field is full of deer. They are everywhere. Loaded!!!” The other hunter advises him to “start shooting. Just shoot!” The first one, being all too realistic says, “It’s too dark. I can’t see a thing.” The response rang out as loud as the gunshot did, “shoot anyway!” No further shots were fired that I could hear. But then I heard the final chilling words of their hunting expedition.“Was it a buck or doe?”
“I don’t know, I couldn’t tell. It’s not dead yet but we’ll get the four wheeler and take care of the thing after I pick you up.”
It was at that moment that a heaviness filled my heart and I heard the words again: “Even the smallest among us have voices, if only you would listen.”
I wasn’t sure where it was coming from, but I responded anyway. “I’m listening.”
“I’ll be with him as he goes so that he is not alone.” I knew that the ‘he’ being referred to was the deer that lay dying somewhere in a field in the dark. I could suddenly feel the deer and feel his fear. I knew it was a young buck, probably just his first or maybe second season. He was young. He was full of life. And he was in pain. Left there without any acknowledgement, respect, or consideration for his life or his death. I felt sick inside.
“Be with him in your heart. He will then not be alone. He will pass in your warmth and peace. Just breathe from your heart to his. No one ever dies alone. He was not expecting his death in this moment, so he is fighting to stay in his body. Let him share with you his life so that he may find comfort in his passing.”
I could feel him. His strength. His joy in bounding through fields. His love of the land. His love of his family. I knew things about him. For example that he had a twin sister. He was still with her and his mother when he was shot. He loved to play. He loved to chase at butterflies. He loved to smell the cool air. He liked to play in leaves. And he liked to drink from a particular stream. He shared with me how strong his body felt. The feeling of building great muscle. He was proud of his body and his height and stature. This was what he shared. And he was dismayed at how quickly 
and haphazardly he fell in that field. He hadn’t seen it coming. Never saw the man who shot him. But as he lay there, he felt the man’s disinterest. He felt the man’s lack of connection. He wanted to jump up and run but he couldn’t. His legs would no longer respond. I just listened to him. Witnessed him from the heart. Acknowledged his beauty and presence and wished him peace and transition. But he still was gripping that body with all his might. I felt helpless, unable to do a thing for him. I felt so small in the face of something so large. Felt like a whisper in the wind of the human existence that still cannot grasp the heart connection to all around them.
The benevolent voice spoke to me again. “Your purpose is to continue to breathe hope and love and understanding among your own. You are not a whisper in the wind and you are not small. But you must remember, even the smallest among you have voices and we indeed are listening. Tell him of your hope. Tell him that you hear him. Tell him that you know others will care about him too. Tell him that you will share his story and that it won’t be his pain that lives on, but his magnificence and beauty. Tell him his heart was heard, and then he shall pass and leave this earthly experience behind. His pain will cease. He will feel complete and whole. He will be surrounded by family of spirit. And he will again run free and he will once again know joy. Tell him. He will hear you.”
And to this deer that I had never met, who lay dying in a field not far from our farm, I told him of my hope. I told him of my heart connection to the animals and to other humans who also believe and understand the wholeness of the world. I showed him with my heart the farm and the animals who grace this land. And as I spoke to him, I could feel him stop struggling. I could feel him relax against the earth. Quiet surrounded him. But he didn’t feel alone. He told me that he was aware of a mouse nearby him in the grass. And he told me that the mouse was staying with him now and he felt comfort and understanding. He then felt a warmth filling him and his lungs stopped burning and he stopped struggling to hold on. He was aware of his herd nearby and of another herd waiting for him. And as quickly as he fell to the ground, he ascended into spirit and was free. I felt his joy. I felt him running. And I knew he was fine. But then I was aware of another presence still near his body. I could feel it and it was then that I recognized this being as the one who was talking to me. “Who are you?” I asked.
“I am a mouse who was here when he fell. I am a mouse who was here when he flew. I was the one who asked you to 
show him there was hope. I felt his heart, and I knew he needed to hear you. I knew you would hear me and answer.”
