I was looking out the window of my home one summer morning, wondering why I always reacted a certain way to a particular situation. Suddenly I saw a very large woodpecker fly to the tree in my backyard. He began to loudly peck at a branch and was tearing apart the limb.
Very quickly, I got the message: I needed to stop allowing my mind to peck on this situation. It was hindering my spiritual growth.
Soon I noticed a blue flash in front of me. I blinked in amazement. Missouri’s state bird is the eastern bluebird. For me, seeing a bluebird is a very rare occurrence. I used to see them on the farm where I grew up, because they like open fields. Now a bluebird had arrived here, in my small backyard with its little fountain. As with the woodpecker a moment ago, I knew the little bluebird was also delivering a spiritual message.
What was the waking dream?
When I put my attention on what seeing the bluebird could mean, another bluebird flew into the yard. Then another. Now there were three of them. I felt joy and love building inside of me. I had the playfulness to say, “Well, if one more comes, then I know this is a gift of the Light and Sound, the ECK.” More arrived, until there were six bluebirds drinking and playing in the fountain. I felt grateful to receive this gift.
And the waking dream? The bluebirds were there to remind me to sing HU when this particular situation arose again, and to let my long-held attitude and concerns fly away. For me, singing HU as a love song to God opens my heart so that I can soar above the things that hold me back spiritually. The bluebirds’ beauty showed me how beautiful and truly loved I am as Soul.
The gift of the bluebirds went straight to my heart. It will remain there forever.
* * *
We begin dream study in ECK with the waking dream. In other words, we look at the ways Divine Spirit is trying to give us hints in everyday life to make things work out better for us.
This is the story of “Alita.” She’s the mom of Minnou, a cat she’s owned for ten years. I have to say, the only name that I haven’t changed in these stories is Minnou’s. I don’t think she’ll mind.
During the ten years that Minnou has lived in Alita’s home, the Spiritual Exercises of ECK have become very important for Minnou. This is the HU session with the Mᴀʜᴀɴᴛᴀ, the Inner Master.
Well, Alita had just taken up knitting. She became so engrossed in knitting one day, she knitted clean through the time set aside for the HU session. OK, Minnou forgave her that day, but this HU session is for Minnou too.
You have to understand that animals have a state of consciousness sometimes that is much greater than that of the humans you find around yourself. They have an understanding of human nature—something that is far and away above that of many people. Except animals don’t know how to speak; their vocal cords don’t lend themselves to it. And they don’t write because their paws don’t lend themselves to bending around pencils very well.
Minnou Has Something Important to Say
So, the next day, Alita was knitting away, totally lost, trying to keep track of the stitches. All of a sudden, Minnou made a meowing sound such as Alita had never heard before. She looked at her cat and asked, “Minnou, what are you saying?” But Alita couldn’t break through.
Whenever she and Minnou run into this stalemate, they have a little “show me” exercise they do.
So Alita said, “Show me.” And Minnou walked into the bedroom, stopped by the chair, which is Alita’s special spiritual-exercise chair, and then looked up into Alita’s face very expectantly, waiting for something. Alita thought, Well, it must be an hour yet before the HU session with the Mᴀʜᴀɴᴛᴀ. I just can’t figure out what Minnou is doing. She must have gotten her time schedule off.
But then Alita looked at a clock, and she said, “Oh, it’s nearly at the end of our session!” Then she realized that Minnou had waited through the whole session. She had let yesterday’s slip by, but today she was saying, “No, Mom.” Alita realized that Minnou’s meows were simply saying, “Hey, it’s time. This is the time we meet the Mᴀʜᴀɴᴛᴀ.”
The interesting thing is that around this time Alita had been focusing on a contemplation quote which was dealing with the expression “God is love.” And she realized then that Minnou had proved the point.
Well, that too showed a change in consciousness, where change is change, because Alita had to be more aware. She had to reach a higher state of consciousness if she was going to keep knitting and continue the HU sessions. At the same time, Minnou was showing that she understood things about the spiritual life in a way that Alita had undoubtedly never realized before.
Change in consciousness. Expansion in consciousness.
Love and gratitude became the “cat”alysts for a miracle in my pet family. It all started with the arrival of a young, feral, female cat who, after weeks of circumspection, came in off the street to live with my daughter, son-in-law, and me. We named this tiger-striped, long-haired tabby cat Tyna—a name that was a little different from Tina and Tiny and other pets we’d cared for in the past.
