Reiki from the Farm™

ICRT Animal Reiki - with Colleen & Robyn Benelli and Sioux Strong

July 04, 2021 Pamela Allen-LeBlanc, Colleen & Robyn Benelli and Sioux Strong Season 2 Episode 27
Reiki from the Farm™
ICRT Animal Reiki - with Colleen & Robyn Benelli and Sioux Strong
Show Notes Transcript

ICRT Animal Reiki Training is a new course, and is now officially offered by the International Center for Reiki Training.  It has its own energy, tools and techniques and is incredibly healing for all animals (including humans).  Listen as the four authors, share some of the history and mystery behind it, followed by the Heartbeat of the Earth meditation.

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Reiki Lifestyle's Information: Colleen Benelli, Robyn Benelli & Sioux Strong
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robyn@reikilifestyle.com
sioux@reikilifestyle.com 

Meditation music Licensed from:
Nate Miller https://www.emanate7.com/ and https://www.youtube.com/user/Emanate7
thank you to Music from Pixabay for the intro music

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pam@reikifromthefarm.com

Copy of ICRT Animal Reiki Training podcast

[00:00:00] 

Colleen: Hi everyone. I'm Coleen Benelli and this is [00:01:00] the Reiki lifestyle podcast. 

Pam: It's also the Reiki from the Farm™ podcast. 

Colleen: So, we are doing a joint podcast here with Robyn Benelli. 

Robyn: Hi, everyone. Glad to be here. It's a fun thing to do, doing a joint  podcast 

Pam: And Sioux strong.

Sioux: Yeah. Hi everybody. So happy to be here and sharing this space with these three lovely people.  

Colleen: I'm here together today and we are really excited to be here together and joining our podcasts because we have an amazing announcement to make. As many of you have heard, we have been working with the Animal Reiki Training, Animal Reiki One and Two and Animal Reiki Master.

 There are four of us that have written it, Robin and Sioux and Pam and myself. We are the [00:02:00] four authors and our exciting announcement is that the entire course is now complete. Wait, there's still a little bit of a work in progress with some editing of the manual, but the class is actually now an official ICRT Animal Reiki Training one and two and ICRT Animal Reiki Training Master class. So we are really excited to talk about it and I want to let that the others come in and say something now.  

Pam: It was such a delight to work together  on this  process. And in fact, it was really interesting because the course did not turn out like we had originally intended. We all had some ideas of what it would be when we went into the process, but under Colleen's guidance, we really listened to the energy and it was [00:03:00] so interesting how the course evolved. It also  had its own timeline, because it's something that we would have liked to have finished a little faster than we did, but it was so interesting listening to the energy. And the course itself wound up being so much more than what I think any of us ever expected it to be.

It's just such a beautiful thing with its own energy, its own techniques and tools. And it was such a beautiful process to just listen to the energy, listen to what wanted to come in, listen to the Divine Animal Kingdom and the energy of the Divine Earth. It was just amazing. And it's a little bit bittersweet because I'm so delighted that it's ready and out into the world but I'm really gonna miss working with the three of you.

Colleen: I think we'll probably still have lots of working together to do. That's good. It's like parents who think, oh, my kids are all grown up and they're [00:04:00] 18 and that'll be it now, their late thirties and forties and or mid thirties and forties. And and they're still there. So yeah, I think we have lots of things we will be doing together still.

 Robyn: Yeah, it's been an amazing a couple of years. One of the things that  I'd like to do for this episode of the podcast, is that we should probably introduce ourselves a little bit because Pam, your audience knows you, but they may not know Colleen, myself and Sioux and vice versa.

And so we should definitely do that. The other thing to know is that  this podcast is also being recorded on video. And so we will either be releasing clips from it, or maybe the entire thing, in its entirety onto our YouTube channels which  ours is Reiki lifestyle.

And then Pam what is your YouTube channel?

Pam: It's Reiki from the Farm. 

Robyn: Okay. Reiki from the Farm as well. Okay. So yeah, we'll be doing that. Also, I wanted to just go ahead and I'm sure Sioux has something to say about the process as [00:05:00] well but then we should go around and introduce ourselves.

Sioux: Yeah. I was just going to add that  Colleen and I came in with the intention that this would be a 12 page manual on technique. Just to how you apply Reiki to animals and what that looks like. So yeah, this has been a beautiful process to getting to this point and I'm learning so much and the energy that has come through and it's just been amazing. So yes, full of surprises and it just keeps growing, which is the best part. It's, we're still working with it. 

Colleen: Yeah. Now we know enough to really learn more. If I could get that foundational part where you go, oh, that's what this is. And then you can go deeper and deeper with it.   We knew that we would be listening to the animals and we knew that we would be listening to Reiki and the, these spiritual allies of the animals.

 We knew we would be listening to that because we [00:06:00] did, continual Reiki journeys and working with Reiki and asking and really listening to the way that the animals wanted this course to develop itself and the energy that was the other really big piece as Pam said. And so we'll talk more about it. I want to go ahead and do our introductions. Should I go ahead and start since I'm speaking?  I'm Coleen Benelli and what do I say about myself? I am also a Reiki Master Teacher and a Licensed Teacher for the International Center for Reiki Training,  a shamanic practitioner and on the council with the Light Song School of Shamonic studies here in Portland, Oregon. lightsong.net

and also just really I've been working with Reiki, I would say. More than anything. Reiki has [00:07:00] been a life management tool for me and really  helps me be the person I want to be.

  I always have cared deeply about the earth, contributing to the wellness of the earth and it also showed up as how do I do that? How does that unfold or manifest? What is my path? I would say, I knew as a child that I would want to contribute to the wellness of the earth, but it took a long time to find a path way and then to develop it.

