I was very lucky to meet Frans Stiene and to be taught my Shinpiden level by him. Being introduced to his books by

Frans Stiene and me

Kathleen a few years ago, I found his and his wife’s whole understanding of Reiki to be a breath of fresh air. I arrived in the Cotswolds in early October of this year (2011). I had travelled across England by train, bus and then taxi. The venue for this Shinpiden workshop was in the middle of no where, making it very difficult for the taxi driver to find, eventually after asking someone in Winchcomb village I landed at my destination. I was staying at the Stable Cottages, Ireley grounds which were located next to the main house which was a beautiful Cotswold house.

I unpacked my things, and sat outside in the beautiful sunshine waiting for more people to arrive, as I ventured over to the main house, I was met by Frans. Having only ever seen him on a book or on his internet site, I was very nervous as to me I had never met someone famous before. He straight away put me at ease and was so very down to earth and grounded and had such a positive energy about him.

The first day I learnt about meditation, I realised that if I wanted to find what is hidden inside myself then I would need to use the meditation techniques to find out what is within me. I have always found meditation difficult as I am easily distracted. Frans helped me to think about the aim of meditation and to understand what meditation is. By not getting attatched to my thoughts and realising that there is no good or bad meditation was really refreshing. Direct experience is so important to understand what Reiki is all about. Frans made meditation really easy for me to understand in such a way that I would be able to practice it on a daily basis.

Being taught by Frans on the Shinpiden level was the most life changing experience I have ever had. For me he blew Reiki apart, he stripped away all of the layers and what was left was Reiki at it’s purest level. It was all about ‘being Reiki’ by being the precepts. It is about working on yourself and never being satisfied as you can always go deeper. Reiki is a life long practice and healing is just one element of it. The purpose of this blog for me, is how much this experience has changed me and my view of Reiki and how much this experience has helped me to be the best possible SARA teacher I can be. By me teaching my SARA students with the same enthusiasm and passion that Frans has and ‘perfect practice makes perfect’. SARA students in the UK will make such a difference to the animals that they work with too.

This deepened understanding of Reiki and my commitment to daily practice can only benefit the beautiful animals I work with at Remus. For  me that is what it is all about. If I can be a better Reiki Animal Practitioner and be in that Reiki space with the animals I work with and let go of ego and judgement I am definitely on the right path. Thank you Frans for showing me the way<3

Reiki helps in so many situations but where I feel it offers the most help is when an animal is facing being put to sleep. None of us know the challenges our animal will face but we all know that we want to make them as easy as possible. The hardest cross to bare is when one of our animals is being put to  sleep. It is a time of great sadness and can be distressing to both the owner and the animal. When the time is right to cross over the ‘Raibow Bridge’  this certainly can be aided with the help of Reiki.

Two Dots Sheep who had been diagnosed with a brain tumour,  was unable to walk in a straight line and had  kept on hurting herself, she had been poorly for a few weeks and had seen the Vet on numerous occassions, Remus had tried every option to help her but it was an impossible situation.  If Dotty had been part of the farming world, she would never have  lived to an age, where old age actually caused problems, she would have most certainly be sold for meat and certainly would not be able to age with dignity. Luckily for Two Dots she had a happy and fulfilled  life at Remus. A lot of people think sheep are all the same, if you take the time to watch them, they are far from the same. They are so individual in so many ways, Two Dots had lots of character and personality to make her very unique.

Arriving at Remus I was asked to go straight into see Dotty. I felt nervous entering her shelter as this was only the second time I had seen an animal being put to sleep. I was there before the vet arrived so was able to spend time with her. She was pacing around her shelter and seemed quite anxious. I stayed in the corner and knelt whilst I offered Reiki out so it could fill the area and she could take what ever she needed. I am not sure what I felt but all I knew was that I wanted her last minutes to be as peaceful as possible. I did not invade her space, I just let her be where ever she felt she needed to be. I continued to offer Reiki hoping that she would relax. The Vet arrived with two of the Remus staff , where it was decided that Dotty should be sedated as she was still quite stressed. As she relaxed, I felt her take more Reiki, I then moved closer and gave her hands on Reiki, she was now in a very calm state. I offered her Reiki as the Vet put her to sleep and I can say that it was a very peaceful death. She closed her eyes and passed over to the other side very quietly. Her death was very dignified which I am sure she would have wanted.  I am glad I was there for her last minutes, I was glad that I was there to offer her Reiki and I was glad I was there to say goodbye.

