Margaret Meloni, PhD - Enlightenment Unleashed
Joining me for this episode is author and Buddhist practitioner, Margaret Meloni, PhD. We discuss her book, Enlightenment Unleashed. We chat about how our animals can lead us to a spiritual transformation, karma and how it influences our bond with our animals and how to heal from a loss of an animal. Have a listen to this fascinating and insightful discussion. Enjoy!
Listen to Episode #198 Now:
BIO:
Margaret Meloni is a businessperson, Buddhist practitioner, and host of The Death Dhamma Podcast. A discussion on dealing with the loss of a pet, led her to research animals, Buddhism, and our practice. The result is Enlightenment Unleashed. Her wish is for us to create a life with more peace and less suffering.
Transcript:
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Announcer: This is Pet Life Radio.
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Announcer: Let's talk pets.
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Tim Link: Welcome to Animal Writes on Pet Life Radio.
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Tim Link: This is your host, Tim Link, and I'm so glad you're joining us today.
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Tim Link: We've got a really fun, fascinating, and intriguing show.
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Tim Link: I just love this author and the topic.
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Tim Link: It gets you thinking about how wonderful our animals are and how they connect with us at a little bit deeper level.
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Tim Link: We've got author Margaret Meloni coming on to talk to us about her book, Enlightenment Unleashed, How Your Pet Can Lead You to Spiritual Transformation.
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Tim Link: So I just love that and I love the cover of the book and everything about it.
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Tim Link: So we're going to come back and talk to Margaret Meloni a little bit about the book, talk to her about how our animals can help us form an even deeper connection, and then of course we'll talk a little bit about the writing of the book, how easy it was, I'm sure, to put it all together.
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Tim Link: You're listening to Animal Writes on Pet Life Radio.
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Announcer: Let's Talk Pets on petliferadio.com.
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Tim Link: Welcome back to Animal Writes on Pet Life Radio.
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Tim Link: Joining us now is author and businessperson and Buddhist practitioner.
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Tim Link: She's also the host of the Death Nama podcast.
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Tim Link: Please introduce Margaret Meloni, Ph.D.
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Tim Link: Margaret, welcome to the show.
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Margaret Meloni: Thank you so much.
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Margaret Meloni: It's great to be here, and I'm happy to talk to you today about writing and our pets and Buddhism and all those things and how they maybe work together.
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Tim Link: Yeah, absolutely, absolutely.
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Tim Link: Well, you know, I love the fascination about it because, you know, my philosophy on life is we're all connected.
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Tim Link: Every energy, every bean that's out there, we're all connected.
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Tim Link: My philosophy is we come from host, source, spiritual connection, and we select a body and we fulfill whatever our purpose is, hopefully, while we're in that body, and then we make that transition out.
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Tim Link: So I've always had a fascination with all the different teachers that are out there, whether we're talking about Jesus or Krishna or whoever it may be, and of course, Buddha himself and the connection with animals in general.
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Tim Link: So when I saw your wonderful book, Enlightenment Unleashed, how your pet can lead you to spiritual transformation, I thought we got to find out more about that and see what Margaret knows that we don't know, which I'm certain is a whole lot more than we can imagine.
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Margaret Meloni: I don't know about that.
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Margaret Meloni: I think we do know.
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Margaret Meloni: And maybe this book is a way to help us acknowledge it, because I think those of us who are very close to our animals, which, you know, I'm speaking to all of you, you know that there's this bond.
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Margaret Meloni: And if you are not, if when you're paying attention, you know that there are things that your pet is teaching you, that sometimes we don't learn from other encounters in our lives.
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Margaret Meloni: And I love that, you know, you have this interest in this belief in, you know, the host in the coming and being in a farm, because that's really close to when we talk about the concept of karma in the book, we talk about Buddhist karma and the way that how we die and how we live impacts how we come back.
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Margaret Meloni: And we might come back in a certain way for a long time.
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Margaret Meloni: And one of those ways that we come back, one of those bodies is the animal body.
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Tim Link: Absolutely.
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Tim Link: You know, and that's the fascinating topic.
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Tim Link: You know, when we're here to work karma, I think a lot of times that gets a bad reputation, bad connotation.
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Tim Link: It's always like, oh, the karma is going to come back on you.
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Tim Link: It's going to get you when actually karma is much broader than that.
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Tim Link: And it's actually a very good thing.
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Margaret Meloni: It is.
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Margaret Meloni: It just is.
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Margaret Meloni: And I know we've got all the bumper stickers that say, you know, karma is a you know what?
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Margaret Meloni: And especially in the West, we love to see somebody live their results right away.
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Margaret Meloni: But karma, from the perspective that I'm talking about, it really simply means action.
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Margaret Meloni: And really the way we live our lives, our thoughts, our behaviors, shape the action.
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Margaret Meloni: And sure, sometimes we dwell on the, well, this bad thing happened to you, so you must have bad karma.
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Margaret Meloni: And I like to just say, well, what I have is karma.
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Margaret Meloni: And what my cats have is karma.
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Margaret Meloni: And what your schnauzers have is karma.
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Margaret Meloni: And I don't want to be judgy about, like, who I was or who they were.
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Margaret Meloni: We're here now.
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Margaret Meloni: This is how we are.
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Margaret Meloni: And we have an opportunity to keep moving.
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Margaret Meloni: And for us, as people who live with animals, we have an opportunity to help our animals shape their karma and have a better ultimate experience also.
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Tim Link: Absolutely.
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Tim Link: One of the topics you talk about is how karma influences your bond with your pet and the connection you have with your pet.
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Tim Link: Can you expand on that a little bit further as far as how we select to come back into this body, into this world and this universe, this plane, and our connection, that love affair we have with animals, how does that bond build and connect us?
