02/26/2010

Reiki outside the box

Often there’s a tendency to know a particular practice one way. A habit is formed, albeit a good one, you get comfortable, it works for you and you stick to that routine, to the idea of what the practice is and can bring.

Authentic practices are limitless, however. For instance, since Reiki is of life, it can illuminate any area of life. Here’s one perspective on Reiki, mainly from a ‘relationship’ point of view, both with oneself and others.

1) Reiki helps you see the essence of yourself and others: On an everyday, surface level when we interact with another person, we see a limited picture of that person and often miss the real person who’s under the surface.

In such a narrow view we can easily judge and evaluate a person unfairly. It’s easier to be irritated or annoyed by an interaction and let that irritation escalate. This doesn’t mean that there was absolutely no cause for the annoyance. It simply means that we can look deeper.

We’re all imperfect. As a dedicated Reiki practitioner, we begin to know and feel that beneath imperfection is a lovable, bright being. In the self-practice of Reiki this knowing is what leads to radical healings for all parts of us. This then leads to personal growth, which then leads to spiritual evolution.

And it changes the way we view others. We stop relating to others at the level of their mask and drama, and start appreciating their essential being.

2) Reiki is integrated with life, not locked up in the intellect: As spiritual practitioners we get into mind games sometimes that revolve around hierarchy and what’s worthy of our attention and time.

This leads to a disconnect from life, whereas spiritual practices are meant to make life richer, more vibrant and available.

When our practice is relegated to an intellectual exercise, its gift is almost entirely missed. And when we approach people only from a cold, intellectual place, their gifts are also missed.

Reiki is life. Reiki isn’t relegated only to the sublime. All the messiness of life and our psyche are valid subjects for Reiki to address. In fact we need this so much.

3) Reiki hears you without filters: In Reiki we listen to others and ourselves, truly listen and hear. Reiki properly assimilated removes our filters of impatience, elitism, I’m-better-than; or self-deprecation and denial.

And this listening again reveals essence. The only filter that may be present is compassion in its universal form, so we listen past the soap opera and feel who is in there in that body and mind.

This depth of hearing someone else or ourselves is healing in an abiding way.

4) Reiki allows while you grow to your next tier: Everyone grows at their own pace. In this growth a certain amount of allowing is necessary. This isn’t the excusing, procrastinating or enabling kind of allowing, but one that derives from wisdom.

Wisdom says that two people are unlike in their trajectory, but the same in essence. We have to have the wisdom to let others grow in their own unique timing.

This doesn’t mean we have to tolerate their every behavior or not nudge at times. It simply means we don’t get carried away by the thought that we’ve already crossed this bridge, so hurry up.

5) Reiki helps you suspend judgment and levels personalities: The playing field of life is even. We all have our comeuppance. Not having judgment comes from the recognition that life honors all.

Suspension of judgment is a form of wise and compassionate allowing. It allows the other person their timing and dignity.

We’re all on equal footing. Our task is to enlighten the darkness, personally and collectively.

Personality conflicts come from using the other person as a yardstick of how much you’ve grown, instead of resting in the security of knowing yourself.

All this and more is available with the sincere practice of Reiki with an open heart.

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02/21/2010

Boosting immunity with Reiki

The immune system consists of about a trillion cells called lymphocytes and about a hundred million trillion molecules called antibodies.

This complex system patrols and guards the body against attackers from without and within, regulating susceptibility to cancers, infectious diseases, allergies, and autoimmune disorders. The organs of the immune system include the bone marrow, thymus, lymph nodes, spleen, tonsils, appendix and certain tissues in the small intestine (Peyer’s patches). These are known as the lymphoid organs as they are involved with the development and deployment of lymphocytes, the white blood cells that are crucial to the healthy functioning of the immune system.

Today there are multiple “stressors” that negatively affect the immune system: age, virusesn and bacteria, drugs and certain medical therapies, allergies, autoimmune disorders, malignancies, immunodeficiencies, environmental toxins, and even thoughts and emotions.

In a normally functioning immune system, cells that are destined to become lymphocytes are produced in the bone marrow. There are two major classes: T cells processed in the thymus, and B cells which mature outside of the thymus. T cells act as messengers and destroyers against pathogens. B cells secrete antibodies that match a specific invading antigen. In addition there are granulocytes, macrophages and monocytes, all capable of enveloping and destroying invaders. There’s also a strong connection between the immune system and the brain hormonally and chemically, as well as psychosocially.