2 Dots

STAR

Being able to work with so many animals at Remus has been a privledge and an honour. Recently, with the help of many other Reiki practitioners we were able to help a shetland pony called Star. She is a beautiful pony who I have worked with for over three years, with such an out going character. She would often get me into trouble when I would be offering herbs to the other ponies, she’d sneak up behind me, catch me un-awares, cause me to drop the  bowls, so she could munch merrily on her favourite herbs. She caught me out every time, how ever well prepared I thought I was. Bless her little cotton hooves.

Just after Christmas she became very poorly with acute Laminitis, it was so painful she found it very difficult to walk, she’d spend most of her day in her stable lying down. During this time, I have been very fortunate to have other Reiki Practitioners join my team of healers, each week there are about two or three of us available to the animals to offer group healing. Star was one of the ponies that we always spent a  lot of time with. She loved the Reiki and soaked it up like a sponge, she would lie flat out on her stable floor, mouth open, eyes glazed taking in as much Reiki as she could. Offering Reiki to Star was always a pleasure, there is something so satisfying when watching an animal enjoy reiki.

Over the weeks it became obvious that her quality of life was very limited. She had become too ill to leave her stable, too ill to interact with other ponies and too ill to move around. Yet she was a fighter, her eyes always so bright, her character always so defiant, she was a pony who truly had a love of life, even though it was so compromised . After the Reiki sessions, we would see improvements where she would stand up and walk around, she would eat and drink and seemed very positive but she would then settle back to lying on the floor. During this time, she had been diagnosed with an abscess on her pedal bone, which added to her pain. This however healed very quickly due to the Reiki sessions. The Remus vet had been very amazed at how quickly it had healed, considering how poorly she was.

As the months passed, her health carried on deteriorating , the vet came one Thursday to see her a few weeks ago and it was decided that she would have to be put to sleep on the Monday. We were all so upset as we had all grown so attatched to her and could not imagine going to Remus without seeing our beautiful Star. Sue put a message that evening on Facebook to ask Reiki healers to send healing to her, every Reiki healer I knew wanted to save Star,  with special thanks to Brenda for sending so much Reiki to her.  A Reiki healer called  Alison also spent over two hours offering Reiki to her on the Saturday. I went to say my goodbyes too with great sadness and a heavy heart, Alison and myself both feared that this would be the last time we would see her.

On the Monday I received a text from Sue to say that the vet had not put Star to sleep as she had been far too well! We were all so happy that our beautiful Star was OK and was able to fight another day. I truly believe that something very special happened that weekend. Star had been surrounded by Reiki, she had been  caressed and had  been able to bathe in the beautiful energy that had been sent or offered to her. She has continued to improve week by week and is now able to spend time with her pair bond Tango from whom she had been separated. She has her mojo back and is taking the world by storm, Star is back shining brightly, brightly, brightly…..

Ruby and Peggy

Ruby and Bimbo

The first thing I would like to do is to tell you about the amazing award that Remus Sanctuary won on 4th March 2011. They won at the Wetnose Awards as the best Horse and Donkey Sanctuary in the United Kingdom. Well done Remus!

It made me think about what makes Remus different and great at what they do, in this blog I would like to give my opinion on what I think makes them truly amazing and how Reiki has been part of this wonderful journey too.

