AWAKENING ACCOUNTABILITY
There can be no reasonable judgement deserved
for ignorance nor indifference,
while we are yet asleep,
However, as awakening increases,
awareness increases,
therefore, accountability increases.
As you do as you will …
consciously choose to do no harm.
~~~
For Nonhuman and Human Animals,
For The Planet,
For Life,
As awareness increases,
increasingly choose,
non-violent, compassionate action
as a priority.
Choose to do No Harm.
~ Gerean Pflug for “The Animal Spirits”
~~~
“Empathy is a universal solvent. Any problem immersed in empathy becomes soluble.” ~Simon Baron-Cohen
Empathy is defined as “a complex form of psychological inference in which observation, memory, knowledge, and reasoning are combined to yield insights into the thoughts and feelings of others. Empathy is a highly developed and sophisticated emotional response that references self and others. ”
The heinous violence and taking of innocent, sentient life worldwide, can neither be explained nor cured by choice of political party, religious doctrine, international defense strategy nor debate of weapon control. There always have been and always will be a way to violently do harm and take the life of another. Violence and cruelty occur because of a lack of human empathy. A compassionate, empathetic human being does not take action of harm against another sentient, living being of any species. All life taken by violence violates all of humanity
Can we control the senseless taking of innocent lives? Sadly, no, we cannot. Control is an illusion. We have never and will not ever control the actions, reactions, thoughts and even words of others. The only things we control are our own individual actions, reactions and words.
While we argue and fight among each other . . .
Someday The Planet will cease to exist. Someday the sun will burn out. We are not promised tomorrow. We are not even promised the rest of this day. This moment is all that we have. If we use this moment to channel our energies into making a positive difference in the lives of others, we will effect profound change of mind, heart and spirit. As we transmit from places of empathy and compassion, we strengthen in energy, frequency and vibration, affecting universal changes. These changes ripple and grow and affect the lives of others, not only in this moment, but vastly beyond this moment.
If we choose to spend this moment in argument, competition, debate, anger and words that hurt, what will we achieve? Nothing. I believe that this moment is the perfect moment to consciously shift to higher levels of consciousness. Today is a very good day to begin to act from the heart, not the critical mind, and to focus on becoming living examples of the peace we wish to see in this world.
I choose to
transmit,
focusing on those things that build up,
encourage,
inspire,
motivate,
uplift,
and propel others toward compassionate choice and action.
I choose
to focus on and promote
the heroes of this world,
rather than the villains
(although one certainly cannot be illuminated without the other).
I choose to hope
that all of us will consider
the powerful opportunity
provided to us in this very moment
to make a profound positive difference
from where we stand
and through the act of
standing together
in unified, common, compassionate objective,
reach for the highest level of consciousness . . .
recognizing that the evidence of this higher level of consciousness will be
a significant and obvious increase in
empathy,
compassion,
kindness,
gentleness,
mercy,
grace,
understanding
and peace.
From places of empathy and compassion,
please continue to unify and transmit.
Together we are changing the world.
Many Blessings.
~Gerean Pflug, The Animal Spirits
~~~
THIRSTY
“Water is the new oil.
Nations will soon be going to war for it.
Underground aquifers that took millions of years to fill
are now running dry.
It takes 50,000 litres of water
to make one kilo of beef.”
~ Philip Wollen, Kindness Trust
~~~
“There’s a limit
to how far we can diminish
the life in our oceans.
We cannot live on this planet
with a dead ocean.
If our oceans die, we die.”
~ Paul Watson, Sea Shepherd Conservation Society.
~~~
“Water and air,
the two essential fluids
on which all life depends,
have become global garbage cans.”
~ Jacques Yves Cousteau
~~~
We will become increasingly
THIRSTY
until we unify
in common, responsible, compassionate,
international objective;
to protect The Earth and all Earthlings.
~ Gerean Pflug, The Animal Spirits
~~~
i really have nothing further to add.
The quote below speaks for itself.
No commentary required in any attempt to clarify
a statement of ethical truth.
This is . . .
