Reiki Help Blog :: Oasis Reiki Dojo

I’ve been meaning to write about this for a while. At the end of 2009 when I was posting quite a bit about climate change, several subscribers chose to unsubscribe right after those posts were published. One can’t know of course, but one of my thoughts was that perhaps they felt the subject matter of this blog and climate change are not related. I’d like to share exactly how they are in fact related.

Climate change is a part of the ecology of our planet, and it’s in this ecology that we live. It’s not so much about a specific aspect of our ecology, but the “placeness” of it. If we’re talking about spiritual practice, well…We practice in this place, this earth, this moment. As for Reiki specifically, there’s this Reiki One-Liner from the first 50 published:

Reiki is an inner and outer ecology.

We live on holy ground. The only version of humanity that doesn’t recognize this is the technological, urban, gadget-obsessed, bot-like iteration. All other versions of humanity, modern and ancient know that this place, this cosmic home is holy ground.

Many times when I get out of my car in a parking lot and walk to some store in the endless sprawl of strip malls, I make a point to wonder what lies under the tarmac. What was here before? What wilderness would I have encountered here even fifty years ago?

I just have to look with new eyes to know. Recently I started a photoblog as an avenue of self-expression. Creativity and spirituality are sisters, but that’s for another post. You can subscribe to the new blog just like this one. It’s a growing ode to nature. Here’s a slideshow of the initial glimpses of my neighborhood. Holiness dotted in between the concrete…

(You may need to click back to the original post to see slideshow if you’re reading this in an email.)

This holiness isn’t limited to what’s natural around you. Wherever you are, it’s holy. Your home, the home of a family member or friend, workplace, place you stay when on vacation. Nature definitely has it’s own, undeniable spirituality, but greater than that is wherever you are.

Place is spiritual because it’s where we breathe. Our life is detailed in its locations. Our being is expressed in all the nooks and crannies made possible by the power of gravity.

You may be thinking, “what about nonlocality?” It’s true, we’re not only local, we’re multidimensional. And it’s all spiritual.

This word, this idea of “spirituality…” Isn’t it all-encompassing and all-embracing? If it isn’t, we need to reconsider. When one part is cutoff or hierarchically put above or below any other part, fragmentation ensues.

Personally, my gratitude starts with thankfulness for being here, today, standing on this ground, breathing on this spot. Without those conditions and premise, I’m unable to experience anything else. Sure, my higher Self can, but for me in my body to go along for the ride, I sit here in meditation, contemplation, visioning, Reiki’ng, loving…

If spirituality is all-inclusive, then the care of this place, its appreciation and longevity is under my wing too. Heaven is handled, angels have it under their wings. Earth? Let’s just say, we’re responsible for what we use.

You and I are living in the dimension of form at this time.

Without the body, the wisdom of the larger self cannot be known. –John Conger

Embrace place and see what it yields. Truly.

There is no need to go to India or anywhere else to find peace. You will find that deep place of silence right in your room, your garden or even your bathtub. –Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

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Whether it’s the recent earthquake in Haiti or the Asian Tsunami of 2004, the world becomes a little smaller and kinder as humanity bands together and suffers with the suffering, as well as pouring in aid. These are heart-wrenching events, together with remarkable responses in the form of millions of dollars donated via text messaging and social media.

There’s no doubt that aid on the ground is sorely needed. Rescue workers, medical help, drinking water, food and other supplies are how we respond to natural disasters because these are what the situation calls for. Everyone is “praying” too, giving thanks that it’s not them and in general “thinking” of the victims.

