Billie Dean -- Newsletters

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Three black puppies thunder through the office, chasing Heyoka and Sage and a rag chew toy. Their little faces are intent and eyes alight with mischief and purpose.

Yes, my soft heart has got us into trouble again. As there hadn’t been any interest in the puppies and their future looked very dubious, I brought them home here to Ballyoncree Animal Sanctuary, two days after I picked up Suki II (whom we’re starting to call Tusuque).

They’ve chewed my new camera battery, two mobile phone chargers and the Internet connection (twice). Our home looks like a bomb hit it and all boots and shoes now live up – on top of books, papers, tables, or wherever puppies can’t get them.

Having just spent the last three years cleaning up after old dogs and Willow’s grand mal seizures, I’m now cleaning up after pups. Sigh. I think I can qualify for Pee Cleaning Mum of the Year.

But they’ve melted all our hearts and this week when a couple of people expressed tentative interest (with no follow through), Tamsin burst into tears. End of story. Dylan and Daisy join the family. This makes eight inside dogs. (And our old farmhouse is not big!)

I did ask them what their journey was and if they were supposed to be with anyone special. “With you”, said one. “Stay here,” said the other. Once we made the decision to honour this, their whole demeanour changed. They’re now full of confidence, happy and very settled.

People were very interested in the puppy story, and were concerned about the parents. The mum, Ruby, has now been de-sexed and gone to live with a friend of the family, and the dad was a roaming undesexed neighbour. It’s interesting his people didn’t put their hand up to help their grand puppies.

Exercise is the key to having a harmonious relationship with dogs, and it’s the first thing we get to do every morning (after cleaning up any puppy accidents).

Even though we live on a farm, we don’t leave the dogs unsupervised. They get bored and entertain themselves and we don’t want them roaming next door where there are sheep and cattle.

So we run the big dogs, and walk the puppies. And then, after the chores are done, we get some hours of peace to work. Likewise, they all get lots of exercise when we do the evening horse feeds, especially now when the horses are from one end of the property to the other.

A walk to dogs is like catching up with the daily news. They’re intelligent and like knowing what’s going on in the neighbourhood. A decent morning run gets rid of pent up energy and leaves them able to sleep for a few hours. Some breeds need more than others, but if you have dogs exhibiting destructive behaviour think more exercise and especially first thing in the morning.

It’s good for you too – and helps you along the road to vital longevity.

Andrew and I have been feeling the need to balance our serious work of healing, and rescue with a bit more light heartedness. So last week Signe Fjord helped us by organising a fund raiser in Canberra for Ballyoncree Animal Sanctuary featuring us as comic performers.

Andrew and I used to perform comedy professionally before we moved to Braidwood, and we secretly love the opportunity to put on our glad rags and tread the boards. Performing gets into your blood and the improv games we play help us get in touch with our inner child and laugh the blues away.

The catch phrase for improv comedy is “A brilliant mind in panic is a wonderful thing to see”. And the night certainly was fun with members of our audience joining in the games, and laughing a lot.

Our earnestly spiritual comic characters David and Joanna, who were very popular in the 80s both in Australia and the USA, also popped onto the stage for an outing. Watch this space for more of their activities. They’ve told me its time to come back!

My next appearance is at the Down to Earth Conference, Canberra on June 17, where I’ll give a free talk and be available at the stand of Signe Fjord. I’ll be appealing for financial and other donations for the Sanctuary as well as selling DVD’s and books. So if you have blankets or puppy toys or anything you’re not using which we could use at the Sanctuary, please bring them along.

On July 2, I’ll be teaching Animal Communication at Om Shanti College, Griffith ACT. Many people want to communicate with animals but find doubt and fear blocking their path. Truth is, we all can hear the whispers in the silence and this course is designed to help you jump hurdles in confidence. It’s fun as I use games to up your psychic ability, and we will spend lots of time practising absent communication using photos of animals. You’ll be surprised at the results you get.

