I wish all my students were as enthusiastic about self-treatment as pet-owners are about treating their animals. One enthusiastic student named her new kittens Hawayo and Takata. Another loves to give Reiki to her turtle. She feels Reiki moving in her hands as she holds her beloved pet and feels that it settles him. Even when he’s been startled, he’ll linger in her hands, gradually releasing his limbs and head out of his shell.

Animals are very aware of the change that occurs in their owner’s presence when she starts practicing Reiki. The night after her first initiation, a psychotherapist’s Siamese cats purred so loudly even her husband noticed. They vied for position, with one always at her feet and the other on her lap. Most animals like Reiki, although occasionally I hear of one who is indifferent to it.

Being with nature in any form raises our awareness of Reiki. For city-dwellers, animals are a concentrated dose of nature. If you have an opportunity to offer Reiki to an animal, try it and see how it compares to treating adult humans! Animals (and children) are not talking themselves out of their experience. If they like it, they stay put. If they’ve had enough, they get up and leave.

Maggie was very conflicted over what to do for her cat, a beloved companion of sixteen years who was nearing death. Although Reiki relieved his pain and distress, and the peace Reiki brought both of them was undeniable, Maggie feared it wouldn’t be enough and she didn’t want her cat to suffer. Although I never expressed an opinion, our conversations about Reiki brought Maggie the support she needed to trust her heart. Her cat died peacefully with her Reiki hands on him. She thanked Reiki for enabling them to be together as nature took its course, which she preferred to taking him to the vet.

“As soon as I started putting my hands on horses professionally, it was pretty amazing,” says Woodstock, New York Reiki master Cindy Brody. “The owners didn’t particularly believe in what I was doing but once they saw the difference Reiki made, they didn’t care about their beliefs.” Brody is the owner of CinergE, a service that provides equine energy balancing, bodywork, Reiki and animal communication.

Most of the horses Brody works with have been in her care six to seven years. She treats them once a month. Her equine clients earn a lot of ribbons and rarely get injured, which she attributes to their being in good health and being centered. The horses are happy and the owners are happy, she says. Brody may be the only Reiki practitioner who has horse-referred people as clients.

Reiki master Elena Jespersen gives all her horses a weekly treatment. Jesperson’s horses particularly like Reiki at the front of the face and between the ears. While receiving Reiki, her horses often hang their heads and sleep like people in a Reiki slumber. Jesperson says, “Horses are like cats and dogs in that they’ll walk off when they’re finished.” Jesperson has worked with colic and many lameness injuries and says Reiki helps her horses heal faster. Giving Reiki to the neck while walking a colicky horse, she sees a rapid and noticeable lessening of pain and overall relaxation. She says, “Reiki calms the horse’s mind and relaxes the gut.” One of Jesperson’s foals had a broken leg. After daily treatment for a couple weeks, x-rays showed complete recovery, and he is now a ridable horse.

One of the many joys of Reiki is sharing it. While it is most important to treat yourself first and ensure your own well-being and balance, sharing Reiki with those you love—family members, friends, even beloved pets—will deepen and expand your relationship with Reiki.

About the Author: Pamela Miles is a Reiki master with 35 years experience in natural healing who has been practicing Reiki since 1986. She has created Reiki programs in major New York City hospitals and published articles in peer-reviewed medical journals and popular media. Her website is www.ReikiInMedicine.org.