Pets and your religious practice

[EclecticWheel]

Do you actively involve your pets living or deceased in your spiritual practices?  Or do you notice them interacting with your spirituality in any way?

I don't actively involve my living pet in ritual, though I do keep deceased pets in my prayers and memories just like I do my loved ones who have departed.  It's my way of remembering, honoring, and continuing to care for them.

I do notice my cat interacting with the rituals I do, though.  Pets learn our ways and habits.  For example, tonight while I was reciting my prayers I noticed him giving me the sweet eyes across the room.

Other times he sees me grab a prayer book, and he comes and snuggles up with me and occasionally looks up at me while I pray aloud.  He may think I'm talking to him.  I've noticed that he seems to have learned to stay off the table when I'm doing more active rituals as well.  Mostly what I've noticed is that when I pray aloud it seems to be very soothing and relaxing for him as it is for me.

[Ashmire]

Do you actively involve your pets living or deceased in your spiritual practices?  Or do you notice them interacting with your spirituality in any way?

I don't intentionally do so beyond praying or doing protective/healing spells for them, but one of my dogs spends a lot of time ( considerably more than I do, though I concede it's possible she's copying something she's seen me do occasionally) in her "good girl sit" staring soulfully at my altar/shrine space even if there are no edible offerings placed ( and surprisingly, despite being an unrepentant thief in nearly every other circumstance, does not bother them if there are).

Though I've always tended to suppose that "Heaven-and-Earth Eyes" is a superstition if not outright made-up marketing glurge, she does have that trait, and I did have a rather significant dream urging me to get a dog like that shortly before adopting her, so maybe there's something to it. Or maybe it's just a herding breed thing. Most dogs with those eyes are herding breeds and they're also typically very smart and very sensitive and observant.

I've also seen both of them apparently interacting with non-physical entities,  basically confirming my own impressions of there being something/someone there.

[Eastling]

Do you actively involve your pets living or deceased in your spiritual practices?  Or do you notice them interacting with your spirituality in any way?

My first specific request of my patron was that he watch over my somewhat sickly, very anxious cat during a bad time. I felt this was appropriate given the fondness he showed for cats during his lifetime.

That said, my cat is far too much of a neurotic mess to actually involve in a ritual, and my roommate's cat is too willful and has no respect for me personally. However, both household cats have shown an occasional fascination with the shrine displayed on a difficult-for-cats-to-reach shelf above my bed. My cat sometimes randomly attacks the wall beneath it in a bit of a tizzy, and my roommate's cat has given it some very strange looks.

My cat also frequently walks on the cards when I'm trying to do a reading, but I've noticed the reading usually works just fine afterwards, so maybe she's charging them with her energy and Mercury appreciates it.

[TheGreenWizard]

Do you actively involve your pets living or deceased in your spiritual practices?  Or do you notice them interacting with your spirituality in any way?

I'm convinced my rabbits are followers of Dionysos.

No, seriously, hear me out on this. Every time I do prayers/magic workings/libations/meditations in front of my altar for Dionysos, they sit to the side of me, and face the altar and don't move. I might cough - which usually scares them, and causes them to run - but they won't leave. In fact, they just sit there and bow their heads on their little front paws.

One of these days, I'll get a picture of it.

[EclecticWheel]

I'm convinced my rabbits are followers of Dionysos.

No, seriously, hear me out on this. Every time I do prayers/magic workings/libations/meditations in front of my altar for Dionysos, they sit to the side of me, and face the altar and don't move. I might cough - which usually scares them, and causes them to run - but they won't leave. In fact, they just sit there and bow their heads on their little front paws.

One of these days, I'll get a picture of it.

I've also noticed cats in particular having a fascination for altars, and some of them don't even try to knock anything over at least while its in use, which is unusual for cats in my experience.

[Mellee]

I've also noticed cats in particular having a fascination for altars, and some of them don't even try to knock anything over at least while its in use, which is unusual for cats in my experience.