Love yourself first and everything falls into line. (Lucille Ball)

I am writing this on February 14, AKA Valentine’s Day. The day for love. I have rarely celebrated this day in the contemporary fashion, (or any fashion), cards, flowers, chocolates. In fact, it usually passes without my notice.

But this year it got me thinking of love and the many forms it takes. And how, although I do not have a romantic partner, there is love aplenty in my life and much of it can be attributed to my commitment to and practice of animal communication, and Reiki, especially animal Reiki.

When I travelled to California in early 2020 to learn animal communication, my overwhelming thought process was what if I can’t do it?

It was a big and wonderful surprise to me that I could do it, but by far the bigger surprise was the feelings of love exchanged with the animal, even when they were thousands of kilometres away.

I get the same feelings of intense love when I give animal reiki. It is an incredible feeling. And giving Reiki to someone or attuning someone in one of my courses also feels like love.

Probably just as important is my practice of self-reiki which could easily be described as self-love, self-compassion and self-care; all things that have been less familiar to me at times in my past.

Reiki energy helps to unblock and heal old (and recent) wounds by clearing the bodies energy centres (chakras).

When I give myself Reiki or get treatment from someone else, it very quickly helps me to relax, gives me greater insight into myself and others, makes me more patient and less judgemental. All traits that make me a better friend with the ability to love the people and animals in my life.

I don’t mean to imply that ever since my ‘Reiki awakening’ that everything is goodness and light. There are many times when I am miserable, hurt, impatient, and feel unworthy. The difference for me today is that I can and do use Reiki to deal with these issues and feelings when they arise and it works! It helps me to notice and acknowledge my shadow side without judgment. Most of all it helps me to be a loving friend.