Recently in Sacred Cows Category
November 15, 2011
A way to rewild yourself: (re)connect with the animals and with Nature
I briefly went to a meat farm today, to get some bones for my dog and for the dog of a friend :(
On my way out of the farm shop I noticed a trailer full of sheep. I had to go and see them. I started to stroke and talk to one of them, who seemed to benefit immediately from the attention. I was trying my best to reassure them and to apologise on behalf of the human race :( I received the clear question that they wanted to know where they were going and they were worried.
A guy was loading the 4x4 that was attached to the trailer so I asked me where they were going, he replied that they were going to another field to graze for winter. I asked him to confirm, to be sure: "So they are not going to the place where they'll never come back?". He smiled and said no.
I tried my best to tell them not to worry, I told them where they were going, and told them that everything will be fine and that it was all for the best that they were going away from the farm, in a field on their own (I find the atmosphere on that farm really heavy, and dark. You can just tell that all the animals there know that they are on the death row, and they all seem worried and anxious about it...:(
They seemed relieved. When I felt it was the right time, I said goodbye and went back to my car. I felt relieved too. The guy didn't make it sound like they were about to be slaughtered anytime soon...
That is something really simple, that absolutely anyone can do! I do not have any special magic powers, anyone can do it! I think that our world would be a better place, both for humans and animals if humans were communicating with animals, or at least to begin with - acknowledge the fact that animals do think and have feelings and emotions just like we do.
Years ago, when I was a photographer I did this work about the way farmed animals were treated (you can see it here). At the time my "thing" with photography was to take b&w portraits of famous musicians, surfers, skateboarders, etc, etc... and I wanted to take portraits of farmed animals the same way, looking at them in the eyes, to see their souls. It all started on a dairy farm, funnily enough. Just an average French dairy farm. I spent quite a bit of time there, it was Christmas, it was cold, and the cows had just been separated from their newly born calves. It was very, very sad. The calves were on their own, in a cold, dark concrete place, a few blocks away from their mums, drinking artificial milk out of a plastic bucket. The mums were just calling and calling in the night and their calves were calling back. They were both very distressed by the situation, it was very obvious. I did come back to that farm to take more pictures and ask questions to the farmer, about his job, the dairy industry and his feelings towards the whole thing. It was very clear that even though he himself had been brought up on that farm to be a farmer, he didn't feel good at all about many aspects of his job and he was burying it somewhere in his chest trying to conceal it. The next day when the truck came to pick up the then 3 days old calves to take them to a factory farm, he looked the other way. He knew they would be malnourished and be anemic so that their meat would look white and appetising to the average supermarket shopper. How did it get that bad? What went wrong in Human History that we ended up so disconnected with animals, with nature and with ourselves and our feelings? How can we heal that?
That time spent with the cows had a huge impact on me. I was taking in all the cows fears, stress, anguish, sadness and it did make me feel immensely sad. I couldn't stop apologising to them, on behalf of humans, I kept telling them that I wasn't responsible for this as I was vegan and didn't have dairy anyway. Following this I had a proper breakdown and rethink of my life, my goals, my relationships with friends and family and I went on a crusade to tell them all about what I had just experienced and how bad it was. They were listening, saying they understood, they nodded, but they didn't change their habits and that did make me feel angry and frustrated. From then on I became a very militant Animal Rights activist. Unfortunately my life started to revolve around what I did not want - what I hated - and I took on the impossible task to change the world around me without trying to change myself from the inside first. Focusing on all that negativity, always pointing out all the things we don't like in other people, and always seeing the problems with everything and everyone quickly becomes a pattern, a habit that's really hard to get rid of!
Graham Burnett, permaculture designer/ teacher and Animal Rights activist went through a similar phase and that's how he got into permaculture: he wanted to focus on the solutions, not on the problems. Focusing on problems only feeds those problems, but doesn't solve them. Focusing on how we can solve them and how we can have a positive impact is really important if we want to succeed. Doing things out of love and not from an angry, hate-filled place is crucial.
What do the animals want? How do they want us to help them? Do they all want to be helped? How do they feel towards humans? What would they say if they were asked?
That's what got me into Animal Communication. I find that both animals and humans could benefit from it. We do have a lot to learn from animals, if only we can slow down and listen to them.
I did spend some time with farmed animals in all sorts of dark, cold, concrete places, from a truck overloaded with pigs in a slaughterhouse, or an animal market... I didn't realise it at the time, but I was communicating with the animals, stroking them and trying to reassure them while I was there. I could feel their pain, the terror, the anguish... I wished I could have taken them all home with me in my red van at the time, but I couldn't. All I could do was take pictures to document what they were going through, and stroke them, talk to them and cry with them.
A few years later, I decided to stop being a photographer and then moved to London to be a Campaign Coordinator for PETA Europe as I wanted to be more efficient to help the animals. I was a trooper, a warrior, fighting animal abuse around Europe, doing demos, being arrested, etc, etc, etc..... etc...etc...
It took me to have a child and step out from that activist mindset, to take the time to think about all this and realise that I must do my best to help the animals - and working directly with them is actually a great way to do it!
Now my wish is that more and more people wake up from the dream they're living and realise that there is much more to life than flat sreen TVs, and that they could have real life experiences going out to meet with nature and with animals. Farmed animals deserve more consideration as what they are currently receiving is nothing. Go out there and meet them! Go and talk to them, stroke them, they will love it and you'll find that it's a very powerful healing and moving experience :)
Have a good night,
Noemie.
On my way out of the farm shop I noticed a trailer full of sheep. I had to go and see them. I started to stroke and talk to one of them, who seemed to benefit immediately from the attention. I was trying my best to reassure them and to apologise on behalf of the human race :( I received the clear question that they wanted to know where they were going and they were worried.
A guy was loading the 4x4 that was attached to the trailer so I asked me where they were going, he replied that they were going to another field to graze for winter. I asked him to confirm, to be sure: "So they are not going to the place where they'll never come back?". He smiled and said no.
I tried my best to tell them not to worry, I told them where they were going, and told them that everything will be fine and that it was all for the best that they were going away from the farm, in a field on their own (I find the atmosphere on that farm really heavy, and dark. You can just tell that all the animals there know that they are on the death row, and they all seem worried and anxious about it...:(
They seemed relieved. When I felt it was the right time, I said goodbye and went back to my car. I felt relieved too. The guy didn't make it sound like they were about to be slaughtered anytime soon...
That is something really simple, that absolutely anyone can do! I do not have any special magic powers, anyone can do it! I think that our world would be a better place, both for humans and animals if humans were communicating with animals, or at least to begin with - acknowledge the fact that animals do think and have feelings and emotions just like we do.
Years ago, when I was a photographer I did this work about the way farmed animals were treated (you can see it here). At the time my "thing" with photography was to take b&w portraits of famous musicians, surfers, skateboarders, etc, etc... and I wanted to take portraits of farmed animals the same way, looking at them in the eyes, to see their souls. It all started on a dairy farm, funnily enough. Just an average French dairy farm. I spent quite a bit of time there, it was Christmas, it was cold, and the cows had just been separated from their newly born calves. It was very, very sad. The calves were on their own, in a cold, dark concrete place, a few blocks away from their mums, drinking artificial milk out of a plastic bucket. The mums were just calling and calling in the night and their calves were calling back. They were both very distressed by the situation, it was very obvious. I did come back to that farm to take more pictures and ask questions to the farmer, about his job, the dairy industry and his feelings towards the whole thing. It was very clear that even though he himself had been brought up on that farm to be a farmer, he didn't feel good at all about many aspects of his job and he was burying it somewhere in his chest trying to conceal it. The next day when the truck came to pick up the then 3 days old calves to take them to a factory farm, he looked the other way. He knew they would be malnourished and be anemic so that their meat would look white and appetising to the average supermarket shopper. How did it get that bad? What went wrong in Human History that we ended up so disconnected with animals, with nature and with ourselves and our feelings? How can we heal that?
That time spent with the cows had a huge impact on me. I was taking in all the cows fears, stress, anguish, sadness and it did make me feel immensely sad. I couldn't stop apologising to them, on behalf of humans, I kept telling them that I wasn't responsible for this as I was vegan and didn't have dairy anyway. Following this I had a proper breakdown and rethink of my life, my goals, my relationships with friends and family and I went on a crusade to tell them all about what I had just experienced and how bad it was. They were listening, saying they understood, they nodded, but they didn't change their habits and that did make me feel angry and frustrated. From then on I became a very militant Animal Rights activist. Unfortunately my life started to revolve around what I did not want - what I hated - and I took on the impossible task to change the world around me without trying to change myself from the inside first. Focusing on all that negativity, always pointing out all the things we don't like in other people, and always seeing the problems with everything and everyone quickly becomes a pattern, a habit that's really hard to get rid of!
Graham Burnett, permaculture designer/ teacher and Animal Rights activist went through a similar phase and that's how he got into permaculture: he wanted to focus on the solutions, not on the problems. Focusing on problems only feeds those problems, but doesn't solve them. Focusing on how we can solve them and how we can have a positive impact is really important if we want to succeed. Doing things out of love and not from an angry, hate-filled place is crucial.
What do the animals want? How do they want us to help them? Do they all want to be helped? How do they feel towards humans? What would they say if they were asked?
That's what got me into Animal Communication. I find that both animals and humans could benefit from it. We do have a lot to learn from animals, if only we can slow down and listen to them.
I did spend some time with farmed animals in all sorts of dark, cold, concrete places, from a truck overloaded with pigs in a slaughterhouse, or an animal market... I didn't realise it at the time, but I was communicating with the animals, stroking them and trying to reassure them while I was there. I could feel their pain, the terror, the anguish... I wished I could have taken them all home with me in my red van at the time, but I couldn't. All I could do was take pictures to document what they were going through, and stroke them, talk to them and cry with them.
A few years later, I decided to stop being a photographer and then moved to London to be a Campaign Coordinator for PETA Europe as I wanted to be more efficient to help the animals. I was a trooper, a warrior, fighting animal abuse around Europe, doing demos, being arrested, etc, etc, etc..... etc...etc...
It took me to have a child and step out from that activist mindset, to take the time to think about all this and realise that I must do my best to help the animals - and working directly with them is actually a great way to do it!
Now my wish is that more and more people wake up from the dream they're living and realise that there is much more to life than flat sreen TVs, and that they could have real life experiences going out to meet with nature and with animals. Farmed animals deserve more consideration as what they are currently receiving is nothing. Go out there and meet them! Go and talk to them, stroke them, they will love it and you'll find that it's a very powerful healing and moving experience :)
Have a good night,
Noemie.
