Alex Explores On His Own

Back in the garden after Pearl had left, Alex tried out for himself some of what he’d learned.  He tried to change his body into a lion, but was disappointed in the results.  He apparently needed to practice focusing better, because although he kind of felt like a lion briefly, the body didn’t look quite right and his body returned to normal almost immediately.  Then he tried changing the color of his coat, and with that he was successful.  He became a white cat, then an orange cat, and then back to his own color, which he really preferred it turned out.

Dexter

After a while, he decided he would embark on an adventure of his own and decided to go visit another cat, so he went for a walk with the intention of encountering another cat.  He walked for a short while before encountering a nice-looking grey tabby cat lounging in the sun next to another cat with the same coloring, who was asleep.  Alex ambled up and greeted the cat who was awake, who introduced himself as Dexter and seemed friendly and happy to share his experiences with Alex.  Dexter explained that his companion was Jenny, who had been his sister in a recent earth life.  “Usually she prefers to be my mother”, confided Dexter.  “We’ve had several different lifetimes together, though she doesn’t go back into bodies nearly as often as I do.  I like to call myself a ‘recycler’ because I go back more often than most of my friends”

“Do you mean you can go back to earth whenever you want?” asked Alex, who was surprised by this. 

“You must be new here, Alex, I guess you haven’t remembered about your other lifetimes yet.  Let me explain just a bit.  When you go back it’s because you want to have different kinds of experiences, so you’re never the same cat twice.  You’d have a different body, a different name, a different personality, which can be just a little different or a lot different, and of course different parents and types of experiences.  Some prefer being here and don’t go back much at all, and some never do.  I like it, so I go pretty often.  But I don’t always stay very long.  I have a guide who lets me know when he thinks there’s a good match for me available, and then I see if I feel a pull to accept or not.  There’s this feeling that comes, that’s like a magnetic sort of desire where I feel like I’m being drawn toward it.  If I feel that feeling, then I go.”

Alex was listening intently.  What Dexter was saying stirred a vague memory in him of the magnetic pull he had felt just before entering the body that was to become Alex, but couldn’t remember anything beyond that.

Dexter continued.  “I just returned here about 8 months ago from my most recent lifetime, which was pretty short.  My main purpose in that lifetime was to bond with and be there for a small human girl who needed me while her parents were splitting up.  She was about 5 years old when I left, and I was almost 2 years old.  It was fine, because I only meant to be there a short time, and the girl’s mother adopted a puppy who took over my responsibilities to the girl.  I was a female in that life, named Minnie, so you can see why I decided to go back to using this body and my name from the life before I was Minnie.  In that one, I stayed for 20 years, and it was one of my favorites.  Jenny, here, was with me for part of it.  Before that, I went through several short lifetimes where I was a shelter cat for most of my life before being put down or getting sick and dying quickly.

Alex was horrified.  “Why would you want to go into that kind of an experience?  Did you have to go?”

Dexter smiled and said, “No one made me do it.  I chose those lifetimes to provide a service to the humans on the earth.  It’s time for the humans to learn that all life on earth is connected, that we are all spirits together.  Many animals, including pets, farm animals and wild animals take on lives of service to people to touch them with our presence and give them an opportunity to connect on a deeper level.  Many of them continue to miss the connection, but sooner or later each person will be touched on a deep level by one or more animals and will, through that one special bond will start to feel the true connectedness that is always there.  Although there is much suffering, it is making a difference.  You were part of that too, Alex, though you may not remember.”

  “I lived with Emily, who was always loving with me.  I’m sure she felt the connection, said Alex.

“I’m sure she was one of the better ones, Alex.  But I’m sure there was a time, probably in an earlier lifetime, when she learned to see animals as fellow beings because of the efforts of another animal.  Did she find you in a shelter this time around, Alex?”

“Well, yes, she did,” Alex had to admit. 

“And don’t you think that during your time in the shelter you touched the hearts of many who saw you there, at least in a small way, and that because of those experiences some of those people realized how no life should ever be thrown away or taken for granted and perhaps changed the way they perceived their own responsibility to creatures who aren’t human?”

