Amazing connections with the animals around us are possible when we stay open and permit them to occur.

Blog guest author Veronica Noechel has also served as a Coincidence Cafe Co-host, for the session dedicated to “Animal Communication, Connection & Synchronicity” (VIEW REPLAY).

It was Christmas Eve and the three of us sat together on my best friend’s couch: my human friend—Darcy, her cat—Eliot, and myself. I was honored to be invited to join my friend in the last Quaker meeting of Advent from her living room.

It was a beautiful international gathering via Zoom that we enjoyed by candlelight. Eliot, a gregarious white-coated fellow, was perched on the back of the couch, watching the screen, then us, the candles, then the screen again as members shared their holiday hopes and well-wishes.

I couldn’t help but notice Eliot’s demeanor. He wasn’t hunting images on the screen, or bobbing his head in curiosity. He was a vital part of our circle, alert yet calm, purring quietly beside me.

We were asked to join hands in silent meditation, and I was startled when Eliot slipped his paw into my palm as if on cue. I was awed. I was honored. I was taken aback. There, we continued to sit, paw-in-hand for the duration of the event. An event that lasted a good 30-45 minutes.

How could I help but feel a part of something larger? The Christmas meeting was already an event that transcended our group’s vast differences in global location and circumstances. And still, right here, in my friend’s living room, we also transcended the lines of species.

Why not offer our animal companions a seat at the table when it comes to our spiritual practices? It might feel awkward or even silly at first. I mean, we don’t see animals donning ceremonial robes or carrying prayer beads, but that doesn’t preclude their ability to engage in spiritual practice. There are a multitude of ways they can be invited to join us.

As a Zen Buddhist, I like to practice something I call “petting meditation” where I invite one of my animal friends to sit with me while I pet them with slow intention, bringing my awareness to their minute responses and the cadence of their breathing.  Others may want to try petting while repeating a prayer of gentle compassion. Instead of shooing our animals away from home altars, allow them to (safely) explore and observe what piques their curiosity. Are they drawn in by the sound of our singing or chanting? The smell of the incense or offerings? Seeing these things from their point of view can give us a new perspective on our practice we may have otherwise ignored.

Be creative and open to wherever your animal leads you. It might sound a bit odd, but years ago when my pair of terriers, Revco and Usagi, were still alive, they had a habit of running excited circles around and around our coffee table. Observing this, I placed a stupa (a representation of the enlightened mind which monks and lay Buddhists will walk in circles around to create a spiral of positive energy and intention) at the center of the table, so their happy circumambulations might send good karma out into the world. After all, who is closer to their Buddha nature than a joyful dog?

When we stay open to these moments of spiritual connectedness with the non-humans around us, we open up to the possibility of these unique and beautiful “coincidences” within our practice. Try giving the animals in your life an open invitation and see how they respond.