Using Reiki to boost immunity is a natural and holistic way to energetically stimulate the immune system. Fresh supplies of vital life energy are provided to all major organs of the immune system in high concentrations. This creates a balancing action which is deeply restorative and supportive to the immune system, regenerating it to function at optimal capacity. The immune system is revived and all of its components once again communicate and work as they were originally designed.

To strengthen and balance the immune system with Reiki concentrate on these areas:

  • The brain as the focal point of all bodily organization.
  • The thymus as the master gland of the immune system.
  • Long bones of the arms and legs as sites of the bone marrow.
  • White cell producers: lymph nodes, spleen, tonsils and small intestine.
  • The blood as there are inactive proteins there which act as immune system’s complement system.
  • The skin as a primary boundary, together with the eyes, nose and mouth as entry points.
  • Guided imagery to enhance stimulation, if needed.

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02/05/2010

Healing, peace and community…

I’ve been thinking about healing:

  • Healing is a big picture event. Details change when you stay the course.
  • You can’t heal what you don’t know about. The courage to be aware is primary.
  • Healing isn’t a cure as a cure is in time/space, whereas healing is abiding.
  • Symptoms are signposts from the soul as to what you need to heal.
  • Symptoms are data in time. Healing takes place at a meta level.
  • Healing is a return to your source code.
  • Healing never happens in a vacuum. You have to show up.
  • To heal is a mindset and lifestyle, not a tool you pull out only at the time of need.
  • When you come to healing with willingness, you’re lifted up and kissed by the light.
  • Welcome the light that comes in healing, give it a station in your life and it will stay.
  • Once you start unraveling your suffering, healing gently rolls through your life again and again like a ball of yarn.
  • The healed is hiding in the unhealed.

And community:

  • Community is inside as well as outside. Community is a state of mind.
  • What is good for us is good for the community. To protect our own is to protect the community.

And peace:

  • Peace appears when we emphasize similarities
  • Peace appears when we honor natural variety.
  • Peace appears when we realize that everyone seeks the love we seek.
  • Peace is seen in the web of life when we tell our fear to grow up!
  • Peace arises from where it lives within when we silence enough to notice.
  • Listen to the peace whispered by the breeze in the leaves.
  • Morning dew simply appears, silently. Peace is the same way. Make space for it.

What do you think?

01/22/2010

Reiki Stories Project

Reiki Stories ProjectOnce again, it’s time for a Reiki story. This one is from another practitioner I trained and describes the experiences that occurred in the 21 days immediately following completion of Shoden (Level I) Reiki. There’s much to savor here even though it’s only an excerpt of everything reported.

Click here to find out more about Reiki Training, and make sure you listen to the Reiki Primer audio.

If you take some time to read the previous entries in this category, you’ll see that I place a significant emphasis on “story.” Pages and pages can be written about the features and benefits of Reiki, but when someone relates their own practice and use, Reiki becomes real and alive. Nothing says it better.

Reiki Stories ProjectSM (RSP) is open to anyone who wants to share. Please submit your story to me from the link in “contact” above. For the time being stories are being published with only first and last initials and your location. I may lightly edit your submission.

I cannot describe how good I feel about myself for taking this important step to become a channel for the healing light to come into my daughter’s life. I practice Reiki on her almost every night. Her health and well being have improved greatly.

There was one night I left my daughter with my mother, while my husband and I were running some errands. She had a mild cold that was under control with Reiki. Suddenly, my mom calls me saying the fever has spiked to 104 degrees and that it didn’t go down even after a double dose of Tylenol. I rushed to my mother’s house and saw my daughter delirious. I took her to the hospital immediately. At the hospital her temperature was even worse, 105 degrees. They gave her another dose of Motrin and the nurse kept coming back to check her but nothing…nothing was working.

So I calmed myself down, focused and centered myself. It was hard because I was nervous but ended up calming down and practicing Reiki on her. A few minutes after I started her fever dropped down to 103 and half an hour later the fever was gone.

The doctor ordered x-rays that night and she was diagnosed with pneumonia in early stages. She was released the same day without fever. The next day she was miraculously healed. Yes, she had a little congestion but no fever, and she was in good spirits all happy and jumping! I continued giving her Reiki at night along with the medicine the doctor prescribed and now she is better than ever.

I have used Reiki in my house. I did a deep cleansing that took me about an hour and a half. I felt the corners charged with stubborn energy and the closets were full of still energy. After the cleansing, a harmonious atmosphere settled in my house. Now it’s easier for me and my husband to relax and we don’t get angry, depressed or drained when we get home after work. The same everyday issues might still be there but our attitude has changed. Things are better between us and we are in a better mood to take care of our 2 year old daughter.