“I guess I see what you mean, Dexter,” said Alex, “but I don’t think I’d want to live a hard life like that, unless it was just a short time and then I got to be with a good person.”

“Well Alex,” said Dexter, “the choice is yours.  We all get to do what we want most to do.”

“What do you do here for fun?” asked Alex.

“Well, my favorite thing to do is to turn myself into light energy, without a body, and shoot through the galaxies at the speed of light.  It’s great fun.”

Wow, thought Alex, that does sound like fun.  I don’t think I’m quite ready for that.  But it’s good to know that it’s possible!

“Hey, Alex, I’d like to introduce you to a friend of mine.  He’s not a cat, but he’s a real sweetheart and I think you’ll like him.”

“Okay, Dexter, I’ll meet him if you want.  Is he a dog?”

“Nope,” said Dexter.  “He’s a mule.” 

Next time:  Alex meets Zeb

Alex meets a new friend

“Wow, Pearl, that was so interesting!  Where else can we go?” Alex purred.

“Well, Alex, I have something really interesting in mind for our next adventure.  I want to take you to see a good friend of mine because I want to check in with her and see what she’s up to.  One thing I should mention first before we go, though.  I hope you don’t have anything against dogs.” 

Alex didn’t answer right away.  He suddenly had an urge to take a nap, even though a minute before he wasn’t tired at all.  Pearl said, “I’ll take that to mean you don’t care for dogs.”  Alex didn’t want to admit it to Pearl, but it was true.  He looked away and didn’t answer, but Pearl could see what was on his mind.

“We don’t have to go, but I think you’ll find this one to be at least as much fun as the visit to
Rueben.  Snowflake is a real sweetheart.  Alex decided to push past his initial feeling and see if what Pearl said was true.  After all, he thought, in this new life I probably don’t have to worry about being chased, attacked, or subjected to rude sniffing. “That’s exactly right, Alex,” Pearl said, reading his mind.  “And just to help you get over any species prejudices, I’m going to show you something very special.”

“Okay, then, lead the way.”  Alex told himself that letting go of his negative feelings about other kinds of animals might give him more of a sense of freedom after all.  “That’s the spirit I like to see, Alex”. 

A short time later they arrived at their destination.  To Alex’s surprise they were on a sandy beach with grassy dunes.  He looked around and didn’t see anyone initially, so he gave a puzzled look to Pearl, who was looking up at a tall wooden structure that stood about 8 feet off the ground.  He looked up and saw a white dog with pale blue eyes smiling down at them.  She wagged her tail and crouched down to make herself look smaller.  Alex could see she was crouching down out of politeness to put Alex at ease and he appreciated it.  She sat quietly and gave him a chance to relax.  He did. 

“Alex, I want you to meet Snowflake.  She’s a great friend of mine.”  Alex said “Hi Snowflake.  Why are you up there?”  Snowflake left her perch and hopped down to the sand.  “I love this spot.  When I’m up there I can look out at the horizon and see the most amazing and colorful changing lights off in the distance.  It’s constantly changing and always makes me feel so full of gratitude for its beauty.  I just like the feeling it gives me.”  Alex noticed something about Snowflake as she was communicating.  She had a remarkably loving heart, and a gentle spirit.  Much to his surprise, he found that he did indeed like her already.  This was truly a new experience, because he’d never met a dog he liked before.

“Can I have a look?” asked Alex.  “Sure,” said Snowflake.  “Hop up.”  Alex did and looked off over the water, but almost immediately he knew he didn’t like it.  He saw the ever changing lights in the distance, which were nice, but all he could focus on was the rolling water of the sea and he didn’t like it at all.  He hopped down again, preferring to feel solid ground under his paws.  Alex looked at Pearl, mentally asking if it was okay if they left the beach.  Both her companions smiled and began walking in the opposite direction of the water and Alex followed. 

The next thing they knew, Alex, Snowflake and Pearl were walking on a path through some woods and Alex found himself really enjoying himself again.  “How long has it been since you came out of your Earth body?” Alex asked Snowflake. 

