Hindu Mythology, Animals & the Oneness of Life (Part 1)

Episode Description 🐾

In Part 1 of this profound conversation, Trisha McCagh is joined by scholar, storyteller, and thought leader Deepak Shimkhada, whose work bridges Hindu philosophy, mythology, spirituality, and reflections on modern science.

Together they explore the deeply interconnected nature of all life—humans, animals, insects, and all living beings—as expressions of one universal reality.

Deepak shares how Hindu mythology reflects ancient understandings of evolution, consciousness, and the natural world, long before modern science. The discussion moves through sacred animal traditions, symbolic storytelling, and the deeper meaning of divinity in all beings.

This episode invites us to look beyond separation and ego, and instead reconnect with a timeless truth: all existence is one, expressed in infinite forms.

Episode Highlights 🐶

• Shared DNA between humans and all living beings and what it reveals about unity
• How Hindu mythology mirrors ideas of evolution and early science
• Sacred animal festivals such as Tihar (Diwali) and their spiritual meaning
• Why crows, dogs, cows, and other animals are honoured in tradition
• The story of Indra and the ants: humility, ego, and perspective
• Vishnu’s incarnations and parallels with evolutionary theory
• The concept of Brahman: one ultimate reality behind all existence
• Multiplicity vs oneness in Hindu philosophy
• Karma, vegetarianism, and transmigration of life
• Animals as expressions of divinity and consciousness

⏱️ Episode Chapters 🐾

00:00 – Introduction to Deepak Shimkhada
 00:38 – DNA, Evolution & Shared Life Across Species
 01:43 – Mythology as Ancient Science
 02:35 – Animals in Hindu Festivals & Daily Life
 04:00 – Tihar (Diwali) & Honouring Animals
 05:03 – The Universe as One Family
 06:30 – Brahman: The Singular Reality
 07:47 – Can Humanity Unite Under One Truth?
 09:59 – Origins of Hinduism & Timeless Philosophy
 12:28 – Indra & the Ants: Ego & Humility Lesson
 15:15 – Vishnu’s Avatars & Evolutionary Parallel
 18:15 – Animals as Divine Symbols
 20:01 – Vegetarianism, Karma & Non-Violence
 22:25 – Transmigration & Life Across Forms
 26:29 – Closing Reflections & Transition to Part 2

🐾 Animal News

A deeply moving story shared in this episode features a rescued kitten named Geato, found in a temple in South Korea and taken in by monks.

Geato has grown up immersed in the temple environment and is described as spending long periods in deep stillness, appearing to enter meditative states alongside the monks. He is highly sensitive to interruption and deeply attuned to the calm energy of the space.

What makes this story so powerful is the sense that Geato naturally embodies presence and awareness. In the shared silence of the temple, the boundaries between human and animal seem to dissolve, creating a unified field of stillness and consciousness.

The story becomes a reflection on how animals naturally live in the present moment—without distraction, without separation, and without resistance. Geato gently invites us to reconsider meditation not as something we do, but something we already are beneath the noise of modern life.

👤 About the Guest

Deepak Shimkhada is a scholar, author, and cultural thinker whose work explores Hindu philosophy, mythology, and the intersection of spirituality, symbolism, and consciousness. His teachings focus on the unity of all life and the deeper meanings embedded in ancient 

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Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:02

Today we're joined by an extraordinary scholar and storyteller, Deepak Shimkada, an academic, author, and thought leader whose life work bridges Eastern philosophy, Hindu traditions, and modern understanding. Deepak brings a rare depth of wisdom, helping us explore spirituality, mythology, culture, and our connection to the natural world in a way that feels both ancient and deeply relevant today. It's an honor to welcome him to the show. Hi, Deepak. Thank you so much for coming on the show. I'm just so honored. This is just going to be so exciting for our audience and for me, actually. So thank you so much. Thank you, Teresa. I'd like to gain your perspective on humans and animals sharing DNA and how this relates to the role of animals in Hindu mythology.

