I try to not to harm any creature, I believe each has its place in the big scheme of things, but following a move to the Scottish Highlands, I'm really struggling with ticks. Occasional sheep ticks but lots of deer ticks. My dog picks them up and I treat her homeopathically and with a herbal collar. I'd be interested to know your thoughts on the purpose of ticks and anything I can do to lessen their impact on our lives, also what to do with them when they drop off or I remove them. At the moment I stamp on them but it doesn't sit well with me.
It feels like everything is out of balance here: from the clearing of the land, the introduction of invasive species for human sport, to the way our land here has been treated. Liz Phillips
How to co-exist and communicate with insects and other small living beings is a favorite topic for questions. When I was publisher and editor of Species Link, The Journal of Interspecies Telepathic Communication, we covered this subject with over twenty animal communicators contributing to a blockbuster commentary in Issue 63 Summer 2006. It’s a whopper reference full of amazing stories and insights. The current tick question and many other questions about small critters are answered here, so I’ve reprinted it in full. Save it and pass it on. Bothered by “Pests?” by Penelope Smithwith contributions from Janet Dobbs, Joanne E. Lauck, Linda Epstein, Elizabeth Severino, Marilyn Tokach, Paloma Baertschi-Herrera, Kat Berard, Suzan Vaughn, Jacquelin Smith, Brenda Cunliffe, Leneah Forest, Lyn Benedict, Beth Alexander, Betty Goldschmidt, Winterhawk, Arlyn Grant, Pea Horsely, Diana Obscura, Sheila Waligora, Karla McCoy, Donna Lozito
It’s summer time and the insects are buzzing, crawling, flying, and leaping. Many people who are conscious of animals as ensouled fellow inhabitants of Earth wonder how to work with insects and other small critters when they “bug” us.
Janet Dobbs of Virginia raised this issue with the ACCAW (Animal Communicators Coalition for Animal Welfare) internet discussion group in January.
My husband and I always try to be careful of the insects that visit and live in our home. However, now we have what is becoming a serious problem with sugar (tiny black) ants. They have been in our house since the summer, but they have been only going to one plant. We have been living with it. For the past month or so, they have taken over the kitchen counter and around the sink. It’s mostly one or two ants, but occasionally the whole army is there. Talking and reasoning is not working. I keep the area spotless and try to make sure that there is nothing for them to eat. I have saved several from drowning in water in the sink. I feel torn. We really need to find a solution soon. We do not want to use poison for many reasons, but most important to prevent harming our two kitties. If anyone has been successful with ants in the house, please let me know. Another person asked how to handle ticks without poisoning them. What followed from these questions was a lively commentary among a number of people. I also asked other animal communicators for their experiences in handling insects or other small creatures considered “pests.” You might find some help here in dealing with “pests” whether small or large, even two-legged ones in your own family! No discussion on the subject would be complete without the enrichment of reading the classic, engaging book, The Voice of the Infinite in the Small by Joanne Elizabeth Lauck. Making Agreements My new house was completed in April 1997 after a forest fire had destroyed my previous home. The concrete and stucco house was bermed into the hillside. In the first rainy season, the ants came marching in, naturally, since the house was partially in the ground right alongside their houses, too. They were seeking shelter and showed me that their burrows were full of water from the heavy rains.
I didn't mind them being in the house, but I did mind them raiding the cupboard and being all over the counters. I even found them in the freezer. I sealed up my food in containers and told them we could co-habit peacefully, but with hundreds of them all over my food preparing areas, it was difficult not to kill them and hard to operate around them. I advised them to seek higher ground outside and worked out with them where their colony would do best without getting flooded out. I offered them food outside until they could recover from the flooding.
In the meantime, while they were rebuilding their homes after the flooding, I surrounded the counters and cupboards with diatomaceous earth, which dries up insect bodies but is non-toxic to other animals if eaten (such as cats, dogs, and humans). I warned the ants that it was there. While a few walked through the white powder and dried up, they quickly sent word to the rest of the colony, and no one else crossed the diatomaceous line. The ants found the cat food the greatest attraction, so I put the cat food dish in a shallow bowl filled with water, creating a moat that the ants could not cross.
After the ants adjusted to their new homes on flood-free ground over a few seasons, they still crossed through the house in their established routes on the floor but never again went into the food or on the counters or kitchen area. They stayed on the floor and even stopped going to the cat food. I enjoyed watching them appear and disappear into the cracks. We felt a happy cohabitation in Mother Earth together.
It was essential to understand their viewpoint on why they were there and then work out a mutual arrangement.
In 1984, when I moved to the northern California coastal forest, I had nightmares about having to kill the many ticks that latched onto my dogs after our outings on the forest trails. Natural herbal repellant oils on the dogs did not keep ticks away, and I was unwilling to use poisons.
I told the ticks how much I hated to kill them but I had to take care of my dogs and cats and prevent the ticks from biting me, too. I had severe reactions to their bites, including contracting Lymes disease. They agreed to stay out of the yard, so we could have a tick-free zone for humans and non-humans in the family. They still had the rest of the forest to live in. While this didn't eliminate having ticks on dogs and cats completely, since we all walked outside the yard, it greatly reduced the number I had to remove from the animals, and it seemed like a fair arrangement
As my animals aged and stayed closer to home on our walks, we had less and less ticks to deal with. I still didn't like killing the few ticks that showed up on my animal friends. However, I know that my own body’s defense system kills parasites internally, too, so I do the best I can when my health or my animal's health is threatened.
In December 2005, I returned from successful house hunting in Arizona in preparation for my move there. My house sitter commented how many ticks she had to pull off Sherman (cat) and Belinda (dog). I was amazed, as I hadn't experienced that many ticks since I made the arrangement with them when I first moved to Point Reyes. Then I realized that I was withdrawing my energy from the area in arranging to move, and so the ticks were moving back into the yard. I communed with them about our arrangement and that I would still be there awhile. Immediately, I could feel and psychically see them all making their way to the perimeter of the yard again. I found no ticks on Sherman and Belinda again, except occasionally when they went outside the yard. Linda Epstein I experienced fear for my dogs regarding tick-borne disease. I would not use any poisons and relied on essential oils to repel ticks. I communicated to the ticks that their bites could transmit disease that could kill my dogs. I told the ticks that they could live in our yard, but requested that they did not bother us or the dogs. I mentioned that the dogs would be wearing essential oils and that could hurt the ticks if they chose to bite the dogs. I said that the smell of the oils was a warning not to proceed further. I also talked to the ticks in the woods where we let the dogs roam and again asked them to leave us alone, because I did not want to hurt them. They agreed that they would not bite us.
I was to be tested on this covenant, not once, but three times. One night, soon after I had talked with the ticks, I awoke when I felt a tickle on my leg. I reached down and scratched it and went back to sleep. I was awakened again, this time I threw back the covers and found a tick walking up my leg. I said to him, “I am going to take you outside. I will live by my agreement.” As I placed him on the curb, just past our property line, I heard him say, “This was a test, and you passed.”
The same thing happened two nights later. Again, I was told I passed. The third time I was in a metaphysical class and felt something crawling up my leg. I picked the tick up and took him outside, and heard, “You passed; we will not bother you or your dogs.”
We haven't noticed any ticks on the dogs in the past two years. Elizabeth Severino I like insects and love talking with them. My favorite experience happened in 1987 when I moved to a home in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. I quickly realized that the adjoining garage and house were overrun with crickets. At times dozens of them were visible, suggesting the unseen presence of hundreds.
Although I personally admire the ease with which crickets jump and the joy with which they congregate, I did not want dozens of crickets leaping about in my home, frightening my daughter and startling me. I also did not want my Oriental rugs or clothing eaten or damaged by the crickets. I did acknowledge their right to a good life.
Late one afternoon, just before the crickets would normally begin singing, I spoke to them. I stood in the middle of my home and expanded my telepathic net to embrace the entire house, as I energetically addressed all the crickets at the same time. I told them I would always provide suitable food and water in the garage behind the cabinets that are around the walls and they could place themselves there when it was time for them to be invisible to me. I told them they could have access to my home in the event they wanted to run around in a larger space, but explained that I never wanted to see or hear them I also asked them not to eat anything inside my home. I made it clear that when I was home, they were to be silent and out sight. I told the crickets that if necessary, in the event we were working in the garage, they were to temporarily leave the property altogether. If I saw any of them, they needed to understand that I would take that as a request for them to leave their body form. I would then facilitate their release to another dimension. They agreed instantly.
Many months went by during which this “contract" was perfectly honored. Then, one night, I wasn't feeling well. In the middle of the night, I went downstairs with the intent to heat up some milk to help induce restful sleep. I flipped on the light and was very startled to find the entire kitchen full of crickets! They let out a telepathic yell of surprise and scurried madly to the sides of the room and into adjacent rooms.
"What happened to our understanding?" I demanded. "You didn't give us enough time to move away," they wailed.
We instantly all co-created the mutual understanding that in the future, if I were to go downstairs in the middle of the night, I needed to send the thought, "I'm about to turn the light on." Then I would wait long enough to give them time to get completely out of sight.
Although house sitters and visitors to my home in my absence saw and heard the crickets, this arrangement continued to work perfectly until I sold the house in 2002. Marilyn Tokach The large field behind my house is home to many critters including rabbits, field mice, and ground squirrels. When I decided to plant a vegetable garden, I was determined not to use chemical animal deterrents or pesticides, since my goal was a harvest of organic veggies. Therefore, I telepathically contacted my herbivorous neighbors and offered the animals one-half of the garden’s harvest in exchange for no disturbance of buds, leaves, or plant roots.
I watched the plants sprout and grow. The tomatoes transformed from small green balls, to yellow, and then to orange. I could hardly wait for the fruits of my labor to be realized!
On the day I felt the first tomato would surely be ripe, I planned a salad for lunch. As I walked toward the garden, I anticipated the juicy sweet-tart taste of the tomato I nurtured to ripeness. There it was: one-half of a beautifully ripe red tomato still attached to the vine. It seems the fruit had been sheared with my half dangling, waiting to be picked. The tomato was divided evenly from top to bottom, stem intact. Indeed, the wild ones had quite literally honored our agreement.
I connected once again with the animals, thanking them for honoring my request and leaving my half still on the vine. This time I suggested we might share our bounty a different way: in whole parts—one for them, one for me. As the vegetables continued to ripen, I always found whole, ripe veggies hanging on the plants. None rotted on the ground and none had insect holes or rodent nibbles.
Now, I am careful to identify and clearly communicate my desires. What are you willing to share with your animal neighbors?
Paloma Baertschi-Herrera Insects are very helpful to show where there is disharmony or lack of balance. If we treat insects with respect, they also show respect for us. I have found that the best way of coming to an agreement is to make a deal with them, to offer them something they like in order to get what I want.
Years ago, I lived in an apartment on the second floor of an old house. When I moved in, I found out that there were ants on the balcony who would also come into the house. They explained to me that they lived in the walls of the house. I told them that I did not mind them living there but that I didn't want them in the apartment and especially not in the kitchen. I told them that they could use the balcony, that I would not clean or brush it and I would throw some bread and other food out there from time to time so that they would not need to come into my kitchen.
They agreed and all went well until I went on holiday for a week. When I came into the apartment, I thought I was having a nightmare. There was a stream of ants across my living room floor! I got very angry and started to throw them out the windows, until I heard them say,
"Hey, what are you doing? We did not know you were still here. You left and did not say where you were going and since you did not come home for a number of days, we thought you were gone.”
I realized that it had been my mistake not to tell them that I was going on holiday and that I would return after a week. I apologized for my rude behavior. Then we agreed that I would tell them the next time I would be leaving for a number of days. We never again had any problem.
When I moved out of the apartment, I told the ants that I was leaving, that there were people coming to clean the apartment and the balcony, and that our deal was over. They acknowledged and were happy that I warned them that people would be cleaning the balcony with a high-pressure machine.
When I needed to hand over the key and check with the property owner if everything was okay, we went to the apartment. We were standing in the kitchen looking around to see if everything was clean and otherwise okay when I suddenly saw an ant running across the kitchen table. I looked away because I didn’t want the property owner to see her. I asked the ant what it was doing there, since there was no food in the kitchen and everything was clean. She said that she had come to say good-bye and to thank me for the good time all the ants had had on the balcony. I smiled.
I also had a conversation with ticks. There are quite a lot of ticks in the forest where my dog, Tony and I usually walk. I asked them to leave Tony alone and not jump on him. The ticks explained to me that it was difficult for them not to jump on Tony because he provided lots of food for them. They suggested that I arrange with Tony for him to show me when a tick had jumped on him before it bit him. They also said they would only make themselves known to Tony if they knew that I would not kill them. I promised that I would not kill them. It has worked very well, and most of the ticks I now take off Tony are ticks who are still walking around on him.
Kat Berard Here in Texas we have fire ants and red wasps (among other “pesky” insects), both of which can inflict a very painful bite or sting. Last summer I started having a problem with fire ants building mounds in the middle of the back yard where my dogs tend to run. If the dogs were to step in the ant bed, many ants would bite them. The fire ant bite really stings, leaves a welt, and then develops a small blister.
I asked the ants why they were building in the middle of the yard when they hadn’t done that in over two years. They showed me that when I watered the garden, their mound filled up partway (even though I wasn’t watering directly on the mound, just apparently too close). I apologized and offered not to water around the mounds in the garden if they would move back into them. They agreed, and there has not been a fire ant mound in the middle of the yard since then.
There have been red wasp nests attached to the house the whole time I’ve lived here. Neighbors have dramatically exclaimed I should remove them because I’ll surely be stung. I wasn’t willing to be caught up in the fear energy they were projecting. Instead, I talked with the wasps at the beginning and promised I would not harm them and they could come in the house (I often leave the back door open for dogs to go in/out) as long as they never harmed me or my dogs. It has worked out great for all of us. None of us (or any visitors) has been stung. In fact, I enjoy seeing the red wasps in the house because they are lovely to look at.
What is most important is the attitude with which you approach insects. I don’t fear them, and I don’t see them as lesser beings. Mutual respect is the key. Suzan Vaughn With every species entitled to its space, I am cautiously charitable when it comes to cohabitating with insects that can be both helpful and dangerous. So I made a deal this year with the wasps that love to make spring babies under the eaves of my house. Usually, I telepathically ask their “governor” to negotiate a deal with me, but this time I addressed them as a group. I told them:
"You guys can build your nests on the side of the house and we'll leave you alone, but no nests under the eaves on the front entry side of the house. It freaks out the guests. Also, let's make a deal about no stinging me, my family, or the dog."
Only one wasp failed to get the message and began to build a nest on the front eaves. I sent specific messages about how the area he was building in was unsafe, and let him know that I would knock the nest down before he had too much time invested in it if he failed to get the message in the next few hours. He never returned, and no one was stung. In fact, the wasps steered clear as requested.
There were about twenty-five wasp nests built on the side of the house this year, so the word must have gotten out. Usually, there are just three or four.
Jacquelin Smith You can ask ants, mice, cockroaches and other beings to leave the premises if you don't want them there. It's important to do this from a place of love and respect, or at least from a neutral place. Done from anger, it doesn't work because the beings pick up the hostile energy. I communicated with ants that were having a good time being in my kitchen. My biggest upset wasn't that they were there, but that I would unknowingly step on them. I negotiated with the leader of the group. (All species have leaders who are the ones to talk to about boundaries and/or situations. The leader receives input from the group or community, and then tells me what is acceptable. In this way, you can negotiate and find out what will be beneficial for everyone concerned.) The ants agreed to move outside under a pine tree where I placed containers of sweet goodies for them.
You can negotiate with rabbits who are eating up your vegetable garden or with moles who are tunneling through your yard. It's important to negotiate in a way that everyone agrees to the terms, if possible. There are times when roaches or moles might not be willing to cooperate because they don't have anywhere else to go, or don't want to leave the treasures they have found. Telepathically, you need to show them a specific place where they can go, or have something else to offer them.
One woman called me to say an inspector had found termites in her house. She wanted to know if I could ask them to leave. I communicated with the leader and asked if his community would move into the backyard where the woman would put plenty of luscious logs and other tasty treats for them. (I give ants, roaches and other beings like this a week to talk it over with their community and then to give me an answer.) The termites agreed to move. The inspector came back and found no evidence of their presence.
One night, I saw a roach in the kitchen. I told him how much I respected him and his ability to survive in this world. Several nights later, I saw a few more of them and laughed. I communicated,
"You are really beautiful beings. I won't harm you."
A few nights after this, there were a few more. Then I realized what was happening. The roaches were calling to their buddies to come bask in the light of my love and perhaps a few crumbs on the kitchen floor. I told them that they were wonderful, but that I would appreciate it if they would return to where they had come from or find an even better place to live. After this communication, they left the premises. Only now and then do I have a visitor. I learned that my love had attracted them and how I needed to set boundaries that worked for the roaches and me.
Deterrents, Ultimatums, Boundaries, and Intentions Many people have found that they can successfully handle ants or other animals who have become “pests” by using ultimatums, setting boundaries, or projecting clear intentions. One person promised ants that were all over her kitchen that she would always feed them outside in her yard, but they had to be out of the house in three days. If they didn't leave within three days, she would bring out the poison. The ants left the house. She continued to provide them with honey and other food, and they never reappeared in the house.
A neighbor furiously killed many ants in his house and asked me what he could do about them. Since it requires a real shift in energy and attitude to work out arrangements with insects, and he wasn’t quite ready for that, I gave him a quick and easy method. I advised him to stop using poison and use readily available cinnamon powder. Ants will not cross a cinnamon line that you put around food or counters, and it does not hurt them. He was overjoyed at how well it worked and especially since he did not have to poison the ants anymore.
Diatomaceous earth, full strength peppermint oil, and other essential oils create effective barriers. However, while diatomaceous earth is non-toxic for animals if ingested, it is a fine powder made from the sharp edged shells of tiny diatoms and is dangerous to lung tissue if breathed in. Essential oils can cause liver damage in cats and possibly harm other sensitive animals.
Communication seems to be the healthiest and most effective solution.
Brenda Cunliffe During the spring several years ago, I walked into our guest room and noticed a flying insect around the window. I walked over to see what it was and noticed hundreds of the same little flying creatures. I thought they might be some kind of flying ant and called my family to look at them. My daughter then informed us that she had seen some of the same insects down in her room located directly below the guest room. My husband’s quick look at the window case determined that we did not have flying ants; we had termites and a lot of them! He looked up the number of an exterminator in the phone book. I asked him to give me a chance to talk with the termites and ask them to move on. He agreed but had already made an appointment for the exterminator to come to our house two days later because he wanted them gone one way or the other.
I talked with the termites and told them that they would have to leave our house and move their colony, possibly behind our house to the woods. I told them that I was giving them a warning but if they didn’t heed my words they would be killed. I showed them what was going to happen if they continued to live in our house. I showed them a vision of the long, narrow tunnels that went far below the ground where the rest of their families and colonies lived. I showed them a picture of a human drilling holes in the foundation of our house and the surface of the ground. I telepathically transmitted the loud noise and vibration of the drill and then showed them the next step. A thin white liquid poison would come pouring down the tunnels and drown or suffocate any termites in the path. For those lucky enough to have avoided the cascade of poison, their fate was still sealed, as the liquid would seep into the ground around the tunnels, tainting the earth and killing them as their feet made contact. I explained that if any termites miraculously made it to the top of the tunnel, they would find the tunnel blocked with a thick layer of poisonous white foam that would destroy them as they tried to wade through it. I pointed out their two options again: move to the woods or suffer a terrible chemically-induced death.
Two days later, my husband showed the exterminator to the area of the house where the termites had been seen. Together they checked the upstairs and downstairs. Imagine my reaction when my husband reported that the exterminator found some termite damage to our windowsills and hardwood floors but did find a single termite!
Paloma Baertschi-Herrera In the same house where I communicated with the ants, there were also wasps who used to come onto the balcony. I felt annoyed because I would have loved to eat outside but it was not possible. I had tried to talk to the wasps a number of times and explained that I would very much appreciate it if they stayed away from my balcony. They would not listen.
When I was watering flowers in the garden of my neighbors, who were on holidays, I discovered the wasps’ nest under the stairs. I saw my chance to make a deal with them. It was more like an ultimatum then a deal but it was the only way for me to be able to enjoy my balcony. I told them that I would not disclose where they were so that they could continue to live there but I would reveal their nest’s location if they continued to come onto my balcony and bother me while I was eating there.
From that day on the wasps stayed outside the balcony. Visitors used to be very surprised at the behavior of the wasps as they came near but then stopped and even flew around the balcony instead of through it. Linda Epstein There were several colonies of sugar anthills along the walkway to the back yard. I wanted to do some landscaping in that area. About a week before I started digging, I went to the hills and explained to the ants what I would be doing. I explained that I didn't want to hurt them, but I had to do some repair work and it would affect their homes. I showed them an area where they could move to, and I promised I would never garden in that area. I said they would have several days to move.
In the next few days, there was no visible activity. Two days before the work, I noticed that the colony had greatly diminished, but there were still ants there. Again, I told them what was going to happen.
That night, I awoke abruptly and heard the word “eggs.” I realized that those remaining ants were there to protect their eggs. The next morning, I went to the hills and told the ants I realized why they had not moved. I asked them to spend the day congregating every ant and egg in the middle of the hill. I would dig up the hill about six inches down and take the whole colony to the new place I mentioned. That afternoon, I dug the hill and moved them. When I went back to the holes to see if anyone remained, they were all gone. I then was free to do the landscaping.
