Do Animals Have Souls - A Question for Amber Donkey

A reader submitted question for Amber Donkey.

Q: Hello Dear Amber - I have been puzzling over something for quite some time now.
Do animals have souls and do you have a concept of a creator? Thank you for
your words of wisdom.

Amber: My dear friend, what a fantastic question you have asked. I hope you are ready for my answer because I could just answer this in one word – YES. However, I could also answer it with this question – WHY DO YOU NEED TO ASK?
So lets take a walk together now into this vast question.

You see, there isn’t an animal or tree or plant that would ever even think this question, let alone pose it. This is a human constriction showing itself to you. Humans have ordained that they are the experts on souls and who has them and what happens to them. Some humans have even made themselves the regulators of souls. And they tell other humans where souls will go and which souls are eligible to move forward, which are destined to live in limbo, and those poor unfortunate souls who fall from grace forever into darkness.

Let me be brave enough to venture into these deep waters and tell you that humans know precious little about souls. Because any of you who could look into the eyes of anyone else, animal or human, and not feel a soul, is living a lie. The problem becomes what your definition of a soul is I guess. So let me tell you my definition for this conversation. A soul is the core essence of any being. It is the ultimate source of our energy. There is not any being, including the grandest of humans, whose soul could even completely fit in one form/body/experience. Your heart is the direct connection to your soul. The same is true for my heart and my soul. There is no hierarchy of souls. I know that is inconceivable, but all souls are created equal. Yet, what each soul chooses to do or focus on, then becomes that soul’s quest to experience its mission to the fullest. Some souls are older, some younger. Some have more experience than others. Some are quieter. Some are louder. But none of them are greater than any other and all of them know that. All of them understand that they are all a part of the creator - of All That Is and All That Ever Will Be. All of them are a work in progress. And all of them understand the universal language of love. For it is love that is the language of the soul. This is not just a lovely statement, it is the ultimate universal truth.

Now a soul can inhabit many forms at one time. A soul could be expressing itself as an entire school of fish for example. It could be a human while at the same time a piece of its energy is also being a dog. The energy of the soul is vast and you and I are just a piece of its expression. But each and every piece is loved and experienced equally by the soul. The soul’s key mission is to define itself. In other words, that is also your mission and mine and every other life form. You are here to learn as much as you can and to move forward on your soul’s journey. You are your soul, but you are much bigger than you can comprehend. The human experience though is interesting for all of us to participate in. To be an animal who is either thought of to be inferior or worse, to have no soul at all, affords me an opportunity to more clearly define for myself who I am. There are millions of animals on this planet right now who experience great suffering at the hands of humans who are ignorant of the fact that we do have souls. But I assure you that it is those humans who are also suffering in the darkness as to who they really are and to the beauty and light that they carry deeply hidden within them. It is their journey and their struggle to wake up and walk into the light.

It is actually all of our journeys. Each of us enlightens our own souls and that of one another. Each interaction we have with one another affects not just ourselves but everyone. What you do to one, you do to all. None of us lives in a vacuum. We live in an environment of constantly flowing energy. Literally every moment of which is an opportunity to grow.

Do animals have souls? I could also answer that with another question. Do humans have hearts? Because humans are more closed off from their hearts than any other life form on the planet. They have great intellect and mental capabilities that separates them from all other life forms. And that is indeed exactly what it does – it keeps them separate from all else. Connect to your hearts, look in our eyes, and ask yourself if we have souls. The answer will fill your heart with a profound truth. It will be a truth about me, all other animals, but mostly – it will be a truth about yourself. If you look at all life around you, you will understand that there is nothing that does not have a connection to higher source. And you will find that the connection to that higher source is right within your heart.

From my soul to yours, I thank you for asking the question that many of our readers have wondered but not asked, and many have found but not shared, and many who have hidden to not ask the question at all. To all of you then I ask, what are you afraid of to know that all animals have souls; all animals have emotions; all animals have thoughts? Why does this thought challenge you so much? That is the question you need to be asking next – not of me, but of yourselves.

Ask Amber Donkey - June 2010

The following questions have been submitted by readers for Amber Donkey to answer.

1. Where I live there is nature all around me. I have acres of land to offer the wild animals and domesticated animals. They can come and go as they please. For the past few years in the spring/summer I feed the humming birds and in the winter/spring I feed the birds/deer/turkeys. This means other wild animals are coming to our land. Example coyotes, black bears, snakes, many kinds of birds/woodpeckers and mice/squirrels to name a few. My husband tells me I am playing with mother nature. The saying at our house is no one eats anyone else. We never touch any of the wild animals. I am strictly feeding them through the tough time of the season. I have asked the animals myself and they say they come since they know they are safe on our land . Am I playing with mother nature since I am calling these animals to a place they might not normally travel for food and safety? I do not want to harm or hinder the circle of life.

