A Rocky Road Leads to Peace

Lyra is a beautiful strawberry roan and once you meet her you know she's a sweetheart through and through. She was being fostered and was returned to the rescue because she had stopped eating and was rapidly losing weight. Last Saturday I had the pleasure to meet and work with her.

At first she wasn't too sure about this Reiki stuff as I began offering Reiki from a short distance away. The session flowed like a rocky road. On, off, on, off, on, off..... Wondering if it was something I was bringing into the session I took a few minutes to do some personal Reiki. When I offered Reiki again to Lyra, the same awkward dance began again. Understanding she was taking it in the increments that were best for her at that time I continued the session for another 20 minutes or so.

Thinking the session was over I was preparing to leave when Lyra came and stood directly in front of me and I heard her say "I'm ready now." And of course I happily obliged! The session continued for another 30 minutes with the energy flowing steadily. Within several minutes of starting back up again Lyra sidestepped, placing her body directly in my hands. You could feel the instant sigh of relief.

A couple of days later I received a text from the rescue stating that Lyra was fading fast, the blood work results did not look good, and asking if I could come over. Approaching her stall I knew Lyra was in a very different place that morning. She lifted her head in greeting as I entered and did not hesitate when Reiki was offered. She wanted nothing less than a full hands-on treatment. We worked together for a little over an hour. Sometimes I intuitively sensed where my hands needed to be, other times she moved her body a little this way or that way so my hands were just where she wanted.

When I felt the Reiki flow subside, I could still feel a faint trickle. So I happily gave her a full body rub-down from head to hoof letting the light flow of Reiki continue. She was very peaceful and content when I left.

Lyra taught me many things during these two sessions. Many of which are best experienced between Reiki practitioner and an animal, often difficult to put into words. However, a gentle reminder from Lyra was to allow the animal to decide how the session should flow. Often the beginning and end of a session will be completely different, and preferences can, and often will, change with each session.