The Rainbow Bridge is one of the most beloved images of comfort for anyone grieving the death of a pet.
The original 1959 text, written by Edna Clyne-Rekhy after the loss of her dog Major, describes a peaceful place where animals are restored to health, warmth, and joy, waiting until the day they can be reunited with the humans who loved them. The prayer below is an original devotional version inspired by that comforting image.
Rainbow Bridge Prayer for a Pet
Light a white, purple, or blue candle during this prayer to honor your beloved pet.
Beloved companion of my heart,
I honor the life we shared,
The joy you brought into my days,
And the love that still remains.May you run in fields of light,
Free from pain, fear, and age.
May your spirit be warm and whole,
Held gently by the arms of peace.If there is a bridge beyond this world,
May it shine beneath your paws.
May you rest where waters are clear,
Where sunlight is soft,
And where love never fades.I release your body with sorrow,
But I do not release your love.
You are not gone from my heart,
You are only walking ahead.Until we meet again in spirit,
In dream, in memory, or beyond the veil,
May you be blessed,
May you be free,
And may you know how deeply you are loved.Blessed be.
Print this Prayer 📄
This PDF version comes with a transparent background so you can print it on any kind of paper you want and add it to your own Book of Shadows.
Where Did the Rainbow Bridge Prayer Come From?
The famous Rainbow Bridge text was shared for many years as “author unknown.” In 2023, research by Paul Koudounaris, later reported by National Geographic, identified the original author as Edna Clyne-Rekhy, a Scottish artist who wrote it in 1959 after the death of her Labrador Retriever, Major.
According to The Order of the Good Death, Clyne-Rekhy wrote the piece as a private act of grief. She later typed copies for close friends, but her name was not included, which is why the text became separated from its author as it traveled through humane societies, veterinary offices, sympathy cards, and online pet-loss communities.
What Does the Rainbow Bridge Mean? 🌈
The Rainbow Bridge is not a formal Wiccan doctrine, but it can fit beautifully into a Pagan or spiritual view of death. It gives the grieving heart an image of peace: a place beyond pain where animals are whole again, loved again, and never truly lost.
For many people, the Rainbow Bridge is about keeping love alive. It reminds us that the bond with an animal companion does not end when their body leaves this world. Their presence can remain in memory, spirit, and the quiet places of the heart.
If your practice includes Summerland, ancestors, spirit guides, or the loving forces of Nature, you may imagine the Rainbow Bridge as a gentle crossing place where your pet is safe, blessed, and free. In many Pagan and spiritual traditions, this kind of threshold is sometimes understood as part of the veil between worlds: the soft boundary between physical life, memory, spirit, and the unseen.
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You can say this prayer after lighting a candle on your altar, holding your pet’s collar, looking at a photo, or sitting quietly in a place where you used to spend time together. Let the words be simple. Let the tears come if they need to. Grief is one of the ways love continues speaking.
This prayer can also be added to your Book of Shadows as a memorial page for a beloved animal companion. You may include their name, a photo, a paw print, a small story, or a list of the moments you never want to forget.
