Diane Budd - 19 Feb

This book is dedicated to all creatures, big and small, who share our world with us.
They make this world a better place.

Acknowledgments

I could have never managed to write this book without the love and support from those in my life and those who have graced it by passing through. An enormous amount of gratitude and thanks goes to each and every one of my clients and friends who have supported my work throughout the years with their animals. You have embraced and accepted all that I do with open arms and a willingness to hear and learn. We have had many laughs and shed a few tears each step of the way, learning and understanding more about our animals and ourselves. May our journey together continue and grow.

To my nearest and dearest

To Mom, to whom I could never say thank you enough for all you do: You have stood by my side and supported me through thick and thin in a million different ways. Love you stackshuge amount of gratitude. Thank you.

To Kyle and Skye, my sons: It has been a privilege and joy to watch you grow and to be by your side every step of the way. I am so proud of the men you are becoming. Thank you for sharing your home with all the never-ending bottles, plants, and smells around the house.

To Milo, Savannah, Romeo, and Molly, my lovely dogs, who have had to sometimes take a backseat when I am away working: You wait patiently for my return and never judge or feel resentful that I have been with other animals and not them. You have been my teachers. You are my heroes.

To Melana Gerber, for sharing this journey as well as your gifts and insights with me: We did it! From the floors of the stables, flying papers, and blunt pencils, a book was born. Melana, I couldnt have done it without you.

To Alexandra, my editor, and mentor: Thank you for always lending an ear and for your optimism and support throughout the years. It means a lot to me.

A huge thank you to all the people behind the scenes who got involved in the book and helped me along the way: Cameron Green and Tammy Mustoe for the illustrations, Bernadette de Kock for some of the photographs, and anyone I may have forgotten.

To everyone who is involved in animal rehabilitation and rescue: Thank you is not said often enough to those of you who devote your free time, effort, and funds so willingly. Thank you for your devotion and tireless commitment to the animals in your care and the rescue work you do.

A special thank you goes to the following people whose animals are featured in the book: Kim Pony; Jessica Burning Bright; Inge Bolla (Boland), Princess, and Ice; Charlene Brighty; Tammy Penny Whistle; Annaliza Tinkerbell; Trudi Santa; Karena Tolero; Maryse Patch; Megan Gulliver; Estelle King; Catherine Hogan; Shelly Spirit; Pam Justice; Kim Taipan; Zay Hero; Megan Command and Go; Hailey Toto; Vicki Ally; Sue Tiger; Lucky Lucy Foundation Rescue Center Mousha; Janna Abby; Nero Suzel; and Belinda Tipi.

Preface

Dianes Story

I believe that each of us is unique, and that our interests in life are often reflected in our work. Im extremely fortunate in that my way of life has become my work. I have always been both interested in the more spiritual side of life and also a skeptic, and ironically, it was my skepticism that led me to my current occupation. In fact, I initially set out to prove that animal communication was impossible.

Yet I was fascinated. If it were possible, then could I talk to my own animals? How amazing would that be? Having been an animal lover all my life, talking to my animals was one of the top ten things I could possibly wish for. Luckily for me, my wish was granted, and it has led me on one of the most incredible journeys I could ever have undertaken.

For many years after I first learned how to communicate with animals, I followed certain visualization techniques to get me into a relaxed state. Then I would begin the process of connecting, literally going through it step by step in my mind until I felt a heart connection. Sometimes I would simply know that I had connected, and at other times my heart would actually physically ache and I would get teary at the overwhelming sense of love I experienced.

Over time things got much easier and I began to follow the path of least resistance, which lay in not overthinking anything. Then one day I realized I had come a full 180 degrees and could not remember the last time I had done the steps. By then, things pretty much happened naturally.

The next step of my journey took me backwards in time to my early twenties, when I discovered gardening. I began with the usual flower gardening, progressing to vegetables and then to herbs. Only years later did I realize that this was my soul time and a brilliant outlet from stress. I inherited my green fingers from my grandmother and my mom, who also loves gardening. Its something I will always be thankful for, as its brought me so much pleasure. I am at my happiest when Im barefoot and surrounded by plants and my animals.

Moving forward again, after practicing animal communication for a while, I felt I needed to do more. I struggled for years to find something that complemented animal communication, experimenting with different treatments, such as Bach flower remedies and tissue salts. They did work, but they didnt give me the powerful results I was looking for.

One day I had just finished teaching a workshop in Johannesburg and was browsing a bookstore at the airport, looking for something to read on the plane. I bought a book by Elizabeth Whiter called The Animal Healer. In it she spoke of her journey of discovery and zoopharmacognosy. It was what I had been unconsciously searching for. Zoopharmacognosy facilitates the process that allows animals to self-select their own remedies. It gave me the results I had been searching for, and more, taking me full circle to playing with plants again.

I went on to study Applied Zoopharmacognosy with Caroline Ingraham in England. As time went by, I started to move past my self-imposed rule of doing readings by distance only, and I began to do readings in person. I would arrive to do a zoopharmacognosy session with an animal and then either the owner or the animal would start asking questions or deliver a message.

It got to the point where I couldnt do an animal communication session without taking my plant extracts along, too, and vice versa. The two modalities complemented each other, and even more importantly, the animals really loved it and responded even better when I did both. The truth is, we all want to be heard and we all need healing in some form.

Remembering back to my initial visualizations when attempting to connect with an animal, I began to wonder what happens on an energetic level in both the humans and the animals energy field. Was what I was visualizing in my minds eye actually happening, or was something totally different taking place?

The illustrations in Barbara Ann Brennans books, Hands of Light and Light Emerging, fascinated me. I have always enjoyed giving healing, and her illustrations seemed to prove that there was indeed something going on in certain levels of the body. And the more I wondered about it, the more I felt an overwhelming need to somehow find out what that was and then to document it.