Yesterday, in my Spiritual Espresso about Always Learning, I was sharing about boarding my cat, Sattva, while I was gone for a weekend, and I just did it again, this time for four days, because I was out of town leading a retreat.

I must admit that I was concerned that Sattva would be mad at me for leaving him to be in a crate for days at a time, but he doesn’t seem to be mad at me at all.  When I’ve travelled in the past and left him with a pet sitter he’s been mad at me, but I was gone longer.

Of course, I recognize that my mind is joined with his, and how I hold it in my mind will influence how he feels about these experiences.  That first weekend, I know I felt guilty for having him locked up for the weekend, but I think it’s possible he enjoyed it because he got to be around other cats that live in the place where he was boarded.  There are free roaming cats there, as well as other cats being boarded.  I think this past weekend they had a full house of cats, and I think Sattva might have liked it, although he was definitely glad to get his freedom.

It helps to know that I can support him by not imagining that he’s unhappy.  I can hold in my mind that he’s in his crate, enjoying life, observing the other cats, socializing, learning, discovering and feeling enriched by the experience.  More of a spa experience than a trauma inducing one.

This is the way we can work with our mind about EVERYTHING.  Holding clearly what we’d like to experience, and discarding the inclination to worry and doubt.  This IS our spiritual practice and every day provides more of it.

This is how we train our mind to remember our true identity and that our mind is the mind of God.

We’re only subject to what we hold in our mind.

It is done unto us as we believe.