And  I received Reiki because of my horse, when he went lame. And, received Reiki so that I could work on him. And I thought for sure that I would be practicing Reiki on animals for my entire Reiki practice and career. And as soon as I started working on my [00:08:00] horse, he said, oh I really want you to work on people.

And I didn't understand it. And it's so fascinating to watch the whole journey and go back and reflect. And see that, all the way through, and I'm sure those of you listening have that too, where you can go back and look at that, oh, this is why this worked that way. And to the day where we are launching ICRT Animal Reiki Training classes and manuals. They're really amazing. We've learned so much from them and the teaching of the animals  it just has brought a lot of self-love that's life changing. Yeah.

 Go ahead, Pam. 

 Pam: I'm like Colleen I've loved animals forever [00:09:00] and felt more comfortable with animals than with people. As a matter of fact, I too am a Licensed Reiki Master Teacher with the ICRT and I have a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture. I worked in the agricultural industry for a while, started off in pre-veterinary medicine and just didn't quite have the money to finish that up.

But have loved animals all my life. And also like Colleen, my horses introduced me to Reiki. I had some allergies that the medical establishment couldn't help me with. And one of my riding students offered me a Reiki session. I didn't really believe in it, but I didn't have anything to lose. And the rest is history, I've been teaching Reiki now since 2011, I took a class with William Rand in Stonehenge. And after the class, all I wanted to talk with them about was  how to attune animals and teach children [00:10:00] because I had no interest in teaching adults, Reiki. But I'm glad to say that healed and has changed because one of the remarkable things that I noticed about the Animal Reiki course, and we all thought we were putting together a, "how to use your own Reiki energy with animals," but the energy had a different idea, it had a much more expanded vision than we do. But one of the things that I found so interesting is quite often around the Animal Reiki, we would focus on the four legged animals and the energy as we listened would always bring us back and remind us that humans are animals too.

 We've had the good fortune of teaching this class for the last year or so and it always amazes me how this course contributes to the evolution of students. Even if animals are not [00:11:00] their primary interest, it seems to affect our human sessions just as much as it does the sessions with the animals.

So it's been a beautiful process. 

Colleen: Yeah. 

Robyn: And Pam where are you geographically?

Pam: Sorry. I am located in Atlantic Canada, so Eastern North America. So I actually teach the classes here and in Australia and the United Kingdom and you guys are on the west coast.

Robyn: Yep. We're all in the same area. And so that leads me to me. I'm Robyn Benelli, I'm Coleen's daughter. I grew up with Reiki because Colleen had Reiki, so I've grown up and in Reiki and Shamanism since, I was probably 10. And grew up on a 30 acre farm out here, in Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest, United States and had animals, our whole lives, always an animal lover, in 4-H and [00:12:00] horses.

And,  when you both were talking, it occurred to me, one of the things that you see with Animal Reiki is how children connect in with Reiki and the animals so easily. And I thought about that in my own experience, as being a young teenager and tween in Reiki and how that would be  how I expressed Reiki is giving it to my horse as well. And my animals my dogs. And then after leaving home and being in college, utilizing it through my whole life.  Then as an adult and having my own animals, utilizing it with them. It just comes so naturally.

And I am a Reiki master, I'm not a licensed teacher, but I'm a professional member of the RMA.  I've been a Reiki practitioner since my teens and Reiki master since my early twenties. So for a while now and I've had a professional Reiki practice and working with Colleen at Reiki lifestyle for  five or six years now after corporate life, artists' [00:13:00] life. And then landed where I'm supposed to be. Divinely ordered or where I'm supposed to be in Reiki and in Animal Reiki too. So I will agree with you Pam, about it really being a key that a lot of people have talked about that  you hear in the classes that, it's " Oh, this was a really big missing piece for me in my Reiki journey." Or let me rephrase that.  "This has brought a lot of things in my practice and in my life together."

And I agree, I see it, I'm an animal Reiki practitioner as well as a human Reiki practitioner and it comes into just my human sessions all the time. So yeah, I would agree with that. So Sioux, go ahead. 

Sioux: Hi, I am  Sioux strong and I also live in a Pacific Northwest.  I have a degree in exotic animal training and management.

I also was in 4-H as a kid and around animals and raised guide dog puppies [00:14:00] for guide dogs for the blind. And after school I spent 15 years working with exotic animals. Primarily Hoofstock and specializing with elephants. And then for the past 27 years, I've been at guide dogs for the blind.

I was fortunate enough to have Coleen come into my life 15 years ago. It was unfortunate that what brought me to Reiki was a friend being diagnosed with breast cancer. And then a mutual friend saying, what can we do to help? And I come from a very strong, scientific background. So I went into this journey with a hypothesis  to debunk this, it is not what it was supposed to be, and it was nothing but have been validated over and over again in the last 15 years with Reiki and the energy and the healing. And I'm also part of the Light Song Community, a practitioner with that.

I am also as Robin, a Master Reiki practitioner but am proud to be part of the Reiki Lifestyle family, and so excited that this has come  full [00:15:00] circle with all this and just super excited to continue this podcast. Everybody can hear a little bit more about it. Thank you.

Robyn: Why don't you start off with a little bit of the history  of how this Animal Reiki training came to be and also then how it went into the ICRT.  

Colleen: So in case you're listening and you don't know what we mean by the ICRT, that's the International Center for Reiki training.  It was founded by William Rand a long time ago. And I've been a member of the ICRT and a Licensed Teacher for them starting in 2003.  And  through the evolution of Reiki, we began working with Holy Fire Reiki® in 2014. And then in 2015 William asked me if I would create an Animal Reiki manual or a training course .