Later, an ant thanked me for caring about their eggs. I felt an unimaginable depth of emotion when the ant communicated in this way. Leneah Forest I have discovered that different insects (well, different “anyone”) need uniquely tailored approaches.
We have box elder bugs that fly, walk, jump, and seem to be able to get into the house through thin to invisible cracks, especially in our bedroom. I really do not like anything jumping down on me from the ceiling or crawling on me while I am in bed trying to sleep. Over the years, my discussions with these bugs have appeared one-sided and yielded no results. I have been very polite, gently removing them and letting them onto the roof deck but truthfully finding it tedious and disruptive of my rest.
Recently, I found one bug crawling on the sheet as I was getting into bed and another landed on me from above. I said,
"Okay, here's the deal. I own all of the space within five feet around me—to the sides, below and above. You may not enter that space or I will take action." As I said this, I transmitted a picture of me surrounded by a strong light reaching out to the approximate length, depth, and breadth that I was communicating. I said this without animosity, but simply with clarity.
The box elder bugs have kept their distance since then. I have thanked them, continue to rescue them from our animal family’s water bowls, and would have no problem repeating the instructions if needed. Lyn Benedict Last summer, when the mosquitoes were being quite bothersome while I was weeding my flowerbeds, I decided to set the intention that my body was not open to them for a lunch counter. I felt that it was okay to ask them to respect my boundaries. Not a mosquito appeared around me for about ten minutes. Then one returned, buzzing as it circled my head. I reminded her that I was not open for lunch that day. She left. I continued to remind them through my two-hour weeding session and it worked well. Even though they would come back in about ten minutes, I did not mind having to remind them. I was glad that I did not need to put something on my body to repel them. After that, I always set the same intention when I heard mosquitoes buzzing around.
This summer, we did not have a screen door because our dogs are impatient to get out and would barrel through it. Therefore, when the door was open I would visualize a screen of white light, set the intention, and ask that no one fly through that light. I reinforced it with the mosquitoes by saying I could not guarantee their safety. It had a 90% success rate. We had very few mosquitoes. The few insects that came in, including a damselfly, came because they had a message for me.
I had another experience that attests to the power of intention. For many years, my Siamese cat, Amy Sue, had been contracting tapeworms. I would find them on her tail and she was thin and ravenous. Then, I would get some worm medicine from the vet and give her a pill that would work for six months. However, I really hated giving her a pill with poison that would kill the tapeworms and might harm her eventually. A few years ago, I asked Amy Sue if she would please set her intention to keep from getting tapeworms from the wild animals she caught and ate.
It has been two years now. She is still a great hunter and eats what she catches but she has remained in good weight and I have not seen any tapeworms on her body.
Unexpected Behavior & Energetic Work Penelope Smith Before vacuuming the house, I usually warn the spiders and other small creatures that they need to remove themselves from danger while I clean. Sometimes I also scoop up spiders and move them outside before cleaning or using the shower or bath. Spiders often hung out in the shower or bathtub. The bathroom contained a lot of light energy both from this dimension and through inter-dimensional portals. The spiders worked with and balanced these energies to do their work with planetary balance and to assist in my work.
A large spider generally came out only at night to sit in a web behind the toilet. One day, she appeared during daylight as I was about to vacuum, so I decided to transfer her to the great outdoors. Part of me wanted to make sure I would not harm the spider and part of me was glad to have this very large spider outside instead of close behind as I used the toilet. As I prepared to take the spider outdoors, I clearly got that she was working with the vortex energy in that particular part of the house to benefit us all. Yet, in cleaning mode, I overrode attention to that communication and put the spider outside.
Hours later, through closed windows and doors, the spider was back. She was doing big work there, and my cleaning mode would not get in the way. I was humbled and thanked the spider for returning to fulfill her higher purpose. I did not try to remove the spider again and felt gratitude for her work whenever I visited her space.
Beth Alexander My acupuncturist, Linda, shared an amazing small critter story. Linda's family shares their home with several animal companions including two rats, Lily and Buttercup.
Recently Linda's daughter brought the rats out of their enclosure for some exercise time. They have established a routine of putting a paper bag or box down as a home base for the two rats who then have free access to the living room and kitchen. On this occasion, Linda’s daughter put the paper bag on the kitchen floor as usual and set her two rat friends down to play. Her father came in the house a few minutes later saying he had found a most unusual looking cricket. He had it cupped in his hands so everyone could see it. He knelt down so his daughter could see and uncupped his hands. The whole family was commenting about how beautiful this most unusual cricket was.
Linda could hear Lily and Buttercup in the paper bag chattering, but didn't think much of it. Suddenly one of the rats zoomed out of the bag, rushed over to the father, grabbed the cricket out of his hands, and ran back into the bag. Everyone was quite shocked by the lightning fast snatch. They heard excited rat chattering coming from the bag. Linda bent down, thinking she would see a half-eaten cricket. Instead, she saw the unharmed cricket in the middle of the bag with the two rats watching it intently while they chattered back and forth to each other.
It was then that she realized that her rats had felt left out and wanted to see what everyone was fussing over. Lily and Buttercup continued discussing this strange creature for a few minutes and then left the cricket in the bag to continue their excursion around the house.
