Buddy is a horse who has been communicating with Carole Devereux for many years. “He was the first to inspire me to communicate spiritually with other species,” Carole told me. “I had just bought this horse and was fascinated by the idea that he might talk to me. When Jeri Ryan did my first animal consultations, we asked Buddy what made a barn enjoyable for a horse. People might assume that a horse would want a bigger stall, more alfalfa or a bigger pasture. I was not prepared for what Buddy said because it changed the way I viewed animals from that day onward. He said the thing that makes a barn most enjoyable is the way the people treat each other. When people are in harmony with each other, the horses benefit. I thought that was a very profound statement, coming from a horse!"

Carole was one of the first animal communicators with whom I spoke. When we did a short interview with Buddy for a magazine article, I knew very little about interspecies communication. Carole told me that the interview would work best if I stayed silent and “held the energy” (whatever that meant) on my end of the phone line as she meditated, made contact with Buddy, asked him my questions, wrote down his responses, and read them back to me. It took some time, but we eventually had the article. 

 

Due to the wise workings of the Universe, six months passed before I reconnected with Carole and Buddy. On an intuitive whim, Carole and I decided to conduct this interview differently. Rather than staying on the line, I would hang up, meditate on the question and call back 15 minutes later. As Carole put it, “We'll do a three-way conference call, you and I and Buddy. I want you to be involved.” 

 

Did Carole know the power of those words? Had she summoned the energy? Involved I was to become, for after centering and focusing on the question, I began to hear Buddy. Buddy?   

 

The experience was unsettling, though not unfamiliar. Buddy spoke clearly and succinctly, pausing after every phrase, as if encouraging me to take down his words. 

 

I told myself this should not be so strange. I had spoken with birds and dogs, what is so peculiar about speaking with a horse? Only that he’s a few thousand miles away, my inner critic cackled. Well, communicators do that all the time, I reminded myself. 

    

Okay, then, continued the critic. What about this: Buddy is already talking to Carole. How can he be talking to you too? 

    

As I got out pen and notebook, my hand started to quiver. I knew better than to focus on doubts; still, my body could not hide the synchronal rush of fear and excitement that caused my hand to shake.  

    

Buddy paused. “You’re doing fine,” he said simply. He then directed me to write down those very words, so that I would remember: You’re doing fine. 

    

Time and again, we are brought to the test. For me, the issue was trust. If you cannot trust your inner experience, how can you expect others to confirm it for you? 

    

As I called Carole, I felt a wave of uneasiness. Was it really Buddy I was talking to? Would Carole be upset, since my job had been to hold energy and meditate, not write down words? At the same time, I felt the stirrings of excitement, for what happened between Buddy and myself felt undeniably real and true and genuine.  

    

How often we face our fears, until at last there is a small trust, an inner peace that opens to knowing! And there is Buddy, and others, all of them rejoicing, welcoming us to our knowing. 

 

Carole’s first exclamation when I read what Buddy dictated was, “Oh, my! He’s so cute!” And for that I felt deep relief. Implicit in her statement was the acknowledgement that the voice I heard was indeed Buddy’s.  

 

“You’ve really improved since we talked last,” Carole said. “You were nervous in the beginning and your insecurity was cutting off a lot of energy. But you've changed that tremendously. Whatever you’ve done has deepened your ability to make connections. And, that was Buddy you heard.” 

 

The confirmation was heartfelt. As with learning a new language or exploring a new paradigm, we need guides to confirm our place – not necessarily to validate the truth, but to say, "Yes, you are here now. I’ve gone that way too. What you heard is real.” 

 

I related that Buddy’s message came to me in fragmented phrases and often I couldn’t guess what was going to come next. In some way, this made it easier, for I wasn't able to judge or second-guess. I was, in effect, pushed out of my own way. 

 

“It comes right into your heart,” Carole agreed. “That’s how it happens! You open to the energy and just let yourself be."  

I send you laughter! There is much joy in simply releasing for a time all idea and thought. A soul-filled eternity can pass in one intake of breath and the release of one gigantic horselaugh! I would also remind your readers not to take everything in this book too literally, to choose not to nit-pick with questions and doubts, but simply to open their hearts to the possibility of Oneness, to remember to throw back their heads and intake the spirit of joy and to laugh – for themselves and all the world – for that will lead to the spirit of Peace.                            

~Buddy, Chapter 14

For more on Buddy and Carole, visit Animal Insights