At about the same time, a child from next door brought me a tiny white, short-haired kitten with patches of black on his head and sides. The boy had found this kitten abandoned in a trailer park. He placed the kitty in the palm of my hand. I could see the baby taking a little breath and feel the beating of his tiny heart. There was no question. I accepted the child’s gift.
I sensed this little creature would need to be strong to survive. I recalled the character of Tonto from the American television series The Lone Ranger, which aired from 1949 to 1957. Tonto and The Lone Ranger had been my favorite brave western heroes. I named the kitten Tonto.
Raising Kittens
About eight months later, Tyna had a litter of kittens. Now Tonto and Tyna formed a pact. Whenever Tyna needed a break from taking care of her kids, Tonto would lie down and watch over them until Mama came back. He even helped her with bathing, cleaning, and playtime.
Lily-Baby, one of Tyna’s kittens with large, clear green eyes, has the heart of a nurse. If anyone in the family needs healing, she lies next to or on top of the person and sings a little purring song. She stays hours to days or weeks at a time, if necessary. My son-in-law can attest to Lily-Baby’s healing care. He was hit by a truck while riding his motorcycle, and Lily-Baby stayed close to him while he recovered.
Tonto must have sensed Lily-Baby’s potential even in her newborn days. He has always regarded her with great admiration and respect. In the photo of Tonto with Tyna’s litter, Lily-Baby lies next to him in favored position.
Tonto’s Disaster
All was going well with our family of cats and humans, but then disaster struck. Tonto and our older cat, Brownie, a sixteen-year-old domestic shorthair, were outside the house one evening, when a huge hawk swooped from the sky and grabbed Tonto by the head with its strong talons. Brownie courageously gave his life defending Tonto.
When we found Tonto, he was barely conscious and meowing faintly. He had open wounds from the hawk’s claws and beak. Our veterinarian’s office is three short blocks from our home. We rushed Tonto there, carrying him in his transport cage.
After examining Tonto’s injuries, the vet shook his head. “We see this frequently,” he said. “This hawk carries a virus. Once it gets into the bloodstream of an animal, the prey will die.” The vet gave Tonto IV fluids to replace the blood loss and cleaned his wounds.
“That’s all we can do, unless you want to put him down,” the vet told us at the end of our visit. “There are no available medications on the market that will cure this. You’re going to lose him. I’m sorry.”
We thanked the doctor and carefully carried Tonto back home.
Soothing Tonto
A few nights later, Tonto was clearly close to death. I sat in bed, holding him on my lap and feeling sad. Soothing him and myself, I sang HU quietly. HU is an unconditional love song to the Creator of all life. The high vibration, purity, and power of HU lifts me out of sorrow, anger, and disappointment into greater love, peace, relaxation, understanding, and acceptance of a situation. Singing HU keeps me walking on the middle path, neither for nor against whatever life is trying to teach me.
I continued the HU song, and oddly my heart filled with eager expectation. I began to feel grateful for Tonto and the way he’d lived in our family. Why not rejoice in the wonderful things he had accomplished in only a year and a half? I spoke to him lovingly. “Tonto, you are such a good, brave Soul.”
I thought about how, although his life would be cut short, he had learned a great deal about giving and receiving love. As a feral cat, Tonto had accepted love from the little boy who saved his life and the affection of his new human family. He had shown patience and kindness while helping Tyna with her kittens.
What Gratitude and HU Bring
Within moments of my gratitude spiritual exercise and singing HU, I felt a presence with us in the room. Identifying the inner appearance as Prajapati, an ECK Master who is known for working with animals, I whispered to a limp Tonto, “Prajapati is here.”
As if on cue, Tyna and her kittens rushed into the room and jumped up on my bed. The entire cat-and-kitten family began licking, kissing, and meowing to Tonto.
They so smothered him with their love that Tonto could barely breathe and initially resisted this jamboree. My daughter came into the bedroom then and saw Tonto was agitated. To help calm him she said, “Tonto, your Lily-Baby is here!” Then perhaps after gathering strength from this infusion of high-spirited energy, Tonto feebly lifted one foreleg and draped it over his favorite kitten.
I let the cat family continue their healing fest without interference. After twenty minutes of very loud, bouncy love and encouragement, the kittens jumped off the bed and returned to their own sleeping area.
Love Changes Everything
Now in the bedroom’s stillness, and in the quiet inner presence of Prajapati, I noticed a dramatic change in Tonto. He was breathing normally again. He moved slightly. He even stretched a bit. Feeling free of sorrow, I began singing HU in a burst of thanksgiving.