Amber: It seems to me that there is no problem with this as long as you understand that an open door is an open door. And as long as you understand that the circle of Life is just that – a circle. So a feeding station brings predator and prey. Those looking for food from your feeding station, and those looking for food – meaning who are at your feeding station. That is no different than any other feeding station in nature. A pond offers a place for bugs to hatch. Fish eat the bugs, birds eat the fish, something eats the bird, and on up the chain it goes. If you put seed out for example, the mice will come eat the seed, and you can be sure that something will come to eat the mice. The question then really is, can you accept that circle of life, or will you try to control who eats who? The animals understand this chain of life. So they do not look at your feeding station as a safe place nor do they see it as a dangerous place. They simply see it for what it is, a feeding station. Just like a field of grass is a feeding station or a crop of corn, or a pond. They do not look to you to change the course of nature, just because you put food out for them.


2. Any tips on how to handle all the new energy coming onto the planet at this time? How are you animals doing it? What can we humans do to integrate it more easily?

Amber: There certainly is a lot of energy swirling around right now isn’t there? It’s a time of great shifting and as anything changes, if there is going to be chaos, and there always is, then it is strongest closest to the shift. Uneasiness and anxiety seem to peak just as the forces reach their strongest to move and shift any energy. But energy that has been stuck for a long time, requires even a bigger force to shift it, and that is exactly what is happening now. Resistance adds strength to chaos while acceptance brings peace. Finding that balance is what this journey is all about. We animals are doing all we can to add to the peace side of the equation. Many humans are feeling overwhelmed with the chaos/resistance aspect. How we try to help is to just keep everyone in tune with their hearts. Its really quite simple. The heart is the path of least resistance. The mind is the path to most anxiety. We just try to stay connected and hold everyone around us to the earth as much as we can. We all have different ways of doing that of course.
3. How do you work with the trees, flowers and other plants?

Amber: First and foremost, I am alive because of them! But I do know you meant something deeper than that. But because I live off of their nourishment to survive, I have a deep and profound respect for plants, flowers, and trees and all they offer. Many of these fine species hold energy of this earth that is ancient. Their ancient wisdom is there like a vast library of knowledge and understanding for all of us to be nourished from. Plants and trees and rocks are the place keepers of the Earth. What does that mean? Well, it means, that they hold the history and the understanding of the original concept of life and all of the changes, shifts, deepening in understanding, and everything that the Earth herself has seen, felt, and known. All of that are held deep within roots and seed pods and beads of nectar. And all of it reaches out to all of life so that all of us remember who we are and the Earth who sustains us. When I admire them then, when I savor their smells, or when I taste of their fruit, I am mindful of the eons of love and guidance that the Earth put into each blade of grass, and each petal of every flower, and every cell in every tree and rock, so that I too may live among them. And you?


4. I have 4 rescue dogs. One came from a horrific Missouri puppy mill and was the most traumatized animal I have ever seen. In the 3 years I've had him, he has come from flinching every time I touched him to occasionally seeking me out. He even loves treats now and wags his tail. Would you suggest anything that I might be able to do to let him know that he is safe with me and that he won't be hurt any more?


Amber: I happen to live with several rescue dogs myself and consider myself to be a friend to dogs. I like dogs. I understand them, and I have learned a lot about them. Dogs live very closely with people and work very much at the heart level with them. But that is not to say that they also don’t have their own choices and decisions and difficulties just like everyone else. At Spring Farm, we see many animals who first come here as scared, shaken, and traumatized. But the first thing you need to know is that they do understand that they are safe once out of that situation. But just like with you or me, they still need to process their memories and their fears and their worries. You cannot just hug them and tell them its ok now. They have to learn this, remember this truth, and then trust it. That is a process that all beings go through. It is how we learn and move forward on our spiritual paths. Love them, hug them, and most importantly, let them grow. Your dog went through a very difficult time, but it does not define him as to who he is. It is simply where he’s been.

The Animals' Turn to Ask Amber Donkey

Amber Donkey: I have noticed that, when we opened up the blog for questions, people always ask about animal behavior. Mostly they wanted to know how or why animals could be forgiving. I think we should do this differently. Let’s try asking some of our animal residents if they want to ask questions about human behavior. I will pick a few of my friends on the farm here and ask if they would like to pose a question or two.

Onyx (female pygmy goat): I have wondered why people seem so confused about things. They don’t seem to be able to be clear with what they are feeling and sometimes just don’t make any sense at all. They don’t seem to listen well to each other I think. Is there anything we can do?