“You know, I’m not really sure.  Time doesn’t have much meaning here, so I’ve lost track.  It doesn’t seem like it’s been long at all.  I’ll tell you this, though, my connection with my favorite person on Earth is as strong as it ever was, even though I’ve been here awhile.  I feel like there’s a magnet between me and her and lots of times I can feel her as if she’s right here in front of me.  It’s really wonderful, such an amazing feeling.  To be honest, sometimes I visit her on the Earth, especially at night.  I go into her bedroom and lay down on the floor near her bed just because I like being with her.”

“I’m so happy to hear you say that, Snowflake, because I feel like I have that with my Emily.  I don’t want the feeling to ever fade away.  I haven’t been back to see her very much yet, but I do want to go and see her sometimes.  Do you feel sad when you go there?” 

Snowflake thought about that for a moment before answering.  “I don’t think it’s sadness.  I think she feels like she’s lost me, and there’s some sadness involved with that, but mostly what I feel when I think of her is this strong feeling of love.”

Pearl said to both of them, “The feelings that you’re describing will always be there for you.  You don’t have to worry about your beloved friends on Earth forgetting you any more than they have to worry that you’ll forget them.  Although you might not think of them all the time, that connection of the heart once forged is forever and you’ll come together again sometime.  Most especially when your beloved crosses over again to this side.”  Snowflake and Alex smiled inside to hear this news again.

“Alex, now I want to give you a really special experience of a different kind,” said Pearl. 

“What’s that?” asked Alex.

“Snowflake, I was thinking about your sheep herding training you showed me last time we were together.  Are you still doing that?” asked Pearl.

Snowflake’s eyes sparkled as she said “YES!” and wagged her tail in a big way. 

“Would you explain to Alex what it’s like?”

“Sure!  Alex, it’s so great.  It’s not really sheep herding, it’s more becoming part of the herd.  I’m learning to do something that’s kind of hard to do, but it feels so incredibly fantastic when I get it right.  There’s this herd of sheep that I work with.  I go right in the middle of the herd as they’re walking around and I communicate with all of them at the same time.  It’s like we are all part of the same mind, but each one is individual at the same time.  Sometimes I get too excited and forget to do it right and then I’m just myself in the middle of a bunch of sheep.  So I have to stay really focused so as not to lose the experience of being part of something much bigger than myself.  I wish you could try it.”

Pearl smiled, and said, “That’s what I was thinking too.  Alex, here’s what I thought we would do.  First I want you to close your eyes and imagine being inside of Snowflake’s body with her.  Can you do that?”

“Can I?” asked Alex.

“Of course.  Just imagine it, like when you want to go somewhere or be with someone you just think and feel it as if it’s real, and then it is.”

Alex closed his eyes and imagined being inside of Snowflake’s body with her.  It worked!  He immediately felt like a dog, and how similar and at the same time different it was from his own body.  What a rush!  It felt just a little scary but also really fun.  Then he closed his eyes again and imagined being back in his Alex body again.  “Is that how Rueben was able to be a tiger?”  he asked Pearl.

“Almost the same, Alex.  Rueben imagined his own body as a tiger, rather than being in a body belonging to someone else.  That’s just a little harder to do, and this is a first step.  Would you like to see what it’s like projecting yourself into Snowflake’s body while she’s with her sheep?  Snowflake, are you willing to let Alex go with you?” asked Pearl.

They both agreed it would be a fun new experience, and so Pearl and Snowflake imagined themselves to where the sheep herd was, and Alex tagged along.  When they were ready, Alex thought himself into Snowflake’s body and they joined the herd.  For several minutes Alex experienced the energy of the herd and suddenly felt like she was aware of being not just one being, but a much greater being who was at the same time a hundred other beings with all their thoughts and feelings and experiences.  Alex was overwhelmed by the experience and popped out and back into his Alex body in a hurry. 

“That was really interesting, but I don’t think I’m ready for anything like that just yet.” He told Pearl. 

She smiled and whispered to him “You did great, Alex, you’re learning fast how to have all kinds of new experiences.  Later on we’ll work more on trying out different body shapes, maybe even some other species just so you can compare other possibilities.  For now, let’s leave Snowflake to his herding and head back home to your garden.”

