Lesley Nase, the heart behind Intuitive Animal Healing and Animal Teachers, traces her profound connection with animals back to her childhood. Alongside her enchanting encounters with animals, Lesley possesses a distinctive gift—an unmistakable birthmark that she views as a sacred blessing from the Universe. She eagerly shares her wisdom, teaching both children and adults to appreciate the unique gifts that make each of us extraordinary. MysticMag has the pleasure of chatting with her.
You’ve had a lifelong connection with animals, starting with Missy the kitten. Can you share a bit about how these early experiences influenced your journey into animal healing and communication?
I was quite young when Missy entered our lives. We had just moved into this massive, old house, a three-story beauty built back in 1809. It needed a ton of work, and my family, and I were all adjusting to the new surroundings. My brother, Peter, had friends in the area outside of town where we lived, he went off to visit a friend one day. When he returned, he had this scruffy little tri-colored kitten with him. In the old house that we lived in, a cat was welcome, we named her Missy, and from the very beginning, she had a strong bond with me.
Missy would sleep on my bed, follow me around the house, and she even chose to have her first litter of kittens right at the end of my bed. I remember how excited I was to see the kittens, I picked one up to go show my sister. In a sleepy voice she said “That’s nice, go put it back!” After that, whenever Missy was pregnant she would look for comfort and companionship just as she was giving birth. Most of the time she would wait for me to come home before giving birth. Missy could be very picky and cross if she didn’t want to be held or petted however with me there was only one time that she wasn’t comfortable and let me know it. She always made allowance with me and I learned a lot from that first cat connection, it sparked a lifelong love of animals.
Missy wasn’t the only animal to share my life at an early age, we had many, many cats, a few dogs, a goat who liked to climb up the slide for a graham cracker, an injured pigeon who healed and flew away and a mare who stayed while her foal was being weaned.
Growing up in the country, having both grandparents running productive farms being surrounded by animals was natural. I know that these environments gave me a profound connection to nature and a greater appreciation for the world around us.
Many children possess intuitive gifts but may not fully understand or embrace them. How can parents or caregivers encourage and support children who exhibit such sensitivities or connections with animals?
I absolutely love this question. Firstly, it’s essential to recognize that we’re all born with an innate intuitive sense and a connection to something greater and wiser. In my case, growing up in that old house with its rich history, my bedroom was a place where secret meetings were held. Energy like that leaves an energetic trace to the people who inhabited the rooms from the past. As a child, my imagination would describe what I felt in the house as “ghostly presence” yet there was always a sense of something more just beyond what you could see and touch.
For parents, the most crucial thing is to listen attentively to your child. It’s the best gift you can offer them. Sometimes children might talk about having an invisible friend or sensing something different in a room, whether it’s in their house or when they visit other places. What they are often talking about are their own Spidey senses, their own intuition and psychic abilities. Children have these little open antennas, similar to when your hair stands up on your arms, however for children it is a way of tuning into something beyond our usual perception.
Children have been entering the world with their senses already finely tuned. Perceiving the world in ways that are different from adults. As a parent, holding that space with love and compassion is key to nurturing their abilities and helping them develop. Secondly, if you can connect with someone like me, who has experience with intuition and psychic senses, they can help guide you and your child with support in navigating these experiences. As they grow into their teenage years, their abilities will either grow or can be damped depending on their inner beliefs.
Your unique port wine stain birthmark has a profound significance for you. Could you tell us more about how you see it as a gift from Spirit, and how it has shaped your perspective on embracing individuality?
This is such an excellent question because there are so many moments where something seemingly obvious, like that elephant in the room, goes unspoken. Children, with their innate curiosity, often blur that line. They might straightforwardly ask, “What’s that on your face?” I learned to embrace this at a very young age with the belief that it was a gift from God. As a child, I didn’t know much about birthmarks, but I had this sense that it was a gift yet something quite ordinary.
I come from a spiritual background, and this notion of it being a gift was deeply ingrained in me. It was like explaining something very ordinary—making the unusual seem ordinary. So, when children ask: “What’s that on your face?”, I often tell them that it’s just a birthmark, like their skin, but with a different color. I might mention their freckles, eye color, or hair color to relate. I also ask them if they have a birthmark somewhere on their body. Most times, they’ll remember a little mark they have and realize that it’s not such a big deal.
I encourage them to touch it if they’re curious, and their wide-eyed curiosity is beautiful to witness. Sometimes adults are the ones who bring up treatments like laser procedures or makeup to cover it up. However, my birthmark is such a part of me, and I’ve always felt there was a reason I was born with a port wine stain. If you really look closely, it extends into my ear, goes under my tongue, and even reaches my heart. It’s like a touchpoint to my heart.
