I’m rereading an amazing book that I first read when it came out in1990, Free Play, Improvisation in Life and Art, by Stephen Nachmanovitch. A testament to its awesomeness is that it’s still in print. The author is a violinist, composer, poet, teacher, and computer artist, with a Ph.D. in the History of Consciousness. …
I took my Ziggy to the property on Sunday, a 22-acre piece of land in rural Harvard, Illinois, that our mom left to my sister and me when she passed three years ago. It’s beautiful land, woods and virgin prairie; sacred land where family members died in a horrible fire and where …
Dog Love is Love A couple of days ago, I read an article by a man who had recently lost his dog. He and his wife had made the difficult decision to euthanize their beloved friend. The author was struggling to explain why the loss was so painful for him and his wife. …
Greetings, everyone. Peace is a state of being that cannot exist without each of us contributing to its creation. And so from now until the end of September (2017) I would like to share a distance Reiki session with each and every one of you who is taking an action–any action, no matter how small–to …
I’ve been working with this gorgeous guy, Enzo, every month for about three years now. When I met him (from a distance), he was in a great deal of distress: his coat was dull and falling out in patches, he had lost a great deal of weight, he coughed up phlegm, and often had …
The woman lay in her hospital bed, each breath a painful burden. Seven or eight members of her large family were in the room, their faces stricken. When I had left them two days ago, they had been upbeat, smiling. “What’s going on?” I asked. The son-in-law said, “They are deciding if they should …
Tuesday morning, my canine companion, Elika, and I drove to the barn as we do every morning to feed our horses, Tara and her brother Fuersti. Ordinarily, they are waiting for me in the arena in the morning. (They can walk freely in and out of it.) If they are outside instead, …
So often, people ask me for help when their animals are having serious movement problems and are in quite a bit of pain. Of course, I am more than happy to help, but I can’t help wishing I’d had the chance to work with the animals sooner, when the inefficient movement pattern was just …
Part of any Level I Reiki class is a discussion of the five Reiki precepts: Just for today, I will not anger. Just for today, I will not worry. Just for today, I will be thankful for my many blessings. Just for today, I will do my work honestly. Just for …
[While the occasion for this post is horse-related, these comments relate to all of the animals in our care.] Here in Northern Illinois, a barn has been quarantined because of an outbreak of the Equine Herpes Virus (EHV), which is highly contagious and can be fatal. Two of the horses have already …