I feel Reiki is amazing at releasing past trauma, helping with injuries and aiding relaxation. However without understanding the whole situation, Reiki will be like a sticking plaster holding things together, if an animal is in a daily stressful situation, it makes the job we are trying to achieve a hundred times more difficult. I feel as a Reiki Practitioner maybe a little more understanding is needed about what is natural for the species, for example; in the wild horses would live in herds, dogs in packs, to keep these animals without contact from members of their own can only add to their stress. Understanding of nutritional needs of a species is also needed to help the ‘whole’ animal, cats are carnivours, with the best will in the world it would be very difficult to maintain optimum health in a vegitarian cat.

What is stress or should I say the stress response? Well it is an animals  natural response/reaction to the threat of danger, whether real or imagined, it is their survival mechanism. When a stressful situation is on-going, with no way to relieve it,  it becomes chronic stress which can lead to a variety of problems. All animals are hard-wired to deal with a certain amount of acute stress but when animals meet our world and we don’t truly understand their needs here lies the problem.

Going back to Remus; what makes them so good at what they do? Firstly they have a knowldege of the needs of the species they are working with. Take for example Ruby who is the horse I saw at Remus yesterday. She was the pair/soul bond of Bimbo the horse I wrote about in my last blog. Bimbo very sadly had to be put to sleep about 6 weeks ago, leaving poor Ruby his pair bond of over 20 years. Never a day or night spent without each other. Seeing Ruby, I saw the twinkle back in her eyes, I saw a beautiful shiney coat, I saw confidence ousing from every pore. I have to say, I have been there every week since Christmas offering Reiki to her but what had Remus done to make the transformation complete?

1. They Identified her stress, even before Bimbo was put to sleep, Remus knew this was a real possibility. The stress could have brought on Ruby’s Laminitis which can be life threating and she could possiblely have died. Loosing two horses would be too much to bare. I feel too that this is where the Reiki came in to give both Bimbo and Ruby the emotional support they both needed.

2. They addressed her diet they made sure she had constant access to hay and water. This is a basic physioligcal need. They made sure she was fed the correct diet for her needs as she has laminitis. She is fed on the highest quality feed available for a horse of that age. On a daily basis she is given a variety of over 15 herbs that she self selects, chosing for that day what her body needs not what people think she needs.

3. They addressed her pain, she had an operation before Bimbo died to help her laminitis, if at any time she had been in stress, this would have complicated her healing and put it in jepardy if she should get laminitis. Thus making  sure she had recovered from her operation before Bimbo had to be put to sleep. This is where the weekly Reiki Sessions have helped to relieve pain and aid relaxation.

4. They addressed her need for a companion (Understanding the species they are working with) Horses naturally need a pair bond.  Initially Ruby and Bimbo were paired with Tango another Shetland pony but this was not succesful (They recognised that Ruby needed to choose.) Ruby was then paired with Peggy another Shetland pony. Although a slightly rocky start, with the help of Reiki they seem to be forging a forever bond. Again Reiki has been instumental here in helping to open them up to each other.

5. They addressed her bordom just as too much stress can cause problems, so can too little. She has a constant flow of human visitors who talk, stroke, feed, much out and of course offer Reiki.

This blog started with the news of Remus winning an award for the best Horse and Donkey Sanctuary in the United Kingdom. Hopefully like me, I hope you can see what makes them stand out from the rest.

It is difficult to get people to change  and it is not our place to tell people what to do. However having too many deposits into the stress bank can make for ‘one stressed out animal’ Being aware of the whole picture can only add to the understanding of what is truly going on and help us to be a better Reiki Practitioners. All my own opionion of course:)

It was Christmas Eve and I had been asked by my husband to go out and buy vegetables at 5am for our Christmas Dinner, as I drove to the supermarket I heard Christmas Carols playing, the roads were icy and I had a real feeling of happiness and Christmas Cheer. Fighting my way through all of the crowds  I managed to purchase what I needed and afterwards sat in my car for a while reflecting on my mornings work . It was at this time I thought of Sue at Remus and wanted to send her a text wishing her Happiness at Christmas and to ask her how she was. I had been flat out at work for the last few weeks and had not been able to get to Remus to offer Reiki to the animals, and have to say I had been feeling a little guilty about it.  Sue as usual was up very early and said that one of the horses was suffering really badly with Laminitis in the cold spell that we were having and may have to be put to sleep that morning.

