July, August, September 2010 

By Chrissie Slade

Thursday 6th November 2008 was a very sad day. Marvellous Marbles went on his way after a short illness. He chose his own time to go and I was with him at the end. Marbles was just over 6 years old - a good innings for a guinea pig. I adopted him when he was only a few weeks old and small enough to sit in my hand. 

 

In 2005, at the age of 3, Marbles had 2 bladder stone operations in just 5 weeks. Each time he was sent Reiki by 5 or 6 Reiki Masters and after his first operation, Jenny the Vet commented that she had never seen a guinea come round from an anesthetic so quickly. After the second operation he was very poorly for a few days, but with the help of regular Reiki sessions, plenty of pain relief and his friend Florence to keep him company, he soon turned the corner and made a full recovery. After that, he had a change of diet and most importantly, 15ml of fluids by mouth 3 times a day to keep his bladder well flushed to try and stop further stones forming.

 

When I started teaching Reiki in 2006, Marbles joined each class for the practical session in the afternoon. Everybody who met him was taken with his gentle personality, gorgeous colouring and helpful insights when it came to offering Reiki to a guinea pig. Because of his bladder problems, he always moved around and presented his backside to whoever had their hands near him! Marbles seemed to love the warmth that Reiki provided – he was often so relaxed that he fell into a deep sleep during his sessions. He helped many students to learn the finer points of working with guinea pigs.

After Marbles’ departure I really lost the will to teach Reiki as he had been such a big part of my Reiki Journey. The most interesting thing was that nobody came knocking on my door wanting to learn Reiki for 9 months afterwards. During this time I was busy studying for an Animal Aromatics Diploma, so there wasn’t much spare time to teach. Towards the end of the course, Amber found me in a round-about way and her amazing and courageous story comes after this. The timing was perfect as I was starting to miss teaching Reiki, so yet again the Universe was working its magic. We arranged a date, but shockingly and unexpectedly Amber suffered a Stroke the day before she was due to come for her Reiki 1 Initiation. After another couple of attempts at setting a date for her training, it finally happened on 8th May 2010! We had a magical day together and I am very much looking forward to being part of Amber’s continuing Reiki Journey. 

The Ebb and the Flow

By Amber Desborough

As an aspiring dog trainer, I was very excited about attending a seminar which was so wonderfully inspiring back in September 2008, “The Energy Effect” by Nicole Wilde, a world renowned Pet Dog Trainer and Behaviourist. It was then that fate tapped me on the shoulder and awakened me to a wonderful new possibility; the ability to use energy as a form of healing for animals thanks to Nicole. Having no idea where to start my venture, I tried knocking on people’s doors.

I wrote with little hesitation to Nicole Wilde asking for her advice on whom would be my best contact in the field of Animal Reiki and what would be my best path to take in learning Reiki. I could appreciate how busy Nicole was and I am still incredibly grateful to her for the advice and kindness she showed me. Only a day later had she generously replied to my email advising me to contact Kathleen Prasad. I felt incredibly privileged and wrote to Kathleen asking if there was anyone she would be able to refer me to the UK. I am hugely grateful to Kathleen too for putting me in touch with a wonderful referral. This is how I met Chrissie Slade, who is now my teacher and mentor guiding me through my continuous journey with Reiki.

In August 2009, I had signed up on a Reiki 1 course with Chrissie and had been sent some research and meditations to work with prior to our first meeting. We set a date for the course and I was happy I was putting my ambition into fruition.

On 31st August I was quietly relaxing on my bed, listening intently to the Shoden CD when without warning and completely out of the blue, I had a Stroke.

At 33 I am healthy, with no cause for a Stroke and after many scans I was told “there was no cause found, just one of those things, it could have happened at any time”. Not the most reassuring of messages I can tell you. It was a bleed to the right side of my brain. When I woke up, I found myself in the Acute Stroke Unit at St. George’s hospital surrounded by elderly people. I still find it a miracle that I was saved from having surgery, as a scar had formed across the artery and stopped the bleeding. A friend said the poignant words to me that are still etched in my mind “Amber you dodged the bullet and hold onto that”. I did.

The associations surrounding the time of the Stroke were just unfortunate. I developed a fear to listen again to the Shoden CD. It later took many attempts to finally meet my teacher, due to the post Stroke tiredness that can put one’s life on hold involuntarily. Chrissie was incredibly patient at this time and she never once lost faith in me. It was several months before I dared to put the CD on again. This was an enormous fear to get over, but the thought of achieving my Reiki 1 and to receive my Attunement never left my side.

Finally, at last I met Chrissie whose teaching I found flawless and I felt privileged to have her teach me on my own with such commitment and care for detail. To receive my Attunement from Chrissie is a great privilege. I can with great feelings of fulfillment, say that following a successful 21 Day Clearing, I have earned my Reiki 1 Certificate.

What I have learnt so far on this journey is not to expect or anticipate at all. To have respect for Reiki as simple and pure. To let it just travel effortlessly. The simplest of things are the often the most beautiful and the hardest to achieve. My approach each time before using Reiki Healing is that of a humble one. The essence of what I have experienced over the last 21 days is that Reiki has no beginning and no end. My journey with Reiki has only just begun and I am so excited about the next chapter of my learning with Chrissie, Reiki for Animals.

About the Author: Chrissie Slade lives in Reading, England with her 5 Gorgeous Guineas and partner Sam. She came into contact with Kathleen after discovering her wonderful website. In the UK there is not nearly as much information about Animal Reiki as Chrissie would like, so she has been spreading the word with her own courses since 2006. Students are introduced to the Animal Reiki Practitioner Code Of Ethics and encouraged to read Kathleen's books to expand their knowledge. In 2009 Chrissie qualified as an Animal Aromatics Practitioner and now has two therapies to offer animals. She works closely with her vet Jenny, who is very supportive and open-minded:) She can be reached at www.gorgeousguineas.com or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .