Brought to you by William Pollak D.V.M. and the Fairfield Animal Hospital.

"Holistic & traditional approaches to support the best of animal health."

From a truly holistic perspective, death is a continuation of the healing process. Death, as an event, is part of a larger process of sharing love and understanding in infinite ways. The meaning of all the particulars of any event lies in our ongoing response to it. This internal aspect of any event provides the framework necessary for the expansion of Wellness while we continue to interact with the world around us.

In death, as in life, our interpretation of what is happening to us through our experience both internally and externally forms a notion of a sequence of events; like a string of pearls of a necklace, linked together by what is called "my life". This sequence known as life is held together by the root concept of "I", "I am", a witness to "Aming".

Each event, each pearl along the way, elicits from us consciously, the deeper innate forces that make us who we are. The conditions around us and the conditions within us; both physically and emotionally, come together and create a meal for the heart and mind to consume and process, in our journey through life. This metabolizing of the world around us through what we experience, makes life delicious and challenging at the same time, depending on what we wish to consume and how it sits with what's already there. This form of eating, digesting and assimilating, is the ongoing, eternal re-creation at work, in which life's creative force continually expresses itself in manifold layers; known as surroundings, senses, mind-intellect, ego and "Amness" (the state of "Aming, of creating); while remaining rooted in its own unbounded, unconditional love.

Understanding disease from a holistic perspective as healing episodes (periods in which the individual mind/body releases or sheds what is no longer wanted or is no longer of use) will help us to understand the deeper spiritual significance of the experience of death. Our understanding of disease vs. healing episode will reflect back to us our deeper understanding of whom and what we define as ourselves, in the process we experience as living. Healing episodes are periods of shedding the obstacles to greater integration; physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. Temporary restriction is often necessary, as internal renovation must go on. Periods of outward restriction will soon give way to some kind of expansion to the journey known as life, enabling us to include more and more within our ability to love and understand.

The understanding of symptoms of any kind is a reflection and indication of how we are feeling about things deeper than what we are consciously experiencing. At the basis of disease understanding, lies the notion of fear, not so much fear of something in the world, but of fear itself. The base fear, as a metaphor, is fear of death; an obvious end with an unsure beginning. This is fear of the unknown, arising from a lack of conscious love. If symptoms are seen or felt, and the fear of fear (lack of love) is active, then dis-ease grows stronger, this can only happen when unconditional love seems, so far away.

The root of this fear, of fear itself, lies in the source of limited vision; vision predominated by the individual ego. The ego sees itself as being something different from everything around it (a localized, predominantly non-holistic perspective) and must stay in control for its continued existence in its allotted, limited understanding. It is capable of only predominantly, logical, sequential understanding, as it arises from localized perception. The ego is designed to navigate the experience apparatus (physical body) through the material world without mishap, without colliding into other physical structures and insuring minimal physical harm.
The perspective of only looking out from the center of a physical body limits the full investigation of the metaphysical (a reality predominantly of non-localized phenomena and principles), just as the of physical light in the electro-magnetic spectrum is limited. Demanding the ego's function to gratify more encompassing truths, makes it indeed uneasy.

There is another style of functioning, a range of frequencies containing data that lies outside the range of the individual ego. Its source is the cosmic ego or cosmic mind. Awakening to this physiology in daily functioning, requires a "bowing", a surrendering of the localized ego to the flow of more delicate and more expansive knowing. The flow of such knowing is natural and in tune with different laws of nature other than the navigation of physical bodies in space. Together, all these ranges of knowing and living are contained and directed; the body is known and felt to be a physical extension of undifferentiated nonphysical energy. Actions are not only physically performed, but also cosmically directed, through a joyful ego, relieved of a heavy, misdirected burden. This balance in living leads to an inevitable redefinition of the self (Self), and hence, a more inclusive appreciation and love for life.

