By Michelene (Mikie) Lee, Montana

On a warm, sunny afternoon, accompanied by our little Australian shepherd dog, Sadie, I was cleaning the chicken pen, feeding the chickens, and handing out daily afternoon treats. Unexpectedly I heard a goose flying low over the top of my head. It landed in front of our house on a nearby field.

In greeting, the dog chased after the goose without being aggressive. As if they had known each other forever, the goose started to follow Sadie back toward me. The dog would stop and turn around to look at the goose as if to say, “Well, come on.” Each time, the goose also stopped. It took five minutes for them to get to me.

I said, “Welcome, goose.” This is what I do with every Soul that comes to our little farm. Everybody gets a good welcome. “Stay as long as you want. Are you tired? Would you like to rest?”

The wild Canada goose waddled closer to me. This was unusual for an animal in nature that was not someone’s tame pet. I resumed tending to the chickens and also inwardly greeted the goose. “Are you hungry? I have extra food.”

I filled a cup with cracked corn and chicken feed and spread it on the grass. Although geese like to forage for seeds, this goose hesitated at first because I moved too fast. As I would talk to anyone, I spoke gently. “You’re OK. I’m not going to harm you. You’re welcome here.”

The goose watched me while I squatted down to tend to flowers I’d planted in front of the chicken coop and pick weeds out of the flower bed. Sadie wandered off. The chickens were curious and came over to meet the goose. When it saw them, the goose looked reassured.

I repeated, “You’re welcome to rest as long as you want.” The goose looked up, and I received an inner message: “Thank you. I’m OK, and thanks for the food.”

I sensed an inner graciousness as the goose felt kindness coming through me from the Mahanta, my spiritual guide in Eckankar. When I’m able to communicate with an animal on the inner and the outer simultaneously, it’s a gift from the Holy Spirit. I learn a new and deeper layer of spiritual connection and love each time. It’s really incredible. And fun!

Geese are very timid. So after I sprinkled food on the ground, I picked tufts of grass and held them out to the bird. “Would you like some?” I asked. I thought, Maybe you’re too tired to pull up the grass.The goose came over and ate out of my hand.

While I finished plucking weeds I communicated inwardly and out loud, “You’re welcome to stay as long as you wish, but please don’t go into my flower bed.” Geese like to eat flowers and greens. My flowers would have been a handy meal. Speaking kindly I added, “I’ll feed you all the grain you want. You’re welcome to the grass, but please stay out of my flowers.”

Our Agreements

Nighttime approached. I finished my daily chores in the house and then checked on the goose. It still walked outside the chicken pen, picking up seeds and other food I’d put there. I said, “If you want to spend the night, a fox and coyote live around here. The safest place for you, if you can’t fly and want to rest, will be inside with the chickens.” I opened the door, and the goose walked into the chicken pen.

The next morning I let the goose out of the chicken pen. “You’re free to go whenever you want,” I said.

For the next three days, the goose’s routine was to go to bed at night, wait till I opened the pen in the morning, and follow our chickens into the fenced-in yard. During the day, I frequently checked on the chickens and all our critters. On the fourth day, when I checked on the goose, it had flown away.

For the entire visit, the goose had walked around and beside my flower bed but never set foot in it.

Spiritual Insights about Soul-to-Soul Communication

I had felt graciousness and gratitude from the goose. Our inner connection and communication was a moment of grace that happened in a split second. Anytime people connect Soul to Soul, there’s an understanding between them almost immediately. Because animals are Soul too, they can feel God’s love when I open myself as a channel for it.

Animals know I’m somebody who can hear and understand them. I have done this kind of inner communication all my life. About twenty-five years ago, my grandmother and I were walking with a small dog through a high, dry desert by a river. We came upon a rattlesnake coiled up and ready to strike. I said, “May the blessings be” and slowly backed everybody away. On the inner I told the snake, “You go your way, and we will go ours. We’re not here to bother you.”

To me, it’s a blessing and a gift to communicate on the inner with horses, dogs, or any little critter. We have bees on our farm and can go to them without wearing protective clothing. We say, “I’m only here to feed and help you. Then I’ll be out of your space.” And they don’t bother us.

The only way I can have inner communication on a spiritual level with animals is with the love of Sugmad (God), the Mahanta, and the ECK, Holy Spirit. I have much gratitude for this communication and would never want it to go away because I took it for granted. A person has to take the ego out of animal communication, because animals don’t respond to ego. They only respond to love and inner spiritual connection.

It’s wonderful to experience the Mahanta teaching that we’re all sparks of God.

—Photos by Norman Lee and Justine Pearson