THE EXTREME IMPORTANCE OF DAILY SELF-TREATING

Pamela Miles in her book "Reiki-A Comprehensive Guide",  talks a lot about the extreme importance of establishing a self-healing practice daily.  This has caused me to re-examine my own self-practice and how much I need to emphasis this more in my classes.  "Because we are creatures of habit, it helps to have a form to our practice.  We honor the teachers who initiated us into the practice by adopting their form (their hand placement patterns). Practicing as we have been taught protects our investment and allows it to mature with interest.  After all, if we change the practice, how can we be sure we are receiving the full benefits?  Only practice revels the depth of this healing art and develops its mature powers," Pamela Miles - "Reiki-A Comprehensive Guide"

Pamela goes on to say that she will not except a student for Reiki Master training unless they have an established practice of daily self-healing and have worked on many people (in other words have demonstrated that they have made Reiki a number one priority in their lives).  What really blew me away, was her saying that only those who are willing to dedicate their lives to Reiki will she take on as Reiki Masters.  So I got to thinking, have I dedicated my life to Reiki.

When I had an extreme healing crisis several years ago I begun to doubt the efficacy of Reiki.  I had devoted myself to Reiki for years and then had this doubt creeping in as to whether I should continue on with Reiki or give it up. To prove to myself once and for all that Reiki was all it was cracked up to be,  I made a contract with myself to do a full self-treatment every night for a year - if I didn't heal myself in that year, then I would know.  I healed!!!!

I then made a contract with myself to read every book on Reiki I could get my hands on and I have.  And I am still profoundly moved by each new book, like this one.  Always finding something new, and fresh and AH HA in each one,

How Reiki Can Benefit People in Hospitals and Hospice Care

I'm going to be  interviewed on "Reiki Radio" in September, an organization that is centered around nurses and doctors doing Reiki or are thinking about how they can bring it into their practice or situation.  Just so happens that I am reading a wonderful book by Reiki Master Teacher Pamela Miles called "Reiki - A Comprehensive Guide" which is very much about this topic as Pamela does Reiki in many hospital settings, and works with Dr. Oz while he is performing heart surgery.

I am finding out a lot about how Reiki can assist those who are in hospitals or hospice settings for one reason or the other. Here are some examples: 

BREATHING: Reiki changes ones breathing pattern, by shifting it to a freer, more rhythmic and open pattern, even as the treatment begins.  As the treatment progresses, the receiver (person having the Reiki session) falls into  a deep meditative state of relaxation and the breath becomes quieter, similar to what happens when one meditates. Why is this important?  Ancient Yoga texts speak at length of the connection between the breath and the ones mental state .  If your client is dealing with anxiety or stress, they are most likely doing a lot of chest breathing (short rapid upper chest breathing keeps the body in a state of alarm).  So to be able to facilitate a deep pattern of relaxed (probably abdominal) breathing, helps to turn off the fight/flight system and the body can relax, be open and receive the healing energy more readily. There is a whole cascade of healing effects that takes place when one relaxes.

SLEEP:  Disruption of normal sleep patterns is one of the first signs of stress, compromised breathing being one of the first.  It is very common for people receiving Reiki to fall into a deep state of what looks like sleep but is actually a sort of meditative state (what Reiki practitioners call "Reiki slumber) which greatly refreshes both the body and the mind.   I have had people report they don't remember when they have been that relaxed in ages and want to know how they get back to that state more often. The result of being able to "go down with the power" as Carolyn Myss calls it, is that even people with a long history of insomnia report sleeping better the night after their first Reiki treatment or the evening after their first Reiki class.  Pamela says many of her students/clients who had a history of trying many medications to help them sleep, were able to lower their doses or get off their medications altogether after having regular Reiki treatments or doing daily self-treating.

DIGESTION:  The capacity to digest what one ingests is all about how well the body is being nourished.  A compromised digestive systems manifest as all kinds of issues: irritable bowel syndrome, ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, diarrhea, constipation, cramping, bloating, nausea, etc.  The body's response in this area to Reiki can be very noisy.  It is quite common for the receiver and the practitioner to experience a lot of abdominal rumbling and growling noises, clinically called borborgymis (we call it belly music) during a Reiki session, a clear sign that the body is responding and normalizing! Improvement in digestion shows up in many ways - return of appetite, being attracted to healthier foods or enjoying meal preparation more, return to normal bowel function even after years of issues, and abatement of IBS and Crohn's symptoms.

So you can see how bringing Reiki into the mix in clinical settings is "win win" for all involved!

How Do You Explain Reiki to Someone Whose Never Heard Of It?

I started reading a new book (for me) on Reiki and it occurred to me how interesting it was that each author or practitioner of Reiki described what Reiki is just a little bit differently. So, I thought it would make a good topic for a newsletter or blog post.

