Reiki with Chloe: Coming into her Own

Chloe is a beautiful, graceful, gentle cat.  I first came to know her because I was working with her brother Max, and as time progressed, I began to work with her as well, as she has kidney issues, as well as a mass that is close to her bladder.  Thankfully, at the moment her appetite and energy is good, so she seems to be in a stable holding pattern.

Sadly, her brother Max passed away in March, after battling a number of health issues.  Max was a brave, strong soul - his wonderful people (Debbie and Jonathan) did everything they could to help him, and I know he remained on the earth as long as he could for his people.  I am honored to have worked with him and to have known him - he was such a unique and delightful personality, and truly a warrior.

Though Chloe often appeared irritated by Max, there was still a bond there, and it has been an adjustment for her after his passing.  He was a huge presence, even when he was ill.  I know that she, as well as, of course, her people, felt the empty space that was left when he left the earth.  I felt it as well, even though his spirit is still very much around, and I have seen it/felt it a number of times during the Reiki sessions with Chloe after his passing.

Over the weeks, Chloe does seem to be adjusting though, and really coming into her own.  She seems to be getting more confident, as well as more affectionate, every time that I see her.  And with that trust, as often happens, it feels like the Reiki goes to a deeper and deeper place. It often is a very trancelike state in the midst of the session, like being in a dream although you are awake, and I can see and feel waves of energy as they move in between us.  I have also been able to do more hands-on TTouch with her, as she is much more comfortable with direct contact, and seeks it from me.

And Chloe has also started to do a few things that Max used to do.  One of them is leading people to where she wants to go, by walking a bit, looking back to see if you are following her, etc.

Every once in a while she will sit up very straight and look you straight in the eye, which is something Max also used to do.  There is also a quiet sense of humor which seems to have been coming forward more and more, which is delightful to see.

One of our recent sessions was particularly powerful.  Chloe let me into the bedroom, which was cool, as the air conditioner was going in there.  Chloe seems to be a cat who prefers cool places.

She wanted to stay on the bed the whole time.  From time to time she slightly shifted her position, getting closer til she laid into my hands.  I always start with my hands slightly off her body, and let her guide me as to how much direct contact she is comfortable with.

I felt my hands guided to a place on her lower back, which makes sense considering where her issues are.  During this session, Chloe was comfortable with my hands directly on her body.  I felt my energy merging with hers like my hands being pulled inside of her body. Her feet were touching my hands and my arms, and I felt energy going back and forth there as well. I felt the energy going thru my hands into her like light, as I was visualizing her being healed, and her mass going away. At some point in the session, I though I saw a glimpse of Max, as though he peeked around a corner at us. 

As I continued, my energy merged with Chloe's, like my fingers going inside her body, energy going deeper and deeper.  She didn't want me to stop, and I went on longer than usual.  And as I have felt with other animals, I felt like I was experiencing her true self, her spirit, which is so much larger than her body.

When I finally did end the session, I felt that she was a little sad, but I didn't want to overwhelm her, as the session had been so powerful.  I quietly ended the session, thanked her and left the room. 

A few minutes later, as I was speaking to Jonathan in another room, Chloe quietly came in, as though she wanted a few pets before I said goodbye. 

Thank you Chloe, it is a pleasure and honor working with you (and your people), and I look forward to our continued work together.  And thank you for reminding me of the power of that quiet connection.  When one is truly inside of that moment with an animal, when nothing else exists, that is when the most powerful experiences are able to occur.

My Journey with Chloe: A Quiet, Strong Spirit

Chloe is a lovely cat with a quiet, internal energy.  Her brother Max, who I wrote about recently, has a much louder, bold presence.  However, she does have her own intensity, and a strength and power within her more quiet presence, as you can see by the photo above.  Chloe and Max are fourteen, have been together all their life, and have always been at odds with each other.  Chloe will growl at Max when he walks by.  They put up with each other, and they have each staked out territory for the most part, but in general, Max seems to irritate Chloe.  Apparently at times he deliberately gets in her face, so that doesn't help so much either :)
A ways back, Chloe began urinating outside the box, so her people, Debbie and Jonathan, took her to the vet to see if there was a medical reason behind this.  The vet found that there was a mass located near her bladder. 

