Cats are magical creatures whose psychic abilities have been observed throughout history. The phrase 'cats have nine lives' came about because cats are born survivors and they are very good at avoiding danger. This may be due to a natural psychic ability that provides them with an early warning system. The combination of a fiercely independent nature, supernatural/psychic ability and the healing power of their purr explains why they were revered in the ancient world, especially in Egypt.
In Ancient Egypt cats were considered incarnations of the Goddess Bastet, depicted as a woman with the head of a cat. She was Goddess of the home, fertility and protector against evil spirits. The penalty for killing a cat was death for it was deemed to be a great insult to the Goddess Bastet. The historian Herodotus wrote that when a cat died all the inhabitants of a house shaved their eyebrows as a sign of deep mourning. They were taken to Bubastis where they were embalmed and buried in sacred receptacles. The period of mourning was considered complete when the mourners' eyebrows had grown back. Mummified cats have been found at Bubastis and elsewhere throughout Egypt, often buried with or close to their owners.
The cat was also revered in other ancient cultures, for example in India the Goddess Sasht was worshipped and served the same role as Bastet. In Persia the prophet Mohammed was known to be fond of cats. Legend has it that the 'M' design on the forehead of the tabby cat was formed when the prophet blessed his favourite cat by placing his hand on its forehead. Cats were also revered in Ancient China and Japan and were considered guardians of the home and thought to safeguard valuable books. Cats were often housed in private pagodas and were considered so valuable that, by the 10th century only the wealthy could afford to own one. In Norse mythology two blue cats led a chariot driven by Freya, (Goddess of fertility, war and death) into battle to collect wounded soldiers.
Witches always tended to have cats, especially black cats. Witches, (like cats) were very at one with nature and they engaged in healing work, brewing herbs for remedies. Cats were thought to be 'familiars' i.e., supernatural spirits that helped witches and sorcerers, often taking the form of an animal, perhaps a toad or a frog, but usually a cat. Witchcraft was denounced as a Pagan practice by the Catholic Church, and cats, especially black cats were seen as instruments of Satan. They cited their vertically slit eyes and their association with witches as evidence of this. During the Middle Ages countless cats, along with witches were burned on bonfires or thrown to their deaths from towers.
Cat lovers are likely to be drawn to them as pets for their beauty and grace, playfulness and independence. Women, like myself, who have a keen interest in the Spirit realm sense an ineffable, kindred spirit in cats. They are at once grounded and at one with nature, yet on the other hand, they often seem to be in another world as though communing with invisible realms. Cats, like witches, appear to embody the perfect balance of feminine and masculine qualities for they are earthy, intuitive, loving, yet also warriors, resourceful and fiercely autonomous.
In her book 'Discover Atlantis', Diana Cooper says that cats are 'enlightened and independent beings.' They are the one species who came to Earth so evolved that they had nothing to learn from humans and consequently they didn't need us! She says they came from 'the great spiritual constellation of Orion'. During Atlantean times cats went to every home 'to help maintain a pure energy there.' She says that because their psychic ability was so high, they were used in rituals and ceremonies and that 'healers always had a cat to boost their power.' Today, she says, that cats continue to watch over their human families and protect them from entities.
Cats have a lot of quartz in their pineal gland which, like the quartz crystal, helps absorb and transmute energy. If a cat starts to lie down persistently on one part of our body it is a sign that that part of the body is sick or is about to get sick. The cat has already perceived bad energy in that area often before it has actually manifested physically. Some years ago my heart chakra was blocked due to grief, having lost some family members in a short space of time. One day a young tabby cat came mewing to my door looking to come in. I fed him outside for a time, I was reluctant to let him in as I already had my own house cat, Roxy.
As he was very persistent at getting into my house I eventually relented and let him in. His favourite place to sit on me was on my chest and he would often jump several feet up onto my chest and sit there for ages with his paws around my neck, purring. It was very comforting and loving. After six months he went away and I never saw him again. I believe he had come to heal my heart chakra and once he had done his job he left.
I used to suffer from a duodenal ulcer and my cat Roxy would always tend to lie on that part of my body. I have no doubt that this, along with my own energy healing, helped to cure it as I have been symptom free now for several years. I've heard many anecdotal stories like this from other people. Someone I know used to suffer for hours at a time from migraine headaches, until she got a cat. Thereafter at the onset of the migraine she would lie down in a darkened room, followed by her cat who would lie down by her head, purring. After about twenty minutes her migraine would be gone.
Roxy
Scientists who have studied the interaction between cats and humans believe that the high-pitched cry of cats and especially kittens, mimics the human baby distress cry. We are naturally sensitive to a baby's cry and so cats, like babies elicit a caring and loving response from us. Scientists have studied a cat's purr in order to understand this unique characteristic. Cats purr when they are happy, when relaxing or while being stroked by their human friend. Mother cats often purr while nurturing their kittens, which must be a calming sound for their babies. Cats purr in the range of 20-40 hertz which promotes healing in soft tissue and bones. One hypothesis for the purpose of the purr is that the vibrations from this activity are healing and physically rejuvenating for the cat. It is also found to be healing for humans too in that purrs at a frequency of 25-100 Hz correspond to healing frequencies in the therapeutic range for humans. Bone responds to 25-50 Hz and skin and soft tissues respond to around 100 Hz according to researchers.
People who love cats feel that their companionship has a soothing effect and petting a cat calms your nerves and reduces stress. This is scientifically borne out in that stroking a cat and hearing it purr has been shown to lower blood pressure and stress levels. A study at the University of Minnesota Stroke Research Centre that followed 4,430 people for a decade, found that owning a cat reduced the risk of heart attack by 40% and the risk of getting a stroke by 30%. Cats purrs also decrease the symptoms of dyspnoea, also known as difficult or laboured breathing.
In the light of all the above perhaps we need to re-evaluate how we view cats. These beautiful, mystical creatures have innate psychic and healing abilities. Not only do they make wonderfully affectionate companions but they also have a divine mission to protect and heal us. Perhaps we need to emulate the Ancient Egyptians and again afford cats the status they had back then.
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