So, when you meet with new clients, or you are trying to explain Reiki to family members or new friends, do you stumble over your words, trying to find just the right way to tell this particular person all about your greatest passion? Or are you very well versed on the subject and can just shoot our your spiel at the drop of a hat, no problem?

Here are some of the most common questions people ask me about Reiki:  Is Reiki connected to any religion?  Do I have to believe in it for it to work?  Do I have to take off my clothes like for a massage?  Is it like a massage? Where does the energy come from?  How many Reiki sessions do I have to have before I am cured?  Can Reiki heal my problem?  What kinds of issues can Reiki heal?  And so on and so on.

Do you know the answers to these kinds of questions?  If not, where would you go to find out the answers? A book, ask your teacher, look it up on Google?

So to back it up a bit, many years ago, I made a contract with myself to read every book I could get my hands on about Reiki - I'm on like almost 60 right now.  I wanted to know EVERYTHING I could about Reiki - EVERYTHING!

Let me be the first to tell you, THERE IS A LOT OF CONFUSING AND OPPOSING views out there about it it all.  A lot of books do overlap and generally speaking, everyone nowadays is up to speed with the real story of the origins of Reiki and it's founder Mikao Usui, not the fabricated Christian one.  But there is still of a lot of stuff out there that is just plain bunk.

So do your research!  Read lots of Reiki books, check out lots of Reiki websites, join a couple of Facebook or Yahoo Reiki Groups and ask a lot of questions.  Ultimately though, Reiki will be your teacher.  Doing Reiki,  receiving Reiki,  and especially teaching Reiki, will answer all your questions, eventually.

Why is One Session so Different From Another

Usually, I'm brimming over with ideas for the newsletter. This week, I sort of spaced and forgot and passed the deadline, sorry. I think it is about summer and trying to pack it all in before it is inevitable gone again till the next year. 

One thing that has been on my mind lately though is how incredible different one persons sessions are from another persons.   Case in point, a new client I am working with has tons of stuff going on - Reiki is flowing out in a river, she is having block releases, twitching, seeing visions, and colors, and I'm sweating bullets at times and rocking, and swaying to beat the band. Then two other clients sessions I did within a short span of the first, are just the opposite. Not much energy being pulled, little or no twitches (releases of tension), or heat, no block releases, and one of them is awake and fidgety, while the other is out like a light the entire time.   So why the big difference?

Someone who doesn't understand that a Reiki Practitioner is just a channel, a conduit for the energy and is not themselves, responsible for anything that goes on during the session (does any healing) would be thinking that it is obviously them, that somehow they are doing something wrong. So ego could jump in here and say, "You weren't on your game". But nothing could not be further from the truth.

The person who is having the session is totally responsible for how much or how little healing takes place during a Reiki session - that's it. If nothing happens or very little, they are blocking the energy, they don't really want to heal or clear blocks, or whatever else they could experience if they were open and willing to heal.

More Methods for Clearing The Energy In Your Space - Using the CKR and Etheric Enhancement

In my last newsletter, I discussed the importance of clearing your space - whether it be just for your personal benefit or your family/friends, or in your healing space or office before and after clients.   I also mentioned that a friend had given me the advise to open the window and pull up the shade and let the light and fresh air into my healing space. Again, I can't stress highly enough the importance of doing this. Since my conversation with her, I started doing this daily and playing a tape called "Etheric Enhancement" (from Billy Topa Tate', my first Reiki Master Teacher in Evanston, IL of the Mystical Sciences Institute) in my healing space before and after every session or class I do in it. I was amazed to notice a shift in the amount of Reiki flowing during sessions that I performed afterwards.  Seriously!  There was a noticeable shift of a greater flow of energy after I began doing this and also changing up what symbols I used and how I used them in my healing space before and after a session, Reiki Share or class to clear the space.   In my Reiki Level II Manual, I give my students a method to clear the space using just the CKR (power symbol).   Since I became Karuna Reiki, I had been using a Karuna Reiki method (using Karuna Symbols in the corners of the room, on the walls, ceiling and floor).   Having done several Reiki Level II classes in a row recently, I realized that I had not used this Usui Reiki method (using the CKR) to clear the room in a long time, so I decided to go back to doing that and see if there was a difference. I have provided a pic of the Cho Ku Rei for you, both CW and CCW. There is a some controversy in the Reiki world as to which one is the power symbol - Mrs. Takata taught that the CCW CKR is the one that amps up or focuses the power of Reiki, but my second Reiki Master Teacher taught that it was the CW one and that the CCW one pulled negativity out of the area where it was being used.   I've experimented with both and am still not sure, so I just use them both.  Begin by drawing  them in the air in front of you, always saying their names 3 times at the appropriate place - when drawing the spiral - while visualizing them in your mind all at the same time. Draw either one (or both) into all the corners of the room, moving in a CCW direction and then on all the walls of the room.  Next draw them on the ceiling and then on the floor.  Draw them VERY big!   Then stand in the center of the room, bring your arms up and take them out to your sides, palms up and connect to Reiki.  Intend that Reiki is flowing out of your hands as white light and filling up the entire room/area with white light . You could intend that the white light transforms or removes any dirty, dark, heavy or stagnant energy.  Stand there this way, running the energy until you feel complete with the process. If you are not Reiki you cannot perform this technique - only those who have been connected to Reiki in a sacred ceremony we call an attunement can utilize the symbols, sorry.  You can, however, purchase the Etheric Enhancement CD and use that. In the picture above the woman's hands are wrist to wrist - take your hands out to your sides at shoulder level.