Instead of making my way home I drove straight to Remus, I was the first one there and had time to marvel at the beauty of this place. The snow was deep in the fields as the sun glistened against the snow, I could hear the animals stiring in their pens waiting for their breakfast to arrive. The energy was calm, beautiful and serene.  Sue arrived shortly after and we spoke about Bimbo, Laminitis can be brought on by the cold weather horses can get stressed and this can aggravate the condition. Bimbo also suffers with metabolic syndrome which can be caused by too much food and too much sugar in the food and being stabled too long. It is a syndrome which Remus Horse Sanctuary are experts at treating, understanding and have a great knowledge and depth in this field.

I entered the stable with Sue and saw Bimbo laying down, as he tried to get up he had difficulty moving his left back leg. I noticed  high up in the corner of the stable a heater. I asked Sue about it and she said it had just been fitted recently to help Bimbo in the cold weather. In the stable too was Ruby another Shetland  who is Bimbo’s pair bond. I am sure that in their life time they had spent very few days apart. Their relationship was strong and if Bimbo was to be put to sleep today Sue felt that it would not be long after that Ruby would follow as the shock to  her system would be too much to bear.

I stayed with Bimbo and Ruby and offered them Reiki, the energy was very gentle. I often wonder, when the energy is so gentle if they are receiving the Reiki but always remember in my heart to ask that they receive what ever it is that they need at this exact moment in time. After a while Bimbo started to munch at his delicious breakfast and Ruby moved around the stable. I just felt that by filling the stable with Reiki energy each pony could choose. Some times when I offer Reiki, the reaction is so clear to see but often too the reaction is so very subtle. It is at these times that I have  no place for  ego as I think what’s best for Bimbo,  it is just for me to ’Be’ and to trust that Reiki will go to where ever it is needed. After about half an hour a knock on the stable door, indicated for me to stop as the vet had just arrived. I said my goodbyes to Bimbo and Ruby and felt such sadness fill my heart. Leaving Remus that day, the reality of what they have to deal with on a daily basis hit me, the scale of responsibility and care of the animals  is enormous.

Driving home, with everywhere filled with the magic of Christmas Eve I prayed for a miracle, I did not feel I was being greedy I just felt it so unfair for Bimbo to be put to sleep. As I entered my home laden with vegetable bags Sue phoned and said that Bimbo was able to fight another day. Yay! My angels where listening to me that day.  I have been to Remus every week since and have offered Reiki to Bimbo and Ruby, always the energy is so gentle. Bimbo looks so much better, he will need to have an operation soon which Remus are trying to raise money for, but his future at this very moment in time looks bright.

by Caroline Thomas

Remus Healing Group

Over the last year and a half, I have been lucky enough to meet other Reiki practitioners. It was through these various meetings that I decided to set up a healing group following the SARA principles. My group meets once every two months; due to some of the practitioners having to travel from a far. We are all of differing experience and backgrounds, but we all have a deep love of animals and we all want to give something back to these wonderful creatures.

As was usual we met at Remus last Saturday afternoon, armed with coats jumpers and scarves,  it was  very cold! We like to, meet at this time as it is just after the animals have been fed and watered. Normally they are all settled in their fields or shelters by this point. We like to have a chat  before we start offering Reiki, as it is a good time to catch up on what each of us has been up to. If we are lucky and have time, we have a cup of tea and sit with Timmy the cat who likes to be stroked and loves affection. I feel this is a time for us to become grounded and to release any stresses that we may have, at this point we set off to help the animals.  As Sue was on holiday this week, she had already texted me a  list of the animals she would like us to work on, so I knew which animals to offer Reiki to without interrupting the staff, these are  usually the animals who are most in need.

