I apologize for being a few days late with the monthly Challenge Game email.  The truth is, I’ve spent the past couple days wondering what I’m going to do with them.  The first few had some responses, but it seems that most people aren’t interested in playing along … or at least not interested in posting their responses.  Therefore, for at least the time being, I’ll be discontinuing them.

I would still like to do something interactive on the site on a regular basis, and feature it in a mid-month mailing to my e-news list.  Therefore, this email is inviting you to respond to a “poll” of sorts (though not the poll feature this is on the left sidebar of Gazehound.com regularly … you can respond to that one, too!).  Please visit this post on the website, and let me know what YOU would like to see as a mid-month newsletter feature.

• Would you like to continue the challenge games?  If so, share your thoughts on how you’d like to see them proceed, and how they would be more interesting, fun, or interactive.
• Would you like a monthly Question and Answer feature?  If so, feel free to post any questions here that you’d like to see featured in next month’s issue.
• Do you have any other ideas regarding how we can make the website more interactive, more informative, and more fun for visitors?

I value your thoughts, and look forward to hearing them!

–Gayle

================================
Gayle Nastasi (of Gazehound’s Animal Communication) is a professional animal communication consultant and writer, who hopes her connection to the animal world can serve as a way to help her fellow humans enrich their relationships with their animal companions. By better knowing our non-human friends, we ensure a kinder future for our world and we learn what it means to be a unique and essential part of all that is. Permission is given to forward this article to anyone you feel might enjoy it, as long as it is understood that copyrights are held by Gayle Nastasi, and the author’s name, and links to her website(s) are left intact. If this publication has been forwarded to you and you would like to subscribe to Gazehound’s free monthly e-newsletter, “Creature Thoughts”, just visit the newsletter link below.

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Related posts:

1. New Feature: Challenge Games
2. Challenge Game #4: Picture This
3. Challenge Game #2 — Who Am I?

Sweet Pascha, who still runs through my dreams....

One question which has probably been asked for as long as humans and animals have enjoyed partnerships is, “Do animals dream?”

We who live closely with our animal friends can answer without doubt, “Yes, of course they dream”.  We’ve all watched the twitching paws, the shifting eyes, heard the whimpers, as our dogs and cats chased, and were chased, through the dreamtime as they slept.  How often have you sat and watched your dog, or kitty, as they slept and wondered what all that paddling and whimpering was about?  I know I’ve heard myself ask the question, many times, “What is he dreaming?”

Well, here’s a chance to get a glimpse into that wonderful dreamworld!

The next time your pet is asleep, and you have a quiet moment to spare, reach for him.  Just get very quiet, use your favorite focal point to bring a sense of peace around you, and open up your thoughts to his.  Jot down the first impression you receive.

It could come through as an image, a sound, a smell, an emotion…. Pretty much any kind of telepathic or empathic puzzle piece can be perceived.  Don’t judge it, don’t question it, just jot it down.

What did you receive?  Did it surprise you?  Was it enough to figure out the gist of the dream? Was it the classic idea of chasing squirrels or mice, or was it something completely different?  At this time of year, perhaps it was even visions of sugarplums!

Then, return to this post and let us know, in the comment section, what you picked up from your pet’s slumbering thoughts.

I look forward to hearing your experiences!

These games are quick, fun and easy to play. For all of them, you’ll need a notepad and something to write with, so you can jot down your results and bring them back to the original post to leave as a comment. I will be playing along, but won’t post my own results till others have had a chance to check in first.

Although all the games are created to be quick to play, and posting once is fine, it’s also fine if you enjoy them enough to play multiple times. Feel free to return and post second, third, or more comments.

Remember that you must visit this web page to play:
http://www.gazehound.com/challenge-game…a-little-dream/

And A Reminder!

Holiday Special on Gift Certificates!

When: November 1st through December 31st
How much: Sets of 2 gift certificates for $60. Click to buy through Paypal
Sets of 3 gift certificates for $85. Click to buy through Paypal
Or order by check to: Gayle Nastasi, 485 Gridley Rd, Middleburgh, NY 12122

See also: the Rates and Services page, where the special will run throughout the season.

Don’t forget, also, that gift certificates do have an expiration date. If you’ve given them as gifts, or have them tucked safely away at home, check those dates and be sure to redeem them before they expire. I’ll continue to post this reminder in each issue of “Creature Thoughts”.