Here is the description of the Ethertic Enhancement CD/Tape I and Billy's website - http://msi-healing.com/ Why I created Etheric Enhancement many years ago, during a morning meditation, it came it me that many areas, homes, offices, and other living spaces are exposed to many different energies.   some of these energies are restrictive, stagnate, negative,  and many other congestive energies.   also,  our homes are a sacred place to rejuvenate and refresh ourselves.   we recorded this wonderful recording of all the Arch Angels because the names of the Arch Angels  carry a beautiful vibration of healing, wholeness and angelic qualities which helps transform any area into these qualities.   How it Works – How to Apply its Benefits the vibration of the Arch Angels names have a beautiful vibration of healing, wholeness and angelic qualities.     we use it in our office at the end of the day to clear the energy and start fresh in the morning.  when we walk into the office in the morning it feels fresh and up lifting.   use in your house daily while everyone is gone so when you return the house feels clear and up lifting use in your office at a very low volume so no one will hear it,  however, even though no one can hear it – it is actually clearing and empowering your office.   perfect for personal office space, especially if there are intense energies in the office use in your car, boat, or any transportation vehicle to clear the area of stagnation or intense emotional energy from people or situations use to clear and balance your energy field by listening to the Etheric Enhancement recording for a few minutes while your teenagers are at school, play this recording in their room and then turn it off before they come home so they can feel up lifted and empowered in their rooms after cleaning house, play the Etheric Enhancement recording for approximately an hour to further cleanse the house energetically           '

Replenish Your Energy and Clean your Energyfield and Space Daily

I cannot stress more highly the importance of keeping your body/energy field, sacred healing space and home clear of stagnant, dirty energy on a daily basis.  I thought i was doing a pretty good job with this until I ran into several very highly intuitive people in the know. I was lovely given a ton of new ways/information around this issue and would like to share some of them with you here.

One of the first very simple things you can do is open the windows and let in some fresh air and light!   In your healing space especially. YES that simple! 

We are told in Reiki classes to always run cold water over our hands after a healing session (even up to your elbows) but that assumes that we are in an area where a water basin is accessible to us. What if it isn't?   Then do Kenyoku or Dry Brushing.. This is a Japanese Buddhist technique for clearing your energyfield quickly.  Do it before and after any kind of healing session, when you've been in a crowd, in an argument with someone or been in traffic that felt dangerous and scary.  Or use it anytime you feel you need to clear yourself.

You can sage or smudge yourself and your space/home with sacred sage and a feather. Use a set of Tibetan Tingchas or a singing bowl to clear the energy in your space or use specially formulated room clearing sprays (see pic to the far left).  Try sandalwood incense in place of sage. 

Do things like practice T'ai Chi Chuan, Qigong or Yoga to bring in more universal life force energy into your field/body daily.

To clear your mind, meditate.  I recently read that meditating is like defragging the mind.   It clears out all the clutter - think of it as hitting the delete button on your computer to remove all the spam messages!

KENYOKYU is a method used to rid the body/aura of negative energy, similar to Taoist massage.  
 
Sit in a chair, feet firmly planted on the ground, sit up straight. Place hands in the gassho or prayer position (thumbs touching sternum, elbows out to the side.) Mentally say, “I practice Kenyoku now”.  Focus inward and take a few long deep breaths to center and ground yourself.  Place your right hand on your left shoulder, take in a breath and as you exhale stroke your hand down the front of the body to your right hip in a straight line.  Make sure you bring the hand over the sternum and that the hand is flat.  Repeat on the other side – left hand right shoulder, etc., and end by repeating the brushing technique once more on the left side (right hand to left shoulder)
 
Now extend your left arm straight out in front of you, place your right hand on the top of the left shoulder, inhale and brush down the entire arm past the fingers as you exhale. Repeat on the right arm and repeat on the left arm one more time.
 