“But how could a mouse in a field I can’t even see reach out to me specifically like that?”
“Because, even the smallest among us have voices, and you listened. Don’t ever forget to listen. And don’t ever give up on hope.”
MEMORIAL FROM THE DONKEYS, FOR THE HORSES AND ALL EQUINES
Felix and Leo are donkeys who came to Spring Farm CARES in November 2003. The night they arrived, would have most certainly been their last night on this earth had they not come into rescue. Both were from an animal abuse case of extreme neglect. Veterinary examination showed that they had less than 1% body fat on their frames. Leo, about 4 months old, weighed in at only about 80 lbs. He should have been more than twice that 
much. And he shouldn’t have even been weaned from his mother yet. So weak that he was carried off the trailer like a dog, we had never seen an animal as thin as he. Felix didn’t fare much better, but he is a larger breed of donkey, and was 4 months older, but still just as thin. Margot and I quickly made a pen for them in our heated garage. As the temperatures plummeted that night, the veterinarians assured us that neither of them would have survived that cold. It was a sobering thought when we walked into our garage the next morning to find them munching on hay. Leo was still looking for something to suck on, barely knowing how to eat. The road to recovery was long, but they both survived and turned into two of the most amazing donkeys ever. They bonded strongly with us, and we with them. It was clear they were destined to stay and Margot and I adopted them and moved them into the small barn attached to our house. The horses and goat welcomed them into the family and they continued to thrive.
One thing I have learned about donkeys is that they are deeply loyal. They form lifelong bonds and are very dedicated to whoever they choose as
their family. Leo, a miniature donkey, and Felix a standard donkey, adopted us as their mothers for sure. To this day, we share a bond that is extraordinary. If they see us walking outside, they often will give us a hearty donkey bray, and run closer to where we are to say hello. They are very vocal each feeding for their food. Felix braying so loud that you can feel the vibration go through your whole body. Even the floor boards of the barn vibrate beneath our feet when he brays. So many times, Margot and I start to say, “ok, ok… you are not starving!.” But, always, we stop short of that. For if any animal has ever known what starvation is, these two have been there to the brink of death. They, like us, have never once forgotten that night that they arrived. The night where we promised them that we would do whatever we could to support them if they wanted to still try to live. They both fought hard and came back strong, in both body and heart. The love and devotion they have for us is only matched by ours for them.
In early November 2006, our goat Tippie very suddenly and unexpectedly passed away. This all happened while the donkeys and horses were outside. They had watched from the pasture as we loaded her into our mini-van to rush her to our vets office when we knew something was 
wrong. Tippie, unfortunately, never came back. Later that night, as Margot and I were closing down our barn for the night, we were ending with our nightly ritual of feeding out some treats. As I went to give Leo his treat, which he usually gratefully accepts, he turned and walked to the end of his stall, looking over into the now empty goat pen. He told me, “I will save mine for when Tippie comes back. I miss her.” It was then that I realized with horror that in our grief and shock about Tippie’s passing, we had not told the donkeys and horses what had happened. I explained to them that Tippie wasn’t coming back and that even though we tried to save her, she had died. Leo was visibly upset and turned and walked away from her pen. Felix then stuck his head out of his stall as I stood between them. The following conversation then took place among the donkeys, horses, Margot and me.
Leo: Did she go to the place....... the bad place?
Felix: Oh, no, she wouldn’t have gone there would she?
