Like many
other Reiki students I had a great enthusiasm for sharing Reiki with others in
the first months after my first degree class.
It should therefore be no surprise that when I received a phone call asking
if I would be interested in attending a second degree Reiki class in May I said
yes at once.
Even the cost
(which was considerably more that first degree) was not enough to put me off! I had
certainly been doing lots of practice, mostly on others. However in retrospect I think it might have been
better if I had waited a bit longer and had more time to get to know Reiki
through simple hands on practice, including self treatment, before moving
on.
After I
became a master, I heard Phyllis Furumoto talk about timing in Usui Shiki
Ryoho. She recommended encouraging
students to wait at least 3 months and preferably a year before taking second
degree. I’ve always asked my students to
wait at least 3 months, but now I encourage them to wait longer. I have seen how much more people gain from this
next step in their Reiki practice when they have had more time to experience
Reiki and wait for a real calling to go further.
Back in 1989
I was not so good at living in the flow of life. I would either resist or push forwards, often
resulting in bad timing. One of Reiki’s
gifts has been to show me how to join the flow, which often means slowing down,
trusting the process and enjoying the journey instead of always feeling I have
to rush ahead.
As a result
of doing second degree so quickly, it took me quite a long time to really
appreciate its potential. I taught
second degree classes and passed on the necessary knowledge, but I would say
that my second degree teaching is much better now, because I have a deeper
understanding based on experience. This
understanding continues to deepen as I use second degree in my treatments and
in my life.
I now
understand that second degree is not just about being able to give Reiki treatment
to a person at a distance. It is a way
to achieve a deeper level of healing because it offers the potential to reach the
mind, emotions and spirit more easily and effectively. Accessing these unseen aspects we have the
potential to heal the root cause of suffering.
We are also
no longer limited by the size of our hands; second degree enables us to reach further:
to relationships, groups of people, situations and more. Whatever we can imagine we can send Reiki
to! I have used second degree Reiki to
help make difficult decisions and seen it untangle what seem to be impossible
situations. We have used it to guide us
forwards in The Reiki Association and Reiki Council. It’s been a great benefit in my life and,
even if it was perhaps a bit premature, I’m very grateful for that phone call
inviting me to join the class!
