The loss of a pet can be just as traumatic to an individual or family as the loss of a family member or dear friend. Animals have the endearing ability to love us and trust us without any expectations. Unconditionally...

When the companionship that has been shared by you and your pet is suddenly not there any more, there is a very real empty space in your heart and soul that needs to be dealt with. We human beings need to learn to cope with this emptiness in a constructive manner, which is definitely a very tough thing to do. This emotional state is quite common among pet owners, therefore I would like to share with you all the ways I dealt with my recent loss.

The first one is a visualization which is directly quoted from Patricia Telesco's book A Victorian Grimoire,
page 274, Llewellyn Publications, 1994. This is her suggestion...

Begin in the area where you spent most of your time with the creature. Take their toys, a picture and other items which carry your pet's special energy. Get comfortable, close your eyes and begin breathing deeply. Try to settle your mind and heart, as hard as that may be for you to do.

Next, in your mind's eye, see your pet approach you in this space, just as it normally would have. What you are seeing is the spiritual energy of your animal. Don't be surprised at the reactions you have to this; it is a very emotional experience and should not be stifled. Open your arms and greet the animal. Give it a long, enduring embrace and speak all the feelings you have in your mind and heart. As you do, visualize these warm emotions as red-purple light flowing from you to your spirit-pet. Continue until you feel relieved and less distressed.

When you are finished, release the spirit-pet and allow it to go it's own way. It may be reluctant to go, as pets hold a special love for their owners too, but encourage the transition. As the animal moves away, you may notice a line of energy connecting the two of you. If so, you must break that cord so you both can be free. I have found this often happens when there is a deep, abiding empathy between pet and owner.

When your spirit-pet is finally out of sight, visualize a white-green light pouring over you to wash away the sorrow. Continue in this manner as long as you wish, returning to normal awareness when you feel your message was received and understood. This visualization won't completely negate the loss you feel, only time can do that, but it will allow you those precious last moments together to share a special connection which time, space, life and death cannot take from you, the connection of love.

Loss of A Pet

Items needed:

Place a drop of vinegar on your tongue, think of your pet, let the tears flow and get it all out. Remember all the good. Put out the candle; thank the Lord and Lady. Release the flower into a body of water. Keep the stone close to you or put it in a safe place.

Saying Farewell
taken from The Mysterious Magickal Cat ~ D.J. Conway, 1998

Items needed:

• Picture of animal who has died and/or belongings
• Represenataion of Bast or Artemis
• Goblet of fresh water
• Salt
• Incense - Frankincense
• White candle
• Black candle

Spell:
Set up alter with black candle and the left and white candle on the right.
Place representations of Bast/Artemis between them with pets
picture/belongings in front of them. Goblet of water and salt set to one
side. Light both candles and say:

"We are gathered here to remember (say animals name).
Our sorrow is great because we can no longer touch and hold him (her),
for we are still bound by a physical body while he (she) is free in an etheral form."

Drop pinch of salt into goblet, swirl it around and say:

"Salt and water, symbols of eternal creation.
The taste of water and salt reminds us of the blood which keeps our physical bodies alive,
Yet it also reminds us of the sea,
the water of the womb and the sacredness
of the eternal circle of life.
(Name), we release you to the rest you need knowing that one day,
in another time and place, once more we shall meet and know and love again."

Sprinkle drops of salt water over alter then put out black candle saying:

"you have cast off the earthly body by which we knew you."

Put out the white candle and say:

"But you have put on another body, one of joy and light. Remember us".

Meditate on the happy and fun times with your pet.

Rite of Release for a Beloved Pet

The altar setting is simple: one central candle (white or whatever color feels right), as well as three others - black, red, and white, to be lit during the ritual; a flower (fully opened - preferably a rose - of whatever color seems appropriate to you), which becomes the symbol of your lost one; It is best to perform this "Rite of Release" when the Moon is at Her darkest, before She is renewed.

Begin by lighting the central candle, and, if you wish, performing a ritual of purification, then proceed with these words:

"It is the way of Life that all living beings, whether early or late,
come unto Death, that in Time,
they may come round again to circle into Life."

Pick up and hold, cradle if you wish, the flower (rose or whatever you chose), for symbolically, this is your lost loved one.

"And so unto death have you gone, my little one, heart of my heart,
I will always remember the deep love that we shared, and will always share...
like this flower, a thing of joy and beauty in all its glory,
so you were for me a wondrous and magickal little being
added to share the years of pleasure that we did.
Thank you for your precious gift."

"Of the Triple Goddess, She Who Opens and Shuts All Doors,
Lady of All Joys and Sorrows, I ask you:"

(light the black candle)

"That the Crone lovingly fly you to Summerland wrapped in the softest black feathers."

(light the red candle)

"That the Mother always comfort you in Her loving embrace."

(light the white candle)

"That the Maiden always smile brightly upon you."

"Know that there will always be an empty place under my heart that cannot be filled,
where your memory shall dwell forever.
I bid you a pleasant journey, and a peaceful sojourn.
Rest well, be renewed, and return again when you are ready."

"Fare thee well, until we meet again."

Extinguish only the central candle. Take the flower and go outside to some special site you have chosen, where you have prepared a hole, and bury the flower there, saying these words as you do:

"As this hole is filled, so let my wound be healed.
For even as this flower returns to Mother Earth,
to return again some day as Life, so will you, my little one.
And as leaf and stem and petal are drawn back into the Womb,
so let my grief be drawn in, to return again one day as joy."

The black, red, and white candles shall be left lit on the altar to burn themselves out.

There are many more rituals as well as much more extremely helpful information in the book Pet Loss: A Spiritual Guide ~ Eleanor L. Harris, 1997 . Example titles of some of the rituals are are "Cleansing the Gate", "Crossing the Bridge (Pet Death Adaptation)", "Lughnasad Veneration for the Dead (Pet Death Adaptation)", "Grieving With the Crone Meditation", and "Creating a Memorial", as well as several others.

Sometimes as "pet owners" we don't realize how close we are to our animal companions until we loose them, and even then we're afraid or ashamed to openly mourn and memorialize them. In Pet Loss, Eleanor Harris offers valuable advice on handling this feeling of awkwardness. Rather than repressing the emotions that surround a pet's death, Harris encourages her readers to express the pain they feel and the love they remember.

~ Boofy's Battle With Lymphoma ~ Stormy's Space ~