OUR ETHICAL DUTY
IT IS OUR DUTY
to alleviate suffering wherever it occurs.
Blessings on those
who from places of empathy and compassion,
take immediate action
to protect, defend and lend voice to,
ALL sentient, living beings in need,
without prejudice of species.
WE think, WE dream, WE love, WE hunger, WE feel, WE suffer, WE grieve.
In these capacities,
WE ARE EQUALS
Nonhuman and Human Animals….
WE ARE….
The Animal Spirits.
~ Gerean Pflug
FOLLOW THE ANIMAL SPIRITS ON FACEBOOK
image credit: izquotes.com
PHOTO NOTE: The name of the Matador in this photo is unknown.
Some say, the Matador’s posture is not one of sadness, but one of defiance to the bull.
This post ponders the few Matadors who have choosen to walk away.
The matador
looks into the eyes
of a sentient, living being,
and sees it’s soul,
stops in the middle of an unfair fight,
walks to a ledge inside the stadium,
sits down,
hangs his head
and begins to cry.
~~~
A number of bullfighters throughout history, after recognizing the sentience of the living being they are torturing, have walked away from bullfighting forever. One such ex-bullfighter, turned animal rights activist was Alvaro Munera, who was quoted:
“And suddenly, I looked at the bull.
He had this innocence
that all animals have in their eyes,
and he looked at me with this pleading.
It was like a cry for justice,
deep down inside of me.
I describe it as being like a prayer –
because if one confesses,
it is hoped, that one is forgiven.
I felt like the worst shit on earth.”
~~~
Chiquilín, another repentant bullfighter,
claims to have seen bulls weeping.
He says that he cannot kill even a fly nowadays.
~~~
Read excerpts from the Alvaro Munera interview here:
http://humansarefree.com/2012/07/bullfighter-becomes-fierce-animal.html
~~~
Blessings on those who from a place of empathy and compassion,
take action to protect, defend and lend voice,
to innocent, sentient, living beings,
who cannot speak for themselves.
We feel. We suffer.
And in our suffering . . .
We suffer as equals.
Choose compassion.
~Gerean Pflug for The Animal Spirits
~~~
My name is Gerean (pronounced “Jer-ee-uhn) Pflug. That has not always been my name. My genetic grandparents were Cherokee, Canadian French Indian and German (respectively) My genetic mother was Cherokee and my genetic father was a full-blooded German immigrant. I was born in the United States and named Ronna Marie Bouvier Schinhofen. My genetic parents could not care for me, so at birth, I was relinqueshed to Children’s Home Society in Southern California. My parents, The Lillibridges adopted me and raised me in much love. I later was married, thus the name Pflug and although the marriage didn’t last, I kept the name. So, my full name is actually: Ronna Marie Bouvier Schinhofen, Gerean Lillibridge, Pflug, but you can just call me Gerean.
I love creativity, art, poetry, music, conversations of significance and wit, gardening, and above all ANYTHING to do with animals.
I have always believed that my love and connection to the animals began before I was born. My soul knew the connection before my body did. My connection with the animals has only grown stronger over the years. My mother to this day, rolls her eyes and says to me, “Oh, I swear you love animals more than people.” To which I nod my head and respond, “Yeah . . .for the most part, that’s true.”
I began this blog intially to write about my lifetime experiences with the animal spirits. But my own soul short-circuited those stories by injecting me with passion to write of issues of more international urgency . . . such as:
And the list of “hits” just goes on and on . . and on. The unbelievable inhumanity that has been imposed upon the animal spirits at the hands of man, absolutely sickens me. I will not stop writing about these issues of global spiritual injustices until the day I take my last earthly breath. But, just in case that last breath comes sooner, rather than later, I wanted to get at least a few of my many stories down on “virtual paper.” This post is simply an intro with more to come.
~~~~~
MY LIFE WITH THE ANIMAL SPIRTS
An Introduction
by Gerean Pflug
I was raised by VERY loving parents who were old-school ranchers. I lived the early parts of my life on a 1,000 acre cattle ranch in an Oregon wilderness area and from a very early age experienced amazing relationships with ranch animals as well as wildlife.