Amber: My little friend, you are very astute. Its really not that they cannot hear, because they for sure can. But they fail to really listen to each other. They seem to get lost in their seeming intelligence. They have great intellect but very little experience at expressing their true emotions. They think it amazing that we can be forgiving, because they fail to forgive one another. They find it hard to believe that we can live without judgment, because they can’t find that peace for themselves.

Jeremy (Arabian horse gelding): Yes, Amber, and they seem so burdened with anger and misgivings at times. They always seem to be looking for who is out to get them or to get someone else first. And when they get angry, why do they stay angry for so long? I have never understood that.

Amber: Humans are complex creatures. They have only been on the planet for a short time, yet have had such a major impact. But don’t think that is all negative now. There are very many positive things that humans have brought with them. The problem is that they try to conquer everything around them instead of participating with all around them. They started to see themselves as separate and unequal. They don’t really know how to deal with that, even now, after all these millennia. We donkeys have been with humans for a very long time. We have carried their burdens and I mean that in many different ways. But they do not see us as brethren. They see us as subordinates. In their confusion about who they are and how they fit in with the rest of nature, they deny themselves their understanding of their own emotions. They focus on their brains but very little on their hearts. Humans have great capacity for love and peace. They are brilliant in their emotions. Yet when they don’t use it or focus on their heart connections, they then get off balance. They even start killing one another, not to mention us. They become seemingly disconnected from Life.

Shawnee (Quarter Horse paint gelding): How can we help them? I love humans. To see them this way is painful.

Amber: The answer is very simple. If we just keep being who we are and keep loving them for who they are, then maybe, just maybe, they will get it. They are intelligent creatures. And they have tremendous capacity to love. It is why animals befriended them so many eons ago. We saw in them the potential to be one with us. In fact, they used to enjoy such relationships with us. There was a time that they understood their connection to the trees and grass. They felt deep affinity to the animals. And they listened to the moon and stars and the sun and earth. But then they thought about it too much and questioned who they were. They set out to find themselves, only to lose themselves in the process. We can help them most by just loving them.

Onyx: But when we do that, they don’t seem to hear us or trust us.

Amber: I know. It is why they keep asking me over and over again how animals can be forgiving. It is because they haven’t learned to yet forgive themselves and move on.

Jeremy: Do you think they will now ask us more questions?

Amber: We shall see. They’ve been very quiet lately.

The Flow of Joy – Memorial to Tangene

Sometimes there are things that happen in life that just don’t seem to make sense. Sometimes I think things happen that are not ours to understand. This is one such story. We are sad to announce that Tangene, the duck Wizard (see the post below) passed away very unexpectedly. We were all devastated by the loss of such a magnificent being.

I was just getting to write a blog update that he was doing incredibly well. He had surgery on his leg last week and it was very successful. A pin was put in and it was thought that he’d heal well. However, there were complications that occurred between his initial exam at Cornell and his appointment with the exotic animal vet who later did the leg surgery. We do not know if these complications led to his death or not, but they certainly made his healing a bit more of a challenge. But Tangene stuck it out and chose to make a run for it to live. He was a trooper and we were all celebrating the success of his surgery and how well he looked and acted right up until his passing.

Yesterday morning, the staff who cared for his every need, came in as usual to clean up his rehab pen and get him situated for the morning. He was his normal cheerful self. And when they set him back in the pen, he gave a healthy flap of his wings, which ducks so often do. It is a joyful flapping almost announcing their joy of life. And as Tangene did that, he suddenly just fell over on his side and was gone. It was a shock to us all and seemingly to Tangene as well.

My conversation with Tangene after he left was so similar to all the ones I had with him when he was alive. He was direct and to the point.

Dawn: Tangene, we are so sorry. What happened?

Tangene: I had no idea I was going to die today. It was such a surprise. But you must see that I am still the wizard I was before. I just shifted energy places. I was flapping away and just filled with joy and suddenly I just decided to flow with that joy and out I flew. Up, up, up and away above the farm. I just filled myself with the love of the farm and my friends, human and animal alike, and I went deeper and deeper and higher and higher into the joy. That’s when I realized that I had disconnected from my body. That body suddenly just seemed like a heavy lump laying on the ground. The body I now inhabit is so much lighter. I just moved with the energy. That is all. Flap flap flap. The sound of a happy duck. That is who I now am. I am still me, just in another form. Don’t lose sight of that.

All of us will miss this most amazing duck being in our physical world. Of course, he will live on in our hearts. The Indian Runner duck who taught us all that life is worth whatever you make it.