“That sounds good, Pearl, I’m ready.  This time, though, instead of tagging along on your energy vibration, I’m going to try to do it all by myself.  Is that okay with you?”

“Excellent!” said Pearl.  And off they went. 

Pearl Shows Alex Some Possibilities

Alex returned back to his Ruth’s place and went into a nearby meadow to see what was there.  He thought about what Ruth had told him about “thinking” himself to where he wanted to go.  The trouble was, aside from visiting Emily he didn’t know where else to go, and besides, Pearl had said something about being careful until he knew his way around better.  He didn’t really understand what he had to watch out for so he pondered what to do next. 

Just then he saw Pearl curled up in a shady spot under a nearby tree watching him.  “Hi Alex.”  She stretched up and scratched her claws on the handy nearby tree.  “I’m going to have to get used to this business of thinking about you and then the next moment seeing you right there.  Where did you come from?”  asked Alex.  “Just now I was on a high cliff looking down at a rushing river filled with leaping fish.  It was great fun.”

“That reminds me, Pearl, I was just wondering what else there is to do around here.  You told me before that I should be careful about where I go, but I don’t even know what other places there are or things to do.  Can you show me around?  And why do I need to be careful?”

“I’d be happy to show you around Alex, and to show you some of the experiences others are choosing so that you can have some idea what you might like.  I’m one of your guides so I will be around any time you need me.  First, there are a couple of things you should know.  Soon it will be time for your Life Review process, which is a way for you to re-experience everything that happened to you in your life as Alex so that you can learn which of your thoughts and actions produced good experiences and which were not so good.  It’s hard to go through some of the experiences again, but you’ll find that it’s quite worthwhile.  Once you’ve done it you’ll have a better idea what kind of things you’d like to do here.  You’ll not only get a better understanding of your talents and abilities, but also what you could learn to do better.  But for now, I think we should go on a little adventure and see some others you might find interesting.”

“Okay, Pearl, I’d like that.  What did you mean about being careful?  Should I be afraid?”

Pearl looked thoughtful.  “You’ve learned a little bit about matching vibrations, like when you felt Emily’s sadness, right?”

“Yeah, I did.  Ruth told me I should try to feel loving and happy if I start to get gloomy from picking up the feelings of others, or even if it’s my own sadness, and that sometimes you can even cheer someone else up by vibrating happiness.”

“That’s great, Alex.  As you’ve seen, here in this world what you experience on the outside matches to a great extent what you feel on the inside.  There are many beings in our world who feel truly terrible on the inside because they get stuck in their negative thoughts and feelings and can’t or won’t find their way out.  If you should find yourself in a dark territory, be very careful about resonating with the energy of those who inhabit that place, because it takes considerable skill to come back to our light-filled territory when you become overwhelmed with feelings of fear, hatred, sadness, or any other very dark feeling.  At some point later I’ll show you some of the dark territories and how to safely pass through without getting stuck. But that’s for much later.  There’s much to do here in the land of light, and I’m going to show you some things that you’ll find very interesting.”

“Lead the way, Pearl, I’m ready.”

Alex followed Pearl and very shortly they came to a dark, jungle-like place.  “I thought you said we wouldn’t be going to a dark place,” he said warily.  “This is different from the darkness I was just telling you about.  We are going to be visiting a friend of mine, a cat named Rueben, and see what he’s doing.

Sitting under a dark, giant tropical leaf was a fluffy orange Persian cat with a very intense look on his face.  He walked over to Alex and Pearl for a chat.  “What’s up, Rueben?” asked Pearl. 

“Just having a little fun, that’s all.  This is one of my favorite places lately.” Said the orange cat.

  “What are you doing?” asked Alex.  “Why is it dark here?”  