When you are complete with the process, bring your hands into gassho/prayer position once more over the heart and mentally say” I am now complete with the Kenyoku process” Take a few moments before standing up and then go about your day.
 
This process can also be used at the beginning and end of a Reiki session or Reiki sending
to break the connection between you and the receiver or the person/persons you have sent
Reiki to.   

I'll be sharing more techniques with you in my post - stay tuned!




     

RECEIVING INTUITIVE GUIDANCE DURING A REIKI SESSION - TO SHARE OR NOT TO SHARE

I recently read an article in a Reiki publication that angered,saddened and disgusted me.  The author was a pretty big name in the Reiki world and what she said was so counter to what I know in my heart and soul to be the truth about those of us who are gifted/talented in this way, whatever you want to call it, with the ability to receive messages or guidance during Reiki sessions. I'm going to tell you my story.  Many of you already know it, but I feel that it deserves and needs to be told AGAIN!   I had a few instances in my younger days that, as I look back, that  I now see as hints of what was to come, but like so many, I wasn't paying attention.  When I became Reiki in 2004, while doing the fun, "hands on" part of the class, the first person I worked on was complaining of back pain.  She  laid down on the table on her tummy and as soon as I touched her, I had a vision/knowing of a fall she took from a ladder.  So I asked her "did you fall off a ladder"?  She turned around to face me quickly and asked me how the heck did I know that -  she'd fallen off a step ladder and that is when the pain started.   I don't know - I just did.  I also began to see the colors of the energy coming in (behind my closed eyes) while I channeled Reiki.  Something was really up here!  I was suddenly clairvoyant, clair audient and clair sentient. I continued to have more magical experiences as I worked on some friends in my home, seeing amazing visions, and even seeing a ghost in my house.  I thought at the time, that this was just all part and parcel of being Reiki, and never gave it second thought that I what I was experiencing was different from anyone else's Reiki experience.  I later found out this is not the case. When we were forced to move to Wisconsin in 2005 because our house was inundated with toxic mold, I found a Reiki teacher immediately and started training to become a Reiki Master Teacher. I was told by this person that I should keep my mouth shut about my "psychic abilities"  that I could harm myself and others, and it was not a part of Reiki.  I struggled with this for years and the messages kept coming, and eventually I was even receiving messages from the dead. Then I read Amy Rowland's book "Intuitive Reiki For Our Times" and everything changed. I cried and cried when I read about Amy's experiences as a Reiki Master Teacher. She was having the same experiences I was and more. I felt so freed, so understood, so relieved.  I emailed Amy and told her, and we wrote back and forth a few times. Thank God that she wrote that book - it told me all I needed to hear. Hearing intuitive (psychic) information/guidance when you are doing Reiki IS a part of Reiki and IS as natural and normal as breathing, if you came in this lifetime with this gift/ability. IT IS!!! Shine your light tell the world, and shout it to the rooftops!   There are two caveats however. Number one - be discerning!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Even the most highly recognized and celebrated psychics in the world today (Lisa Williams, James Van Praagh, John Edward for example) will be the first to tell you that they cannot EVER guarantee ALL the information they receive is 100% accurate.  So if you receive information when you are in session with someone doing Reiki, what do you do with it?  Weigh it in your mind, is it positive? Will it scare the person you've got it for?  Will they be open to receiving it?  Does it feel "right" to you? AND ask their permission before the session to share what you receive!  Tell them what you are capable of and ask them, "Do you want to hear all or just some of the intuitive messages I may pick up while doing your Reiki session?"  If you talk to dead people, MAKE THAT CLEAR!    Some people may not be at all interested in hearing anything and some people will be wanting till the end of the  the session, so that you can tell them what you received. The second caveat is not to get a big head about it.  Yes you have a gift/ability but stay out of EGO about it.  Let the world know yes, but be humble also.  I have found over the years, that whether I receive or do not receive information about my client is not up to me also.  Just like how much or how little healing and releasing takes place during a Reiki session is all controlled by the person receiving the session, so is the intuitive information.   If the person is closed off to this, I get nothing.  If they are open and trusting, and genuinely wanting to receive guidance or messages from their crossed over loved ones, or who their power animal or guardian angel is, or what emotion was stuck in whatever particular part of their body I was working working on, they will.   I also feel that if they are gifted with these abilities, it increases the chances of my receiving information.  So just like the power of the Reiki energy is exponentially increased by the number of Reiki Practitioners working on you at once, I feel it is the same with the "psychic"energy (if you will).  I am much more likely to receive information if my client is also psychic/intuitive, and the more they are gifted, the more I will hear,see and know.       '