You Have the Power

We’d only been Facebook friends for a couple of weeks when my dear lost-and then-found-again friend (high school, college; you know, a really precious friend) posted that her sweet little dog was ill, refusing to eat. I contacted her privately and asked what was going on. Her dog had been diagnosed with a terminal illness but had been doing well. And then suddenly she wasn’t. My friend wrote, “She was suddenly totally lethargic and coughing, I thought it was the end. I even tried to do an amateur Reiki intervention with her, something I will admit I know nothing about! But in desperation, I laid my palms on her and told her to heal! She put up with it for a few minutes and then got up and moved away. But I swear her eyes were telling me ‘take me to a vet, you fool.’” The little dog pulled through this episode, began eating, regained some of her energy, and my friend rejoiced in the promise of more time. But, sadly, the little one passed several week later. My friend had known she wasn’t doing Reiki but had instinctively laid her hands on her suffering dog in an effort to bring her beloved friend healing, to bring her peace. She said she did this out of desperation, but the truth is that each and every one of us is born with the ability to heal ourselves and to assist others in the healing process as well. If you had the experience as a child of your mother or grandmother or aunt kissing your forehead when you were sick and feverish, and feeling better because of it, you know what I mean. If you’ve held a trembling animal in your arms and soothed it into calmness, if you’ve gently stroked the neck of an anxious horse or the forehead of a troubled human, and watched the fear and stress melt away, you know what I mean. While we often confuse the two, healing does not necessarily mean cure. A being may experience healing, even though her illness progresses, even though her life ends. Healing creates a sense of peace, of acceptance, of love. Healing allows us to move forward without bitterness, without anger, without fear. I love Reiki. When I began my study, I felt as though I had come home. It is a central, nourishing part of my life. But Reiki is not the only path to healing. Each of us has the innate capacity to lay hands on another and encourage peace and healing. Each of us has the innate capacity for compassion, for unconditional love and acceptance, for supporting ourselves and others in the journey towards healing. ________ If you have received this post in your inbox, click on the title (“You Have the Power”) to post a comment. Thanks!