 I had already been [00:16:00] working in Shamanic studies and also been working with animals and Reiki for a long time. And I met Sioux, gosh, what was it Sioux  2007? Something like that? In 2006, 2006.

And I immediately recognized like a soul sister. And so we actually started working with Animal Reiki really after we met. And she  had taken Reiki with me and also started in Shamanic studies too. So she was developing an introduction course. And this was how to use Reiki with animals, with the Reiki that we had.

So Reiki one and two with Usui symbols. Then in 2015, William asked if I would write this manual and I immediately thought of Sioux and called [00:17:00] her and said, would you work on this project with me? And this was I think, in February. And we were pretty certain that it would be done by August easily.

Not a problem. No problem. No, we spent probably every Friday, hours a day working on what this course would be. And the course kept saying I'm not ready yet. And then the energy would say it's still not ready yet. So we would keep working on it and time passed.

In the meantime, Pam was already working with Animal Reiki her way and sharing Reiki with the animals. And I had also identified her, thinking, oh, there's somebody who can do this too.  Because she had written articles in Reiki News Magazine.

So I knew that she was working with Reiki with animals. So [00:18:00] she really highlighted with me too. Well anyway, we kept working with it. Robyn was working with it in her own way with the animals and and so we continued developing it over time, but it kept saying it wasn't ready. We go, why isn't it ready? And it felt like it was so awkward because, we thought we'd have it done by August. Now it's two years later. 

So it wasn't on pause though. It wasn't like, oh no pun intended.  Yeah, it wasn't stopped.  We were still working with it, even though it wasn't actually manifesting and we'd listen, like why, what is this? And what is the energy? And what are the teaching us? And we'd keep working with the animals and keep listening. 

Then in 2018, William was on Mount Karama in Japan with a Reiki Master [00:19:00] class and he received an upgrade to Holy Fire®III  Reiki.   There's a lot about that information on the reiki.org website and also in the manuals, about  Holy Fire® and its evolution, but as it's relevant to us. In that upgrade of this energy, what really came in so strongly was unification consciousness.

And we kept listening what does that mean? And, you have your ideas of what it means and the initial thought of the words. And then if you work with Reiki, you go deeper. What does that mean? And then over time  you get more and more answers.  That was a really important part of the animal Reiki energy.

At the [00:20:00] time, we still thought we were writing a manual on the tools and techniques of how to use  our existing Reiki, which by the way, for all of you who are already using Reiki and have your own Reiki training and way of doing things, we completely honor that this is just another style with another energy of if you feel drawn to it with the training.

So  with the unification consciousness, it really started to bring in the awareness of something different. So  Robyn and Sioux and Pam and I,  in January of 2019, we all got together here at my house in Portland, Oregon, and we spent 16, 18 hours a day, just immersed in the energy and writing and journeying and talking and listening.

[00:21:00] And we got a lot of the actual structure of the books done, of the manuals, of the courses. And it was all coming together, but it was a lot like puzzle pieces. And we had an outline and we knew what it was going to be. It was definite that in the unification consciousness, that the energy would be open to all people of all Reiki lineages, even though it was coming through this Holy Fire® energy.

And it was teaching us with the animals and we met the Divine Animal Kingdom. And so it was so interesting because it just wasn't clear until later when Robyn and I were in a conversation with William Rand and  it just channeled through him that, oh, this is another, it's own, unique energy. And that's when it all just clicked into [00:22:00] place. Oh, it's an energy of Reiki specific to the animals. And then  you're working with the energy, but you still need the tools and techniques and how to work with the energy.

So all four of us kept working with all of it and, we would get together on distance with Zoom and work with it. We'd work with it individually. So same thing we thought, okay, give us a couple months. Got this done, but no, just not ready yet. It was like, really? Okay. Keep listening. And it was such an amazing training for us individually in that truly listening to the animals, the Reiki energy and what it wanted to [00:23:00] be. So we kept working together and we got finally through the year 2019, we finished the rough draft of the Animal Reiki 1&2 manual and course. And so we taught our first courses  in person, January of 2020 .

And we all know the history after that. In March of 2020, we could no longer teach on in person. And it was so fascinating how then the energy coalesced for teaching online. And teaching Animal Reiki online and the power of it. And so many questions that it answered because so much of Animal Reiki  when you're a practitioner has been in distance Reiki, because of [00:24:00] the logistics of, can you actually get to an animal? Or get the animal to you? Or people in a city, how are they going to teach Animal Reiki? We all have farms and animals we can reach, but if you don't have that, if you live in the middle of the city and don't have access to large amounts of animals, how are you going to teach? So it continued. And we also knew that it was a one and two class and that the people who were learning how to be Animal Reiki practitioners, wanted to be able to teach Animal Reiki.

So we started working with the the Master manual and, oh yeah, "give us a couple months." So we have been working with it. And through the evolution of working with the Animal Reiki Master manual, it became very clear what the [00:25:00] energy of  this Animal Reiki energy was.

And then once we understood that it was a specific energy, there was a symbol that went with it. And it is the energy of the Tree of Life and the Divine Earth and the Spirit of the Earth. Then we had to really work with it to get to know it. What did it look like? What does that mean? How do we work with that and all of those things.

So we started working with that again together and the animals teaching us what it means and asking why? What is the tree of life? And the tree of life came through in these beautiful experiences and the Spirit of the Earth. And it just got deeper and deeper. Finally, and we actually really received the ignition to the energy June 20th, 2020. And from that point on, then we [00:26:00] were able to start to manifest all of it into the manual, into the tools and techniques and  how you use the energy and understand it more deeply.

