In the latest edition of MysticMag interviews, Lizanne Flynn, a seasoned animal communicator and healer, shares her transformative journey from a career in human resources to working with animals as a Reiki Master and shamanic practitioner. Discover how her deep connection with animals and energy work has shaped her unique approach to healing and the profound lessons she’s learned along the way.
What can you tell me about yourself and your professional journey?
As the song goes, it’s been “a long and winding road” that led me finally, at decidedly middle age, to the door of the Animals. My first career was in Human Resources in healthcare and looking back, I can see how this was a good start given my soul path of facilitating healing for others. I fell into healthcare via a family connection by first volunteering at a hospital and then working in the admissions office during high school and college. Later on, I worked as an HR manager which was part recruiter and part employee relations role, and during that time I earned my Bachelor of Arts in Management. Two fabulous sons entered my life and two years after my second son was born, my body was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1993. As you might imagine, an incurable and progressive chronic illness will crystalize one’s perspective in a heartbeat. It also pointed to the question (in another song), “Well, how did I get here?” And more importantly the title of the song, “Once in a Lifetime”, beckoned me into the cave I previously dared not enter (Joseph Campbell.) The personal landscape of my path changed via divorce and I concentrated on supporting my sons to become the fine men that they are today while also learning how to best partner with the MS.
In 2008 when my sons were in middle and high school, I considered resuming a career path as happier parents are better parents. What that looked like I didn’t know. The most important question was how to determine if a body with MS was physically up to the task of outside work. For whatever reason, it seemed like the best way to test that was by volunteering at the local animal shelter and walking two dogs at a time on a mile or so greenbelt path in the mornings; what interesting walks those turned out to be. I started to hear the voices of the Animals: “Why am I here?” “Where is my family?” “Can I go home now?” I had one previous intuitive experience (clairvoyance) when I was 19 so although clairaudience was new, it wasn’t startling. I discovered in a short amount of time by partnering with the Animals, that my body was attuned to the five internal senses that mirror the external ones, as is everyone’s. The abilities of medical intuition came along as well as mediumship, first with the Animals and later with humans.
After I hung out my first professional ‘shingle’ of Animal communicator, I wanted to add a physical component so I became certified in canine massage therapy in Colorado in 2009. At the end of those classes, a colleague said to me, “You know, I think you’d really like Reiki”. I found my Reiki Master and Teacher via a very short-term dating experience (thanks, Kevin!) and became a Reiki Master and Teacher of the Usui Method in 2010. It’s been a roller coaster at times, for sure, and yet at each step, the door was opened for me; all I had to do was step over the threshold – gulp!
What ideas and principles do you base your coaching and mentoring on and what can people hope to achieve through it?
I follow the lead of the Animals in everything I do and I encourage the human Animal to follow the same lead as much as possible in their lives. That means adopting a perspective of unified duality and within that, balance and partnership among all species. We have a fixed design on this planet around which through, over and under Energy fluctuates; no amount of pushing or pulling is going to change that although humans mightily try.
We usually want only the brightest points of light in our lives and because of the Earth’s design, it ain’t gonna happen unless contrast is also present. Martin Luther King said it best, “Only in the darkness can you see the stars.” Every being has trauma in their lives no matter the physical form in which they reside. Its purpose is to redirect to the light that’s always present and every being’s choice is how to respond to the trauma; it is always in partnership with the light for realignment.
What is the difference between working with humans and working with animals and what services for animals do you offer?
Shhh, don’t tell your readers; Animals are much easier to work with! Whether it’s Reiki or animal communication, Animals are the first to step forward when asked and say, “Yes, please! I want to shift because this Energy feels yucky!” Or, “Yeah, I’m totally out of control with the barking or not using the litter box”, etc. You see, their behavior is their way of waving a red flag to alert their human that something is imbalanced in the co-created field of Energy. Those statements are followed with, “And please tell my human that I don’t like how they’re feeling/acting/thinking because it harshes the whole mellow we organically got going on!” Animals are programmed toward joy as is the human Animal.
We’ve created structures of belief that override our joyous instincts and separate the otherwise unified duality of Earth; again, that’s not compatible with the OS, if you will, of the planet. Animals are often the first to offer a compromise so that both parties to a companion Animal relationship feel more comfortable and better understood. They are only ever interested in the relationship and will not hesitate to be vulnerable as they know this to be a place of empowerment. With their sometimes bracingly direct thoughts and emotions, a fair number of humans can be caught off guard and say “Wait, what?! I told you THEIR barking was the issue; how is this MY fault?” I am deeply aware of being the bridge between Animal and human guardian and my infamous (at this point, anyway) phrase of, “Let’s see; how am I gonna put this?” comes up often.
It’s crucial that the information shared is compassionate and supports the human as they shift. Because the key with companion Animals (not pets, please!) is when humans shift their Energy, the Animal will shift theirs. My litmus test, always, is how the body of the human feels after any session so I ask them to identify and give voice to their shift in Energy. The services I offer to Animals is communication and distant Reiki, the latter is for all beings.
Can you share a few details about the shamanic part of your work?
Oh, gosh; the shamanic part is all Mr. Butters’ doing! About a week before my session with him, I had attended my first group shamanic journey in ~ 2012 to try it on for size; I was hooked immediately! I loved the interaction between dimensions, the metaphorical shape-shifting of beings that occurred, just all of it. At the time of Mr. Butters’ session, he was a rescued stray who wasn’t eating and was highly reactive (please don’t use ‘aggressive’!) to most humans.
He showed me a partially collapsed wet cardboard box in a dark alley that was his previous home. He stated, “Well, I could have died out there!” Immediately via claircognizance I understood that what was needed was soul retrieval to reclaim the previously separated soul piece that was traumatized by this experience. Admittedly shocked by this request, I backed away from the Energy and thought, “Oh no, hang on – I don’t know how to do this!” Right then a clairaudient voice (I leave it to them to self-identify) said, “Trust us and trust yourself.” So I did. A week later, his new guardian emailed with the excellent news that Mr. Butters was “a new dog”, eating well and (mostly) liking everyone.
From that point, soul retrieval work with humans developed: I’ll see a number that correlates with the age at which the trauma first occurred, and the client and I will journey together to reclaim that soul piece. It’s a profound experience that is echoed by the body’s messages of where the soul piece is placing its Energy. Sometimes it’s a big toe or left knee; other times, it’s the upper back or chest. The beauty is that the human is along for the ride to observe how and where the Energy moves as the soul piece is reunited with the body once more.
What other services do you offer?
It’s easier to say what I don’t offer and that’s astrology because I only know enough about that to be dangerous! Anywhere Energy can be found I meet my clients and partner with them to facilitate their request for what is in their highest and best good. Distance is no barrier and I have national as well as international clients.
Is there anything else about your work that you’d like to share that we haven’t covered?
I was awarded a patent on a portable Animal therapy table for use with smaller species so that humans and Animals can partner together in comfort for a myriad of modalities. During the pandemic (yeah, I know) I founded “The Animals’ iView Academy” which realigns humans to the master language of Energy. And I’m also – ever so slowly – working on a book, with the Animals along as my ghostwriters.
To learn more about Lizanne’s work, you can visit lizanneflynn.com