Instantly, I knew what they were asking as Felix sent an image that was unmistakable. They worried that we had taken her to be slaughtered. A note is needed here to explain that the abuse case that these two donkeys came from was one of the worst I have experienced. The man who owned the farm they came from used it as a tax shelter. It was a tax fraud actually, at the animals’ expense. It seems he owed a large sum of money to the IRS and his wages were garnished. To combat that, if he qualified to be a farm, they would take less of his wages. To be a farm he had to show that he bred animals for profit. Of course with any business there are profits and losses. He would go to auctions and buy horses, donkeys, poultry, goats, etc. and he would breed some of them and deliberately starve some of them. The ones who were “lucky” to be bred, would be sold for profit, while the others got to go to the loss column. That any human could be this heartless is amazing to me, but that is my struggle. Hundreds of animals died horrible deaths as a result of this tax shelter. My own feelings aside, these two donkeys, understood completely what happened to the animals that they lived with on that “farm”. They saw them starve to death. And they saw them go for slaughter. This image was emblazoned in the memories of those two babies at the time. But they knew the full score. Death to them, meant only one way out, starvation, or slaughter. That was the reality they knew before coming here. Knowing all this, and listening to Leo’s concern about Tippie, brought immediate tears to my eyes. Because, the first thought Leo had, was to save his food for her, in case she needed it. This from an animal that understood completely what having no food was like. The conversation continued in our barn.
Dawn: Tippie didn’t go to that place at all. We rushed her to our vet hospital but she died on the way in the car. Margot and one of our staff people was with her the whole time. Then we brought her home and buried her here on the farm. No one from here will ever go for slaughter. You will all have everything you need if it is the last thing we can do.
Felix: (very sadly) My mother died like that. I saw her go and it was horrible. I will never forget that.
Dawn: How do you know that Felix?
Felix: I was with her on the truck until someone took me off and tied me to the side. I saw her fall. She was scrambling to get back to me. I felt her fear. I knew her pain. Its inside of me still. There is where she died. And no one cared but me.
Leo: I was with my mother when she died too. She didn’t have enough food but tried to feed me instead. She fell down and couldn’t get up. I stayed with her until they took her away and dragged her out by her feet. It was horrible too.
Dulcie: (Welch/Arab pony, mid 30’s) I almost went to that place too. I had a bad eye that no one would fix. I was with lots of horses who were going. They were all scared. I was scared too. But someone took me home with them, fixed my eye and eventually I ended up here.
Jeremy: (Arab gelding, mid 20’s) I thought I was going to go there too. I knew horses that did. It’s very sad.
Tasia: (Arab mare, mid 20’s) But that won’t happen now here. We don’t have to worry about that. (To the donkeys) You’ll always have food, and you will know safety.
Dulcie: (to the donkeys) You won’t ever have to be sent there.
Jeremy: This is our barn and we are home here.
I could not believe the scope of this conversation. Each of these horses understood about slaughter and had been somehow impacted by it. I had forgotten Dulcie’s history but she was right. She was rescued by someone at a horse auction where the dog food man was bidding on her. And she did have a bad eye which is probably why she was sent. That had been over 20 years earlier, and what a wonderful life she had in the meantime. But nothing hit me as hard as Felix’s comments. I walked into his stall and hugged him. He leaned into me with all he had and let out a huge sigh. He used to suffer from horrible nightmares. He’d wake us up in the middle of the night braying and when we’d run down to the barn we’d find him running as fast as he could in circles in his stall. He’d say to me, “don’t let them get me. Don’t let them take me!” I wondered then what kind of hell he was remembering that would bring this reaction from such a youngster. As I stood with him now, I understood. As I hugged him, he talked to me more.
Felix: My mother was great. She was beautiful. I shall never forget her. She shouldn’t have died that way. I will try to be as sweet as she was. Maybe I can live for her too.
Dawn: You are a wonderful boy and I’m sure she still watches you and sees that you’re safe.
Felix: I hope so. It would make her happy to know I wasn’t taken by them like that.
Leo: Me too. My mother was really upset that she couldn’t be here anymore. She would have loved this place I think.
Jeremy: Then we shall remember them, even though we didn’t know them.
Tasia: Just like we will always remember Tippie.
Leo: Then I shall dream of them tonight.
Felix: Me too.
