SARA truly has changed my life. I am so deeply grateful to Kathleen and Leah for all they have taught me. I could go on for hours about the amazing experiences I have had sharing Reiki with animals, how much I have grown, how much the animals have taught me, and how they have healed me. I owe all this to Reiki, to Kathleen, and Leah, and to SARA. Kathleen and Leah are incredibly generous with their time and materials. Their support of all of us individually and as a group is endless. Everything they do and how they do it is based on what is best for the animals and the people who care for the animals, and is based on years of experience. One of the things I appreciate the most about SARA is its high ethical standards.
The animals always come first. Kathleen’s Code of Ethics is very clear and very thorough. When we follow that code of ethics, it will help the animals. It will help each of us, and it will help the world of animal Reiki. What we are doing is not mainstream. How we present ourselves to our communities, to those who work and volunteer in shelters and sanctuaries, and to the general public affects all of us. When each of us acts with integrity and compassion, when we put our own interests and our egos aside, and put the animals first, that benefits all of us. That benefits the animals, and that benefits the world of Reiki.
It only takes one bad experience for people to think wrongly and or badly about Reiki, and they will unfortunately share those beliefs. Alternately, of course when we conduct ourselves with the highest professionalism and ethics, when we all do so uniformly, that reflects on all of us, and greatly enhances how SARA and animal Reiki are seen and experienced through the eyes of people who may know little about it. I have met and experienced people who claim to practice animal Reiki but they don’t do the SARA way. I have seen passages and Reiki books that talk about Reiki with animals that make me cringe. There is a big difference, and it’s another reason why I feel SARA is so valuable, and our methods and our approach needs to be heard and experienced.
It is vitally important that we all continue to be as visible as we can, and reach as many people as possible with our approach of Let Animals Lead® I am proud and honored to represent SARA and our way of approaching animals with Reiki. It is a responsibility that I take very seriously. And I think that it is so important that we continue to get as many of us as possible out there to talk about our approach, and the many benefits it has for animals and their caretakers. I am fairly certain we are all here because of the animals. For them, we need to keep our actions and our practices consistent, and in compliance with the SARA guidelines. When we do this, we can have such a big impact for the animals, and we can truly impact how the world views and accepts Reiki and animal Reiki. We really can make a big difference, and the animals need us. Thank you.
Cathy O’Brien
SARA Practitioner
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