As spiritual practitioners we have even more specific and powerful methods at our disposal. This is what I’d like to explore. Consider these words from Paramahansa Yogananda, one of the greatest representatives of Sanatana Dharma (Eternal Truth) from India who lived and taught in the West. He said this in 1940, right around the start of WWII:

Everything that has happened throughout the ages is recorded in the ether. The vibrations of evil that mankind leaves  in the ether upset the normal harmonious balance of the earth. When the earth becomes very heavy with disease and evil, these etheric disturbances cause the world to give way to earthquakes, floods and other natural disasters(…)

So, just like the human body, the earth suffers from inharmonies and disease. And it is because the combined actions of all people all over the world affect the planet on which we live. There is no question about that. The good and bad karmic conditions created by man determine and influence the climate; they affect the wind and the ocean, even the very structure of the earth, sometimes causing earthquakes. All the hatred, the anger, the evil we send out into the world, and the agony and rebellion they cause — all these are disturbing the magnetic force of the earth, like static in the air.

On-the-ground aid and healing help in the form of distant Reiki or other subtle action such as prayer is fine. These must and naturally take place. We can’t exactly stand around and watch. But, responding to single events simply doesn’t get to the root. It doesn’t address the next natural disaster, war or injustice.

Yogananda also said, “When materiality predominates in man’s consciousness, there is an emission of subtle negative rays; their cumulative power disturbs the electrical balance of nature…” By “materiality” he doesn’t mean only materialism but also spiritual ignorance: that there’s an enlivening subtle reality underpinning all we perceive as real with our five senses, central nervous system and brain.

Certainly take your subtle and overt action! As you donate, time, funds, goods, and from your heart chant “May the Great Light bring everything Haiti needs to heal and rebuild!” also, ALSO set a steady intention that we, humanity, find and abide in a new balance, a new peace at the causal level. The solution is at a causal place and that’s what needs to be addressed.

To further illustrate the point, let’s look at a different, living teacher, Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche from the Shambhala tradition of Tibetan Buddhism.

According to many wisdom traditions, we are in a dark age. More than a thousand years ago, Padmasambhava, the great teacher who brought Buddhism from India to Tibet, predicted that this particular age would be distinguished by our increasing cleverness. We would create myriad ways to keep ourselves entertained, becoming experts in how to spend free time. We would use our intellect not for betterment but for hanging out in one form of distraction or another, constantly on holiday. Our discursive minds would run rampant. Padmasambhava predicted that as we became shrewder and cleverer, compassion would seem increasingly futile and we would forget to bring meaning to our lives.

Think aimless texting, YouTube, Cheese Whiz and other junk foods, lolcats, MySpace, and “there’s an app for that” mentality, to name a few. Now, read on:

In the Shambhala teachings, we call this dark age the “setting sun.” The Tibetan word for “setting sun” literally means the dregs, the remains of the day. “Remains” refers to the last remnants of virtue, the positive activity that takes us forward and open our hearts and minds rather than shuts them down. Virtues like compassion and loving-kindness lead to happiness because they uplift our being. In a time when positive activity is not valued, turmoil and negativity thicken our minds, causing confusion and unhappiness. We don’t have a clear understanding of our purpose or potential. When an activity that enables us to move forward to enlightenment is on the wane, our life-force energy is low. If we do not really understand where things are going or what the journey is — if we do not have a  map, so to speak — we lose energy by spinning in circles, not practicing in the right direction.

As spiritual practitioners we have at our disposal a range of methods to shift humanity and the Earth. Instead of healing each situation as it occurs and recurs (engage that as well), intend a shift in life’s vibratory essence, a shift to wholeness and harmony. If you’ve been watching the news about Haiti, despite millions in aid much of it can’t even land at the airport in Port-au-Prince.

The mechanical solution is a hard one. By the time this aid is distributed how much good will it do? It makes more sense to bring our healing action to the causal level and ensure future generations don’t bear the burden of unenlightened ways that are perpetuated blindly. Make it count!

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There’s no time like the start of the year to plunge headlong into conservation issues. The United Nations thinks so too. Read on to find out why.

But first let’s talks about dolphins. “Dolphins have been declared the world’s second most intelligent creatures after humans…” reports the Times Online. Their intelligence has been well documented. What’s new about this reporting is even more confirmation about what kind of intelligence dolphins have. And, for me, the most crucial point:

The researchers argue that their work shows it is morally unacceptable to keep such intelligent animals in amusement parks or to kill them for food or by accident when fishing. Some 300,000 whales, dolphins and porpoises die in this way each year.

