If you’ve been to a farm recently chances are you have encountered a fly. In my work with Joy, a young Morgan horse, I certainly did! I observed Joy in the pasture swishing her tail and stomping her hooves to shake them off. I saw myself: impatient with the fly, irritated by the never ending buzz in my ear, swatting at it, just trying to get a little peace. I could insert many different words for “fly”, of course.

Actually, I began thinking about the fly factor one day while sitting outside with Abe, a little terrier, new to Rutland County Humane Society. As I was holding the Reiki space for Abe I was being dive bombed by a fly. Abe didn’t seem to notice, but I was getting more and more irritated as the fly buzzed around my head. I found it difficult to concentrate and to refrain from swatting at the intruder.

Something I stress when teaching a class is the importance of focus. When we are focused, the energy flows freely and we are completely present for our client, be it person or animal. We become the energy and move with it. Irritation and constant movement (i.e. swatting) disturbs the session and creates a less than ideal situation. We are not honoring the animal when we are distracted.

When I was with Abe I began using the precepts to bring myself back into the space…

• Do not anger-the fly is simply being a fly.
• Do not worry-the fly won’t hurt you.
• Be humble-honoring all creatures includes the fly.
• Be compassionate to yourself and others-use this opportunity to deepen your focus, include the fly in the session and remember: the fly is just being a fly.

Approaching the situation with the precepts freed me to allow the fly into the space. Following that with Joshin Kokyu Ho breathing calmed me and removed my irritation. Abe was provided with a much better treatment.

Coming next: At One With The Mosquito.

Just kidding. That’s impossible.

Kelly McDermott-Burns
SARA Teacher

From my first visit to Horse Rescue Australia I really got to understand what it means to just ‘be’ Reiki rather than ‘do’ or ‘send’ Reiki, thanks to some expert guidance from my four legged teachers.

A lot of the horses at HRA have been rescued from years of abandonment, others from abusive situations, while others are young and perfectly healthy but there because of unfortunate circumstances and waiting on a new forever home.

But no matter what their reason is for being there, all the horses provide instant feedback when it comes to Reiki and each has their own way of letting me know what they want – or don’t want, as well as where, when, how and if, and for how long! With so many variables it’s been a very effective way of learning to ‘just be’ and ‘to allow’ and ‘not to expect’.

Its been several weeks since my first visit and I have come to know that each visit will be completely different from the last with no guarantee that whoever was open to receiving Reiki last week will want it this week. Except Sandy…

Sandy is a pretty little buckskin mare approximately 24 years old who came to Horse Rescue in 2000 when she was rescued with some of her friends from a herd of 22 ponies running wild in a 10-acre paddock. At the time Sandy had a very young foal at foot and another still suckling from her. She had probably spent her life before HRA having babies. Sandy was so scared of people HRA carers couldn’t go near her without her trembling like a mouse. She is very smart, and very good at not being caught!

Sandy is still very scared of people, so much so that her first encounter with Reiki was experienced from behind the safety of the herd while I sat on a tree stump at a respectable distance, during which time the rest of the herd relaxed and went through the usual range of peaceful activities horses go through when they’re enjoying Reiki. Every now and then I’d open my eyes and take a peek at the resting horses, a yawn here, a stretch there, the occasional position change somewhere else – and there would be Honey and Sandy; on full alert positioned safely behind the others, their necks stretched tall like a pair of giraffes and keeping a close eye on me, just waiting for me to move an eyelid, which of course would have been their cue to high tail it to the other end of the property!

But I didn’t, and they didn’t, and when the rest of the herd gently broke off and started to graze some 40 minutes later, Honey and Sandy simply moved off with the herd without the calamity I’m sure they expected.

