If you’re like me you may not even get past the title of this blog – because you can’t pronounce the word. It’s okay, we’re together on this one. It helps if you break it up – anthro-po-MOR-phism. Translation: attributing human qualities to animals such as emotional states, motivation for behavior etc. You know, judging them just like we judge ourselves and most especially others when they appear either different than we are or out of place in our environment. And when our species anthropomorphizes (say it slowly, you’ll get it by the end) other animals most often it means that we’re trying to get them to a place where we’d like for them to be rather than where they are naturally. It’s the worst kind of speciesism there is – another new word for you, perhaps – think in terms of racism only with other species – yes, exactly, it is just as harmful as racism.
There’s a video that’s making the rounds on the internet about a wolf receiving a “healing treatment” for a physical issue that she has. Another video from the same organization that seemingly does good work for animals (giving them the benefit of the doubt) speaks to the “transformation” of another wolf in learning to trust humans and live with them after a serious illness. While I’m supportive of the human perception that animals are sentient beings complete with complex thoughts, emotions and intuition I would advocate for a higher perspective of them as Henry Beston said so well: “For the animal shall not be measured by man. In a world older and more complete than ours, they move finished and complete, gifted with extensions of the senses we have lost or never attained, living by voices we shall never hear. They are not brethren; they are not underlings; they are other nations, caught with ourselves in the net of life and time, fellow prisoners of the splendour and travail of the Earth.”
Whenever I hear humans describe wild animal behavior (in particular) with (usually) negative connotations such as “aloof, shy, skittish” I know that that individual is guilty of not authentically uniting with the animal. The speciesism in these situations is that the human describes natural behavior in terms of human motivation and then judges it. An animal who chooses to remain separate from a human and not approach them is deemed to be acting in such a way that is unacceptable. There is a palpable overarching energetic intention on the part of the human to get the animal to do something different. If the behavior is friendly, open and trusting then there is no issue on the part of the human and ostensibly, no need to exert control. Never mind the fact that our perception of their behavior is actually inaccurate in that how they are acting is natural to THEM.
Another example of speciesism is as follows: as highly empathic and energy-savvy beings animals are entirely capable of healing themselves as are we only they’re much better at it. When they are offered an opportunity to connect with universal life force energy via a tool such as Reiki, healing touch etc. they will almost always avail themselves of that vibration. There is no “healing” done by another individual save being a conduit for what is actually being orchestrated by the animal as they consciously draw the energy in through another being. The fact that it’s a human is inconsequential to both the situation and result.
There are humans on the planet who would have you think that their work with wild animals is in the highest and best good of the animal and perhaps it is. I would always want to check in with the animal to see if this is their truth as well especially when blatant speciesism rears its head. When wild animals are “kept” by humans no matter the reason why – rescue, rehabilitation, etc. – I do believe that it is best to honor their innate wild energy and keep them as wild as possible in all ways including behavior and most importantly, in relationship with us. Although we are the ultimate stewards of all life on this planet we simply can’t be trusted to put them above ourselves as our agendas are often not aligned with theirs and we’ll step into individual over collective consciousness more times than not. Which they simply don’t do – ever.