Chapter 10 — Reiki Across Time, Change and Transition

Hon Sha Ze Sho Nen is commonly known as the Distance Symbol, but its practice extends beyond geographical distance.

Within Reiki, it is also associated with connection beyond ordinary linear time.

Reiki may be offered in relation to:

A past experience
An earlier period in an animal’s life
A present transition
A scheduled future event
A change that is still unfolding
The relationship among past, present, and future

This does not require the practitioner to know every detail of the animal’s history or predict what will happen next.

You establish a connection through Hon Sha Ze Sho Nen, bring the relevant time or transition into the Reiki practice, and offer healing for the animal’s highest good.

Hon Sha Ze Sho Nen and Time

One contemplative interpretation of Hon Sha Ze Sho Nen is:

No past, no present, no future.

At the level of ordinary life, time matters.

An animal may have experienced abandonment, injury, loss, relocation, separation, or another event in the past. They may be facing travel, adoption, veterinary care, or environmental change in the future.

Within Reiki practice, however, healing is not limited to the immediate physical moment.

Hon Sha Ze Sho Nen allows Reiki to be offered toward another point in time. Sei He Ki may support emotional balance and integration, while Cho Ku Rei activates, focuses, and strengthens the practice.

A complete layered sequence may be used:

Cho Ku Rei
→ Sei He Ki
→ Cho Ku Rei
→ Hon Sha Ze Sho Nen
→ Cho Ku Rei

You may use a simpler sequence when the emotional dimension is not central:

Cho Ku Rei
→ Hon Sha Ze Sho Nen
→ Cho Ku Rei

The symbols establish the practice. Your intention clarifies the animal, experience, or future event toward which Reiki is being offered.

Reiki in Relation to a Past Experience

A past event cannot be removed from ordinary history, but healing can change how its effects are carried through the animal’s present life.

Reiki may support:

Emotional release
Energetic balance
A renewed sense of safety
Integration of a difficult transition
Healing from fear, grief, or separation
Greater openness to present relationships
Harmony across the animal’s life experience

You do not need to relive the event in detail.

You may know that the animal experienced a specific event, such as an accident or the loss of a companion. You may also know only that the animal lived through an unsettled period before entering their present home.

Either is enough.

Reiki does not depend upon a complete narrative.

How to Offer Reiki in Relation to the Past

Choose a point of connection.

You may use:

A current photograph
A photograph from the earlier period
The animal’s name
A written description of the time or experience
A physical surrogate
Visualization
Simple awareness

Then:

Ground yourself and enter Reiki through Gassho or another familiar technique.
Identify the animal and the past experience or period.
State your intention.
Invoke the chosen symbol sequence, silently repeating each symbol’s name three times as you draw or visualize it.
Allow Hon Sha Ze Sho Nen to establish the connection across time.
Offer Reiki.
Remain receptive without forcing memories or explanations.
Close and release the connection when the session is complete.

An intention may be:

I offer Reiki to Willow in relation to the period when she lost her animal companion. May Reiki support healing, emotional balance, comfort, and integration across her life. May she receive only what she wishes to receive, in the amount that is appropriate for her, and in the way that serves her highest good.

The specific experience gives the practice focus. The wider intention allows Reiki to work holistically.

Offering Reiki to the Animal as They Were Then

Some practitioners visualize the animal as they were at the time of the earlier experience.

You may imagine the animal at that age or stage of life and offer Reiki directly to that earlier version of them.

For example, you might visualize:

A rescued animal before entering their present home
A younger animal during a frightening experience
An animal during an earlier illness or recovery
An animal at the time of a separation or loss
An animal during a previous move or transition

You do not need to create a detailed reconstruction.

Bring the animal gently into awareness and allow Reiki to surround and support them at that point in time.

You may say inwardly:

Reiki is available to you here. May you receive comfort, healing, and support in the amount and way that are right for you.

Allow the image to remain spacious. You are offering Reiki, not directing how the earlier experience must appear or resolve.

Rescued or Rehomed Animals with Unknown Histories

Many rescued and rehomed animals arrive with incomplete histories.

The caregiver may know little about:

Where the animal lived
How they were treated
Which people or animals were present
Whether they experienced loss or instability
Why particular situations now cause fear
What happened before rescue

You do not need to uncover the missing story before offering Reiki.

