Deep Peace

 Recently I helped to host The Reiki Association’s Global Reiki Lights Festival which this year was, of course, online.  We spent a lot of the time together in silence and I was touched by how many people commented on the sense of connection and community even though we were physically far apart. 

Reiki, in these moments of stillness and quiet, gave us this connection.

For many, this Christmas has the potential to be quieter because there will not be the usual large social and family gatherings.   Although some will find this sad, others may find it a relief.  It offers time for quiet rest without expectations from the outside world.

It has been the still, quiet times that have helped me get through the past year, with all its challenges.  My daily walks in Nature, the meditative quality of sending distant Reiki treatments, the restful times receiving Reiki through distant treatment or self-healing have all been times that helped bring calm in spite of the inevitable stress resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Some nights, especially during the first lockdown, I was unable to sleep or disturbed by vivid dreams which left me feeling tired and anxious.  After making a conscious and deliberate effort to relax and re-connect with my inner peace, sleep came more easily and was restful, giving me more energy to offer my support to others.  In those quiet times I also found it easier to accept the difficult changes and restrictions placed on life by the pandemic.

Recognising this reminded me of the first time I received a full Reiki treatment shortly after my father’s death.  His death was unexpected, so – like Covid – was a shock.  It was the first major loss in my life and I felt overwhelmed by the emotions of grief.  I experienced the classic denial, depression and anxiety – just as many have during this past year.  The peace of mind that I experienced as a result of that first Reiki treatment was also completely unexpected and felt miraculous.  After weeks of agitation and lack of sleep, I felt relaxed and calm.  The fact that I experienced the same peace through the treatments week after week amazed me even more and helped me to move through the grieving process to acceptance and emerge stronger and with a lasting passion for Reiki!  

It reminded me of an experience of deep peace I had as a child one Christmas.  I was walking home from school, where we had been making Christmas decorations, and it was cold and frosty.  I was looking at the sparkle of the frost on the pavement and was filled with joy.  It was not an easy time in my family, my parents having just separated, and yet here was a sense of peace that helped me to feel that all would be well.

This quality of peace of mind, of relaxation and joy even in the midst of difficulties, of comfort and a feeling of safety, is something that is not unique to Reiki.  It is most often experienced through spiritual practice of some kind, but Reiki practice is the easiest and fastest way to access it I know, so I am grateful to have discovered it!

Christmas is a time when thoughts often turn peace on earth – even the First World War was paused at Christmas.  Some difficulties cannot be paused, however much we might wish them to be.  In those circumstances we need something to remind us that peace and joy are always with us if we can relax, be still and listen inwardly.  Offering kindness to others is another way to experience these peaceful feelings and this year has offered many opportunities for many small but significant acts of kindness and comfort in support of our neighbours and wider community.

If you have experienced grief and loss this year, I wish you peace this Christmas and may the New Year bring healing and joy.

The Reiki Principles In Challenging Times

The Reiki Principles, which you can ponder whether or not you are initiated into Reiki, were   developed by Mikao Usui to encourage us to become more conscious in our thinking to extend the practice of Reiki beyond a simple hands-on healing technique. I find they are particularly helpful during challenging times such as the one we are currently experiencing.  

Just for today do not worry – When I worry, I find that it separates me from other people.  Lost in my own thoughts and feelings, I am less aware of what is going on around me.  I don’t notice the needs of others because I am so preoccupied with my own inner drama.  So this invitation to let go of my worry just for today is a useful practice that helps me to re-connect with those around me and often this leads to me offering or receiving the support that’s needed. 

Just for today do not anger – Being in a state of anger also separates me from other people.  I am in opposition, ready to fight.  This is a normal response to stress, but not a state that helps me feel good.  I experience temporary release of my feelings by having good shout or bashing a pillow, but what transforms it into better feelings is acceptance.  When I accept what is ‘just so’, I re-connect with reality and my kinder self, which is much more effective at creating change.  The changes I make may only be very small and might not be what I wanted to happen when I became angry, but I can feel less helpless when I start to do something, especially if it is some kindness for another person.