By morning, Tonto had opened his eyes. He was able to swallow water from a medicine dropper. Day by day, over two weeks, he slowly recovered. Lily-Baby maintained a nearby vigil, licking him and sharing treats.
It’s been several years now since Tonto’s brush with death. He is happy and content with staying indoors all the time. The kittens have grown into full-size replicas of their mother and are much bigger than Tonto. He seems like a parent with grown children. He never lets them forget the importance of goodwill and sharing all that they have, especially food and toys. Lily-Baby is now a beautiful adult cat with a special light about her. She is still Tonto’s favorite child.
Tonto’s miracle healing showed me once again that singing HU lifts Soul into worlds of greater love, gratitude, and humility. Life changes before our eyes when the sound of HU is in our hearts. I am so grateful for the HU and the love of the ECK Masters.
This experience taught me that animals are Souls too. My heart has been opened so much. Now I even talk to my plants and thank my tomatoes before enjoying their garden-fresh sweetness.
From the time I began to study the teachings of Eᴄᴋᴀɴᴋᴀʀ as a young adult, I was aware of inner spiritual guides known as ECK Masters. These wise beings protected and guided me, providing loving assistance in sometimes surprising ways. Little did I know that the ECK Masters could also guide cows.
After I left home, I often visited my folks on their small ranch in the interior of British Columbia. Late spring was my favorite time to be there. The weather was lovely, with spring-green leaves and grass coloring the countryside.
One year I arrived home to find Dad getting ready to move the cattle with help from several people riding horseback. Annually, when the land was able to support them, we’d move the cattle onto what we called the spring range, where they could roam, unfenced. They’d graze on abundant grasses until the summer rangeland, higher in the mountains, was ready for them.
It was late afternoon by the time we were ready to herd the gathered cows and calves from corrals. The first step was moving them through a long, fenced lane into an open pasture area. The cows were supposed to turn left up a short, steep hill to get to the first set of gates which would allow them access to the spring range.
My dad’s cattle enjoyed the well-deserved reputation of being some of the wildest creatures in the area. They were mostly easygoing as individuals. But when they were being moved in a herd, there were a few creative thinkers who could rapidly lead the more docile ones astray. Anytime we moved them, we prepared for the worst—such as the herd breaking apart, wildly dispersing, and requiring many hours to collect again. Yet we always hoped the herd would stay together and go to the intended location peaceably.
Usually when I helped move the herd, I rode one of the horses. But there were fewer available horses than herders this year, so I had to walk.
I went ahead to open some gates and position myself at a crucial spot to help turn the cows. A couple riders were to move ahead of the cattle to make sure they all went around a sharp corner and up the hill. My task would be to bring along slow stragglers.
The Best-Laid Plans
Sometimes the best-laid plans go awry. This was one of those times. As I waited for the riders to appear, I heard sounds of the cows calling and their fast movements. The first of over one hundred fifty cows and their calves surged around the corner of the field. I knew they would not be slowing down on their own. No one rode in front of the herd to stop them from running or turn them uphill.
Watching them approach, I felt a moment of near panic. It was highly likely the cows would run past me and scatter. Imagine how much work it would take to gather up all of them. While I knew I could stay safe from a stampede, I also knew that one person couldn’t keep the cattle together if they were of a mind to bolt past and run in different directions.
Suddenly, an idea popped into my head: I canask the Mᴀʜᴀɴᴛᴀ, my spiritual guide, for help and sing HU. Over time, the Mᴀʜᴀɴᴛᴀ had taught me that singing HU brought seemingly miraculous solutions for large or insignificant problems in my life. I had no idea how the Masters could help me in this instance, but I had nothing to lose by making a request. I quietly began to sing HU and wondered what would happen.
As the cows rapidly approached, I wildly waved my jacket. I hoped they’d notice me, avoid the jacket, and run up the hill. To my surprise, even though they looked past me toward freedom, the cows slowed to a walk. Instead of stampeding, they calmly walked to where they were supposed to travel.
I felt very relieved that my antics were working. But how was it possible for only one young woman to get the attention of one hundred fifty cows and convince the hungry herd to go in a direction that turned them away from their usual grazing areas?
A Miracle
Out of the corner of my eye I glimpsed a movement and did a double-take. In that short flash, I became aware of seeing two spiritual Masters near me, standing in a perfect line along the route where I needed the cattle to turn. Alone in the field with only the herd of cattle and me, I watched as the Mᴀʜᴀɴᴛᴀ gently flapped his blue suit jacket. The Tibetan ECK Master Rebazar Tarzs, also flapped his deep-burgundy cape. Both ECK Masters grinned at me.