SPEAKER_03 0:53

Well, I'm not going to go into science because I am not a scientist, I'm not a biologist, but I know something about, you know, the readings that I have read, how much DNA human beings share with animals. And there's a whole list of percentages that gives you on the internet, so anyone can pull that information. Then all the way to bacteria, you know, we share DNA with every everything else, every organism. So that means we're part of the whole giga, you know, the whole cosmos. And uh apparently uh Hindus, the the wise folks who who per who conceived the in the mythology, the whole mythology is based on science, because obviously this is science, right? Because now science has proven that you know we uh chimpanzee and human beings share ninety-eight to ninety-nine percent of DNA, and that the list goes goes down all the way to bacteria. With the bacteria we share twenty to thirty percent. That's still a significant number. So apparently, based on that, so they have you know um come up with stories uh that relate to our relationship with uh these organisms, with animals, especially since we're dealing with animals today. So a lot of important uh animals that are uh featured in the stories, and those are fascinating stories how they are related.

SPEAKER_02 2:38

So we're much more deeply connected with animals than we probably ever believed.

SPEAKER_03 2:42

Especially in Hindu Hinduism, you know, there are festivals that are designed to honor these animals. Of course, we deal with them every day, but apparently, you know, one day in a year, okay, this is the special day, dog's day, cow's day, the bull's day, you know, the each animal has its own day, uh the dog's day, right? And then they are paraded, they are you know given garlands, they are given sweets, all the best food that that they like. So this is how they are honored rather than worshipped, if they're recognized, honored in Nepal, especially you know during the month of October and November. Starts with their five days of celebration. Uh, the first day is uh dedicated to crows. Because remember, again, you know, we know how crows are intelligent, very, you know, clever, intelligent birds, and you know, their qualities are recognized uh as early as you know thousands of years ago by these people. The crows are supposed to be or they recognized as messengers. When you say messenger, uh it could be a good good message, it could be a bad message. So always hope to get a good message. So is that the festival of light that you're describing? Right, right. It is the festival of light. Uh it's called Diwali or Dipavali. In Nepal it is called Tihar, T-I-H-A-R.

SPEAKER_02 4:14

Wow, and so that goes for five days, and then they and they're honoring individual animals. Right, starting with the crow because it's the messenger. Any animal lovers out there or anyone, because you know, animals have changed now with people across the world, especially in the Western culture. But with the domestic animals, you know, they're part of the family. They've become such an important part of our lives. I don't know of any festival that we have that we're actually honoring and showcasing how beautiful and how wonderful these animals are and what they give to the planet.

SPEAKER_03 4:48

Right. You know, for their special abilities, you know, we have to recognize, you know, what they stand for, right?

SPEAKER_02 4:54

How does the philosophy of ancient Indian society cultivate a sense of belonging that includes all beings and the natural world?

SPEAKER_01 5:04

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_03 5:06

Yes. I mean, obviously the Hindus have considered, you know, the whole cosmos, the whole world is a village. It's just a one family, actually. That's how it should be, shouldn't it?

SPEAKER_02 5:20

Right, exactly. In my view. And I'm so thrilled to get this information out there about Hindu mythology and and their beliefs, because this would be wonderful to have this circulating through all of society, no matter what society it is. Right. Because you and I and you and I both know that animals and all the beings and the natural world is is really the true beauty of this planet.

SPEAKER_03 5:43

You know, the galaxy, you know, so many billions of billions of the stars and all of that, you know, is still one single unit, right? Again, come comes down to one single principle, which is called the singularity. So similarly, the Hindu Hinduism again believes in that uh the truth is one. Despite all these chaos, despite all these um multiplicity that we see, you know, the the reality is one unit single reality. There are no many realities, just one. And that one single singularity is called Brahman. Brahman means is that ultimate reality, whether you know different people would from different faiths, different discipline would name it differently, right? Uh the singularity according to science, and then God from the religious perspective. Uh the Hindus call is a Brahman, they don't even call God. Brahman is that uh energy, that source. The reality it is neither he or she, it is simply it. Like a neutral gender. It's an energy, it's a source, it's the force that what rules the the entire universe. And you can name it he, she, whatever the name you can give, but the ultimate reality is that one Brahman.

SPEAKER_02 7:24

So it's very interesting that we have Brahman and a lot of different cultures, religions, whatever you you want to call them, have different names, but they have created such catastrophe of having all of these different beliefs, these different names, what it's caused across the planet. I mean, we only have to look today with everybody having a different view. Imagine if we could consolidate all that back in and have this one reality. We're all living in it, we're all family, we all belong.

unknown 8:01

Right.

