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.

The Power of Patience and Quiet Connection: Reiki with Bunny

Above:  Bunny relaxing in the window.  On the turntable, one of his faves, Donovan:)

A couple of months ago, I was contacted by Suzanne and Mike to work with their dear cat Bunny, who is a stunning black Persian cat.  He had been recently diagnosed with chronic renal failure. Suzanne and Mike are doing all they can to help Bunny with diet, supplements, subcutaneous hydration, etc. Reiki helps in stress reduction, which is so important for a cat who is ill, and can often help to stimulate appetite and prolong quality of life for cats with this disease. 
There are two other cats in the household: Mr. Maps, a delightful white Persian cat with two different color eyes and a definite sense of humor, and Luther, a very handsome young tabby cat who they brought home when he was recovering from a broken leg,  Now that Luther's leg is ok and he has the run of the house, they discovered that he can be an unpredictable character - he can be affectionate, but can also flip into more into reactive mode, so I am working with him as well as with Bunny.  I will share more about that in another post.
Bunny is a bit shy, so during the first few appointments, I had either Suzanne or Mike sit with Bunny as I worked with him.  Sometimes it takes a while for a cat to trust a new person, and to trust and relax into the Reiki energy.  In these first few appointments I also incorporated a fair amount of TTouch into the session, as that can help to relax the animal as well.
After that, Mike asked if it would be all right to leave me alone with Bunny for the session, and I felt the timing on that was perfect.  It took a bit of adjustment for Bunny to be ok with me alone in the room, but once we started the session, he found a place that was comfortable for him and began to settle down.

With each session, I felt Bunny relaxing into the energy more and more, which was beautiful to see.
A couple of weeks ago when I went to see Bunny, Mike said they had been concerned about him, that at times he had seemed out of it and that he just wasn't seeming as energetic as usual.  During that appointment, Bunny just laid down, curled up and went to sleep for the entire session.  He circled around until one of my hands was right over his lower back, where there is the sacral chakra which relates to the kidneys.  I felt so much heat there.  As I worked, I felt the heat disperse somewhat, as the energy was balancing.
After that appointment, Bunny was taken to the vet and it was found he had lost some weight and his numbers were somewhat higher.  Suzanne and Mike made some changes to Bunny's diet and he has been eating better, so that is great.  It is so important to keep cats eating, particularly when they have kidney disease.
The next time I saw Bunny, he clearly seemed to feel much better.  He was so much more present and his energy seemed much better.
I began the Reiki session with him sitting on top of a speaker and he stayed there nearly the whole time.  I started out with my hands about six inches away from his body.  He immediately connected with the energy and became a bit mesmerized by it, as though he was sitting as still as he could in order to take every bit of it in..

As we continued, I felt waves of energy, of light, going up and down, all around Bunny's body.  I felt the energy going up, then coming down through his head and going through his body.  He stared at me often and I felt I was looking right inside of him, that he was looking inside of me.

I began to feel his real essence, his inner self, a magnificent, strong being, a divine presence, this powerful beautiful creature, with sparkling green eyes.  This real self was much larger than his physical body. This strong soul, a mystical presence.  The feeling of a very deep soul. Such a powerful feeling and connection.

After a really long time, Bunny jumped off the speaker, so I thought at that point he was done with the session, but then he jumped back up on the speaker and put his body into my hands - my right hand over his lower back, my left hand was just off his chest.  

As I had the prior session, I felt a lot of heat coming from his lower back, again from the chakra which connects with his kidneys.  I wanted to make sure it was not too much energy, so a few times I spoke to him softly and slowly, saying gooooood booooy, to see if he had enough, but he seemed to want me to continue.  Felling light around him, energy around him and going into him, a divine presence, a beautiful spirit.  

He connected with me with so much love and a few times I hugged him gently.  He pushed his head into my hands and snuggled into my arms.  I thanked him, and slowly and gradually let the session come to a close.

This was the most powerful session with him yet.  He is getting more comfortable with me each time and it feels the energy is connecting at a deeper and deeper level. 

For a long time afterwards, I kept feeling his presence, a presence much bigger than his physical body, a strong, flowing presence of beautiful black fur and powerful green eyes looking straight into my heart and soul. The animals have so much to teach us.  xoxoxo