Rituals for Animals: Part 1
Welcoming a New Animal Friend
One of the many things I learned during the animal chaplaincy training I recently finished (I was ordained in June, woohoo!) was the importance of ritual. I’ve always enjoyed marking meaningful occasions with ritual. Whether it’s a festive bath to ring in the New Year or a meditative tarot spread to connect with a loved one who has died, I view rituals as a time to deepen or continue a connection with myself or another being.
Given that my main thing is critters of all shapes and sizes, I’m working on a ritual series (this being part 1) to celebrate all things animals. This piece will celebrate one of the happier occasions in an animal and their caretaker’s life: The start of a new animal and their caretaker’s relationship.
The First “Hello”
The first hello with our animal friends can happen in so many different ways and places. You may find your new family member at an animal shelter or rescue, through a friend or social media group, or wandering the streets. I’ve met my animal buddies in a few different ways: a rescue, a shelter, and on the streets. Each story with each friend is unique, perfect, and challenging in its way, but I’m grateful for each new buddy who has come into my life.
The Pre-Hello Meditation
If you are planning on adding a new friend, you may start searching local shelters’ websites to see who sparks your attention. While all animals are perfect (you know it’s true), some animals may not be their best in certain homes. For example, my elder beagle is a bit of a grump and doesn’t enjoy fast-paced activities, so she likely wouldn’t have done well in a home with kids or puppies. But she’s happy (well, she’s sometimes happy) with me and my crew.
As you’re searching shelters’ sites or considering scooping up that stray cat you’ve started to care for, consider the following meditation to help you focus on the type of friend who would adapt best to your lifestyle:
Ground, Breathe, and Grab Your Journal
Before starting your search, acknowledge that you are embarking on a wonderful new journey with a unique creature. You’ll see many sweet faces who have experienced challenges. Consider lighting a candle for their well-being and focus on charging its light with the hope of a joy-filled future with a human who can meet their needs.
Next, get out your journal and begin to write about the animal you hope to find or the pet personality you think your stray pet may reveal to you as you start to get to know each other. Perhaps you anticipate making a bit more money in the coming year, so you’re open to taking home a special needs animal. Or, maybe you know that you don’t have the time for a high-energy creature, so you’re more interested in focusing your search on an adult animal. Try to journal for 15 minutes to consider all your hopes and needs.
Upon finishing your journaling session, take a minute to ground your body by closing your eyes and relaxing. What animal is visiting your thoughts? Who are they? What do they need from you, and what do you need from them? As you open your eyes, get ready to open your laptop to start your search, head out to the shelter to see who you meet, or go outside and spend some time with your stray friend.
The First “Hello”
You did it! You found your new buddy or scooped up Sylvia the stray and got her vetted before bringing her inside (if you need advice on how to trap a stray pet for vetting or TNR, feel free to reach out for a free 30-minute consultation).
Adding a new family member to your pack is an exciting time for a human and an animal. However, it’s not without its challenges.
Remember the 3-3-3 Rule
Working in the animal shelter industry taught me many things, but one of the more helpful tidbits of knowledge I took with me is the 3-3-3 Rule to Adopting. Essentially, this “rule” reminds new animal caregivers that animals adjust to their new life in stages.
Tiger Lily, an outdoor care I’ve cared for, helping me create a tarot spread.
During the first three days, an animal will likely feel stressed, scared, may not eat or drink, and will likely not show their true personality. In three weeks, an animal will start to relax, better understand the flow and layout of their new habitat, and may begin to reveal underlying behavioral quirks. Within 3 months, an animal will likely feel finally comfortable in their home, begin to build a bond with their new family, and become more settled in their routine.
While every animal’s timeline is different, this rule is a helpful reminder to humans that creating a relationship with an animal does not happen overnight. It takes time, love, patience, a good vet, and possibly a great animal behavior specialist, to tend to your growing bond.
A “Hello” Meditation and Reading
After you and your new animal friend settle into a new routine (basically, after you start to have more peaceful moments than challenging ones), consider trying the following meditation (with an optional reading) to deepen your bond.
My favorite way to meditate, give Reiki, or “listen” to my animal friends is to lie down next to them and focus on matching their breath. I ground into my body, clear my mind as best I can, and focus on them. Then, I try to focus on the uncharged thoughts, images, or colors that enter my mind. Charged thoughts are things that concern worry or anxiety surrounding my animal buddy (like thinking, “why does this animal pace in the evening after our walk?”). Uncharged thoughts, etc., are things that pop into your mind and just “are”; they aren’t good or bad.
I’ll note I don’t always connect with my animals when I meditate with them; sometimes it’s just a nice rest that turns into an unexpected nap. Other times, I sense that they want me to pet them a certain way or take them on a specific walking path. These sessions are always enjoyable and can lead to fun, new experiences with my critters, and serves as a lovely bonding tool when done with a new animal.
Go Deeper With a Reading
Next, if you feel inclined to, you can pull some tarot cards (this is my tool of choice), or turn to a favorite religious text or book of poems, to see what arises. To help guide your internal conversation, you may ask questions like the following, or come up with your own:
What does/do the universe/spirit/god/goddess want me to know about my animal’s needs at this time?
What actions would help us build a strong, secure, lifelong bond?
How can I ground into my body to show up for my new animal friend in times of need?
How can I tend to my nervous system to ensure I’m available to give my new friend what they need?
What playful activities could we try?
What card/poem/passage/verse can serve as my compass while I walk through this season of life with my animal companion?
Our Next Animal Ritual
In the next part of this series, I’ll provide a meditation and reading suggestions for working with an animal nearing the end of their life. Until then, take care of yourselves, and give your buddy a pat for me.
*This series was inspired by the work I did at the Compassion Consortium, and by the teachings of Jessica Lanyadoo (specifically her animal communication work) and Lindsay Mack (her tarot guidance and teachings).