And:

The neuroanatomy suggests psychological continuity between humans and dolphins and has profound implications for the ethics of human-dolphin interactions…

And:

The scientific research…suggests that dolphins are ‘non-human persons’ who qualify for moral standing as individuals…

Enough said.

Species are disappearing, have been disappearing at an alarming rate for quite some time now. ScienceDaily reported in October ‘08 that “Earth is in the midst of the sixth mass extinction of both plants and animals, with nearly 50 percent of all species disappearing…”

To find out the current classification of threatened species, visit IUCNRedList.org.

The dolphin news isn’t about extinction, but the ethics of the relationship humans have with Earth’s other lifeforms. Whether we recognize all species as “individuals” or not, as the ones endowed with self-reflection we are being asked to act.

That’s why the United Nations is launching the 2010 International Year of Biodiversity (IYB) on Monday, January 11 with a special celebration in Berlin.

The 2010 IYB is promoting some important messages. First, humans are part of nature’s rich diversity and have the power to protect or destroy it. Second, biodiversity is essential for sustaining the living networks and systems that provide us all with health, wealth, food, fuel and the vital services our lives depend on. Third, human activity is causing the diversity of life on Earth to be lost at a greatly accelerated rate; but we can prevent this loss. And fourth, we have made some achievements to safeguard biodiversity but we need to do much more and we must act urgently.

The fact of the matter is that biodiversity is closely linked to our own survival, if we were to ignore all its other significant aspects and narrowly focus on one alone. Find out more about the International Year of Biodiversity here and here.

You may also take these quotes into your Heart contemplation:

• There is nothing in which the birds differ more from man than the way in which they can build and yet leave a landscape as it was before. –Robert Wilson Lynd
• Only after the last tree has been cut down, only after the last river has been poisoned, only after the last fish has been caught, only then will you find that money cannot be eaten. –Cree Indian Prophecy

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The following came to me around the same time as the message from Bear, previously published.

The Eagle am I soaring the heights. My friend the Mountain also sees what I see. We speak often when I come home after a day’s survey. My survey yields troubling results. I see an erosion of values and priorities. I see humanity dominating but not ruling fairly the family of Life. War and injustice have become the way of humanity, so far have you trodden from the Good Road. You wage war on Nature and your own kind. The being that Great Spirit created with a thumb and ability to reason, has failed its mission and is lost.

I also see that there are wisdom-bearers amongst you. You are a minority but don’t underestimate your influence. You are placed carefully in various spheres of society, bringing the teachings of a higher mind to the affairs of Earth. There are still places where when you look up to the sky it is clear blue and clean. There is, however, a murky layer of misdeeds and suffering that the human eye doesn’t see. It is a collective, unclean energy generated through ages of greed, anger, lust and misuse of power. The wisdom-bearers hold the ballast, the balance and the way out.

Come to my lofty height and take heart, for you are full of courage. This is a time of testing and initiation. The wisdom you hold is to be claimed and your full power returned to you. This is the task of bringing honor back to Life and all its expressions. Those of you who remember honor and share it with yourself and others, it is your time to rise. This you do out of Love.

And The Waters had this to say:

I am the spirit of the Waters of the Earth. Come to me for clarity and for depth. When you are mired in confusion and can’t get below the surface, reach any of my shores. Whether you can get to a lake, ocean, creek or simple canal, visit with me. Gaze at my surface and calm your mind. Watch my sister the Wind dancing across and let me take the troubles out of your heart. I cleanse and renew. I recharge and reestablish flow.

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Recently I reviewed an excellent book on Shintoism on this blog. This is a nature-derived teaching and practice. There’s also quite a bit of environmental and ecological content here.

For the first time I also shared a channeled message two postings ago: The Error of Ways for all of humanity.

There it explains that I’ve been a conscious channel for fifteen years. One way that messages come to me is through interspecies communication. A substantial example of this can be found in The Sainthood of Sequoias.