Without this style of cosmic functioning, a gentler, true and loving counter-balance of egoistic operation is not available. The ego is called upon to operate in areas in which it has no power and it knows it does not belong. As a result, anything beyond the ego's style of predominantly localized functioning, without the cosmic counter-balance, is perceived as a threat. Incoming data is beyond the ego's narrow band of operation or understanding making it very shaky and unsure.

In the ego's uncomfortable dis-ease state, without the cosmic counter-balance, it then recalls all the fear based memories, forced by a soul asking its ego to go beyond its allotted task. The ego fights a futile fight to try to comprehend beyond its assigned purpose. Ego understands itself as isolated, separate from everything around it, "alone" in the world. This is important, as effective navigation is a must for survival in the world, but survival without progress is a fate worse than death.

At the basis of this holistic understanding and more importantly, holistic functioning, the fear of disease melts, as the baggage of unwanted limitations are shed. This process of expansion is not viewed as breakdown loaded with pain, suffering and inevitable death, or an experience to be avoided at all costs. As the heavy self-imposed burdens of more limited functioning are removed, there is a familiar joy in the experience of freedom and release into more flexibility of the mind/body union in its play in the world.

Disease is shed, as old tattered coats are worn out, and discarded when no longer joyful to bear. The shrouds of the physical, as well as, the light coverings are especially amenable to reorganization during these periods of healing episodes. More rest, deeper rest, is usually what is required during these periods. Great energy is directed inwards in restructuring and refining the style of functioning and the nature of the internal structure. This need for rest is usually fought against with great tenacity and is viewed as weakness and inability to be "like everybody else" in the moment.

Animals know the blessings of rest instinctively and use rest with great wisdom. Rest comes inevitably, as does the setting sun, in its due course. Fighting is futile as in the shaking, screaming, and kicking of a child unwilling to allow sleep to come. This kind of fighting only brings fear and isolation to the surface; in the midst of purification and growth, perhaps a healing episode comes within a larger one.

Death, is an event, known for sure, only from the outside. It is a quantum extension of disease or healing episodes, a mixture of them both in fact, depending on the concentration of fear and love ingredients in the soup known as Self. Are we the tattered coats over-worn and no longer wanted? Or, are we the bodiless spirits that breathe into matter and animate it with life wherever we go? And, why can't we be both? For how can there be freedom without structure, freedom, without a prisoner to want it? For it is the structure, both physical and definitional that confines and restricts; only from here, can a sense of longing be created, a yearning for freedom, growth, and love; qualities most dear to the essence of life itself.

Our pets are with us, as they are one of the many gifts of nature. They are special in that through the intimacy that develops between us, they get under our skin, eat our food, breathe our air, even think, and begin to own our thoughts and feelings. As a gift to us from nature, they are innocent reflectors of life, while maintaining their own intimate unbreakable connection to their source deep in unconditional love. For them, it is not a question or even a choice of severing this conscious link, if only for a moment.

Our pets give us unconditional love, in not only their living, but in their dying, as well. In their unbreakable, conscious link to their source in pure Love/Truth; they know, all is well, and wish to share that uninhibited knowing in all their actions and intentions. For them, there is no pinch, for in their awakened bridge to their infinite "dogness" or "catness" or "whateverness", there is infinite energy and infinite love at their disposal. Just watching a cat sleep and quietly move in its desire for greater comfort, with automatic ease gives us an unmistakable sense of their full link to their source in Wellness.

Our pets are microcosms of life itself, their living and dying in a shortened time frame of one to two decades. The joy we receive from them is in their living, in tune with nature, and simply exuding it. The wisdom we receive from them, lies in their sharing of their contentment and exuberance for life, in their knowing all is well, and even in their dying.

There are few avenues left for nature to have her input on us as humans; especially, in the concrete jungles of urban sprawl. Pets or gardens are two of the few remaining bastions of harmony from which nature can speak to us loudly enough for most of us to still hear.

