Podcast Ep3: 5 Ways To Be In True Kinship
Originally Published February 27, 2022
Listen: Apple Podbean iHeart Radio
Script:
Hi there, this is Janet Roper, your host for the True Kinship with Animals podcast and I believe we all do better when all creatures do better. I am an animist, an intuitive practitioner & mentor as well a non-traditional animal communicator, who is cheerfully owned and managed by one cat, Raven, a multitude of angel animals and several houseplants.
For twenty plus years I have successfully been facilitating clear conversations and relationships between animals and people so that your relationship is deepened, moving beyond ownership to true kinship.
If you're so inclined to see how my work resonates with you, check out my site and socials.
I’d like to share with you my thoughts about true kinship with animals through my animistic perspective.
Let’s Start With A Couple Of Definitions:
True kinship is a move away from the idea of ownership of and power over animals. It is not a destination, it’s a daily practice. It is not binary, it’s not either/or. It’s a place to strive towards in our relationship with animals. In true kinship you come from a place that when you know better you do better.
Animism is an awareness of what is beyond yourself, the belief that everything has a soul, is connected and because of that connection it is possible to be in true kinship with each other.
While we’ve come a long with in our relationship with animals, we have a long way to go until we reach true kinship. A conventional way of relating with animals comes from a place of power-over, which may include using aversive tools.
Here’s a story for you: With my first dog, Squirty, I followed the trainer’s advice of using a choke collar. It broke my heart to do so, but I thought I was doing what was best for Squirt. After all, I was listening to the professional, right? Yes, but putting an animal in a choke collar is a power-over tool, not true kinship.
When we act out of that conventional view of power-over, it can make us believe we have failed. In reality, we haven’t failed, it’s the conventional view of relationship with animals that has failed us.
It can be hard to break away from convention, from what we’ve always known and always done. I want to share with you 5 steps to help you move towards true kinship with animals, starting now.
Here Are 5 Steps For You
Adapt a holistic approach. Relationships are complex and aren’t limited to a method. As complex as they are, they tend to flourish when each one is uniquely understood. Adapting a holistic approach allows for continuous awareness, insight and compassion.
Be present. So often we humans think we have to be active, we have to do something, we have to take charge, we have to be in control. That’s the antithesis of true kinship. When you are simply being present with an animal, what have you noticed happening to you?
Recognize agency. When I speak of agency, I’m referring to the authority each animal has. Based in colonization and settler thought, we humans have been indoctrinated to believe we have dominion over animals. Animals own their own experiences which do not need to be validated through a human lens. When you recognize each animals agency, their autonomy, it lowers the risk of anthropomorphism so that you don’t see animals as an extension of humans.
Practice animism. Not a one and done thing, it’s a way of life which includes daily practice.
Recognize you have a shared reality with animals. How great is that? Acknowledging that helps you be aware of and witness their agency. Keeping in mind we are all sentient beings helps you to create, nurture and tend relationships that blossom from connection with instead of power over.
Many thanks for joining me today. If you liked what you heard, give the show a like and a follow. And tell your friends and family. To discover more about true kinship with animals, visit my website and socials, links are at the bottom of this page..
Just for today remember: We All do better when all creatures do better. See you next week folks!
