Two Reiki practitioners, sitting in their wet swimsuits after a swim at the YMCA pool, had an impromptu discussion that led to the successful wellness event at the Ray of Light Farm, an animal rescue and animal-assisted therapy center.
As seen above, this was held in a rustic pavilion reached by driving down a long winding hill. The atmosphere was very peaceful and serene.
My friend Carol is a Reiki practitioner and a volunteer at Ray of Light with the veterans. She wrote a proposal to Bonnie, the owner of Ray of Light Farm, for a wellness event to benefit the animals at the farm. We planned to charge participants $40 dollars to receive a 10-minute meditation and a 20-minute Reiki treatment. We concluded the experience with wine, cider, cheese and chocolates under a tent in the meadow.
I recruited 12 Reiki practitioners, who were my students, to give Reiki treatments to the participants. One of them, Diane, was extremely helpful in coordinating the details. On the day before, she accompanied Carol and me to the farm to finalize details. She offered suggestions that I never considered. As a Master, it is important to be receptive to your students’ suggestions. They can open you to ideas. I was very impressed to see how well the farm’s volunteers collaborated to make this Wellness Day a huge success.
The day of the event was warm and sunny. We started by setting up all the treatment tables and chairs. All the Reiki practitioners connected with each other through self-Reiki. We were then ready to welcome our first set of participants as they arrived at the pavilion. Six people received Reiki treatments and meditation each hour. We offered four sessions. The feedback we received was phenomenal, and we made a large financial contribution to Ray of Light Farm. We sold out and unfortunately had to turn people away. Hopefully we will see those folks next year.
The last session concluded with the owner giving us a history and story regarding the meadow where the wellness event took place. Some of the Reiki volunteers and participants offered their services to the farm.
The volunteers, Ray of Light Farm and the participants all benefited from the event, and it gave the Reiki volunteers an opportunity to practice their Reiki skills.
In our next wellness event, we look forward to spending even more time with the animals.