by Stuart Johnson
Growing up, there weren’t cats or dogs around the house and the relationship with cats and dogs (critters) was very odd to me. Why were they so important to people? Why do people go to such great lengths to have them around? I just didn’t “get it”.
But, my perfect wife introduced me to the foreign lifestyle and we now live with a small zoo of critters. It was a bit uncomfortable at first, but their deep sparkly eyes drew me in quickly. I just can’t believe how strong this bond has become.
“Being” with the critters is such a unique and peaceful experience. It keeps me connected to nature and the felt oneness. They remind me to be in the present moment. Whether it’s when they walk up to me and I put my hand on their head or while we’re playing in the backyard they say, “Hey, wake up – life is now!” What an absolute gift that is.
Now, “I get it”. Now, I understand the close relationship with critters. It is a beautiful thing.
My compassion for critters has brought me to do Reiki healing for them as a business. I love meeting them and their people, but most of all I love helping them. There are many ways critters can benefit from Reiki. It can be used for overall health and well-being or for specific issues. For example, our big dog gets anxious sometimes and the Reiki energy calms him down. The little dog just likes to lay on her back and bask in the bath of good vibes. Reiki can also help heal muscles and bones, shorten post-surgery healing time, and reduce pain.
What in the World is Reiki?
Reiki (pronounced Ray–Key) is an ancient hands-on-healing art that has oriental roots; Japan is credited with its development. Reiki has been used for over 2,000 years and is derived from “Rei”, Universal, and “Ki”, Life Force. The concept behind Reiki is that everyone and everything has a life force or life energy. Life force directs our energies, health, thinking, emotions, stress levels, and reactions/perceptions. When our life force is strong and healthy, our body, mind, and spirit are also healthy. We feel good, even under stress. When our life force is weakened, strained, or disturbed, we experience dis-ease on the mental, emotional and physical levels. Reiki is one way of assisting the life force and thus the physical, emotional, and mental status back to health and healing.
Jazzy the Funny Little Dog
Jazzy’s person writes:
Jazzy is my dachshund/basset mix and even though she’s 11 years old, she still loves to run and play. She still loves regular walks at the city wells, the dog park, bike trails, and anywhere she can bounce around and run off-leash.
One day back in July, after her third walk of the day, she started limping and occasionally walked on only 3 legs. This went on for about a week, so I called the vet. They prescribed her a pain medication. When she continued to limp for another week or so, I took Jazz back to the vet. This time they gave her another pain medication in addition to the one I’ve been giving her, to be taken twice a day.
During a casual conversation with Stuart, I told him about my concern for Jazzy. I told him that the vet was unable to find the cause, or relieve the symptom of her limping. When Stuart, very kindly, offered to do Reiki on Jazz, my thought was, ‘it can’t hurt’. So I set up a time to do a Monday morning session for her.
Stuart (now called The Reiki Guru in my household) spent less than an hour with Jazzy. Afterwards, I went about my daily chores, but later in the day, was delighted to notice that Jazz was no longer limping. Four months later, I’m happy to report that Jazzy remains limp free!
Stuart Johnson is a Reiki Master/Teacher, and Indigo Child. He owns Blue Ray Reiki and performs Reiki on cats, dogs, and their people in the EC area. For more information contact him at (715)514-7762 or bluerayreikistu@yahoo.com.