SPEAKER_02 8:01

I mean, I don't know, DPAC, uh do you ever see that as a possibility?

SPEAKER_03 8:06

I only hope, you know, that is my hope, but again, I don't know this will ever going to happen. And the more people we we have, the more ideas that we come come up with, and they want to push their own agenda, and that's where in the problem starts. You know, they do not see the the ultimate reality just one. We are all united, we are all connected. So let's do something better for the planet, better for the world.

SPEAKER_02 8:34

Teamwork always works better than being single-minded. You know, we all work as a team and we can accomplish great things. If we could get this whole planet to work as a team, well, DPAC, you and I would be we would be deeply put up on a pedestal if we could do that. Um, I th I think we're gonna give it a shot. Yay, that'd be that'd be great. Um so how does Hindu mythology Well, I don't even really need to ask this because from what you've told me, Hindu mythology is really fostering a very positive direction in spirituality, would you say?

SPEAKER_03 9:17

Yep, yes. That is exactly, you know, you have really understood the the core principle of Hinduism. This just the you know, multiplicity we need to embrace, we need to recognize, we need to honor. Uh, because that's what it is, that the universe is with a lot of things in it. You know, you cannot reject, you have to appreciate, you have to, you know, embrace what is the multiplicity, and then then beyond that, you know, the reality is just one. You need to understand it. So, you know, you might have different opinions, that's okay. But then beyond that, there's just one the truth.

SPEAKER_02 9:55

So, how old is Hinduism? You know, how how how far does it go back that we know of?

SPEAKER_03 10:01

Well, Hinduism is kind of very difficult to understand for a lot of people, because you know, every every religion has a uh label like title, you know Judaism, Christianity, Islam, whatever religion you you name, it has a beginning, it has a prophet and all that, but Hinduism is that, because since it is based on the reality, the truth, you know, the universal truth, and then Hinduism is as old as the the you know the the universe is. The the day the universe was formed, the truth does not change, right? It does not have uh one single text, like the the Bible or the Quran or you know the Torah. We accept everything. You know, there are the 330 million gods. If there are so many people, why not have give them their own gods? You know, then again, beyond that, then you go, then there is one reality, one reality. These are all the manifestation of your own thoughts and minds. You know, we want to have my your own God, your own favorite actor, your own favorite book, your own favorite dish. You know, so everyone has that. Do not limit on their desires or their their ideas. But beyond that, you have to go and see the reality is one.

SPEAKER_02 11:27

Yeah, so even though you have this thought of source, uh-huh, you know, the universe, right, so that would be, like you said, equivalent to the Western world saying God is source. But then you have these other entities as well, which are more individual, which you know, hopefully we'll get to to chat about. So that's really interesting, but I love the view that this is since time began because this is the answer, and we are all united. We are a community, we are a team, this is what we are. I mean, I it that's just like a dream come true to me. I just had more goosebumps when you were talking about wall, this just you know, when you get this realization. Yeah, yeah. Um, but can you tell us about the Rangoli tradition and the ants? And I and I'm loving that it's something about the ants because I think ants are one of the creatures on this planet. The smaller it is and the more the so-called insignificant, people just forget about it.

