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DELPHIWhat Being on Earth Is All Aboutby Patricia Jepsen and Delphi Published in 2002 Paperback Edition $15.95 Available Through: The University Online Store and Amazon.com |
Description
Delphi testifies to the tremendous contribution that the animal kingdom wishes to make to the healing of the earth and humanity's heart.
These extraordinary animal stories, as well as golden retriever Delphi's own journey from show dog to master teacher, may cause the reader to laugh or to cry or simply to whisper, "Yes!"
Reading Delphi may be a rite of passage for all of us.
It is a celebration of life.
Book Review
The story of this book begins with a trip by Patricia Jepsen to an animal shelter to find a companion dog for her golden retriever Cindy. Jepsen rather expected to pick out a dog herself, but instead, the golden retriever Delphi (pronounced del-phee) emphatically picked out Jepsen. Delphi the dog turned out to be a master teacher who changed Jepsen's life forever. Delphi began to communicate telepathically with her new friend, giving Jepsen incredible information about Delphi's origins and about living gently on the Earth. Delphi also displayed extraordinary patience and compassion with children, and they seemed to understand her instinctively. As Jepsen and Delphi's relationship developed, Jepsen found Delphi's statements checked out with amazing accuracy, far surpassing anything coincidence could account for. Delphi established communication with Jepsen on terms the human could understand and respond to, and Jepsen learned how to hear and communicate with different animals.
Delphi has much to say about human-animal communication, and reading her words is like opening a door and being allowed to see a larger world, unencumbered by our species-centric viewpoint. One of the most touching passages is the story of a weary burro tethered to a bush at the foot of the Great Wall of China. The burro told Jepsen that animals were tired of carrying the burdens of humans and that humans needed to carry their own burdens. Bowed down by the weight of years of toil, he opened her eyes to the lives of the other creatures of this planet. As he spoke, multitudes of angels appeared on the hillside behind him. Jepsen tells readers to treat the animals in their lives with respect, and they will be rewarded a thousandfold. Such respect results in an animal's life that is richer and more powerful than one who is denied such kindness -- similar to the results of treating fellow humans with kindness and respect!
How alike we all are beneath skin and fur. We all need care and attention to flourish. This is not new information; the teaching stories of American Indians reflect a culture at peace with the universe and in tune with other creatures. Those of us who are privileged to share our lives with animals already know that the gap between species is much narrower than common cultural understandings would have us believe. Delphi can help us understand a little more! Delphi's message is profound and loving: We are not alone. If we sit quietly with the animals in our lives, open our minds and our hearts, and give up the silly idea that they are less than we are, we can be rewarded with such visions of grace and beauty that our lives never will be the same again.
- Tove M. Moon, Independent Reviewer, Kalamazoo, Michigan
For March/April 2003 New Age Retailer National Review Network
WHAT READERS ARE SAYING...
"The answer to the survival of the planet is in communication with nature. What better way to find our path than to let Delphi lead us. Bravo! An excellent book."
This is a wonderful, charming and uplifting book about a dog with a message for all ages."
"Everyone knows that animals and children love each other. They share a certain special affinity. We often say, they understand each other. Could it be they speak the same language? A language we once knew and have the opportunity to access if we open our hearts and minds. This wonderful book offers a gateway into a world of one life and love, where animal, man and nature are part of the wonderful web of life. I have experienced this closeness with Delphi and my life has been changed forever."
EXCERPTPrefaceI thought it would be a good idea to get a second golden retriever to keep my first one, Cindy, company. That's when I saw an ad for a golden retriever rescue shelter. And they, in turn, referred me to the Lochvier Kennels at Midland, Virginia. At the time, I was not far from the kennel, maybe forty-five minutes or so. And yes, there was a female golden available. Would I like to see her? Yes! And off I went, not realizing of course that I was entering a whole new world, the bright and glorious world of Delphi. I didn't pick Delphi, she picked me. She had been a show dog but that type of life was not for her. At a year and a half she was more than ready to do something else. The only trouble was she had to find a way to let me know what that "something" was and how much I was to be a part of it. It had never occurred to me that animals and people were not all part of one family. I grew up with my springer spaniel, Freckles, beside me. A bantam chicken by the name of Snookie always had morning coffee with my mother. Well, Snookie sipped cream out of the coffee cup saucer. She would hop right up on mother's bed and wait patiently for her cream to be served. What with cats and dogs, horses and ponies, lambs and sheep, chickens of all shapes and sizes, fancy pigeons, parakeets, turtles and rabbits, how was I to know that humans were supposed to be different from animals? I didn't! Oh, I did not start right off hearing animals talk -- at least I don't think so. If there was any kind of language between us to begin with, I suppose it was the language of love and high regard for one another. We were friends. Lately I have been aware of a sacred, silent language between child and animal. I have watched small children visiting Delphi and her brother Chipper. The loudest and most boisterous child can sit with Delphi or walk beside Chipper without a word being spoken -- yet they are speaking words, I know. Words that I cannot hear nor understand. Watching them as they communicate without sound, I am struck by a world many adults have eliminated from their consciousness. It is a world of movement, of dancing secret codes that only the childlike mind and pure animal heart can understand. This book is really dedicated to that world and to all of us -- young and old -- finding it. When people ask me how to communicate with animals, I say, "I open my heart wide and express love and respect to them. Then I hear them." This was not a slow process for me. It was sudden. And it can be sudden for you, too, if you open your heart as I have done. All life is in communication. It is just that humans have isolated themselves from "the web of life." To be in Delphi's presence is to be constantly amazed at her intelligence, her gift of wisdom, her command of energy. As far as I know, she has never been exposed to the Navajo People; yet she sings us back into the Beauty Way, an experience that is awesome to any and all who are fortunate to take this path with her. Delphi reaches out to all of us in a partnership of animals and people. She tells us that we can heal our earth and ourselves by remembering our connection with one another. Many books have been written about self-growth, self-actualization, and even self-self! Delphi says that is not the point at all. We've missed it entirely! She says, "We're all about love and how we can work together as partners. It is through the heart," Delphi says, "that we can join with all life in the coming of a bright new world." Delphi and I share in this book a portion of the animal communication classes we convened in Tucson, Arizona. The events and Delphi's words are accurate. Only the names of the students attending the classes have been changed. I believe that these classes illustrate that when humans and animals become partners, miracles can happen and they do. I feel blessed to offer this book to you and I know Delphi is joyous that you are reading it. Patricia Jepsen P.S. Delphi is pronounced DEL-PHEEE. |
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