Karen Dillon

Karen writes about the people and places of Smith Mountain Lake in "Shorelines," published bi-weekly.

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Creatures great and small have always held a special place in Diane Novak's heart. So it was no surprise when a neighbor called her about a stray cat, Novak stepped in to assist.

"I've lost cats in my life and it was devastating," said Novak, explaining why she'd gone to such great lengths to help the friendly white cat she named Traveling Travis.

After Travis showed up at her neighbor's house wearing a red collar with a rabies tag from a Virginia Beach vet clinic, Novak, who has more than a decade of animal rescue experience, immediately began searching for his owners while boarding him at a local vet. She has since placed him in a foster home until his owners are found or he's adopted.

It's Novak's deep love of animals that led her to establish her business, All Creatures Great and Small, Reiki for People and Their Pets. Reiki (pronounced Ray-Key) is a non-invasive healing modality where energy flows from a practitioner's hands into a participant's body.

Novak learned Reiki years ago as a hobby. "When I first learned Reiki, I just wanted to practice on my family, friends and my pets," she said.

She was first exposed to the ancient Japanese practice when she'd gone for a massage while suffering from a cold. Her massage therapist used Reiki in an attempt to release Novak's congestion and make her feel better.

"I heard like a 'pop' and a 'swish,' in my chest, and all of a sudden I could breathe better," she recalled.

Shortly after, Novak took a class to learn more about the practice. The attacks of Sept. 11 prompted her to further her study of Reiki

"I felt I needed to focus differently...to get out of my head and think about something bigger than myself." She is now a Reiki Master Teacher.

To carve out a niche for herself, Novak, who, at the time was living in New York, decided to use Reiki to help animals.

"The area became saturated with people working on people," she said. "I just had an epiphany to work on animals that were in crisis." Novak began doing demonstrations on performance horses at area horse farms. "A lot of them were hurting or stressed due to abuse or injury," she said.

Since moving to the lake in June 2005, Novak has been busy building her client base, working on people and a variety of animals, including dogs, cats, and even a guinea pig. Reiki, she stressed, is designed to complement, not replace regular medical or veterinary care.

Individual sessions cost $35 for 30 minutes and $60 for an hour. For pets, Novak makes house calls and she sees human clients at Massage Works, located at Bridgewater Plaza.

The Hardy resident has held Reiki demonstrations around the lake and has begun conducting "Energy 101" workshops for pet owners. She also plans to teach more Reiki I classes.

"Anyone can do this," she said. "Once you have the intention to heal, you're 99 percent there."

When working on clients, Novak starts at the head and works down. But there are instances when she feels the need to go directly to the source of the injury.

"With animals, I may have information about where the area of imbalance is, but sometimes I am working on sheer intuition." She continued, "When my hands heat up and fingertips pulsate that's my internal message that all systems are 'go' and the energy is flowing."

Novak insists she isn't the healer, but merely a conduit, delivering the healing energy of Reiki to her clients. "Reiki does the work of helping the body heal itself," she explained. "We as practitioners simply deliver the goods."

After working on her clients, Novak said she feels good, too. "There is a great boomerang effect when delivering Reiki. You feel great inside and out, especially after observing someone who began with discomfort, relax and let go of pain or emotional stress."

As Novak continued describing the benefits of Reiki, her thoughts eventually shifted back to Travis, the white cat who's now safe in his new foster home.

"I'm so happy to go to sleep tonight knowing that he has a good temporary home," said Novak, adding, "I'd really like to make everyone aware that Franklin County shelter animals need all the help we can give them. Whether it is a fenced in yard for a dog or a small condo for a cat, doing this one act of kindness can save a life, and possibly forge a lifelong relationship."

More information about Novak's Reiki business is available at www.reikipets.com or (540) 420-7241. For information about adopting Traveling Travis or another animal, call Planned Pethood Clinic at (540) 489-3491.