Spread out over several posts, I’ll be sharing messages I’ve received from the Natural world that started coming in around 2002.

THE BEAR

“I am Bear and I hibernate for long periods of time. You call this meditation. I also love honey. You call this bliss or joy. Many have lost the capacity for joy. There are a great many reasons for killjoy. There are a great many reasons for misery and heartache. I used to have stomping grounds without limit, as did my brethren. My numbers thrived and all was good. But I see that humans hurt more. My medicine is introspection in the cave of my being and this you have forgotten. This you must practice in community again. In every community, every day. Gather those who are rushing, destroying, hoarding, blaming, hating and not listening. Gather them in a group embrace of introspection, a timeout to revision what your society could be.

“Humanity is disconnected. Your thinking is askew. Fear is rampant and decisions create hurt, not laughter or prosperity. Decisions at all levels, communally and globally are decisions based on hoarding wrong power to alleviate fear and gratify shallow goals. Bring those who misstep to the energy or mindfield of nourishment from the real Source. Help the disconnected ones hear the wisdom of their inner being.

“There was once a man who sold his wares. He was a decent man and lived simply. Someone took his business away from him by manufacturing more of what he made by hand and selling it for a lower price. He couldn’t eat. Neither could his family. He felt ashamed and angry. They took his land too and his home. This happened to all his neighbors and they rebelled, naturally. His neighbors went underground and waged battle. But this man went to nature and sought solace there. In the cave of his being he saw another way.

“When he came out of hiding, he waged battle too, but with reform and justice, not weapons and bloodshed. He’d discovered the power to change minds and hearts, first in himself through introspection, then in others, even his onetime enemy. In the end everybody won and his neighbors honored him as did his foe.

“Bring your people under one roof and help them collect themselves. Help them pick up the debris of their being and piece it together again. You will find that this is possible and brings peace.”

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I’ve always been a city-dweller and nature-lover. Not a nature-lover as someone in sandals to be made fun of, but really receiving solace and power from natural spaces. Before my ‘official’ awakening, Nature was my main source of a greater reality. Today, I continue to have deep reverence for her and speak on her behalf on this blog, and in various avenues of activism.

This isn’t about granola. It’s about humanity’s symbiotic relationship with Nature. Nature was here first. Planet Earth is Nature. There was only earth to walk on before cobblestones and later concrete and asphalt. We accept that roads and tall buildings are our normal environment; that’s all we’ve known. But what’s under our feet?

When we’re in a parking lot, our thoughts aren’t about what was there before (a meadow, a stream). Our thoughts are about, “Is she leaving so I can park closer?” When we enter a structure of glass and steel we don’t think, “I wonder if there was a stand of trees here?” We think, “I hope the line isn’t long at the bank.”

We are disconnected from our home. Not the one with a mortgage, but the one that enlivens us and is one of the greatest gifts we’ve ever had the privilege to receive.

Reverence, love and gratitude for Nature has also been part of all the enduring teachings we have had access to throughout history.

In an attempt to get closer to Japanese culture and thinking so that my understanding and passing on of Reiki is enhanced and grounded, I started reading a delightful book:

Shinto Meditations for Revering the Earth by Stuart D. B. Picken.

Shinto is Japan’s native spirituality, born of the earth. It was there before Buddhism and permeates Japanese society even today. It’s a nature-based teaching and practice that is accessible to everyone. I want to share the very clear lens on Nature that’s available through this natural tradition.

In Shinto, observation (kannagara) is the first step. Picken writes:

Look at nature, looking beyond either its beauty or the scars caused by human activity. Ponder anew the mystery of creation, growth, and sustenance, as well as nature’s capacity to to heal and renew. Wonder at the infinity of the cosmos. the myriad of stars and planets, and the unique position of the earth that permits the delicate balance for life to exist. Consciousness of the great flow of the cosmos is awareness of kannagara, the movement of the divine within us and around us. Observation with an open mind helps purify our vision.

