In countless stories and myths, animals are spiritual teachers, imparting wisdom about the world and hinting at the great mysteries of life. The word "animal" actually comes from the Latin animalis — having a soul — and is closely linked to the noun animus or breath.
In this enjoyable selection of writings about pets, June Cotner reveals her reverence for these inimitable beings. Anyone who has lived with animals on a day-to-day basis knows intuitively that they do indeed have souls. Check out the piece by Gary Kowalski on this subject. Then savor this gem by James Herriot: "If having a soul means being able to feel love and loyalty and gratitude, then animals are better off than a lot of humans." Precisely.
Here cat and dog lovers will find poems and thought-piece quotations about these companions. There are sections devoted to wild animals, blessings for all the creatures of the world, reflections on the role of animals in our lives, and prayers and poems in tribute to those that have died. Some of our favorite writers on this subject are included: Roger Caras, E. B. White, Susan Chernak McElroy, Chief Seattle, and others. And we admit it — we were very pleased to find our own tribute to our cats as teachers from Spiritual Literacy included in this anthology.