I don’t have any other teaching scheduled for the year at this time and as I am flat out with other projects, this could be the last.

One of the ways I like to slow down is to make special days special, and to take time out to relish them and honour nature. The Winter Solstice is the shortest day of the year and the longest night, and we love to do a special candle ceremony with children or just Tamsin, to remind us that even in the darkest of times, the light always shines again.

Winter Solstice is a time of celebration, a time for a party, to have friends over and do the things you love to do best – even if that means, like for me, enjoying a hot chocolate in front of the fire with a good book and my human and animal family all around me. The more you focus on fun and self-nourishment, the more Light you bring in.

Winter can be a time of sadness, so Solstice, being the turning point of dark to light, can also be a time of reflection and healing wounds. Send out a Yule card or just think positively and warmly about someone you want to be friends with again.

The house is ablaze with lights when people first arrive at our home on Winter Solstice evening. After people have settled in, we ask the children to rush around and turn off every single light. For a few moments we are in complete darkness, and in contemplation of our dark times.

And then Andrew or I will light one candle and everyone else lights a candle from that one. We all make a wish, visualising something we’d like to bring into our lives, and acknowledge that no matter how dark life gets, the Light always shines again. The children race through the house turning on lights and we celebrate with a fabulous meal.

With regard to your relationship to nature and animals, Solstice this year is a special time to join in the power of prayer and positive thought with Chief Arvol Looking Horse’s plea for a saner Earth. His letter below outlines the Native American feelings on how we are destroying ourselves and other species. It’s time to change and while we can make change on a personal level with the choices we make in our daily lives, we can also change things through the power of group prayer and visualisation.

So please, see the world as it could be – a place where people have learned to manifest whatever they need, and thus have no reason to rape the Earth Mother for greed. A place where old forests exist and there’s plenty of water for all. A place where earth’s beauty abounds and is alive with humans and other species living side by side in natural harmony and mutual respect.

When Andrew and I moved to our property in Braidwood nearly a decade ago, we were told “the creek always runs”. We were told the water was brilliant, full of minerals and so good for the horses that all the dams had been filled in, and a trough system from the creek had been set up. This also fed the house, so the old tanks had been pulled down as well as the windmill.

The creek dried up in 2001 and we’ve been buying water for all the animals at the Sanctuary on and off ever since (ouch!) It’s about $200 a truckload now, which lasts a couple of weeks or so. Buckets in the shower, recycling the washing up water and sending out the laundry is a way of life and so is a lack of garden. I always let the horses around the house to graze as I think it’s a waste of good food to just mow, and combined with the drought I’ve said goodbye to my sacred grove of beautiful weeping birches, hawthorn, elders and oaks. I’ve said goodbye to bushes and flowers. Even my animal graveyard looks bleak.

I especially honour the water spirits these days and celebrate our rainy days. The roof leaks like a sieve but even when its raining inside, we’re rejoicing! So I wasn’t at all surprised when I came across the following letter from Chief Arvol Looking Horse, which mentions a prophecy of a time when water will be like gold, and not all will be able to afford it. His appeal has been around a couple of years, but it is still relevant today.

The solstice has been chosen as a time for a group healing/prayer day. So please join us to honour the Water Spirits and bring more balance to Mother Earth.

An Important Message from Chief Arvol Looking Horse, Of The Lakota, Dakota, & Nakota Nations

Mitakuye Oyasin (All My Relations),

I, Chief Arvol Looking Horse of the Lakota, Dakota and Nakota Nations, would like to ask for this time for you to understand an Indigenous perspective in reflection of what has happened in America, what we call "Turtle Island."

For the past six years, my work has concentrated on an effort on uniting the Global community, through a message from our sacred ceremonies in recognizing a day of World Peace and Prayer on June 21st as a time to unite spiritually, each in our own ways of beliefs in the Creator.

