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For a full listing, click the topic that interests you. Please be patient while this extensive list loads completely.AERIAL DISPERSION OF REMAINSIf your animal has been cremated, this is an opportunity to have the ashes dispersed into the Pacific Ocean over the magnificent Big Sur coastline. Contact Cloud-Nine Coastal Flights at: 831-386-6268
or 831-385-4362 BOOKS, AUDIO AND VIDEOAnimal Loss ~ Pet Loss and Children ~ General Grief: book catalogs, web sites, books ~ Death, Dying and Afterlife Unless otherwise noted, all items listed below are further described and can be ordered from Amazon.com by clicking on the title or cover of the book. If you leave this site to order a book and wish to return here, simply click your Back button. ANIMAL LOSS
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Badger's
Parting Gifts, Susan VarleyWhen Badger dies, each friend remembers a special skill that Badger had taught him. In remembering those "gifts", Badger's memory stays alive and the mourners' hearts are soothed.
Cat
Heaven, Cynthia Rylant
Dog
Heaven, Cynthia Rylant
For
Every Dog an Angel: The Forever Dog, Christine Davis
I'll
Always Love You, Hans WilhelmTender story about a little boy and the dog he has grown up and played with since it was a puppy. As the dog grows old and one day dies, the boy is very glad he remembered to tell his dog every day, "I'll always love you."
Available in hard cover and video from Compassion Books, www.compassionbooks.com When Joshua's dog, Muffin, is killed suddenly he feels no one understands how much he misses him. Then one day Joshua realizes he has learned some special secrets about loss and life. By expressing his feelings he gains strengths and insights. A tender and wise story about the possibility of growth through grief.
Mongolian folktale about a poor shepherd boy who saves a newborn foal and raises it until it beceoms "as dear as his own life." When the horse is cruelly wounded and dies, Suho is shattered by sorrow. The horse appears in a dream to Suho and offers hope and encouragement: "You must not mourn me. Take my bones, hide and sinews and use them to make an instrument to play on, then I will be able to stay by your side forever." Touching, well-told story about the deep love we share with animals and the healing power of using their gifts long after death.
The
Accident, Carol CarrickWhen a boy's dog is hit and killed by a car, he experiences a range of emotions and reactions including shock, anger, sadness, resentment, and finally reconciliation with his loss.
The
Tenth Good Thing About Barney, Judith ViorstBarney the cat has died ad his owner tries to think of 10 nice things to say about him at the funeral; he can only think of 9 things. Several days later, he realizes Barney's remains will become part of the great cycle of birth-death-rebirth. Also available on video from www.compassionbooks.com
What
is God?, Etan Boritzer A beautifully illustrated children's book (for all ages--including adults!) which describes God in perhaps a more understandable way than any theological text or religious dogma ever could to a child. A bonus is that a dog in involved in the story.
The
Courage To Grieve, Judy Tatelbaum
Tatelbaum combines her professional expertise as a therapist with her personal experiences of losing her brother and parents to provide a thorough and supportive guide through the phases of grief and grief resolution. A timeless classic!
The
Grief Recovery Handbook ~ A Step-by-Step Program for moving Beyond
Loss, John James & Frank CherryThe founders of the Grief Recovery Institute have written an excellent book describing steps necessary to resolve loss, written from their personal experiences as well as from their experiences with thousands of workshop participants. Includes very helpful exercises for working through loss.
Beyond
Grief, Carol StaudacherWritten both for the bereaved and the helping professional, this book combines personal stories of many grievers with a step-by-step approach to grief recovery. It acknowledges the pain of loss and is hopeful and loving. It says to the grieving person: you are not alone, you can get through this, there is a path back to feeling alive and vital again. Given high praise by grief counselors, the book has been described as "a warm practical book," "a valuable resource," and "a complete joy to read."
