I am writing to you from the train between Zurich and Munich but I feel like I am floating on a cloud! Last night we finished up the 5-day class in Switzerland at a sanctuary called Gnadenhof Hodel, an animal home. ( https://www.gnadenhof-hodel.com/ ) It was a really magical experience. It was fantastic to have a reunion with quite a few of my long-time students. (Janine even flew from Oregon to take her 19th class!) But it was the combination of the students, the animals and the energy of the place that created the real magic. Gnadenhof Hodel is a small humble home for animals who were unwanted or did not fit into the bigger world. This is how the founder of Gnadenhof Hodel , Ivo Zürcher, describes this special place, “Wir sind ein kleiner, privater Gnadenhof in Aeugst am Albis. Bei uns finden alte, kranke und abgeschobene Tiere Zuflucht. Sie werden bei uns mit viel Liebe gepflegt und aufgepäppelt und dürfen auch ihren Lebensabend bei uns verbringen. Auch verletzte oder junge Wildvögel kommen zu uns in die Pflege und werden anschliessend wieder ausgewildert. Die Tiere gehören bei uns zur Familie und werden dem entsprechend versorgt und gehalten, und wir sind stehts bemüht jedem Tier gerecht zu werden.” “We are a small, private animal sanctuary in Aeugst am Albis. We provide shelter for elderly, sick, and abandoned animals. They are lovingly cared for and nursed back to health, and are allowed to spend their final years with us. We also care for injured or young wild birds and then release them back into the wild. The animals are considered part of our family and are cared for and kept accordingly, and we always strive to do our best to meet the needs of each animal.” Zürcher initially opened his home to a few animals he found that had no place else to go. That is how it happens, isn't it? In this modest setting with love, care and security, these animals flourish. I am thankful to witness this transformation occur at most of the refuges, shelters and sanctuaries where I teach. But what is extraordinary about this place is that everybody does it together… the cats relax next to the chickens, alongside the pigs, as peacocks lounge overhead with dogs who walk underneath the horses who slumber by the donkeys! I watched in awe as a husky/wolf mix took a morning nap in the chicken house! Sonja Müller is a longtime JSJ practioner and self help instructor who translates and organizes my classes and has made my classes possible in Switzerland for over 20 years. She found this tiny gem and approached them about having a class there. Let’s face it… many places cannot understand what this work is or how it would work at their shelters. Zürcher, on the other hand, said yes immediately. I was thrilled to visit the place for the first time the day before class was to begin and yet, upon departing, it was me who had a few concerns. Usually, my students go into a stall or a run, or there is one animal for each person to work with. Very often it takes about twenty minutes for an animal to become relaxed with a new human who may be touching them in a way different from anything they have experienced. While all the animals seemed very open upon our initial meeting, I could not quite figure out how the animals would settle in for really deep sessions, while in the midst of so many separate species and Be-ings. Not to worry! (Doesn’t Mary tell us that time and time again?) By Day 2 of our 5-day class, as the animals became a bit more familiar with my students and how good the Jin Shin Jyutsu made them feel, they would patiently line up for sessions. The “demand” was so great at one point that most of the students held one hand on one dog, while the other hand held a Safety Energy Lock on another dog. Within this safe atmosphere, the silent work could go very deep. Pigs slumbered among the chickens while in a JSJ-kind of trance. The chickens seemed to want to understand how the pig could be so relaxed, so they hopped up on him, to examine him more closely. Shortly thereafter, the chickens opened up to sessions as well. In this simple and safe place, there was no reason for the animals to hold onto attitudes of Worry, Fear, Anger, Sadness or Trying to’s that might have dominated their earlier lives. Thus, they were remarkably receptive to energetic harmonizing only moments after students started offering the initial Centering hold of SEL center 10 and 13. Mary tells us that, “Attitudes feed labels”;“Attitudes support the illusion of separateness.” It was truly inspirational to be welcomed into this place of Abundance where one could not only see but feel what life lived in the absence of attitudes feels like. When I asked the founder, Ivo Zürcher, how he managed to have all the animals co-exist so beautifully, even natural predators and prey, he answered that when a new animal arrived, he simply explained that the new one was “Joining the family”, as he held the new arrival amongst all the animals. Some needed to be fed separately for a bit till they integrated, but it never took long. This level of intuitive communication flourishes here. The depth of the peace here is a true demonstration of what both a lack of fear and an abundance of unconditional love really look like in action! The days flew by and it was sad to say goodbye to these sweet souls who had taught us all so much. I was happy to realize that some of my students do not live far away and will go back and keep the work flowing throughout the year. I was equally thankful to be invited back for another 5-day class there from July 15th - 19th of 2026. Sound like a class you do not want to miss? Please contact Sonja Müller at: mail@sonjamueller.ch / +41 79 716 72 86 for details. Rarely have I had the opportunity to be both the teacher and to learn such beautiful lessons at the same time.