How to Meditate with Your
Dog
By James Jacobson
Book Review by Marie-Claire Wilson
James Jacobson, a native of Washington,
D.C., grew up living an extraordinary life full of exciting things
such as meeting presidents and heads of state. He even worked
as a page in the United States Senate.
From a young age, Jacobson enjoyed meditation, which kept him calm
in the midst of all of this, plus it helped him to focus both at
school and at work. He graduated with honors from the University
of Virginia. He has given workshops on introductory meditation
techniques throughout the U.S., including in his adopted home of
Hawaii.
Jacobson has been on numerous varieties of talk radio and television
programs. Currently, he hosts a weekly show on talk radio
KAOI out of Maui, Hawaii. He has also successfully used his
public speaking skills in Hawaii to fight the state's strict animal
quarantine laws. He continues to lead an exciting life,
as is evidence when you look at the back cover of the book, where
we see him keeping company with Oprah Winfrey in the Maui office
of Archbishop Desmond Tutu.
How to Meditate with Your Dog is a subject that will touch not
only dog lovers, but all animal lovers.
Dogs down through the ages are known as being our loving, loyal,
and faithful companions. There are many dogs famous in mythology
and stories from the many cultures around the world: the
Dog God Anubis, T'ienk'uan, Cerbere, Kolotl, and Garm, to name
a few. These mythological dogs are with us in the stories
of birth, life, and death. Dogs, in myth, accompany us to
the bowels of hell and to the heavens above. They guide us through
the invisible empires in the cosmos, they are among the most powerful
deities, and there are even dogs who have become constellations
in the skies above us.
The complex symbolism of the dog is, at first glance, connected
to a trilogy of elements: the earth, water, and the moon. These
three elements are almost always associated with the occult and
they are classed as having the female energies. You have the
levels of symbolism here that represent the fundamental meanings
of abundance and fertility (as in vegetation and more importantly,
as in sexuality). You also have levels of symbolism that represent
the divinatory arts as well as the concepts of both the unconscious
mind and the subconscious mind. Jacobson was mindful of all
of this, and he applied all of these concepts and symbolism in
his techniques for meditation with his dog.
Throughout this marvelous
book, the author writes how meditation transforms the life of the
human, and the canine companion. Species that tend to be nervous
and irritable are calmed by meditation. Even aggressive dogs
become more loving and less aggressive. It has been shown in scientific
studies that when people meditate regularly, they themselves become
much more calm and serene, and they are able to show more affection
and to face life in a manner that is more positive. It is
not surprising that these attributes are also associated with dogs
when their humans meditate with them.
The author's cherished dog is named Maui. In the quote below, the author
talks about his meditation techniques with his dog, from the heading, "The
Bare Bones." The author writes: "Here are the steps that I take
in my meditation practice with Maui…In the following chapters, you will
find help for you and your dog to develop your own meditation rituals. We
go into our meditation room and sit. I may turn on music. I place my
hands on Maui's back. I close my eyes and focus on Maui's breath. Our
breathing synchronizes. When a thought comes, I let it go and refocus on our
breath. I continue this process for as long as it feels right."
We can learn a lot from bringing our dogs into our meditation practices. In
fact, I can relate a story about how this is definitely true in my life. I
can confirm this because my husband has often told to me how he used to love
to meditate before we met, and how his dog reacted. He said that he liked
to meditate alone in order to better concentrate. But his dog would always whine
and cry at the door, scratching at the door, begging to be let in while he was
trying to meditate. His dog absolutely refused to be excluded from it! The
dog continued to worry him to such a point that he simply had to open the door
and let the dog into the room with him while he was meditating. At first,
this annoyed my husband, but after a time, he recognized how the dog became so
calm, remaining still and silent at his side while he was meditating. In
fact, my husband was most impressed that his dog seemed to RESPECT the whole
process of meditation. Soon, this regular meditation for my husband and
his dog became a catalyst for them both to improve their lives.
The dog became a better
companion to my husband in all other aspects, and my husband grew
more and more spiritually energized by the meditation, and their
relationship was deepened considerably. For the rest of his dog's love-filled
life, the two of them continued to meditate together. I was especially
receptive to the subject of this book as I remembered, with particular
warmth, the way this story about my husband and his dog had opened
my heart.
Written no just with wisdom and love but also with a healthy dose
of good humor, this book sets out to teach us many useful lessons. For
example, the author, James Jacobson writes, in a section called "The
Three Un-Dogmas to Turn Spontaneous Meditation into Deliberate
Meditation:"
- Intention is the willful purpose or conscious choice that we
bring to an action or state.
- Belief is the practice of knowing something to be true.
- Synergy in meditation is the law of "where two or
more are gathered" meaning that when two or more beings are
united in intention and belief, their efforts are exponentially
more powerful than their individual efforts."
Everything and everyone living produces energy, and this energy
is collectively called magnetism. Psychic energy is an extremely
powerful force that connects animals and humans. This communication
between human and dog is so strong that when a divine spark leads
us to meditate with our dog, miracles of love and of energy happen. These
miracles are also addressed by Jacobson.
Early on in the book, Jacobson lists a few questions that people
are bound to ask about the subject, "why meditate with your
dog?' and he answers them thus:
- It promotes health, happiness, and relaxation for both dogs and
humans.
- It is a terrific way to bond with your dog.
- It expresses your love to your dog.
- It helps you live a life where you appreciate being rather than
doing.
During meditation, our mind should be cleared as much as possible
of every thought, and especially of negative thoughts. Dogs
are particularly susceptible to the energy of negative thoughts,
and they will notice this if you do not settle your mind before
you begin. It can disturb the meditation - for you and for
the dog - but without the dog beside you, you may not have ever
noticed that point. In fact, dogs are very receptive to all
of the thoughts and feelings of their beloved owners. When your
dog senses that you are feeling at peace and in harmony, there
is a kind of sublime communion of love throughout the entire mediation.
Your dog will become more loyal and a more loving companion to
you. This may extend well beyond the meditation times. Of
course, meditation is a personal spiritual path, and no one follows
exactly the same path. So there is no need for comparisons
and feeling compulsive about it. Mediation is not a competition. While
there may be some similarities, in truth, every spiritual path
will be unique for each of us.
In conclusion, all readers of this perfectly charming book will
have several useful tools to apply in their lives immediately,
notably:
1. How to use the love we have for our dogs as the basis
for a regular meditation practice.
2. How to deepen the bond between "pack leader" (owner)
and dog.
3. How to cultivate compassion and to bring more peace and focus
into daily life.
Remember that if you are full of positive thoughts and energy,
your dog's spirit will be affected by that in a positive way and
be reflected back onto you. The positive vibrations will increase
the amount of positive energy in your immediate power.
What a marvelous experience it is to meditate with your dog! In
writing about this subject, the author gives an excellent panoramic
view of it. The dog is a wonderfully faithful companion for
us, and this book will open your heart in ways that will surprise
and amuse you, as well as offer you wisdom that will serve you
well and last beyond the life of most books. Marie-Claire
Wilson, author of the Spiritual Tarot: The Keys to the Divine Temple,
is a bilingual writer and poet. She has been a practicing medium
for 28 years using direct clairvoyance, the Tarot, numerology and
palmistry. For an appointment face-to-face or phone readings call:
404.847.7330
www.Marie-Claire.tv
Marie-Claire
Wilson, author of the Spiritual Tarot: The Keys to the Divine Temple,
is a bilingual writer and poet. She has been a practicing medium
for 28 years using direct clairvoyance, the Tarot, numerology and
palmistry. For an appointment face-to-face or phone readings call:
404.847.7330 