Honour your parents, teachers and elders – I have been fortunate to be able to stay in close contact with my mother during the lockdowns.  Many people have found themselves unexpectedly separated from parents and grandparents during the pandemic.  Teachers have also been separated from their students.  Many people have found creative new ways to connect with loved ones and students.  Perhaps we are all more aware of how we honour our parents, teachers and elders by remaining connected with them in whatever way we can.

Earn your living honestly – Not being able to teach in person raised the question of whether I would teach 1^st and 2^nd degree classes online.  For me this would not be earning my living honestly, because the way I teach Reiki is in the Oral Tradition and giving initiations without being physically present with the student is not in integrity with this.  However, I have discovered new ways to connect with people who have already learned Reiki via the internet.  I’ve discovered there are different ways to help Reiki students develop with a creative approach to online sessions.

Show gratitude to every living thing –Walking in nature every day, no matter what else is happening, I give my grateful attention to the trees, birds, flowers and insects that surround me.  And reptiles!  To my complete surprise I encountered a lizard in my garden this summer and we spent several minutes watching each other.  I was grateful for the beauty of this encounter, which lifted my spirits.  Connection with living things through gratitude is healing and supportive in these challenging times.  Remembering not just to be grateful, but also to show my gratitude I find a useful practice as it takes me out of my busy head and reconnects me with something much greater than myself and offers the perspective that ‘this too shall pass’.

Healing for the World

 When there are dramatic world events, such as the pandemic, it is natural to want to send healing to the world.  When we are touched by such events, empathising with those who are suffering, it is natural to want to do something.

However, I recall hearing Phyllis Furumoto advising against sending Reiki to world events.  Instead she suggested we examine what it is in ourselves that is touched by this particular event and send Reiki to that.  I resonate with this suggestion.

I too am touched by things I hear on the news.  I would like to be able to help, but given that I do not know the people involved how can I know whether my help would be welcomed or my assessment of the situation accurate?  Am I trying to fix something that isn’t broken due to my own filters and assumptions about how I would feel in the same situation?  Does this event resonate with something in myself that needs healing?

When my thoughts caught up in an external drama, I can miss things that are closer to hand, like when I was out walking with a dog recently and, preoccupied with some world drama, failed to notice that the dog was having difficulty walking due to the thistles and nettles that were pricking her paws!  In a similar way we can miss signs and clues about our own health and that of those around us, while worrying about the problems of someone we don’t even know.

I understand the desire to change the world for the better, to heal what we see as wrong or the suffering we perceive.  Working towards a better world is a wonderful thing to do, but to achieve transformation many teachers have counselled that we start with ourselves.  Gandhi for example advised “Be the change you want to see in the world” and as Michael Jackson suggests in his song ‘Man in the Mirror’: “If you want to make the world a better place; Take a look at yourself and then make that change”.   One of the core teachings of Reiki is that we start with self-healing, which prepares us for healing others. 

By becoming a calmer, happier person through our Reiki practice we make a difference in the world.  Once we are healthy and resilient enough, we can be more effective in creating change.  This will be most effective when we focus on something concrete in our immediate sphere, where the help is welcomed and needed. 

A great example of this is a new project – Reiki Medic-Care - that is sending Reiki directly to individual doctors, nurses and paramedics who are suffering stress and burnout through being on the front line in the current circumstances.  If you want to send Reiki to help the pandemic, rather than sending to ‘the NHS’ in a general way, this project offers a way to give concrete help  - more practitioners are needed to meet the anticipated requests. 

There is no issue about permission because the staff request treatment themselves.  Practitioners know who they are sending to and have a time requested by the recipient at which to send.  This exciting project uses Reiki to support people who are in need, improving the well-being of NHS staff.  This will no doubt also benefit the patients they treat whose doctors, nurses and paramedics will be less overwhelmed, stressed and exhausted.

So we can still benefit the wider world by focusing first on our own well-being, then that of our immediate community or another community we have personal connection with.

