We often think of change as something we have to make happen. But what if some of the most meaningful changes begin much more quietly—with healing, presence, and a willingness to perceive differently?

This has been on my mind lately as I prepare to begin another Reiki Level 1 class and as September’s Sacred Rhythms explores Change is in the Wind.

Reiki has taught me a great deal about change.

When we practice Reiki, we are working with energy on physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual levels. As energy begins to flow more freely, old, stuck patterns can begin to shift. Things that no longer serve us may loosen their hold. We become more balanced, more aware, and sometimes more capable of living our lives from a different place.

Daily self-Reiki can become part of that process—a lifetime practice of returning to ourselves, again and again.

And something else happens along the way.

The animals notice.

I’ve been sharing some of those encounters recently in my Lessons in Presence social media series.

There was miniature rescue donkey Chip, who reminded me that healing begins with respect. Before offering Reiki, I introduced myself. There was no agenda. Eventually, Chip became so relaxed he moved into a position where my arm was across his shoulders while he rested “in the Reiki zone” with his eyes closed.

There was the Swallowtail butterfly who landed beside me with a damaged wing and seemed to wait until I noticed her. After receiving Reiki, she gathered enough energy to fly to a flower for nectar, and then caught the evening breeze and disappeared into the sunset.

And there was Zoe, the very determined bulldog who absolutely refused to let me walk past without introducing herself—and then proceeded to make it unmistakably clear that she wanted those Reiki-fied hands.

Three very different animals. Three very different encounters.

But each one reminds me of the same thing: presence changes the way we experience the world.

When we become quieter and more balanced, we notice things we might otherwise miss. We listen differently. We respond rather than simply react. And sometimes, the beings around us respond to that change in us, too.

This is one of the reasons I love teaching Reiki. The training isn’t simply about learning a technique for offering energy to someone else. It is an invitation to develop a practice that can continue to shape your life for years to come.

Sacred Rhythms approaches change from a different direction.

It isn’t energy healing. Instead, it invites us into relationship with the natural world right where we are—in our backyards, our neighborhoods, and the places we pass every day.

Each month, we meet a different nature ally. Through stories, music, wildlife videos, books, a puzzle, and a shamanic journey, we are given opportunities to look more closely, listen more deeply, and perhaps see something familiar in a new way.

And because we change, the experience can change with us.

The Sacred Rhythms materials remain available year after year, but the shamanic journeys can be revisited with entirely different insights. The nature ally who speaks to us one September may have something very different to show us the next time September comes around.

The Wind itself is a wonderful teacher of this.

It doesn’t cling to yesterday’s direction.

It moves.

It shifts.

It carries things away and brings other things toward us.

Our own lives can be like that, too.

I try to create classes and experiences that help people create better lives for themselves while also contributing to change in the larger world for All Our Relations because those two things are NOT separate.

Healing asks us to change—to loosen what has become stuck, restore what has become unbalanced, and become more present to what is actually happening around us. And when we change, our relationships change.

We listen differently. We respond differently. We notice more. We become more capable of recognizing the needs and wisdom of beings beyond ourselves.

This is how larger change begins.

Not with one person fixing the world, but with each of us becoming a little more balanced, a little more present, and a little more willing to live in relationship rather than separation.

The healing we create within ourselves ripples outward.

And in a world that so desperately needs change, those ripples matter.

This, to me, is the path of healing: changing ourselves so that we can help create a better world for all.

Enjoy the beauty of the season,
Rose De Dan, Night Sky, and Tamerlan

Reiki Level 1: Learning to Be a Calm Presence

If you’ve been following my recent posts, you’ve probably noticed a theme emerging: healing is change.

Sometimes change is dramatic. More often, it happens through small shifts—a moment of relaxation, a new way of listening, a willingness to nurture rather than push.

That’s part of what I bring into my Reiki Level 1 class this September.

I’ve been teaching Reiki for decades, and I continue to look at ways to make the experience of learning Reiki more supportive, accessible, and useful for students. This time, I’m rethinking the format so that learning doesn’t have to mean trying to absorb everything at once.

Instead, I’m creating a learning experience that allows students to take in the material in smaller pieces while still having the opportunity to learn and connect with me live.

Learning Reiki isn’t about memorizing a list of techniques; it’s about developing a relationship with the energy and the practice.

It’s about learning to become more present—to yourself, to the animals and people in your life, and to the energy and the subtle ways another being communicates with you.

And, perhaps most importantly, it’s about discovering that you don’t have to be someone special or have a special gift to learn Reiki.

You simply have to be willing to begin.

Reiki Level 1 begins September 9.

If you’ve been curious about Reiki, or have been feeling that quiet nudge that it’s time to learn more, this may be your moment to take that first step or refresh your practice.

Click here to learn more or register for Reiki 1.

Sacred Rhythms: Change is in the Wind

The season is turning.

September brings cooler breezes, shorter days, and longer nights—and a natural world quietly preparing for what comes next.

This month in Sacred Rhythms, we explore change through the presence of Wind. In the shamanic journey, you’ll meet Wind as a Being: alive, powerful, and essential. You’ll have the opportunity to listen, ask questions, and receive personal teaching about change and whatever else Wind wishes to share with you.

There is plenty of life and drama at the Wild Reiki Spa, too. Raccoons are growing up, Baby Bunny is testing the boundaries of safety, Opossum is carrying the next generation, and the cats continue to weave their domestic lives into the wild rhythms of the backyard.

And then there’s Sneaking to the Owly—a true story involving owls, nighttime adventures, and a little more excitement than I anticipated! This month, you can read the story or listen to a new audio version narrated by me.

You’ll also find wildlife videos, a digital puzzle, seasonal music, inspiring quotations, and book recommendations ranging from true encounters and nature education to fiction that rekindles wonder and connection with the natural world.

But beneath all of September’s offerings is a deeper invitation: to consider the relationship between change and healing.

Healing asks us to change. Sometimes we must release what we have outgrown. Sometimes we must adapt to what life has brought us. Sometimes healing means finding the courage to move forward when we cannot yet see where the path leads.

Nature doesn’t resist the turning of the seasons. It moves with them.

Perhaps that is one of the gifts Wind can offer us: a reminder that change is not the opposite of healing.

Change is part of the healing rhythm.

What might Wind have to teach you about moving with it?

Click here to learn more about Sacred Rhythms.

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PHOTO: Canada Lynx Playful Water Splash
We were visiting the Zoo Animal Ambassadors in ceremony at Northwest Trek in Eatonville, WA where they rescue native wildlife that cannot be released. This young Canada lynx was feeling playful, chasing ripples in the water and creating a splash.

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Learn how to walk in harmony with the natural world, connect more deeply with animals, restore balance to your life, enhance your intuitive skills, and help heal the Earth through my live Reiki and shamanic virtual classes and digital workshops.

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A WILD WAY TO HEAL
Rose De Dan, Wild Reiki and Shamanic Healing LLC is an animal communicator, Reiki Master Teacher, shamanic energy healer, and author of Tails of a Healer: Animals, Reiki and Shamanism and Out of the Darkness and Other Animal Tails. Her classes, sessions, and ceremonial work are inspired by wild and domestic animals who have issued a call to action for personal and global healing.