SPEAKER_03 12:31

There's an interesting story about ants. One day, um, you know, the god Indra, like god Zeus, according to Greek mythology, he's the king of gods, right? The father god. Yes. Indra is the the king of 330 million gods. Every Monday he would gather all the gods and then he would hold a meeting, you know, and to discuss whatever the agenda. So he became very proud. He's very egoistic. He has multiple desires. Now I am the king, right? All the leaders have the same desires. I can do this, I can do that, you know, and then they start, you know, uh executing all the stupid. I don't want to go there today. What is happening here? It will be a little too political, you know. And uh so he's so egoistic. Build me this, build me that, give me this, give me that. And then the the the divine architecture, uh architect, uh, he's fed up with his demands. Build me this palace, be me this, this. And so he complained to Vishnu, and the Vishnu said, All right, let me talk to him. And then uh he went to Indra's palace, huge palace, marble floor and everything. Even in on a marble floor, the ants find a way to get into the marble floor. You know, sometimes we think, you know, ants live only in the filthy homes, right? But here you have a you know heavenly home and a beautiful shining uh floor, marbled floor, and yet you have you know uh thousands of ants lined up and then passing through his beautiful marble floor. And then God Vishnu says, Do you see what is that? It's a it's a row of ants passing through, I said. Well, once upon a time you were one of those ants, Indra. So don't be egoistic. So you you were one of them, and then again you might go back to be another ant sometime in in your next life. Because you are one of those ants. So you know, um not significant. You are you think you are the greatest? You are you you were ant. Again, you might be an ant again. And then he finally saw the light and he said, Okay, I'm going to stop my demand. So he you know he stopped where he was. Wow. He learned a lesson, this great king, the you know, the king of gods, learned a great lesson from ant. Life is insignificant. So why have so much desire, so much ego? Be humble. Again, the ants, you you can find ants in heaven. So they they live everywhere, right?

SPEAKER_02 15:23

Yeah. And and you know what? Ants are very humble and they're also very resilient, and they just get on with the job. They don't think about all this nonsense, they see that the project at hand and get on with that. You if you're studying ants, they create cities within cities, like underground, what they can create. And yet, I guess as we walk around and see them everywhere, and yet in the stories, great gods learnt lessons from ants. Love it. Of course. Absolutely love it. Is there a sequence to the animal honoring system in Hinduism?

SPEAKER_03 15:57

It is so truly based on science. You know, the people who designed all these stories, I think they're pro they're the best uh scientists, you know, even without experimentation, without, you know, equipment, tools, and you know, the close observation, you know. Um if you look at their the story cycle, you know, the ten incarnations of God Vishnu, Dasabhattara, ten incarnations, and that that begins from fish. Now remember, again, in a biology, amoeba, you know, and then the lowest form of life that lives in water, and then you know, then uh amphibian, right, that that can live in water as well as in land, and then slowly grabs, you know, evolves like a Darwinian uh principle. But then Hindus had already done that, you know, thousands of thousands of years ago. God Vishnu appeared as a fish, so the divine essence is also in fish, right? And then he lived in tortoise. Tortoise is in amphibian, right? Slightly evolved, then he became a composite being, half lion, half human being. Alright? And then after that, then he became fully human, but not totally evolved human being, okay? And then then after that he became a fully grown human being, a Rama, and then he became Krishna, and then he became Buddha, uh, and so on and so forth. So he there there's one last incarnation that is yet to come, which is like the concept of Messiah. Again, you you know, it it relates to uh Judaism as well as Christianity. Uh so that that is yet to come. Uh he has appeared in nine different incarnations, starting from uh the fish. Now, how scientific it is. You know, human evolution, right? Evolving from the from the lowest form of animal to the highest form of animal. The gradual evolution, which is totally biological.

SPEAKER_02 18:05

That's kind of the biological side, but obviously, you know, even in my work, there's there can be a little bit back and forth going through there spiritually and in incarnations and things like that. Like I think sometimes we humans at the moment are maybe seeing ourselves a bit like Indera, you know, like a like a god, like we are some kind of god and we are superior to everything. Exactly. We want to put ourselves there and see the underlings under us, but I feel the under underlings that we that seems to be portrayed on this planet are actually the ones teaching us the most.

SPEAKER_03 18:42

Exactly, exactly. So, and then we have these uh forms of animals reverence, you know. We we use their symbols as religious objects, you know, religious uh festivals like fish. The you know, symbol of fish is very kind of uh sacred, uh auspicious, uh holy is a part of you know Vishnu's form. But Buddhism also has a fish uh symbol and Hinduism has it. Uh many different even in China, there's some, you know, other other cultures also have used fish as a very holy symbol, sacred symbol. Uh similarly, in a lot of birds, symbols, so all of these animals, because the divine Lin lives in them, right? So they are the manifestation or incarnation of God. So they have been utilized or taken as a as a religious sub uh symbol.

