If you’ve taken a tour of Maple Farm Sanctuary, chances are you’ve met Marlene Calvao. Marlene is our Volunteer Tour Guide Director and can be found overseeing tours nearly every Saturday and Sunday from May through December. When she’s not running tours, Marlene helps the animals in another way—by performing Reiki on them. Read her story:
First developed in 1922 by Japanese Buddhist Mikao Usui, Reiki is a form of hands-on energy medicine that promotes emotional, mental, and spiritual well-being. Everything in the universe is made of energy, including the body, which is surrounded by energy fields or chakras. If the energy becomes blocked physically, emotionally, or mentally, over time it can lead to illness. Reiki is used to help the energy flow in a manner similar to acupuncture or acupressure and promotes healing by activating the relaxation response and helping the body achieve balance.
In the past year, two very meaningful events related to reiki have completely transformed my life. The first was when I became certified as a Reiki Master. I chose to become certified because Reiki helped heal me physically, mentally, and spiritually, enabling me to become balanced and live an authentic life.
The second major event was that I began volunteering at MFS, where I met more than 100 animals who had been abused, neglected, or unwanted. The love I felt from these animals was amazing, and decided to give back by sharing my Reiki expertise with them.
Reiki for our animals can promote relaxation, self-healing, and balance, as well as heal trapped emotions from depression and anxiety. It can also benefit our many senior animals who suffer from arthritis and chronic pain. So far, I have practiced reiki on Gwen the turkey, Piggy Smalls the pot-bellied pig, Murphy the goat, and Konja the llama (pictured above).
My most recent Reiki session was with Arlos the llama. The llamas at MFS tend to keep to themselves, spending as much time outside as possible. However, recently Arlos has been spending a lot of time inside the main barn and has even been approaching me. I realized this might be his way of letting me know that he would like some healing energy work!
The first time I practiced Reiki on Arlos, he was laying down in the hay. I began my Reiki meditation ritual of intentions and symbols, making sure to ask permission from Arlos for our session. I then started the session by laying my hands on his lower back before working my way up to his shoulders, his neck, and his head. Working my way back down—his eyes began to close and I swear I saw a smile forming on his lips—I ended the session with my hands on both sides of his body, at which point he rolled over and showed me his belly. Generally, when animals show you their bellies, they are totally relaxed and trusting, so I took this as a good sign!
I felt a special bond with Arlos that day, filled with the peaceful flowing energy, love, and compassion, which I was so fortunate to share with this beautiful animal. Combining my love for animals and my dedication to Reiki is a dream come true, and I look forwarding to using these two passions to help even more animals at MFS.
by Marlene Calvao, Tour Director at Maple Farm Sanctuary & Reiki Master
Sources:
Medical News Today, "Reiki: what is it and what are the benefits," Tim Newman, September 6, 2017, https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/308772.php