How
To Survive The Loss of a Love, Melba Colgrove, Ph.D., Harold Bloomfield,
M.D. and Peter McWilliamsA soothing blend of comfort and pragmatic help, poetry and practical steps to healing. Though the title suggests "love loss", it is really about any loss. This classic is a great bedside book for those moments of needing immediate empathy and comfort. A compantion workbook, Surviving, Healing & Growing ~ The Workbook by the same authors, is full of helpful exercises to work through the issues of loss.
To
Heal Again ~ Toward the Serenity and the Resolution of Grief, Rusty
BerkusThis is a "feel good right away" book filled with beautiful illustrations, acknowledgement of the pain of loss, and strong hopes that we can find meaning from it. It reads as a lovely poem.
When
a Man Faces Grief, 12 Practical Ideas to Help You Heal from Loss,
Jim E. Miller and Tom GoldenThese two male grief support professionals teamed up to write this concise, informative guide.
Compassion Books is by far the best resource in the world for locating and buying books and videos on death and dying, loss, grief and serious illness. Their resources address the needs of children, adults and caregivers. Call to order a copy of their color catalog with over 400 titles (all titles are not on their web site). If you ever find yourself looking for a supportive book on a specific issue of loss, Compassion Books is more likely to have what you are looking for than any other source known. Founded by Donna O'Toole, author of several books on grief.
This site features the work of Jim Miller, writer, photographer, trainer and speaker, grief counselor and clergyman. I have been familiar with Jim's work for a number of years. Each tape and video is deeply inspiring and spiritually comforting, while offering practical, psychologically sound advice about the tender experience of loss. His works shine with a brilliant light of hope and genuine love. As I read his books and watch the videos, I feel like I've been personally cared for by this sensitive and wise author, and feel touched by God. Visit this site to view Jim's dozens of healing books and tapes, to read excerpts from his books, or to send an electronic card of hope to someone (includes a pet loss card)
Animals in Spirit, Penelope SmithA book in which the author, the renowned animal communication pioneer, explores the subjects of animal death from a spritual perspective. Both informative and comforting, this tape fathoms the process of dying from animals' and people's viewpoints, working through guilt and grieving, when to consider euthanasia, and what happens after animals depart from the phsysical body. Highly recommended for those who already believe in reincarnation or for those who are exploring these beliefs. Includes a story written by Teresa Wagner.
Animals and the Afterlife, Kim Sheridan
This book is a treasure. I've recommended it to many, many clients who rave about it--the stories and the comfort and support it's given them. I hope it will do the same for you.
The Journey from the Land of Forever Flowers, Judy Tatelbaum
The author of The Courage to Grieve has written a story somewhat reminiscent of The Little Prince. This fable takes the reader from a place called THE LAND OF FOREVER FLOWERS into our world, THE LAND OF AMAZING ADVENTURES. The story suggests possible answers to the universal questions: Is there an Afterlife? How did we get the lives we have? What happens after we die? Judy wrote this book with the intention of offering a useful perspective and solace in facing life’s complexities, losses, and death.
“Nothing helped me more to deal with the sudden death of my partner than reading about life after death. This book gave me hope, peace, and comfort.” Claire Parrish, D.C.
The Next Place, Warren Hanson
A hardcover, exquisitely illustrated children's book, this is a book for all ages for inspiration and comfot about what the experience of heaven, the other side, must be like. Available from Amazon.com
Who
Dies? An Investigation of Conscious Living and Conscious Dying,
Stephen Levine, Ondrea LevineOne of many of their extraordinary books, this is a compassionate and spiritual guide to dying and grieving which transcends the narrow limitations of a particular paradigm or dogma. See Amazon's listing of all their books and tapes. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
On
Death and Dying, What the Dying Have to Teach Doctors, Nurses, Clergy
and Their Own Families, Elisabeth Kubler-Ross
The
Tibetan Book of Living and Dying, Sogyal RinpocheA Tibetan Buddhist view of death
As
Someone Dies ~ A Handbook for the Living, Elizabeth A. Johnson An inspiring and practical book to guide the living as a loved one dies.
Talking
to Heaven ~ A Medium's Mesage of Life After Death, James Van PraaghThe inspiring classic describing real stories of communication with loved ones after death.