There were five of us altogether, however the total number in the group was eight. We decided that we would start with Billy  a horse who was almost starved to death by his previous owners.  He has food issues and is usually outside during the day, but due to stomach problems he had to rest in the stable. We decided to offer reiki as a group as we all felt he was in need of a lot of energy, and so we asked for his permission.  At the start Billy 3 was very calm and watched us  intently as we stood outside his stable offering Reiki. After a while he started to breath heavilly, it was almost as if he was releasing built up emotions and feelings. I felt that he did not like spending so much time in the stable, and would rather be outside eating the grass. He eventually settled and became calm, I have found that the healing time in a group is a lot less than if reiki is being offered by an individual. It is important to ask the animal for permission as group healing can be quite intense, in some cases the animal will move far away as the energy is too strong. It is so important for the animal to be in charge of their healing.

We then offered reiki to Apollo who is a beautiful grey mare. She had been kicked by a horse and had a lot of stitches to her bottom. Again we stayed as a group and offered her healing. She immediately turned her bottom to us and stood there for a while, taking in the wonderful reiki energy. She then turned to face us and started to ‘weave’ above the fence post. This surprised me as two other horses had shown stereotypical behaviours during a healing earlier. It was a little distressing to watch but we all felt that because she was having a group healing  her deep rooted issues were coming to the surface quicker. To our surprise when we all turned around to leave, a group of goats in the opposite field had glazed eyes and were resting their heads against the fence, all completely chilled, obviously taking in the reiki too. It was a very funny sight to see and made us all laugh.

Our third Reiki session was with Bugs, a horse who has chronic arthritis and is in a lot of pain. I have offered her reiki many times before and was not surprised to see that as soon as we offered reiki she came over from the middle of a group of horses and moved up right against the fence to where we were standing.  She soaked the reiki up like a sponge and became dreamy and chilled. During her Reiki session she drank quite a lot of water, Nicky who is a qualified crystal therapist decided to ‘charge’ the drinking water with the crystal fluorite which is good for bones. Bugs drank even more water and at one point almost put her hoof in the water tank.

During the afternoon we split into smaller groups and offered reiki to as many animals as possible which included Cocoa the cat and Bimbo, Star, Casey and Marley the horses. It was a good time to walk around in the energy of Remus to see where the horses were being put to bed and how immaculate, warm and cosy each stable was. The tireless work which never ends at Remus is amazing to see, the love and attention given to each animal is a blessing.

The thing about offering reiki in a group is that inevitably each person takes on some of the wonderful healing energy. We finished offering reiki and said our goodbyes. We were all chilled, calm and a little tired. We agreed to meet again on the 12th of December, before the Remus’s Carol Service starts, it will be a time to meet, offer reiki and to eat mince pies!

by Caroline Thomas © 2010

I think  that when you speak to any Reiki Practitioner who has worked with animals, they can always tell you about an animal who has helped them on their Reiki path. I feel blessed to write this months blog  as it’s about my beloved dog Megan.  She was my Reiki teacher and taught me so  many things. Sadly I had to have  Megan put  to sleep three weeks ago, it was such a shock as she had been just diagnosed with a tumour which was inoperable.

Megan came to my home at an early age, from someone who did not want her. At that time I was not into Reiki so unfortunately she could not benefit from the wonderful energy. It was when she was around five years of age that I found Reiki and was attuned to level I.  As clear as if it was yesterday I remember her showing me how much Reiki she would like. I remember returning from my level I Reiki and how she would not leave my side, I knew she could sense this new energy and was keen to be part of it. I offered her healing and she loved it, but when I offered her healing the day after she refused it and did so until my Reiki Level II. Again she followed me around the house waiting and looking for healing which again I was delighted to offer. Over the years Megan always refused Reiki except when ever I had been attuned to a new Reiki level. I always respected her wishes even though I would get disheartened by her refusals. (I was so keen at that time, finding it hard to understand why an animal would refuse this wonderful energy but she taught me so much about how important it is for an  animal to choose and wish to be part of a Reiki healing. Forcing Reiki because you think it is for the animals good is not the right way to approach Reiki)

