Bringing Reiki to A Humane Society

It was a 90-mile trip through some winding mountain roads in twelve degree weather until I reached the Warwick Valley Humane Society. What an amazing day I spent there, as a Shelter Animal Reiki Association teacher, with a class of eleven students who are all ardent animal rescuers.  This included the President of the shelter as well as the holistic veterinarian who is one of the shelter vets. 

The class was held in the bunny barn, with a number of rescued bunnies in the room next door, and I do believe the bunnies were energetically participating in the meditations we were doing as part of learning Reiki!  One of the most fascinating aspects to me as a teacher, was observing the brand-new students-turned practitioners having their "ah-hah"moments, their awakening to the powerful potential of learning this modality.

All of the students were eager to learn Reiki to help the needy shelter animals that they work with on a regular basis. What they did not realize is how much the energy is going to benefit themselves personally!  All of these rescuers deal with much everyday stress centered around the rescue and rehabilitation of these animals, so they are also in need of healing, peacefulness and some relaxation.

After our mini-Reiki share, one admitted to me that she is a very hyper personality and can rarely relax or calm down, but during the short treatment session, she told me it was the most relaxed she has ever been -- and she is now open to the possibility that  she can become calmer and more balanced in her life. Before we approach animals with Reiki -- or just working with them on any level in a shelter environment -- it is far better if we are grounded, calm and balanced first within our own being.  This makes us more effective in the work that we do.

After a morning of Reiki basics and history, we began the Animal Reiki portion of the curriculum and this generated quite a stir of excitement, especially when I sent our new Animal Reiki "brigade" to spread out within the shelter on their first assignment. This was to find an animal that somehow each connected to in a special way, or felt that was more in need and to offer a Reiki treatment.

Many cats and dogs received Reiki sessions that afternoon, and afterwards we met back in the bunny barn to discuss experiences. Everyone had a positive experience, and some, quite remarkable ones, particularly for a few newly-attuned Practitioners who decided to work with some of the more challenging canines. The dogs had responded quite immediately and profoundly to the energy, and had calmed and relaxed into the radiance of the Reiki. 

One Practitioner even had a very fascinating and enlightening session wish a pair of Guinea pigs who were very joyful about the energy. I could see that all the new practitioners had their own wonderful "glow" about themselves. Needless to say, it was a rewarding experience for myself and I was on quite a natural Reiki high after this remarkable day, knowing that my passion for helping animals was creating a "ripple effect" where each new practitioner will go out into the shelter world and offer much-needed natural healing to so many shelter animals.

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