My heart flooded with gratitude. The cows were responding to the ECK Masters’ signals by doing exactly as they were meant to do. I had asked for help with this unpredictable situation, and the ECK Masters provided it in a most unexpected way.
It seemed to me as though the cows clearly saw the ECK Masters and had turned to move up the hill. This showed me that cows have spiritual vision too and can also respond to the calming love that flows through the HU and the ECK Masters.
—Photos by Gai Lawson, and illustration from the Eᴄᴋᴀɴᴋᴀʀ Graphics Kit
This is a story about a vet, a cat, and Prajapati—one of the ECK Masters, guardian angels of the highest sort—who takes a special interest in animals.
Our story begins with “Mike.” He’s a young man. He was riding his bike down on the beach, and there he saw a surfboard. Nobody was around, so he took it home, got on the internet, and went to a site that specializes in help wanted and lost items. He put a notice up—“Found: A surfboard.”
A little bit later, he got a call from a veterinarian. He identified his surfboard, and they made arrangements. So Mike took the surfboard over to this veterinarian, whom we’ll call “Doctor Ken.” Doctor Ken said to Mike, “If your family ever has need of my services, I’ll give you a discount.”
Not long after this, the family cat became very ill. They remembered the offer from this vet. So they took the cat, Simba, to him. When the doctor came in, he looked at the cat and said, “This cat is very sick.” He didn’t need to do a whole lot of poking and prodding to see the cat was hurting here, there, and everywhere.
Doctor Ken said, “I’m one of the very few vets who practices energy medicine.”
This sort of energy medicine is sometimes called remote treatment, which may be offered by a chiropractor or some other healer. It’s very effective but it takes a certain kind of patient. I think cats are very open to this sort of thing because it’s energy, and cats are very sensitive to energies.
While Simba was being treated, Mike’s father told Dr. Ken all about the ECK Master Prajapati.
The next day, Mike’s mother, “Ann,” came to visit Simba. She saw that the cat was in terrible condition, and she began to cry.
When Doctor Ken came into the room, he started asking all kinds of questions about Prajapati. Then he went on to describe him. He said, “Prajapati came to me in a dream last night. Don’t worry. He said everything is going to be OK.”
Three days later, Ann went back to the veterinarian. The doctor said, “I’ve got the blood-test results. But before I call them up on the computer, I want to make sure Prajapati is here.” He wanted to go into contemplation, shut his eyes, and be assured that the ECK Master was present. So Ann shut her eyes, and she began to sing HU, our love song to God. At the same time, Doctor Ken called on Prajapati.
After a bit, Dr. Ken opened his eyes and said, “He’s here. My skin is tingling. I can feel him. Can you feel him?”
Ann said, “Yes, he’s here.”
Then the doctor turned around, faced the computer, booted it up, and got the results. Finally, he turned back around with a big smile on his face, and he said, “The blood tests are all OK. Everything’s normal. You can take Simba home.”
The spiritual lesson here is that love is so strong that it can reach out through the Divine Spirit, the ECK.
I mentioned an ECK Master. It means a Master who is well attuned to the Holy Spirit. This love had come from the Holy Spirit, through the ECK Master Prajapati, to take care of one of the least of Its own. And this is how life is.
From childhood, I always wanted a dog of my own. Although I knew I wasn’t ready for one, it seemed as if I was being prepared for this eventual gift.
For years, I even had my dog’s name picked out. I would call him Tambrin, after a local variation of tamarind, Bahamian island fruit that I loved when I was a kid. Tambrins (tamarinds) are brown, like dark apricots. After cracking their shells, I used to scoop the sweet, ripe tambrin meat into my mouth.
I often flew across the country from my home in San Diego to visit my sister Audrey in New Jersey. Her dog, Falcon, a tiny Maltese, followed me everywhere. I didn’t like that at all, but my sister said, “It’s because she loves you.”
Even so, I sensed that I wasn’t ready to receive as much love in my life as Falcon wanted to give. It wasn’t the right time yet. I needed to see a bigger picture of what unconditional love means.
Giving and Receiving
Up to that point in my life, I still hadn’t figured out the part of unconditional love that involved giving without expecting anything in return. I always seemed to have an agenda. Growing up with my family in Nassau and then New Jersey, I was often labeled as selfish because I liked being by myself. Later I withdrew from my family, moving across the country, even though they didn’t want me to leave.
