While intently working at my computer the other morning I heard a big thud against the sliding glass door in the other room and then heard Maddie (our Shepherd mix) get all excited about something. Knowing what this all meant I quickly ran outside to keep her away from the bird I was afraid was lying on the ground. Sure enough there the poor thing laid in shock unable to move.
After getting Maddie in the house, much to her disliking, I went back to see what I could do for my poor bewildered feathered friend. He was stunned and unable to move, but appeared to be okay. I quietly approached him,instantly feeling the familiar movement of Reiki starting to flow.
I gently picked him up quietly sat for a while loosely holding him in my hands. My instinct was to cup my hands around him and protect him. However my intuition told me that cupping my hands around him while doing Reiki was too intense for his precarious state. So I held my hands open to give him a safe place to rest knowing that the Energy would flow to the area(s) most in need.
As his limp body lay in my hands I found my mind and emotions catching up to what had happened. I felt that all too familiar lump in my throat and tears come to my eyes. When it comes to the welfare of animals my emotions often lay close to the surface. Knowing that obsessing on these feelings was not conducive to the healing this bird needed I grounded myself with the stable nurturing energies of the earth and opened myself to the love and healing energy of the heavens. (A variation of the Earth/Sky meditation I learned from Kathleen Prasad). Simple, yet very effective.
It was only a few moments before we were in the beautiful Reiki space where the outside world melts away and you seemingly become one. As I continued to watch the bird for whatever signs he would display I noticed his eyes become more alert and open. When we had started the session you could tell he was fighting to do this. We stayed in this place together for a several minutes, and as the bird became more alert he began to slowly move his head and I could feel his little feet stirring in my hands, start to get their strength back.
Knowing I had a client coming soon I looked for a place I could put him where he could safely recuperate. I found such a spot in a bird feeder in the front yard. He would be safely out of Maddie’s space and the feeder offered a large stable floor and a roof for protection from the sun. As I went to put him on the feeder his little feet grabbed tightly onto my finger, not wanting to let go. I energized the feeder with Reiki Energy and gently set him on it.
For the next few hours I checked on him and continued to do distance Reiki from inside the house. I could see he was starting to move even more and seemed to be getting his strength back. Several hours later I went to check on him and he was gone. It was a wonderful thing to see the bird feeder empty. 
I’m grateful to have Reiki as one of my “go to” First Aid tools. In this instance it was only thing I knew to do, as I know nothing about birds. It’s comforting to know that I always have Reiki to offer in any situation and that I don’t have to know everything to help someone (human or animal) heal. Situations like this also remind me how grateful I am for the quick grounding and connecting meditation tool I have to use. This works for me when I feel my attention, thoughts, or emotions are not supportive of the healing work I’m doing. I’d highly recommend that everyone find such a tool they can rely on that is quick and effective for them to use.
Without really thinking about it, I dried my hands of and went into the other room to offer Reiki him. At first our connection could best be described as wary. I simply explained what my intent was and felt the energy slowly begin to flow until it became a strong flow. I expected it to last for only a minute or so as he continued on his way. However, it lasted for a quite sometime. Eventually I received an indication that he was done. I ended the session with gratitude that I had been able to work with him this morning.