We have been warned from the messages, passed down from Ancient Prophecies of these times we live in today, but also a very important message of a solution to turn these terrible times around. To assist you in understanding the depth of this message involves the recognition in the importance of Sacred Sites.

It is important that you realize the whole interconnectedness of what is happening today, in reflection of the continued massacres that are occurring on other lands and our own Americas.

I have been learning about these important issues of Sacred Sites since the age of 12, upon receiving the Sacred White Buffalo Calf Pipe Bundle and it's teachings.

Our people have striven to protect Sacred Sites from the beginning of time. There needs to be an understanding in the concern of the protection of Sacred Sites that goes deeper than just the issue of Shrines built by humans.

Our people have built similar objects and Shrines to identify and to remind the significance in the power of the Sacred Site. We have also witnessed them being destroyed for many decades, but we also realize it is what is underneath them that is important.

These places have been violated for centuries and have brought us to this predicament that we are in concerning the unstable Global Level thus far. Look around you, our Mother Earth is very ill from these violations and we are at a brink of destroying a healthy and nurturing survival for generations to come, our children's children. Our ancestors have been trying to protect our Sacred Site from the continued violations called the Sacred Black Hills in SD, "Heart of Everything that is".

Our ancestors never seen this site from a Satellite view, but now that those pictures are available with modern technology, we see that it is in the shape of a heart and when fast forwarded it looks like a heart pumping. The Dine have been protecting Big Mountain, calling it the liver and now that the coal is depleting, we are suffering and going to suffer more from the extraction of the coal and poison processes used in doing so.

The Aborigines has warned of the contaminating effects on the Corral Reefs from Global warming, which they see as Mother Earth's blood purifier, our sacred water is being polluted.

The Indigenous people of the Rain Forest relay that the Rain Forest are the lungs and need protection and now we see the Brazilian Government approved the depletion of 50% of this Sacred Site.

The Gwich'in Nation has an issue of oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge coastal plain, also known to the Gwich'in as 'Where the life begins!' The coastal plain is also the birthplace of many other life forms of Animal Nations. The death of these Animal Nations will destroy Indigenous Nations in this territory.

As these destructive developments continue all over the world, we will witness many more extinct Animal, Plant and Human Nations, because of the misuse of power that mankind has made and their lack of understanding the "balance of life".

The Indigenous people warn that these destructive developments will cause havoc globally. There are many, many more Indigenous awareness' and knowledge of Mother Earth's Sacred Sites, connections (Mother Earth's Chakras) to our spirit that will surely affect our future generations.
These people are still suffering from this contamination and their livelihood is being destroyed as I write this to you.

There needs to be a fast move toward other forms of energy that are safe for all Nations upon Mother Earth. We need to understand the whole picture in the type of minds that are continuing to destroy the spirit of our whole Global Community.

Unless we do this, the powers of destruction will overwhelm us. Our Ancestors foretold that water would someday be for sale. Back then this was hard to believe, since the water was so plentiful, so pure, and so full of energy, nutrition and spirit. Today we have to buy pure water, and even then the nutritional minerals have been taken out; it's just empty liquid.
Someday water will be like gold, too expensive to afford. Not everyone will have the right to drink safe water.

We fail to appreciate and honor our Sacred Sites, ripping out the minerals and gifts that lay underneath them, as if Mother Earth were simply a resource, instead of the Source of Life itself.

Attacking Nations and having to utilize more resources to carry out the destruction in the name of Peace and elimination is not the answer!
We need to understand how all these decisions affects the Global Nation, we will not be immune to it's repercussions.

To allow continual contamination of our food and land, is now affecting the way we think.

A "disease of the mind" has set in World Leaders and many members of our Global Community, with their understanding that a solution of retaliation and destruction of peoples will bring Peace.

In our Prophecies it is told that we are now at the Crossroads, either unite Spiritually as a Global Nation, or be faced with chaos, disasters, diseases and tears from our relatives eyes.