Years ago, I came across the work of Dr. Brian Weiss, who wrote “Many Lives, Many Masters.” In his work as a psychologist and through hypnotherapy, he explored past lives and birthmarks. He referred to birthmarks as mortal wounds. When I read those words, I was intrigued but never resonated with the idea of a “mortal wound.” Instead, I felt there was a deeper purpose to it, a connection to a past life, which I later discovered. It’s about making the invisible visible, standing out in a crowd, and being a beacon for others to notice and learn from.
Intuitive Animal Healing is a distinctive practice. Could you explain what it entails and how it benefits animals and their human companions?
I’ve always had a natural connection with animals. It’s almost automatic for me to communicate with animals, whether it’s my three dogs, my cat, or even past animals I’ve lived with. It’s like hearing a voice in my head and naturally responding to it.
When it comes to animal healing, it’s a combination of both animal and human healing. Initially, I thought I had to compartmentalize it, as in, if I work with animals, I should focus solely on that because my psychic abilities, shamanic background, and other healing modalities are geared toward it. However, over time, I realized that it’s a much broader concept.
Quantum physics has given us a deeper understanding of the energetic connection between animals and people who share their lives. It’s not a small, confined space; it’s a vast container. People often seek healing for their animals, and sometimes, the healing they seek is not just for the animal but also for themselves. The entanglement between people and their pets is profound, extending to our households, our lands, and more.
I’ve had clients who have gone through traumatic experiences, and while they need healing, they also want healing for their pets who have experienced similar traumas. This interconnection is pervasive in our lives. While I might go deep into understanding it, others don’t need to delve as far. The fundamental understanding is that our lives are entangled with our pets’ lives, and animals come into our lives to help us evolve and grow, just as people do.
When you understand how you evolve and grow alongside your animal companions, the healing begins within you as a person. You see this transformation ripple through your relationship with your animal. I offer various modalities, primarily focusing on shamanic work and journey work. During a session, I simultaneously communicate with the person and the animal, performing energy clearing, removing obstacles, or addressing issues as needed.
The healing process varies depending on what is energetically required. It might involve clearing blocks, performing soul retrievals, or addressing generational or ancestral issues. Holding a space of loving compassion is crucial, and it allows me to remain open to whatever the client brings to the session.
End-of-life care is another aspect I frequently engage in. Losing a beloved animal is a challenging experience, and I provide a safe, loving container to help people cope with their grief and transition their pets into the next life. It’s a deeply emotional and transformative process.
Recently, I worked with a client whose pet passed away. In the aftermath, she discovered that her heart had opened up to love for the first time in her life. This realization came after a challenging childhood that left her emotionally closed off. Since then, she has embraced love and even welcomed another dog into her life. It’s a beautiful journey of healing and transformation that continues.
In your journey of working with various animals, from rabbits and goats to pigeons and flying squirrels, is there a particularly memorable or transformative experience you’d like to share with us?
Certainly, my journey into the shamanic world has been a fascinating and sometimes unpredictable path. It often feels like I’m stepping on stones without knowing exactly where they’ll lead. However, opportunities have a way of appearing when you least expect them.
One of these opportunities came when I began working with two individuals who were teaching shamanism in my area. It opened up new perspectives on my own talents and abilities, making me view them in a different light than before. During this period, I also served on the board of an animal rescue organization affiliated with the local Humane Society.
I earned the nickname “kitten whisperer” because I took in mother cats and kittens from the old shelter, which unfortunately had issues with disease and ventilation. Through a donation, we built a small cat house for these cats, and it was a transformative experience for me. One particularly profound moment occurred when I took in a group of six newborn kittens who had been found without a mother.
As we cared for these kittens, they initially thrived, but toward the end of the second week, we began losing them, one by one, to fading kitten syndrome. It was heartbreaking, and I couldn’t understand why it was happening. I was beside myself with grief, new life leaving so quickly before it had time to begin. I wanted to know why these kittens came into my care only to die! My shamanic mentor gently reminded me, “Why wouldn’t they come to you to die?” This completely shifted my perspective. It made me realize that even though their lives were short, they were valuable, and it was an honor to be there for them during that time.
This experience transformed how I hold a space of love and compassion, not just for animals but for anyone who seeks my help. It taught me to appreciate the joy and value in every life, regardless of its duration.
Another impactful moment in my life involved a long haired tuxedo kitten affected by distemper in my “cat house.” Despite his challenges, I nurtured him, fed him, and massaged him. He was the last of the litter to go back to the shelter for adoption, and when I overheard a staff member question why they had kept him alive, I knew I had to step in. I adopted him myself and named him Flippy.
Flip marched to the beat of his own drum, quite literally, I often heard the “March of the Toys” in my head—thump, thump, thump, splat! He had unique mobility challenges but brought immeasurable joy to everyone he encountered. He proved that life can be fulfilling, regardless of physical limitations. Flippy was a constant reminder of the beauty and resilience of life, and his presence enriched my life beyond measure.
If you would like to find out more about Lesley, visit https://intuitiveanimalhealing.net/
