By Kathleen Prasad
Reiki Magazine International, Vol.4, No.3, June/July 2002, p.20-21

I found myself alone in the cemetery, yet I was not afraid. Although it was dark, and the fog misted over the large marble tombs, my body sensed no damp or cold. As I watched the spirits of the horses rise from the tops of their graves, I felt only love, a sense of welcome and an anticipation of the meeting.

Their bodies were as in the prime of life--muscular, shiny, and with tails and manes still being blown by the winds of long-ago trails. I saw them as they must have been; the only hint of their present immateriality was the fact that I could see right through them. They cantered along the mists, just above the ground to stop right before me.

One by one they came forward, and, speaking in a language as familiar to me as English, they gave me the wisdom of horsedom: Why they were here on Earth, the lessons they had yet to teach us, the reasons some had to suffer so at human hands, and the reasons some of them chose to leave us too soon, even when they were loved. I listened to each as she spoke, with a concentration I have never felt before, as if my very existence were hanging on their words. I knew I mustn't forget a word of it. I knew I must understand so I could help them in some way. They spoke to me for hours, each and every horse. Finally, when all their knowledge was imparted, they trotted through the air toward the tombs, their bodies disappearing into the fog.

I awoke and, with a start, realized I couldn't remember even one word of their horse wisdom. Somehow, it had all faded away in just one instant. Or had it? It was one of what I like to call my "Reiki dreams." A dream that stays with me long after I've awakened. A dream whose purpose is, I know, to heal.

Having reflected on my experiences with horses in the past several months, I've begun to unravel perhaps some of what the dream aimed to teach me. Ever since 1998, when I became a Reiki practitioner, my life has become a path of deep internal healing. Reiki has especially drawn me to heal animals--in particular, a special horse named Sonny.

Sonny is a 25-year-old Arab gelding. At the time I met him, he was suffering from pain in his back leg due to scarring from an old injury, and was very afraid of being girthed (probably due to a previous owner's abuse many years ago). I began giving Sonny weekly hour-long Reiki treatments in November 2000. The sessions helped to heal a tendon injury in his front leg, completely preventing swelling and shortening the healing time to about half what the veterinarian had predicted. Reiki has also helped Sonny to become a much calmer horse, who now takes his deworming medication without the slightest argument and allows chiropractors and farriers alike to work on him while remaining the perfect gentleman. Reiki has helped ease the pain in his hind leg, which still flares up occasionally, and has greatly improved his girthing from fear to minor annoyance.

As the months working on Sonny have gone by, without even realizing it, I, too, have been healing. When I was young, I lived, loved and dreamed horses, without ever having one. As I got older, I began taking lessons. Finally, just before my 14th birthday, I found a horse to lease. I was SO ecstatic! My dream of having my very own horse was finally going to come true. Then, the morning we were to pick up the horse, the owner called and told us she had decided to sell him to someone else. I was so heartbroken, and my parents were so upset, that I never took another lesson. My love of horses went underground, and, to my conscious mind, disappeared.

I really hadn't thought about this painful memory in many years, until I met Sonny. My sister Maureen called me about a new horse she was exercising who had some health issues. The owner was very open to Reiki. As I approached the barn for the first time, the smell of hay and horses awakened something deep inside. A forgotten love. A repressed pain. It had been so many years! I wondered how Sonny, my first "Reiki horse," would like Reiki, and ME! I worried that I had been away from this world of horses far too long to come back. All my concerns dissolved the instant I met Sonny and his owner, Sher. Sonny really loved Reiki treatments, often falling asleep during them, his lower lip hanging so loose we could see his teeth. From the very beginning, Sonny and I have shared a very special connection. Besides giving him Reiki, I have begun a new role in his life by becoming his Sponsor.

Sonny has been the most gentle and patient teacher with me. He didn't mind how long it took me to clean his hooves the first time. And he didn't mind showing me which fork to take on the trail when I was lost. I can truly say I LOVE this horse!

And so my reflections come back to the meaning of that dream. I do sincerely believe that horses are the best teachers. And even in their own way, they, too, are healers. They have so much to give to the world, if we would only listen. Reiki has helped me get in touch with my intuition, my true self and my love for horses. Reiki has drawn me to others of like mind and interest. In short, Reiki has brought to me more of an awareness of the world around me and her precious creatures. And to be a part of healing this world, even in my own small way, for this I am truly grateful.