I had been working with Max for a few months when the mass was found in Chloe, and so at that point I began doing Reiki work with Chloe as well as Max. 
It was interesting, one of the first things I noticed in starting to do energy work with Chloe was how her energy felt naturally much more inward, whereas Max's is much more outward - though of course when I first started working with Max, his energy was in a diminished state because he had been very sick.  But what I mean is difference in the natural state of their energy.  Perhaps that difference, plus the fact that they are both so strong in their individuality, is what is at the source of their conflict. 
If Max is in a wandering mode when I get there, I will start with Chloe or vice versa.
Chloe's usual hanging out spot when I am there is in the living room, either on the couch or the coffee table.  Sometimes in the midst of a session she will go to eat, so when that happens I may sit on a stool near her, sending energy.  At various points during a session, she may come towards me for TTouches.  I do a little at a time with her, and with the Reiki, I always have my hands a short distance away from her, as I think that the energy would be too intense if I were to do hands-on with her.
I use a lot of visualization with her, visualizing the mass dissolving, visualizing white light traveling through her body, healing.  I always tell the animals to only take as much or as little Reiki as they wish, so they feel that I am not forcing the energy on them.  I am there for them, I am there to help them, and work with them as I am guided by them. 
Very often, during a session, a word or phrase will come to me, as if it were a word blowing on a breeze - a feeling-type of word.  I often feel I am in a daydream-type state during a Reiki session, so I feel I am picking up things that come to me on a deeper level.  In the midst of my Reiki session with Chloe last week, the word "acceptance" came to mind.  I was thinking, maybe if it is possible for her to accept who Max is, rather than wishing he were different, then something could start to shift in their relationship. 
I am not saying that Chloe is the reason for their conflict, it does feel like it is chemistry, there certainly are many human brothers and sisters who don't get along with each other.  As of this post, Chloe is still growling at Max.  But of course, this type of shift will take time, if it indeed possible after all these years. 

What Chloe could change is the way she reacts to Max, and discovering that possibility can be empowering.  And in my work with her, I will incorporate visualization of a more positive reaction to Max, simply starting with a picture of her having no reaction.  I do think it is positive that recently both cats began hanging out in the living room again at the same time.  There were months after Max's hospitalization where he was not hanging out in the living room - but I think a large part of him coming back into the living room had to do with him feeling so much better and wanting more connection with his people.
As for how Chloe is reacting to TTouch and Reiki, I can feel her trusting me more and more each time, and being comfortable with closer contact. 
When I first came to work with Max, I tried a few TTouches with Chloe and she was only comfortable with a few TTouches before she signaled that it was enough! 
But now she will come towards me for TTouches, which I still do very gently, and primarily with the back of my hand, as that is less intense than using the front surfaces of my hand.  And I let her guide how much contact she would like to have, closely watching her body language.  I will do less rather than push for more. 
After a short session of TTouches, I transition into the Reiki part of the session, starting with my hands maybe 6 inches away.  Usually at this point she is on the couch with me.  Lately, I can see her recognition of the energy, and she gets very still, taking it in.  Last session she actually settled right next to me for a good while.
She will settle until she feels a bit more distance, and then she will go on the coffee table and settle there.  I continue sending the energy, but from a bit further away.  When she is ready to be closer to me again, she comes on the couch again.  She may do this two or three times during the session.  Sometimes I will see her looking at me, as though she is kind of adjusting herself, maybe feeling something different because of the Reiki energy. 
Recently I began studying about color therapy.  Sometimes I will send the essence of a color while I am sending the Reiki energy, following my intuition about what is needed for that day or that time - I may use a couple of different colors during the session.  Last session, I used green and purple.  Initially I was sending green to the heart chakra (green is the color associated with the heart chakra), as I feel that because of her shy nature, some opening and balancing in that area will benefit her and help her confidence. 

Later on in the session, at one point she became alerted by a few sounds (the sound of footsteps running in another apartment, a doorbell ringing), and I began to send purple through her forehead and down through her body. It did seem to calm her, her eyes softened and her body began to relax.  Purple has to do with calming the emotions, restoring balance.  I feel that as I continue to work with her, she will continue to feel more and more at ease with me and she will absorb the energy on a deeper and deeper level.
Her appetite has been good, seems to be a bit better since I first started working with her, and (crossing fingers), she has been peeing in the box for about the past month.  What has made a huge difference in her litter box issue has been to keep the box and surrounding area super-clean.  So that is all good!
Thank you Chloe - you are a gentle, dear soul, and I look forward to continuing to work with you (and Max)! As always, I learn so much from the animals every day.  By being still and quiet, and listening and feeling, we can learn so much from them. xo