Thursday, June 28, 2007

Reiki Tails



As you can tell from the slide show above, my daughter and I had a busy visit to the shelter this week. Freckles was my big orange surprise. He's been there for a long time and usually doesn't pay much attention when we visit. This time was different. He hopped right up in my lap and laid down facing away from me, like he wanted me to give Reiki to his hips. Reiki goes where it is needed, regardless of where I put my hands, but I did find it interesting that he kind of pointed the way in his own way. Freckles is an older gent of about 10 years, so maybe he is having some arthritis issues. I'm not in any position to try to make a diagnosis, but had I sensed that anything serious was going on (which I didn't), I would have mentioned something to the staff so that they could contact the vet. But Freckles seemed content to have hands-on Reiki, which many cats find a bit too intense, so something must have needed healing. After awhile, he hopped off of my lap and into his kitty condo to take a nap. Enough was enough. I always let the animal decide when the treatment is over, although some would likely sit there forever. Afterward, most want a long drink of water or a long nap.

I was asking my daughter this week if she thought that she might like to learn Reiki some day. She said, "No, it's your thing, Mom." Little does she know that she is already sending love and healing to the animals in her own unique way. I can tell by the way that they respond to her. Pictures really are worth a thousand words.

We found out that our new feline friend from last week, Rosalina, was adopted. That's the kind of news I can use. Shelter newbies like Bright are often eager for Reiki. Certainly, adapting to shelter life must be stressful, to say the least. But certainly the long-termers like Freckles appreciate it as well.

Each week, I learn more from them, through Reiki.

Monday, June 25, 2007

Mandala Monday: Week 3

This week's fresh new mandala has been posted.

I discovered that the PDFs of earlier mandalas were quite small. Well, that is no fun when you are trying to color them! So I've gone back and resized each one, with apologies for any inconvenience. They really are coloring book quality now.

I've had to switch to posting smaller JPEGs here, just to give you a glimpse of this week's design, due to the original image size. If you are unable to download the PDF version, let me know and I can send you the JPEG via e-mail.

As always, check out the Mandala Mondays page for details about the monthly contest. Happy coloring!

Saturday, June 23, 2007

Show and Tell

I would like to start posting a weekly recap of what I've made. This week, three new pairs of earrings were added to the shop. Click on the photo for more info.






Thursday, June 21, 2007

Reiki Tails

Recently, my daughter and I had the opportunity to visit the The League for Animal Welfare, a local no-kill shelter. We've been volunteers there since last November. On this visit, we arrived during an unusually quiet time and found ourselves to be the only volunteers in the cat wing. This gave me the opportunity to have a seat in each of the rooms and offer Reiki to any cat that hopped into my lap, for as long as they cared to receive it. Of course, every cat in the room benefits from it, even if they choose to hide on the other side of the room, but some cats really want and enjoy the close contact. Some will even sniff and lick my hands as they sit there. I felt pretty popular when I was virtually swarmed upon entering certain rooms. It was like, "Hey, where have YOU been?" It makes me wish I could visit them everyday.



We hadn't been able to visit the shelter in a few months, so there were a lot of new feline friends to meet. The new friend on my lap in this photo is Rosalina and she is two years old. She came to the shelter with seven kittens and now awaits a home of her own. They say that she loves to hop on your lap and get attention, but I really can't confirm. *wink* I do know for certain that Rosalina loves Reiki ... she was kneeding her front paws the whole time.




This is my old friend, Bonnie. She is three years old and has been at the shelter a long time. She was found at an animal sanctuary, living with a group of feral cats. Up until this visit, Bonnie had always been too shy to make contact, so this photo capturing our connection is very special to me.


My daughter and I plan to visit the shelter on a weekly basis at least through this summer. When school is in session, it isn't always possible to go that often, but we definitely try. I love sharing Reiki with the kitties there ... and I look forward to sharing more Reiki Tails with you!

Monday, June 18, 2007

Mandala Monday: Week 2



For a coloring book quality copy, visit the Mandala Mondays page to download a PDF for free. Don't forget to submit your colored mandala (scanned or photographed) to me via e-mail to be uploaded to the Mandala Mondays album in the Gallery. You will be automatically entered into the monthly Mandala Mondays drawing to win a colorful pair of Jakk's Magic Beans Workshop earrings. (Only one entry per month, please!) The drawing for the June winner will be on Saturday, July 1st. Happy coloring!

Monday, June 11, 2007

Mandala Monday: Week 1

Welcome to the very first Jakk's Magic Beans Workshop Mandala Monday!

I have fallen in love with creating mandalas and I'm on a mission to get everyone to spend some quality time with a box of crayons. Coloring mandalas is a peaceful project that supports well-being by reducing stress. Had a long day? Color a mandala. Have a difficult phone call to make? Color a mandala. Have a problem on your mind? Yes, color a mandala. You get the idea.

Feel free to save the JPEG above. It should print as an 8x10 image, but it will (unfortunately) be a little bit fuzzy ... which won't matter if you are coloring it. For a coloring book quality copy, visit the Mandala Mondays page to download a PDF for free.

Your colored mandala (scanned or photographed) can be sent to me via e-mail to be uploaded to the Mandala Mondays album in the Gallery. (Think of it as a virtual version of your childhood refrigerator door.) When you do, you will be automatically entered into the monthly Mandala Mondays drawing to win a colorful pair of Jakk's Magic Beans Workshop earrings. (Only one entry per month, please!) The drawing for the June winner will be on Saturday, July 1st.

Happy coloring!