“I choose to feel the darkness here, because it adds a sense of intensity that I enjoy.  I’ve taken on this Rueben form for the moment so that I won’t startle you.  My usual body form when I’m here is as a very large jungle cat.  I relish feeling that tremendous experience of wildness and power, contained in my body.  A small Persian cat form doesn’t express the feeling nearly as well.  When I’m in my wild self, I like to stealthily watch and wait to see the fabulous and elusive white bird that comes here.  I heard it just a short time ago, but I’ve yet to see it today.”  Rueben suddenly changed into the shape of a very large tiger.  “If you stay quiet maybe it will appear for us.”  Alex tried to match his vibration to the feeling of raw power that Rueben was describing, and was beginning to feel pretty good.  Then he heard an ethereal, haunting cry and way off in the distance he saw a  large white bird with long legs, long trailing tail and wing feathers, gracefully rise up and disappear  behind a tree.  “That was it!”  said Rueben.  “Did you see it too?”  Pearl and Alex nodded.  That bird, said Rueben, creates a glow in my heart so intense every time I see it.  Did you feel it?”   Alex said, “It was a different feeling than I’ve ever experienced when seeing a bird before, but it was over so quickly I’m not sure what I think.”  Pearl agreed with Alex, she’d had a similar reaction.

“That bird is rarely seen in this dimension, it’s kind of like being able to glimpse a unicorn in an Earth body.  I think there’s something magical about this jungle.”

“When you’re being a large predatory jungle cat, do you hunt or kill anything sometimes?” asked Alex.

“Oh no, of course not.  That’s not what this is about.  There’s certainly no need to kill for survival here, it isn’t Earth.  And anyway, nothing dies here.  It’s about creating a fulfilling experience.”

“I think I get it”, Alex mused.

“Let me show you something else I’m involved in, lest you think I’m a ‘beast’ all the time.” 

“Sure,” said Alex.  “What else do you do?”

“Follow me”, said Rueben.  In the blink of an eye the three of them were in what appeared to be the courtyard of an ancient marble temple.  A short distance away near a stream they saw an outcropping of rocks in a grassy area.  Rueben again looked like an orange Persian cat.  He walked over to a small fluffy kitten curled in a ball.  It was a very young long-haired kitten with light brown smudges on its face where the points would be when it grew up to be a Himalayan cat.  It looked up and appeared to be somewhat dazed.  “I’m taking care of this little guy.  He crossed over to this world pretty recently and still isn’t too aware of his surroundings.  I’m quite fond of him.  I keep surrounding him with vibrations of love and safety, and when he’s fully conscious of himself and his environment I’ll be his guide.  He suffered some kind of trauma before he crossed into this world but he doesn’t remember yet.  I can feel it in his energy field.  At some point healers will help him release that energy, but for now he’s just in a semi-sleep state most of the time.” 

Alex was touched, and surprised to see the various facets of this new friend he had made.  He thought how fun it would be if he could take on an entirely different kind of body and do such exciting things. 

“I can show you how to change your shape, Alex, but I think for now we should head back to your garden and get ready for our next visit to another friend of mine,” said Pearl.  Alex closed his eyes and when he opened them again he was back in the familiar garden.

Alex tries to help Emily

Alex was strolling around the garden in his yard, watching butterflies flitting here and there among the roses but soon realized he was losing interest.   He felt depressed and empty inside and really didn’t want to do anything at all.  He paced around for awhile and was really feeling quite miserable.  He walked in the house to find Ruth and saw her in her studio painting.  “Hey Alex, what’s going on with you?  It looks like you’re under a dark cloud over there.”  Just then Alex noticed that not only did he feel gloomy, the colors around him were more subdued, as if the sun was behind clouds and it was getting darker.  “Come here, Alex, I need to explain something to you.  Emily is having a hard time with her grieving process back on Earth, and today is a particularly bad day for her.  She’s thinking about you and crying.  You have a strong connection with her, and so you’re being affected by what she feels.  She’s confused and isn’t sure she’ll ever see you again.  She relied quite a lot on your companionship and the comfort you gave her during emotionally turbulent times.  When you left your body you were the only cat she had left and her sadness is preventing her from even thinking of adopting another companion who could give her comfort.”

“Now that you mention it, I do feel like it has something to do with Emily, said Alex.  I don’t know what to do about it.  I can’t help her feel better if I’m not there.  When I was with her but not in my Earth body she didn’t know I was there anyway.”