Over the weeks I’ve been visiting the horses I‘m getting to know all their little quirks and personality traits, and how they like or don’t like to receive Reiki, how sometimes they’ll stand for 30 minutes, other times not at all, sometimes they like hands on and sometimes they prefer Reiki from a distance. But the one who has been the biggest surprise has been Sandy. Of all the horses, she will always accept some Reiki during my visits, preferring to receive her treatments from a distance when we are out in the main paddock.

There is a large flat rock under a shady gumtree, which is perfect for me to sit on while I offer Reiki so that has become my regular spot in the main paddock. Usually when I begin, the Shetlands immediately make their way over for some hands on treatments, or to rest their noses on me while I offer Reiki, sometimes they lay down close by and move off when they are done. Mostly the horses will take turns to receive the energy, some from a distance, some hands on, and other times I’ll have a flock of pigeons resting in the grass all around me, but no matter who else may or may not come for treatments, Sandy never misses. She has her favourite spot where she stands a little way off in her own space to enjoy anywhere from 30 – 60 minutes of energy at a time and when she is finished, she will give me a little look of thanks and break off to graze.

Last week I went into the main paddock and found the herd a little distance away from my rock, but before I could make my way over the Shetlands had spotted me and mobbed me for some hands on treatments, which appeared to annoy Sandy. I could tell she was really keen for some energy but the close proximity of the other horses really seemed to have her rattled that day. However, after the ponies had received their treatments and moseyed off and the others had also received varying amounts of Reiki, I caught Sandy’s attention and moved away from the herd so she could follow me if she chose. She did so I sat cross-legged in the grass about 10 feet away from her with my eyes closed, hands resting on my knees with palms upturned, and began to offer some Reiki. I knew that she really wanted to connect, and that if I gave her a chance she just might.

After several minutes I opened my eyes just a tiny bit and could see her creeping over to me as quiet as a church mouse. A few minutes later I opened my eyes again just a tiny bit and could see that she’d crept a little bit closer, her neck was stretched as far as she could possibly stretch it in my direction, and her eyes were as wide as saucers. I could see she was terrified so I closed my eyes again and just allowed the Reiki to flow. Then ever so lightly I felt her soft warm muzzle gently touch my right palm, then a few moments later the same warm sensation on my left palm as she investigated my other hand. It was an emotional moment. I remained still and allowed her to retreat at her own pace, as I knew she would. After a few moments I peeked again to see her standing several feet away, just enjoying the energy. We stayed like this for perhaps 30 minutes without the interference from the rest of the herd, and when she was finished, Sandy gave me that little look of gratitude, and moved off to graze and I left the herd in peace.

Julie Abrahams

The nesting box sits in a rather unremarkable location in the backyard. I have walked past it on numerous occasions but it has always been empty. This morning as I strolled past on my way to feed the chickens, I became away of the chirping coming from inside the box. As I stopped to take a peek I could only catch a quick glimpse of mama, who ducked quickly back inside to the safe dark confines of the box. I could hear the chirping of the babies inside. It didn’t take long for papa to become aware of my presence and as I passed by again to deliver fresh water to the chicken coop nearby, I was soon being “dive bombed.” I knew immediately that papa was in protective mode and stopped only momentarily because having this bird swoop to within an inch of my face and head was a bit scary to say the least.

My delivery finished to the chicken coop, I quickly retreated to the safety of the house but realized shortly thereafter that this was a perfect opportunity to offer Reiki. I so wanted to become acquainted with mama and since I would be caring for the family chickens for another four days did not want to be “dive bombed” every time I ventured out into the back yard and wanted papa to know I meant him no harm. I watched from the kitchen window as papa dutifully brought food to mama and the babies.