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Margaret Meloni: Well, so our choice, so speaking from a specific Buddhist perspective, our choice is made, I'll say, for us based on how we live and how we die.
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Margaret Meloni: But we can know that others around us in their different forms have probably been part of our lives at another time, at another time.
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Margaret Meloni: Now, the unfortunate news is that a perspective is that being reborn as an animal isn't the best possible thing.
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Margaret Meloni: Now, a lot of us, definitely people who are listening right now, you at home, my two lovely cats, cats in my past life, past current life, but you know, they have a good experience.
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Margaret Meloni: But some animals don't have a good experience.
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Margaret Meloni: Some animals, our strays are out there, they're looking for food, they're looking for shelter, there are animals living in the wild who have to hunt and be hunted.
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Margaret Meloni: And whether we like that idea or not, that can be because of how their life was before.
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Margaret Meloni: Now, you and I, we have some inclination to be companions with animals.
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Margaret Meloni: And maybe that's because before we had good companionship with animals, or maybe we are at a place where we are at a level to love and respect another sentient being in a certain way and to include that little being on our journey.
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Tim Link: And your philosophy or the Buddhist philosophy will say either way, you want to look at it, even with our animals, they possibly could be part of our past journeys as well, and they've come back to be part of that journey continuing forward.
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Margaret Meloni: Absolutely true, absolutely true.
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Margaret Meloni: There is a section that I talk about something called the Jataka Tales, which are stories.
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Margaret Meloni: We almost can think of them if you want a comparison like Aesop's Fables.
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Margaret Meloni: And they're stories that talk about a long time ago, the Buddha was a monkey.
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Margaret Meloni: A long time ago, the Buddha was a swan.
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Margaret Meloni: Stories like that.
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Margaret Meloni: And they're meant to do a couple of things.
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Margaret Meloni: They teach Buddhist principles.
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Margaret Meloni: They teach what it means to live a life that's, I'll say, moral and just.
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Margaret Meloni: But they also show us that there's this possibility to have been these different beings in different lifetimes, and that we can grow.
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Margaret Meloni: Because again, you know, unfortunately, an animal rebirth isn't considered to be the best rebirth.
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Margaret Meloni: The best rebirth is to be a human.
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Margaret Meloni: And you can see why, right?
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Margaret Meloni: But there's the hope.
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Margaret Meloni: There's the hope.
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Margaret Meloni: Because if the Buddha was once a swan and then came back as a human and then became an enlightened being, so can we.
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Tim Link: Yeah, absolutely.
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Tim Link: You know, and that's sort of the, when I take a look at, you know, I'm not a religious scholar by any mean, I'm a pseudo spiritual scholar, as far as I know, my journey, my path.
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Tim Link: But the philosophy I've always looked at, and when I take a look at religion, look at spirituality, there are a lot of, we'll say, religions and spiritual teachings out there that perhaps don't put the animal on the same level as the human or have them.
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Tim Link: They're just sort of, in my opinion, oftentimes looked at as sort of an afterthought.
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Tim Link: They're a lesser, much lesser being, so we will spend less time teaching people about the value of the animal and the connection we have with them.
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Tim Link: Where it sounds like, you know, everything I know and what you're saying about Buddhism, that's not the case.
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Margaret Meloni: Well, yeah, big picture.
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Margaret Meloni: It's that we want to be kind to all beings around us.
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Margaret Meloni: We want to show compassion to all beings around us.
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Margaret Meloni: But I need to be fair and honest and say that if there's a choice between a human life and an animal life, Buddhism will still prioritize the human life.
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Tim Link: There you go.
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Tim Link: But my mother-in-law, she'll prioritize it the opposite way.
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Tim Link: She always says, I want to come back as one of your animals because look at all these toys and treats and everything you give them.
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Tim Link: So I think she would rather come back.
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Margaret Meloni: I get that.
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Margaret Meloni: I used to think, you know, I'm going to come back as a cat because what a life.
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Tim Link: Yeah, absolutely.
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Tim Link: Live a dog or cat's life.
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Tim Link: That's the way I want to go.
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Margaret Meloni: Exactly.
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Margaret Meloni: But the key is who's cat, who's dog?
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Tim Link: Ah, there you go.
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Tim Link: There you go.
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Tim Link: Well, that's the, you know, when we talk about, I've talked to various people over the years, and I've done studies and written articles, et cetera, about the topic of reincarnation and coming back as what being are you going to be coming back as?
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Tim Link: And expanding on a little bit further when you talk about reincarnation, do our animals in particular in this conversation come back multiple times in our life over and over again?
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Tim Link: Or sometimes do they come back one and done and they taught their lesson, they moved on.
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Tim Link: So from a Buddhism standpoint, it sounds like the same critters could have been with you for many, many lifetimes and perhaps in different bodies, though.
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Margaret Meloni: Absolutely true, because, you know, coming referring back to those Jataka tales in those Jataka tales where they're saying like the Buddha was once a monkey, the Buddha was once a swan, the Buddha was once a deer.
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Margaret Meloni: Very often in those stories, there'll be other animals, of course, and it'll say.
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Margaret Meloni: And in this instance, the other monkey was Ananda, who was his cousin, who was like his attendant.
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Margaret Meloni: And in this story, you know, the crocodile was David Dutta, which was a relative of the Buddha who was jealous of him and always tried to kill him.
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Margaret Meloni: And so they reappear in these stories as different animals.
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Margaret Meloni: And I think that that really confirms what you're saying, which is in different lifetimes, maybe the two cats that I have with me right now may have been with me as something else, or maybe one of them was a cat who was with me 12 years ago, deceased, came back.
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Margaret Meloni: I can't know, but I can certainly, we can certainly make a case for the truth of that, definitely.
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Tim Link: And I think that's when you talk about, you know, knowing, is this the case?
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Tim Link: Is there a sense of knowing?