So the manual just completed recently, and we are really excited to announce that it is actually an official ICRT Animal Reiki Training course. William Rand has been an amazing mentor for us with this whole process and developing it. And so  what we knew is that our role was to develop the course, write the manuals, and then start teaching the people how to work with it and teaching other teachers.

So they could also teach it. So that it can spread [00:27:00] to the animals and for the people even more quickly. So what it means by saying that it's an official ICRT course is that the Licensed Teachers courses are listed on the reiki.org website. And you can also purchase the manuals for the ICRT Reiki 1&2, and the ICRT Animal Reiki Training M aster on  reiki.org. 

Robyn: So we're going to talk little bit more about the energy, the tools and techniques. I just wanted to  clarify about  the courses themselves. So  we have a 1&2 course, and we have a Master course and they are pretty similar in structure to a human Reiki, 1&2 course and a human Reiki master course.

 The one and two course is a two-day class in the style that we all teach. An all day course where you have [00:28:00] a combination of energy work, you have the attunement  in this Animal Reiki Training, it is a placement style of attunement, the same placement style of attunement that Holy Fire Reiki is done in. So we have a placement style of attunement. We have tools and techniques on how to work with the animals. In the one and two, it's the practitioner level course so it's how to work with the animals and learn how to be an Animal Reiki Practitioner.


And then, things such as code of ethics,  client intake forms.  Also, just like human Reiki, we have people that take it  for personal growth. They want to just use it in their personal lives. And then we have people that take it that are interested in  being a Reiki Practitioner professional.

And then we have the Master course, which is similar to a human Reiki Master course. And it's the same where you receive four ignitions? So it's in a similar style to the  Usui Holy Fire® Reiki master [00:29:00] course . And that course is over three days all day.

And both classes, you have a manual, but you also receive additional tools and techniques. You receive experiences, the energy, and then you also learn how to teach it. And a lot of support in the manuals on how to teach it such as online techniques that we use, in person techniques, class outlines that you can utilize.

So both courses are similar in nature to the human Reiki courses in their design.  The tools and techniques are going to be different. The experiences and energy are  different. But just to give people an idea of what these courses are when we're talking about them. 

And I don't know if I left anything out that you would like to add. 

Colleen: I think I would just add to that when you receive the placements and  the ignitions, [00:30:00] that the Animal Reiki energy unifies with your existing Reiki energy. It is a Usui/Holy Fire® Animal Reiki energy.

And it it just merges with your symbols. So  whatever lineage you are working with, whatever previous Reiki training that you have, this will also merge with your existing Reiki energy. And  have the tools and techniques and how to use it and so many different ways of working with the energies.

And you may already have some of your own tools and techniques that you are using. And what you'll find is they compliment each other. They merge with each other. And unify with each other. The other thing that I would say is, and Pam, you brought this [00:31:00] up that  the energy also works so amazingly in our sessions with people.  The energy is as much for people as it is for the animals, because the animals say that what helps them heal is when we are in our wholeness, when we love ourselves, then we create from that belief.

And that is what benefits them. Pam, did you want to share any more about that? 

Pam: Yeah, I'll talk about the energy. And I just want to mention the prerequisites as well, just in wrapping up the courses. And that is that it was really clear from the beginning, that it was necessary to have a background in Usui Reiki before studying Animal Reiki.

It's not necessary to have any big timeframe in there, but it was [00:32:00] important to have a basic knowledge of Reiki and of working with the energy. And the same for the Animal Reiki Masters class. It's important to have Reiki Masters, again, from any lineage, prior to studying at the master level with Animal Reiki.

 There's just so much to teach in this class that it isn't possible to also teach  how to work with the energy. So it was clear about those prerequisites from the beginning. And I'd love to just mention that was a message that came throughout the energy, which heals that belief in dominion over that exists in a lot of cultures truly. What that seems to do is, as humans that seems to bring an extra level of comfort to us as far as existing in our life, on the earth. It really [00:33:00] connects us with the earth, with the animals. We take our place in the animal kingdom, and it's a beautiful thing. It seems to bring with it, a lot of understanding of the beauty and the joy and the lightness and the childlike wonder. The magic that exists.

And the other theme that really stood out to me within the Animal Reiki energy was that it really returns us to a place of self love in the sense that the animals have said, that as we love ourselves, we will create from that space. But when we believe ourselves to be destructive, that  we create from that.

And so they encourage us to love ourselves. So there's a tremendous amount of acceptance and beauty and connecting with the earth that comes along with this energy.

Colleen: Yeah. 

Robyn: Too, for me, one of the biggest things about  the Animal Reiki energy is  helping heal [00:34:00] my imbalanced, empathy and compassion. Yeah. And it's something that we see commonly in the classes, but have all experienced as people too, because we're such animal people.

And for me,  I had a hard time even watching the good videos on social media and stuff that would pop up like the rescue videos and stuff like that, that have a happy ending.  I get choked up. I would have a hard time working with the animals because like my empathy was so great.

It was almost even greater for animals than it was for people. And it actually held me back a bit  because it just affected me so much. And one of the things that this energy does,  is that it can help us manage that because what it's doing is it's giving us a system.

So  Reiki in general channels through us. It flows through us and this Animal Reiki energy can help so much. Also with that flowing through us so that when we're working with the [00:35:00] animals, it's actually coming through the energy as opposed to my own life force. And one of the biggest lessons that I've personally learned

 I know that the other authors, can also agree with this, and we hear a lot from the students, is that by balancing my empathy and managing my empathy, it actually allows me to work with the animals. It allows me to have Animal Reiki as a part of my practice.  And, so that has been one of the biggest healings for me personally. And it is another big part of the energy. In addition, in a 1&2 class, we actually  have an entire chapter dedicated because it's so common and anybody who's drawn to work with the animals, I think that there's definitely a part of them could that can identify with that if not completely agree with it. And so we have an entire chapter dedicated to that in the1&2 manual.