In times of disasters it is sad to say, that it is the only time that we unite spiritually, but we must not taint it with anger and retaliation. We are the only species that is destroying the Source of life, meaning Mother Earth, in the name of power, mineral resources and ownership of land, using methods of chemicals and warfare that is becoming irreversible, as Mother Earth is becoming tired and can not sustain any more impacts of war.
I ask you to join me on this endeavor.

Our vision is for the Peoples of all continents, regardless of their beliefs in the Creator, to come together as one at their Sacred Sites at that sacred moment of what is known as the Summer Solstice of June 21st, to pray and meditate and commune with one another, thus promoting an energy shift to heal our Mother Earth and achieve a universal consciousness toward attaining Peace.

As each day passes bringing us to this day of concentration together, I ask the Global Nations to begin a Global effort, in knowing that each and every one of us are making a daily effort in waking to a gratitude of another day, that is gifted to us and begin to remember to give thanks for the Sacred Food that has been also gifted to us by our Mother Earth, so the nutritional energy of medicine can be guided to heal our minds and spirits.
This new millennium will usher in an age of harmony or it will bring the end of life as we know it. Starvation, war and toxic waste have been the hallmark of the Great Myth of Progress and Development that ruled the last millennium.

To us, as caretakers of the heart of Mother Earth, falls the responsibility of turning back the powers of destruction.

We must understand the two ways we are free to follow, as we choose the positive way or the negative way.. the spiritual way or the material way.
It's our own choice--each of ours and all of ours.

You alone-and only you--can make this crucial choice. Whatever you decide is what you'll be, to walk in honor or to dishonor your relatives.

You can't escape the consequences of your own decision. On your decision depends the fate of the entire World. You must decide. You can't avoid it.
Each of us is put here in this time and this place to personally decide the future of humankind.

Did you think the Creator would create unnecessary people in a time of such terrible danger?

Understand both the blessing and the burden of that. You yourself are desperately needed to save the soul of this World.

Did you think you were put here for something less? In a Sacred Hoop of Life, where there is no beginning and no ending!

Mitakuye Oyasin,
Chief Arvol Looking Horse1
19th Generation Keeper of the Sacred White Buffalo Calf Pipe

Great news – the short has been accepted into Snowyfest Short Film Festival to be screened in Thredbo on June 17. This little short is so popular. It seems everyone loves the feel good nature of the film.

We have been having a technical difficulty with the DVD version, but Hayley our consulting editor is planning on coming down later this month to sort it out for us.

I’ve been busy writing. The May issue of Spheres is chock full of interesting stuff including articles by my friends Lucy Cavendish and Scott Alexander King. Lucy brought gnomes to my attention in her article and I have decided to invite them to work with me to bring more prosperity into my life. I’ll let you know how this manifests!

Soul Purpose has another article of mine on Animal Communication and promises to be out in time for the Melbourne Mind Body and Spirit Festival.

I’m not sure that I mentioned we lost our beloved Sequoia a couple of months ago. We found her in a horse dealer’s yard 11 years ago, where she was forced to wear a twisted wire snaffle every day for the six months she was there. She begged me to save her – so we bought her for $600 and she lived happily with the ponies in retirement. She was one of those lovely mares who attracted the attention of any visitor here. She had such a soft face and a kind eye. She was much loved and is much missed.

To help us continue our work compassionately caring for homeless horses in a holistic way, please consider sponsoring a brumby, other horse or dog. The website is still coming with pics of everyone here at Ballyoncree but you can start by checking out the brumbies. In return for your sponsorship we’ll send you pics and updates of your chosen animal and make sure your name and/or business and website is listed as sponsor. Details are at the bottom of the page at the above link.

Running a Sanctuary is an expensive business and without support many sanctuaries go bust as the kind hearted people get financially and emotionally burnt out.