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Tim Link: I think a lot of times as humans, we look at it from a purely scientific standpoint or from a societal standpoint, the fact that, you know, we have to have physical proof.
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Tim Link: We got to have it in our hands.
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Tim Link: Your cat has to write you a letter stating, hey, I've been here before with you.
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Tim Link: You remember when you had the, you used to wear the black ribbons in your hair, just saying off the top of my head.
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Margaret Meloni: Exactly, exactly.
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Margaret Meloni: That cat's got to say, hey, Margaret, when you were a little girl, your family had a cat named Puddy, and you used to dress me in baby clothes.
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Margaret Meloni: I'm here.
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Margaret Meloni: Ta-da!
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Tim Link: There you go.
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Tim Link: And then you're on the network circuit and you got the psychic cat of the world and you're in...
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Tim Link: There you go.
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Margaret Meloni: But the truth is, there's so much that hasn't been proven.
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Margaret Meloni: So what we can say today is we don't know, we don't have proof now, we have these ideas.
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Margaret Meloni: And then, okay, this is really not scientific, but we have feelings.
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Margaret Meloni: We have different bonds with different animals who have been in our lives.
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Margaret Meloni: And sometimes we just have this feeling.
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Tim Link: Absolutely.
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Tim Link: And that goes back to that sense of knowing.
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Tim Link: You know, I'm a Reiki master and so I'm a Reiki practitioner.
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Tim Link: And part of Reiki is the, you know, alignment of the chakras and the center of chakras, the center of your whole knowing, that, you know, that sort of the solar plex.
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Tim Link: And so when I talk to those that aren't familiar with these terminologies, I have to sort of put it in words that perhaps the layman would understand or those that are just not familiarized with chakras and Reiki in general.
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Tim Link: And we say, OK, the center of our knowing, we don't have to call it, you know, the solar plex chakra, the sacral chakra.
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Tim Link: We can call it your gut feeling.
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Tim Link: Everybody knows a gut feeling and everybody has a heart connection with their animals.
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Tim Link: And they can better understand that philosophy.
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Tim Link: And I think that's where the knowing comes in.
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Tim Link: I think we do have our heart connection with our animals.
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Tim Link: And when we have a knowing that that particular animal is meant to be in our life or has been with us through various journeys of our life, we don't necessarily have to have any scientific proof or kitty writings on the scribble down, proving what you were as a child.
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Margaret Meloni: We do not.
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Margaret Meloni: But I sure would love if my two cats right now could tell me some things, especially one of them, because they both are rescue cats, and one of them was really feral, and sometimes he's still really feral.
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Margaret Meloni: And I would just like him to tell me what is going on.
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Tim Link: That's where animal communication comes into play.
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Tim Link: So that's where we can help out and make that telepathic connection with our animals and have that sense of knowing what they're thinking or what they're doing.
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Tim Link: So one of the things that you talk about in the book Enlightenment Unleashed, you talk about that, your journey to dealing with this discussion from Buddhism all the way now to practicing and having more research done from a healing standpoint, dealing with losses of our pets and dealing with that recovery and that emotion and everything that's involved with that.
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Tim Link: Tell me a little bit about that journey and how your practices, as well as leading into this book, how it led you to that.
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Margaret Meloni: Well, you know, I had done some other work about death and dying and grief, and it was more from the perspective of losing humans that we loved.
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Margaret Meloni: And I was sitting next to somebody one day, and she had just lost a cat, whom she had had for 19 years, and she said, I wish next you would do something to help us with the grief we feel when we lose our animal friends.
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Margaret Meloni: And I thought about it, and I came up with nothing, nothing new.
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Margaret Meloni: I came up with nothing new, I should say.
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Margaret Meloni: And the reason for that was I realized we have the same feelings.
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Margaret Meloni: We have the same sadness.
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Margaret Meloni: We have the same grief.
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Margaret Meloni: We have the same sense of loss because someone who was an important being, an important relationship to us, is gone.
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Margaret Meloni: And that's what led me to research a little bit more, because I found the idea of researching our relationship with our pets to be very compelling.
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Margaret Meloni: And there's a chapter where I talk about grief and dealing with loss, but it is probably the same thing that I would say to someone who had lost a beloved family member, because grief is grief.
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Margaret Meloni: Loss is loss.
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Margaret Meloni: And that's part of what I learned on the way to do this.
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Margaret Meloni: And so that's why I actually delved into other topics.
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Tim Link: Well, I love the fact that you took on this topic and did some research and sort of proved that you're right, grief is grief.
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Tim Link: And I do a lot of grief counseling when I work with clients, animals that have made their transition or are about to make their transition.
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Tim Link: And as us humans, we like to beat ourselves up.
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Tim Link: We like to say, did I do too much?
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Tim Link: Did I not do enough?
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Tim Link: Did I do it too soon?
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Tim Link: Did I do it too late?
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Tim Link: What am I going to do now?
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Tim Link: Friends are telling me to move on.
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Tim Link: They're wanting to get me a new dog or a cat or a bird or a rabbit to help me with the process.
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Tim Link: Three months later, I'm still crying.
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Tim Link: Is this okay?
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Tim Link: And absolutely the answer is it's okay.
00:16:36.800 --> 00:16:39.180
Tim Link: The grieving process, we all go through it differently.
00:16:39.520 --> 00:16:40.680
Tim Link: There's no right or wrong.
00:16:40.780 --> 00:16:41.960
Tim Link: You have to go through it.
00:16:42.400 --> 00:16:47.000
Tim Link: I do know that those sad tears eventually become happy tears.
00:16:47.020 --> 00:16:52.860
Tim Link: And you remember all the fun and silly and loving things that you did with your animal and had the connection with your animal.
00:16:53.140 --> 00:16:57.700
Tim Link: But there's no right or wrong way of going through the grieving process.