There were no words that I could add. My tears spoke for my heart as I wept for the fate of all of the horses in this country who are still being slaughtered as a stop gap measure for an overpopulation problem. People supporting horse slaughter, including some of the largest horse organizations in this country, say that without it horses will suffer. That there will be too many to be cared for properly. We are the humans who breed these beautiful majestic animals. They live at our whim most of the time. Bred by the thousands to find the one among them who will race the fastest. Bred by the thousands until just the right color is found. The rest being discarded as overflow. And we, the humans in charge of their fate, have created a mind set that we are saving them from suffering by sending them to slaughter. Yet, in our small barn, one cozy November evening, 3 horses and 2 donkeys, shared their understanding and pain of the suffering that we think we are sparing them from. A fate they are all aware of in their lives as a possibility. And those nestled in our barn, safe from the prospect of their lives being ended like that, remembered those that have not been so fortunate. They asked us to remember them with them. To hold them in our hearts. To dream about them. And it rests within every one of us humans, the power to end that suffering. The responsibility to provide for each and every life that we bring into this world. To not discard a single life because it didn’t run fast enough, wasn’t born the right color, or didn’t win the appropriate ribbons. These horses give their all for us. And its time for us to give back to them.
As of 10/21/06, 82,943 horses were slaughtered for food in the United States this year alone so far. The meat shipped off to Japan and Europe for human consumption.
Legislative Alert: Please note that you can do something about this NOW. We all need to contact your U.S. senators and ask them to support S.1912, the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act. It is important to note that depending on the night and the crowd in attendance, the bottom 15-20% of all horses at all auctions go to the meatmen. Anytime a horse goes to auction, it faces this risk. For more information, follow this link to the website for the HSUS. Please take just a few minutes of your time to read about the issue and let your legislators know that this must change now. The horses need us. We are the only voice they have in Congress, and their lives literally depend upon us.
MESSAGE FROM A TURKEY VULTURE - March 2006
While driving on a 2 hour trip, I was completely alone on the road when I spotted a huge bird just off of the road in the grass. I couldn't imagine what it was and it looked so odd. Kind of standing with wings partially out and bowing its head in a slow rhythm. I slowed down and immediately saw what it was. It was a turkey vulture standing at the head of a deer that had been hit and killed. But the bird was not eating the deer. I watched as he just stood at its head almost in meditation of some sort. The body had not been disturbed so the vulture must just have arrived. I realized that I was observing some sort of a ritual and I drove on. But I connected with the bird and asked what it was that I just was allowed to witness. This is the message from the turkey vulture: 
The first arrival always stops to pay homage and give thanks to the spirit of the animal who inhabited the body we will then eat. It was my position to be sure that the spirit was allowed to leave the body and that no part of the spirit remained there. In this case, the spirit had not yet completely disconnected as it was not aware it was out of body. It was then my place to call in assistance to help her along. All was done. Then I gave thanks. And then, and only then, was I allowed to touch the body. That is how it is always done. It is an honor. The scavengers do more than clear up old bodies. We make sure that the spirit has found its way. That is our job.
White Buffalo Woman Message - October 2005
I was preparing to do an energy work session for a client. I first took our dogs for a run in the pasture and stood in the sun with my eyes closed, just connecting with the Earth. After a few minutes, I could sense an animal standing behind and off to my right. I turned quickly thinking one of the horses got out. As I turned, standing at the gate, looking at me, was a huge white buffalo.And just as fast as she appeared, she was gone. It was very real and clear and I was briefly overcome by a feeling of peace and great honor. But then just as quickly, I went on with my dog walking and then feeding and completely forgot about the white buffalo.
Two hours later, I was doing the energy session. Shortly after I began, I was aware of a smell permeating the room. It was unforgettable. I knew that smell from when we went to Yellowstone and I could always tell when we were coming upon buffalo or where they had recently been as I could smell them. It was that same smell. Then, I was aware of warm breath on my bare arm and I could feel her presence fill the room. She was standing off to the side behind me and she remained there for the entire session.
Later, I did a meditation to get the message from the White Buffalo Woman.
