Put your party hats on because World Animal Reiki Day 2020 is here!

What is World Animal Reiki Day you ask and why should I know?

WARD, as we like to call it, was started by Kathleen Prasad, the founder of Shelter Animal Reiki Association and the Let Animals Lead ® method of reiki with a mission to help make a better future for the animals in our world and to honor all those who care and work with animals by using the compassion of reiki.

Why are we partying on February 5th?

February 5th was the birthday of Kathleen's first reiki teacher, her beautiful dog Dakota. Dakota was the one who awakened Kathleen to the benefits of reiki for animals and inspired her to create SARA, Shelter Animal Reiki Association, since Dakota was a shelter rescue and lived by her side for 16 years.

Ok, so how to I celebrate this wonderful day?

The answer is in your imagination! You can volunteer at a shelter, share distance reiki with all animals in a community or around the globe, light a candle and reflect on all the animals you love, or even offer to speak to a group in your area on the benefits of reiki and how it helps so many people and animals. I'm open to hear all of your inspiring ideas myself!

So tell me more about this Let Animals Lead ® method please.

Glad you asked! It's one of my favorite stories to tell to strangers at parties and on the bus to work.

So, as we know, reiki is a Japanese healing system created by Mikao Usui in the early 20th century for spiritual cultivation, healing, and enlightenment, without religious dogma. It can be known as "hands-on" healing with people but animals may not wish for physical contact and respond very well to the open , meditative space created during a reiki practice. I witnessed this myself when I first learned reiki for humans and then tried to put my hands on my cats. Boy, did they run! But let me sit in meditation and they are all over me. Therefore, we only use touch when animals seek it out and then only as a compassionate support.

Cool, can you fix my pet's problems?

Let's start by knowing that with reiki, we never focus on an outcome and try to "fix" them. We put our "reiki eyes" on and see their beautiful perfect inner light that is always radiating. Animals feel our pity and worry. It is more helpful to sit in meditation and mental focus with an "All is Well" state of mind. We see their perfection in the present moment, rather than focusing on what is wrong. Animals, like people, can relax and heal better when stress is removed.

Ok, but this means that we are the reiki practitioner and the animals are the receiver?

I'd say initially, yes. But it doesn't take long to realize that they are actually our partners in healing and they share reiki with us as well. I know how much my cat comforts me when I am feeling down. I also learn so much from sitting in meditation on the sanctuary with animals who teach me about rebuilding trust, acceptance, and living in the present moment. The Let Animals Lead® method acknowledges and honors each animal as a spiritual teacher and healer in their own right. We learn to listen and become receptive to their spiritual wisdom and healing gifts.

Sign me up! I love animals and want to find this beautiful peace inside myself. How do I learn?

I am thrilled you want to know more! Reiki will change your life for the better and by sharing compassion with yourself and all living beings, this world will be a better place! You can email me at KimHarrington96@gmail.com for information and help.

You can go to my teacher Kathleen Prasad's websites, Animalreikisource.com or Shelteranimalreikiassociation.org to find books, classes, blogs and podcasts to get you started and my website, Mindovermatterreiki.com.

I'd love to hear how you celebrated World Animal Reiki Day and how you plan on sharing compassion with animals during the year!

ALSO FOLLOW ME ON FACEBOOK PAGE AT MIND OVER MATTER REIKI