Our pet's living and dying are embodiments of the noble virtues mixed with a graceful, loving flow; placed in a setting devoid of a deadline and "I told you so". This style of living for most of us is, but a far away dream of utopia or heaven. In our pet's simplicity and grace, lies the eternal secrets that stretch beyond the events interpreted as life or death and joy or suffering. Our little, and not so little friends' job, (if we need to give them one) is to remind us of these secrets that we've forgotten in the rustle of a moment of rekindled fear.

Our pets do not suffer as we do, they greet the new situation of temporary restriction with ease and love rekindled; this lends itself to quick adjustment. When we extend our discomfort onto them, and see them as ourselves in situations that we greatly fear; then, we can only see ugly disease, devoid of love, all around us. Overwhelmed, we actively become our deepest fears. This is what elicits terror in the soul; for in doing this, we have made ourselves powerless, frozen, and helpless in our deeper (and most of the time, latent) home-grown fears. Devoid of our internal birthright of unconditional love flow, through self-denial, we die a thousand deaths before our allotted time.

The basis of suffering and overwhelming pain is the interpretation that we place on the temporary restriction. But, this restriction is necessary, as during this healing episode, rest is required. Attention must be drawn inwards for improved rewiring and enhanced structural integrity. We are more than physical bodies, we are extensions of non-physical energy. There is nothing stronger than entertaining death, or the thought of death, will help us, more to become clear on, where we stand on this point. Who do we think we are? Who are we really?

Lucky, a three-year-old Black Lab broke his leg, below the shoulder and the front leg had to be removed. After four days of lying around, he returned to running and playing with his usual gusto, though having been slowed down a bit by only having three legs. He had adjusted to the new conditions of life, as happy as before. Should this have happened to a human, this same smooth adjustment is oftentimes unreachable or at best attainable only after years of soul searching and deep introspection. The obstacles to speedy, full recovery are thoughts and feelings like; "I'll never win a race again... or, I don't want people's pity. Or "What did I do to deserve this?" These sentiments linger in the interpretation of life and provide the fertile bed for deeper proliferation of chronic disease. Lucky is lucky in some way to not have to be bothered with such thoughts.

It is natural law that physical disease will follow this kind of thinking and feeling of lack and self-unworthiness, as there is a continuum between the different levels of life, from gross to subtle and beyond. In the absence of conscious unconditional love, disease will express itself in a myriad of forms as long as the underlying bed of discontent continues. Lucky doesn't waste his time on his own perception of lack, for in the natural flow of things; this understanding serves no purpose; and thus, is not supported from the perspective of universal flow.

Our pets mirror us through the reflection of love. This picture is not like that of a simple mirror that hangs in the dressing room and simply reverses left and right. This new image is a reflection that passes through a mirror with crystals of unconditional love on the back, warming the light with the glow of freedom and security as it passes through. These crystals are our pet's conscious knowing of its place in the universe, combined with the joy of having a family and master all wrapped into one. This makes their living, their role in life clear, simple, and extremely fulfilling, all they do in their unconditional joy is innocently reflect back.
With death, there's loss, with loss, there's grieving. Allowing ourselves to grieve without judgement, without blame, will make the process easy whereby we can overcome our loss and use the valuable experience to expand our love and understanding of who we are and what our relationship to the world around us really is. With any loss, there is a flow of emotions that rush by us, as if being consumed. This is the healing process at work, enabling us to overcome the loss and grow steadier in the changing tides of life. There is denial, anger, and pain, followed by acceptance, healing, and ultimate release. It takes time, for some humans, weeks, months and for others, perhaps more than a lifetime.

Death of a close one deprives us of their company and the future joys it brings. Locked into a vision that the future cannot serve us as well as the past, we can sink into the abyss of our own sense of lack and helplessness. Without a new dream, the climb out is most difficult. Overwhelmed by the death of a dream, unable to remember that we are also the dreamers, climbing out is nearly impossible. New dreams are ever waiting in the stuff that stars are made of. Are we not the commingling of stardust sprinkled and spewed in different ways, ever recombining in different ways, searching for our way back home?