A few days after I cleansed my office, I received very nice compliments from bosses and other professional consultants. They were saying how professional, competent and thorough I am at work and that it is a real pleasure to work with me. I am receiving more responsibility now and getting ready for a possible promotion in the near future. I am excited about this new opportunity.

Also, Reiki might have found its way and touched my best friend, who used to work in the office right next to mine. He had been talking about opening his own business for about a year and I noticed that right after the cleansing he decided to quit his job and start his own small business. Yes, one day he just woke up and decided to never come back to the office again. We are still friends and I am very happy that he finally made up his mind.

–P.V., Coral Springs, Florida

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01/15/2010

Haiti: Getting to the root

Haiti EarthquakeWhether 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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09/24/2009

Reiki Stories Project

In 15 years of teaching Reiki, time after time it’s practitioners and receivers of Reiki who show and tell the most illuminating aspects of Reiki. Sharing Reiki stories is an amazing learning and validating experience. It deepens this path.

With this in mind, I started the Reiki Stories ProjectSM (RSP). I’m curating these stories. This project started back in June with two remarkable stories of Reiki working in human lives.

Then came yet another eye-opening testimonial, this time showing oxygen saturation increasing during Reiki on a hospital monitor. The Reiki Stories Project is open to everyone who has a story to add. You may email it to me or leave it in comments below.

Please make sure you read the previous entries in this series.

Reiki Stories ProjectLast Friday, a woman I work with was hit by a forklift. The driver spun around very fast & didn’t see my co-worker standing there. The fork lift blades hit her foot and knocked her over. Her shoe strap broke, thank God, so her foot flew out of the shoe. The shoe was stuck under one of the blades and could not be pulled out without lifting up the blades. Needless to say, she limped away from what could’ve been a fatal accident.

All I wanted to do was get my hands on her foot, but there were too many people around her. I gave her Reiki with my eyes. Fortunately, when she returned from the hospital, I heard her in the supervisor’s office. I went in and saw her trying to hold her foot up while filling out paperwork.

I went in, put my hands under her foot to keep it elevated and began giving her Reiki. Then, I moved one hand to the back of her knee for support. I didn’t tell her what I was doing. Her body started to relax and her eyes closed slightly. Then, she said, “Your hands feel so soothing. You know, I should probably do one of those Reiki sessions with you.”

“Hahaha! We are doing one right now (I thought to myself).” Anyway, I haven’t seen her until this morning. I asked how she was doing and she said, with a big smile, “Great!” she said, “Listen, I have to tell you something. I always bruise. Anytime I hit something, I bruise. I’ve been watching and waiting for my foot to turn colors. Remember how swollen it was? My family can’t believe it. No bruise! It’s fine. I can’t believe it.”

–C.C., Miami, Florida

08/12/2009

Reiki Stories Project

Reiki Stories ProjectI’m curating Reiki stories. This project started back in June with two remarkable stories of Reiki working in human lives. The Reiki Stories Project is open to everyone who has a story to add. You may email it to me or leave in comments below. Please make sure you read the previous two stories and why it’s important that we document such experiences.

Today, I received a proof positive type of story from a brand new Level I practitioner I trained only 2 weeks ago:

“I want to share with you what has happened recently. My Mother is in the hospital and she was on a machine that measures oxygen intake and when the number falls below 90 it beeps and flashes a red alert. The nurse said that if it stays below 90 and especially if it gets into the 70-75 range and stays there it is not good, and they would have to intervene with other maybe drastic measures.

I was in the room when the alert sounded and it stayed like that for almost 7 minutes, and the nurse was concerned. I then placed my hands on her chest and tried to stay very neutral and remembered what you said about not doing anything and just let it flow.

At first nothing happened and I just kept doing it without expecting anything. After maybe 2 minutes the machine stopped beeping and the count went over 90 and stayed like that.

When I took my hands off it went back down, and when I put my hands on her again the count went to 98 and stayed there even after I took my hands away.

I know it was Reiki and I felt the energy flowing and I just kept trying not to have any conscious thought that I was doing anything, even though it was an amazing thing to see and I was very thrilled.

My Mother felt better and I have been doing that everyday. When I placed my hands on her she let go of all tension and I felt it leave her whole body like she was exhaling all stress and tension. This was the most amazing feeling to be a part of and I had never experienced this before and I was just stunned! Wow!…

I am so grateful to have found Reiki and I want to thank you for your guidance and introducing me to this beautiful Reiki.”

Blessed be!

What has Reiki shown you of itself?