Articles by Laura Lluellyn Lassiter
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WHAT DOES IT MEAN
TO UNDERSTAND SOMETHING?
I only had a sense I must go; an urging that would not be quiet.
It would be more than a month before I had the opportunity to visit
Big Cat Rescue. I went to the sanctuary with an open mind and no
expectations. From the very moment I passed through the gates,
I felt a magnificent power and presence that could not be expressed
in words. Wisdom I had long forgotten echoed in my mind as
I waited to be introduced to the cats. St. Francis of Assisi
described the mystery and power that lives within every human being
when he said, “There are beautiful and wild forces within
us.” I knew there was something special that was unfolding.
 It
was in the heat of the day, a time when most cats are asleep; however,
to my amazement I was thrilled to see the big cats coming to meet
us. I quickly found that word had spread fast within the community.
As I walked with Carole Baskin, founder of Big Cat Rescue, the
animals were more than excited to share their stories with me.
Some of the shy and rarely seen cats appeared and patiently waited
their turn. Carole and I laughed as we heard others begging to
be next. Some tried to get our attention by climbing trees to get
a better view of where we were. They knew someone who understood
them was present. I am an animal communicator, and I was listening
to what their hearts were saying.
During the next several hours, stories were shared that brought
tears to our eyes, joy to our hearts, and questions to our minds. We
were surrounded by what most people would see as victims. From
one perspective, that was true. From another perspective, I saw
animals that had been abused, abandoned, neglected, and used for
economic gain survive and heal from their experiences. They were
not trapped by their past as their hearts were filled with love.
I realized I was looking at “living” history because
the only reason the cats were residing at the sanctuary was a direct
result of our lack of remembering our connection with all life
forms. At a very deep level, we were trying to remember that connection,
but in a primitive way that resulted in domination and control
instead of respect and honor.
 Ancient
wisdom teaches us that in order to understand, you have to be one
with what you want to understand. The French language has a word,
comprendre, which means to understand, to know, to comprehend.
Com means to be one, to be together and prendre means to take or
to grasp. To understand something is to take that thing up and
be one with it. Another example can be found in Mayan tradition.
They have a greeting, In Lak'ech. In Lak'ech means “I am
another yourself” (A modern day interpretation) and also
means “I am you, and You are me” (A
traditional Mayan interpretation). We have come to understand
that this Mayan greeting is an honoring for each other and a statement
of unity. In Lak'ech goes beyond unity statements and is more than
an honorable Maya greeting. It is a moral code. It is a responsible
way to live as co-creative partners, not only with human beings,
but ALL forms of life.
When one lives the Mayan code of In Lak'ech, we understand that
everything we do in this world affects all life and spirit in the
universe, either in a positive or negative way, depending on our
actions and motivations. In Lak'ech is honoring and acknowledging
our intimate connection and unity with all life. When we live the
code of In Lak'ech, we send essential energy filled with love and
respect to other life forms. When we solely focus on the avoidance
of causing harm, it is a neutral action. One is not harmed, but
no one benefits from the connection either. When we practice In
Lak'ech, we are producing and sending positive and vital energy
to all other forms of life. When we live In Lak'ech, we quit being
neutral and take action in a positive way by adding to the experience
of being connected with all life. Grasping this concept,
you understand when you give your energy to any other life form
you are also giving to yourself. You do not give your energy away
to something separate from yourself. You are giving to another
part of yourself. The illusion of being separate from any
form of life is dissolved.
Everything we see around us is a reflection of our evolution of
consciousness. Our biggest challenge is understanding there
is nothing that happens anywhere that doesn’t affect everything
everywhere. The fate of these magnificent spirits will be determined
by our understanding and positive action. Big Cat Rescue came into
existence because of the needs of the animals that we didn’t
understand. Only by knowing our past, do we understand the present,
thereby giving us the wisdom to create the future.
Laura Lluellyn-Lassiter
View Laura's Podcast
Laura Lluellyn-Lassiter talks with some of the cats
of Big Cat Rescue including Hercules, the Snow Leopard, Lola, Jade
and Armani the Leopards, Rusty and Sassy the Caracals, Cameron
the Lion, Zabu the White Tiger and Windsong the Bobcat.
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