New Newsletter Format Coming Soon

As of January, 2010, the Creature Thoughts newsletter will be mailed out by a new server, rather than YahooGroups. Current subscribers should not have to do anything to implement the change.

Related posts:

1. Challenge Game #2 — Who Am I?
2. Challenge Game #1: Trust What You Get
3. Challenge Game #4: Picture This

These games are quick, fun and easy to play.  For all of them, you’ll need a notepad and something to write with, so you can jot down your results and bring them back to the original post to leave as a comment.  I will be playing along, but won’t post my own results till others have had a chance to check in first.

Although all the games are created to be quick to play, and posting once is fine, it’s also fine if you enjoy them enough to play multiple times.  Feel free to return and post second, third, or more comments.

Remember that you must visit this web page to play:
http://www.gazehound.com/challenge-game-4-picture-this/

Picture This

Did you all enjoy Here Kitty Kitty?  I hope you had fun with that one.  Thanks to everyone who took the time to return to the website and share your experiences!

This month, you’re all going to be artists!

If you’ve been reading my blog/newsletters for a while, you’ll already know that one way animals communicate is through visual images.  Today, you’re going to test your ability to receive a picture your best animal friend sends to you.

Don’t worry, it’s fun, no one expects you to be a Rembrandt, and you may be pleasantly surprised by the outcome of the game.

To play this game, you’ll need:

• A piece of paper
• Something to draw with that allows you to draw in multiple colors (try to at least have the primary colors, black, white, brown and gray on hand if possible).
• Your best animal friend

What I’d like you to do, is to go to a room that is not where your animal is located.  If he’s snoozing in the bedroom, go to the kitchen or living room, etc.  If he’s outside, step into the house.  Settle down anywhere you can get peaceful  and connect with him, but not see his surroundings.

Sit quietly with your paper and colored pencils, markers, or box of crayons.  Reach out, using your favorite focal point if you wish help with connecting, and simply ask your pet to show you an image of something in the room, or in the yard, or in the paddock or stall…. You get the picture.

(Ha ha, maybe not yet, but you will!)

Once you’ve done that, without really thinking about what you are drawing … just start drawing.

Are you seeing a shape?  Draw it.  A combination of colors?  Scribble them down quickly.  Don’t worry about details, you’re just looking for basics here.  You don’t have to be able to recreate an object in detail.  Just sketch out the general form and hue of what you receive.  Yes, stick figures count!

Try not to think too hard about it; try not to “remember” what might be in the room.  Just connect and draw.

Once you think you’ve got your picture finished, return to your animal’s side and look around.

What was he or she sending you a picture of?  Can you match your drawing, in any way, to an item in his surroundings?  Come on back here and let us know!

This little game is technically referred to as “remote viewing” among psychic researchers … or at least it is a variation of that theme.  Normally, a remote viewer would simply be seeing things, on their own, in a distant location.  In this case, you’re doing that with the help of your animal.  Instead of just pulling the image to you, you’re asking your animal friend to help by sending it to you.

Keep in mind that what you’re receiving, you are seeing through the animal’s perspective.  Don’t expect the object to look just like what you find in the room.  Leave your mind open to variations, to interpretations, to only receiving a very general connection to what is actually there.  In addition to surprising yourself that you actually received the picture, you may also get some insight into the special way your animal friend looks at the world around him!

Expect to be entertained, as well.  Sometimes what we receive, and what is actually sitting in the target location, can be related in ways that are quite comical.  Just an example to help you understand what I mean:  Years ago, I was taking a class on astral projection, and we played a game somewhat similar to this, except that we were instructed to travel to another room and look at a target item the instructor had placed there.  The picture I came back with was a tall, skinny bird, like a heron or egret, with shaggy head feathers, standing with his feet in the water.  The instructor laughed, though I didn’t know why at the time.  When we got to the room in question, and looked at the object, I discovered a mop bucket full of water, with the handle end of the bucket in the water, and the shaggy mop head at the top.

Not exactly a tall skinny bird … but I “kinda sorta” got the picture.

How about you?  Think YOU can get the picture?

I look forward to reading about your experiences!

Have fun!

Do you have any specific suggestions for future games?
Anything special you think you’d like to play?
Feel free to make a suggestion!

And A Reminder!

Holiday Special on Gift Certificates!