SPEAKER_02 19:37

So the divine is living within every living being, not just with a human being, right? Because, you know, my observation has been, and and I'm a great believer in this, I'd love to hear your view on it, is that you know, if we took this planet and we took all the humans off the planet, the planet would thrive and it would flourish with life. But if we took the animals off the planet, we wouldn't.

SPEAKER_03 20:05

We're doomed. We're totally doomed. We're doomed. Yeah, exactly, exactly. Now, um, that is one of the underlying principles a lot of people do not understand. They take it either negatively or in a very narrow view, the what they call the true Hindus, um that they are vegetarian for for for this particular reason. Because, you know, if you look at it from that point of view, that God lives every every living beings, then of course, you know, the the god lives in fish, God lives in you know, bee, uh in a cow, and so the you know, you should not be killing, you should not be eating their meat, then you are essentially killing the gods if you want to look at it that way, because you are you know this destroying and killing. So, you know, then of course we all have to live. Then of course the the lowest form of object uh is the is the veget vegetables, you know. I mean this lesser sense. You know, I mean I'm sure that they also feel pain, but then not as much pain as an animal would feel, you know, the l has the lowest possible feelings or the the sense, um, maybe one sense or two sense, whereas the animals have greater senses. So that's why you know they they would not kill animals, so they become vegetarian. So this is one of the reasons. Because otherwise you will be killing, you know, you know gods or you know, again, the sense again we will be according to Hindu um uh transmigration of life, you know, depending upon our karmas, and we'll be uh uh you know uh coming back to as a dog, as a cat, or as a goat, and depending upon your you know actions, right?

SPEAKER_02 21:53

You know, if you if you so what you're saying is Hinduism is in the belief of transmigration. Migration. Of course, of course. He's a great believer in transmigration.

SPEAKER_03 22:04

Right. So if you kill that animal, then actually, you know, killing your relative and then eating, you know, his or her meat, you know. So that way, if you do not eat meat, you're you're saved.

SPEAKER_02 22:28

There are some beliefs that you evolve into a human, right? So you come from this animal and then you work your way up. And that's a nice thought for an egotistical human. Right. But the reality and what I know is also transmigration, it depends on what your purpose is and why what you've come to learn in this planet in particular is what form you take. The animals have told me it's called a spacesuit. So they said, Oh, you've come in a human spacesuit, I've come in a dog spacesuit, or I've come in a bird spacesuit. It's to them, it's a spacesuit, it's just a form. And they're coming into that form depending on what they're choosing, you know, to learn or to do. Like you say, if you are killing something, you're you're you essentially could be killing your relative or you know, somebody in in your group in your who who you love, if you want to look at it that way. Yeah. Or a God. Right, right. So yeah, I really I really get that, and I'm really on board with that because that's been my experience.

SPEAKER_03 23:28

And then animals, of course, you know, like human beings, you know, they go through cycles of disease, cycles of this, uh, cycles of all that emotional, you know, uh problems, trauma, you know, all of that, you know, the emotions that they have uh in their mind as as you kill them. So you will be kind of you know uh getting their vibes, getting their whatever disease that they might have. So we'll be kind of you know partaking on on their diseases. If you're sharing their DNA, then of course you will be sharing uh their emotions, their their traumas, right? So you know, so because of that, if you do not eat meat, then you know you are totally safe. You won't run that risk.

SPEAKER_02 24:09

Yeah, why why take a chance? Yeah, but also don't you realize that when you were saying about the trauma of animals? So, you know, not to go too in depth because it I know it does upset a lot of people, but with the slaughter of animals, you know, for meat in the shops, that's what that's the reality. They might see it as the meat, all looks very nice, all displayed and in the mint or you know, with the parsley. But the truth remains that those animals had to go through something to get there. And my experience is with communicating with animals that animals are very aware of what's up ahead with them because the animals up ahead can convey the communication down the line. So they are quite worked up by the time they get there. They are aware of what's happening, it's very distressing. So that distress and trauma then goes into the body of that animal, and that's essentially what you're eating. You're taking on negativity and trauma, which is why we kind of started doing a little bit um, a little bit better, I'd say, DPEC, not a lot, I'm saying a little bit, where we now have free-range chickens or free range chicken eggs. We might have other free-range animals, or they're on really, you know, organic foods or whatever it is. But those animals would have a different energy pending for their most of their life, but depending on how the end goes. Right. Because that will then still fill the body of that animal with negativity. So there's actually markers, they've actually have done a little bit of research on this, I believe, that the the quality of the meat and what's in there, and it it it it changes considerably because of that trauma. It's a very big subject, but I think it's something that people need to hear because we've got to start not well stop putting our head in the sand and say, this actually happens and what am I consuming? And so I can make a change to this. Well, either as you say, going vegetarian or vegan nowadays, it needs to be done in a better way. If the world's going to stop right now, we at least need to do that part of it, but then consider, you know, not killing at all, which is the way we should be. So I love the fact that a lot of um people believe in a lot of religions, you know, thou shalt not kill, but they haven't specified exactly what that is. Well, this conversation was so inspiring that I just ran out of time, and I'll continue this amazing journey into Hindu mythology next time with DPAC.

