Smokey shares insights about illness

“This place where you are right now, God circled on a map for you”  Hafez

Have you ever wondered what is the purpose of illness?  Does illness have a purpose? Is illness the same for us as it is for animals? My very wise Smokey (Tennessee Walking Horse) provided some great insight into illness from the animals perspective and for us. 

For the past three months I have been ill with Lymes disease (LD).  Well actually I have had LD much longer than that…but the source of my illness finally came to light when I became so ill that I could not even do basic daily chores and taking a shower was exhausting.  I am happy to say that the worst of this is behind me.  My energy has returned to normal.  I now know much more about LD than I ever wanted to know. It can be a horrendous disease for many and is often misdiagnosed as ALS, MS, Lupus, fibromyalgia and CFS and often goes untreated.  I am fortunate that I have a strong constitution and have been able to get back my life.  It is not as easy or quick for others.

In June, Smokey became ill with anaplasmosis (erhlichia) which is a tick borne illness that is part of LD.  A week later, Hanna had lymes and King also had anaplasmosis. Being surrounded by animals with tick borne illness I decided there was a message for me as well.  That lead me to research which lead me to the realization that I possibly had lymes too.  It was the beginning of my path back to wellness.

Today, I decided to talk with Smokey about illness.

W:  Do you remember a few months ago when you got so sick and had to spend several days away from home at the vet? (I showed him pictures of the events that took place).

S:  I felt terrible.  When you took me to the vet I knew I could trust you to help me.  I’ve always known I could trust you…even when I had to shout at you to get your attention. (Years ago when I still put shoes on him he finally said “Get these “f***ng shoes off and lower my heels”.  Smokey never minces words.) 

W:  Were you scared?

S:  No, just very tired and very sore all over.

W:  Why do you think you got sick?

S:  Because I was infected with a bacteria from a tick.

W:  But surely you have been bitten by infected ticks before; they are all over this farm. This time you weren’t able to fight it by yourself.

S:  Sometimes we need help getting stronger. 

W:  It was very scary for me because you have always been so healthy…you seem to have a very strong constitution.

S:  I am very healthy but this time it was a bit more than my body could deal with.  And there is more.

W:  What?

S:  You and I have a very strong soul connection.  You have been ill for a very long time without understanding why.  We partnered on this.  Well our souls did to bring light to your illness.  You needed to see that even I could get sick from ticks to open up to that possibility for your own revelation.

W:  So you got sick so that I would see that I too was sick with Lymes?

S:  Well yes and no.  It’s not quite as simple as that when we are dealing with soul agreements but I think for the sake of understanding you could say there was a Divine plan so that you could finally get to the root of the what has made you ill on and off over the years. 

W:  I do see that.  At first I wanted to “fight” being so sick.  The stress of you being sick and then Hanna and King also having tick borne illness added to the weakening of my immune system.  But after my initial “Oh no, this can’t be happening to me…I can’t be this sick” I did get to “there is a reason for this”.  For the most part I saw it as a way to slow down (like I had a choice) and focus on my physical self and really think about what is important to me.  I found many other “jewels” buried in this experience too.  Like even when I cannot be productive and I need people to wait on me, I still have worth.  It also forced me to give up my work travels to Mexico and Greece.  Now I see I had put way too much work in front of me.  Balance is important. 

Smokey, on one level I believe that illness or disease is the souls way of calling our attention to something we are not conscious of or something in our lives we need to change.  Is that true for you or other animals? 

S:  For us, illness is more physical but still about stress.  I would say not living in alignment with your true self would be stressful and lead to illness for humans.  Illness for animals is predominantly stress related.  That stress could be from our physical body not getting all the nutrients we need, from being exposed to toxins or chemicals in the world,  or from not being able to be free to be ourselves.  For me that means living with my herd 24/7, eating grass and being able to express myself to you and other people without having my actions “humanized”.  Sometimes the stress is emotional, like if we are separated from a buddy or a human we love.  And sometimes, we just got sick because we came in contact with something like a tick with infectious bacteria. 

It is less about not following our soul’s path.  We live connected to our higher selves and all consciousness much more deeply than most humans.  You could say we are more “enlightened” that way.  Still sometimes humans interfere so much that we can lose touch with that..again creating illness. 

With some illness it is merely a vehicle for us to transition to Spirit. Often times this is also about a soul lesson for those who love us.  Sometimes I think you think too much about all of this.

W:  You are probably right about that.  We all need to remind ourselves to let our hearts lead us, not our heads.  Thank you my handsome man for sharing so much wisdom with me not just today but always.  You are truly one of the most precious gifts in my life which is why when you were sick I was so very scared.

S:  And now I am well and we have work to do.  You want me to help with you the Level II class don’t you?

W:  I love how you know what’s in my head; I don’t even have to ask.  Yes, of course.  Of all the animals that have shared my life none have been easier to communicate with than you. We will talk again soon so you can let me know how you think we can best use your talents to help the students. 

S:  And it’s time to let us out into the pasture.

W:  Yes, I am heading that way.