Loving and Understanding the Animals in Our Lives: A Conversation With Animal Clairvoyant Christine Agro

This was an interview I did in 2007 with Catherine VanHarren.

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By Catherine VanHarren

After just five minutes into a conversation with Christine Agro, an ebullient, intelligent, warm individual with an easy laugh and an innate, incredible cache of wisdom regarding the deep connections between humans and animals, you'll be guaranteed to come away with a newfound appreciation and knowledge of yourself, the animals who grace your life, and a fuller understanding of the intrinsic bond you share with your beloved animals.

Christine Agro is an animal clairvoyant and natural healer. She was born with and subsequently spent years learning to understand and use her clairvoyance.  As anyone who has pets knows, we will do nothing short of climbing mountains to be able to understand the whimsical, disturbing, and downright "strange" behavior of our extended families -- those dogs, cats, fish, gerbils, birds, horses, reptiles, and so on  -- who give us both unconditional love and a mysterious combination of mixed messages.

"What is my pet trying to tell me? What's wrong here?" Since antiquity, everyone who has ever loved a pet they have happily drawn into their lives has had this question. But Agro, 41, has developed a unique way of helping us find those answers.

While some may label Agro a "pet psychic," she doesn't quite fit in that category, as she is the first to declare. "I don't do 'future-telling' and although I can communicate with them, it’s not the basis of what I do,” she says. "I am able to see and hear an animal's spirit [in the here and now] and thereby see the energies that impact and influence them." Just like humans, who incarnate with specific and well-defined spiritual agreements, Agro asserts that animals, who also have and exhibit emotions, feelings, showing both happiness and grief, for example, are here to "help us learn about our own life paths. Animals, like humans, have distinct choices. They make spiritual agreements just as we do, and they come in specifically for us, as we do for them -- to help us learn, to teach us what we are meant to know, and to evolve," she says.

A native of Buffalo, N.Y., and now a resident of New York City, Argo holds an MBA in Nonprofit Management and is also a graduate of the School of Natural Medicine in Boulder, CO. She spent two years at the Inner Connection Institute in Denver, CO, learning how to focus and hone her clairvoyant abilities. She is also a certified Yoga instructor and uses bodywork, flower essences, energy healing, naturopathy, aromatherapy, color therapy, acupuncture, and even astrology to understand, communicate and heal animals.

Argo can literally see and acutely identify the energy around animals to help us understand how they relate to the world and to us, their guardians. She stresses that our animals are not totally helpless beings at all; conversely, they are extremely aware spirits existing and perceiving the world around them with extreme sensitivity and consciousness.

"Animals have choices," she says. "People need to understand that we are here to support them, not to enable them," she says, adding, "Our animals are teachers, guides and healers for us. But as much as they are in our lives to help us grow and heal, they are here to do their own Spiritual growth work, too.”

It was a pleasure to sit down with Christine Agro one early summer day and discuss just how she sees and communicates with animals, helping us to understand "their side of the story": for indeed, every animal does have a unique story to tell!

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CV: ARE YOU NATURALLY INTUITIVE? HOW EARLY IN LIFE DID YOU LEARN YOU HAD THIS KIND OF ABILITY?

CA: As a child, I was precognizant. I would see bad things that would happen later, accidents, deaths, but soon I learned that I couldn’t stop those things from happening. My older brother said I was a freak and didn't want to deal with it. So I just shut it down. Also, my parents weren't really in a position to know how to support it. And I had no idea what to do with it.

But later, in my career as a professional fundraiser, it returned to me in a much more positive way; I realized I was really good at the job because I intuitively knew who to ask for funds and how to approach them.

CV: HOW DID YOU GET INTO THIS WORK, IN PARTICULAR? WHEN DID YOU DISCOVER YOU HAD AN INSIGHT INTO ANIMALS' FEELINGS?

CA: I started doing this work with people.  All of my training was intended to work with people, but my people clients started bringing me their animals.  The first two sessions I did with animals were very powerful.  The first was a cat named Simon Perry, and the only thing he could eat was chicken and brown rice. After our first session he was much better.  After our second session he could and still can eat whatever he wants. I learned how easy animals would release dis-ease states.  The second was a dog named Sysco who had a tumor on his chest.  After one session he released the tumor energy.  When his person took him to the vet a week later, the tumor was completely gone.  I was in awe at animals’ ability to simply release a dis-ease state once the information around it had been communicated.

