The moniker is a bit misleading in that people often think I am referring to myself as the medicine person. The real medicine entity is actually my mare, Natalie, whom you see pictured, "in memoriam" on my home page. Natalie (registered name "Sunshine Natalia") was a registered American Bashkir Curly horse. [Please see the "links" page to contact the registry for more information.]

Natalie came into my life in 1997. I was in search of a trustworthy horse and, due to severe allergies, was limiting my search to American Bashkir Curly horses (known for their hypoallergenic coats). I drove to Minnesota to check out a wonderful little mare at the suggestion of a friend. The thing that most struck me when I met Natalie was her eyes. I had never seen eyes such as hers before nor have I seen the likes since that time. When she looked deep into my eyes, I was looking into the soul of the universe. There was so much wisdom and knowing in her eyes that I knew I would be able to trust this mare. She had a beautiful filly at her side that had only recently been weaned.

Natalie arrived at our farm several weeks later in the fall of 1997. She had been there for about three weeks when I first discovered her special gift. I was mucking out her stall with my back turned to her when I heard a voice speak, "I miss my baby." Naturally, I set my pitchfork down and stepped into the barn aisle to see who had entered the barn. No one was there. I went back to mucking. A few moments later, I heard the words again. I went back to the barn aisle a second time but there was no one there. By now, I was beginning to wonder what was wrong with me. I heard the voice again. This time I turned around to face Natalie, who was looking deep into my eyes, her face clearly etched with sorrow. It was plain to see that she was the one telling me she missed her baby. I was at once taken aback by her ability to relay her thoughts and her grief at being separated from her baby. I thought to myself that I was certainly losing my mind to have "Mrs. Ed" in my barn.

At that time, I had never heard of animal communication so I didn't tell anyone what had happened. Several weeks passed before my then husband came in from the barn one evening with a totally perplexed look on his face. After some questioning he finally told me that Natalie had done the same thing to him. She communicated how much she missed her baby.

I was very much relieved to find out that I wasn't crazy (or at least not the only one who was crazy!) and proceeded to contact her previous owner to see if she had had similar experiences with this mare. The owner graciously responded to my sheepish questions and assured me that this was quite normal for Natalie, and further, she thought this behavior was called something like "interspecies telecommunication."

It took me several months of searching to find information on the topic. There was no "Pet Psychic" show in those days and I had never heard of animal communicators. I did eventually locate some books, but they were not very helpful. Fortunately, I met Judy Fuson, a professional animal communicator for 20 years. I 

attended her beginner-level workshop, which marked a total turnaround in my life. By the end of the workshop I was communicating with all of the animals in attendance; it was as if a floodgate had opened and I was suddenly able to communicate with nearly any animal.

It has taken a great deal of practice to become fluent in animal communication (just as it does to learn any new language). Natalie has been instrumental in coaching me. I have come to learn Natalie is very unique in that she communicates telepathically to me in English. Only very highly evolved souls (in animals) have the ability to communicate in that form; the vast majority communicate in pictures or by relaying feelings or sensations.

At first, I did not realize that Natalie possessed the abilities of a Medicine Horse. It was only after she began relaying specific comments about the treatment and the prevention of illness and injuries for individual people and animals I realized that this was her true identity. She possessed the rare ability to "know" what is energetically right for an individual. She relayed recipes for salves, and gave instruction on herbs, vitamins, and nutrition appropriate for the individual in question. She dictated a list of healing uses for various crystals to me and guided me in healing energy work. Natalie also assisted me in my tougher cases, instances where the other animal was reluctant to communicate or was uncertain of what was happening to him or her. In those situations Natalie was able to provide insight to me to pass on to the owner.

Natalie was a very shy and introverted soul. She preferred her privacy and the comfort of home. She did not ordinarily like to be petted as all my other animals do; she let me know when she was in need of TLC, which was on a fairly limited basis. Natalie always said that her job was that of a teacher and mentor. Specifically, she came to teach me (and a few other intuitive healers) about animals and healing.

Natalie enjoyed spending her final days being an “ordinary” horse. She relaxed in the company of her adult son, Desi, and was content to idle away the hours grazing. As you might imagine, Natalie and I enjoyed a very close relationship that continued even after she took leave of her physical body. True to the promise she made in her younger years, she is always with me and continues to communicate telepathically with me regularly, much the same as she did while on earth. The relationship I have with Natalie is unlike any I have had with another animal. Our friendship is balanced, we both give and receive, although now that she is in spirit, she is the one doing the giving. Natalie assured me from the very start of our life together that our friendship spanned far beyond this lifetime. She was and is a special soul and I am enormously blessed to have her in my life.