As I connect with the white buffalo, she immediately arrives. The prevalent feeling is one of complete peace. It flows from her to me and I can feel it permeate my body at a cellular level. There is great warmth. Great love. Love at a depth that is indescribable and she takes me there to that love and asks for me to flow into it with her as she holds the space. It feels like a floating experience – but beyond words. As this continues I realize that I am now both in the white buffalo’s eye and her heart. It is as if I am now standing in her eye and looking out through her heart. I can feel the warmth of her body, the softness of her hair, the depth of her spirit., the love of her heart. I am one with the white buffalo. And then, just as if we merged together into one heart beat, the white buffalo became an Indian woman. A small framed woman draped in a white buffalo skin robe. She is petite especially in comparison to the white buffalo before her. She gently reaches for my hands and looks into my eyes and in an instant I am drawn within her eyes – the same eyes as the white buffalo. They are one and the same. And as we merge and I join with her heart, she begins to flow a message to me, yet no words are spoken. This is the message of the white buffalo woman.
Come into my heart and feel the peace of the earth. My heart has merged with that of the earth herself. The Earth is experiencing great changes and healings. She needs our support as we move with her. She needs us to keep her in our thoughts and prayers and she needs to know she is among our heartbeats. One beat. We are all one beat. The coming of the white buffalo is a signal of the healing. White Buffalo ushers in the new peace and the connection of all the peoples and animals of the earth. The buffalo knows the Earth and knows her heart. The buffalo are the keepers of the Earth’s heart. This is powerful medicine and enormous healing. It is offered to all who will join with her heart and occupy that space with her. We can all heal together. We will all know the peace and love of the universe. It is blossoming through the Earth. Nurtured at her breast. This healing can come through you as you were chosen by the white buffalo. Great peace and love await all. Focus your prayers and thoughts and your intent for the Earth to heal. It will help her to do so. The animals are carrying within them the peace and love and the open heart that is to come to humans as well. Each unto their own gifts they give freely. Walk with an open heart – you will find great peace and not despair.
With this the woman said a prayer in a native tongue unfamiliar to me, she touched me on the head, said some more prayers, and then she took off the white buffalo robe she was wearing and she draped it over my shoulders. And instantly I was aware of how large it 
was and that it encompassed not only me but others I chose to be with me in this space. As I pulled the robe around me, it grew larger and encompassed more, and as the area expanded I was aware that I was now walking among wild horses. Freely walking in a herd as they were leading me to a destination. It was like I was one of them. And as I looked from above I saw the large herd of horses with a white buffalo in the middle of the herd walking with them. I was that buffalo, as well as the others I enclosed within the robe with me. As one, we walked with the horses as if in deep spiritual ritual. We got to a certain place and all the horses stopped and formed a circle around the white buffalo as the buffalo knelt down and pressed her heart to the earth. The horses stayed in a circle around the resting buffalo.
I was then aware again of being in the eye of the white buffalo and looking out through her heart. The robe unfurled from my shoulders and those who I brought with me all joined me within the eye of the massive creature. And we stood in a circle of light within her eye, with her heart beat sounding like the beat of a drum. The beat grew louder and louder until we could all feel it through our bodies. We breathed deeply and felt one with the Earth and all her inhabitants. We were then beneath the stars of the night sky, still within the eye of the buffalo. And it was as if the stars joined with us within the unity. The heart beat continued as we joined hands and the light became brighter and more unified and our heart beats all became one with each other and one with the white buffalo. And in an instant she blinked a slow blink and a tear came out of her eye and
fell into the earth. This tear was from the united heart of us all and it came from the heavens and went to the heart of the Earth. The Indian woman returned and told us that the seed had been planted and we were to continue the journey. We were to continue the messages from all of Life because that would continue the drum beat that the Earth needs for healing.
And as quickly as we all gathered, we all merged into one gleam of light, and I was now aware of standing outside of the white buffalo body, seeing the glint of light in her eye. Our breath was one, the peace beyond describable. And I was told that this was my White Buffalo healing and that I was to keep it moving by continuing with the messages being sent to me at the level of heart.