My father was a hunter who provided the family meat via deer, or we ate chickens that we raised on the ranch because back in the days . . . we were so poor, we could not afford to eat our own beef. I began crying and begging my father not to kill the animals by the age of 4 yrs. old. His answer was gentle, but always the same, “Honey, this is the way we make our living and we gotta eat, so thank the good Lord for providing us with the means to survive.”
Later, my father moved us to land in the center of the Dairy industry in Southern, California, where he raised grain-fed beef. My job was to care for all of the animals, including the baby calves. Every time a new group of baby calves were delivered, I carried them around in my arms like human babies, they suckled my fingers, I bottle fed them and loved on them excessively. My dad would continually say, “Don’t go namin’ those calves, Honey. ‘Cause you know, they’re gonna become meat soon.” I ignored him each time, and named every one of the calves.
On the days that the butcher trucks would pull up, the men would get out with their rifles and begin to don their rubber boots and overcoats and position the wenches on the trucks. I’d start to cry hysterically, begging my father to spare the lives of my animal friends. My dad would tell my mom to keep me in the house. I’d hear the cattle bawling as they drug them to the spot to be killed. Each loud crack of the rifle would slice through my body and into my soul. I would sob in loud, endless heaves, while my mother held me and tried to soothe me. “Honey,” she’d say, you are so very sensitive, but you have to face the reality that the world eats meat and we make our living raising cattle for meat.
Eventually, my parents would tell me in advance when the butchers were coming, and my dad would have me pack a lunch, go down to the stable to ready my horse, then he’d tell me to ride out and not come back until late afternoon. Although I cried while I was gone, I didn’t have to hear the bawls and the rifle shots and it took an edge off of the soul-shattering agony, but in it’s place was still an overwhelming feeling of guilt for turning my eyes and my back and for the inability to save the lives of my animal friends.
After the butcher trucks left, in an attempt to perform a funeral of sorts, I’d walk to the site where my friends lives were taken. The dogs would be there, eating the remains from the blood-soaked ground, of what was left of a once innocent, sentient, living being and I’d cry to the sky where I believed that God was, and ask “Whyyyyy?”
It was in those days that I developed my-own-child’s mechanism for letting go and saying “Goodbye.” I’d pray to The Creator of ALL, that he would place a special blessing on the soul of the animal spirit (by name) now passed on to the ‘nother places. I’d ask God to whisper to my animal friend’s soul, and tell him that I was deeply sorry that I could not protect or defend him from harm. And then I’d say outloud . . . “___________(name of the living being) You mattered to me.” I still do this and say this at every loss of an animal spirit that my soul becomes aware of, including those that humans refer to so insensitvely as “roadkill.” Every single one of them . . . mattered to somebody. They did not live their lives without significance. They ALL matter to me.
These days, I continue to whisper to all animals, I intentionally send my soul thoughts to them, I pray for them, I feed them, I give them continual attention and affection, I write on their behalf, I adopt when I can, I donate what I can and . . . I DO NOT eat them. In return, they consistently show their appreciation by guarding over me and by offering me their consistent friendship. The birds that I feed tell their babies that I am their friend. Horses and cattle make significant eye contact and scratch their heads against my body. The deer bring their newborns to sleep directly below my bedroom window. The dogs sleep wherever I sleep and watch every move I make. Animals in need find me. The stories are so numerous ~ It will take more than a natural lifetime to write them all, but in future posts, I plan to write some of the most memorable.
To those of you who have been following my writing . . . to those of you who have encouraged me . . . to those of you who tirelessly and passionately take action . . .to those of you who understand and share in this love for our brothers and sisters the animal spirits, I thank you and wish for you the highest level of blessings in this earthly life and beyond.
Blessings on all
who from a place of empathy and compassion,
take action to protect, defend,
provide shelter to, feed,
love and lend voice
to innocent, sentient, living beings
who cannot speak for themselves.
