Reiki and Mother’s Day

My 6 top recommendations for Mother’s Day:

  1.  If you are Reiki trained and a ‘Mother’ (even to a 4 legged furry baby), do some extra Reiki on yourself including your heart chakra to celebrate yourself on this Mother’s Day
  2. If your Mom is still alive and geographically close by, do some Reiki on her as a gift of gratitude for her giving you life
  3. If your Mom lives a distance away or has passed, consider sending her some Reiki and bring Mindfulness to how it feels to connect using the loving energy of Reiki
  4. Consider offering Reiki to a Mother who may be a neighbor or even a person in a Nursing Home who does not have any of her children nearby
  5. Send Reiki to your relationship with your Mother…your Grandmother…Great grandmother who are all part of your precious lineage as a woman
  6. Gift your Mother (or special Mother you know and love) with a certificate for a Reiki session or Reiki class with a RMT–                                                                  Bonus recommendation from one of my students:  have a little fun today!

Persistence and Resilience

Since I have only been volunteering at PACC for less than 6 months, I am still learning so much; just like teaching a Reiki class or giving a Reiki session to human clients, one needs to be Mindful about what is unique in each situation.

This week I was saddened to see or learn about a few older dogs whom had been adopted out during the holiday season and returned; it hurt my heart for these precious lives to have found hope and a new home..only to be disappointed and returned.  Perhaps the cat didn’t get  along with the new dog…or there were questions about how this new member of the family would do with the children.  I remember back to my own experience after adopting Kiki 6+ years ago; he was difficult in many ways especially when he ate thru 3 couches, some curtains, part of a wooden rocking chair leg, mail, etc. He was also very reactive to all the rabbits in our neighborhood and would stand up on his hind legs whenever he saw a rabbit!  Despite all of this, he was ours and there was no question about returning him; we were family and needed to learn how to best work with his behaviors…helping him to be the best Kiki Drozdoff possible!  He no longer reacts to rabbits nor eats furniture!  He does occasionally take a piece of mail as a joke…and definitely thinks that he is the neighborhood protector from coyotes.

We have so many precious dogs at PACC who deserve a loving home and will definitely enrich your lives.  Be persistent with your love, positive expectations and reinforcement; be resilient and unless there are dire circumstances, don’t give up!

Reflections from a ‘Dog Whisperer’ RMT

As you may know from prior posts, I have been volunteering at PACC weekly doing Reiki and Massage (and walking the dogs) whenever I am in town; after being away from PACC for nearly a month due to a fabulous trip to Indonesia/Bali, I was very excited to get back to these precious dogs of all sizes, breeds and time in the shelter while awaiting hopefully adoption by their forever families.  When it started to rain and lightening, I decided that it was time to get inside and focus on Reiki and massage instead of giving a few additional dogs their morning walk (and a little massage if open to it).  Since many of the dogs in the Pod were above the level that I am presently eligible to go directly into their kennel, I again took a pillow and chose whichever dog was calling for more TLC (or had notations stating that he/she might be shy or very scared or stressed).  Sitting across from a 1 1/2 y.o. who had only been there for a month who would barely make contact with me and sat in the back of her kettle, I began sending Reiki thru my hands, eyes and heart while chanting the Karuna symbols Zona Krya Halu Harth; she slowly would peep out at me until she felt safe enough to eat a biscuit and later allow me to touch her thru the cage.  I later worked individually with another 5 dogs or so…but wanted to reach them all so I chanted loud enough allowing the positive vibrations to bring healing to each.  It was an exquisite day for me…and hopefully for them too.  For any ART or RMT students who want to work with animals, this is another reason to take your Karuna training!

Doing a Distant Session from a Close Proximity

Every week that I volunteer at PACC, there is some new wonderful lesson or experience to share.  I asked my Volunteer coordinator to confirm that it was okay for me to go into a kennel with a dog whose color rating was a ‘blue’ instead of a ‘green’ that I am eligible to work with.  One dog in particular had been referred by other volunteers as a special needs girl who would benefit from extra massage/Reiki and TLC.  I was told that due to liability issues, I could not yet work directly with blue or orange graded dogs in their kennels but instead could get a pillow and sit outside the kennels sending Reiki to them.  I of course made my initial contact thru my heart and eyes and soon added on my voice telling her/him that I loved them.  I sat perhaps for 15 minutes each time directing Reiki with my hands thru each kennel cage.  I added on some Karuna chanting, Metta and even a little Nam Myoho Renge Kyo. One little gal relaxed so much that she began to eat her breakfast and to drink some water.  I was tickled to learn that she was adopted a day or two later…and was so glad to be part of her healing.  In terms of humans, sometimes one can be in the room with another human and it is best to send Reiki; to give an example, years ago a precious older Reiki group member and client had her husband in ICU for 4 months.  She tried to work on him with hands on but would get very fatigued standing on her feet; I encouraged her to sit near his bed and send Reiki to him.  By being mindful of the special circumstances, she respected her own needs as well as honoring his.