When: November 1st through December 31st
How much: Sets of 2 gift certificates for $60.  Click to buy through Paypal
Sets of 3 gift certificates for $85.  Click to buy through Paypal
Or order by check to: Gayle Nastasi, 485 Gridley Rd, Middleburgh, NY  12122

See also: the Rates and Services page, where the special will run throughout the season.

Don’t forget, also, that gift certificates do have an expiration date. If you’ve given them as gifts, or have them tucked safely away at home, check those dates and be sure to redeem them before they expire. I’ll continue to post this reminder in each issue of “Creature Thoughts”.

New Newsletter Format Coming Soon

As of January, 2010, the Creature Thoughts newsletter will be mailed out by a new server, rather than YahooGroups.  Current subscribers should not have to do anything to implement the change.

Related posts:

1. Challenge Game #2 — Who Am I?
2. Challenge Game #1: Trust What You Get
3. New Challenge Game Coming, and Psychic Fair

Although all the games are created to be quick to play, and posting once is fine, it’s also fine if you enjoy them enough to play multiple times. Feel free to return and post second, third, or more comments.

Challenge Game #3: “Here, Kitty Kitty!”

Who said that?!

Our last challenge game, “Who Am I”, was harder than I thought it would be, so I decided that this month’s game would be quick, simple, and lots of fun. It might even surprise you.

This game is done while driving or riding in a car, so I’m asking you NOT to take notes. That would be just plain silly. Instead, keep mental track, and you can jot your count and results down after you’re no longer behind the wheel.

All you have to do this game is to spot a cat — in a yard, on a front porch, looking out someone’s window, hunting in a field — just a cat, any cat at all. Then say out-loud, as if calling, but don’t shout … you don’t want the cat to actually hear you with its physical ears:

“Kitty!”

Make note of how many cats turn and look toward you, or appear to be looking for the source of the call.

My daughter and I used to drive an hour each way, every day, while she was going to college, and we’d play this game to pass the time. I’d guess-timate that eight out of ten cats would “hear” us and turn to see who was calling, even though there was no possible way our voices reached them. Cats are pretty cool, aren’t they?

Then, come on back here and let us know how many kitties turned to look for you. Play as often as you like! I look forward to seeing your results.

[PS: Of Course, play safely. If you're in heavy traffic, driving around a curve, or in any other situation where momentarily watching a cat will make you even remotely unsafe, wait till you're in a more secure situation before playing. Oh, and if you're taking public transportation, you might want to try this with a mental call instead of verbal. Unless, that is, you don't care if your fellow riders think you're a little "out there".]

Related posts:

1. Challenge Game #2 — Who Am I?
2. Challenge Game #1: Trust What You Get
3. New Challenge Game On 9/15

Although all the games are created to be quick to play, and posting once is fine, it’s also fine if you enjoy them enough to play multiple times. Feel free to return and post second, third, or more comments.

Challenge Game #2: “Who Am I?”

Variations of this game have been played in animal communication workshops and psychic development circles. I first played a version of it in a workshop, many years ago, put on by Dawn Allen (who was not even Dawn Allen yet) in upstate New York. Since then, I’ve seen similar exercises recommended in a number of different places.

Play along, have fun, and return to let us all know what you experienced!

I would like everyone to take a few minutes out of their day to get quiet and focused. Be indoors, be outdoors, be sitting, lying down … in whatever place and position you feel safe and comfortable. Breathe slowly and naturally, relax your body, and wait until you feel quiet and open to receive.

Once you are fully relaxed … reach out and ask an animal to “let you in”. What I want is for you to simply connect to an animal and experience the world through its senses. Here are the rules of the game:

• Do not reach for an individual animal, especially one you already know. Just reach out and be open to whoever responds.
• Do not reach for a particular species of animal. The key to the game is not to know who you are connecting with.
• Be respectful. Let the life forms around you know you wish to learn, to be taught by them. Explain that you wish to broaden your horizons and experience life from the viewpoint of another species for a moment. Do not ask the animal who or what it is.
• Then, once you feel you’ve made the connection, allow the impressions to come in. Open your senses. What do you see, feel, smell? What physical sensations do you experience? Do you feel emotions? Desires? How does the world look and feel to you from inside that animal’s skin?
• After you have absorbed that animal’s point of view for a few moments, jot down your guess as to what species of animal you experienced.
• Then, ask that animal to show you an image of itself to confirm.
• Once done, return here, tell us what animal offered to be your host, and what you experienced!

