It’s Their Neighborhood, Too: July 4th Animal Messages on Fireworks
Our national holiday, Independence Day or the 4th of July, is usually considered a day of fun with family and friends. We celebrate by having parades and gathering with family and friends to share food and companionship. Sometimes our fun includes firing off fireworks; the louder, the better.
I’d like to take a moment to point out that not everyone enjoys fireworks, legal or illegal (which they are where I live, King County, Seattle). Many dogs and cats (and people) experience deep anxiety, fear, and even terror at this time of year; an anxiety we often share as we watch our loved ones suffer.
Gracie, the cat who lived across the street from me, showed up on my doorstep the day after one particularly bad 4th of July. She requested Reiki for emotional healing and wanted to share her feelings with me. She did not just tell me how she felt, Gracie let me feel her fear and desire to hide. She did not understand why her safe and quiet neighborhood had suddenly turned into a terrifying place with no escape from the overwhelmingly loud bangs and booms.
Domestic animals are not the only ones affected, wild animals feel the same way. Jacquie Lawson has a stunningly gorgeous e-card entitled “E Pluribus Unum” (translated from Latin: Out of One, Many) that reminds me of the great beauty that is America, and it is All Our Relations that help make it so.
Wildlife deserves our protection, not only in great tracts of land far from our cities but also within our urban landscapes. We should rejoice in the animals that have survived among us and celebrate our independence with care for them and our environment.
To help assist the wild and domestic animals that live in your neighborhood on this most challenging holiday, there is a simple energy practice that can help (for more see ReikiShamanic Tips for Animal Fears). Set your intention for the highest and best good, and send healing or prayers to a common pool of energy (not directly) that the animals may draw upon for their support during the fireworks celebrations.
And if you can’t entirely bring yourself to do away with fireworks completely, perhaps you could tone them down. When I was a child, fireworks were illegal in my home state of New Jersey (I believe they are still), so my grandmother and aunt would supply us with slender wands called sparklers that, when lit, could be waved around illuminating the dark with miniature fountains of colored streaks of light. My sisters and I looked forward to this once-a-year event eagerly; family memories do not have to involve loud explosions; they can be made up of smaller experiences that become a tradition, year after year.
However you choose to celebrate the 4th of July this year, please remember that you share your neighborhood and homes with other species. Have a care for them, and have a safe and fun 4th of July. Your animal neighbors say “thank you” in advance!
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A WILD WAY TO HEAL
Rose De Dan, Wild Reiki and Shamanic Healing LLC, is an animal communicator, Reiki Master Teacher, shamanic energy healer, and author. Her classes, sessions and ceremonial work are inspired by wild and domestic animals who have issued a call to action for personal and global healing.
Her book Tails of a Healer: Animals, Reiki and Shamanism features heartwarming stories about animals and their role in her evolution as an energy worker and shamanic healer.
This Post Has 7 Comments
In our community we were cancelled by storms, so our animals had to endure a scarey storm. Not to worry, I gave each a dose of rescue remedy and a reiki touching. My chihuahua snuggled down next to me in bed and was content. But my poor husky mix; Sheba couldn’t stop quivering each time a noise burst through the air.
So tonight will be the fireworks! I live in a rural community which means that people will do whatever they please without regard to others…who will stop them? The care stops at the next pleasurable adventure for the humans.
If anyone else finds their pets being disturbed, try some Rescue Remedy-Bach flower essence.
Hi Aly, thanks for your comments, I agree, both Rescue Remedy and Reiki work very well for such traumatic circumstances as fireworks or thunderstorms.
Another remedy that is helpful and that can be started at any time of year to clear old issues around such fears is the Vi Miere crystal essence mist “Panic Relief” which you can find on my website at: https://reikishamanic.com/vimieremists. It does not contain alcohol, and can be sprayed above the animal or person, gently dispersing stuck energy in the energy field.
I hope that you and your animals have a calm post 4th.
Best wishes,
Rose
I agree with you. I personally like fireworks and enjoy watching them. However, this year was a little bit different as my one year old was quite terrified by the noise from it all. I must be getting older and no longer want to hear things blowing up. Or perhaps it’s the fatherly instinct in me!
fireworks still illegal in New Jersey although the neighborhood is often noisy for the few days surrounding the fourth of July and new years. This year, I was so pleasantly surprised that the revelers all appeared to be out of town! Not a peep from the locals. We had company on the 4th and while our town does not have a show, neighboring towns do and with the cloud cover, we could hear it. My dog did really well, especially since one of our guests is a T-Touch Practitioner – and T-Touched my dog until the last of the finale was over. The good effects of the treatment carried over to the next day when my dog was able to hold it together through some minor rumblings of thunder.
[…] been five years since I first wrote It’s Their Country, Too on behalf of neighbor cat Gracie, but its message is timeless. Please take a moment during this […]
[…] been five years since I first wrote It’s Their Country, Too on behalf of neighbor cat Gracie, but its message is timeless. Please take a moment during this […]
I will be joining that pool of energy today, beginning very soon as I am 3 hours ‘ahead’ of Eastern time. Thank you for reminding me. I live in Southern California where many are very ‘fire’ sensitive, and that means (hopefully) noise sensitive as well.