The Eye of the Tiger

Animal Reiki Source Newsletter: April, May, June 2011

By Kimberly Cotter

When I originally signed up for Animal Reiki classes being held by Kathleen Prasad, I had no idea what to expect.  I was heading to Florida to meet the woman who not only started the Animal Reiki movement here in the United States, but also would be the instructor.  I did not know then how that one weekend spent in the company of many amazing animals would change my life.  It was over this weekend that I met Tigger and Pumpkin, two tigers at the C.A.R.E. facility in Longwood, Florida.

My first look at Tigger only a few feet away! © 2011

I can’t mention Tigger without mentioning Pumpkin because they came to the facility together. Apparently, whoever had them ran into financial difficulties and was feeding them only a third of what they should have been eating daily. When the pair arrived, Pumpkin was so thin that the facility owners doubted she would make it and Tigger wasn’t much better off. They were a stronger pair than thought and they both recovered to become beautiful animals at perfect weights. It says a lot about the facility that they were able to nurse both of them back to health.

The "weekend" consisted of three days, a Friday through Sunday, with a different class each day. The order of the classes was that on Friday we had Animal Reiki Level I; Saturday, Energy Healing with Animals; and Sunday, Animal Reiki level II.  The format of the classes was the same each day in that we spent mornings in the classroom and the afternoons with the animals.  In the classroom we learned the principles and theories, some of which we practiced on ourselves first. In the afternoons we did the hands-on practice with the animals.

It seems that every day I had a message in store for me in one of the exercises, whether from a classroom exercise or a hands-on exercise.  I was both surprised and delighted because I never had enough faith in myself or allowed myself to receive messages before.  These messages not only strengthened my resolve to better develop myself and my skills, but to become a more spiritually balanced person as well.  It also showed what can happen when you go outside your comfort zone.

Each afternoon just after lunch, we students were told which meditation or affirmation we were to “attempt to” work on with an animal. I say, “attempt to” because you cannot force an animal to work with you if they do not wish to. To force Reiki onto an animal who doesn’t want it is disrespectful to both parties. Once we students understood what the exercise was, we got to "choose" the animal or animals we wanted to work with.  There was such a variety to choose from that I felt sorry for those students who were there for only one day of the three.

We could work with nearly anything you could think of with feathers or fur and a few things you wouldn’t.  The list included crows, crocodiles, tarantulas, tortoises, panthers and monkeys.  Tigers, parrots, raccoons, goats, dogs and snakes were also represented.  Although the list to choose from was similar to that of a zoo, this facility isn't a zoo but an educational facility to teach respect for animals and the environment. These animals were born or kept in captivity long enough that they were used to humans and couldn’t exist in the wild. Some of them started off wild but were injured somehow and not able to be re-released. Yet others came from roadside zoos or production (movie) houses that went out of business leaving the former stars not only out of jobs, but out of a home as well.  It seems C.A.R.E. doesn’t turn anyone away.

Some students connected with animals during their exercises that you would never think of connecting with on any level. One example was the crocodiles. This is why skills such as Reiki are so important.  A crocodile can’t communicate very well in the ways we have come to expect, such as vocally or through body language. Connecting two bodies of energy on the same level of awareness however, opens up possibilities not experienced before.

I had not been able to make it to the Tigers either Friday or Saturday afternoon, so I was very happy to be able to work with them on Sunday.  This was the level II class, where we had learned the symbols and mantras.  Our assignment was to implement the symbols and mantra prior to the session and see what happened.

Every day had been bright, dry and in the upper eighties which were very pleasant conditions to work in.  I made my way to the top of the hill where the tigers were housed.  When I reached Tigger and Pumpkin, I first thought that they were both in the same cage.  I passed Pumpkin and headed around the corner of the cage to find a shady place to sit.  Another student sat with Pumpkin at this point to work with her.

Putting my chair down, I turned around and was I surprised!  Three to four feet away from my now seated face lay a full-grown male tiger looking at me from under his table or platform area.  I had not expected him to be right there, but surprisingly, I was not afraid. I snapped a quick picture, which gave me the title for this story.

It turned out Pumpkin and Tigger were in back to back cages with Tigger in front of Pumpkin and me behind him.  I could see that she was stretched out on her side sleeping at the moment. “It is a two for the price of one Reiki session that is neat,” I thought as I got started.  After saying hello to Tigger I stated my intention. With my book from class, I went over the mantras and symbols and then I was finally ready to begin.

As I relaxed and grounded myself, I felt so safe with Tigger that I told him mentally how wished I could crawl in the cage with him. The day before, one of our exercises had been a gratitude exercise.  After a few minutes, I decided I would do a combination of the gratitude exercise and a healing bridge meditation.  I visualized healing green energy around myself and Tigger telling him that I was aware of his past and of everything he had been through.  He was a big, beautiful, strong, special boy and I was grateful that he had survived so that I could have the pleasure of meeting him.  At this point, I extended a bridge from my heart to his and asked him to meet me on the bridge.  What happened next, I would think was unbelievable if it had happened to anyone else.

In my mind’s eye, I could see his green heart energy meet up with my ball of green heart energy resulting in a little explosion of light.  The light was white when it exploded, and at the exact same time I had overwhelming waves of gratitude and love wash over me. It actually moved me to tears.  Yes, I was embarrassed to cry in front of a tiger, however the circumstances were little unusual so I didn't mind too much.  At this point, I thanked him for the wonderful gift he had just given me and ended the session.  I asked him if I could take a picture of him, and he responded by giving me a huge Reiki yawn, which I managed to catch.

In the meantime, Pumpkin had woken up from her session and her student had left.  She had made her way to her oversized wash bucket and started playing in the water.  I took some pictures of her lying in the water because she was so relaxed that not only could you tell by her paws, but also it showed on her face.  In the last picture I would swear she is smiling!  I thanked her for giving me some great pictures. It was time for me to go, so I said goodbye to them walked slowly down the hill to join the rest of the group.  Every time I think about these tigers, I am in awe all over again and so grateful to the universe that I was able to be with them in such a special way.

Pumpkin looking positively blissful after her Reiki session! © 2011

 About the Author: Kimberly Cotter is a Level Two Reiki Practitioner who owns Feathers and Fur Reiki. A member of The International Association of Reiki Practitioners, she works out of the NE MA/SE NH areas. Her work is focused on with all species of animals with or without their humans. You can reach her at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .