The REIKIDOGS Blog

At the end of this year, use the energy of the waning moon to bid farewell to the energies that no longer contribute to your growth: this can be ideas, feelings of guilt, shame, or blame, perception about self and others, anger, excess...... Try these simple affirmations for release.  I will start with mine and then leave a few statements blank so you can fill in yours.    If you read them aloud, your voice will give power to your intention and the Universe will hear you and help you cleanse and heal. I release my need for anger.  I release my anger. I release my need to react.  I release my reactionism. I release my need to feel hurt.  I release my hurt. I release my need for excess weight.  I release my excess weight. I release my need to worry.  I release my worry. Now fill in your blanks: I release my need for __________________.  I release my ________________. I release my need to ___________________.  I release my ________________. I release my need to feel _____

My favorite Biblical story has always been the Genesis tale of Joseph, abandoned by his brothers and left for dead, then imprisoned by the Pharoah in a strange land.  Joseph survived the abuse by his siblings and not only discovered  purpose but reinvented and elevated himself by interpreting the dreams of the Pharoah.  People often assign psychic abilities to Joseph but I agree with those critics who see this error: it was not Joseph who was the psychic; it was  Pharoah.  Joseph was merely the translator of  dream.  The dream itself was an expression of the Divine. Joseph Campbell identifies dreams as a great source of the spirit, and those who do metaphysical work know this.  Dreams are vivid and visual and often more revelatory than waking consciousness. The irony is that we sometimes go through our waking life in a stupor while our dreams shock us into the more potent reality.    I cherish my dreams; some of my most profound recognitions occurred in the dream state.  Many of them

I've heard many times that those people who present us with challenges are really mirrors of our own frailties.   That means if I encounter a person who consistently stirs my emotions, it might not be that person who has the problem at all.  He or she is merely providing a mirror for me to see (and hopefully heal)  the burning ulcer inside me.   It makes sense when you think about it.  Assigning the negativity to the other person is just an easy way to avoid confronting ourselves. Then imagine my surprise when I wrote an electronic note to my ex-husband's current live-in sweetheart in which I remarked how far we've come  in a difficult year.  Last year I was still reeling not so much from the divorce  itself but from the way it ended, with a third party involved but hidden from me.  I was furious with him and her.  He even came to my house for dinner in September,  sat across the table from  me, and told me how he'd found his soul mate, raving about her for over an

This weekend I had the opportunity to offer my services at one of Palm Beach County's largest dog events, Pet-a-Palooza in Jupiter. Most of the tri-county humane organizations had booths, from  A Second Chance Puppies and Kittens Rescue to Florida Parrot Rescue .  I had an animal communication station where I offered free readings to all who stopped by (I thank you and my gas tank thanks youfor your generous donations!), and from 11 a.m. - 5  p.m. I read one dog after another, taking only one quick bathroom break around 2.  The event was sponsored by Sunny 107.9 and WIRK, and through  their very generous advertising, the turnout was enormous.  I apologize for having turned away people after 5 p.m.  even though they had waited in line.  The booths were being dismantled and honestly, after reading nearly 40 dogs, I would not have been as sharp as I had been earlier. Gunner I read every kind of "poo-" there could possibly be -- shihpoos, maltipoos, yorkipoos, whi

Let me start by saying once again that I struggle with the busy little remnants of childhood sexual abuse, so that when I least expect it, they personify and scurry around my subconscious more noisily and mischievously than usual, when they just lie in wait.  On these occasions, I find myself walking with my head down, literally, or  driving the 35 mile distance to work and back in silence, or wandering through the supermarket on the verge of that something -- "what was it?" -- that Kate Chopin embedded in Louise Mallard, only the answer that escaped was strikingly different.  A friend of mine who had to euthanize her dog earlier this week just asked on Facebook, "Who cries in Publix?"  and I nodded vigorously even though this was not a yes or no question. So getting into tub today, I took a random inventory of all the ways I continue to pathologically butcher myself, both physically and literally, tearing myelf apart to bleeding point  from my scalp down, bitin

For just over a year, I've been conducting a distance Reiki healing session for animals on Facebook.  From wherever we are, we gather twice every Sunday, once at  9 a.m. Eastern and again at 6 p.m. Pacific, and engage in a 20 to 30 minute meditative session with our animals by our side.  In the case of an animal who has left the earth plane, we merely focus on the energy and make soul-level connections. It doesn't matter whether we are experienced meditators, healers, animal professionals, or pet owners whose focus is living with and loving with our furry/feathered companions --  the unifying element here is love and Divine light. How does it work?  We sit at the appointed time and relax, breathing deeply and releasing distracting thoughts.  The powerful group intention fortifies the connection through the ethers.  Some sit alongside their dogs or cats; others close their eyes and summon images of their animals; some hold photos of animals in need; some just use the time to

This was a week of wrangling as the two year fight to save an unfairly impounded dog in Belfast came to an unforgivable end. For those who have not been part of the protests and online prayer circles and solidarity events, here's the summary. Two years ago, without provocation or reasonable cause, Lennox, a Labrador/American Bulldog mix, was confiscated by the authorities and impounded under the law that prohibits "pit bull type dogs." First of all, he was not a pit bull. Secondly, he was neither aggressive nor threatening, and there was no proof that he had ever been. Online video of an examination during which he was taunted shows the calm demeanor of a Golden Retriever. The Belfast City Council emerged victorious in the two year legal battle fought by Lennox's anguished human family and despite international appeals, protests, and offers to rehome the dog in the U.S., the BCC destroyed the dog, and proudly, becoming the poster devils for anti-breed specific le

Facebook-circulated photo from A Second Chance Puppies and Kittens Rescue in Florida Lennox has been destroyed. http://savelennox.com/ this is a hearbreaking story for those of us who love our animals like family. Please go to the link and follow the Lennox updates on Facebook. Use the power of our higher energies to send light and love to the situation, to bring this dog back home to his family, to spare them all the grief of a senseless killing. Pray.

