I am extremely excited to be attending an Animal Communication workshop tomorrow. It is being run by Pea Horsley who runs many international events and does wonderful work. It would be worth checking out one of her TED Talks.

Anyway, I have managed to book the last place at Cowdray Hall for Saturday 8th April.

As you will understand if you watch one of her TED Talks, it is not about reading your companion animals body language or behaviour but developing the skills to actually communicate with your and other animals.

I looked up a few definitions of communication and found this - Communication " a two-way process of reaching mutual understanding, in which participants not only exchange information, news, ideas and feelings but also create and share meaning".

I am lucky enough to have shared the past 14 years with my fabulous "cat of magic and gold", Willow. I made up that title as it conveys his statesman like qualities! It is actually inscribed on a painting I had done of him by a wonderful and talented Artist - Leon Hills.

Willow found me 14 years ago as a stray. Yes I laughed as I wrote that, but perhaps he did indeed find me as a stray and thought he should take ownership. Of course, not having had the pleasure of his company as a kitten, I am unaware of his age. Suffice to say he is a very good age ,if not a little creaky.

It has struck me how often I speak to him and the things he has seen and heard and felt in his life with me. Of course we all speak to our animals, but are we listening too? I don't mean about their loud demands for dinner or to go out but what they actually think and feel. It would be amazing to do so wouldn't it? I wonder what we would discover?

I think without meaning to, we often "laden" our animal friends with our emotional issues, concerns and day to day angst. I am sure I have been guilty of that unintentionally with Willow. Our animal friends I believe love us unconditionally and want to please us (think of that trusty labrador!) and take on our negative energies whilst also carrying their own sadnesses sometimes. Perhaps by truly trying to understand them we can give them permission to share their heartfelt worries or joys with us.

It seems to me that we all have the ability to communicate with animals but we allow our preconceptions, judgement or "logical" minds to cloud this. Our intuition is something that shouId be embraced. In the same way that animals and children are more open to energy and other complementary approaches we should sometimes try to suspend disbelief and quell our need for absolute proof and evidence. Last weekend I watched Susannah Rafelle from Self Selection For Animals communicate with and a offer Reiki to a dog she had never met before ,during a talk she was giving at the Mind Body and Spirit Experience in Wickham, Hampshire. She subsequently shared information about Rosie, the dog, that only the owners knew. It was a very powerful experience and those present at her talk would doubtless agree with me about the emotional energy in the room. It was quite wonderful.

Can't wait to see what tomorrow's workshop will bring. It can only add to my Reiki practice with animals.