Destiny
of Souls, Michael Newton, Ph.DIn this sequel to his popular Journey of Souls, Newton explores what happens to the soul after death and addresses angels, ghosts, reincarnation, why certain people are drawn together, and what lessons the soul is intended to learn, casting new light on life's events and relationships.
Lessons
From the Light, George Anderson He brings a message of hope and love in his book, describing many communications with the deceased loved ones of his clients. Visit his web site, www.georgeanderson.com, for valuable resources to better understand our on-going conection to loved ones after physical death.
Messages
from the Masters: Tapping into the Power of Love, Brian Weiss, MDFrom Amazon: In Many Lives, Many Masters, Brian Weiss opened an unexpected door into the astonishing realm of past-life regression. In Only Love Is Real, he showed us how we all possess soul mates from our pasts who wait to reunite with us today. Now, drawing on the wisdom of the Masters, the spirit guides who shape our destinies, bestselling author Brian Weiss gives us his most outstanding achievement to date. He reveals the essential life force in the universe and the ultimate healing energy. Its name is love. And he shows us how to harness its awesome power.
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FINDING AN ANIMAL COMMUNICATOR
Teresa Wagner, who has been facilitating grief support workshops and counseling since 1986, and animal communication consultations since 1991.
Lori Wright, a trusted Associate of Teresa's.
In almost any community, it is fairly easy to find a counselor. What's more important is to choose a counselor based on criteria valued by you. The values and philosophies of counselors and how they treat us are as important as their training and credentials. Before committing to a session with a counselor, ask if you can have ten or fifteen minutes of his or her time to discuss some of the following issues to help you determine if working together is an appropriate fit for both of you. If you are in a place with your grief process that makes it difficult for you to do this, perhaps a close friend or family member can handle this screening process for you.
Characteristics to look for in a grief counselor when you have lost your animal loved one:
There are many mental health professionals who believe loving an animal as an equal to a human is not healthy. There are even some who believe the reason we grieve so deeply is because we love our animals "too much" and should be spending our life energy searching for human love, not squandering it on animals. If you love animals on an equal par with humans, you don't belong with a counselor with these beliefs. Before scheduling and paying for a counseling session, ask a potential counselor to briefly describe to you his or her values about the human-animal bond, and their opinion about humans loving animals as much or more than humans. You will learn a great deal in just a few minutes about whether your values about animals are likely to be supported and honored in a counseling relationship with this person.
It's extremely important that we not feel judged in a counseling relationship. It should be a place where we feel safe and completely accepted for all of who we are, for all of what we believe and do. Whether we believe in the Rainbow Bridge or reincarnation, whether we are Christian, Buddhist, Hindu, Jewish or agnostic should not matter to our counselor. But the best of counselors have biases, limitations and preferences about what they believe helps the healing process. Some traditionally trained counselors are very open to and even include the healing arts in their work. Others discount or even belittle holistic healing activities such as flower essences, animal communication, laying on of hands healing, or beliefs in past lives. If your spiritual beliefs or practices are important to you, especially if they are an integral part of your relationship with your animal or your loss, briefly describe these to a potential counselor and ask him or her to comment. You need to know that your paradigms of healing and spirituality will be accepted and honored by a counselor you pay to help you.
In the counseling field, working with people who are grieving is a specialty. If you were looking for help with an addiction, you would want someone with experience and training in chemical dependency. If you were looking for help with a troubled relationship, you would want a counselor with specialized training and experience in relationship counseling. It is the same with grief. In your screening conversation, ask the counselor about their training and experiences with loss and grief, especially as it relates to losing animals.
Recommended therapists for grief counseling for animal loss who will work by telephone:
The following therapists are people I know personally and recommend wholeheartedly for their warmth, lovingkindness, wisdom and first hand experience of loving and losing animals, and expertise as therapists. They meet the criteria of therapists who accept animals as equal family members, accept diverse spiritual beliefs about death and afterlife for animals, and support holistic healing choices. THEY ARE AVAILABLE TO WORK WITH YOU BY PHONE.