There are specific meditations in Shinto which Picken presents as “litanies” that he has written specifically for his book. There’s such truth and inspiration in these passages, and unfortunately I can only quote a few, and excerpts at that.

“In Shinto rituals, earth is the most basic of the elements. Earth is celebrated in all its fairness and beauty and in its power to feed and support life through growth and development.”

Think of how earth was conceived of as a mother and revered for her fertility, her abundant gifts, and her ability to nurture and support life

Shinto took its clues from everything around, which before industrialization was all natural. If it was there in such beauty, power and self-existent, it had to be sacred. Therefore, Shinto is non-conceptual. It’s the spirituality of place. And one of the major elements of Japanese ‘places’ is all the great waterfalls of these islands. Waterfalls are used as misogi, purification.

“Let us think of the waterfall as a concentration of beauty, power, and energy united in endlessly renewing flow”

The Litany of the River includes many truths:

“Identity amid impermanence is what gives a rivers its name

“In the depth and width, the river reminds us of the difficult expanses of life that must be traversed”

Trees are greatly honored. A shimenawa (thick twisted rope) is tied around trunk to show its sacredness.

Trees teach us about growth

They also stand for shelter

They are, like water, living organisms

Ponder the meaning of growth and development

Think of how we know nature through our senses, our eyes, our taste, our sense of smell and touch, our awareness and deep intuitions

Stones, wind and lightening, and fire also have litanies in Shinto Meditations for Revering the Earth, the reading of which alone brings one closer to the natural environment that is still our home, despite pervasive and intrusive technology.

The final litany in the book is dedicated to mountains. From a Reiki perspective it’s revealing to learn that Tendai monks had a discipline called Sen-nichi-kai-ho-gyo: Running 1000 days around the peaks of Mt. Hiei “to extend and enrich the human capacities.”

Think of the idea of ascent for purification and enlightenment to a sacred place for communion with the divine

. . . Think of how it remains unchanged yet changes its mantle with the seasons

Think of it as the home of life, the source of the river, and the shelter from the winds

The way these litanies move you to a new appreciation of our lost connection with Nature is remarkable. The book’s core message is found in these two sections which are repeated in all the litanies:

Our senses have been dulled and dimmed, and we see earth not as the environment of our life, but as a tool to be used

Our senses are blind to its mystery and meaning

Our senses need purification that will enable us to see nature as our teacher and guide

And:

In opening ourselves to nature, in seeking its purification, and in hearing what it has to teach us, may we find enlightenment as we share in the fusion of ourselves with the universe that brings us back to the divine that is within the human

The final question for all of us, as Picken puts it so clearly is: “The worlds of the sociosphere and the biosphere seem very far apart. Can they meet?”

They must meet.

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This is my tribute to Earth Day. It was written in 2001 and has been polished up a little. At the time, I read an article about Giant Sequoias (Sequoiadendron giganteum) and had known very little about these trees until then.

The majesty and uniqueness of Giant Sequoias immediately grabbed my imagination and heart. I was transported to a hypersensitive state of feeling for and communicating with this species, especially the specific tree mentioned. At the time I had no previous interaction with any variety of redwood at all.

It wasn’t until some time later that I was graced with the physical presence of these trees at Muir Woods in Marin County, California (there are some Giant Sequoias there although most are coast redwood, Sequoia sempervirens.)

When I finished reading the article, I immediately sat at my computer and wrote the following. It wasn’t the first or last time that I experienced interspecies communication.

Make sure you read the end part as it has a message for all humanity.

Photo by Kevin Grahame

In 1852, during the California gold rush, a lone hunter was chasing a wounded grizzly bear into the forest, when he stumbled upon the Giant Sequoia redwood trees. That he was chasing a wounded grizzly was not a good start. The sacredness with which Native Americans regard Giant Sequoias, to the point of not even touching them was about to be shattered.

These awesome trees have a lifespan of up to 2000 years, the most ancient being 3300 years old. They have continuously existed since 100 million years ago, outlasting the dinosaurs. The largest stand over 300 feet tall, and their trunk at the base can measure as much as 32 feet in diameter. Their physical presence is undeniable, pointing to a presence of another variety altogether.