I wrote in my last blog about how whilst doing attunements Megan refused to leave the room and just seemed to soak up all of the beautiful energy. Looking back, I feel perhaps I should have taken more note of this, as it was a rare thing for Megan to do. She was always so definite about what or what she did not want. I have to say that I do feel guilty as I did not see the signs and notice a change in her behaviour. When I look back now and think about it I can see a definite change in her demeanour. She would not leave my side, which I thought at the time was because she enjoyed having me at home. Her last nine weeks were spent with me as I had just had an operation. She loved having me at home and was the happiest I had seen her. I saw no signs of her tumour, my sister who had come over from Ireland in fact to help me convalesce had said how well she looked and it was the best she had seen her looking in a long time. A week before she had to be put to sleep  she started to go off her food and seemed unstable on her feet. I took her to the vet and the feedback from the vet’s still remains a shock to me, my beautiful dog was very ill and would need to be put to sleep. From that diagnosis she went down hill almost immediately, it’s almost as if she hung on until the last day of my sick leave. Being a Holistic Animal Practitioner I felt so guilty and lavished her with Reiki, Bach Flowers and Aromatherapy oils, hoping against all odds that there would be a miracle.  How could I have missed the signs of her tumour? I spend so much of my time offering Reiki to other animals  going the extra mile to help them, not being there for my own dog has been tough to come to terms with.

Megan was put to sleep on the 21st of  June, I stayed with her and gave her Reiki for 30 minutes, being there for her was so important. She trusted me so much and lay quietly as the vet had instructed. It was so emotional but I tried to remain strong as not wanting to worry her. As she breathed I watched each breath, each one more laboured. The Reiki was really helping her as I felt the energy was very strong, I believe I helped her to come to terms with her death, as she took her last breath I felt her spirit leave her body. That was such an amazing feeling as I knew her soul was somewhere beautiful.

My family were devastated, especially my younger son, he refused to believe that she was dead. I phoned the vet to see if I could take him to see her body. They were lovely about it and let him spend some time with her, it is so important to have closure for both humans and animals. I also brought Tara my other dog to see her, she sniffed her a few times and I knew in that moment that she had acknowledged the death of Megan. Dogs grieve and certainly Tara has been, she has been open to Reiki every day and it is only now that she seems ready to move on.

Megan taught me so much about Reiki, she taught me to respect each animal and to treat each one as an individual. Reiki is a gift and animals are  here to teach us. If only we can listen, we will be amazed by what we will learn.

Tara and me

The start of this Summer had not been how I had expected, in April I had to have a major operation which took the wind out of my sails. For the first few weeks I was bed ridden which was something that I found very difficult to cope with. It was during this time that I was  able  to reflect on my own Reiki Practice. I decided to use my time in a positive way, I had all of the time in the world to read Reiki books and to do self healing. I started with The Reiki Sourcebook which I have to say is a good place to start for any Reiki beginner. I learnt so much more about Mikao Usui and the type of person he was, who he met and how his Reiki journey began. The Reiki Sourcebook chronological history of Reiki was fascinating and demystifying of so many misconceptions about Reiki. It explained beautifully how Reiki in the West was very different from the way Mikao first taught Reiki at the beginning of the centuary.

I have had a lot of time to reflect on the Five Precepts too and to think how I was living my life and how important it was to live ‘for today only; ‘ living in this very moment in time I  started not worrying about yesterday or tomorrow. I was able to get through my days where the precepts became no longer targets to be reached but became absorbed into each of my actions, their influence on my thoughts becoming automatic. I made sure I had a copy of them, which I could meditate on and I also placed copies around my home so I could focus on them on a regular basis. The precept which I found hardest to meditate on was ‘for today only, I will not worry’ as I was worried about taking time off from my job. By living in this very moment in time I was able to let any memories or worries of work be a fleeting thought and let the worry float over me.

Having had my big operation, this was the perfect opportunity for  my self healing to be a big part of my life. To self heal I feel, is taking responsibility for everything that happens at all levels to my body, mind and heart. To self heal is my inborn ability which  should be an important part of any daily Reiki Practice. Each day since my operation I have spent half an hour daily giving myself a self treatment. It has also been a time when I have been able to look at what I eat, drink and how I live my life. I have enjoyed being reflective and having the time to spend being kind to  myself has been wonderful. I have also been lucky to receive Reiki which has been sent to me from other Reiki Practitioner.

My sister came to visit me too, which was lovely as she lives in Ireland and we usually only get to meet once a year. We had a lovely time and enjoyed lots of laughs and hugs. I used our time together to practice attunements. The energy created was beautiful. What I found most interesting was that my older dog Megan, who does not usually like reiki would not leave the room when I was practising my attunements. She infact sat under the chair soaking up as much energy as possible, my other dog Tara loves  Reiki and is definitely a Reiki sponge.

The weeks have flown by and I am due to go back to work soon, although having an operation had been a set back. Having the time at home with my dogs and family has been so precious to me. I feel so lucky to have been able to go back to the basics with  my Reiki and feel so much better for it. I went to Remus last week where I was able to offer Reiki to people at their open day to raise money for the animals. It was the final jigsaw in my Reiki Practice where I was able to get out and meet people and the animals and to feel part of the world around me. Reiki is an amazing gift which I am truly grateful for.

…………….………… By Caroline Thomas

I am writing this blog from my sick bed. Unfortunately I have had to have an operation recently so I am feeling a little sorry for myself. I have had lots of lovely Reiki sent to me, which has really helped me to feel better and inspired me to write this blog as best I can. Whilst in hospital I received some beautiful texts from Sue at Remus, they really showed that she cared about my well being. I started to think about the relationship and bond I have formed with Sue over the last three years. It has been a wonderful adventure which has only got better since Remus and myself became members of SARA, my professional relationship has grown enormously.

A relationship can be termed as a association or connection, I definitely feel connected to all those at Remus. It has been a journey of respect and honesty in every sense. It is so important to have a good relationship with the staff at the Sanctuary you volunteer at, making sure there is no tension or misunderstanding; good communication is the key to a successful relationship.  Sue had not heard of Reiki when I first met her, I explained to her that it was a ‘spiritual energy’ which when an animal is sick or stressed can bring about healing. I think she  found  the concept of energy work very difficult to understand and I think she thought me a bit wacky.

Sue told me of past experiences she had had with holistic Practitioners and how controlling they had been at the Sanctuary, telling her what she could and could not do. Their ego’s too big to get through the stable door, this had put Sue off holistic Practitioners for a long time. I had agreed with Sue that I could commit 3-4 hours each week, Sunday being the best day for me.  Sue noticed changes in the animals that I worked with, so bit by bit I earned her respect. Each week we always meet together in her office and discuss the animals who need Reiki. During these meetings we would often talk about things that have  happened in our own lives, things happening in my family and my very boring job.  Sometimes the stories would be funny and we would both laugh but as is the purpose of a Sanctuary they would often be sad as they would be  about animals that have been mistreated. I am always in awe of the passion and love Sue has for animals who are in need.  I  love going to offer Reiki to the beautiful animals but also feel blessed to be part of the team, Sue is so knowledgeable and interesting, I always appreciate the time Sue has for me.

My relationship with the Staff at Remus has grown too, from the early days of me sitting in the middle of a field, the staff wondered what I could be doing, it was completely new to them. Creating a calm space in a busy Sanctuary can be sometimes difficult, filling of water buckets, movement of horses, cleaning of stables can and have distracted me in the past. I have noticed the staff now are very careful not to make any noise when I am working with an animal. I have never asked them to be quiet, yet some how over time they just knew. I feel respect is such an important part of this relationship.

On the upside, the relationship  I have with Remus has helped the start of my Reiki bussiness. I will be running SARA workshops from Remus soon where I will donate 50% of my profits back to them. It benefits both of us as I am helping the Sanctuary and also helping to get SARA on the map. Giving my time and skills for free, has come round in full circle as now I will be earning money!