Ruth beamed a smile at Alex and he started feeling a little better.  “Let me start by showing you how to do something important,” said Ruth.  “Energy vibrations are the basis of all our experiences. 
That’s much easier to understand in our world than it is on Earth, where most beings believe they are relatively powerless to change their experiences and so rather than directing their experiences by shifting the energy vibration, they simply react to their environment.  One thing I’d like you to see right now is that you can change the experience of your environment by changing what you feel and think.  I’ll do it with you.  I’d like you to focus your attention right now on seeing and being with Emily.”

Alex thought about being with Emily and in the blink of an eye he was right there in the home he had shared with Emily, and Ruth was there as well.  Emily was sitting on the sofa watching a television show about cats, and crying.  Alex felt her sadness.  Ruth said, “That was very good, Alex.  That’s how we move from place to place.  Now that you aren’t in your earth body, all you have to do is focus your attention and feeling on where you want to be and you’ll be there.  You can travel here to see Emily when you like, or you can create any environment or experience you wish in our world.  I must caution you, however, that if you come here a lot it may have the effect of making it harder for Emily to recover from her grief.  Although she can’t see or feel you physically, her subconscious will be aware that you are nearby, because just as you are aware of her feelings, she is aware of yours.  Her strong feelings may block her conscious awareness of your vibrations, which are more subtle than the tumultuous feelings of grief and sadness.

“If I can change my experience by shifting my energy, does that mean I don’t have to feel Emily’s grief? “ Alex asked.

“That’s right, Alex you don’t have to react to her feelings by matching your vibrations to hers, as you have been doing.  The most powerful way to change to a higher vibration, or in other words a better feeling, is to focus your attention on the vibration of love, remember what that feels like, and feel it.  Even now, if you were to change to the love vibrational frequency, you would feel better right away and you might even see a change in Emily if she allows herself to resonate with your emotion.”

Alex climbed onto Emily’s lap and lost himself in feelings of love, contentment and happiness, and while Emily could not feel him physically, he purred as loud as could be.  After a brief time, Emily stopped crying and let out big sigh.  She sank into a peaceful sleep.

“That was excellent, Alex, you did very well once again.  You provided feelings of well-being that were strong enough change her vibration to a more peaceful state.  Would you like to try something else just for fun?”

“Okay, what should I do now?”

“How would you like to meet Emily in her dream and let her know that all is well?”

“Can I really do that?”  he asked.

“Sure.  Wait until she’s dreaming.  If you tune into her thoughts now you’ll be able to know when she’s in a relaxed dream state.  Then match your vibrations to hers, imagine the two of you seeing each other, and walk up to her and tell her something telepathically.  In the dream state humans routinely communicate telepathically, so she may get your message.”

Alex waited until he thought the time was right and he did as Ruth had suggested.  He walked right up to her in the dream and said “Hi, it’s great to see you again.  I’m doing fine and I love you as much as ever, but you really shouldn’t be so sad.   I want you to be happy.  Maybe think about adopting another cat sometime.”   The dream shifted after that, and Alex shifted his awareness back to Ruth.

“Wow, that was fun!” he said.  “Will she remember when she wakes up?  She seemed pretty surprised to see me.”

“Maybe, maybe not.  People often do forget their dreams .  If she forgets, you can always try it again.  You know how to do it now.”

“I’m ready to go home now, Ruth, I feel like going for a walk in the sunshine now that the cloud has lifted.”

“An excellent idea, Alex.  You know the way to get back.  I’ll follow you.

Alex Makes His Choice

"Okay, Pearl, I'd like you to show me how to find a home with someone.  When I lived with Emily I didn't have a cat door, so I didn't really have the freedom to decide when to come and go, so this will be fun. Emily always said it was dangerous to roam freely because of diseases, cars, dogs, mean cats, and wild animals.  I used to go outside sometimes but I always stayed close to home so I could run home if something bad happened."

"You won't have to worry about those things here, Alex.  In this place you will be safe.  There are some dangerous places that you could wander to if you don't know what you're doing, so make sure you check with me or someone else if you're not sure, at least until you learn more about how things work here.  In the meantime, you can wander and see the sights, chase birds if you want to, or just lay around the house.  I would advise you to check with someone before deciding to visit someone from your past.  I can show you how to do it without getting lost or in over your head, but let's wait and do that another time."

