Practical spirituality for a complicated world.
I received the following email from my sweet friend Marlene. The email brings up the issues of compassion, communication, love, joy, grief, pain, the way of nature in the material world, and the way of Spirit, transcending the material. It seems to present us with some grist for the mill.
Dear Robert,
I have been mourning my little wild bird that was killed by one of my cats this afternoon. I somehow knew that would be its fate, but it is so hard to let it go. I had named it "Wild Thing" after Jess found it wandering around in our field last week. I probably should have taken it to the wildlife center, and that was my plan. But then, I thought it might have been a baby chicken. I had it in a cage, but it clearly wanted to be free. I let it out in the front yard while the cats were inside the house. I guess one of the dogs pushed the door open and one of the cats got out and killed it immediately. I was trying to get some water for the dogs, so I had gone to the backyard briefly, and the chick was in the front.
It was such a beautiful little spirit, very unusual, so smart and brave and adventurous. It would sing to me and look me right in the eye; when I would walk away, it followed me. I guess he thought I was his mom. Well, I know it had its own destiny. But my heart is heavy tonight. It taught me so much in the brief time we shared. And I loved it. Birds and cats are not a good mix. It's not the first time they've killed my birds, and it's why I never replaced the various and sundry parakeets that we previously tried to raise. I knew I couldn't keep them alive. I don't feed wild birds for the same reason. I've just never been able to keep my cats inside the way you do, either. So, I suffer all the consequences associated with not controlling either the cats or the birds very well.
Dear Sweet Friend Marlene,
No, as a general rule, it doesn't seem as if birds and cats are a good mix. I've lived with cats most of my life. Our Tammy is very affectionate, smart, and most importantly from her perspective, well fed. She has a comfortable home that is dry in wet weather, warm in the winter, and cool in the summer. She has never known hunger or thirst. Apart from the sound of the vacuum cleaner, which she absolutely hates, she has never known fear. And yet, she hurls herself against windows and screen doors, trying to get at the birds in the courtyard, so that she can rip out their throats. This is simply a cat being a cat. On the other hand, we have neighbors who've lost cats to owls and hawks. If the birds are big enough, they can turn the tables.
When we bring baby animals into our lives, when we raise them in a place of safety, so that they're not constantly prowling for food or fleeing predators, then they develop their intelligence far beyond what they might otherwise do. You begin to see just how smart cats, dogs, birds, pigs, horses, cows, etc., are. It is a really amazing phenomenon to witness.
The material world in which we live is characterized by dense energy, very conducive to violence and aggression. This is the way of this level of creation. Most animals are not conscious of themselves as individual beings, and aren't aware of the finite nature of their bodies or lifetimes. Humans have the capacity to come to conscious awareness in the midst of all of the turmoil of the material world. That's why when we begin to have glimmers of our potential to transcend the confines of the physical, we need to take advantage of the situation. A human birth is a precious opportunity for spiritual growth, not possible in less sophisticated bodies.
When a person awakens to the spiritual truth that he is an eternal soul, incarnating into a finite body, for a finite period of time, then usually, if the person is intelligent enough, he investigates further. That person literally exudes spiritual light. Often, people will be attracted to these awakened individuals, in order to learn, to open, and to advance their own consciousness. It is also true that beings will come to these awakened ones, in order to prepare for their next birth. If you live a centred life, seeking balance and harmony, treating all creation with compassion, then animals will come to you so that they can prepare to take their next births as human. Cats, dogs, or birds will leave their bodies within that energy, and be reborn in human bodies to advance their growth. Spiritual advancement in animal bodies is extremely limited. Mainly, they are burning out karma from previous lifetimes when they created karma. Animals do not accrue karma, but they are able to rid themselves of it, to pay off old debts. Perhaps that was the case with the little bird who found you (or, did you find it?) in order to leave its body in the vibration of the love and compassion of your home, thus preparing for its next birth. The Creator is aware of this process, and offers us solace and assistance through spiritual masters and inspirational literature. The immortal spiritual master Jesus once said that not even the tiniest bird falls to the ground without God being aware of it. That's how intimately, and intricately connected we are with all of creation. But, we mustn't assume that simply because we're in a human body this time, the next birth will be human. Our next birth will be designed to help us burn our karmic residue through appropriate experiences. Therefore, if a person lives a predatory lifestyle, fixated on his own comfort, pleasure and greed, the law of karma will not punish him, but will mercifully allow him to be reborn into a shark body, a pig body, or some similar situation, so that he can gorge himself on food, fight and kill, and have anonymous sex, rolling around in the muck, until he burns out those desires.
I am happy to hear that you learned things from the little bird during its short time with you. Your heart chakra is wide open. Your sweetness and your light are treasures to not only myself, your family and your other friends, but to the planet. When we awaken and begin coming to consciousness, we feel all things deeper than we did before. Joy is more ecstatic, and pain is more bitter. Thus we see again the contrast of the material world. If your heart chakra were not open, you would feel only greed and ego satisfaction. You've awakened from the dream of maya. Congratulations. Feeling sad about violence is a good thing, although eventually, spiritual progress brings one to the realization that every material situation, ecstatic or painful, is an opportunity to become enlightened. Lord Krishna tells us in the Bhagavad-Gita that the wise man (sage) sees God in everyone and everything; he therefore neither grieves nor rejoices, seeing that loss and gain, joy and pain, are all the same. Personally, I'm not there yet, so I continue spiritual study and chanting the powerful Vedic mantras. Whether or not that seems foolish to others, I prefer that lifestyle of simple living and high thinking to the materialism and ego sense gratification promoted by this culture.
In conclusion, remember that there is nothing wrong with being a predator, if you're in a cat body. If one is in a human body, more is expected.
OM
To ask Robert a question, visit his Web site at www.RobertOdom.com, email desertrj@msn.com or send mail to PO Box 33, Santa Fe, NM 87504.