Because  having tools to be able to balance that and [00:36:00] having the Reiki energy and the Reiki tools to be able to help balance that makes it so that I can have it as a part of my practice. I can give back. The animals give so much to us.

 The other thing that, we should talk about is the blessing exchange. That's another big part of what the animals and this energy has taught us, is that the animals give back as much to us as we give to them.

And so the animals and this energy has healed me, but it also allows me to have that reciprocal flow with the animals where  I can also help heal them with Animal Reiki.   So that's been a huge piece of it for me. And it's a big part of the course as well, both in the one and two and in the master class.

Colleen: Yeah. Empathy and compassion. Just grief. Go ahead Sioux. Yeah, 

Sioux: I was just going to add that what we've seen in the students in the one and two and even the masters is how much self healing really does happen for our students.  It's just amazing.  I think  when we first started this journey, [00:37:00] it was all for the animals, it had nothing to do with me really. But as we know now,  when you are doing Reiki sessions that you benefited too as the practitioner, while  a lot of students are drawn to Animal Reiki because I think it was Pam who said that, she had no intention of working with people, but as we've learned, and as we teach is that the animals sometimes are the catalyst to get help for their caretakers. And get the practitioner into their space and into their homes to help them. And so a lot of combination people/Animal Reiki sessions. We talk about too , as Robin was saying, it can be part of your practice.

So it doesn't have to be one or the other. There's some really beautiful sessions that come through with this energy for everyone.

Colleen: Sioux, why don't you go ahead and start talking about some of the tools and techniques and the three priorities in particular. Sure. So we've talked about the energy, but we actually have very specific ways to use the energy and the [00:38:00] tools and techniques. So 

Sioux: Sure. So in the 1&2, I think  people  if they haven't done a lot of Animal Reiki sessions, the first thing that you have to get used to is distraction. So typically a Reiki practitioner with humans will have a healing room, a table. It can be nice and dark and quiet. You can speak the same language and have a conversation with your client. Where with Animal Reiki it's can be very distracting. You're usually not in your home environment. You're usually in the animals' and caretakers' home. So we have these three priorities that help run the session and help the practitioner.

The first one is safety. For me, I'm always talking about safety. I think it's my exotic animal background. It gets me to that point, but safety is a very important part of our teaching for sessions. For both the practitioner, the caretaker and the animal client. So we go into a lot of depth about safety and when you're doing your [00:39:00] session and things to look for.

And so that brings us to observation. So again, having your eyes open during an Animal Reiki session is very useful because the animal, that's how they're usually communicating to the practitioner is through their body language, their body cues. And we show you examples of what that looks like and what some of the behaviors that some animals will show us during a session. And then what they might mean. For example, a release: horses and dogs tend to yawn during a session, and that's known as the release. So those observational skills are super important and they also important for the safety aspect as well. 

And then consent. So these priorities aren't in any particular order, they're all equally important. So consent in working with animals is very important to get consent, not only from the caretaker, but then as you start the session to get consent from your animal clients and how you do that is through the observation. So as you see, these are all really tied, closely [00:40:00] together.  An animal can through their body behavior and language give you a yes or a no, or a maybe.

So that's the other reason why it's important that you come to this course with whatever lineage of a 1&2 Reiki. So that will help you understand, what your body feels and some of your intuitions on receiving that consent from your animal. Did I leave anything out ladies? 

Robyn: I think also one of the good things about the observation piece is that  if you, maybe can't hear  intuition and some of those kinds of things. That's why we teach a lot about, observation, like what does it look like in their body language cues?

 So if you if you have a less intuitive driven Reiki practice, there are a lot of those very instructional things that are  taught so that you can be successful in Animal Reiki .

Sioux: Yeah. Good point Robyn. 

 Colleen: But another one that we talk about, is  learning about [00:41:00] caregiver expectations  and one of the things that you need to learn as an Animal Reiki Practitioner is that when you are applying those three priorities, the consent from the animal and the observation and the safety factor.

These are all things that you are going to communicate with the animals caregiver. Because the animals' caregiver needs to understand the style. I'll let one of you talk about Reiki in motion, the style of how Reiki is practiced with animals, both in-person and online, and how you, as the professional will be working with the safety concerns, considerations, the things that you need to know, and the things that the caregiver needs to know about safety and the safety for [00:42:00] the animal.

And then also communicating with the caregiver about the expectations they may have about what Animal Reiki actually can do. And so there are some times a caregiver might have the expectation, just like a human Reiki might have the expectation of a miracle cure. For instance, that Reiki is going to medically cure an animal, and we all have had miracles happen.

So we know that they do happen and they do happen for the animals too. But as a practitioner and a professional, that would not be something that we would set as a caregiver expectation, in fact, we would always refer an animal to medical attention by a professional, rather than saying that the Reiki would cure it.

But behavioral issues, [00:43:00] that's another one that a caregiver may have an expectation that Reiki will change an animal's behavior. For instance, a cat that urinates wherever it wants to in your house and or a dog that does that. Maybe it will. And again, we do see miracles happen with Reiki. So it's not that, that could never happen, but that also would be  either maybe a medical condition or a behavioral condition, that if you are not qualified in those areas, you would make sure that the caregiver didn't have that expectation of your session.

So those are just some of the, the things that we go over, there's more, I'll let the other guys step in. But those are some of the things that you need to know as a practitioner. And one of the main reasons is to [00:44:00] consistently be aware of your safety. The other safety factor that Sioux talks about too, is if you're going from one property to another in person or one animal to another in person, what are you doing with washing your hands, changing your clothing? What about your shoes? Making sure that if you are an Animal Reiki Practitioner and let's say you were working at an animal shelter, you would probably want to change your clothes before you got home.

