Linda Clayton didn’t have animals growing up and had nightmares about all kinds of animals. But then a near-death experience changed everything. If you are curious, keep reading this interview with Linda for MysticMag to know more about her journey and relationship with animals (including ones that already passed away).
Animals used to be your life-long nightmare. How do you go from that to becoming an animal communicator?
I think it was my life’s work and that the Universe is so smart. I never had an animal growing up and my first experiences with them were not good. Once, I got locked out with a big Doberman Pinscher at night, and it started growling and showing its teeth, leaning on me. I thought I’d die until somebody finally figured out after some 10 minutes I was outside and came to rescue me.
So, I was terrified by that. I’d always have nightmares about any kind of animal: cat, dog, snake, cow, anything. I think these nightmares started becoming a little bit more compact and somewhat manageable.
The way I got into animal communication was through a friend. I was afraid of her cat and she knew I was psychic in other ways. So, she asked me to ask the cat whether she could get a dog.
I asked the cat and it turned around before I finished the sentence, yelling with that triangle mouth: “Don’t even think about it!” I just started to laugh. Then, I went to sleep and the cat woke me up at 3am and said another cat might be alright, but no dogs. So, I told my friend about it and 3 days later the cat died. I’m sure it thought “they don’t want me, I’m out of here”.
How do you normally connect with animals in your sessions?
I sit at my desk and close my eyes, doing a grounding prayer: I thank the Universe, the animals and Mother Earth, asking them to come forward and guide me. I protect myself and ask for the highest and best always for whoever I am working with.
The request is on the screen for me. It’s my way to connect to the animal. I really don’t need a picture of them, but I connect through that picture. Sometimes, if the animal doesn’t come in very well, I attach a cord from my heart to the animal’s heart, and they know when I do this because they think what I’m doing is amusing!
Then, I ask the animals to come in, in a way I can see, hear and feel them – and they do! That’s when they show their personalities. Sometimes they jump around, sometimes they are scared or hang back… It’s telepathy, mind-to-mind communication. That’s how animals talk to each other and I just got in on it.
Does the process change with deceased animals?
No, it’s the same. The difference is that, with deceased animals, communication’s a bit thinner. Also, they don’t give as many instructions as the living ones, but rather like to establish something about their home life, so that the person asking for the reading will know it’s them.
Did some reading stick in your mind in particular?
Yes. I was asked to communicate with a black lab because his brother died. He looked at me immediately and said: “I used to be handsome”. He had gotten older and had a white beard. I was so shocked because that means animals know what they look like!
Also, horses are great and so funny and smart in conversations… One particular horse told me he did not like the way the horse from the stall next to him smelled. He showed me that by flashing two bolts of lightning at him! He showed me that he got groomed with lavender oil. So, this horse was into smells, that’s for sure!
What do pet owners mostly look for when hiring your services?
Generally, they look for me when there’s a behavioral problem with their animals: if they are not eating, if they are soiling the house. If they are getting close to crossing over, owners ask me to question how they feel about that.
Most animals have told me that they get tapped when it’s time for them to go and they are not upset over that, unlike humans. What upsets them, however, is that the family’s going to be upset. So, they don’t want to die in the house where the family can see them. They prefer to go outside or to the vet, and they tell me how they want to cross over.
I’ve read that even though death has a bad name in our culture you are a big fan of death. Would you mind explaining that?
I had a near-death experience and it is so wonderful out there! I know that’s why we are not allowed to see the other side, because everybody would be jumping off to low bushes trying to get there!
We are all here for some reason and we are supposed to fulfill that purpose. In that near-death experience, due to a blood clot in my leg, I saw the light and a tunnel and I felt such big love, like being part of love. It doesn’t happen to you – it’s part of you.
Once you cross over, you change. You are not afraid of dying, and your focus changes. You become much more giving and forgiving. I’d say to anybody who gets a chance to have a near-death experience, take it! Grab it and hope you can come back because it’s fantastic. Although most people who make it to the other side don’t want to come back to this plane.
What advice do you have to pet owners who want to have a better relationship with their pets?
If you can and know an animal communicator, see if you can get a little professional help if you have a question, just to put you on the right track. Listen to your animal. People think they can understand and hear their animals – and they can. But there’s a little nagging voice saying: “that’s not what they are saying”. Don’t listen to it. Believe your first impression.
Also, ask your animal to talk to you! Ask your animal questions and wait quietly. Don’t think it’s like a phone call, in which you can get an answer right away. Go sit down and have a cup of coffee and wait quietly, see if you can get an answer – and it’s always believe the first answer you get.
Finally, know that you did not find your animal. The animals find us and come to us because they know we’ll be going through some kind of upsetting event and we’ll need help. It’s their mission and their job to help us. And they do an amazing job of taking care of and loving us and helping us to get through the hard times.
