How to be present despite the worry and anxiety with animal wisdom — Intuitive Animal Communicator, Joanna Schmidt

If you’ve been feeling like you are holding your breath and feeling extra anxious lately…

you're going to want to pour yourself a cup of tea and listen in as I share some profound wisdom from my dog, Raspberry, that will help you make it through.
Plus, I’ll be sharing a guided meditation to help you drop back into your body and the present moment, so you can feel connected with your animals, the here and now, and those you love without losing connection with your own center.

Listen along here…

“A natural energetic boundary practice for connection” Meditation starts at 4:41

Hello Dear Intuitive One,

This year, my birthday landed on the official start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. My reflective tea ceremony included worried glimpses at the news. Holding my breath, when what I longed to do was breathe.

Birthdays for me aren’t typically a time when I crave big loud parties. It’s a time of putting the tea kettle on, brewing up a special witchy herbal blend to help me ground and reflect and, of course, having epic birthday hugs and snuggle time with my animal friends (goes without saying).

But this year, on this birthday, with everything happening in the world (and coming off of 2+ years of allthethings we’ve all gone through), I found it hard to ask myself the big questions and plan the shifts I want to create in the coming year. Mostly, I worried.

Thankfully though those birthday epic snuggles with the animals still happened. And it was during one of my worried teary hugs with my dog Raspberry, that she shared with me this wisdom:

“The best place to be when you feel worried is right here, loving me.”

Raspberry was right too. Everything that I understand about intuition, magic and alchemy all point to this same idea.

Be as present as possible with what is, while focusing on what you want to have happen.

Feed the outcome you want with breath, presence, intention and love.

Hugging and snuggling with Raspberry allowed me to do all of these things… plus all the extras that come with hugging an 85-pound Rottweiler who dishes out the snuggles with heaping doses of feel-good animal wisdom.

How to connect heart-to-heart without losing your own center

When we are worried, holding our breath, and generally not feeling our best, being able to lean into connection with another, with our full presence, our sadness, warts and all, like Raspberry is suggesting we do, isn't easy.

It can feel super awkward, and difficult to not want to wiggle right out of your body or lose connection with your own center because it’s a vulnerable thing to be so close, to be seen, especially after two years of social distancing and masks.

A natural energetic boundary practice for connection

I’d love to share a practice that I've been using on the regular this past month that helps me feel like I don’t need to unglue myself from my center when I’m connecting with others. It’s a practice you can do while hanging out with your animal friends, your lover or even your favorite house plant.

Let’s tune-in together and practice meeting another being. Choose one being that you are in physical proximity to… an animal friend, a tree, or the Earth.

(remember you can listen along guided meditation style by clicking the audio button at the top of this post)

Start by settling in and checking in with yourself.

Let your breath be steady and calm and breathe in ways that enhance your connection with your body. Perhaps, place a hand on your heart and belly to anchor more of who you are into the here and now. Feel into the edges of your body and energy. Ask yourself the question, “Where does my energy end and others begin?”

Use your intuitive goggles to sense into the energy and space between you and the being you're connecting with. Take a few moments and explore how you can do this while you stay in your body, in your center.

Now that you're centered, play with breathing into your body in ways that allow you to enliven your whole being with the energy needed to MEET the edges of the being you're connecting with, with your full attention.

Using your intuitive senses, explore how uniquely different their energy feels compared to yours. Explore the difference in texture, pulses, colors, feel, vibrations...

Explore where your energies overlap and sense how this area can be a sacred meeting place where the individuality, the wholeness and the autonomy of each of you is honored, seen and loved.

Let the areas where you can sense the overlap of energy between you and the being you’re meeting help you sense yourself in a new way. Let this connection remind you of your wholeness, and capacity to love.

To close this practice, thank this being for meeting with you with your words or thoughts. Thank them for sharing who they are with you in such an intimate way. Thank them for helping to remind you of your own wholeness and resilience.

Putting this into practice in everyday life

Any time, but especially when we are worried or holding our breath and not feeling our best, meeting another full presence feels fantastic. And it can help us come home to ourselves, to drop back into our body and remember what’s important in the here and now.

This practice is so powerful to put into practice when you are hanging with your kids, your animal friends and when talking with strangers at the market. It helps you connect with the energy of others without losing connection with your own sense of self. And it’s exactly what is so needed right now to help us emanate our prayers, spells and good thoughts of peace and hope.

P.S. If you’ve been craving some intuitive support to communicate with your animal friends or reconnect with your center (because how hard is that right now?), reach out, I’d love to help you feel present and grounded.

Schedule with me

One of my specialties is helping animals voice their super powers so they don’t have to work so hard to do what they do best.

Sometimes this comes from translating requests like this one from master comedian Beans, a French Bulldog who shared this in a recent animal communication session:

“I want some tools and props to help me be the goof-ball I am, so everyone around me remembers to laugh and have a good time despite it all.”

I’m sharing this photo of Beans sporting his new humor-inducing tee-shirt with permission from his person Stacy, to hopefully help Beans spread his superpower gift of evoking joy for his family… even farther.