By Diane Novak

In the last few years my husband I have been giving each other gift certificates for anniversaries and holidays for different things we have wanted through the year. Massage is always top on my list. I made an appointment for a massage with someone I had been going to for several years. Unfortunately, I came down with a horrible case of bronchitis and called to cancel my appointment. My wonderful masseuse Kathy said, "Come anyway; I want to try something on you that I just learned." I agreed hoping the massage would help my miserable cold. After about twenty minutes on the table, Kathy asked if she could do Reiki on me. I thought ‘sure, whatever works’. I hadn’t a clue what the word meant, but I trusted her.

After looking up towards the ceiling and doing what seemed to be a short prayer, she placed her hands on my very congested chest. Within seconds I felt an incredible surge of heat. It was like she had a heating pad in her palms. In about ten minutes I felt (and heard) what could be best described as a ‘pop’ in my chest. Suddenly I was breathing better and felt amazing. Wow I said. What in the world did you just do? "Reiki," was her simple answer. I wanted to know more about this healing technique, so in January 2001 I took my first Reiki workshop and was attuned. If I thought Reiki was powerful during Kathy’s session, I was blown away by the surge of energy I felt during the attunement.

At the time of my graduation from Reiki l, I was a volunteer with a small humane society. I was a seasoned cat trapper, foster care home and spay neuter educator. My goal was not only to use Reiki with my personal animals, but also to use it with those whom I helped in rescue. Many of the animals that became homeless found themselves that way because of emotional problems. To take it a step further, if I could find a way to help those animals adjust maybe I could help them remain in their homes.

A humane society friend of mine, Marcia, was feeding two neutered males behind a cemetery. She noticed a young cat who had taken residence among the colony of her ‘old men’ (as she affectionately called them). Marcia made a makeshift shelter for the older guys but she found that the new cat was spending more time in it then they were. Strangely enough the ‘old men’ did not challenge the newcomer and we came up with a theory. This new cat must be a pregnant female nesting in the warm straw she put there.

It turned out that our hunch was correct. Now this became an interesting challenge. We not only would need to get the momma cat fixed, but also needed her to nurse her babies for six weeks (ideally) and also handle (socialize) the kittens so they would learn to trust humans and hence be adoptable. Unfortunately momma was very feral (wild) and we felt it was too dangerous to attempt to socialize her. We had to hatch a plan where she could be trapped, nurse her kittens in a safe place where we could easily get to them and have her spayed following the kittens successful weaning.

It seemed like an impossible situation. But with the help of third trapper and Marcia’s generous offer of letting Momma stay in a crate at her house for the next six weeks, we began our ‘mission’. After the kittens were about a week old, we set a trap for the mother cat knowing she left her babies in the shelter several times a day for short periods. We set up an elaborate trap that would have the mom go towards the babies but instead be humanely trapped. After a few hours, she was successfully trapped and the two other gals transferred her to Marcia’s house and an awaiting crate.

Enter me! My job was to pick up each kitten (I hadn’t been near them until that day for fear that she’d move them if I did) and transfer each of them to a laundry basket with the straw from the shelter they were born in. Time was of the essence because infant kittens eat every two hours and these babies were overdue. The car was warmed up and ready to leave for the short ride to Marcia’s home. When I got to Marcia’s house I went to a separate room while the gals took on the tricky job of transferring momma from the trap to the crate.

Each of those kittens were moving around and mewing at the top of their lungs when I moved them from their nest. I wanted them warm so I let them get somewhat buried in the straw. As I took each out to examine them, I had no idea what I was going to find. One baby was totally still. Her breathing was unnoticeable without having a stethoscope and her body beginning to feel cooler then the others. I was in a panic, but couldn’t open the door to alert the others since one of Marcia’s dogs was standing guard outside the door and I wasn’t sure what to expect.

I called but no one heard me. It was a moment like none other I had ever experienced. I sat helpless on the floor in a total state of helplessness. I began praying for this little life that was frighteningly still and without breath. And suddenly I heard, "try Reiki" in my head. So I held its little body in my hands, asked for the universal light to come in through my head chakra and prayed that God would help me save this little one.

I couldn’t tell you how long I stayed there like that. But after awhile the lifeless kitten began to move. I mean really move! How could this be? What happened here? I began to consider that the kitten’s body was in a stasis where it had barely a heartbeat and its temperature had dropped. Could the Reiki have pinpointed that animal’s last bit of vital force and helped to energize it to the point where it could work on its own? I didn’t know. I’ll never know! The only thing I’m certain of is that some sort of miracle occurred in that room, and I was blessed to be a part of it. It has forever changed me.

So know that a simple Reiki l graduate was able to access this powerful healing technique. If I learned anything that day it was about intention. One does not have to be an "expert" to make change. If one's intent is pure, there are no limits to what can be done. The "intention to heal" rises above all the doubts and concerns of not being able to "do it." Reiki is pure love and love is what we’re all about. We just forget! So remember please. Heal yourself first and then send Reiki to family, friends and to mother earth. You can do this. Please don’t let your doubts stop you from being the vehicle for miracles! Remember the simple Reiki l graduate.

About the author: Diane Novak is a Reiki Master who has spent the last decade working with stray and abandoned animals. In 1993 Diane founded the Spay Neuter Assistance Project (SNAP) to help low income pet owners afford the cost of a pet sterilization. From 1996-2004, Diane worked as a volunteer with The Goshen Humane Society where she gave stray cats and kittens safe refuge in her home. There she was able to promote Spay-Neuter Education to children through school and scout troop workshops. With a Bachelors Degree in Social Work, and over twelve years in animal rescue, Diane brings a natural empathy to her Reiki practice. Diane and her husband Ed currently live in the Town of Goshen, New York with their son and are planning a move to Hardy, Virginia in June of this year. Please visit her website at www.reikipets.com.