A broad intention may be:

I offer Reiki to Milo in relation to all earlier experiences that continue to call for healing and integration. May Reiki support his physical, emotional, energetic, and spiritual well-being across time. May he receive only what he wishes to receive, in the amount that is appropriate for him, and in the way that serves his highest good.

This intention acknowledges the past without inventing its details.

If an intuitive impression arises, notice it and allow Reiki to flow. The impression may be meaningful, but the practice does not require you to turn it into a definite account of what happened.

The animal can receive healing without the practitioner knowing the entire history.

Supporting the Present Relationship with the Past

Reiki offered toward the past may also support the animal’s life in the present.

For example, a dog who experienced several previous homes may now be living with a loving caregiver. Reiki can be offered toward the earlier transitions while also supporting the dog’s present sense of belonging.

You may hold both times within one practice:

May Reiki support healing from earlier transitions and deepen this animal’s present experience of safety, connection, and home.

This is not about erasing the animal’s past.

It is about allowing the past and present to meet within a wider field of healing.

Reiki for a Future Event

Hon Sha Ze Sho Nen may also be used to offer Reiki toward a future event.

The event may be:

A veterinary appointment
A medical procedure
Travel
Boarding
Relocation
Adoption
Introduction to a new home
A change in caregiver routine
Temporary separation
The arrival of another animal
A known household transition

A future intention can be concrete.

You may name the event, date, time, concern, and support you hope Reiki will bring.

At the same time, leave room for Reiki to work where it is most needed.

For example:

I offer Reiki to Jasper for his veterinary appointment on October 12. May Reiki support his comfort, emotional balance, healing, and well-being before, during, and after the visit. May he receive only what he wishes to receive, in the amount that is appropriate for him, and in the way that serves his highest good.

The specific event focuses the practice. The phrase “for his highest good” releases the need to control every detail.

Two Ways to Offer Reiki Toward the Future

You may work with a future event in either of two ways.

Offer Reiki at the Time of the Event

You may schedule your distance Reiki practice for the time when the event will occur.

For example, you may offer Reiki while:

The animal is travelling
The animal is waiting at a veterinary clinic
A procedure is taking place
The animal is entering a new home
A caregiver is away
A household change is occurring

Confirm the time zone and approximate timing whenever possible.

At the agreed time, establish the connection and conduct the distance session as taught in Chapter 9.

Offer Reiki Now for a Future Time

You may also offer Reiki during the present session with the intention that it support the animal at a particular future time or event.

Write down:

The animal’s name
The event
The date
The approximate time
The Reiki intention

For example:

Jasper — veterinary appointment
October 12 at 10:00 a.m.

May Reiki support Jasper’s comfort, healing, emotional balance, and highest good before, during, and after the appointment.

Invoke Hon Sha Ze Sho Nen and offer Reiki toward that future point.

You may visualize the symbols surrounding the written intention, photograph, or animal. Allow Reiki to be available at the appropriate time.

Then close the present session normally.

You do not need to remain consciously connected until the future event arrives.

Preparing an Animal for a Veterinary Appointment

Veterinary visits may involve travel, unfamiliar environments, waiting, handling, examinations, or procedures.

Reiki may be offered:

In the days before the appointment
Before leaving home
During travel
While the animal is waiting
During the examination or procedure
During the journey home
After returning
Throughout recovery

You may include Sei He Ki for emotional balance and Cho Ku Rei for focus and strengthening.

A suitable intention is:

I offer Reiki to Luna for her veterinary appointment tomorrow. May Reiki support her comfort, emotional balance, physical well-being, and healing throughout the experience. May she receive in the amount and way that are right for her and for her highest good.

Reiki can support the animal alongside careful transport, familiar bedding, prescribed medication, veterinary guidance, and the caregiver’s calm presence.

Spiritual and practical support can work together.

Reiki for Travel

Travel may include a short car journey, a longer road trip, air travel, or movement between homes.

An animal may experience changes in:

Sounds
Smells
Movement
Temperature
Routine
Feeding times
Human activity
Physical surroundings

You may offer Reiki toward the whole journey rather than focusing only upon one moment.