CV: HOW DO YOU DEAL WITH PARTICULARLY AGGRESSIVE ANIMALS WITH SERIOUS BEHAVIORAL ISSUES?

CA: I adopted a rather surly, 15-year-old cat named Christopher. [LAUGHS] Whenever I would pet him he would bite me! Finally I said to him, "Here's what I'm getting: You're telling me that you don't want to be in this home if you keep biting me, which is OK, if that's the case; I'll help you find another home." Soon after, he came to me in a dream (which is unusual for me) and "showed" me in the dream that he didn't like it when I pet him too much. He couldn’t accept the level of love I offered, but he really wanted to stay. He just asked that I stop petting him. That's a perfect example of the conscious relationship you can have with your animals. It's not a "control" thing at all, because we don't own our animals; they have their own information they're working with and are doing their own thing, so our role is to just to learn how to best work with them on a conscious level, in an open, psychic space in our minds.

CV: HOW DO YOU GET ANIMALS TO UNDERSTAND WHAT IT IS YOU ARE ASKING OF THEM?

Christopher is a great example. He would wake me up in the middle of he night, jumping up on the bed, near my head. So I had to explain to him after some time that his behavior was detrimental. I just said, "Look, you can come visit me at night, but just don't go up near my head, but at the bottom of the bed.” And I showed him a “picture” of him at the foot of the bed. Animals respond to psychic "pictures" in our heads. If you "show" them where you want them to go or what you want them to do, they will. And from that day on, Christopher never woke me up again.

In the reading space though each person that comes to me processes information in a different way, so the readings are all different, but overall, I have developed ways to show people how to see their animals as Spirit -- how to work with them in a conscious state. It's not about training; it's about interacting with the animals, providing what they need and showing them what we need, but there's a kind way (not a controlling way) to do that.

CV: WHAT ABOUT HEALTH AND WELLNESS? HOW DO YOU DETERMINE WHERE AN ANIMAL IS HURTING, OR WHAT IS CAUSING THE PAIN?

CA: As a clairvoyant I am able to see every aspect of the animal’s being; mental, physical, emotional and Spiritual. I scan these aspects to see where the energy is, and based on that I may do energy healing work or suggest any number of natural healing modalities which range from crystals, to aromatherapy, body work, naturopathy and diet/nutrition changes. One thing I've noticed is that animals don’t hold on to these problem energies unless they are using them to transition from this life. It doesn't take them long; once they "get it" [whatever is bothering them], and once their people get it, they'll immediately shift. It happens very quickly; unlike people, animals don’t get caught up in an attachment to illness or disease.  Once the information around the disease state is conveyed, they just release it.

Also, in some behavioral problems I've come across, it's clear to me that some animals have completed their agreement with their guardians. In an unconscious relationship, they don’t have many choices: they can die or run away or become so unacceptable that the person has to release them. But in a conscious space we can acknowledge that the agreement is complete and help them find their next step.

The agreements we have with our animals are very strong. They're so much here to just help us. They will give their life for us, or stay around until we learn our lessons. Even if they have to die to make us realize something very deep and internal about ourselves, they will, because they see [that act of dying] as just something very necessary.

CV: WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY AN AGREEMENT, FOR EACH PERSON, WHICH CORRESPONDS TO THEIR ANIMALS'?

CA: We all have Spiritual Agreements.  From the most macro – we’ve agreed to be here on this planet at this time with all these people to advance the collective consciousness; to the most micro – our intimate relationships, those in our family, and our animals.  An agreement is when at Spirit we say to another Spirit “hey, I’m working on this, can you be a mirror, a catalyst, a nemesis or whatever it might be, so that I can learn what it is I want to learn?” and an agreement is made.

We come in with a Spiritual plan, as do our animals. Animals absolutely have their own Spiritual growth plan and decide where and how to live. Our agreements with our animals are some of the most deep and profound.

CV: WHAT DOES IT PHYSICALLY FEEL LIKE WHEN YOU'RE DOING THE READINGS, THE BODY WORK, THE HEALING? WHAT IS IT LIKE FOR YOU?

CA: I don't get tired; it doesn't drain me. I clear my space out at the end. I don't remember the readings after I finish because they're coming from a neutral space. That neutral space is important because it ensures I’m getting information direct from the animal at Spirit and not injecting my own emotions or information. In my clairvoyant training program we had a saying: ‘see it, say it,’ which meant don’t analyze, don’t interpret it, just say what you see.  I'm good at scanning the physical body and identifying imbalances.

