Throughout my life, nature, along with many animals, has played a wonderful and intense part of my evolution. All this has taught me so much about themselves and myself, including the marvelous connection that we have to each other's evolution, which in turn, involves the group soul of the species. I will never forget my trip to Kenya in Africa and would just love to go again.

All animals, even insects, have energy fields or auras. It is necessary for all animals' auras and chakras to be in direct contact with prana, the life force, which also comes from the environment. Their habitat in nature is a God-given gift, to us and to them. In this way sattva, or balance, is established. When we harm the environment, we are playing with God's gift. How foolish! The one thing I'm sure of is karma: what we send to nature will come back to us twofold, sooner than we think!

Let's talk about common animals like dogs and cats. All breeds are not the same and some of them perform certain tasks better than others. As far as love of its master goes, the breed of dog does not matter much. Both the males and females will give us much unconditional love, not asking for anything in return. He or she will be there to help, give joy, and also serve you -- more so if the pet is a seeing-eye dog.

Cats have received much attention throughout centuries. They are very special, and looking back over thousands of years in history, we see the cat family's significance mystifyingly revered by the Egyptians and considered sacred. Cats possess great clairessence ability and can see other dimensions, along with energies of the spirit world with such ease. Their eyes are made for those purposes.

Cats also happen to be fantastic empaths and telepaths. Their ability to feel energies from others at a great distance is uncanny. Their telepathic qualities to receive the frequency of energies within their surroundings and with humans are amazing. All cats have capabilities very much within themselves, inasmuch as this is probably why they enjoy being alone in their own privacy, much more so than dogs do.

I have had a great variety of animals, and even have had a horse give birth in my backyard. One of my most meaningful experiences happened many years ago. A baby sparrow fell from the nest of a tree. My son brought it to me, but one of the biggest problems was that it was so young that there were no feathers yet. Telling my son that there was little chance it would survive was not easy, although we all fed it and gave it much love. To my surprise, its feathers began to grow. We were all thrilled! It was a female. Then, after thinking for some time what name to give her, Little Honey seemed very appropriate. Discovering that this tiny animal knew me and my commands turned out to be my great experience. She taught me patience and visualization, in addition to a better understanding of how the environment works.

Little Honey flew freely inside my screened porch until she was grown up. She developed completely with time, and although my love and everyone else's love for her was immense, it was plain to see that she wanted the company of other birds, males especially. We felt very sad to let Little Honey go, and a bit worried, since she was still feeding from me; of course the best place for her to be was the backyard, among bushes and plants. Thereafter, time was spent on various occasions showing her where the food as well as the water to drink were.

I knew her sound very well and she knew mine, so it became my routine for the rest of the day to go in and out of the house, to see where she was. It was beautiful to watch her, in addition to others, who would come to make friends with her. Though the first night there were no doubts, I brought her inside the porch; but the following day, she looked very content to be outdoors. We knew that from then on, it was just a matter of time before she would leave. After a week she was no longer there. Feelings of joy, accomplishment, and sadness all mixed together, but. . . that is the meaning of being a mother!

All mothers have to realize that sooner or later detachment is the major test when our children, humans or animals, are ready to go or to fly. By clinging to our sons and daughters, human or animal, we produce and multiply the low energies of selfishness, co-dependencies, which stunt or completely rob them of their growth. Detachment strengthens the will, the desire, and the need for us to channel; whether it is directly talking to our Guides or indirectly, by the way of prayers or dreams. Loved ones are not alone -- their Guides are there -- they will receive them when they feel ready. Respect for one's self and for the one who is leaving will follow. Learning brings evolution and maturity with growth.

Regardless of whether it's animals, plants, or minerals, the entire ecology of Planet Earth creates karma for a human being, either for you or against you. Humanity comes with the duty to guard and be this planet's keeper. Everything within Earth was made for us to learn and teach, bringing higher evolution to each other. More than ever, we see the deplorable treatment we give to our ecology. Everyone blames each other and little is done about it.

This is one of the reasons why some people feel so close to certain species, whether they are dogs, tigers, or gorillas. Some give their entire lives to studying and taking care of their chosen species. Some have even been killed because of their work, such as Diane Fossey, who devoted her life to living with and studying gorillas. She was warned, then killed, for her dedication to protecting gorillas.

We are all running out of time. Humanity needs to learn and be in more direct contact with animals, including plants, along with ecology as a whole. Persons should try strongly, when on vacation, to go where they are surrounded by nature. There are many reasons for this.

Let us consider at this time the reasons that we take a vacation. Everyone tells you to take a vacation to have fun and to do many things. The more expensive, the better it is for you. Friends may also tell you that is great for your relationship or marriage, and furthermore, that it will help you to be more positive. A psychiatrist, psychologist, or counselor will tell you that it will help you to rest and receive balance. What is amazing is that none of them know the origin of how all of this might happen.

Every part of nature is cleansing and vital to the entire system, mainly areas where there is water, whether is the ocean, clean rivers, or lakes. At least, if you are not doing anything for self-awareness and healing, let nature help you with the true source. You all need to understand that within nature, sattva is the primary source. Even when storms occur, it is needed, and when it goes out of balance, everyone suffers. When someone sets land or anything else on fire, either purposely or carelessly, he or she will receive the karma back double, as it destroys and pollutes the environment.

Perhaps you might think that this karmic "repayment" will come in the next life, but it will not. It will happen in this one. It is like committing a double crime. The first one takes place against the higher-self of the individual. The second and most important crime is taking part in the destruction of the gift of life given to humanity, which is this beloved planet, including everything residing on it.

Another of my loves is the big cat. Tigers, black panthers, cheetahs. Leopards have many times caught my special attention. I was continually admiring their beauty, extreme powers of channeling, and keen instinct, until one day, I asked my higher-self to take time and go into the archives for more of my past lives.

I channeled myself as a young male -- around eighteen years old -- in the country of India, running through the brush and tall grass. Sounds were coming from behind a bush. To my surprise there it was... a tiger cub calling its mother desperately. Apparently, it was lost. On various occasions when the mother changes her den for the protection of her cubs, the cubs might not be quite ready to walk as fast as the mother does. As a result, accidental deaths and getting lost happen. At first, the cub's own instinct told him to behave in a non-friendly manner. Then he started running away, but I followed him until he was exhausted. Bringing him home to my village was not difficult because he was also hungry.

My father was not too happy about it, as what he did was to take me aside and very seriously remind me that this was an animal which belonged in the wild. My father's conversation did not stop me. The feelings I had already for this cub were strong, so 1 went ahead and named him Kulu. You see, the continuity of channeling that life led me into finding that, as my mother died during my early years, all the love needed and wanted by me had to be released on someone else. One day as we rolled together on the ground playing, he scratched me with his heavy claws. Blood began to poor out profusely. Instinctively, I pulled away, thinking with some fear what that blood could do to him, but he came running to me and we rolled on the ground again. At the time trying to get away from him was my purpose. To my surprise he began licking my blood, and continued cleaning the wound, just as if he were with his own brother.

Time was coming to let him go. He already hunted in the wild, as I had begun teaching him early enough. How could my dear ... brother (for he felt like one to me) not be there any longer? Destiny or karma made things to happen without any effort in my part. Coming back from school one day, 1 went to our place where we always met, but he was not around anywhere. I continued searching in other usual places where we played. All of a sudden, noises came from ahead in the bush, there he was ... looking at me, majestic within his own stature, but at this time I sensed something opposed to his regular behavior. He was not coming to me as he usually did. Then he turned his head, looking back, and in the distance, there it was ... another tiger, a female!

Right after this scene, he turned around and went away with her, continually looking back at me, trying to tell me everything with his eyes. Walking slowly back to my village to see my father, tears running down my eyes, I had contradictory feelings and emotions overtaking me. The entire situation made me feel very happy for Kulu, but sad because we could not be together any longer.

My father felt very happy for Kulu, praising for the first time all my hard and consistent work, letting me know that at the time when I brought the tiger, the odds for a happy ending were very unlikely. He also knew better than I that I had missed my mother very strongly, and that Kulu became a way of expressing my love as well as receiving it. As I was walking by our play grounds some months later, remembering our times together, something very reassuring happened. Once more sounds of something moving in the brush made me pay attention. As I ran, feeling his presence, what my eyes saw shocked me. There he was, looking at me and again looking back. The sounds that came to me were from his ... cubs, four baby tigers! For the first time, happiness and joy were within me, I knew that he had come to show them to me, letting his gratitude and love flow.

After I finished this regression, it became very clear to see that the same thing had been experienced by me with my lovely sparrow, "Little Honey," in this lifetime. By way of this regression, something else had been revealed. Finally the reason for my attention to and love for big cats was easy for me to understand. So many things in this lifetime we repeat and repeat from other lives until we overcome whatever tamas has been holding us back or when we love someone or any part of nature, animals, cities, countries, professions, etc. Of course, that happened when I was completely happy to let that tiger in that life and the sparrow in this life, walk and fly free!

Nothing and no one belongs to us. Everything is borrowed. Do not judge the length of time, do not take it for granted, just feel great gratitude and blessings that you have it today!

This article is excerpted from:

Past Lives, Universal Energies, and Me,
by Rev. Amelia De Pazos.

Reprinted with permission of the publisher, Vantage Press. ©1999. www.vantagepress.com

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About the Author

REV. AMELIA DE PAZOS, B/MSC, founded Amelia's New Age Holistic School and Healing Center in 1989, and has an international career teaching in four countries. She covers metaphysics, new age, theosophy, conscious advanced channeling, and past-life regression. Amelia teaches self-healing levels I and II, raja, kriya, and bhakti yoga. Rev. Amelia graduated from the University of Metaphysics in California, in 1993, and received a bachelor's degree in ministry, science, and counseling. Visit her website at www.AmeliasNewAge.com