So those are just some of the tools and techniques and things that will help you work with the animals in a very confident way. And also working with the caregiver in a way that you have established their expectations and what the actual session is. And those are actually pretty important [00:45:00] considerations that we do anyway with all of our sessions, but with Animal Reiki, it's important to have thought those through. 

So some of the things that you need to know as a practitioner, that and even if you're working with a family member and their animals. Anyway, I'm going to go, I haven't got one of you step in. 

Robyn: And also part of the reason that Reiki 1&2 is a prerequisite for the class, because, you can get into Animal Reiki just as the others said that  I just want to work with animals, but a huge part of working with animals with working with their characters.

And you don't really expect that and getting into Animal Reiki, there are definitely the times when you may not work with a whole lot of caregiver interaction. If you're working with wild animals even  if you're going to volunteer or work in shelters or vet veterinary offices, you're still working with the staff at those places and they may not be the direct caregivers of the animals, but they are [00:46:00] still caregiving.

And so the human Reiki element can really help support in that. And it's also just something to know if you have any desire to be an Animal Reiki practitioner, that is also a big part of it that. You're still  interacting with caregivers, maybe even doing Reiki on caregivers, as Sioux said, and like combined sessions.

Pam: And I just want to mention that there are a lot of meditations and experiences and different tools and techniques. I know we mentioned the tools and techniques, but there are some beautiful healing, meditations and such that have been remarkable that are in the course as well. 

Robyn: Pam, do you want to talk about a couple of those?

Pam: Yeah, actually one of the ones that came through was a grief healing meditation because grief winds up being a big part of our life with animals. Animals don't usually tend to live as long as we do. Most of our pets and the animals that we [00:47:00] are care-taking so that comes up a lot. So there's a grief healing meditation.

 There's also meditations to heal compassion fatigue and over empathy as we discussed earlier. There's beautiful meditations to connect with the heartbeat of the earth. And I'm just touching the surface. I know there's a lot of lovely techniques as well, like the divine animal circle technique of healing that is lovely and powerful and incredible.

It's possible to leave Reiki trails when you walk through spaces. And so there's just so very much that we can do with this energy. Even an energy of accelerated rest, an energy came in to help us with the burdens and the weariness of the world. So there's as much healing for the two legged animals as there is for the four leggeds, through the [00:48:00] class.

Robyn: Yeah. And it's funny cause when you said Reiki trails, we all smiled. Pam, do you want to explain a little bit about what Reiki trails? So I think they're a fan favorite in this group. At least we're all like, Ooh, Reiki trails. 

Pam: We discovered once we had animal Reiki that when we would walk places, we would leave footprints. And I don't know about the rest of you,  my horses have been a very big part of this journey with me. And I was looking at these, I could actually see a blue kind of iridescent hoof print, where my horses were walking. And I noticed that the woods where we usually walk in our riding lessons and sessions had a lot more wildlife and the trees were so healthy and it was so vibrant compared to if we would turn and walk in the other direction once in a while. And I think Sioux, you had noticed it too, that you were leaving Reiki trails. 

Sioux: Yes, definitely. Mine wasn't as beautiful as the woods. Mine was in [00:49:00] the Chicago O'Hare airport during, in July of 2020 in the peak of the pandemic and I activated Reiki. I decided to do my whole body because of traveling during that time for the first time. And then I noticed that I looked behind me even now, there wasn't a lot of people in the airport, but all of a sudden people started laughing more and there was people more smiley. It just seemed to just relax the environment.

Yeah, that was my experience with it. 

Robyn: And so Reiki trails are activating Reiki in your feet. And spreading Reiki through that way, as you're walking through places, just in case

Pam: It's a beautiful thing. Like I've noticed it too Sioux,I did use it in an airport in March in Heathrow airport as I was coming home, as borders were closing and it's true, it leaves just a beautiful imprint on a place of the energy. 

Robyn: And we think of the animals naturally doing it too. Cause the animals,  if they are attuned to Reiki that they can leave it through their paw prints or footprints 

Colleen: or, [00:50:00] yeah. Yeah. That's lovely. Sioux, why don't you explain about the the divine animals circled technique? Sure. 

Sioux: During the one and two, you get introduced to the divine animal kingdom. And so it's a a circle of animals that come to you and it's different for everybody . And so the Divine Animal Kingdom will come through and you can have them come into your animal session and assist you with the healing.

And this can be done either in distance Reiki or in person . So you just have an intention and can visualize an area or a zone where the Divine Animal Kingdom come in and I like to experiment, my background is science.

So with animals and pastures and stuff, or when they have more open space, because we do Reiki in motion, which means we're not restraining the animal during a session, that the animal has the ability to move around. And it's an environment, whether it's a small kennel space, cause they're in a vet clinic [00:51:00] healing from something or out in a big pasture.

And I've done it many times, scientifically to see what would happen and have the divine animal kingdom come in usually with the elpaca farm that I've been working with and I'll focus on one elpaca and all of a sudden the other alpacas will start coming into that area where the divine animal kingdom, I envisioned them to be.

And so it's just amazing. I've even can sit back as an observer and have the divine animal kingdom do the work. And I learned so much, the Divine animal kingdom and the animal clients are our teachers and we always are learning from them. And so that's  one way of using the divine animal kingdom in a session.

Robyn: And the Divine animal kingdom is the Divine representations for the animal kingdom here on earth. I don't know if we actually said that in the beginning. 

Colleen: I don't think we have really talked about them. We talked about the energy, but not specifically the really Divine [00:52:00] beings that we're working with and the Spirit of the Earth. And these teachers of this energy actually showed up and began teaching us about it and who they were. And how they were working. And who the spiritual allies were that were working with them.

