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.