For example:

I offer Reiki to Coco for her journey from Toronto to Vancouver. May Reiki support her comfort, calm, physical well-being, and sense of safety throughout the preparation, travel, arrival, and settling-in period.

You may offer a series of sessions:

Before travel
During the journey
After arrival

The same intention may continue across the transition, or it may shift according to the animal’s changing needs.

Reiki for Boarding or Temporary Care

An animal staying with a pet sitter, boarding facility, family member, or foster caregiver may be separated from familiar people, spaces, and routines.

Reiki may support:

Emotional balance
A sense of connection
Adjustment to the temporary environment
Rest
Eating and sleeping routines
The reunion afterward

You may offer Reiki before the separation, during the stay, and after the animal returns home.

An intention may be:

I offer Reiki to Max during his stay with his caregiver’s family. May Reiki support his comfort, emotional balance, sense of connection, and well-being throughout the separation and reunion.

Reiki can be offered across the distance without requiring the temporary caregiver to arrange anything special.

Reiki for Relocation

Moving to a new home changes the animal’s physical and energetic environment.

The animal may encounter:

New rooms
Unfamiliar smells
Different sounds
New people or animals
Changes in access to outdoor space
A different daily rhythm
The absence of familiar landmarks

You may begin offering Reiki before the move and continue after arrival.

A transition sequence may include:

Reiki for the animal in relation to leaving the former home
Reiki for the journey
Reiki for arrival
Reiki for emotional and energetic adjustment
Reiki for connection with the new home

You may also offer Reiki to the new space before the animal arrives, using Cho Ku Rei to focus and harmonize the environment.

An intention may be:

May Reiki support Bella as she leaves her former home, travels, and settles into her new environment. May this transition unfold with healing, balance, safety, and connection.

Reiki for Adoption and Entry into a New Home

Adoption brings together an animal’s past, present, and future.

The animal is leaving one environment and entering another. The new caregiver may feel joy, hope, uncertainty, or concern. The animal may need time to understand the new routines and relationships.

Reiki may support:

The transition from the former environment
Emotional integration
The first journey home
Entry into the new space
Developing trust
Rest and settling
Connection with the caregiver
Adjustment to other animals
The beginning of a new shared life

A layered intention may be:

I offer Reiki to Nala across this transition into her new home. May Reiki support healing and integration from her earlier experiences, comfort and balance in the present, and a gentle unfolding of trust, belonging, and connection in her new life.

The caregiver can hold hopes for the relationship while allowing the animal to develop at their own pace.

Reiki for Changes in Routine

Animals often become familiar with recurring patterns:

When the caregiver wakes
When meals are offered
When someone leaves or returns
Walking or outdoor times
Household activity
Bedtime
Time spent alone

Changes in employment, school, travel, health, or family responsibilities may alter these patterns.

You may begin Reiki before the new routine starts.

For example:

I offer Reiki to Oliver as the household enters a new daily routine. May Reiki support his emotional balance, adaptability, well-being, and sense of connection throughout this change.

The caregiver may also use familiar objects, predictable feeding times, gradual transitions, and shared quiet moments to support the animal practically.

Reiki During Separation from a Caregiver

An animal may be separated from their caregiver because of:

Work travel
Hospitalization
Family responsibilities
Moving arrangements
Boarding
Temporary housing
An emergency
A change in relationship or household

Distance Reiki can support the animal even when the caregiver is far away.

With appropriate permission, Reiki may also be offered to the relationship between animal and caregiver.

An intention may be:

May Reiki support the loving connection between Maya and her caregiver during this time apart. May Maya receive comfort, balance, and a sense of security until they are together again.

The intention does not need to erase the reality of separation. It offers support within it.

Reiki During Separation from an Animal Companion

Animals may also experience separation from another animal because of:

Veterinary hospitalization
Travel
Rehoming
Changes in the household
Illness
Death
Temporary care arrangements

Reiki may be offered to one animal or, with appropriate permission, to both animals and their relationship.

You may hold:

May Reiki support healing, emotional balance, and loving connection as these animals move through separation and change.

If one companion has died, Reiki may support the surviving animal’s grief and adjustment. End-of-life and bereavement support will be explored more fully in Chapter 12.