A short time later, I ventured back outside and stood about five feet from the nesting box. I caught a quick glimpse of papa sitting on the roof of the house. After setting my intention and telepathically communicating with the birds that I meant them no harm and was offering Reiki to them, I began. The results were quite astonishing. Papa continued to get food for his family, but his flying patterns changed. He flew gentle circles above me and never once “dive bombed” me. Mama came to the front of the box and just looked at me. Papa arrived shortly thereafter with another mouthful of food and after giving it to the mother simply flew away as if I wasn’t there. As I continued to offer Reiki, I could see a palpable change in the demeanor of the mother bird. Instead of loudly chirping for papa to bring more food, she just seemed to wait patiently her eyes closed. Papa continued to fly overhead but never showed any aggression towards me. Soon the mother bird took on the appearance of pure Reiki bliss. Papa delivered food several times. I decided to move closer and eventually found myself within inches of the opening of the box talking softly to the mother bird and she never moved but just sat there breathing gently eyes closed for the most part accepting my offering of Reiki. It was truly a magical experience. The chirping of the babies completely stopped and all was silent.

Each day as I passed by the box to deliver food and fresh water to the chickens, I always stopped to offer my hellos to mama bird. She always stayed near the opening and never ducked back inside. In the four days that followed, I was never attacked or “dive bombed” by papa. What an honor to have these marvelous little creatures allow me into their world. I only had one additional opportunity to offer Reiki to this family and as with the first time, they all accepted my offering with pure bliss. I sensed telepathically that they were all quite grateful. To be able to bond with these wild little creatures through the magic of Reiki is such an honor and with every new interaction, I become more and more grateful for another new friend. In this case an entire family! Thank you Reiki.

Lauren Urbais, M.Ed.

One beautiful spring day, I was contemplating how much I’d like to be bringing Reiki more into my daily life (besides my own self-practice). I was having a hard time concentrating on my work and had Spring Fever.

I went out for some fresh air at lunch and on my return home, I bumped into a neighbor whom I hardly ever saw let alone spoke to. This time though, she invited me in to meet her new Parakeet. She’d never had a bird before and was so excited to talk and share stories about him. The bird was lovely – all Easter egg pastel coloring – but Marge was concerned because every time she put her hand into the cage and tried to lure him out, he’d nip at and bite her fingers.

I told her about Reiki and my involvement with animal Reiki and SARA, and offered to give Butterscotch (so named by her grandchildren) a Reiki treatment. Marge was very open to trying this so we made an appointment for that night. I went back to work a very happy camper and was able to concentrate on my work, knowing that I had an interesting evening ahead, especially since I’d never offered Reiki to a bird!

When I first arrived at Marge’s, Butterscotch was very active in his cage, hopping from branch to branch, ringing his bell, and pecking at the mirror he loved to look into. Marge’s home was already very peaceful and with the Reiki music in the background, I was able to enter into that deep Reiki meditative state where I connected to Butterscotch and held the energetic space open for healing to occur.

I sat on the couch across from Butterscotch’s cage, and he quieted down almost immediately. I observed his chest moving up and down slowly and rhythmically, indicating he had gone into a relaxed state. The treatment lasted about an hour and when I turned around to talk to Marge, she was napping in her chair…..it seems she had benefited from the energy as well!

The next day, I checked in with Marge and she was thrilled (and surprised) that Butterscotch had come out of his cage without nipping at her fingers! He had spent about an hour just hopping up and down the length of her floor to ceiling mirror, admiring his reflection. I was leaving town the next day, but offered to follow up with another Reiki treatment when I returned. Unfortunately, Marge and I kept missing each other over the next couple weeks, and when I finally saw her, she told me that he had been nipping at her fingers again. Butterscotch had gone to live with her grandchildren, where he would have another parakeet to interact with.

I was surprised how attached I felt to that bird in just the one hour I spent with him. (I consider myself a ‘cat person’ after all!) I was sad to know I wouldn’t get to visit him again, but knowing he was going to a good home helped. One of the lessons of Reiki is to let go and let whatever needs to happen happen. This was a good reminder for me to not become attached to the outcome for any animals, whether they’re domestic animals in caring homes or in a shelter situation, awaiting their forever home.

Corrine Kuhl

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

Lions, giant tortoises, herds of wildebeest, eland, kudu & zebra as well as parades of elephants roam the dusty, semi-arid landscape of Addo National Elephant Park. Just an hour east of the coastal town of Port Elizabeth in the southeastern part of South Africa, it seems an unlikely place for any species to thrive. Indeed, it’s the home to the endangered dung beetle. During my visit I didn’t think to offer Reiki to the beetles, but I did have an opportunity to offer Reiki to one animal in need.

Throughout the Park are posted signs along the paved roads advising – “Do Not Leave Your Vehicle”. While there is one prey species that live in the Park (lions), the rule of not exiting your vehicle is more a case of respecting the wildlife in their home, not necessarily for your own safety. They are used to seeing cars and smelling exhaust, but these are wild animals that have not had encounters with our species. The Park isn’t a zoo or even game reserve – it’s the native habitat for animals that live there. We just happened to have a nice view via the network of paved roads through the Park.

So we were shocked early one morning when we saw three people standing in a wide open desolate area, with not even a shrub nearby. Surely they were Park Rangers we thought from a distance. But as we pulled closer, we saw that these people were not in the green Park Ranger uniform. And there were several parked vehicles in the nearby parking area that was marked as a “viewing site”. The people were splattered with mud and were huddled together talking to each other.

We pulled over and got out the binoculars to get a closer look. They went into action bending over and trying to work at something. They stood up to confer again. Now we could see the long neck of an ostrich, the only part of bird visible. The rest of her body was buried in a mud hole. Again they tried to get traction in the mud as they gripped the ostrich from underneath each giant wing, and it looked like they might succeed as part of the bird emerged, but then it slipped back into the mud.

This was repeated several times but to no avail. The woman in the group ran back to her car and then went back to the mud hole with something. It was a pair of pants, which they put at the base of the ostrich’s neck and then wrapped a leg over each wing.

Ostriches live in herds of 5 or more, so this one had clearly been abandoned. How long had he been stuck? A grown ostrich can weigh anywhere from 150 – 300 lbs. My friend and I debated leaving our vehicle to go help those who were struggling to free the ostrich. I had on sandals so wouldn’t be much help in the mud. I decided to offer Reiki to the situation for the highest outcome for all involved.

While my friend recorded the action with her camera, I closed my eyes and silently drew the symbols and repeated their names to help me go into a quiet space and focus on creating an energetic connection to the ostrich. I quieted my mind and tried to be open with no expectations, focusing just on the energy and not any desired outcome. I set the intention for the highest good for the ostrich (and the safety of the people) and let go.

After about 15 minutes, my friend shouted “They did it!” As I opened my eyes (and abruptly ended the Reiki session), I saw the stunned bird take her first steps. She took off running a bit awkwardly with her mud-covered wings weighing her down. She was free!

Back at the camp later, we shared the story and chatted with others who had also been watching from their cars. While there was agreement that what the people did was heroic, there was debate about whether it was the right thing to do. Comments about survival of the fittest, interfering with the pristine order of nature, human intrusion leaving no part of the animal world untouched, breaking Park rules, and leaving nature alone were tossed about in judgment.

Unlike this analytical discussion, offering Reiki had provided me a direct energetic experience of the situation where there wasn’t a need to intellectualize it. I realized that there is no separation between “us” as people and the rest of nature – humans are a species of the animal kingdom, we are mammals, we are nature, we are all connected, we are all one.

The experience showed me how the Five Precepts interrelate with one another. Just for today….the individuals who rescued the ostrich weren’t concerned about the consequences of their action (getting muddy, breaking Park rules, being attacked by animals), they were focused on one thing – getting the ostrich out of the mud hole. There was no need for anger at their breaking the rules. There was no need to worry for their safety. They were being true to their way as individuals by showing compassion for themselves (by following their hearts) and the ostrich.

I was reminded of the integration of the Three Diamonds –earth, heaven and heart energy centers. The people were being flexible (not bounded by the imposed rules about staying in your car), yet firm (being practical and using a pair of pants to aid the rescue) and compassionate (taking action on the behalf of another being in need).

I appreciated the opportunity to observe the unique situation and to share Reiki during the rescue. But even more interesting to me is that my gratitude continues to grow as I reflect on the experience. Animals and Reiki – the gifts that keep on giving!

Corrine Kuhl

While he waited for me as I worked on another horse with Animal Reiki, Dealer became very restless, by repeatedly pacing in his stall, snickering, and kicking his door. As an animal communicator, I let him know that he could accept Reiki as well, even though I was focusing on another horse; but he just wanted out! I suggested for his person to walk him around the property while I worked on her first horse.

When I was ready to focus on Dealer, I asked his person how he was doing. She replied “antsy”. So we went to the indoor arena so he could have more room to walk around if he chose to do so. I felt Reiki flowing very slightly as I stood a short distance from him. Shortly after I began, I was drawn to walk up to him and lightly touch his right flank near his hipbone. He flinched as he shared that that particular touch triggered a memory that he was angry about. I acknowledged his sharing, and continued to offer Reiki from a short distance.

Instead of him calming down with the Reiki, he was becoming boisterous, which was an unusual behavior from Dealer. Because he was still interested in Reiki, I suggested to his person that we needed to change his environment; so the three of us went outside, and only then did he instantly calm down. During this time of him grazing the grass, he became fully opened and relaxed as he accepted Reiki. By his own choice, he released the physical, mental/emotional, and spiritual component of this memory of young boys throwing sharp pointy triangular-shaped rocks at him. He also shared that he wanted to be called “Buddha” by everyone, not just his person.

Several days later, his person reported he seemed much more content with himself, as well as enjoying his new name, Buddha!

Camille Pukay

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…..

There are two cat rooms at Rutland County Humane Society where I volunteer every week. Each room has ten or more cats in it. They have all kinds of climbing places and hiding spots and a window to a nice little screened in porch. When I go into the cat room, I take a seat and announce to all the little lovelies that it is Reiki time and that they are welcome to receive as much or as little as they want. I then set the intention that the session is for the highest good of all of us and that whoever needs Reiki gets what they need. I breathe deeply into my hara and imagine the energy expanding out into every corner of the room.

Daisy was a funny little tortoiseshell kitty. When she arrived at RCHS she was missing fur from her lower body due to a severe flea infestation. It was unclear whether Daisy’s fur would grow back.
Every time I sat in the one of the cat rooms offering Reiki, Daisy would come over. She would just hover around my feet, looking up at me. After three sessions like this she got in my lap. While I gave her Reiki she rolled over so her bare back was in my hands. When she was done with her session she would give me a little nip on my hand. The next two times I came to the room Daisy was waiting for me. She got in my lap immediately and settled in for Reiki. I noticed her fur was coming back.

On subsequent visits she would come by, but she stopped getting in my lap. I continued to see a change in her fur. It was interesting that she seemed to be done with her hands-on treatments, although she continued to get better. Daisy took complete charge of her treatment! Not long after, she found her forever home.

I have seen the effects of Reiki on my own cat, Murphy, and his excessive grooming. When we met him, stress had caused him to lick and chew the fur off his lower belly and the inside of his back legs. We hoped he would stop now that he was in his forever home. He did stop licking his legs, but his lower belly stayed bare and sometimes had red spots on it.

About four years after we adopted Murphy I learned Reiki. He took an interest in it right away, always coming in the room when I was practicing. When I started working with him directly his fur eventually started to fill back in a little at a time. After some time, he was down to a little patch on his lower belly. Now, his belly and legs are completely covered with fur and have been for a couple of years. I believe Reiki relieved Murphy of the stress that was causing his excessive grooming behavior.

Kelly McDermott-Burns

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:)