00:16:58.040 --> 00:16:58.520
Margaret Meloni: Absolutely.
00:16:58.540 --> 00:16:59.500
Margaret Meloni: And there's no time frame.
00:16:59.520 --> 00:17:01.500
Margaret Meloni: And I really appreciate that you pointed that out.
00:17:02.060 --> 00:17:06.420
Margaret Meloni: Some people may get a puppy from a litter two weeks later.
00:17:06.980 --> 00:17:10.920
Margaret Meloni: Some people, I have had people turn to me and say, I just can't ever do this again.
00:17:11.500 --> 00:17:16.380
Margaret Meloni: And so they've decided they're not going to have any more pets because they just don't want to go through the loss.
00:17:16.900 --> 00:17:18.980
Margaret Meloni: And then it's somewhat in between.
00:17:19.000 --> 00:17:27.260
Margaret Meloni: I had a cat that had been with me for about 15 and a half years and very eventful years in my life.
00:17:27.860 --> 00:17:32.940
Margaret Meloni: And people would joke, and maybe because he was a black cat, they'd say, like, oh, he's your familiar.
00:17:33.440 --> 00:17:36.320
Margaret Meloni: Or I remember one time somebody said, they called me a witch.
00:17:36.360 --> 00:17:36.700
Margaret Meloni: OK.
00:17:38.080 --> 00:17:44.340
Margaret Meloni: And somebody else said, you know, that's the first cat that I've ever looked at where I feel like something is looking back at me.
00:17:44.580 --> 00:17:47.600
Margaret Meloni: And so we had this very close relationship, this cat and I.
00:17:47.980 --> 00:17:50.060
Margaret Meloni: And when he died, I was a mess.
00:17:50.280 --> 00:17:51.020
Margaret Meloni: I was a mess.
00:17:51.640 --> 00:17:52.680
Margaret Meloni: And we had another cat.
00:17:53.320 --> 00:18:00.360
Margaret Meloni: And the cute thing about that other cat was the morning after my familiar died, this cat took me over.
00:18:00.800 --> 00:18:07.860
Margaret Meloni: He the next morning jumped up on the bed, jumped up on me, patted me on the face, woke me up, followed me around the house.
00:18:08.020 --> 00:18:11.100
Margaret Meloni: So he took over the care and feeding of Margaret.
00:18:11.520 --> 00:18:24.800
Margaret Meloni: Well, it was a long time, not a full year, but several months before I would consent to bringing another companion cat into the house for Soho, who was the one left behind and taking care of me.
00:18:25.800 --> 00:18:27.520
Margaret Meloni: And it took some urging.
00:18:28.120 --> 00:18:30.520
Margaret Meloni: And I wasn't want to say I was pushed.
00:18:30.840 --> 00:18:32.560
Margaret Meloni: I don't mean that I was unready.
00:18:32.580 --> 00:18:35.520
Margaret Meloni: I would just say that I didn't know I was ready yet.
00:18:35.860 --> 00:18:40.360
Margaret Meloni: And my husband said, it's time, it's time.
00:18:40.380 --> 00:18:42.680
Margaret Meloni: And I would really like us to have another cat.
00:18:42.700 --> 00:18:43.660
Margaret Meloni: And can you do this?
00:18:44.100 --> 00:18:45.300
Margaret Meloni: And so we did.
00:18:45.300 --> 00:18:48.220
Margaret Meloni: And so everybody's story is different.
00:18:48.340 --> 00:18:50.660
Margaret Meloni: We just want to respect each other in this place.
00:18:50.940 --> 00:18:52.180
Tim Link: Yeah, absolutely.
00:18:52.200 --> 00:18:55.060
Tim Link: We just try to be there and support the best way you know how.
00:18:55.240 --> 00:18:56.340
Tim Link: That's all you can do.
00:18:56.360 --> 00:19:09.560
Tim Link: But I think it does help when people realize that it's okay to grieve for your animals at the same level or sometimes even deeper than you do for perhaps the humans that were around you, because you have that heart connection.
00:19:09.580 --> 00:19:15.980
Tim Link: So there's no reason why you would want to grieve or not have that connection with your animal.
00:19:16.300 --> 00:19:17.780
Margaret Meloni: And not everybody has to understand.
00:19:19.600 --> 00:19:32.420
Margaret Meloni: In a perfect world, where of course we live, in a perfect world, people would look, say at you or I or you and me, and they would say, I don't get it, but I respect it.
00:19:32.800 --> 00:19:34.500
Margaret Meloni: And that could be enough.
00:19:34.920 --> 00:19:36.360
Margaret Meloni: Now, we don't always get that.
00:19:36.380 --> 00:19:40.140
Margaret Meloni: Yes, there are going to be people that are going to be like, it was just a bunny.
00:19:40.480 --> 00:19:42.020
Margaret Meloni: It was just a cat.
00:19:42.960 --> 00:19:50.900
Margaret Meloni: And you know what, though, having gone through the loss of humans, as I'm sure many of you have, I will also say that there are people who think in 90 days you're done.
00:19:51.660 --> 00:20:04.220
Margaret Meloni: So for all of us, it would be so nice if what we could just do is meet each other where we are and give each other space and just look and say, I don't get what she's going through, but I get that she is going through it.
00:20:04.240 --> 00:20:05.780
Tim Link: I love that message.
00:20:06.240 --> 00:20:08.080
Tim Link: All right, well, we're going to take a quick commercial break.
00:20:08.100 --> 00:20:17.140
Tim Link: Then we'll come back and talk a little bit more with Margaret Meloni about her book Enlightenment Unleashed, How Your Pet Can Lead You To Spiritual Transformation.
00:20:17.560 --> 00:20:18.800
Tim Link: So everybody hang tight.
00:20:18.820 --> 00:20:20.360
Tim Link: We'll come back right after this commercial break.