~Gerean Pflug for “The Animal Spirits”
~~~~~
GEREAN PFLUG,
Author: “The Animal Spirits”
~~~~~
This is the face of the ivory trade . . .
by Gerean Pflug
PHOTO CREDIT:
African Wildlife Trust
~~~~~
Poachers move in quickly using chain saws, machetes, axes and hunting knives, to cut the tusks from elephants, often while they are still alive. They leave the faceless, innocent, sentient being in agonizing pain to die. The poachers will often wipe out an entire elephant family at one time. Many of the elephants are pregnant or are nursing babies. The babies are left traumatized and alone to starve, to die of exposure or to be fed upon by the lions.
Rangers by hundreds patrol the vast acres of land in Africa where the elephants are constantly on the move. The rangers rarely have even the most basic of needed supplies and are generally unarmed, no match for poachers using high-powered automatic rifles and cutting-edge weaponry. Many of the rangers die in the process of protecting the elephants that they have grown to love.
Why is this happening? Greed ~ They do this for profit from the ivory trade. The bulk of the ivory ends up in China, who has made a mockery of international bans on ivory. The Chinese feed the market by purchasing trinkets made of ivory, which has become a national symbol of status. But China is not the only villain in this heinous crime against our wildlife. Trophy hunters from around the world, pay exorbitant amounts of money for permission to kill elephants. And . . . countries around the world, use ivory for numerous reasons, including the creation of religious icons. However, worldwide spiritual and religious leaders are beginning to become active in banning the trade of ivory.
Recently the Vatican spoke out against ivory trade. In January of 2013, after groups and individual activists in mass, wrote letters, placed phone calls and signed petitions, THE VATICAN condemned the poaching of elephants. Father Frederico Lombardi, the director of the Holy See Press Office in the Vatican, referencing Catholic tradition, made the following statement:
Up until now, the world has looked to international governments to protect this highly endangered species, but to date, the governments have failed. It is now up to the international community to assure that the African elephant is saved from extinction. Environmentalists, Religious and Spiritual Groups, Non-Profit Organizations, Private Groups, Celebrities and Millions of Individuals worldwide have delared an all-out war on poachers who are obliterating our African Elephants for profit from the ivory trade. The massacre of near 40,000 elephants per year (60-100 per day) has become the greatest environmental crime on our planet. It is now estimated that if the trade of ivory is not banned worldwide, the African Elephant will be extinct by the year 2020.
~~~
IN ONLY A FEW SECONDS,
THE WWF COMMERCIAL AGAINST IVORY TRADE MAKES IT’S POINT
WATCH THIS 30-SECOND VIDEO BELOW:
~~~
It is up to every individual to assume a sense of responsibility
and to take action to save this majestic, gentle species we call “Our Elephants.”
When individuals take action ~ we become a group of millions.
Help raise public awareness and influence empathy and compassion for this urgent need.
Write letters, place phone calls, sign petitions,
use every social media networking platform available,
Facebook, Twitter, Blog Sites . . . they are all free international tools to let your voice be heard.
~~~
Blessings on those who from a place of empathy and compassion
lend voice to innocent, sentient, living beings
who cannot speak for themselves.
THE FIGHT IS ON.
~Gerean Pflug for The Animal Spirits
~~~
PLEASE TAKE ACTION:
TAKE IMMEDIATE ACTION BY SIGNING THE WORLDWIDE C.I.T.E.S. PETITION:
Click ~~~> http://www.iworry.org/
~~~
SIGN THE WWF PETITION FOR ELEPHANT PROTECTION IN AFRICA AND THAILAND:
Click ~~~> http://action.panda.org/ea-action/action?ea.client.id=1773&ea.campaign.id=17713
~~~
IVORY ACTION. Email. Petition. Share.
http://www.elephantectivism.org/p/ivory-action-1-2-3.html
To find out how you can help the elephants and rangers:
The Thin Green Line Foundation
The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust
Big Life Foundation
African Wildlife Trust
The Jumbo Foundation Elephant Orphanage
~~~
References/Resources:
http://www.abc.net.au/foreign/content/2013/s3683920.htm
Bloody Ivory: http://www.bloodyivory.org/quotes
~~~
This article was written by Gerean Pflug, 2/5/13, All Rights Reserved ~ Permission is granted to reblog, copy and repost this article in full, as long as links back to this page are present on the copy. Copies of part of this article must be requested in writing via email to: Animalspirits222@aol.com
To all who follow “The Animal Spirits” blog ~ At the writting of these words,, the ivory trade is obliterating our planet’s elephants. The crisis is worsening by THE DAY. There is an urgent need for EVERY individual to let their voice be heard in defense of our remaining elephant population. We need every government, every religious/spiritual group, every activist, every single individual on this planet to unite. Please find the petition for CoP16 within the body of this post and sign. Additionally, please sign any other petitions that you find or cross your path. We can write letters, make phone calls, blog & reblog, post to Facebook, Tweet and email. There are people across the world dropping what they are doing to go into the countries where the poachers are basically cutting the faces off live elephants to take their tusks to sell for ivory trinkets. The elephant is left in agony to die. Many of them are pregnant. Many of them have newborn babies who cannot survive without their mothers. The elephants are traumatized, depressed and anxiety ridden. This is worldwide issue is so incredibly URGENT that we absolutely must push to raise public awareness, eliminate apathy and influence IMMEDIATE action because . . . there is very little time left. Please see video. Please educate yourself. Please sign the petiton(s). Please take action.
Blessings on those who take action and lend voice to innocent, sentient, living beings who cannot speak for themselves.
~Gerean Pflug for The Animal Spirits
ACTION FOR FEBRUARY 2013
With 35,000 elephants a year being slaughtered for their tusks, the fate of the African Elephant hangs in the balance. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) prepares for the sixteenth Conference of the Parties (CoP16) in March 2013. The scientific community, global intelligence agencies and wildlife trafficking authorities warn that the African Elephant is on the precipice of extermination due to the unmitigated slaughter of tens of thousands of elephants each year.
Please click the link below to find out exactly what you need to do!!
It’s very easy & simple…everything you need is in the link below, including a pre-drafted letter; you just need to find the people to send it to from where you live, the email addresses are included for each country (just below the letter)
PLEASE HELP...sign share of FaceBook & Twitter. On March 16th WE MUST…
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“Don’t just believe what you’re told . . .
check it out from behind the scenes . . .
then follow your heart.”
~Ellie Laks, Founder, The Gentle Barn
~~~
~~~
“I am the voice of the voiceless
Through me the dumb shall speak
Till the deaf world’s ear
Be made to hear
The wrongs of the wordless weak.
And I am my brother’s keeper
And I shall fight his fight
And speak the word
For beast and bird
Till the world shall set things right.”
-Ella Wheeler Wilcox (1850-1919)
~~~~~
THE GENTLE BARN, SANTA CLARITA, CALIFORNIA, USA
The Gentle Barn takes in as many animals as they can,
provides them with medical treatment,
feeds them,
loves them,
rehabilitates them,
and provides them with a loving, forever home.
Children who have been traumatized,
who are struggling with tradtitional methods of therapy,
visit the Gentle Barn
and make extraordinary, healing connections with the animals.
~~~
“Often when children are abused, they turn their hurt around to abuse others. By teaching empathy and uniting kids with all life, our At-Risk Youth program helps turn these kids from the inner city into protectors instead of abusers.” ~The Gentle Barn
~~~
EXCELLENT video illustrates the work of The Gentle Barn and exposes the dairy industry, who is actually the veal industry, and the heinous abuse of innocent, baby living beings that the human species calls “veal.” By supporting the meat and dairy industry, we are supporting an industry of neglect and abuse that is void of compassion and humanity.
~~~
To learn more about and support the work of The Gentle Barn, follow the links below
~~~~~
Blessings on those who take action to protect and lend voice
to innocent, sentient, living beings
who cannot speak for themselves.
~Gerean Pflug for The Animal Spirits
~~~~~
THE ANIMAL SPIRITS 