Animals and Karma
by Chakra Khan
Sometimes people ask me about karma and how to know when a karmic lesson is in play.
(Sidebar: I chose the word ‘play’ deliberately. Even karmic lessons can be viewed through a playful lens. Why does everybody get so damn serious about healing? Sometimes it’s downright hilarious to see how skillfully we create our experiences so that no lesson goes unlearned. Lighten up people, lighten up!)
First a working definition of karma:
“In Buddhist teaching, the law of karma, says only this:`for every event that occurs, there will follow another event whose existence was caused by the first, and this second event will be pleasant or unpleasant according as its cause was skillful or unskillful.’ A skillful event is one that is not accompanied by craving, resistance or delusions; an unskillful event is one that is accompanied by any one of those things. (Events are not skillful in themselves, but are so called only in virtue of the mental events that occur with them.)” Source information here.
In Western Society, we would say: “What goes around, comes around.” Source: Western Lexicon – Collective Consciousness (!)
From an energetic perspective, karma is also connected with the larger interests of the Soul, as expressed through the personality; whose experiences inform the Soul’s awareness. So a karmic experience related to betrayal (negative) or loyalty (positive) would be perceived and assimilated through the lens of both the personality and the Soul.
So, I was thinking about all of this the other day, following an episode with Zoe and Max.
Zoe is my rescued English/French bulldog; 34 pounds of rock’em-sock’em toughy butt smarmy smushy lovin’ Zoebuggin’. She’s friendly to all, scared of lots (especially paper bags and boxes). She has an embarrassing obsession with The Big Orange, my husband’s Kubota tractor. She’s giving you her most imperious look in the photo I included.
Max is my friend’s 8 lb., 2-year old, Maine Coon cat. He has had a few issues this summer, including too many house guests. So he got a bit uptight and got to licking his fur off and not eating. He’s on the mend, but still a bit nervous and skittish. Or should I say sKATtish?
When dog met cat, their interaction included Zoe’s face looking a bit like a bad bout with a porcupine. Max was minus a few handfuls of hair. And I looked like a pin cushion, myself. Both Max and Zoe chomped and clawed me as they attempted to annihilate each other and I attempted to restore harmony.
Max was cool as a cucumber following the event. 8 lbs. of lean, clean macho machine.
Zoe? A sniveling baby, shaking in my arms, head buried in the crook of my elbow. And she (and I) were covered with cat pee. I kid you not. Max pee’d on Zoe’s head.
OK. Big deal. Dog meets cat. Dog and cat fight. Dog loses. Cat wins. Cats rule. Dogs drool. Whatever!
Except… I realized that Zoe’s karma kicked in to play. About a year ago, Zoe came to my practice office in Boston for the first time. It’s a beautiful, sunny spot near the Boston Common, an oasis in the city. One of my clients has a French Bulldog, Beauregard. He’s an eensy little guy; 19 pounds.
Zoe has been socialized to other dogs, so I thought it would be fun to have the two bullies meet each other. Zoe generally settles down to sleep after the initial session pleasantries are completed. I saw zero issues.
Beau and his owner stepped off the elevator and Zoe jumped into action. She wrestled poor Beau to the ground with a great sweep of her front leg, and once pinning him to the carpet, pee’d on his head. Really.
Since then, Zoe’s had a bit of a swagger doncha know? She’s been a bit of a princess, a teensy bit high and mighty. Entitled.
Max put an end to all of that. His 8 lbs. of furry skittishness turned into a lacerating karma-repaying entitlement slaying swagger delaying flaying.
And Zoe’s lesson in Domination and Subservience has been well and duly learned. And now that she knows, she’s none the worse for wear.
As for Max? He’s resonating at a more authentic level of empowerment and self-awareness. And eating his lunch, too!
So Zoe worked out her nasty pee-laced karma with Beauregard and Max. Max worked out his skattish, fear-based issues through Zoe.
Now what I was doing with pee all over me – I can’t actually tell you!
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Connect with Chakra Khan at: http://chakrakhan.omtimes.com and at http://energyhealinginstitute.org
