I Like Applying Spiritual Principals To Increase My Experience
Inclusion
Ok, so I’m feeling a little like The Borg, if you know Star Treck- but here goes:
This year has been particularly challenging for me since my avian veterinarian told me that I had brought her one of my African Greys with a deadly virus. Nope, no cure, no reliable symptoms to look out for in the others: I would likely watch many of my birds just slowly (or quickly) go downhill. She put my girl down.
No-nothing good on the horizon for my precious exotic parrot collection (as they are called) of 22 species and over fifty thousand dollars in rare parrots. (If you want to know how I handled death, loss-in process and the threat of up-coming demises at the same time, read my article “5 Stages Of Death Keep Repeating For Me” on Medium).
‘Separate the ones you suspect, put as many in outdoor cages as possible,’ were my instructions. However, I have an HOA and am limited on outdoor space.
Spirit Includes It ALL
I’ve been a teacher of spirituality for twenty years. I know the importance of including, allowing, accepting. Being with what is as opposed to shutting out, closing or dividing.
Parrots are highly social creatures which is why all of mine are housed with at least another parrot. Separating the sick ones would have meant putting a parrot, who may already be feeling poorly and perhaps depressed (since this can be a symptom, and yes, parrots can get depressed) into an even worse emotional situation.
I also know, as a spirituality teacher, the importance of emotional wellbeing and the incredible affect it can have on a human’s or parrot’s health. I’ve seen participants come on a retreat and start to shed weight they previously could not, just because they have started a personal and spiritual growth path that shifts their energy, their demeanor, and their outlook on life.
Of course, the idea that well-being is a key factor to health is nothing new.
Flocks Include All Feathers
In the world of parrots, almost all the 350 plus species of parrots live in flocks. Some of the flocks are made of 20 birds, some of 20,000 in the case of Cockatoos! They still have a bonded mate, but they belong to the flock. It’s their ‘tribe’ which keeps them safe, gives them a sense of belonging and increases their chances of survival.
Given that the virus is transmitted through touch or the air, I figured separating them wouldn’t make enough of a difference. So, I kept my birds with their cage mate. I decided that they were in it together and that they would probably rather be together and face the consequences than being alone.
The Moral Of The Story: I Had To Find Peace
Spiritual Principal #2: The Universe Doesn’t Repeat Itself – Every Now Moment Is Different
I love my parrots. I do videos on them; my daughter and I take care of them together. They add their incredible and luminescent colors to my life.
Now I’ve had to face losing, probably, most of them and as more and more of them started losing weight, I had to accept that it looked like I’d be keeping fewer.
Sure, when this is all done I could get new parrots. However, it’s not the same. They have personalities, like people. You can meet new people in your life, but you can’t replace people who you have been close to, like your family. You can have a new experience, but you can’t repeat one.
Attachments
Yes, I’m attached and having to let go. One of the hardest things I’ve done.
Working with my energy, I knew early on that I had to find peace in the war being waged against a virus at my house. I had to flow my energy. I’m sad at the loss I’ve already experienced- how could I not be? But it doesn’t haunt me.
Actually, flowing my energy and being inclusive by allowing my experience, has turned my feelings into gratitude. Don’t misunderstand me, I’m also sad. I just don’t live in ‘sad.’ I’m grateful for the incredible experience I’ve had. I’m grateful that I’m in Florida where exotic parrots are easier to come by and that I live in the times we are in because exotic parrots would have been unattainable fifty years ago.
I’m gratefully because I’ve known so many species and they have touched my heart.
Being At Peace Includes Being Heart-Broken
I lost another rare species, a Cape Parrot. The sadness comes, I feel it and then I focus on the gift I had with his presence.
Life has experiences, some we deem ‘good,’ some ‘bad.’ When you shift in yourself to be inclusive, you do things that are inclusive. You invite everyone. You understand that your life experience is special and unique. Most of all, you decide that there is no reward or punishment in life. It is an experience in which you and I are meant to raise our energetic frequency. The loss isn’t bad but it is undesirable. I cry, but since I’m allowing it, then it shifts.
Living your spiritual principals changes your perception: even tragedy can transform into gratitude.
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