After I started studying the teachings of Eᴄᴋᴀɴᴋᴀʀ, it felt as if a longing bubbled up inside of me. I wanted to open my heart to more love. Every time I felt as if I needed love, I wanted to go see Falcon. My trips across the country to visit Audrey and the rest of my family were becoming a highlight of my life.
It even got to the point that I had to admit—although I enjoyed seeing my family—Falcon was the high point of my visits. Her love drew me like a magnet, and I always looked forward to being with this dog again.
Wherever I went at Audrey’s house, Falcon followed me. She even slept in the bed with me. I thought, I must really need this unconditional love. I got used to having the dog love me all the time and started to expect it.
Then on one visit, something changed. Falcon did not want anything to do with me. She didn’t follow me at all. Disappointed, I asked my sister, “What’s wrong with Falcon?”
Audrey said, “She wants to be left alone. That’s just how dogs are.” She didn’t think Falcon’s withdrawal was odd at all. For the entire weekend I was very disappointed not to get any attention or love from the dog.
I did a contemplation in which I connected spiritually with my inner guide, the Mᴀʜᴀɴᴛᴀ. I came to understand that Falcon had been doing all the loving in my relationship with her. I wondered if maybe it was time for me to have my own dog, my own source of divine love.
My Dream Dog
ECK Master Rebazar Tarzs visited me in a dream. He showed me who my little darling would be. The dog he showed me was a wrinkled, wet puppy, just being born. I couldn’t quite tell his coloring, but it appeared to be apricot. I noticed a distinguishing feature: the dog had a unibrow that made an unbroken line across his forehead. The ECK Master handed the pup to me, and I accepted. Then I woke up.
Now I had to find the puppy from my dream in the physical world. This took about another year because I needed to be in the right location and prepare myself for this gift.
I was certain I would recognize my dream dog because of the love he had for me. He would jump into my arms and kiss me all over. I forgot the lesson Falcon’s ignoring me had taught—that I was the one who needed to learn how to give love.
A work colleague of mine had an adorable poodle. I asked her where she had gotten him. She gave me the contact information of the woman from whom she had adopted her dog. After a couple of days I decided to call. The woman told me her dog had just birthed a litter, but it would be five or six weeks before the pups would be available for adoption. Still eager to find my Tambrin, I asked if I could stop by to see them.
She showed me two or three puppies. Within seconds of my arrival, I held a white puppy from the litter who covered me with kisses, just as I’d imagined.
Feeling an inner nudge, I picked up an apricot-colored pup. I got nothing from this guy. He was not friendly at all. When I tried to kiss him, he turned his head away. I put him down and picked up another of his littermates. This dog, too, was all over me. Now two dogs had shown me the love I craved.
I said to the apricot poodle, “You have one more chance to give me a kiss, or else I’m going with one of the other two.” The minute I picked him up, the standoffish pup started kissing me, doing the opposite of what he’d done the first time I’d held him.
That’s also when I noticed one more thing: this dog had a unibrow across his forehead.
“Hi there, Tambrin,” I said.
Tambrin’s Mission
When he was five weeks old, I brought Tambrin home. Since his arrival Tambrin has given me the spiritual growth I realized was missing in my life. This dog’s mission is to teach me how to give unconditional love. I’m here on this earth, it appears, to take care of him.
Tambrin doesn’t particularly like being around other dogs. My lap is his favorite place. Although Falcon used to follow me everywhere, Tambrin has trained me to take him everywhere, even to exercise. He’s my beloved, my comfort, my teddy bear. Whatever he needs, I try to give him.
Loving Tambrin prepared me to be a better person. Soon after adopting this dog, I met a man and got married. My husband loves me unconditionally, and now, because of Tambrin, I’m able to return his love. Having a more loving attitude also improved my relationship with my daughter and family. I am more accepting of people and less judgmental.
At eleven years old, Tambrin is still a master at receiving love. He has helped me break down my emotional walls and come out of my shell. He’s made me more willing to take risks in love. This little dog is an instrument of Divine Spirit, opening my heart to love deeply.
I dreamed Tambrin was a cat in a past life. That may be the source of his catlike behaviors. If I run around the house calling for him, he’ll watch me from under the bed without responding. All I can do after finding him is just laugh.
This little dog teaches me every day how to love as the ECK Masters love, without needing anything back in return.
I probably love Tambrin more than he loves me. And I’m OK with that.
