By Pia Phoenix

My first experience with snakes and Reiki happened the first day I got
attuned with Reiki 1. I was overflowing with enthusiasm and my hands
were oversensitive and reacted to every creature around me. At the end off this exhausting day and after giving Reiki to some of my animals, I settled down in front of the computer to check e-mails. As I scrolled through the mail I felt a very strong flow of energy. I looked around but there was no dog or cat in the room... Where was it coming from? Still looking around the room my eyes hit the terrarium next to my computer desk. Inside lives a beautiful red and black Mexican milk snake named "Scarlet".

Scarlet was not visible, she was, like always, hiding. To be sure the
energy was going to her, I placed my hands in front of her hiding
place, and sure enough Scarlet soaked up the energy. After 15 minutes into the session, to my delight, she actually came out of her hiding place and moved as close as possible to my hands! She stayed there until the end of the session. She is normally a very shy animal
and will avoid human contact if at all possible; she had never done
this before! I was amazed and overjoyed that Scarlet accepted Reiki so willingly and actually asked for it. Since then Scarlet has had many Reiki sessions.

Another one of my snakes, Amietiel, has always had a rough time
shedding her skin. It takes her much longer then the other snakes and she looks miserable. One time in particular I started to get worried. So I asked her if she wanted Reiki. She soaked up the energy. The next day she shed her skin with no problem in one almost perfect classroom piece.

My baby reticulated python Gabriel has a wonderful temperament and s a Reiki sponge. At one point I had to soak Gabriel in a bucket with
lukewarm water to get pieces off dead skin off of him. The bucket
scared him and he started to panic. The simple bathing/soaking
procedure turned into a wrestling match and I was losing. I let him
come down and asked if he wanted Reiki. After the Reiki treatment he was relaxed and at peace, went into the bucket with no fuss and the skin pieces came off with ease. He stayed calm and relaxed during all of it. It is also interesting to note that since this time any other soaking spa treatments have been accepted without complaint.

There are so many benefits or Reiki for snakes. Especially animals that reach a large size and can't be moved easily could tremendously benefit from Reiki. All you "herpers" out there please consider Reiki for your animals for their mental, spiritual and physical health.

About the Author:  Pia lives in Hayward CA, and describes herself as an all around animal lover.She shares her lives with 4 Am. Staffs, all rescue dogs, cats, fish, birds and snakes. Pia completed Kathleen's Master Class in Dec. 2008 and is currently working on building her own animal Reiki practice. She found Reiki through Kathleen's and Elizabeth's book, Animal Reiki, and says Reiki is the best thing that ever happened to her. She is looking forward to the journey. She can be contacted at heavenstouch@att.net.

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