00:20:20.520 --> 00:20:23.540
Tim Link: You're listening to Animal Writes on Pet Life Radio.
00:20:25.760 --> 00:20:31.760
Tim Link: Hi, this is Tim Link, Animal Communicator and Pet Expert, and host of Animal Writes on Pet Life Radio.
00:20:31.880 --> 00:20:34.480
Tim Link: Have you ever wanted to know what your pet is really thinking?
00:20:34.500 --> 00:20:37.720
Tim Link: Do you want to find out if they truly understand what you're trying to tell them?
00:20:37.880 --> 00:20:41.380
Tim Link: Or wish you could build a better understanding and closer relationship with your pet?
00:20:41.460 --> 00:20:42.460
Tim Link: Well, now you can.
00:20:42.680 --> 00:20:46.300
Tim Link: Learning to communicate with animals is a four-part on-demand workshop.
00:20:46.520 --> 00:21:04.220
Tim Link: In the workshop, you'll learn the essential techniques that are necessary to communicate with animals, including what is animal communication, breathing correctly to achieve the perfect state to communicate with your animals at a deeper level, using guided meditation exercises and methods to communicate with animals, and how to send and receive information from your animals.
00:21:04.440 --> 00:21:14.640
Tim Link: So if you're wanting to learn how to communicate and connect with your animals at a deeper level, visit petliferadio.com forward slash workshop and purchase and download Learning to Communicate with Animals.
00:21:14.780 --> 00:21:15.660
Tim Link: You'll be glad you did.
00:21:25.568 --> 00:21:32.968
Tim Link: PetLifeRadio.com Welcome back to Animal Writes on PetLife Radio.
00:21:34.008 --> 00:21:39.128
Tim Link: I continue our conversation with Margaret Meloni in her book, Enlightenment Unleashed.
00:21:39.308 --> 00:21:43.768
Tim Link: Now, Margaret, putting together the book, was this a epiphany you had?
00:21:44.128 --> 00:21:56.948
Tim Link: Did you have an idea that, hey, I want to write a book about this, Buddhism and the topic of animals, or was it somebody came to you and said, like you mentioned before, you got to write a book about this, you got to write about this?
00:21:57.428 --> 00:22:05.508
Margaret Meloni: You know, when somebody came to me and said, write about this, and I was a little lost, eventually I had an epiphany, which I think is true.
00:22:05.528 --> 00:22:12.288
Margaret Meloni: Like, you like to think epiphanies are just like all of a sudden, but I think that sometimes it's because stuff is turning around in our subconscious.
00:22:12.568 --> 00:22:15.168
Margaret Meloni: And so I have to be honest about something.
00:22:15.188 --> 00:22:30.968
Margaret Meloni: At first, I was a little judgy, not because I understood the part about how our grief for our pets is just like it is for any one that we've loved and lost, but it led me to think about how we really treat our animals like family.
00:22:31.328 --> 00:22:38.688
Margaret Meloni: And for a minute, or a minute might mean, I don't know, a few days or something, I felt like, but should we do this?
00:22:39.408 --> 00:22:47.868
Margaret Meloni: Here we are, this rich capitalistic nation, and other nations do this too, and we're spending all this money, and we're elevating these critters.
00:22:48.528 --> 00:22:49.408
Margaret Meloni: Is that right?
00:22:49.948 --> 00:22:59.148
Margaret Meloni: And then finally, one day, I had to take the advice, you know, that I gave a few minutes earlier, I had to take that, my own advice, and say, hey, Margaret, to myself, right?
00:22:59.168 --> 00:23:01.348
Margaret Meloni: Hey, Margaret, it doesn't matter.
00:23:01.608 --> 00:23:04.628
Margaret Meloni: You're not here to tell people, hey, these are animals.
00:23:05.088 --> 00:23:08.028
Margaret Meloni: You're here to see how you can help.
00:23:08.168 --> 00:23:09.968
Margaret Meloni: And so it's not your place to judge.
00:23:09.988 --> 00:23:12.968
Margaret Meloni: And by the way, my cats are living a lovely, comfortable life.
00:23:13.008 --> 00:23:15.928
Margaret Meloni: So I'm not any different than anyone else that I'm thinking of here.
00:23:16.468 --> 00:23:22.008
Margaret Meloni: And so it's not my place to make judgment about the fact that we've elevated our animals in status.
00:23:22.388 --> 00:23:31.548
Margaret Meloni: What I wanted to do was meet us where we were and talk about, since this is how it is, here's how they can help us in our spiritual practice.
00:23:31.568 --> 00:23:34.588
Margaret Meloni: And that was where I got to the epiphany place.
00:23:35.048 --> 00:23:35.668
Tim Link: I love that.
00:23:35.828 --> 00:23:36.368
Tim Link: I love that.
00:23:36.388 --> 00:23:48.108
Tim Link: You know, it's interesting from a writing perspective, whether you're writing an article or whether you're writing a book, whatever it may be, you know, I do think we have these epiphanies, you know, we have these things.
00:23:48.388 --> 00:23:52.268
Tim Link: We also have these editors and people come to us say, do you need to write about this or that?
00:23:52.288 --> 00:23:58.948
Tim Link: And sometimes it resonates and sometimes it doesn't, or sometimes we have to let it percolate for quite a while before we do something about it.
00:23:59.108 --> 00:24:05.308
Tim Link: But the other day, you just highlight just briefly there about the subconscious mind and the subconscious connection.
00:24:06.028 --> 00:24:12.628
Tim Link: And I'm a big practicer or preacher of this thing called meditation.
00:24:13.348 --> 00:24:16.648
Tim Link: And meditation comes in all forms and shapes and sizes.
00:24:16.648 --> 00:24:23.948
Tim Link: It could be guided meditation, chants, mantras, whatever it may be, or it could be simply working in your garden or listening to music.