SPEAKER_00 26:44

Shipwrecked in the Strait of Homo's, stranded physically and geopolitically in the company of seagulls. To lift us up and out of podcast isolationism and into the golden light of popular platforms, a poke, please, with your trusty digit on the download or subscribe button would be most helpful and most appreciated. No, I don't have a chip. I'm shipwrecked. There are no chips here. But up next, what does the animal think?

SPEAKER_02 27:19

What does the animal think? You might think they like it, do they really? Have you ever looked into your dog's eyes and thought, I wish I knew how to help you feel better? Maybe they've been struggling with an upset tummy, itchy skin, constant scratching, or those unpredictable flare-ups that just leave them feeling miserable, and leaves you feeling helpless. For so many dogs, the road to healing starts with something simple. Food. And not just any food, but food that's designed to support their body, not stress it. That's where Prime 100 comes in. Prime 100 isn't just a dog food brand, it's what I'd call a nutritional therapy partner. It was created for one purpose, to give dogs with medical conditions the chance to not just cope, but truly thrive. If your dog has ever been diagnosed with something like IBD, which is inflammatory bowel disease, or perhaps chronic skin and digestive sensitivities, you've probably heard your vet talk about elimination diets, single protein sources, and keeping things clean and stable while the body resets. Prime 100 was built around exactly that science. So, Donna, you have a dog named Diego, and he actually uses Prime 100 food. So can you just tell us why you had to do that? Why Diego needed to be on Prime 100?

SPEAKER_04 28:46

Yeah, of course. So Diego uh was diagnosed um in 2023 with inflammatory bowel disease. Um, he was having some issues with vomiting and regurgitation. And so the vet at the time, the specialist, said that this type of diet would be better for him to be able to digest. We had to go with a particular protein, protein he's never had before, and basically he had to stay on that particular protein for the rest of his life. Now, I don't know about you, but I'm sure it sounds pretty boring uh to be on one thing, eat the same thing forevermore. Um, but I have to admit it actually has worked. So using the Prime 100, in this instance, the wild boar, has worked incredibly for him. He no longer vomits, he doesn't have as many flare-ups anymore, and it's made it a lot easier to help manage his health as he goes into his twilight years.

SPEAKER_02 29:39

Now, was it Wild Boar because the other options he had already had or already tried?

SPEAKER_04 29:44

Yeah, so what they said to us, the the philosophy, the way it works, is that if you've got this type of disease for a dog, um, it's believed that if you start him on a protein they've never had before, um, then that's supposed to help them to be able to cool down the gut and make it easier for him to have as a diet ongoing. He had every other flavor that they've got. We were kind of stuck with wild boar.

SPEAKER_02 30:06

What have you noticed with Diego's eating and eating habits? Now, I know for instance that Prime 100 comes in different forms. So, you know, you have the roll of whatever protein that is, but there's also a wet food. There's also, is it air-dried or freeze-dried?

SPEAKER_04 30:25

It's uh like an air-dried. So what was really amazing is I guess the first year or two, you would say it's like a steam roll. Um, you cut it up into bits and he can eat it that way. After a while, it obviously got a little bit boring. And at good timing, they also developed the wet version of the wild boar as well. So it's like a really soft, squishy, like a gravy type of thing. And um it's fantastic to put on the actual food to keep it interesting. And then they also do make the air-dried version. Now, from what he's said to me, it does taste different. Each one tastes a little bit different to the other, keeps it interesting.