For example, Sysco, who I mentioned already, had tumors on his chest. I sat down and looked at the tumor and got information from it; why was it there? It had to do with some healing energy with the animal's guardian and her husband that the dog was taking on. There were issues about her (the wife) being able to step into her own power. After I worked with her about her own issues, Sysco was then able to free himself.

The training I received at the Inner Connection Institute in Colorado really advanced my innate abilities: it made me realize it's all about being neutral.  Readings allows me to see my own growth, my own issues, but I’m not injecting my own "stuff"; I’m reading from a place of clarity and focus. It makes a huge difference.

CV: WHAT ABOUT THE TRANSITIONAL PROCESS FOR ANIMALS AND THE IMPACT AND GRIEF IT HAS ON THEIR GUARDIANS? WHAT DO OUR ANIMALS GO THROUGH PSYCHOLOGICALLY DURING THESE TIMES?

CA: This is really one of my favorite areas to work in, because it teaches people so much about how to see their animal as Spirit, and learning how to take their own needs and desires out of the equation is such a huge growth piece for people. It's powerful, healing and beautiful. It's sometimes hard for animals to transition because the grief is so great for the person, they can't leave when they really need to because they're feeling so responsible for the person.

So, usually when this happens, they will leave or move away from the person to transition on their own. They can't let go if we keep holding on to them, feeling the heaviness of our grief. I try to get people to understand that it's their animal's choice about how and when they're going to transition: I feel it’s my job to be the animal’s voice and convey their wishes when it comes to euthanasia and invasive procedures. I ask them what they want and they'll tell me.

I always say to people, "If you're wondering if it's time [for them to transition], it's not time. When it’s time, you will have no doubt.  Our connections are that strong." But when transition does occur, you will and should grieve; this is your healing process. When an animal comes into your life for 15 years, their energy fills emptiness within you. There's a void in you that they fill for you so completely. When they transition, they take their energy back and give you an opportunity to fill in that void with your own energy, your own sense of self.

When we experience that emptiness it can certainly be overwhelming. Even working in the conscious space, the emotional process is still painful, but working with me through the process, people have a knowingness about the process and what they are experiencing.

Death is expansion, not contraction; their spirit goes out of their body and isn't encased in the animal form any more; if we can commit to that space with them, we can have our own expansion, which is one of the many gifts of the passing process. It's also important for us to grieve; it’s an important part of our own healing.

CV: WHAT ABOUT ANIMALS WHO ARE VERY TERRITORIAL ABOUT THEIR SPACE? ARE THERE ANIMALS WHO, FOR SOME REASON, JUST DON'T LIKE A CERTAIN OTHER ANIMAL?

CA: Animals all have their own space.  If they are not strong in that space and another animal comes in, they'll feel uncomfortable. We're so much more about ego than they are! But I have seen some animals who are very ego-based, very body-based.  It's all very individual. I've found that most cats are just not as conscious-based as dogs.

The most important thing is to make sure the base needs are met before you start to work on socialization issues.

I took Maslow's hierarchy and created one of my own for animals and apply it when I do this work. They're each at a different conscious level. They have needs that must be met before they move to the next level.

CV: CAN YOU EXPLAIN THAT FURTHER, USING AN EXAMPLE? TAKE US BACK TO 10TH-GRADE PSYCHOLOGY  HERE! [LAUGHING]

CA: Of course! I think the best example I have of my Hierarchy of Needs in action is with Annie, a beautiful black Labrador Retriever. A client whom I have worked with for years rescued her. When my client found Annie, she asked me how her other dog would get along with Annie. What I saw was truly love at first sight. I could see these dogs would be great friends. I did see that Annie had a lot of "issues," but at the time, we neglected to look at how she would do in the family in general.

When Annie arrived, she was deaf to anything anyone had to say to her. She pulled away when my client took her out for walks, ran away whenever she could, and she growled and snapped around her food and toys. She appeared to be a nasty, aggressive dog.

Once, when she broke into a run after another dog with her person in tow, causing physical damage to her person [my client], Annie was inches from being sent back. Her person called me, and I did a clairvoyant reading. I could see Annie's spirit.  It was bright and willing, but Annie had no safety. She had received no training from her previous home. She had been moved around from place to place, so she had no sense of security. Her diet had also been less than optimal, so nutritionally she was lacking the sustenance to physically tell my client that she was safe.

Her person had already changed her diet, and she agreed to send Annie to a training "boot camp" for 10 days. During this time we also introduced a flower essence blend to help shift her energy. I watched Annie clairvoyantly over those 10 days, and I saw her slowly developing a level of conscious awareness. I also saw her beginning to open up emotionally.