00:24:23.968 --> 00:24:29.568
Tim Link: Anything allows your conscious monkey mind to shut off, allow that subconscious to open up.
00:24:29.588 --> 00:24:44.148
Tim Link: That's where all the ideas and the connection, I believe, with the source comes through, because you allow that portal to open up and allows all these things to come through to say, hey, you know, hey, Margaret, you need to write this book after all.
00:24:44.768 --> 00:24:45.448
Margaret Meloni: Mm-hmm.
00:24:45.708 --> 00:24:46.448
Margaret Meloni: You're so right.
00:24:46.468 --> 00:24:47.648
Margaret Meloni: And I do meditate.
00:24:47.948 --> 00:24:55.268
Margaret Meloni: And I don't remember when I what I was doing at that moment when I realized, like, let go of the judginess and this is what you need to write.
00:24:55.608 --> 00:25:21.308
Margaret Meloni: But I do believe that you are correct and that it is an absolute function of meditating, letting go of things, letting something else come to the surface and in a way, letting the way that I want to live my life and my Buddhist practice really come and take the place of any feelings of, hey, you need to tell people they shouldn't be doing this.
00:25:24.108 --> 00:25:28.088
Margaret Meloni: That don't write the book on, don't treat your animals like people.
00:25:28.108 --> 00:25:29.188
Margaret Meloni: Don't write that book.
00:25:29.548 --> 00:25:30.828
Tim Link: No, nobody wants that book.
00:25:30.848 --> 00:25:32.568
Margaret Meloni: Write the book on how this helps us.
00:25:33.008 --> 00:25:33.788
Tim Link: Absolutely.
00:25:33.808 --> 00:25:37.068
Tim Link: And then you may be the next guest on Animal Writes on Pet Life Radio.
00:25:37.088 --> 00:25:37.988
Tim Link: You never know.
00:25:38.008 --> 00:25:39.068
Tim Link: You got to write about those things.
00:25:39.088 --> 00:25:41.008
Margaret Meloni: I had no idea at that time.
00:25:42.128 --> 00:25:42.928
Tim Link: Absolutely.
00:25:43.208 --> 00:25:46.048
Tim Link: Well, writing the book, let me ask you about that process.
00:25:46.108 --> 00:25:49.028
Tim Link: Did you find it easy, difficult, fascinating?
00:25:49.288 --> 00:25:53.808
Tim Link: And are you up at five o'clock in the morning to get at it and get going?
00:25:54.048 --> 00:26:00.388
Tim Link: Or are you like me, wait till two days before it has to be edited and released to get it accomplished?
00:26:00.828 --> 00:26:01.388
Margaret Meloni: Oh, I love this.
00:26:01.668 --> 00:26:04.508
Margaret Meloni: I'm not a morning person, so that answers the five a.m.
00:26:04.948 --> 00:26:10.308
Margaret Meloni: I worked with a writing coach a few years back, and I want to share some of the things he taught me that really helped me.
00:26:10.588 --> 00:26:18.968
Margaret Meloni: He taught me to do some mind mapping so that once you have an idea before you write, because by the way, I can be a really linear thinker.
00:26:18.988 --> 00:26:24.228
Margaret Meloni: So like the first time I wrote something, I thought that I had to like start at the beginning and finish at the end.
00:26:24.348 --> 00:26:28.368
Margaret Meloni: And so as you all know, I got horribly blocked because I didn't know.
00:26:28.728 --> 00:26:39.948
Margaret Meloni: And so he helped pull me away from that and just do something like maybe on a big piece of white paper where I would put my central idea in the middle and then just use colored felt pens.
00:26:39.948 --> 00:26:45.648
Margaret Meloni: You can use whatever you want to come up with all these ideas of what do I think, you know, this will be about.
00:26:46.328 --> 00:26:50.468
Margaret Meloni: And then eventually those ideas possibly become topics or chapters.
00:26:52.008 --> 00:26:58.608
Margaret Meloni: And then eventually I write what I am ready to write on a given day.
00:26:59.388 --> 00:27:02.208
Margaret Meloni: And eventually, of course, you get narrowed down to what's left.
00:27:02.788 --> 00:27:10.888
Margaret Meloni: But so like maybe one day I'm in the mood to write about rebirth in animals and I finish that.
00:27:11.428 --> 00:27:17.908
Margaret Meloni: And then maybe another day I'm in the mood to write about what animals teach us about aging and I finish that.
00:27:19.788 --> 00:27:24.168
Margaret Meloni: And so that process gave me so much freedom, I'll say, away from my linear self.
00:27:25.088 --> 00:27:33.448
Margaret Meloni: But in terms of the deadlines, I got to a place where I wasn't where I wanted to be.
00:27:34.368 --> 00:27:41.028
Margaret Meloni: And by the way, all my deadlines are self-imposed, but I got I wanted the book out by a certain time and I could tell I wasn't going to get there.
00:27:41.668 --> 00:27:44.948
Margaret Meloni: And so I did something that others had recommended to me.
00:27:45.968 --> 00:27:51.668
Margaret Meloni: I took myself on a writing retreat and the change of scenery did me well.
00:27:51.688 --> 00:27:53.728
Margaret Meloni: I live in Southern California.
00:27:53.748 --> 00:27:55.428
Margaret Meloni: I went about 100 miles up the coast.
00:27:56.068 --> 00:28:10.088
Margaret Meloni: I rented a little Airbnb and for four or five days, I did nothing but get up, go get coffee and a pastry, write, go take a late lunch, go walk on the beach, write, sleep.
00:28:10.528 --> 00:28:14.088
Margaret Meloni: And that helped me get where I felt I needed to be.
00:28:14.568 --> 00:28:15.568
Tim Link: Nice, nice.
