08/02/2022
Jon Snow - A Story of Healing
January, 2021. I was at Pope Memorial Frontier Animal Shelter in Orleans, VT, where, as a member of SARA (Shelter Animal Reiki Association), I had been volunteering sharing Reiki with the animals there on weekends. SARA is a group of Reiki practitioner and teacher volunteers committed to supporting rescued animals and their caregivers with the healing benefits of Let Animals Lead® Reiki meditation.
Jon Snow, along with his 2 female companions, Soot and Salem, had arrived at the shelter earlier that week, having been rescued from a neglect situation. All three were extremely frightened, shut down, and barely eating. I quietly entered their room and sat down on the floor to begin my meditation. Throughout the 1/2 hour that I sat there, Jon Snow remained crouched and wide-eyed, staring at me from his corner hutch. Soot hid in a box hutch on the counter, and Salem, the more relaxed of the 3, watched me quietly from her cat bed. When I finished my meditation and got up to leave, Salem got up and began eating from her wet food bowl, an encouraging sign! The other two, however, remained wary.
When I returned the following Sunday, Soot had been adopted! I entered the room; Salem was lying in a cat cubby on the counter fairly relaxed; Jon Snow was hiding in an open cupboard, still wide-eyed and wary. By the time I finished my meditation, both cats were sound asleep.
Week 3: I received the news that Salem had been adopted! Jon Snow had been moved across the hall into a room with 2 other male cats, Bert and Ernie, who had arrived about a week and a half prior, also very scared and traumatized. When I entered their room, said hello and sat down to begin my meditation, to my astonishment Bert and Ernie both were extremely affectionate and interested, rubbing against me asking for pets and sitting/lying next to me as I meditated, a total transformation from the scared cats of the previous week. (I like to think the Reiki had something to do with that. 🙂) During this time, Jon Snow was "hiding" up in the cat tree. After a bit, I got up and quietly approached him, reaching out a hand to let him sniff. He came out, jumped down and asked to be petted, becoming very engaged and friendly! I could not believe that this was the same cat! I sat down again to meditate some more, and Jon Snow laid on the blanket cuddled up next to me, then actually crawled up onto my legs for some hands-on Reiki. As per Let Animals Lead® protocol, hands-on is only given at the animal's request/initiation, and they are free to move away at will when they have had enough.
Jon Snow remained at the shelter for about another month and a half, then the happy day finally came when he was adopted! 😃 Each visit I made when he was still there, I would greet him when I entered his room, then he was at choice whether to approach and engage with me or not, as were all the cats. Sometimes he would be come and rub on me and lay on my lap; other times he would stay at a distance and receive the Reiki as he napped. It was always his choice to make.
Jon Snow and the other cats mentioned in this story are all living examples of the healing and transformation that can happen when animals are approached with humility, respect, and compassion, allowing them to take the lead in their own treatment process. I am humbled and eternally grateful to the animals that I work with as a Let Animals Lead® Practitioner for the lessons and guidance that they give me. They are truly my teachers. ❤ For all you G.O.T. fans out there, turns out Jon Snow knows something after all! 😄