TONI CROSSEN, MA. 831-429-9830 (PST) or toni@tcrossen.com
JUDY TATELBAUM, LCSW, author of the best selling books The Courage to Grieve
and You Don't Have to Suffer
judytatelbaum.com Judy@judytatelbaum.com 831-659-2279 (8 am to 8 pm PST)
Other Places to find a grief counselor:
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Sometimes, traditional counseling is precisely what we need ~ the help of a trained professional in psychology to help us understand and sort through the emotional issues of our loss. Other times psychological insight may not be enough to help us move through our healing. We may need a deeper level of spiritual support and healing. There are both ancient and contemporary healing energy techniques available to help us balance and align our minds, bodies and spirits when in distress from grief or other trauma.
Three energy healers whose work I know personally, highly recommend, and are available to provide long distance healing with you are:
Nobuyo Ishida, Divine Energy Healer who works with the energy of Quan Yin; she has healed many, many physical conditions of my animals and clients' animals, as well as those of people.
Nobuyo offering healing to my cats KK and Olivia. Though the in person work of all three of these healers is exraordinary, it is just as powerful long distance.
Jeanine Sande, Reiki Master and graduate of Rosalyn Bruyere's extensive training program, Jeanine also offers a comprehensive energy medicine certificate program. Jeanine is a seasoned master of helping heal the energy of the physical body as it relates to our emotional issues. She has personally helped me, and many I have referred to her, in profound ways.
Lori Wright, Reiki Master and Animal Communicator,is an Associate in my animal communication practice. Lori has a gentle, loving yet powerful ability to offer healing energy, and she is devoted to helping the animals of the world. Our clients are very pleased with the help her Reiki work has given them.
To find an energy healing practitioner near you geographically for in person work, or to learn more about this, explore the links below:
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The
Reiki Practitioners Directory |
www.netcomuk.co.uk/~asclepus/reikidir.html |
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International
Reiki Practitioners/Therapists |
http://find-it.hypermart.net/reiki.htm |
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Therapeutic
Touch |
www.therapeutic-touch.org www.therapeutictouchnetwk.com www.therapeutictouch.com |
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To
find a practitioner in the US, email: JudyACuster@sc.com |
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Healing
Touch |
www.healingtouch.net/index.shtml |
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Emotional
Freedom Techniques |
www.emofree.com |
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Barbara
Brennan School of Healing |
www.barbarabrennan.com |
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Healing
Meditation which is part of the Legacies
of Love audiobook by Teresa Wagner
The purpose of this meditation is to help you feel more peacefulness and
reconciliation about the loss of your animal loved one, to more easily
accept letting go of your physical relationship, and to strengthen your
sense of connection with their spirit and your on-going love. Includes
an original score of beautiful, soothing music by Roger Masson.
LuminEssence
Productions creates some of the best, highest quality guided meditations
known. Channeled by Orin and Daben to Sanaya Roman and Duane Packer (authors
of Soul Love, Living With Joy, and Spiritual Growth) dozens of meditation
tapes are available. Titles relevant to issues of grief include releasing
guilt, compassiona and forgiveness, opening to telepathic ability, self
love and more. Available from www.orindaben.com.
The Grief Process, Meditations for Healing by Stephen and Ondrea Levine. Though not specifically about the loss of animals, the Levine's meditations on letting go and what they call soft belly meditation, griefpoint meditation and forgivenss meditation, are some of the most powerful healing techniques for grief I have experienced. Available from Amazon or Sounds True
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The movies listed below hold powerful themes and points about death, dying, life after death, love and compassion. . .which sometimes can help us in our journey of understanding our loss and our grief.
Always: This is a story of the ability of those who have died to give back, inspire, guide, rescue, heal and help others on earth because of the power of love. It is also a story about the importance and power of letting go, allowing our loved ones to move on after we've been separated due to death. The film shows that love is eternal, that love transcends death and overcomes grief, jealousy, and all pain.