00:28:15.588 --> 00:28:18.608
Tim Link: Sort of a little Walden pond type of thing.
00:28:18.628 --> 00:28:19.708
Tim Link: Get away from it all.
00:28:21.008 --> 00:28:22.928
Margaret Meloni: And I've heard people talk about that before.
00:28:22.948 --> 00:28:27.548
Margaret Meloni: And I just, I thought, gosh, you know, you already work at home on your own.
00:28:27.568 --> 00:28:29.268
Margaret Meloni: You don't really need to do that.
00:28:29.628 --> 00:28:31.968
Margaret Meloni: But this time I needed to do that.
00:28:31.988 --> 00:28:33.388
Margaret Meloni: And it was so helpful.
00:28:33.848 --> 00:28:34.628
Tim Link: Absolutely.
00:28:34.648 --> 00:28:35.348
Tim Link: So I love that.
00:28:35.348 --> 00:28:48.948
Tim Link: I love that how you came about and the idea of realizing, like you said, get away from the linear thinking because it doesn't have to come in, you know, chapter one has to be this and chapter 32 has to be this.
00:28:49.008 --> 00:28:53.128
Tim Link: Keep going from one to 32 in a straight line because that that never happens.
00:28:53.348 --> 00:29:04.068
Tim Link: I've had the the fun and interesting education of the movies being on, you know, just as a background performer type thing on various movies.
00:29:04.708 --> 00:29:15.588
Tim Link: And I don't think people realize that they don't go from, you know, the intro to the end, you know, that the same actors aren't sitting and waiting in their trailer for eight days before their next role comes about.
00:29:15.608 --> 00:29:20.788
Tim Link: They basically hire an actor, say, OK, you're in these eight scenes throughout the movie.
00:29:20.808 --> 00:29:26.048
Tim Link: We're going to do all those eight and then you're going to go back home because we're going to pay you to set in your trailer for the next 30 days.
00:29:26.308 --> 00:29:32.268
Margaret Meloni: Yes, yes, I just needed somebody to give me the freedom to let go of how I'm used to doing things.
00:29:32.288 --> 00:29:36.208
Margaret Meloni: You know, by the way, I used to be a computer programmer, so I think that kind of shows what was going on there.
00:29:37.628 --> 00:29:40.348
Margaret Meloni: And then something else is always very helpful for me.
00:29:40.828 --> 00:29:46.968
Margaret Meloni: I need editing, definitely, of course, but a developmental editor is so helpful for me.
00:29:47.288 --> 00:29:56.088
Margaret Meloni: So to send a rough draft to someone who will look at it and talk about the ideas and the flow and the maybe move this here and do more of that.
00:29:56.948 --> 00:29:58.088
Margaret Meloni: I love that.
00:29:58.148 --> 00:29:59.468
Margaret Meloni: It helps me so much.
00:29:59.888 --> 00:30:00.388
Tim Link: It's good.
00:30:00.828 --> 00:30:02.808
Tim Link: All those are excellent, excellent things.
00:30:02.848 --> 00:30:04.748
Tim Link: And I like the retreat.
00:30:04.768 --> 00:30:07.908
Tim Link: I think I'll take a writer's retreat, but I'm not sure if I'll do the writing.
00:30:07.928 --> 00:30:08.748
Tim Link: I just want to get up.
00:30:11.008 --> 00:30:13.968
Tim Link: Go get the croissant and the coffee and then walk on the beach.
00:30:13.988 --> 00:30:15.328
Tim Link: That sounds better to me, Margaret.
00:30:15.348 --> 00:30:15.748
Tim Link: I don't know.
00:30:16.228 --> 00:30:18.088
Margaret Meloni: You see, I kind of made it cushy though.
00:30:18.108 --> 00:30:19.128
Margaret Meloni: See, I made it cushy, right?
00:30:19.148 --> 00:30:19.848
Margaret Meloni: Because, yeah, I did.
00:30:19.868 --> 00:30:21.248
Margaret Meloni: I had the croissant and the coffee.
00:30:21.268 --> 00:30:24.908
Margaret Meloni: And when I went out for those lunches, they were nice lunches.
00:30:25.388 --> 00:30:25.848
Tim Link: Absolutely.
00:30:26.368 --> 00:30:31.068
Tim Link: And I think the next book, you're just going to tell your husband, it has to be, Paris has to be the retreat.
00:30:31.088 --> 00:30:31.588
Tim Link: I'm sorry.
00:30:31.608 --> 00:30:33.088
Tim Link: It's going to, Southern France.
00:30:33.108 --> 00:30:40.888
Tim Link: I just have to go there because that's where my, the ley lines are and where the connection with Source is for me to write the best book ever.
00:30:41.748 --> 00:30:42.408
Margaret Meloni: Why not?
00:30:42.688 --> 00:30:46.968
Margaret Meloni: It supports your creative process because that's really what it's about, isn't it?
00:30:47.108 --> 00:30:47.668
Tim Link: That's it.
00:30:47.708 --> 00:30:48.308
Tim Link: That's it.
00:30:48.428 --> 00:30:53.648
Tim Link: Well, after putting together the book, Enlightenment Unleashed, what do you hope when people pick up the book and read through it?
00:30:53.668 --> 00:30:55.088
Tim Link: What do you hope they gain from it?
00:30:55.108 --> 00:31:00.208
Tim Link: Is there a centralized message that you have, or is there a general message that you hope they walk away with?
00:31:00.828 --> 00:31:09.028
Margaret Meloni: I hope that they walk away with an understanding of the deeper level of our relationships with our pets.
00:31:09.428 --> 00:31:14.928
Margaret Meloni: So, okay, for some people, see, I call it a book for Buddhists who love pets, but for pet owners who are curious about Buddhism.
00:31:15.268 --> 00:31:20.868
Margaret Meloni: And so there could be a couple of things going on there, like, because in a way, this book is teaching Buddhist concepts.
