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PHChristy: On behalf of Jeff Barringer and all of us at pethobbyist.com, I'm very pleased to welcome Marta Williams to our Ninth Annual Chat Week!

PHChristy: Marta is the author of "Learning Their Language: Intuitive Communication with Animals and Nature" and "Beyond Words: Stories of Communicating With Animals."

Marta has a background in science and academia, with a BS in Resource Conservation from the University of California at Berkeley, and a MS in Biology and Systematic Ecology from San Francisco State University. She spent many years studying wildlife in the field, rehabilitating ill and injured animals, and working as an environmental scientist.

Marta began studing intuitive communication with animals in 1989, and learned to communicate intuitively with animals by taking classes and by practicing with all sorts of animals in all kinds of situations, using verifiable exercises.

Marta now works full-time as an animal communicator, offering consultations for animals worldwide to help solve behavior problems, find lost animals, assist animals during illness and death, and bring people and animals and people and nature closer together. She teaches workshops and classes helping people learn how to develop their own intuitive abilities.

PHChristy: We'll be taking your questions, but first, Marta, did you want to make any opening remarks?

Marta_nr: Yes I would like people to understand that this ability is completely within their grasp It is something innate that everyone can do.We have just been conditioned to ignore our intuition. With a little bit of guidance and practice one can relearn this skill. I will be happy to tell people a few things they can try at home with their own animals.

PHChristy: Thanks, Marta!

Wind: What are some things we can try at home with our pets? And can we do this with pets who are at the bridge?

Marta_nr: I will tell you a few things to try and yes you can do this with animals that have died. One practice is to ask for a question. You can think or say out loud to the animal, living or dead, "Do you have a question for me?" Then whatever question pops into your head you assume it is from your animal and answer as best you can. Then ask if there is another question until the questions stop. If you dont get a question just tell your animal ok I will ask again later.

Wind: Do you suggest doing this in a meditated state?

Marta_nr: People often find themselves in detailed conversations with their animals without even realizing it when they do this practice. It is a gera thing to do everyday.

Marta_nr: No it is not necessary to be in a meditative state.

Marta_nr: What is needed is to accept the very first thing that comes in and go with it. That is the hard part!

Dawn_nr: Marta, so often when I read "animal communicators" it seems like they have animals saying the most HUMAN things... very long speeches and I have a hard time believing most of them are doing anything other than telling us what we want to hear or what they think we should hear. I've read your books and your approach is very different. I like espcially how you work on telling people to talk to their animals themselves but what do you think about the field of animal communication in general?

Marta_nr: Well I am with you 100 % I think a lot of folks are not being real about this. It is important to verify and to try to avoid making anything up. I also believe this is something real world that can help people take better care of their animals

Dawn_nr: How do you verify?

Marta_nr: To verify you need to have proof. One way to get that is to check your information with the animals owner.

Marta_nr: With your own animals it can be harder to get instant proof. But you can get it. My theory about all this is that animals understand everything we say, think, feel and any images we form mentallly so ask someone else's animal to tell you something you can verify, so you get the feeling for what it's like to be commuincated with.

Marta_nr: Yes. For example I just spoke with a horse yesterday who said her teeth hurt. The owner had the vet check and he found that the horse had points that were cutting into the cheek and causing ulcers. That is one way to get proof

Dawn_nr: wow

Marta_nr: You can ask all kinds of verifiable things, like what an animals best friends are, what its house looks like, where it goes for a walk etc

Marta_nr: I believe a lot of communicators are grounded and doing a lot of verifiable work, but yes some do not seem very believable.

fireladie: what causes and animal to not want to communicate?

Marta_nr: Rescues who are afraid or have been abused

fireladie: any other reasons?

Marta_nr: And animals whose people are really negative and skeptical might not talk

fireladie: Can stubborness be an issue? LOL ga

Marta_nr: And also animals who are really stuck up!

Marta_nr: Yes stubborness could also be a factor.

fireladie: Haha, sounds like my horse Dude (he never talks) - that's the reason i asked.

fireladie: GA

Marta_nr: but I find I can usually reason with them and cajole them into talking

PHCatByte: In your first chat with us, Marta, you talked about how some animals, like humans, are just not as communicative as others--that really helped me!

Marta_nr: Yep and that is true too. Animals are as different as people.

SingingSibe: Do you recall helping a fellow from Minn back in 2003 to find his Siberians that were missing?

Marta_nr: Yes I do.

SingingSibe: That helped make a believer of me.

Marta_nr: Yes that was a great case. I was able to see as in remote viewing where the dog had gone and was able to give direction and description of the location and they found him.

PHChristy: amazing!

Marta_nr: Well it is no differnt than in my classes when a beginning student asks a dog or cat what his or her home looks like when they see the home inside and out it is remote viewing and even a total beginner can do this. That is why I say anyone can learn this

SingingSibe: storty became quite famous in Siberian circles

Shari_nr: I hope this question is okay. I suffer from depression and am disabled, and I feel sometimes I depend on my dog too much. But she seems really happy and loving, but I find it hard to trust my feelings, so I don't really know how to ask her, or know if I'm hearing something real or just my own imbalance or illness. Did that make sense?

Marta_nr: Yep. It is the million dollar question:

Marta_nr: Am I making this up?

Marta_nr: The answer is with your own animals when you start out you have to just assume that what you are gettng is coming from them.

Marta_nr: But that is why I recommend not asking really loaded quesitons like do you love me or do you have cancer!

Marta_nr: Ask them things like, what is your opinion of me taking a dance class, or do you want to go to the beach or the park? Or ask them if they have a question as we discussed before.

PHCatByte: Doc, you've got a question for marta?

Marta_nr: Another thing you can ask that is open ended is Do you have a message for me? Then the first thing that pops into your head accept it as a message from your animal. ga

thedoc617: I have been riding horses for a while, and I know that you cannot trick a horse. If I say in my mind I want to go left, and don't put any of my body movements (reins are loose and no pressure on the girth) the horse moves left. Do you think horses are more in-tune to us and our body movements ?

Marta_nr: Yes because we are sitting on them! no ...

Marta_nr: It is also because they are prey animals and they are way more tuned in to everything. Thats why they can get so hysterical. Life as a prey species is just more stressful!

thedoc617: True. mine goes crazy if he sees a paper bag. Thank you.

Dawn_nr: In your books you talk about communicating with nature, not just specifically with our pets. Can you talk about some of your experiences with that?

Marta_nr: Animals are always reading our minds and in tune with us. You have no secrets from your animals.

Marta_nr: Yes I believe that you can communicate with anything alive. I just got back from Baja visitng Gray whales and we got a lot of information from them about how their migration was going, problems they are having, and requests they have for us to do energy healing for the earth.

Marta_nr: People who are avid gardeners often tell me of talking with their plants and knowing that the plants are responding to them as well. The Secret Lifeof Plants is all about this. I also believe this is the way ancient people were with animals, trees, plants, rivers etc. It is the way things are supposed to be.

PHCatByte: Is there anything, from your experience in working with dying animals, that I could share with grieving people to help them them feel any easier about that part of their critter's journeys?

Marta_nr: I tell people that animals have a very different attitude toward death. They know they can come back.

Marta_nr: Also once they die they let go of the body and any of the pain or sadness. It is also very helpful for people to know that an animal's spirit is still there after they die...I believe they stay right with us in spirit until we are able to deal with their death...then they are always right there whenever we think of them or call on them. This can help.

PHCatByte: That's an interesting idea, that they stay until we're ready to say goodbye--thanks!

darkstar_nr: But Backster's experiments in the Secret Life of Plants were uncontrolled and unverified and unreplicatable. I just want to make that point. The book is not a reliable source.

Marta_nr: I also tell people to ask the animal togive signs that they are still around. These can be very dramatic.

darkstar_nr: Since dogs are trainable and eager to please, if it's easy to get location info from them, why can't you do statistically reliable experiments to demonstrate this? I'm a skeptic LOL

Marta_nr: I believe Clive has done further experiments and another book but would have to reserch.

Marta_nr: As for the idea of doing statistical experiments, Sheldrake has done that so see his work.

Marta_nr:

Marta_nr: The experiments I do result in anecdotal evidence. This could be tabulated and statistically analyzed. My feeling though is that it is not of interest to me to do that. I have already proven to myself that this is authentic My goal is to help people who want to learn to use it with their animals. I am not so interested in proving it to hard core skeptics.

fireladie: Can you communicate with animals of all age? How is it different from communicating with a young animal compared to an older animal? I have a new puppy, and an older dog, so just curious.

Marta_nr: I dont find a whole lot of difference in terms of age except that younger animals can be more enthusiastic, talk faster etc.

fireladie: okay, thankyou.

SingingSibe: some in the room know that I have used a Communicator in regards to my dog Bailey who told us before she crossed that she wanted to return and told us how we would find her again. She came back to us a couple of months later. Do you often have people asking how to find their departed pet?

Marta_nr: Yes and that is one area that I am cautious about. I tell people I will see if I get any impressions but that that is all they are -- my impressions. Then file it away and if something comes up that is like what I said take it back out and examine it.

SingingSibe: Thanks ga

PHCatByte: You said that they know that they can always come back--do they often?

Marta_nr: I believe so yes. I believe the animals we love and the people we love we are with over and over. See my book Beyond Words for a whole chapter of stories about animals who came back.

PHCatByte: Thanks! i can't imagine mine just sitting around twiddling their paws at the bridge, waiting.....

PHStilts: Is there a certian animal that is easier to communicate with? I talk to my animals and it seems that my rats are harder to understand or get an answer from.

Marta_nr: I dont think so. Except for some real princessy cats maybe.

PHStilts: Interesting

Dawn_nr: Do you feel that people ever become so absorbed in "listening to" their animals' communications they sort of become out of touch with common sense? I know people who just so totally obsess on their animals' inner thoughts it's like they miss out on obvious health issues or behavior problems, like they end up psychoanlyzing them instead of living with them and really understanding their needs.

Marta_nr: Yes again this has to be tied to real life and verifiable work. That is what I teach in my books

Marta_nr: Well if someone is going to be off they will find a way to do it with or with out animal communciation!

SingingSibe: You mentioned staying in spirit ... our Bailey stayed with us for quite some time until her new self arrived.

Marta_nr: Was that a question?

SingingSibe: For all of that time none of the other animals would get on her bed .... they knew she was still there is this common?

Marta_nr: Haven't heard of that before but it is curious and intersting.

PHCatByte: Thank you SO much, marta! Ialways learn so much from you.....

PHBlackBear: Thank you Marta for a very informative chat

Marta_nr: You are most welcome. I enjoyed it.