Cats speak the language of energy as a first language, and cats know universal power intimately. That may well be one of the reasons that many humans find feline company and presence so comfortable and comforting. That may also account for the reverse; in many cultures cats are feared as intermediaries of the spirit world, or venerated as living deities.

Punkin, one of the seven Siamese cats that shares our home with us is a powerful energy healer. Her healing abilities and empathy have earned her the nickname of “Nurse Kitty”. Punkin can create a healing field so strong that it is palpable even to people who have no claim to sensitivity. Her work of choice is the heart chakra. She carefully places her own heart chakra over the heart chakra of her “patient”, settles down and proceeds to spread an umbrella of shining energy over the patient. Punkin also specializes in lymphatic system cleansing. We laugh about the “laying on of paws”, but to Punky it is no joke, but is real medicine.

While some cats project healing others are strong receivers, and nearly “pull” an energy connection from their intended persons. When using Reiki healing with horses, structural injuries and emotional trauma are often the targets. I find that more often with dogs and cats Reiki is directed to internal physical problems of organs or systems. This may be due to the types of horses I work on and their occupations; they run and jump carrying weight. The dogs and cats I work on are companion animals not engaged in physical work. Fortunately for me I usually have my hands on loved and loving pets rather than abused and frightened orphans.

Dogs seem to be less energetically empowered than cats, and seem to be receptive to more quiet, less active forms of energy therapy. Simply holding a dog’s head in your Reiki hands can be a strong healing and communion.

As with horses, animals that have been hurt or frightened may have strong defenses in place, and may unintentionally cause harm to a Reiki practitioner who is trying to aid them. It is always wise to energize your hands and “offer” them to the being you wish to share Reiki with, and give that fur person a chance to enter into your energy field on its own terms and in its own time. Forcing contact on a fearful animal is a recipe for trouble. Wait. Cats and dogs don't usually comprehend time as we relate to it. For most animals there is only “Now”, and “Not Now”. Until “Now” is, waiting must be.

When the fur person enters into your Reiki field, or allows you to enfold it in your energy, allow the Reiki intelligence to direct your hands, bearing in mind the fact that skin sensation may be needed to comfort many cats and some dogs. Ruffling the fur gently, stroking, or small circular movements of the fingertips can be very soothing and invite acceptance. Many will assertively position their bodies to direct the energy as they wish.

Sharing Reiki with unborn infants is a powerful and humbling experience. I have shared Reiki with pregnant cats, dogs, and horses, and have felt a very strong sense of the presence of the unborn within. Wonderfully, when these individuals are born into this life, we recognize one another from our pre-natal Reiki contact. I have often gotten clear knowledge of gender, colors and markings of the infants.

Sometimes, while sharing Reiki with a fur person, I receive very clear pictures or messages (like Mr. Bill’s recent Reiki lesson). Sometimes this “knowingness” is an awareness of the nature of an illness or a systemic disruption. Often it is a knowingness concerning vitamin or mineral deficiencies such as anemia, or the presence of an infective agent. On some occasions it will be a memory of an injury. This awareness can be communicated with the fur person’s caregiver so that action can be taken medically or nutritionally.

Reiki with our fur bearing brethren can be a learning, healing, sharing, and a teaching. They give as much as we give--the energy is circular.

What is really interesting about this quote is the reference to breath. This isn't just the breath of oxygenating and decarbonizing our bodies, but breath as a sacred act that lets life circulate through us. It also directly links to some of Usui-san's recommended Reiki practices (Hikari no Kokyu-ho; Gassho Kokyu-ho ; and Hatsurei-ho). Breathing is one major way that we 'energize' the body. This energy we speak of is Ki or Prana, the basic building block of life. Ki is our link to the cosmos and nature, as well as health and success. It is the one cord that unifies us with all of life.

We are basically swimming in Ki all the time. We are carried along by the cosmos and we carry the cosmos within us. We stand on the Earth and it blends with us with every necessary act of staying alive. Yet with all of our built-in potential, how many of us can truly feel spiritual energy, lifeforce, the energy behind each mindbody distortion, the energy behind each conflict? Do we understand energy, so seduced by the physical world and the senses we've been given to interpret it?

Lifeforce is universal and in everything. However, can we see it, hold it, play with it or are we stuck in traffic, worried about finances, preoccupied with anger or grief? It's curious that with even quantum physics verifying the primacy of "energy" in creation, standard healthcare doesn't acknowledge or address this aspect of our being.

Reiki offers a direct link to starting and growing an energetic relationship with yourself in the deepest, most meaningful sense. Client after client has reported how amazingly restorative treatments are. Valuable inner connections are made. Reiki really helps one to make the changes needed for optimal living. The immediate effect is of deep relaxation. Common sensations and perceptions are healing warmth, pleasant tingling or rushes, feelings of love and bliss. Self-awareness, release, balance, cellular regeneration, cleansing, rejuvenation, creative inspiration, transcendence, spiritual connection and insight are some examples of cumulative effects.

For students of Reiki it is the same, except that this interaction with universal energy becomes a personal practice, taking it to a much more profound level.