00:31:20.888 --> 00:31:23.388
Margaret Meloni: So if you're new to Buddhism, you might walk away with that.
00:31:23.668 --> 00:31:40.788
Margaret Meloni: But overall, all of us, hopefully we're walking away with this understanding of the depth of feeling in these little beings and what they're bringing to us beyond just going for a walk with us, beyond sitting next to you while you watch TV.
00:31:41.088 --> 00:31:49.608
Margaret Meloni: If you really pay attention, there's so much that our animal companions can really be helping us.
00:31:50.308 --> 00:32:03.108
Margaret Meloni: And that help can move you forward in your spiritual life, whatever you choose, and that that can bring you to a place of more joy and peace in your life.
00:32:03.788 --> 00:32:04.908
Tim Link: Fantastic message.
00:32:04.928 --> 00:32:05.588
Tim Link: I love that.
00:32:05.628 --> 00:32:06.408
Tim Link: I love that.
00:32:06.748 --> 00:32:10.108
Tim Link: And no more walking your dog and texting at the same time.
00:32:10.268 --> 00:32:11.468
Tim Link: That's got to be outlawed.
00:32:11.648 --> 00:32:14.108
Tim Link: That's not part of this book or part of our lives.
00:32:14.708 --> 00:32:21.148
Margaret Meloni: That's right, because you should be there and paying attention to your dog who is showing you things when and maybe you don't know it.
00:32:21.428 --> 00:32:25.148
Margaret Meloni: But when your dog is sniffing something and looking up at you, they're telling you something.
00:32:25.168 --> 00:32:29.308
Margaret Meloni: They're saying, hey, over here, the dog two doors down was here two days ago.
00:32:29.368 --> 00:32:30.068
Margaret Meloni: Pay attention.
00:32:30.268 --> 00:32:30.868
Tim Link: That's right.
00:32:31.008 --> 00:32:31.568
Tim Link: That's right.
00:32:31.588 --> 00:32:32.128
Tim Link: I love it.
00:32:32.188 --> 00:32:32.608
Tim Link: Love it.
00:32:33.268 --> 00:32:33.668
Tim Link: All right.
00:32:33.688 --> 00:32:35.528
Tim Link: Well, everybody go out and pick up a copy of the book.
00:32:36.128 --> 00:32:42.368
Tim Link: It's a book called Enlightenment Unleashed, How Your Pet Can Lead You to Spiritual Transformation by Margaret Meloni.
00:32:42.828 --> 00:32:46.288
Tim Link: Margaret, we're going to post your website on the episode as well.
00:32:47.588 --> 00:32:53.408
Tim Link: Is there any other ways people need to be tracking you, following you, figuring out where you're at so they can meet you in person?
00:32:53.748 --> 00:32:54.408
Margaret Meloni: Oh, I love that.
00:32:54.808 --> 00:33:00.548
Margaret Meloni: You can find me on Twitter or X as Margaret Meloni.
00:33:00.788 --> 00:33:03.568
Margaret Meloni: You can find me on Instagram as Margaret Meloni.
00:33:03.588 --> 00:33:13.128
Margaret Meloni: Sometimes I'm not as active there as I could be, but I'm definitely trying to put up the wisdom of Willie, which is one of my cats, and Things Earl Says, which is one of the other cats.
00:33:14.168 --> 00:33:17.388
Margaret Meloni: And I think those would probably be the two best places for you to find me right now.
00:33:17.488 --> 00:33:19.488
Margaret Meloni: LinkedIn, find me professionally.
00:33:20.288 --> 00:33:21.628
Tim Link: Fantastic, fantastic.
00:33:21.648 --> 00:33:27.708
Tim Link: Everybody pick up a copy of the book and definitely keep track of what Margaret Meloni PhD has going on.
00:33:28.248 --> 00:33:33.268
Tim Link: Once again, the name of the book is Enlightenment Unleashed, How Your Pet Can Lead You to Spiritual Transformation.
00:33:33.568 --> 00:33:35.608
Tim Link: Margaret, thanks so much for coming on the show.
00:33:35.628 --> 00:33:36.448
Tim Link: It was a pleasure.
00:33:36.468 --> 00:33:37.228
Tim Link: It's enlightening.
00:33:37.248 --> 00:33:42.888
Tim Link: I love the philosophy, the spirituality, and most of all, how we can truly connect with our animals.
00:33:42.908 --> 00:33:43.768
Tim Link: I love the message.
00:33:44.128 --> 00:33:45.248
Margaret Meloni: Thank you so much.
00:33:45.248 --> 00:33:46.688
Margaret Meloni: And I loved this conversation.
00:33:46.708 --> 00:33:48.228
Margaret Meloni: And thank you for everything that you do.
00:33:48.668 --> 00:33:49.508
Tim Link: Absolutely.
00:33:49.988 --> 00:33:51.668
Tim Link: Well, we're coming to end the show today.
00:33:51.688 --> 00:33:55.648
Tim Link: I want to thank everyone for listening to Animal Writes on Pet Life Radio.
00:33:56.028 --> 00:33:58.948
Tim Link: Thank the producers and sponsors for making this show possible.
00:33:59.208 --> 00:34:05.448
Tim Link: If you have any ideas, thoughts or comments or people you want to see or hear on the show, drop us a line.
00:34:05.468 --> 00:34:12.208
Tim Link: You can go to petliferadio.com and we'll be glad to entertain your comments, answer your questions, and bring on the people you want to hear from most.
00:34:12.968 --> 00:34:20.708
Tim Link: And so next time, write a great story about the animals in your life, and who knows, you may be the next guest on Animal Writes on Pet Life Radio.
00:34:20.728 --> 00:34:21.768
Tim Link: Have a great day.
00:34:22.568 --> 00:34:28.588
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