The hunter will remain nameless, although his and those of other misguided souls are known. Let’s call him Mr. Hunter. The boss of the gold mine camp can be Mr. Greed.

Mr. Greed seized opportunity at a time when the land was obviously exposing its riches. The land is abundant and provides for humanity’s needs. It was created for us to stand on and to live. Gold. Trees. What a miracle! The land gives freely, but humans aren’t free. Mr. Greed is a profiteer, but we’ll get back to him in a moment.

It’s saddening that Mr. Hunter couldn’t even use the input of his senses to be deeply moved by these trees, let alone have a spiritual perception about their true value. He could’ve gone down in history as one who discovered a natural marvel, an expression of Nature’s creativity. Instead he’s merely prey for my writer’s indignation and horror.

Take a breath! Take a moment and bask in the wonder of such a sight. Take your hat off, sit and experience such majesty. Mr. Hunter, could you have been given a greater opportunity to understand Life?

Can you imagine the moment he stumbled on these ancient ones? Can you feel the silence of these trees and the environment they dominate?

Feel the pristine quality of this place.

The height of this arbor cathedral.

That he was able to find his legs to get back to camp is a small miracle of its own. Not one such tree, but acres and acres, with all other life forms contained and thriving.

Divinity in bark.

Was Mr. Hunter scared? Was he excited? What did he feel? How long did he stay before returning to camp?

Did it ever change him in some fundamental way?

All that’s certain is that camp boss Mr. Greed and everyone else were duly informed and rushed they did to gaze with their own eyes. Of course that would be the only choice.

What words did Mr. Hunter use to describe his discovery?

At the time, no one knew that Giant Sequoias are almost indestructible. Their bark is fire-resistant, strange as that is for wood, and because their root systems spread over nearly an acre of soil, they’re able to survive the most terrible of droughts.

Mr. Greed, unlike Mr. Hunter, was a man of deeper thought, and clearly saw a way to riches by making the site of the discovery a tourist attraction.

Discovery Tree, so aptly named but mistreated, was to be the mascot of these ancient ones at the hands, mercy and intelligence of this band of men. Not having TV or any other technology, Mr. Greed brilliantly decided to take a massive slab of Discovery Tree with him on a traveling freak show as a way to advertise the site.

We have progressed since then, because these majestic trees can now be toppled down in whole acres and the land forced to comply to a profit agenda by something called clear-cutting, but that’s another story.

In Mr. Greed’s time, who lives on in many disguises, there wasn’t any tool strong or long enough to make a dent in Discovery Tree’s fireproof bark.

Think about this: Nature made a tree, a form of wood that has a fire-resistant outermost layer!

Brains were doing overtime and the solution was to hire miners to drill holes with long metal augers as wide as a man’s fist, a workingman’s fist.

After twenty days of drilling, there was a circumference of holes around the tree. Such is humanity’s indomitable spirit, that it just won’t give up!

Remember: 20 days of drilling. Fist size holes. Fireproof bark.

When Mr. Greed’s affluent invited guests came for the crowing victory, Discovery Tree still refused to fall.

It remained standing for another two days.

It chose to make its exit with a dignity befitting Its species and broke the grove’s profound silence one lunchtime when the idly curious were away.

The thunderous shudder of Its fall reverberated across the Earth and millennia, both as a warning and as an announcement of the first Sequoia Saint to ever grace our memory.

Trees, creatures, plants and knowledgeable peoples all over heard it and shared in the silence following such a mighty crash. It was and is a sad moment whose lesson is still haunting modern society.

This story is very much alive today and sadder than ever. Mr. Hunter and Mr. Greed have been replaced by the gaping mouth and endless stomach of consumerism. The Machine has replaced augers.

However, that’s not why I wrote this. I’d like to dwell on Discovery Tree. Who was It? What did It feel? How is It doing now? Continue reading “The Sainthood Of Sequoias” »