And so that, again was another question we asked was like, why are you the Divine Animal Kingdom? And it's also because Reiki energy and this energy and Holy Fire® really connect us into the divine essence in ourselves and the earth and the animals and the trees, the sky.

And so it's actually awakening our perceptions, enhancing our inner awareness of the divine [00:53:00] around us. And the divine energy was very specific about the frequency of the energy and that the frequency of the energy is how the animals are already aligned and the animals are inviting us to be part of that frequency of blessings.

And we've been laughing recently about, the saying, Dear God, let me be the person that my dog thinks I am. And  if you've had a golden retriever greet you, almost all dogs, I've thought of a few that haven't greeted me in that unconditional love style. But if you think of the way that dog will come up and greet you and they just love you so greatly. And that's what that energy is. It connects us to it. And [00:54:00] with the Divine Animal Kingdom, the energy of it connects us to that incredible blessing and that power of really very authentic love and it connects us to it within ourselves.

And we find ourselves exchanging that with the animals. Robyn, why don't you talk about how, when we first learned about it with the exchange  in comparison to the giving? 

Robyn: Yeah. In that four day intensive Coleen had talked about  when we first started, we were all in the place of we're doing this  because of course we are all kind of animal savers  in our heart and our lives. And so when we first started in the journeys, we really were like this is a blessing upon the animals. This is a blessing for the animals. And really gently the animals [00:55:00] gently told us all separately in a same journey,  "actually this isn't a blessing upon the animals. This is a blessing exchange."  And it really is. If you think of the concept of Namasté,  the divine in me sees the divine in you. It is a reciproccosity. I hope I said that right word. So  in the placement we actually go around the circle and we bless the animals and the animals bless us because as we know on the physical plane, our animals heal us and we heal them.

But this is also true on the energetic plane as is true in the spiritual plane. And so this is part of what the energy does and it really taught us a lot.  It was all out of the goodness of our heart, that was how we thought of it, but it is also part of that healing, the dominion energy.  That was for us was a big lesson and it continually taught [00:56:00] us and how I'm visually holding my hands up equal.

And as we, we think humans up here, animals down here, but we of course love them. And it actually really taught us that  we're at least equal and if not animals are up here and humans are down here. And so  they're teaching us and they're blessing us.  And so we really have that exchange with them in all different forms and in all different ways.

But really specifically  that process has been very unexpected for people in how that actually feels. And for us as well. But that process is a really big shift in the ways to view this work. And very healing, and also helping heal that some of that separation that we feel that we're not a part of that at the animal kingdom. We are.

And how do we get to a place that we live in communion with the animals? The only way that [00:57:00] we can do that is if we're all, in that blessing exchange with the animals.

Colleen: And also one of the significant pieces of that is when we think of " let me be  the person my dog thinks I am" is the animals are really teaching us to love ourselves that they said in this process that if we could  help you with any one thing, it would be that you would love yourselves as much as we love you.

And we think you're amazing and incredible people and part of the animal kingdom with them. And what that does with us is as we really empower the purity of our human spirit, we get in touch with the truth of our human nature.  Which really is love. At the deep part of all of us. All the places that I've [00:58:00] traveled around the world with all the different people and every different situation, that people everywhere love greatly and powerfully, and the animals want us to remember that about ourselves and take our place in the animal kingdom and create from that place of being and that exchange of the blessings.

You guys have mentioned a couple of times about the dominion part , but without really full explanation and we won't go into it very deeply, but one of the things that we've seen this energy heal is the concept and the belief and the reality that we have dominion over the earth and over all life on earth. and what the animals have taught us through this blessing exchange is that really [00:59:00] what we are, is in communion with life on earth. And so it heals that  idea of the dominion on that deep level, the way Reiki does, and it heals that and brings us into alignment in the communion. And the communion is with the animals, but it's also with, everything on the earth. The earth itself and the waters and the plants and the trees and the animals and the birds and the winds and the skies and the moon.

It really brings us into that rhythm. And Sioux, I know you really love this one with the heartbeat of the earth and connecting with it. So let me give you the chance, if you want to say anything about it. 

Sioux: It's an experience that you have in the master class. And , I don't even have words really. To me, it changes in my cellular level. Like that [01:00:00] experience. I have a cellular,a physical change. And every time I do it, it goes a little deeper for me. That connection in that I feel more in rhythm, with not only the earth, the universe and the sky and, the galaxies and just all life beings.

And it's just, yeah, it's been my experience with it and I love it. Teaching it as well. 

Pam: I do too. And I think it brings you more in rhythm even with your own life here on earth. And just brings about a comfort with that too. 

Colleen: Yeah. Bringing it back to that unification consciousness. Yeah. It really was about unifying ourselves. Our human nature with our animal nature, with our divine nature. And then unifying us with the life on earth that, that we are a part of nature and the earth always says "actually everything you make is [01:01:00] still made of me." and  we are, natural beings.

Pam: I just wanted to say that one of the things that we've wanted to do all along is to teach the teachers so that this work can really spread. And so I'm so happy, even though the energy had its own agenda and it didn't always work at the same speed that we would have liked for it to work at and of course, everybody wanted the course to be finished. So people were asking, is it done yet? And  I'm so delighted that it is finally at the point where we can teach not only the practitioners, but the teachers and really get this work out there in the world. And I know that's been all of our goals from the beginning.

Robyn: Absolutely.  There was one question that I wanted to make sure that we answered  about the time requirements.  That's a frequently asked questions. So as we said, there's the prerequisite for  [01:02:00] Animal Reiki 1&2, you have to take human Reiki 1&2. And like we said, it's open to all lineages. 