I look forward to hearing about your adventures in a new realm!

Related posts:

1. Challenge Game #4: Picture This
2. Challenge Game #1: Trust What You Get
3. New Challenge Game On 9/15

Our last challenge game, The Bug Game, was such fun!  A new game will be posted on the 15th of September.  What will it be?  What are we playing?

I’m not tellin’!

Stop by Gazehound.com on the 15th and play along!

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Related posts:

1. Challenge Game #2 — Who Am I?
2. New Challenge Game Coming, and Psychic Fair
3. Challenge Game #1: Trust What You Get

Although all the games are created to be quick to play, and posting once is fine, it’s also fine if you enjoy them enough to play multiple times.  Feel free to return and post second, third, or more comments.

So let’s cut the preliminary stuff and get on to Challenge Game #1: Trusting What You Get

I’m going to be mean, and start you out right off the bat with something that is often a challenge for even seasoned animal communicators!

Connect To A Bug!

It doesn’t matter what kind of bug, or where you locate it.  It can be a fly on the wall, a Japanese beetle eating your roses, a butterfly fluttering across the meadow, a spider spinning a web, an ant crawling across your counter…. You get the idea.  Any crawlie at all will do.  Insects, spiders and their cousins are often a real challenge to speak to, as they have such an alien point of view on the world (compared to us vastly outnumbered humans).  However, I’m not asking that you actually gather coherent information, or hold lengthy philosophical conversations.  All I want you to do is locate the bug, focus on it for a few minutes, send it your good intentions, and then open your mind to receive.

What will you receive?  Anything at all.  It could be thought, an image, an emotion, a bit of sensory input such as a smell or taste, a physical sensation … anything will do.  It doesn’t have to be lengthy, we’re looking for first impressions, primarily.  Whatever you receive, write it down.  Write down how it made you feel.  Did it surprise you?  Did it feel strange or foreign?  Was it wise, gutteral, lowly, instinctive?  Did it appear to come from a single mind or multiple?  Or … did it feel like it might just be your imagination? Even the latter is perfectly fine, and perfectly legitimate.

The point of the game is not to glean vast realms of insectoid wisdom.  It is simply to Trust What You Get.

A key starting point for any intuitive skill is to trust what comes in through whatever connection you are making.  Whether it’s communication with an animal, responding empathically to a friend in need, or having a feeling you should avoid a certain road on the way to work, trusting what comes is important.

So, whatever you receive when you reach out for your new little pal, accept it, honor it, and express gratitude.

And don’t forget to come back and tell us about your experience!  I can’t wait to read your comments!

While you’re sharing your experiences, also consider the following question and see if you can answer it:  Why did I choose “bugs” as the first Challenge Game?

Do you have any specific suggestions for future games?
Anything special you think you’d like to play?
Feel free to make a suggestion!

Related posts:

1. Challenge Game #2 — Who Am I?
2. Challenge Game #3: Here, Kitty Kitty!
3. New Feature: Challenge Games

These are mini-games, or exercises, that visitors can play along with if they would like to hone their skills.  These exercises are good for enhancing animal communication abilities, psychic skills, telepathy, empathy, and much more.  The tone and topic will vary, but all will lead you toward greater intuitive abilities.

I’ll be starting by posting one game per month, around the mid-month mini-update period, but if the games become popular, and readers request, I might post them more often.

Each challenge will be posted, and readers may play them at their leisure.  I encourage everyone to return to the original post and, in the comments area, let others know the results.  This way, we can all read about one another’s experiences in a way that will broaden our own horizons, and perhaps open up possibilities that we hadn’t considered.

Do you have any thoughts about future challenges?  Anything special you’d like to see included?  Let me know in a comment to this post!

If you want to be sure never to miss a new challenge post, I encourage you to either subscribe to my free email newsletter (see the left sidebar of the site), or to my RSS feed (at the top of the website).  That way you’ll always stay up to date!

To find an archive of all of the games, as they compile, just click the Creature Thoughts topic in the purple blog-bar.  You’ll find them listed under Challenge Games.

Let The Games Begin!

Related posts:

1. Challenge Games: Discontinued?
2. Challenge Game #1: Trust What You Get
3. Challenge Game #2 — Who Am I?