Thursday 1 September 2016

Being Together in Person



Reiki Master Rick Bockner - the last master initiated by Sensei Takata

Listening to Rick Bockner's talk at The Reiki Association gathering in May I was struck by a comment he made about Oral Tradition.  This is one of the Nine Elements of Usui Shiki Ryoho and refers to the way teaching is offered in person rather than through distant learning or books.  What Rick pointed out is that it also refers to making the effort to be together in person.

In the past few years I have participated in many meetings with Reiki people around the world through the internet, where we are able to talk in real time and sometimes see each other (there's often not enough bandwidth for us all to activate our cameras at the same time!).   This is a great improvement on communicating via email, but when I attended the Association Gathering I noticed how wonderful it is to actually meet people in person!  I was grateful that Rick and everyone there had made the effort.

While modern technology does allow a part of the energy of a person to be transmitted over the airwaves, it's not the same as being in physical presence with them.  There are subtleties of communication that we read instinctively when we are with someone, but also I feel there is energetic presence that goes beyond that.

I've also found that a group of people who meet together create an energetic field - something I've often experienced in Reiki Sharing groups.  Even though not a word is spoken while we treat each other, we enter into a deeper connection with each other and ourselves.  This connection is comforting and supportive, so that we leave feeling better, more able to cope with the vicissitudes of life.

So if you're wondering why I'm planning to travel all the way to Almaty in Kazakhstan to attend the Office of Grandmaster (OGM) Retreat, it's because I feel called to be there in physical presence, to meet other Reiki students and share in the energetic field that will be created by this gathering.  Of course I'm also  feeling somewhat daunted by the idea of travelling so far, but I'm receiving wonderful support for this journey and I'm willing to make the effort!

I've often made long journeys for various Reiki meetings - usually in the UK, but also to the USA and Australia.  I'm happy to travel because I know from experience that being there in person can be important.  Perhaps that's why I was required to appear in person rather than by remote link when giving evidence recently to the Crown court.

While it is possible to give Reiki treatments from a distance, there is a story of Sensei Takata taking a long and arduous journey that involved various forms of transport to give someone Reiki treatment.  When asked why she didn't just send Reiki distantly she responded that Reiki in physical presence is always preferable when possible.  So I encourage you to take every opportunity to be physically present in a Reiki energy field whenever you can.  After all Reiki is a way to bring non-physical energy into the physical world, so to receive it we need to be physically present!