It never ceases to amaze me, the way animals come into our lives to teach us. One of the beautiful things I’ve learned along the way in my Animal Reiki journey, is that sometimes it’s the most unlikely of animals that become the most profound teachers. Just over a week ago, Leah D’Ambrosio (co-founder of SARA) and I had the privilege of visiting old friends (2- and 4-legged) at The CARE Foundation in Florida, as well as seeing the healing effects these animals had on my students in the classes.
One person found a deep connection with a wiley raccoon, another person revisited their connection with tigers with the help of Tyrian (something long forgotten since childhood) and yet another remembered a deep connection with nature by meditating with Ingozi the crocodile. Most all of us lost our hearts to Chimera, CARE’s resident gentle giant and “unicorn.” (Well, almost: being a liliger – his mother is a liger (lion/tiger – supposedly not able to reproduce) and his father is a lion). And by the end of the weekend, the whole staff remarked on how quiet the property had become and how calm all the animals were. “They love it when you come and it’s so good for them!” Christin Burford, founder of CARE remarked to us.
The most important lesson for all of us from this weekend was to remember to see with our “Reiki eyes.” In other words to see with our hearts. It’s so important not to judge animals by what has happened to them in the past, or by their current limitations, but to look deeper and remember that the perfect light of their essence can never be diminished, caged or limited, no matter what hardships they may face. In seeing this perfection and strength in this moment, we remind animals of their inner power and they are drawn to us with peace, trust and compassion that transcends species. In truth, nothing can cage our infinite soul’s potential, and by holding space through the Let Animals Lead® method, we can help animals remember this!
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As an example of this, I think my favorite session of the entire week’s visit was chanting with Leah and Nicholas Pearson (acclaimed author of the beautiful book, Foundations of Reiki Ryoho and also our special guest) in the snake room. The expansive energy of love and compassion that the snakes shared with us was something hard to describe and yet profoundly humbling and moving. It’s a great reminder that Animal Reiki teaches us about Oneness, a space of connection that transcends species differences.
Imagine a world where we see each other as equal but different beings, each of us with the right to live freely and with respect for the balance of nature. What a different world it would be. Snakes are not often thought of as spiritual teachers, but what ancient wisdom they have to teach, if we would only learn to listen!
Take a deep dive into the possibilities of transformative healing through interspecies connections with my special online course, Heart to Heart Animal Reiki.
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