Taking Care of Business

I am having a glorious time volunteering at PAC doing Reiki and Massage on such precious dogs waiting for forever homes!  If you are thinking of adopting, come by and meet some of these wonderful animals…and maybe your new member of your family.

On 9/12, I was doing massage and Reiki in the kennel of a dog I had worked on before; I used my eyes and heart to reach out to those in kennels across from me and tell them that I ‘loved them’ over and over again.  They took in the positive energy and quieted down.  One in particular, Jimmy Chew gave me the most soulful eyes and asked to be next.  I looked at the assignment board and saw that this lovely 12 y.o hadn’t been walked yet.  I took him outside and he took care of business 3x.  I almost decided to do Reiki outside but listened to his desire to walk around and smell whatever attracted him; this was his time to use and not my agenda.  Once back in his kennel, he was ready for some extra loving with massage and Reiki.  I was then gifted with kisses and he gave me his paw spontaneously many times as if to express much gratitude and friendship.

So..what does this have to do with our adult Reiki practice? We may have our own agenda for a session, but we need to assess what initial ‘business’ needs to be done first.  Has the client filled out the intake and consent forms and know what to expect during the session?  Do you know if there are special needs or prior traumas? Has your person been given water and a chance to go to the toilet?  Once on the table, have you done byosen scanning? You are forming a supportive and therapeutic relationship as well as making sure the environment is comfortable. Once you have taken care of business, Reiki will be your guide and the experience will be memorable for you both.

Don’t Judge a Book by the Cover…or Dog by his Looks!

I have recently begun volunteering at Pima Animal Control with the intention of doing Reiki on dogs and possibly cats; part of the requirement is to first take a Basic Dog handling class and then volunteer walking the dogs.

Today was Session #2; I had been thrilled with my experience during my first day last week especially when I went thru the whole process successfully (no dog got away from me and one even requested Reiki) without a mentor! Today when I was choosing my last day to walk, I signed up for Ludwig, a 7 .o who probably was pretty anxious to get out of the kennel by 9:30 or so to finally relieve himself.  When I first saw him, I just didn’t get the warm and fuzzy feeling…with eye secretions and a plastic head collar/protector…and an unsure attitude of me being his walker.  Well, just like we can’t judge a book by the cover…or a dog by his looks…Ludwig turned out to be quite a sweetie; after a reasonably short walk due to the heat, he laid down on the floor back in the shelter pod…and was breathing a bit heavy.  Then he raised his leg and asked for Reiki for quite some time to help him to feel more rebalanced; I even got a thank you kiss after finally getting him back into his crate.

So….remember that even if a client you are working with appears different than yourself in some manner/appearance, life style, etc., as long as you feel safe, let Reiki be the connection that brings together humanity, peace and healing.

Becoming a Reiki Master Teacher

If you look at our Reiki lineage, without Dr. Usui, Dr. Hayashi, and Mrs. Takata awakening to their mission to teach Reiki to others, would we ultimately have Reiki in our lives?   Although you may or may not believe that you have what it takes to teach Reiki, you most likely do have the passion and potential to share your inspiring Reiki story with others and to open up students to the profound path of self healing and healing of others.

Please focus on what Reiki means to you and why you may (or may not) want to be a Reiki Master Teacher.  Meditate on this.  Send Reiki to becoming clear about this next and exquisite step in your life.  If you are presently an Advanced Reiki practitioner/Personal Reiki Master and you want to take this transformative step in your practice and/or to sign up for the Fall 2018 RMT training, contact me at Marsha@DesertReikiConnection.com or 520-982-6721

Reiki and Spirituality at the Rila Monastery, Bulgaria

Although I am frequently excited before going on  a trip, I knew that this Gate 1 tour to the Balkans would be enjoyable, though not the spiritual treasure that nourishes my soul; I did have a sense that there would be at least one spiritual gem…I just didn’t know where I might discover this.  It could have been during our first few days on our own in Bulgaria…or any step along the tour in Sofia, Bulgaria, Serbia or Rumania.  There were 3 optional tours available to us but the Rila Monastery, a Unesco site,  was the only one with the energetic pull; it was wonderful but not the spiritual delight that I was hoping for.  Then while walking to the bus, a stray and old dog who seemed to be hurting came right up to me and asked for Reiki.  I first put my hands in his energy field to see how he would respond.  Within moments he sat down and looked me in the eye; then he seamlessly moved to his side and put a paw on me while allowing the healing energy to flow. I felt total love in my heart and as the energy flowed, it was the sweetest spiritual moment. This lovely being who chose me to support his healing…and chose Reiki…was totally at ease and peaceful.  My tour guide finally said ‘enough with the dog’ and called me into the bus to leave with our group.  Needless to say, my fellow travelers who observed what had just occurred were filled with questions and Reiki requests.