Betty Goldschmidt One evening, while reading on my laptop computer, I noticed two sugar ants on the wall next to the desk. The lamp on the desk made the ants very visible. Focusing on one of the ants, I asked what she was doing there. She raised her front legs and emitted a little white light. It happened in a fraction of a second, almost too fast to see it. I had to replay the scene mentally to slow it down enjoy it. My friend says that insects are doing energy work when they won't leave when asked. Winterhawk Our cat, Marcel, received Reiki attunement through his beloved friend and fan, animal communicator and Reiki Master, Dr. Jeri Ryan. Marcel had a way of sending Reiki that would put my partner and me into the deepest theta wavelengths for long, lovely times. Soon after feline Reiki Mouster, Marcel Francois Maurice Mars-o returned to heaven, houseflies began to come to both my partner and me. Sometimes a fly was especially attentive, alighting on our hearts or other chakras, tickling and tingling. We began experiencing the same Reiki bliss as transmitted by Marcel.
"Is that you, Mouser?" we asked in happy astonishment, and the conversations began. The "fly" would zip from one to the other, performing his special, loving magic. We have received attunements and transmissions, healing and joy of Marcel’s company in these sessions. I bless these willing little messengers and our dear Reiki Mouster. Lyn Benedict Two summers ago, I noticed that the little black ants that had their hills just outside of our garage had moved inside in a big way. They had brought in sand and built homes on the concrete floor. The garage is a six-car garage; half of it is carpeted and heated for my dog training business. I knew that the ants in the garage would not send a good message to clients. So, I asked the ants to leave and explained that outside the door was fine but inside was not okay with me. I told them that I was allowing ants in the greenhouse beds, but not in the house or garage.
There wasn’t any food in the garage, so I knew they were just looking for a warm, dry place. I had vowed several years before not to use chemicals on bugs. I was starting to wonder how I could get rid of the ants without using poison. They did not answer that day so I gave them 24 hours. The next day nothing changed. I asked them again to please move outside. Still I did not feel that they were listening or responding.
When wasps lived over the garage door, they had moved when I asked them. I had been able to ask the rabbits to stay out of our yard when I realized that they were the source of fleas on my dogs and cats. I hoped that the ants would comply, too, but it was starting to look like this time would be different.
The next day, I asked one more time. This time I told the ants I would have to use ant poison if they did not move by the time we went on our two-week vacation at the end of the week.
After the third time I asked, still nothing changed with the ants in the garage. At this point, I was ill at the thought of having to do something to get rid of the ants. I sat down on the floor in the garage and asked to talk to the Ant Deva (oversoul or lead spirit). I explained what the situation was again. This time she appeared to me and listened but said nothing. These ants didn’t seem to feel that I had any right to be asking them to move. I knew that they had been there first, but I was hoping we could share our acre of land. I was left thinking that I would have to use ant poison in three days just before we left on our trip.
The next morning when I came out to the garage, I was shocked! Even from a distance, I could see that the piles of sand were moving. When I got close, they were roiling in activity. There were huge half-black, half-red ants there now. I felt sick to my stomach and became very angry, so I left and avoided that part of the garage all day. I figured that more were moving in instead of leaving as I had hoped. I was very sad.
The next day I went out and approached the ant colony cautiously. Before I got close, I knew something was amiss. I could see no movement. As I got closer, I saw little dead black ants. I was dismayed and did not like seeing them dead. They were dead inside and outside the garage. I had not wanted that. There were a few big black and red ants walking around with white things in their mouths so I figured they were moving into the homes where the little black ants had lived. That, too, was depressing. We would leave in a couple of days and I would have to use the poison.
I continued to be upset about the dead black ants so I sat down and cried to the Ant Deva to tell me what had taken place. The Deva said, “I asked the black ants to leave and they refused me, too. I asked Great Spirit what I was to do. He said that I should send in troops to take out the black ants. This was because you had asked them to move and that we must honor that at all costs. The red and black ants are carrying away black ant larvae. The ants are gone. They will not be back.”
I expressed great sorrow to the Ant Deva because some of the ants had to die. She said I was not to be sorrowful. It was their choice. The ants had been asked many times and each time they refused. Still, I felt sorrow when I remembered the battle.
The following day was our last day home before leaving on vacation. I didn’t see any ants around any of the piles when I checked. I decided to vacuum up the sand in the garage so when I returned from vacation, I would know if they had returned, since they would surely build new anthills in two weeks time.
When we returned home, there were no traces of sand in the garage. The rest of that summer, I watched closely. There was lots of ant activity just five feet outside the door, but none inside the garage. Last summer, I again watched and still there were no sign of ants in the garage. I continue to send them gratitude and thankfulness for listening and taking the matter into “their own hands” so that I did not have to resort to using poison. It was a great lesson for me in how the Universe sees the act of asking. Animals in our Hands As we open our hearts to telepathic communication with all the species around us, we may find that our fellow beings relate to us in a different way than the normal fear response to the approach of humans. Many people have experiences of wild animals being very close to them, walking with them, and even touching. Here are a few examples.
Arlyn Grant I walked into the local grocery store and saw a small, brown bird trapped inside. The bird had been there for awhile because the employees were talking about it. I picked a quiet spot in the store and sent the bird images repeatedly. The images were of the bird flying to a certain location and landing on a ledge, of me picking him up, and of me taking him outside and letting him go. I was amazed when the bird landed on the spot I had designated. I then walked over slowly and picked the bird up. Then I hurried out of the store at top speed with employees running after me. I then let the bird go as I had promised. The faces of the store managers registered astonishment. My best friend was with me and I'm so glad because if she hadn't witnessed it, I would not have believed it happened.
Pea Horsley A housefly was in my bedroom buzzing around and wouldn't leave. The fly continued annoying me until I said,
“Would you like to go outside? If you do, come on to my hand.”