If we want to be close to our recently departed pet, it is very important that we lift ourselves out of this abyss of disease, laden with self-pity, devoid of any love of life. Upon our pet's release from the body, the vibrational frequency is changed to one of great lightness, and unmistakable love, mixed with freedom.
Oftentimes, during the euthanasia process, there is a moment of release and peace, and if the owner is in an emotional space sensitive to this eternal process of returning home; then, great joy and relief is experienced. If we can resonate in this manner, after the loved one has departed; then, our loved one can come close to us, if only for a second to again reassure us that all is well.

As soon after death or even before, whenever we can muster it, think of your pet when he or she was in the pinnacle of health; running, playing, joyfully sharing with you the great moments of life together. Remember and feel your own wonderful thoughts and emotions during these most perfect times. The more you can stay in this wonderful mode of functioning; reflective of your mutual knowing and sharing that all is truly well, the more likely your pet can once again touch you, if only for a moment to share in nature's full grace.

Sometimes, our pets linger in pre-death waiting longer than is necessary because it is important to them that their master(s) is well. They, oftentimes do not understand, the grief that is being emitted by the master with reference to their soon departure. Grief and loss associated with this eternal process of transformation is unknown to them. They feel uncomfortable in leaving at a time when their master seems so confused, saddened, and disoriented. They will stay, as long as they can, to further bring comfort to someone they truly love. If we are incapable or unwilling to let them go, they will stay around as long as they can, even to the point of obvious discomfort.

Letting your pet go must happen beyond words and beyond superficial emotions. For them to feel right about leaving, they must know for sure, from some sign from you, that you will be well, to whatever extent, without them. They wish to know with certainty, that through your relationship with them, you have gained some increased sensitivity in the nature of your own being, for it is theirs as well. Our pets are in tune with the deepest of our knowing, a mixture of projected feelings, pictures, and intentions. They barely hear our words that don't ring true, but sense to their core, our core feelings, and reflect them back in love. This is done, whether they are playful in health or restful in the physical weakness of great transformation.

Death can be viewed as the release of an imprisoned spirit from lodging, no longer nurturing. This escape begins a return home to the amorphous potential of life not yet quite made. This is a time when many layers of dullness and disorganized energy are shed. The joyous rapture of physicality enlivened with a life spirit has turned to rusty armor that serves no one in our co-created journeys of re-awakening back to our original birthright.

Times of death can be very trying if the attachments to conditions of life are strong, where conditions are felt to be stronger than love itself. If attachment is predominantly to the unconditional flow as it moves through all the particulars of each moment of time, then the awakened souls in shared memories can move more like a single breath in their diverse intimate knowing of each others love, as their own.

How we deal with death through this entire process sows the seeds of how the next generation and how our loved ones deal with the eternal notion of death. You want your children to be at your funeral, don't you? You don't want to be at theirs. Showing them your wisdom and love knowing at this time of great change and sensitivity, will bring great benefits of ease to the family's life, beyond your conscious knowing or wildest imagination.

How you project your thoughts and emotions during these challenging times will set the stage for the next generations' actions and understandings of the family bond. This bond congeals greatly in our response to the extremes of what life has to offer. These times, in the break of routine living and obvious universal change, offer an ideal setting that deepens the personal bonds among the family on many levels of life simultaneously. Seeing each member as a timeless force of beauty and light will help bring words of comfort and love to the mouth and heart and help begin the process afresh of greater love for all.

May this time of immense transition for you and yours,
Be blessed with the peace and grace of love unbounded,
Unfettered by the sadness of weaknesses.
And heartfelt pangs of lesser understandings
No longer useful.
May the old, now retired friends of yesterday's smallness
Be put to rest with thankfulness
Only to give rise to new life's wonderments
Up until now, unimagined;
Previously hidden
In sleeping love.