For Animal Reiki Master,  you have to be a human Reiki Master is the prerequisite. With Animal Reiki though, there is no time required between classes. So in human Reiki, there is a six months time requirement between human Reiki 1&2 and human Reiki Master.

But in Animal Reiki, 1&2 and Animal Reiki Master, there's no time requirements. So theoretically you can take them back to back. You can take human Reiki one and two, and then take Animal Reiki one and two, and then human Reiki Master, and then Animal Reiki Master. The only time requirement there is in Animal Reiki is just that six months that you would have to do before your human Reiki Master. 

Colleen: Yeah.  It is all on the website. 

Robyn: That's the only other thing. So there's not really a time requirement in Animal Reiki. That was the overall point. So let's go ahead and tell people how they can get ahold of us. As we said, this [01:03:00] is announced  through the International Center for Reiki Training. You can find more out about it there, that is at reiki.org. You can also contact us at we Colleen, Sioux and I, Robyn are at reikilifestyle.com and you can find our Animal Reiki classes there, you can reach us at colleen@reikilifestyle.com.

I'm Robyn, R O B Y N @reikilifestyle.com and Sioux is S I O U X, right? @reikilifestyle.com. And then Pam go ahead and share all of your contact information as well. 

Pam: Yeah, you can reach me at reikifromthefarm.com or pamallenleblanc.love, and also on the ICRT website. And my email address is pam@pamallenleblanc.love.

Colleen: Okay. And those will be in the written in the descriptions too. So the other thing that I would like to say is we have [01:04:00] already taught quite a few Reiki masters. And so you may see some of them on the reiki.org website that are also teaching classes in your area right now. We are teaching our classes online.

People have started teaching some of their Animal Reiki classes in person. And so you can find some of those teachers on reiki.org also. And also you may see on Facebook or social media or in other teachers' emails, in your communities of people as well. And so what you can see with that is the title of this course is ICRT Animal Reiki Training. ICRT Animal Reiki Training 1&2, and  ICRT Animal Reiki Training Master. So that's how you would identify them. We [01:05:00] do have quite a few classes, all of us through the year. And so again, you can find our classes in our calendar on reikilifestyle.com, also on the Animal Reiki tab.

And then Pam say yours one more time. 

Pam: And you can find mine at  reikifromthefarm.com or pamallenleblanc.love. 

Colleen: Okay. reikifromthefarm.com and her classes are listed there too.

And one thing, if any of you are listening from Australia and New Zealand, she has established those timeframes specifically for you. 

Pam: Yes. Yeah, in August I'll be teaching in an Australian friendly time zone, which is evenings here in North America and mornings in Australia. 

Colleen: That's awesome that you're doing that. I know a lot of the people in Australia are really excited about it. Okay thank you everyone. And 

Robyn: And feel free to email [01:06:00] us if anybody has any questions or anything. And we do have more information on our websites.  And there are people  as well as Pam, teaching in other times zones there. There are people that have taken the master training that are in other times zones as well. European time zones and I think in Asia,  

Colleen: yeah, India, China and Europe, for sure. So 

Robyn: if you need it in those times zones, you can email any of us and we can direct you their way. 

Colleen: Yeah. All right, everyone. Thank 

Robyn: you. Thank you. Bye 

Colleen: Bye.  Bye everyone. 

Pam: Bye. 

 And I'd just like to end our podcast today, by sharing with you the heartbeat of the earth meditation.

 Close your eyes, take some deep breaths and place your hands on your heart.

 Feel the Reiki energy flow through your hands and into your heart.

 [01:07:00]the light of Reiki, the light of the earth, the light of divine beings and the light of creation surrounds you and fills your breath.  As you breathe in the light, it travels in on your breath, fills your body with light and the light within you wakes up and is revealed in you. 

 You remember your love.

 Your higher consciousness and your pure heart,  you can see it. Now,  the light of the earth is revealed in you. As you remember that your body is made of the earth to give your spirit, life, and breath.  And the light of the Divine is revealed in you.  As you remember that your spirit is made of the light. You are here in your life to be human.

 [01:08:00]The light of creation and the light of your body are one light within you.  Your divine nature is present in your human nature. 

 You remember your beautiful spirit, your life force.  It is here in your body and in your life in this moment in time.  Yeah. Listen to the heartbeat of the earth.  The heartbeat of the water.

 And all life in the waters  and you can hear the heartbeat of the animals and the trees and the birds in the trees. 

 You can hear the heartbeat of creation in the four winds, the cycles and rhythm of the moon and the sun, [01:09:00]  the rhythm of the stars in the night sky,  the planets and our solar system,  the heartbeat of the Milky way,  the galaxies, the universe,  the heartbeat of creation.

 It beats in the same rhythm as your own heart. Okay.  Your body aligns with the heartbeat and the rhythms and the cycles of the earth  and the heartbeat and rhythms and cycles of creation. 

 One heartbeat, one light, one breath  [01:10:00]right now in this moment in time  in your daily life, the power of love at the core of the physical world,  the light of pure consciousness, becoming all things.  

You bring this awareness now into your body, that you are like all life on earth.  Part of the animal kingdom.

 Everything lives in the rhythms and the cycles of this beautiful creation. The earth.  

Bring your awareness to your body now and listen. Hear your heart beating in your body in your life today.

 Breathe in to this moment. [01:11:00] 

When you're ready, come back into the room and open your eyes. Bring your awareness to your heartbeat, like the heartbeat of the animals and all life on earth. I hope you've enjoyed this presentation about animal Reiki. We are so delighted that we can offer it to you now. And I hope you enjoyed experiencing the energy.

Thank you for joining us. Namaste.