By the time she returned home, she was in a much better state.  She had an understanding of what was expected of her. Her diet was improved, and most encouragingly, when I spoke with her about respect for the other animals in the house and pointed out that they made space for her and that she should be grateful, I got the reaction I needed to see. She was embarrassed by her behavior! She had learned that gratefulness can exist, and that it is a good thing!

Since that time, I have had reports of Annie sharing her bed with the other dogs and being much more playful and open.

CV: HOW CAN THE REGULAR LAYPERSON-GUARDIAN BEST RELATE TO THEIR ANIMALS?

CA: Just recognize that animals, as much as they're here to support us, do have their own special needs, and be conscious of what those needs are and work with them in an open communication space. Most people have this tremendous sense of responsibility toward their animals, but they're really not helpless. When people put their whole happiness into their animals that puts a lot of pressure on the animals. Can you see what they feel like they have to live up to?

 

Just like humans have our own levels of growth, so do animals. Some come in to stay in an unconscious space, it's true, but they've been on the evolutionary path for eons to help us, and we help them in return. They grow along with us.

 

Again, it's not a judgment thing, but I see it more with cats than I do with dogs, that they just don't really care or even see that there's anybody else around. With dogs it's usually about fear or space; they'll have a lack of security or stability, and once that’s addressed, they blossom!

CV: IF YOU WENT TO THE ZOO, COULD YOU BE ABLE TO TELL HOW AN ANIMAL IS FEELING?

CA: [Laughs.] I'm not a huge fan of zoos, but I went with my 3-year-old son to the giraffe house, and there were two adults and a baby. They all kind of swiveled around and looked at me when I came in the door, and then the baby looked right at me, and I said, "Hello," in spirit, and he came closer to me, just staring at me. I could see he saw me as I saw him, and for him it was the first time anyone had really seen him.

Then, here comes the mother, like, "Hey! Who are you?" Challenge! [Laughs.] So I said to the mother, in spirit, "I see him in spirit, so I just said hello." The mother was being very, very protective of him, so I said, "I'm not going to do anything. I'm just here. In fact, if you can really hear me, can you just lick him on the head right now?" And she did!!! What a fun sense of validation!  It was the first time I worked with an animal in captivity, and I was amazed at how pure in spirit they were!  It was a great experience!

CV: WHO WAS YOUR FIRST PET?

CA: Well, I had a turtle, a fish and a guinea pig as a child. It really changed when I moved to Winnipeg, Manitoba, and adopted Miranda, a lab mix from the Winnipeg Humane Society. I wasn't doing this work at the time, but for six months, Miranda would still toilet all over the house. I finally said to her, "I can't do this anymore. If you keep it up, you'll have to go back." I wasn't angry, I was just very certain. She heard me! She stopped doing that!

The funniest, most spiritual dog I've ever had the pleasure of meeting and loving in my life I called Pebbles. She was always spaced-out, just kind of wandering around; I knew she was looking at spirit all the time.

So one day I took her hiking with me, of all things. Now, Pebbles was a couch potato. She kept walking, with her tongue hanging out, lagging behind me and looking at me like, "Are you crazy? I can't do this!" We finally made it, though, to 8,000 feet. So we're there, and she sits down, and I started meditating, and I looked over and her eyes were like saucers, taking in the whole thing. She was different from that day on!

CV: WHEN ANIMALS REINCARNATE, DO THEY RETURN IN ANIMAL FORM ONLY, OR DO THEY CHANGE PHYLUMS?

CA: They can and do shift into other forms; what I see is that they go through a conscious growth space just like we have, from unconsciousness and being part of a collective spirit to where they can actually stand alone in spirit and evolve from there and choose where and with whom they want to be. They generally stay connected to the animal realm. We've chosen to be part of the human spirit growth space because that's where we're best able to find and expand on our own spiritual growth; in other words, we ask ourselves each time, "How can I move forward the best way?" Animals are the same.

I feel it's my responsibility to speak up for animals, to be that "person" voice when they have no voice. I don't feel like they are helpless and need rescuing. They are where they are because, again, they have their own Spiritual work to do, just as we do, and they wouldn't be anywhere but where they are meant to be.

Ultimately, to have your own power, you have to know who you are and what you can do; you have to recognize and be aware of your own truth. I see this kind of information and energy around animals and am so thankful that I'm able to share it with their persons, the guardians who care for and love them so much.

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