When I tuned in, it felt like I sort of just "appeared" in front of Riley and she let out a little surprised, "Oh!" and then, "A visitor…" "I'm sorry, Riley," I said. "I didn't realize it was possible to surprise someone when connecting in this way." "When one's mind is occupied with other things, anything is possible," she replied. "Do you have a lot on your mind?" I wondered. "Nothing too deep," she answered my unexpressed question. "Just surveying the land, wondering how I was lucky enough to end up here." Again I was surprised at this comment, as I thought animals live in the "now" and don't ruminate about the past. So I asked her about it. "Oh, we can still touch on a line of thinking, going from there to there to here, connecting the dots of events we've lived," she explained. "So life is improved now?" I asked. "Oh my, yes." She sounded calm, gentle, and like a middle-aged lady with proper manners. "Lots of uncertainty before." I could feel a sense of not knowing what was going to happen next, a sense of dread and fear and animals suddenly disappearing from where they were living. "Best not to talk about that too much," she said. I tried to feel whether she felt differently now, calmer about her environment, but I still felt she was on edge, wondering if something would happen. I don't know whether it was anxiety from the memories she was just thinking about or how she feels on a regular basis. It felt like being on edge like this affects her digestion. I see her eating dried corn kernels and enjoying what looks like meal worms. I asked if that's what she calls them, but she was confused since she just knows them as "wigglers." "I shouldn't feel this way, but I do," she said of this feeling of being on edge. I understood this to mean that she was trying her best to just feel like a normal chicken about everything and not let things affect her, but she was admitting that she is affected to some degree. I then asked if she enjoys being with the other chickens. She shows me an idealized scene of her just sitting and chatting happily with the other hens, like they are in a knitting circle. There is a black hen I notice among the rest. I feel a calm, happy comfort. But I don't think this is what happens, because the next scene I see is Riley on the outskirts of such a circle, looking on and wondering why she can't join in; wondering why reality is different than how she thinks things should be. This feels similar to her earlier comment about how she has certain expectations about how things should be, but they turn out differently and it's puzzling for her. "Do you not get along with the other hens?" I asked her. "I like them. We could/should be good friends. But there's something between us. I was still feeling that low-level anxiety in her and tried again to tap into how she is feeling in general about where she lives to see if I pick up a different feeling. She seems to have more peace of mind here, but struggles with what she expects and what actually happens. She tries to push all of this aside and just be normal. For example, to ignore the tension between her and the other hens. I wondered about any health issues or other things that would contribute to her feeling this way. Does she get fed something different than the other hens? I see a grayish meal or supplement being thrown down to her and the other hens are wondering why they don't get anything special. Maybe this is part of the tension? "I'm not asking for special treatment," said Riley. "I just want to live a peaceful life among friends. I'm sure it's all about my perspective." And here she brings me back to the beginning of our conversation, when I showed up and startled her while she was ruminating. She had been trying to shift her perspective to match what she wanted. "I think that's what people do, too," I told her. "So you're on the right track. But I would also say, there are two sides in a relationship, so it's not only up to you to shift things on your side." "If they would just get to know me…" she trailed off. "I agree, Riley!" I told her. "I think you are wonderful. I don't know why others feel they need to ostracize those who seem different." After wondering about that for a moment, I had the idea to ask the other hens. I pictured the group and posed the question about why they were not including Riley in their circle. They all talked at once, but I could pick out some snippets… "She's different…" "She thinks she's better…" "She hasn't been here as long as we have and is already getting privileges…" "We were here first…" I interrupted, "If you actually gave her a chance, you'd find she is good-natured, sensitive, and a really good friend. And did you know she has some health issues and that is why she gets special feed? She's not trying to get more privileges, she's just trying to feel better." Without really knowing the truth of the situation, I hoped some of that was based in reality and not just feelings. Nevertheless, there was silence as the hens thought about these revelations. I could feel bewilderment. They hadn't realized… this changes things… oops, we missed the mark on that one… The mood and feeling seemed to change. Suddenly, it felt like they were going to give her a fair chance, another look. The underlying anxiety that I was feeling subsided as I envisioned the yard in general. It felt like a new beginning, even if it was just what I hoped would happen. I stepped back and saw Riley look around with some about of disbelief. "Just like that, it's all changed?" she said. "I don't know," I admitted. "You'll have to see how things are as time goes on. But I hope things are different." I still wondered if any of this scenario were actually true. Sometimes I think that an idea pops into my head and my mind creates a whole situation around it. I worried that this was the case here — that I made it all up! At any rate, I said my goodbyes and wished Riley well. I wonder if anyone where she lives will notice anything different? Feedback from her person:Interesting that she startles, she often does. She is an ex-battery hen, for whom I can imagine life was very miserable and full of anxiety and fear. She has sadly had further life events that mean she may continue to feel this way at times, a car accident and a fox attack. From the time that Riley arrived here, she has behaved very differently from the other hens. Many of them physically attack her, to the point that she would not go into roost with them and if picked up to be placed in the barn at night would shake and try to get away. We therefore decided that she could find her own roosting place. Initially she chose the window sill of whichever room I was in in the house. This was unsafe as we have foxes around, she tried in the house but a couple of my dogs would trouble her, then she picked the greenhouse. She now has a small rabbit hutch in there. During the day she sometimes hangs around near the other girls, but startles and runs away if approached, so the image of her on the outside is really accurate. I feel she would like it to be different. We have one black hen in a flock of 18 birds. In the summer, Riley got hit by a car, she often used to potter up the lane we live on. She was quite badly injured and struggled to eat, partly as her head was banged and her beak clipped when she was used as a laying hen. I used to make up a paste of crushed chicken food, boiled eggs and yogurt as she could swallow it..sound like your meal 😊. She also eats the corn out of the wild bird seed and loves meal worms. Wrigglers is a fab name ! I love that she is using the law of attraction and trying to raise her vibration, I am a firm believer in this too. I think you are right to tell Riley she is wonderful, we think she’s very special. We hope to rescue a few more ex battery girls. When they first arrive we tend to quarantine them till they are stronger and we know they have no illnesses. It maybe that we try Riley in with that small flock, before mixing them all in together…
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AuthorMy name is Josh and I'm a learning animal communicator, hoping that sharing my journey will help others. Categories
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February 2020
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