"For now, just follow me and I'll introduce you to Ruth, the person you'll be staying with."

Alex followed Pearl through a grove of trees and past a pond filled with fish.  After a short while they came to a small grouping of houses forming a sort of neighborhood, but each house was separated from the others by charming gardens and low stone fences.  A lovely young woman with long brown hair tied back in a ponytail and green eyes walked toward Alex and Pearl.  Looking straight at Alex, she said "So you're Alex.  I heard you were coming, so I've been preparing my house to m ake you feel welcome."  Alex was taken aback by this, since he hadn't known he was coming himself until a few minutes before.  Ruth smiled and winked at Pearl. " Pearl is one of my dearest friends and we don't have secrets from each other.  Also, you and I are old friends though of course you don't remember."

Alex looked at Ruth wonderingly.  "Can you hear my thoughts too?" 

"Yes, Alex, I can.  Not all humans here can, but I'm one who can.  Some people don't believe it's possible to communicate with other species, and so they block it out, but for those who are open to it, yes, telepathic communication is the normal way of communication."

"What do you mean we're old friends?  I don't recognize you."  Alex thought Ruth was very nice and felt comfortable around her right away, but was a little put off by the fact that she seemed to know things about him he didn't know himself."

"I knew you before you were Alex, before you were even born.  You don't have any memory of that time yet, but don't worry, Alex, you will.  And don't worry about me being too intrusive.  I will give you all the space you want, you will have complete freedom here to be yourself, and to be alone when you want to be."

They had walked into the house and Alex looked around.  He liked everything about the place.  There were perches up high and sunny spots to stretch out in for naps.  He looked around but didn't see any litter boxes.  He was about to ask, when Pearl said "No need for litter boxes here, Alex.  Your body works a little differently.  You can still eat if you want to, and by the way, you'll find the food more delicious than anything you've had before, but food is not digested or eliminated.  It's all just energy here.  You don't even have to eat at all, but I'm sure once you taste it you'll want to.  And you can eat as much as you want without any negative effects."

"Can I have some now?  It seems like it's been days since I've eaten.  Oddly, I'm not really hungry but I'd love something to eat.  Do you have shrimp?  That's my favorite." 

Ruth walked into the kitchen and returned shortly with a dish of shrimp and some tuna and placed it in front of Alex, and another dish for Pearl.  They both ate voraciously.  Alex asked to be excused after the meal that truly was the most delicious he'd ever had.  He wandered around the house and explored all the nooks and crannies before finding a comfy cushion on a windowsill and stretching out on his back in the sun.

Pearl said, "I'm going to leave you now to get settled in with Ruth.  I have some other things I want to do, but I'll be back tomorrow to show you some more cool stuff.

"Thanks, Pearl!" Alex said as he was dozing off.

Alex meets the others

Alex woke up some time later.  He had no idea how much time had passed, and he didn't care.  There was another cat standing over him, which startled him briefly, until he saw who it was.  "Pearl, it's good to see you again," he said.  "It's been so long since I've even thought of you, and here you are.  Are you here to see Margo and Emily, or me?." 

"Margo and Emily have been praying and asked me to take care of you.  It was unnecessary, of course, because I would have come for you anyway, so here I am."  Pearl was a sleek silver gray cat with pale green eyes and four white paws.  They had lived together with Emily until five years earlier when Pearl had died of a fast growing cancer.  The last time Alex had seen Pearl she was frail, old and scruffy looking, but now she looked beautiful and and as strong and healthy as Alex felt himself.

"Alex, Margo and Emily are at work right now, and I think it's best if you come with me to the other place.  If you want, you can come back later to visit them and I'll show you how to find your way if you need help." 

"That's fine with me.  Pearl, I could use some help finding my way.  What do I do now?"

"Just follow me," said Pearl.  Alex felt a sensation of moving fast toward a bright light that enveloped him in feelings of wellbeing, and within moments he was back in the golden light garden. 

"Alex, what would you like to do next?  I'm sure this place seems familiar to you, you've been here many times during dreamtime.  You can continue to hang out here on your own, or I can show you some other possibilities."