Fluke: A beautiful story showing how souls incarnate into whatever species is appropriate for their next chosen lessons on earth (i.e. humans can come back as animals). Another powerful storyline shows how at times we "leave" the ones we love when the lessons we came together to experience are complete, giving us the freedom to move on.
Ghost: Shows the possibilities of contact after death, the continuation of love beyond death, and the importance and possibility of finishing unfinished business from the other side. As Patrick Swayzee is about to make his final departure from earth after his death, he says to his beloved wife, "All the love inside, it goes with you." As he is seen moving into the light, many Spiritual beings can be seen waiting to meet him.
Powder: This is a powerful movie about a young man named Powder who is albino, extraordinarily intelligent and telepathic. It's a story of the pain of being different in a world that does not easily understand or accept differences, about the power of empathy and compassion to heal, and the phenomenal gifts given by this "unexpected source" of someone different from the norm (so like animals in our culture). Look for these five incredible storylines/scenes: 1) After a deer is shot by cruel and ignorant boys and a sheriff, Powder is so distraught at the sight of the ruthlessness and pain created for the deer that he telepathically sends the offending sheriff the pain of the deer as she is dying to force him to feel it. After this, the sheriff can no longer hunt or even use a gun, 2) Using his telepathic abilities, Powder helps a man "hear" what his comatose, dying wife wants him to know before dying. It is about unfinished business with their son. After she hears that her husband accepts her wishes for a reconciliation between father and son, she is free to move on and dies. This is a beautiful scene of both the compassionate use of telepathy as well as the importance of attending to unfinished emotional business, 3) Powder is so full of love that he saves the life of his attacker, 4) a scene showing that sometimes a being who is persecuted, grossly misunderstood and mistreated as if they have no place on earth can peacefully choose to leave the earth, and 5) a scene showing the euphoric, indescribable love that can be felt at death, even by those nearby watching, staying behind on earth.
What Dreams May Come: A powerful story portraying life after death. Two souls who love each other deeply seek and find each other after physical death. Shows the complex layers of lessons we continue to learn, even after dying, and the importance of finishing "unfinished emotional business" in our journeys to find peace.
They are incredibly inspiring, uplifting and comforting, created with his beautiful photography of nature and filled with words "blending psychological truth with timeless wisdom." These videos and more comforting products on grief can be ordered from www.willowgreen.com.
We Will Remember, a Meditation for Those Who Live On: Reflective words, gentle music, absorbing photography. Its main message: our memories are not just things of the past ~ they lead us into our future. And we don't go alone ~ the one we love goes with us. Ideal for a memorial service. 11 minutes.
Invincible Summer, Returning to Life After Someone You Love Has Died: Picture grief as a natural process: first fall, then winter, spring, summer. Picture memorable photography from each season. Picture artistic design, soothing music, assuring words. Ideal for personal use, support groups too. Film festival award-winner. 17 minutes.
Listen to Your Sadness, Finding Hope Again After Despair Invades Your Life: Gentle support for life's troubling times. Introduces four-step process for dealing with the despair which may accompany loss and grief: experience the present, review the past, visualize the future, return to the present anew. Evocative photography from nature. Concludes with life-giving affirmation. 18 minutes
How Do I Go On? ReDesigning Your Future After Crisis Has Changed Your Life: For those losses so serious a whole new way of living is called for. Five steps are outlined and offered as an aid, including starting with where one is, exploring the options, letting go, embracing, and living as fully as possible with what is at hand. Photography from nature guides the viewer. 21 minutes.
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I used a chant from this tape, Go In Beauty, Peace be with You, Til We Meet Again in the Light, as I sat with my dying cat Anastasia for several days and nights. It was wonderfully soothing to both of us. We played it again at her memorial service.
These comforting songs of love and presence are sung to bring meaning and peace into the darkest night. Songs include the beloved classic, Whereever You Go, I Will Go.