SPEAKER_02 31:02

Right. So you mean if you're having cut up the roll, you're then putting on maybe some um wet food. And then he can have the air-dried version, which is just like something to vary the diet to give different textures. So it is a good idea to give them a variety.

SPEAKER_04 31:19

So for what he's told me, it does taste different. I haven't tried it myself, but he has tried to well, you know, it's not my cup of tea, but but he has mentioned to me that it does taste, um, it has a different taste, it's a touch saltier. So he does like that because it gets a little bit of extra flavor in it, and it keeps his meals interesting.

SPEAKER_02 31:39

I know Diego too, because I've known you for many, many years. And, you know, some of the comments I've heard him make, what, this again? Yeah. Or sometimes maybe I won't bother with this meal, and then you've added one of these other different consistencies on it, and that's kind of turned his head. So the beauty of being an animal communicator as well is that we can also explain to Diego why he's on it. Because you can imagine all these other animals that all of a sudden their diet just changes and they don't know why they're on this food. If you give him something else, what happens?

SPEAKER_04 32:16

Unfortunately, he has what I call a flare-up. And at least for the next two days, he will have a very hot gut, he'll be nauseous, he'll have diarrhoea, and he'll basically be a restless puppy pretty much for literally two or three days straight until it's out of his system. The moment that I get him back onto that wild boar, onto that prime 100, he starts to calm down again and it works consistently. It's really, really um relieving and reassuring that there's something he can eat consistently that will keep him healthy and safe pretty much as he goes into those years.

SPEAKER_02 32:49

If you are facing this problem, use Prime 100. Approved by Donna and her much-loved Diego.

SPEAKER_00 32:57

Next up, Animal News with Trisha and Donna.

SPEAKER_02 33:04

So, Donna, I thought I'd tell you about an interesting story that I heard about, because you know that I'm a great lover of cats. This is about a small kitten that was rescued in a temple in South Korea. So this little kitten was rescued by a monk and taken in and looked after. So we do thank the monks, thank you very much. And this cat's name is Jioto. This cat has been meditating in the temple for the last five years. And we know that the monks do that as well. So apparently, Giotto goes in there and literally meditates for hours and does this every day. This cat also does not eat and has never eaten meat. Wow. So it goes into the temple and meditates, and it gets quite upset if you interrupt its meditation, right? I was very interested to get the cat's view. Like to see, you know, how he sees this and and why he's doing it. Because even if he had been taken in by the monks and the monks meditate, it doesn't mean that this cat's going to do that. The cat could still get fed and could hang around the temple, but it actually goes in there, meditates, closes its eyes, and goes into a deep state of being, right? So I really wanted to have a chat with this cat and just to see what's going on. And he was saying to me, because he started so young, so this is really all that he's seen, he loves this state of being. He says it's the way of animals, which I very much know because you know, obviously, I teach animal communication, they love the being they love in the moment. But he was saying what surprised him the most, or what he loves the most, is that all those around him get into the same state, and it's something that they share, and that the energy in that temple is amazing, and it goes to such high frequencies, and he said he absolutely loved it, and he says, I love it because when I get really deep, I travel. It's almost like he says, I leave my body and I go somewhere else. He said it's like having altered states of consciousness, and he's reaching it, and that's what the monks are doing, and it's something that they're doing together. And he said, and together all of us create this amazing vortex. He said, It's like being in a continual state of bliss. Get that. So I'd love to I need to talk to a monk now. Dana, I need to talk to a monk because I need to see if it's a very similar description. What do you think about that and what are you sensing about this whole thing?

SPEAKER_04 36:05

Well, I definitely agree with everything you said. It is pretty incredible to have that experience and to live in that experience all the time. As you know, we're always teaching people how to just be and how to be in that state. And cats, as we know, are constantly in that meditative state, which is why we we love having them around. That energy around you uh calms you, it brings you back to what's important to being present. And I love that he's a part of that and that they don't see him as just participating. He is one of them, and that's how he sees himself too. And doesn't mind the little jacket, doesn't mind the prayer beads, pretty happy with that. Does not like being disturbed, don't interrupt my blissful nature, don't interrupt my zone, uh, which is really interesting. He said sometimes it he's off in the most wonderful places and all of a sudden he snapped back to reality when somebody wants to see him. And so he said if it's interesting that he says if humans were more like us and in that state just like us all the time, a lot of the world's problems would be resolved. Which is quite a fair point. Um Yeah, it's quite incredible.

