In my late twenties I became interested in metaphysical studies. Little did I know where this would lead me, and how it would change my life. After taking a number of metaphysical classes, I was drawn to take Reiki and became a Reiki Master. I was amazed at how beneficial this energy healing mode could be and had some very interesting experiences with this involving both animals and people.

Since animals have always been a central theme in my life, over time I was drawn to work more closely with animals in various ways. One of those ways was through animal communication. I knew I had the ability to telepathically communicate with them but had no idea how to consciously operate this. Usually I just “received” a piece of information or a sense of knowing something about them, not really knowing how this occurred. This had been the case since I was a young child, and it was fairly easy for me to tune into psychic or telepathic information about people as well.

It was a big switch for me to move into the world of animal communication because I worked in the legal field at the time. I think that’s about as far away as you can get from “the weird and woo-woo” (I use that term with great affection!). I proceeded, knowing I was being drawn along this path for a specific reason. There came a point where I knew this would be the perfect way for me to be in service to animals and their people. The legal field served me well, and I greatly enjoyed that work, but when burnout hit, I knew I could no longer ignore what gave me great satisfaction - serving others from a place of love and respect to assist them on their paths.

Today I am an Animal Communicator and teacher with a worldwide practice, a medical intuitive, and vibrational essences practitioner among other things. I also do intuitive guidance sessions for people, and educate people about holistic animal care. If someone had told me in high school that one day I would be talking with animals and receiving higher guidance for the benefit of animals and people, I’m sure I would have looked at them cross-eyed. However, it’s absolutely perfect for me, and it gives me great joy to be in service to others.

The key point I focus my life around now is, does my work juice me up, make my heart sing, give me deep satisfaction, keep me interested, encourage me to continue growing? I’m always a student, and find that the deeper I delve into holistic, alternative and complementary modes, the more satisfied I become and the more fully I appreciate the path I’m on.

Animal communication is not something for the “gifted few”. Telepathic communication is an innate ability we are born with. What typically happens, though, is by about age five, adults shut that down in us by telling us we didn’t hear the dog say that, we don’t really have an imaginary playmate, we didn’t really pick up on the emotions and undercurrents in our parents’ relationships, it’s not okay to say those things in front of others (public acceptance is more important than the truth) . . . on and on. For those of us who have gone against the mainstream and opened to alternative or unconventional methods - Reiki, Emotional Freedom Technique, vibrational essences, TTouch, connection with our spirit guides, angels and Higher Self, talking with the animals, seeing spirits, or whatever else comes our way - it can be a daunting adventure to swim against the current of public disbelief or denigration. But definitely worth the journey!

Animal communication can enhance your Reiki practice in a number of ways. Opening to subtle energies and messages from the animals, “seeing” their auras, asking specific questions of the animals to ascertain whether the issue(s) they’re dealing with are mental, emotional, physical or spiritual in nature, asking how they can most benefit from Reiki energy (which level do they need healing at?), doing body scans (medical intuitive work), asking the animal if they have a message for their person regarding the issue they’re dealing with (I find that many times the animals are mirroring something for their humans) . . . all of these can provide you with more information that may be beneficial in offering Reiki to the animal.

Of course, the animal decides how much healing energy to accept and what it does with that. But knowing the above information may help further guide you in, for instance, how you offer the energy, where you direct it on the body or to the etheric layers (loss of parts of the soul, trauma, illness and other situations can leave gaps, holes or tears in the layers, which may need repair), the intensity of energy that you run, and whether finishing up the session with color therapy is appropriate.

Color therapy is another complementary practice. When I am doing healing energy work on an animal (so far, I’ve always done this long distance), I scan their aura to feel what color(s) would be most beneficial to them at various points throughout the session and again at the end. I do a clearing first, and the energy drawn off may be sticky like spiderwebs, gooey, fragmented, black and speckly and angry feeling, heavy and dark or gray, frenetic, . . . it varies. I also look at organ systems, skeletal structure, the part of the body that is diseased etc., and draw off energy specifically surrounding those areas, which may feel different than what is in the aura overall. I then offer Reiki and other healing energies for the animal.

When that is complete, I transmit color energy or vibration to the animal. Oftentimes I will wrap them in a beneficially colored energy cocoon and tell them it’s there as long as they want it, and they can draw on that energy at any time. I convey this to the client so they can also visualize their animal in this energy cocoon. Finally, I will make suggestions to the client as to what colors to place near where the animal likes to lay. Although animals don’t see the full spectrum of colors through their physical eyes, at the higher consciousness level all things are known, and the Third Eye understands the color energy, so they do benefit from color therapy. A great book for this is Healing with the Rainbow Rays: The Art of Color Energy Therapy by Alijandra.

One other complementary therapy I’d like to share with you is vibrational essences. I specifically work with the Bach flower essences and Wild Earth Animal Essences but there are many lines available. These essences work on all four levels (mental, emotional, physical and spiritual). Dr. Bach believed that all physical illness is as a result of dis-ease in any of the other three states. Bach essences gently rebalance those states and can ease physical discomfort. Will it cure, for instance, cancer or arthritis? I can’t say definitively, because I have not had an animal client “recover” from such health issues. But, it will help them achieve a state of greater harmony and balance, which can benefit the physical body in some way.

Flower essences are not herbs or drugs, they do not work physiologically in the body like those two do. Rather, they rebalance the energy of a mental, spiritual or emotional imbalance or state of dis-ease. Offering vibrational essence suggestions (or making up treatment bottles for the animal) may help the animal benefit even more greatly from your work. Two books I recommend are Bach Flower Essences for Animals (same title), one by Stefan Ball and Judy Howard, and the other by Helen Graham and Gregory Vlamis.

Blessings to you on your Journey! And bless you for being a Lightworker. Namaste, Kat

About the Author: Kat Berard is a world renowned Animal Communicator and teacher, Reiki Master and energy healer, vibrational essences practitioner, medical intuitive, and host of the weekly internet radio show, Animal Corner, on www.katberard.com. Please visit her website at www.katberard.com for a list of workshops and classes, to sign up for her free monthly email newsletter, and to find out more about animal communication, what the animals teach us, vibrational essences, essential oils, spirituality, holistic care and much more. You can contact her at kat@katberard.com or 210-402-1220.