……………….. By Caroline Thomas

The biggest conversation topic in England is the most definitely the weather, in one day there  can be sunshine, rain and snow. So in order to be prepared, I often carry different types of clothing, to suit any type of weather that may occur. It was a cold Sunday morning, as I looked outside all I could see was the rain and wind lashing against the trees. This was certainly a day where I needed to be in touch with nature.  As I drove to Remus, the roads were flooded and dangerous. I did consider turning back, as I was worried that my car would get stuck and I would have to call my husband to rescue me. As I carefully made my way along the road I could not help but notice the height of the river Wid, this river runs beside the road leading to Remus. Driving along the narrow track, the Remus fields were flooded, I could see that all of the horses were being kept in. The fields were empty, puddles of water filled the grassy area where the horses would usually be.

Arriving at my destination I could see all of the staff and volunteers all seeing to the needs of the animals. The rain was still pouring, the wind was still blowing yet everybody were busy with their tasks. I met with Sue to see which animals were in need of Reiki. Sue explained that Remus had been cut off a couple of times during the week. When the river flooded it caused numerous difficulties in the running of the Sanctuary, the biggest problem being that the vets were unable to access the Sanctuary.  It is at times like this when Reiki can support the staff and care givers,  they give so much to the animals, making it easy for them to become burnt out.  I have suggested this to Sue before, but she is just so very busy, it would be so benificial, but her attention today was firmly on the running of her Sanctuary.

First on my list  was a horse called Pippa, she is a horse I have been working with for about three months. She was first brought to my attention when she attacked another horse called Apollo, she broke Appollo’s leg. She has been very aggressive to both the staff and the other horses at the Sanctuary. (She had been put into stud by her previous owner and had been raped by numerous stallions) I have been offering her Reiki each week; as I stood outside her stable the rain continued to pour. I set the  intention that the Reiki flow for whatever healing Pippa would be open to at that very moment. If anything, or nothing at all that would be fine. This setting of intention is a form of asking permission. As the rain dripped from my nose, Pippa closed her eyes and started to yawn, she took in the Reiki energy that she needed. It was only when she moved to the back of the stable indicating that she had taken enough energy that I realised how wet I was. Almost at this exact moment, Sue called me to quickly move my car to the church at the top of the road as the river Wid had started to over flow. As  I drove I could see the river almost touching  the road. Once at the church, I was asked if I wanted to go back or make my way home. Of course I decided to go back to Remus to carry on offering Reiki to the other animals.

I went about my work and offered Reiki to the sheep, Marigold and Star, each animal taking only the energy that they needed. Marigold lay down, the sheep came and went and Star stood indicating with her head that she wanted hands on Reiki. As I stood in the main stable block, I started to offer Reiki to Apollo, the beautiful grey mare who had been kicked by Pippa. There was a lot of noise in the main buildings as all  of the stables were being mucked out, however this did not put me off. Asking Apollo for permission and letting the energy flow, I felt a real connection. In this deep meditive state I felt a tap on my shoulder, I was asked to leave immediately as the river had  over flowed onto the road and to phone Sue when I got to the church, only the staff were to stay. The only escape route was through the fields at the back of Remus, I was shown the path and asked to make my way through the muddy fields, using only a hawthorn hedge as my guide. I have to say it felt like an adventure,  I am rubbish at map reading, so felt scared and a bit silly that I would not be able to find my way back to the church. How embarassing would that be? I did manage to find the church but forgot to phone Sue; which I was correctly told off for, I had been so wet and so relieved to find my car that I had forgotten all about the phone call.

I think this blog shows that every Reiki experience is different especially when volunteering at a Rescue Centre. My Reiki had got interupted but I continued in the best spirit I know. I was wet I was cold, but knew that the Reiki would be for the highest good of the animals. Sue has told me that there has been a definite change in Pippa, she is a lot calmer and less aggressive with the staff and other horses, who knows she may one day be able to be re united with Apollo.