cover image Animals in Spirit: Our Faithful Companions' Transition to the Afterlife

Animals in Spirit: Our Faithful Companions' Transition to the Afterlife

Penelope Smith, . . Atria/Beyond Words, $14 (179pp) ISBN 978-1-58270-177-6

Those who live with and love animals dread the moment when their beloved companions will leave them. Smith, an animal communicator for more than 30 years, and author of two books on talking with the creatures, provides a unique and detailed account, from the animals' perspective, on the ways they transition from the physical to the spiritual realm. Smith discusses the timing of their departure, their feelings about living in the spirit realm, and reincarnation. Stories that recount individual experiences with animals on earth as well as the spirit realm are most of the book, including ones about animals who want their humans to know that they didn't suffer in dying, that they may have actually orchestrated their death for a particular reason, that they forgive any wrongs or that they are planning to come back in another form. Perhaps most helpful is the chapter in which animals counsel their human friends not to grieve for them but to seek joy instead. For those new to animal communication, Smith includes a short instructional chapter. Readers open to Smith's claims about animal communication or who grieve departed furry friends will find much in these pages to offer comfort and hope. (Jan.)