"What other possibilities?" asked Alex.  He was thinking that Pearl might mean he could go and visit some of the other cats that they had known from Emily's household who had passed over, and Alex wasn't too keen on the prospect, since he didn't like them all that much. 

"That's not something you need to worry about, Alex, I'll show you how to attract experiences that you choose for yourself.  Yes, I can see all of your thoughts, not just the ones you want me to see.  That's something you'll get used to.  Here in this world you draw to yourself what you think about, so if you don't want to see Trixie or Isabel don't think about them.  If you do think about them you can be sure they'll appear, since you will be drawing them to you energetically."

Just as Pearl said that, Alex was indeed thinking about Trixie and Isabel, and he could see them lying together underneath a nearby tree.  They looked at him with interest, but didn't approach him.  He was surprised to see that they then got up and sauntered away together .

"So what were the other possibilities you were talking about, Pearl?" asked Alex. 

"Alex, the possibilities here are unlimited, but let's get you settled in to begin with.  Do you want a home base?  You can stay on your own if you like, or you can live with people or other cats.  Most cats who are used to living with people like to continue that arrangement here, with the understanding that you will be able to come and go at will.  I chose that option myself when I got here, and I'm very happy with the arrangement, but it's your choice."

"But how would I find a person?  I don't want to go to a shelter again, that's an experience I never want to have again, and what if I don't like the person?" asked Alex.

"Oh, Alex, things are very different here.  The person you live with will be a really good match, based on the mutual desires of you and the person or people, and helpers are always available to match us up with just the right situation if you ask for help.  Take as much time as you like to consider your choice, and bear in mind that you can always change your mind at any time."

Alex stretched out in the garden to think about what he wanted.

Alex makes it to the other side

Alex was so drowsy he couldn't keep his eyes open, and he was only vaguely aware of shapes drifting in and out of his vision.  For a moment he felt weightless and surrounded by a great light.  Then he was looking down, watching three people hovering over the body of a cat that was lying on a metal table.  He had a vague recollection that there was something familiar about the scene he was watching, but couldn't quite place it.  Then he realized that it was his own body, the one he was no longer in.  He watched with interest for a little while until the older woman and her grown daughter left the room, hunched over and trying to hold back tears.  Alex knew them, of course.  He had lived with them for a very long time, and felt their sadness to the core of his being.   He was aware that they believed they would never be with him again.  Alex was surprised at this, because obviously he was still right here and could follow them home right now if he wanted to, without even having to ride in that awful car.  Alex really hated that car. 
    
Instead of following Margo and Emily, though, Alex began to perceive something else - at first it was just a feeling, but then it began to take shape.  He started to notice that he was being drawn to a beautiful garden-like area where the colors seemed vibrantly radiant and smells were irresistable, and so he began to wander in this paradise, amazed by how much more alive he  felt.  That's when he suddenly remembered that the physical body he had left behind had been so old and tired and painful from the disease he had succumbed to.  Alex realized that he hadn't felt any pain at all since he had gone through the change.  No more stiffness either.  He looked at his fur and realized how glossy and beautiful it was now.  Then he remembered Margo and Emily, and remembered how they used to brush his fur until it glistened like this. 

As Alex remembered Margo and Emily, suddenly there he was back in the garden behind the house with them.  Emily was holding a box with his name  engraved on it, and there were several friends and  neighbors of Emily and Margo standing around solemnly talking about him.  Margo was just relating a story of how much she had enjoyed holding Alex in her lap and brushing him, and how much he had loved that.  The people chatted for a while longer and remembered Alex with affection and said they would never forget him.  All  the while ignoring the fact that he was right there, rubbing against their legs and purring.  It would take some time to get used to the fact that in his old life no one could see him and didn't know he could  visit whenever he wanted to.  It distressed him that he felt so much sadness when they talked about him, but Alex couldn't climb on a lap and purr his reassurance that all was well, since no one felt him.  He got so frustrated that he decided to go back to the golden garden he had been in.  Except now he wasn't really sure how to get there, so he went in the house, climbed up to his favorite spot on the windowsill to think about it, and fell asleep. 

Next time - Alex meets the others