Exactly one year ago I sat immobilized in my living room physically numb after my life was severed by divorce decree. Always the procrastinator, I had practiced the "maybe it will get better" mantra every night for 9 years until I no longer believed such a blanket of gibberish and plunged into divorce. I had no doubt that I'd survive the loss but still, never anticipated the enormous pain, which was more than a constant throbbing (and which, thank God, disappeared half a year later). It was worse than dental issues. At least the dentist provides novacaine. The only medicines we have for emotional healing are time and prayer...but for me, not hope , because still, I don't trust that word in any relationship context. I don't know that I'll ever recycle it. After three months of no communication with me, my ex had a bit of a meltdown, flattened by a breakup with his new girlfriend (it -- their breakup -- was temporary). Whether it was stupid of m

Moving out of the house I've occupied for the past decade, I had to practice discernment as I attempted clutter elimination. Looking around every room, every day, I labored over what to discard and what to keep, what was necessary and what was excess. During the three-month process, I gathered scattered pottery pieces and in the closet rediscovered beautiful watercolors a friend did for me in the early 90s. We collaborated on a children's book about elephant conservation in Africa; she did remarkable paintings of the elephants. Just before Hurricane Andrew hit us in 1992, I took the draft to Miami Metrozoo as a gift, hoping they could publish it and use it for fundraising to stop African elephant slaughter. The hurricane surprised all of South Florida by refusing containment along the coast and instead brutally impacted southwest Dade County where Metrozoo is situated. I remember the news reports of demolished aviaries that freed hundreds of rare birds. Metrozoo was a

I was driving with a long-time friend of mine, a multiple dog owner and former teaching colleague, sharing with her a recent reading I had done on an injured spaniel in Pennsylvania. I had read for her now-departed German Shepherd, Athena, three times: once, when her puppy exhuberance led her to destroy the bathroom towels; a second time when she developed a fear of airplanes and helicopters and refused to go for walks; and a final time, when she lay immobilized on the patio, giving us permission to let her leave the earth gently. So Maryann was no stranger to my work. "How did you do a reading without going to Pennsylvania? On the phone?," she asked. I said, "No, via e-mail." She reacted with surprise. "I know you almost 20 years and am still finding out new things about you." I thought about it and realized that this surprise was most likely a glitch on my end because I never explained to her exactly how I am able to do readings across the cou

During this morning's virtual animal reiki circle, I focused not just on the animals in the group but on those humans who are also facing critical moments in their lives, including my father, who is in a very delicate physical condition that requires high risk surgery. My mother has begun making pre-need arrangements "just in case," so we know that even if he pulls through this last of many heart-related crises, this is neither a false alarm nor exaggerated worry. It was with this in mind that I asked for special healing energy to be sent his way -- not meaning physical healing, necessarily, as I'm not presumptive enough to want to direct the Universe, but I wanted to intensify the Light that will carry him whichever way his karmic path leads. In this meditation I received a very clear visualization with this message: "You do not make this journey alone. There is a cadre of spirits waiting for you. When you begin the walk out of this life, everything behind

When my dog-world friend Sandy died, I left her a very tearful message thanking her for gracing my life and teaching me, and I gave her final messages from her dogs, which was her own last request. It was the first time in 54 years I felt like an adult, confronting death and loss without fear. We're so often afraid say goodbye, to accept grief. We fear saying the wrong thing, we fear seeing something ugly, we fear confronting finality, and we fear losing control. I bundled all of that as I spoke my farewell message with the breathless gasps of a child who has cried for hours....yet ironically I consider it my most intimate and mature relationship encounter. By then Sandy had been unconscious for about three days, but because hearing is the last sense we lose as we exit, I wanted to give voice to my love and gratitude in a way that would reach her. Imagine -- so great a friend was brought to me through dogs. I asked her husband to play the message to her on the day she died (January

Just a quick January note to all of you and to those who might be visiting the blog for the first time. Every Sunday at 9 a.m. Eastern and 6 p.m. Pacific time we hold a distance Reiki circle for animals (and their people). Follow the link and ask to join, and I'll extend membership. http://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/152536941490184/ This is a chance for all of us to sit wherever we are and tune in for 15 - 30 minutes while I send Reiki energy through the ethers and you and your animals receive it and send positive healing thoughts to the rest of the circle. It is a time when we slow down and open up to the Light. Feel free to write during the week and ask for special healing for those animals you know are in need. What must you do? Nothing but breathe deeply and feel the good vibrations. If you are unfamiliar with Reiki, please check out my web page that explains Reiki, especially as it is received by animals. http://reikidogs.com/reiki.html I hope to see you there. Remember, if yo