SPEAKER_02 37:18

Yeah, I'm also getting the sense from him. He's saying that it's it's great being in this state all the time, but it's like something that you share and that everything is just like this. And he said, when something interrupts you, it's like, you know, an abrupt, shocking kind of interruption, you know, like you've been snapped out of something just so big that he said it's really uh uncomfortable when you've been in this state. Now I know from teaching meditation and um teaching animal communication for over two decades, it's really interesting because I say to people, you don't meditate, it becomes a part of life, it becomes a way of life, it becomes who you are. That's what this cat is describing. That in that state, that's who he is, and in fact, he cannot see the difference between himself and a person. There is no difference. You know, whether his stature is different or his physicality, he doesn't see it, and actually the monks don't see it. They are just all sharing a space, and I think that's why when he mentioned, you know, the world would be a better place, because we all need to just see each other as another being and not look at the colour culture or anything else that we are trying to make a judgment on, because animals don't judge, they just become part of that that tapestry. And it's beautiful that he's saying that we are just all the same, we are all equally, we are all just sharing a space. Imagine if we all did just spare, just share the space of the planet and not make judgments. Because why do we need judgments anyway? Why can't we just exist and understand and get on? And perhaps we might be doing different things because people do different things in different parts of the world, but be open to other things as well, not just things that you've learned about or are. Because the difference is this cat must be experiencing something totally different. So we've talked about this many times, but people's animals at home are constantly competing with distraction. It's whether it's the TV, phones, um, you know, social media, const constantly on technology, people don't know how to be blissful and quiet anymore. Whereas this cat is surrounded by that. It's like being surrounded by your own. So how you are, and all that bliss that you feel, and that sense of now, in that moment in time, and that moment in time, and in that moment is there is beauty, there is serenity. So we know what happens when that cat gets distracted, very annoyed, and rightly so. And I can understand that because that cat is used to being in bliss. As you said, cats are in meditation most of the time. So when they're slowly licking their paw and wiping their face, it's it's a state of meditation when they're purring, just that frequency and that slowness, and when they roll over or they're sound asleep, it's like they love to be in that moment. So do we actually, we just don't do it often enough to realize, and that's the problem. And everyone, okay, let's just put it out there, everyone spends thousands and thousands of dollars to travel across the world to see some nature so they can sit in silence to look at the mountain, to look at the snow, and look out and say, isn't that beautiful? As they spend the moment drawing in the beauty of that landscape. When you could be doing it every day, all the time. Oh, but there's no mountains here. There is beauty in so many things, and you know why you don't think there's anything at home? Because you are not in the moment to actually experience it. You don't even know what you're missing. That cat is showing us such a huge thing here, and how the monks and the animals and everyone in the know is going to be in peace and serenity. What do you think about that?

SPEAKER_04 41:48

I think that's for he's got a lot to teach, and I think there's so much we need to take on and we need to learn. There's so much we need to learn about just sitting with ourselves and learning how to have that peace within instead of trying to chase it outside. Once we have that peace within, it doesn't matter where you go, you'll always have it, right?

SPEAKER_02 42:07

So also the moral of the story is just as that cat is in its moment, it's in its natural habitat almost, in that peace and tranquility, and spends hours in the moment, perhaps your animals would like that too. But why don't you sit with them in silence, get off your phone, get off the TV, not even a book, but just sit there in quiet contemplation. And I can guarantee that if you do this for a period of time every day, for a period of days, a couple of weeks even, you will notice a distinct change in your own animals. They will see a side of you they didn't know exist. They will also have a side of their life that they didn't think they were going to get. There are so many benefits in this, and also you're going to appreciate your own calmness and feeling a sense of self. It's a win-win situation. Thank you to Giotto for showing us the way. And as always, thank you for tuning in to Animal Talk. Don't forget to follow, share, and join us next time. And remember, the animals are always talking if we're willing to listen.