INTRODUCTION
I want to tell you a little story about Apache, a 27 year-old piebald cob, with a tough exterior and a heart of gold and how he taught me some big lessons in animal communication and became a great friend along the way.
STARTING TO LEARN
Rewind back to early 2021 when I consciously began my own animal communication journey. My first training course was a 6-week programme. In between the face-to-face sessions with my wonderful human teacher Lesley Grace, I was tasked with working on case studies to practice my newfound communication skills with real, live animals, as well as with animals at a distance. I was so excited about this prospect, mixed with a good dose of nerves if the truth be told!
Aside from communicating with our family dog, Tilly, (who I found much harder to connect with, but this is probably another story), I asked my lovely friend, Amanda, if I could work with her horses and dog as part of my practice. Amanda was really open to this and kindly agreed.
APACHE
I’d met Apache a number of times. He could be really affectionate with Amanda and her family, but beyond that, he wasn’t too fussed about other humans as a rule. He was polite, but definitely his own man and would not suffer fools. I’d been to Apache’s field with Amanda for a few months and had started helping her out with the regular jobs, including grooming and feeding, and I felt that I had started to build a bit of a relationship with Apache.
Apache had been generous enough to allow me to share Reiki with him as I was also starting out on my Reiki journey. He was a brilliant Reiki teacher, so clear in what he would and would not accept and I was starting to gain confidence in being around him.
INITIAL COMMUNICATION WITH APACHE
The first time I attempted to try out my communication skills with Apache, I was naïve. I rocked up with my own agenda and my ego was taking the lead. I was there to practice animal communication skills, what could go wrong?! I turned up unprepared, having done no meditation or grounding exercises. I had not managed my energy at all and so would have brought all that my day had presented me with, not computing that this would of course have a negative impact with a horse.
Horses are exceptionally emotionally intelligent and as prey animals, they are masters at tuning into others energies. In fact, horses can hear a human heartbeat from up to four feet away and so Apache would have also felt that despite my strong desire to communicate with him, I was also rather nervous. Presenting conflicting human emotions are also not what a horse enjoys.
How very rude and ignorant was I, and Apache made his disinterest in connecting with me clear. As I entered his field with whatever energy I’d brought with me from my day, he immediately turned his bottom on me and walked away. Confident I’d win him round if I took his feed bucket over to him, I was met with the same response. He turned away and stood with his back end to me – amazing since I had his much-loved feed!
I felt disappointed with myself and in that moment, I couldn’t understand why. I’d asked his permission, but he was giving me a very clear no! I left the communication request at that, and I continued to help Amanda with the field jobs, eventually returning home to mull things over. I felt like a bit of a failure, and I was also worried about letting both Apache and Amanda down. I now recognise these feelings as driven by the ego and I also learned a hard lesson that day, that the ego has no place in animal communication.
A BETTER APPROACH
I returned a few days later with a much different approach. I did not assume that Apache would want to communicate with me, just because the time was right for me. I was much humbler, I had prepared myself thoroughly before entering Apache’s space and I was very aware of my energy at that time. This time, I felt to stand away from Apache, at the edge of the field and ask nothing of him. I stood really quietly, prepared myself some more and I created a gentle, calm space which I eventually invited Apache to join me into if he wished. There was no pressure, and I released all expectation of what may or may not occur.
A TWO-WAY COMMUNICATION
Within a short space of time, Apache chose to walk over to join me. He stood near me with his head lowered, his hind leg resting, his eyes half closed and his mouth soft.
As he had chosen to join me in this space, I felt the courage to take things one step further and so I asked Apache if there was anything he wanted to share with me. I immediately felt a sadness from him, and I noticed a heavy sensation in my own tummy. I asked Apache why he felt sad, and he shared it was because he had lost his long-term field companion, Trigger, not long before. I sensed sadness, but also loneliness in that moment and a wave of emotion hit me which moved me to tears. I was able to share this with Amanda and I then found out that she was already in the process of finding a new field mate for Apache.
MAGICAL HAPPENINGS
Over the following several months, I would spend increasingly more and more time at the field with Apache. It felt like a very respectful relationship by now and I made no demands whatsoever of him, allowing him to be of his own free will.
One day I stood at the edge of the field and relaxed into the Reiki space. I invited Apache to join me, and across he came, all the way from the other side of his large field. He stood as close as he could to me without stepping on my toes. Then the most magical thing happened, which I will never forget. He put his head on my shoulder, turned to face me so his eye was centimetres from mine and I heard the words ‘Thank you. I trust you. I love you’. He then placed his head on my chest and stayed there for what felt like a very long time. It was in that moment that I really understood what a heart to heart, soul to soul connection felt like. Apache could feel mine and I could feel his.
DEEPENING CONNECTION
Our bond continued to grow. Apache sometimes connected with me through my thoughts when I was at home and asked me to come and see him in the field. On one occasion on a warm, sunny day, he let me know that he was feeling a bit low. He shared with me that the flies were really bothering him and that he was struggling because his eyes were gunky. So, with his person’s permission, I went down to the field and guess what? I found his eyes were indeed rather gunky and he allowed me to wipe them clear with a cool, damp cotton wool pad. This felt like a huge step forward as his eyes were not something he would often let me near.
Apache always found a way of letting me know exactly what he needed and how it and I could respond to his wishes if I was with him, or pass on messages of his wants and needs to Amanda. Sometimes Apache was content with connecting with me from a distance, whilst other times, he’d ask me to come to see him at the field with Amanda to lay my hands on him, or just to hang out with him.
Apache carries a lot of sadness, both for him and for Amanda, whom he completely adores. He shared stories with me of his Mum and how she had unexpectedly passed in the field one day, out of the blue. He shared images of a beautiful skewbald cob and when I relayed these stories to Amanda, she confirmed that indeed this is what happened, and this was what his Mum looked like. He also shared profound guidance and messages of wisdom for me to pass on to Amanda.
MY LEARNINGS
Here are some of the key things Apache taught me:
- That there is no place for the ego when communicating with animals
- To be humble
- To be patient, to take my time and go slowly
- To listen with my whole heart and not just my ears
- To always be aware of my own energies when connecting with an animal
- That you cannot pretend to an animal how you are feeling. You have to be authentic, because they will know!
- To release expectations of others, allowing them to choose and be themselves
GRATITUDE
I miss Apache as this all happened several years ago now when I lived in the South East of England and I’ve since moved away from the area. Amanda and I have stayed in touch, and she keeps me updated as to how Apache is doing. I am forever grateful to Amanda for trusting me to hang out with Apache and to Apache for all that he taught me, giving me the confidence to do this work and to always remain humble and unassuming when working with animals.
This blog post is shared with the full permission of Amanda and Apache.
MY WORK
In addition to the animal communication and Reiki healing services I now offer, I also run workshops facilitating people to learn how to communicate with animals. Apache inspired me to continue working with animals and their people and my aim is to make a positive difference to the lives of animals and their people.
If you’d like to find out more about the work that I do, feel free to take a look at my website: Gemma Cantillon Reiki Healer & Animal Communicator
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