Offering Reiki Before, During and After Change

A transition is rarely limited to one moment.

It often includes:

Anticipation
The event itself
Immediate adjustment
Longer integration

You may therefore offer Reiki in stages.

Before

Support preparation, emotional balance, and the animal’s relationship with the approaching change.

During

Offer Reiki through the active event, journey, appointment, separation, or arrival.

After

Support rest, healing, integration, and adjustment.

For a significant transition, a short series of sessions may be more appropriate than placing every intention into one practice.

Each session can respond to the stage the animal is currently moving through.

Holding a Concrete Hope Without Becoming Attached

You may hope that:

The animal feels calmer
Travel becomes easier
The animal adjusts to the new home
A veterinary visit goes smoothly
The animal begins eating normally again
Two animals develop a peaceful relationship
The animal sleeps more comfortably
Fear becomes less intense

These hopes can be included in the Reiki intention.

Non-attachment does not require becoming vague or pretending that you have no preference.

It means offering Reiki sincerely while allowing healing to unfold through the animal’s whole being.

You may say:

May Reiki support greater calm during tomorrow’s journey, along with any physical, emotional, energetic, or spiritual healing that is needed.

The concrete concern and the wider healing intention can exist together.

When Change Unfolds Differently Than Expected

An animal may respond to a transition in ways the caregiver did not anticipate.

Adjustment may be:

Immediate
Gradual
Uneven
Quiet
Expressed through changing routines
Supported by several kinds of care

Reiki can continue to accompany the process without forcing it into a predetermined timeline.

If the original intention no longer fits, revise it.

For example, before adoption the intention may centre upon safe travel and arrival. Later sessions may focus upon sleep, connection, emotional balance, or integration into the household.

The Reiki practice can evolve with the animal.

A Complete Past–Present–Future Practice

You may use one session to hold the animal’s life across time.

This may be especially meaningful for adoption, rehoming, relocation, or another major transition.

Past

Offer Reiki toward earlier experiences that continue to call for healing and integration.

Present

Offer Reiki to the animal as they are now, within their current body, relationships, and environment.

Future

Offer Reiki toward the transition or life that is unfolding.

An intention may be:

I offer Reiki to Ruby across her past, present, and unfolding future. May earlier experiences receive healing and integration. May she feel supported in the present. May her new life unfold with balance, connection, and well-being. May she receive only what she wishes to receive, in the amount that is appropriate for her, and in the way that serves her highest good.

Invoke the complete layered sequence.

Allow Reiki to move where it is needed rather than mentally dividing the session into rigid sections.

Recording Time-Based Reiki Practice

In your session notes, record:

The animal’s name
The past experience, future event, or transition
The relevant date or period
The intention
The symbol sequence
The method used
When the session was performed
When the Reiki was intended to support the animal
Energetic or intuitive impressions
Caregiver observations
Changes across later sessions

For a future event, clearly distinguish between:

The date you performed the Reiki practice
The date or time toward which Reiki was offered

This helps you follow the practice accurately and reflect upon how your relationship with Reiki across time develops.

Reflection

Consider the following questions:

What does Reiki beyond linear time mean to me?
Can I offer Reiki toward a past experience without needing every detail?
How might Reiki support an animal whose history is unknown?
Can I receive intuitive impressions without turning them into a fixed story?
What future events might benefit from Reiki preparation?
Can a concrete hope remain open to wider healing?
How might Reiki support an animal before, during, and after a transition?
Do I expect adjustment to happen according to a particular timeline?
Can I revise the Reiki intention as the animal’s circumstances change?
How does Hon Sha Ze Sho Nen deepen my understanding of connection across time?
What does it mean to hold the animal’s past, present, and future within one field of compassion?
Can I trust Reiki to move where it is needed?

Time-based Reiki is not a rejection of ordinary time.

It is an invitation to experience healing within a wider field of connection.

Looking Ahead

You have now explored Reiki in relation to past experiences, future events, adoption, travel, relocation, veterinary care, separation, and changing routines.

The next chapter will address distance Reiki in varied animal situations, including fearful or feral animals, shelters and sanctuaries, multi-animal environments, wildlife, and requests involving lost or missing animals.