He landed on my hand and I carried him from one side of the house to the other and opened up a large window there. I said, “Off you go now and have some fresh air.”
I felt him give me a look of thanks before he flew out the window to freedom.
Blood Offering Joanne Lauck explains in her book, The Voice of the Infinite in the Small, how approaching mosquitoes in a non-violent, understanding way and allowing them to have a blood meal need not be disgusting or even hurt. The following readers of Joanne’s book joined the company of luminaries such as St. Francis in willingly sharing their blood with their mosquito kin.
Diana Obscura After reading The Voice of the Infinite in the Small, I began letting mosquitoes bite me sometimes instead of shooing them away or swatting them. I realized that the females needed my blood to raise their young, just as I need to eat living things to raise my own child. The mosquitoes were not depriving me of life, just taking a tiny amount of blood, which I could readily afford. Since I was giving the blood willingly, I asked them please not to leave an itchy spot. I felt very good about this arrangement. After a certain point, they voluntarily stopped biting me.
Sheila Waligora When I moved to Botucatu, Brazil, I couldn’t sleep because of mosquitoes biting me and making a lot of noise. Since I am allergic to any chemical product, and had just read Joanne Lauck’s book, I firmly decided to talk to the mosquitoes and make a gentle agreement with them.
I would sit at the end of the day outside in my hammock, let the mosquitoes bite me and eat my blood. I recognized that they needed to eat as much as I did, so I also started offering them sugar from fruit, which I would put in various places in the house.
With great respect, I asked them to let me sleep. I really appreciated the mosquitoes during that time and my love for them grew. I could feel the importance of every living being and human arrogance in feeling superior to other species. They heard me! From that time on, they respected my wish and never again bothered me. I always tell this story during animal communication talks and courses. Many people then try to communicate with mosquitoes, and they have positive results! People get very amazed with the idea of talking to mosquitoes, instead of using poison, which pollutes themselves and the environment.
Recently, I had people visit my house and the energy changed. One night, to my surprise, I woke up at 1:30 A.M. with very hungry mosquitoes in the room and many on the wall. I looked at them and thought there would be no possibility for conversation and that I could not sleep there. I told the mosquitoes that I wanted to sleep. I recognized that they were not friendly because the atmosphere of my house had changed with the recent visitors. So I went to the living room, where there were no mosquitoes and slept on the sofa.
From that night on, I had no problems with mosquitoes again.
I realized that for true communication to happen there must be real respect towards the insects, acknowledging the importance of their life on the planet. Only from this point the conversation can start. Realizations Communicating with insects often produces profound realizations.
Karla McCoy Beetles that looked like ladybugs lived in my house all winter. Usually, they disappear after fall. At first, I looked at them as a nuisance. I was tired of wiping them off counters or water bottles. Then one day, I decided to let it be and just started living with them as they were in the house. I asked my husband how many he was seeing and he replied, "one or two here and there." I was seeing five or six a day. They crawled on windows or cabinets and I just let them be.
Weeks went by and I noticed that one day that they had left. I accepted them and they left. Then I realized I was sad to see them go. I had learned to feel and to appreciate their presence and some days I actually found myself smiling at their behavior.
That was earlier this spring. Then a few weeks later came the ants. They were thick for a few weeks. I put about a dozen outside in a matter of minutes, several times a day. I soon remembered the experience with the beetles and decided if the ants wanted to live in my house, so be it. I was okay with that.
I have only seen one or two ants in the house since then. As with the beetles, I've grown used to their presence and am appreciating them if they choose to live in my home.
Janet Dobbs As I attempted to get some sleep through the sugar ant fiasco, I closed my eyes and saw the ant colony. It looked exactly like blood vessels. The blood vessels were the tunnels. The ants were like blood pumped through the body. With each heartbeat, the blood flows. The ants “flowing” through their tunnels in the ground were like blood flowing through the top surface of Mother Earth, pulsing as one. Diana Obscura I realized that there is a lot of energy locked up in any relationship in which I feel aversion, whether it is with mosquitoes, roaches, ants, or flies. When that energy is released through communication and understanding, it's tangible.
I’ve had dramatic experiences communicating with roaches. By talking to them I’ve learned to respect and like them. They are interesting! When I was looking at pictures online in order to build a roach puppet, a beautiful, translucent white roach landed on the monitor. I had been wondering how a roach's wings worked. She showed me how her body was constructed, including her wings. Then she jumped down and sat next to the keyboard, bending her neck and looking up at me. She demonstrated that roaches are very clean, like cats. They clean themselves, apparently after they touch humans. Her body was extremely beautiful, strong, spare, and shining.
When I first began talking to insects, I was surprised by their immense presence and booming voices. It isn't surprising that I should experience our biological elders that way. I began to consider their bodies more as they did: a beautiful design, a great, multidimensional consciousness housed in the least possible amount of body, like a Zen ink painting with a minimum of brushstrokes. As I open my heart to the insect kingdom, I find that I am "bugged" less with fewer visits from ants and roaches or bites from mosquitoes and ticks. I still haven't had a breakthrough with fleas yet, though now that the dogs are on a raw diet and homeopathic remedies, they have fewer.
Winterhawk Many years into the intentional practice of opening ears, eyes and heart, I am yet gratefully humbled by each lightning-strike crack in my universe, each encounter forged purposefully by Pure Love. I remain indebted to these "little" insect teachers. Their unexpected visits and brilliant rays of wisdom, compassion, and humor have tickled me, brought me to the tearful knees of my own fear and arrogance, and helped to heal our connection. One special encounter revealed how an unexpected housemate became a medicine teacher.