Andrew and I have been in rescue for 15 years and have only this year started to ask for help. We are so incredibly grateful for all the support we receive to help keep our Sanctuary going. So a huge thank you this month to our generous supporters:

Rosi Pletzer, Organic Nutrition, for Fullhealth colloidal minerals and colloids. These are the products which everyone at Ballyoncree uses, both human and animal. We especially use silver colloid, colloidal minerals and magnesium colloid for the horses. Thank you! For more information, ring Rosi: 02 6282 1184

Rebecca Booth, of Elementals Natural Care, who came with Sheena and Andrea piled high with horse goodies, including a saddle and bridle and herbal blends, wonderful healing ability, blessed water and lunch. I felt so incredibly blessed to have been visited by these angels and the horses say a big thank you for their rugs and herbs and other goodies. You can contact Rebecca here:
M: 0419 003 530
E: rebecca@elementals.com.au

It was interesting to me that Rebecca brought some Goddess Blend, herbs for hormone regulation in mares. In 15 years I have never needed herbs like this for my mares but I accepted this gift gratefully. Two days later, little Samantha, one of the Shetlands, made sure I noticed her cloudy urine. I immediately put her on Goddess Blend and she has now regulated.

It so happened that Rebecca and her friends brought the rain as well and as it rained and hailed, Andrew and I were able to provide 10 shivering thoroughbreds with warm coats.

Pet Power for reduced cost homoeopathics for puppies. I use Pet Power products to immunise my dogs, to drain toxins from their past or any conventional medicine like vaccines etc, and to keep worms, fleas, ticks and heartworm at bay.

Pearson Education for children’s books to sell. Pearson was one of our publishers when we wrote for the Supa Dooper series.

Kra-mar Pets Supplies (who also sponsored us for “Seven Days”) for two Pioneer dog collars for use in shooting our Ballyoncree calendar (watch this space!). Phone 02 9644 7400 or see most animal retail outlets.

Helen Nettle and Jeremy Swallow of Stitchabout for carpet, office chairs and doonas. Phone 1300 882 883.

Signe, of Signe Fjord, for her gift of emergency Theta Healing for Willow when she was in a cluster of seizures. And more importantly, not only stopped the cluster, but she hasn’t seizured since.

Your donations help us continue with our work here at Ballyoncree.
Cheques for horse feed can be made out to “Daniel Walker”, for vet care to Braidwood Vet Surgery, for farrier Darrell Bossley and all other cheques to Ballyoncree Animal Sanctuary, PO Box 61, Braidwood NSW 2622

We and all the animals here are so very grateful for your support.

Worming Recipes

There has been much discussion about conventional worming methods versus natural and I invite people to write to me with their thoughts, which I will publish in a future newsletter.

Here at the Sanctuary I worm naturally. I might use a chemical wormer once a year or every two years but they worry me as I feel they are harsh on the stomach and may weaken it in some susceptible horses.

My normal routine is Pet Power’s homeopathic Acid Balancer which I drop into every water trough and water bowl daily and this helps with the predisposition to getting parasites by providing a better balanced gut.

I also make up a herbal mix of various vermifuge herbs such as cloves, black walnut, garlic, tansy, wormwood and aloes which I vary. I mix this with apple cider vinegar and apple juice for the horses and give over four to five days before and on the full moon. Two days before is the day the worms are all concentrated in the gut and you have the best chance of removal but herbs act slower than conventional medicine and are gentler on the system.

I’m always looking for new and different ways to do things better, so send me your worming thoughts for better and healthier animals to billie@billiedean.com

Blog Entries

Andrew and I have started writing entries on our Ballyoncree Blog, which you might find interesting, entertaining and enlightening about animals, life at the Sanctuary, and animal politics.

Please go to www.ballyoncree.com

And the fuller web site is still coming ----

Until Next Time

That’s it from me this month. Enjoy the rest of June energies and have a wonderful Solstice.

Aho Mitakuye Oyasin
(In honour of All our Relations)
Billie.