The above CD's are available from Compassion Books: www.compassionbooks.com (Note: Their on-line catalog describes only a very small sample of their vast resouces available. Request their print catalog to see it all)
Other pieces that can be comforting for memorial services:
My
Heart Will Go On and Because You Loved Me, Celine Dion
Amazing
Grace, Cecilia click on title to purchase This is the most beautiful and haunting version of this song you will ever hear. Songs of humpback whales are interspered with Cecilia's singing.
Chant, The Bendictine Monks of Santa Domingo De Silos (Gregorian chanting)
The
Fairy Ring, Mike Rowland
Angel
Love, Aeoliah
Om
Nimah Shivaya and other chants with Deva Primal
By
Richard Shulman: It is Richard's moving music, Light From Assisi, that
plays on our home page. In addition to his many other beautiful tapes/CD's,
Richard also composes instrumental Musical Soul Portraits. "A great portrait
painting expresses the light of the soul as well as the form of the person
protrayed. A Musical Soul Portrait expresses an individual's soul essence
through music. Richard has the ability to tune into a person's soul and
inner being, hear music for their Highest Good, and perform and record
this music to create a musical bridge through which you may commune with
the essence of God." www.richheartmusic.com
By
Kathleen Tarp: Kathleen loves animals probably more than anything in life.
This deep love, along with her outstanding songwriting abilities and astounding
voice, combine to create what she calls Song Legacies. Kathleen can write
and record a customized song for your animal including: professionally
written song lyrics about their life, full orchestration, profesional
vocals, studio digital recording, one-of-a-kind CD cover, personalized
label, and framable lyrics. www.songlegacy.com
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There are many web sites available to help us understand and acknowledge our loss and pay tribute to our beloved animals. We've listed what we've experienced as some of the most helpful, and also those which honor specific species or breeds. We realize there are dozens of others sites. If you know of one that you believe we really should include here, email and let us know. We'd like to thank the people behind these sites for all the love and work which is invested in creating and maintaining such projects for the benefit of animal grievers everywhere.
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Makers of beautiful pendants to hold photos, ashes, fur or feathers of our animal loved ones.
Lesley is an extremely dedicated caregiver to the animals in her family, including a number of feral cats to whom she is devoted. She is also an exceptionally talented artist. Her portraits are so realistic it's as if the animals come alive on the canvas. This portrait is of Tigertail, a very special cat who Lesley has loved and cared for for a long time.

Makers of memorial tribute dvd's of your animal loved one using your collection of photos, home movie films, video clips, slides, scrapbook items and more.
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Have a young tree planted in the state of your choice in honor of your animal. Receive an official certificate of planting and sympathy letter and card.
PRAYER FLAGS ~ purchase here
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
These beautiful prayer flags have attractive paw prints on four flags and a simple yet comforting quote on the fifth middle flag: "You have gone ahead and nothing is the same, leaving paw prints in my heart that will always remain." Text from the web site: We want to stay connected to that wonderful soul that has gone ahead of us. Let these flags be that connection.Tibetans believe the prayers of these flags become a permanent part of the universe as the images fade from exposure to the elements and the wind blows through them. Just as life moves on and is replaced by new life, our own healing can begin, our hearts can mend and find room to love another four legged friend. When we send our feelings on the wind we trust nature to turn our memories from sadness to gratitude for having loved and been loved so unconditionally.
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Beautiful handcrafted memorials
A listing of several sources for memorials stones and grave markers
Beautiful Vermont granite pet monuments, as well as urns and caskets.
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Unless otherwise noted, all content of this website is copyright © 2000-2005 Teresa Wagner Our web site visitors are more than welcome to copy pages for their individual use and benefit, and for incidental and informal sharing with others. We want these pages to serve and support you long after you turn off your computer! However, please refrain from printing and distributing any materials on this site for your own use as an educator or facilitator without requesting and receiving expressed permission to do so, from representing the works in this site as your own, or from using them in any way for your own financial profit. It is a legal infringement of copyright law to do so. If you are interested in using any of the materials beyond private individual use, please contact us. We often receive such requests and have frequently been able to grant permission. Thank you for honoring the effort and energy that goes into our work. We want it to be mutually beneficial in fair and appropriate ways. Thank you! |
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