During the first evening back in a country-like setting after many city years, I felt carried by the land and the deep, old eucalyptus fragrance to sit with the trees under the stars. Facing the low beach chair toward the hilly slope full of deer trails, tall grasses, and wonderful trees, I sent out a mental call: "Wouldn't it be lovely to discover a little fawn or raccoon?”
I became aware of a sensation that I was not alone, experienced as a clear, cool feeling, and a large silvery energy field. Out of the darkness, just a yard away, strode a large tarantula, moving quite purposefully and stopping in front of me, as if she had been called! I realized later how much she wanted contact. Her own needs evaded me in my surprise. I tried to be cordial, though I was truly unprepared. We chatted a bit, and then I rather hurriedly excused myself to go inside. I saw her walk toward our basement and felt some trepidation about more surprise encounters.
Mid-dreamtime one night, my partner sprang out of bed yelling, "There’s a spider on the bed!"
Out of sleepy habit, I jumped up, too. After an unsuccessful search, it dawned on me to ask, "What kind of spider?"
"Black and verrryyy big!" came the wide-eyed reply. “It was on top of your chest!”
Now I understood and laughed, “Oh, it is Nari, my dreamtime spider. You became aware of her in your sleep, too." She could really put out the vibes, this spider woman!
After that, Nari became a frequent visitor in dreams and visions. She first appeared in the form of a very dark-skinned Aboriginal woman. That is when I learned that the eucalyptus is the "dreaming tree" in Australia. Nari seems to shape-shift from tree to woman to spider, whatever serves her to teach and to travel. She has worked with many women the world over, teaching ancient women's medicine ways of seeing and being. Nari is a no nonsense medicine teacher, and stands behind me. I feel her calling us back to work together. Still, her return brings some trepidation. She is pure raw power, cutting to the quick without a word in her teaching. I am more ready now, and I thank her.
I hope Nari’s tarantula spider form found another good friend who appreciated her beauty and gifts and might have been more able to touch her than I was. I know she would have been a fast friend physically had I been able to manage that.
World Impact The following experience was the talk of an entire building in midtown Manhattan. It demonstrates how far the public has come in accepting communication with other species and is a great example of when the effectiveness of animal communication work cannot be denied.
Donna Lozito I have been doing animal communication work for about a decade. To supplement my income, I also do some design work. One job this spring involved construction of the entire 48th floor of one of New York's skyscrapers. The employees of this company had no choice but to remain in temporary workstations on the floor during construction.
The insects, rodents, and various other species love the homes they have so cleverly constructed in the walls and between the floors of these towers that line the skies of New York. One day this spring, I was called to see how the roaches (the large ones that fly) were dropping out of the ceiling onto people and even crawling inside the clothes of some of the employees. The employees demanded that I call an exterminator. They had already killed one of the bugs, who I could see lay crushed on the floor.
The women were hysterical and even the men in their style were equally hysterical. I told them I would not call an exterminator but that I would like to ask the roaches to leave. The looks from the group were priceless. This particular group, clearly representing mainstream corporate America, gasped at the thought of speaking with a roach.
I proceeded to explain to the roaches that if they did not leave the area there would be more deaths like the roach who had already been crushed. I explained that if they did not leave, the exterminator would come and the entire floor would be fumigated. They clearly understood and agreed to go.
The construction workers and employees thought that I should be committed as insane for this act but they were desperate. They had no choice but to wait and see if this communication had done any good, since it was Friday afternoon and even if I had agreed to an exterminator, it would have taken at least until Monday for one to come. I was sure that our roaches understood my message and they would not return at least for a while.
To the amazement of the employees, the bugs did not return for the rest of the week. At least they did not interfere with the humans who invaded their space. Then on the following Friday, an employee summoned me to the area again but this time the request went like this: "Donna, could you please talk to the roaches again. One fell from the ceiling again and we would like them to leave.” I could feel their presence in the partially opened ceiling.
When I contacted the roaches, I said, “If you don't leave, this group will make me call an exterminator and it will be unpleasant for us all.” I got an angry reply, "Where do you want us to go?" I told them to go up or go down but get off this floor at least until the work is complete.
I explained to the workers that the roaches were angry, and that these bugs have been living peacefully in this building for a long time and all of a sudden we have invaded their space and their lives. I explained that the roaches felt they had just as much right to be in between that floor as the people had to be on that floor, if not more.
As I conversed further with the roaches, the leader of the group said that it really was an accident this time. His mate was walking along the grid and slipped and fell to his death. They agreed again to leave the premises temporarily.
We have not seen a roach since. We had reports that people saw our insect friends on the 47th and 49th floors in the weeks following. I have since communicated that for a while they would have to be very careful where they stepped. They agreed and appreciated the warnings.
I am pleased that part of corporate America has experienced the level at which other species can communicate. The employees of this particular firm may not have complete acceptance of what other beings have to offer us but certainly have something new in their experience of animal communication work.
Penelope: The ripples from our sacred small creature connection spread and people awaken.
I’ve also addressed this topic of communicating with small creatures in my books and audio recordings and these easily accessible blog articles:
Viruses Reveal Their True Mission September 05, 2018 Wild and Buzzing Animal Communication September 14, 2018 Insect Evolutionary Perspective April 19, 2019 Are Viruses Sentient Beings? January 30, 2020 The World Needs Viruses to Function July 09, 2020 Earthworm World, December 31, 2021