The Value of Rest

 One of the great benefits of Reiki is that it encourages us to rest.  Reiki treatment, whether self-treatment, hands on or distant, is not generally received while doing something else or rushing around.  We are encouraged to lie down or sit for thirty minutes to an hour to receive the treatment.  One of the people I regularly send distant Reiki to commented that if nothing else it means she lies down and rests for half an hour.

We need to rest because it is during the body’s resting state that we heal, both physically and mentally.  When we are in a stressful state most of our energy is diverted away from our immune system and other important bodily functions such as digestion, to make energy available for fighting for our lives or running away.  When your life is at stake you have no time to digest a steak!  At a time when we need our immune systems to be strong in the face of the novel coronavirus, it is therefore more important than ever that we remain as much as possible in the resting state.

Sleep is the obvious time we rest and quality of sleep also matters.  A stressful day can cause poor sleep, because there is an echo of any daytime rise in adrenaline (the stress hormone) during the night, which can cause us to wake up and possibly find it difficult to go back to sleep.  We need a certain amount of deep sleep during each night, which is

the time when repair of the body mostly occurs.  We also need to dream, which is healing for the mind.  To strengthen my immune system, I always prioritise getting the best sleep I can and I find having Reiki in my hands very helpful for this.  I know that many of my students practice their self-treatment at bed-time because it helps them to drift easily into sleep (they often report falling asleep before finishing the hand position sequence).  Those who wake in the night also find that it is beneficial to be able to give themselves Reiki which, if it doesn’t help them go back to sleep, is at least healing.

It is important to ensure rest for the mind too.  Modern life is full of distractions that keep our minds busy even when we think we are relaxing.  Many people find it difficult to stop checking emails or social media on their phones.  TV programmes that are violent or where the characters undergo emotional stress, especially if it resonates with our own experience, will get our stress hormones flowing, even though we are slouched on the sofa.  This is not real rest.

Some people turn to mindfulness practices or meditation to help to relax their mind.  Reiki is often described as bringing peace of mind, with many people finding it calms their thinking effortlessly.  I remember the first time I experienced this in the early days of grieving for my father, whose sudden and unexpected death certainly caused me a high level of stress.  The first full Reiki treatment I received helped me to relax and bring my mind out of the stressful state into the resting phase.  I could not recall ever feeling so calm and peaceful.  It was wonderful!

Lockdown has offered some people a chance to rest, but for some this situation is creating more stress.  I hope you are able to find some time to rest and perhaps Reiki can help.

Accessing the Unseen

Reiki practice offers me a way to connect with the unseen, including emotions, mind and the spiritual energy that I believe flows through and connects all things.  It is understandable that some people are sceptical about this, yet we all have some experience of things we can’t see, hear, touch, smell or taste.  We are all very accustomed now to the invisible waves that connect us via the internet and mobile phones.  Such invisible things also exist in Nature – Reiki is how the Japanese would describe the energy you feel in a beautiful forest.  The understanding that what is unseen can affect the physical world has long been understood by spiritual teachers.  Buddha, for example, said: “We are what we think.  All that we are arises from our thoughts”. 

In the current situation we are facing a virus invisible to the naked eye that has had the power to change all our lives.  Some are sceptical about it, because if you rely primarily on an understanding of the world that is based on your senses, this virus is beyond comprehension.  Similarly, it is understandable that some are sceptical about Reiki as an energy that can be transmitted between people at a distance.

Love is an invisible energy that the current situation is showing us that it can still be shared and felt even when we are not able to touch or even be physically in the same space.  We can still send our love out into the world, in the same way Reiki can also reach any part of the planet.  Perhaps it is when relatives are able to comfort a Covid-19 patient, so that they know they are loved, that gives them a better chance of survival.   It is the one factor doctors have no control over that may explain the differing survival rates of those who are most ill.

At present, unable to give Reiki in person,

I feel blessed to be able to continue to offer comfort and support through distant Reiki treatments.  It can take a leap of faith to accept that receiving Reiki from any distance is possible, yet experience over many years has shown me that, like love, it can be sent through space and time and is safe for all concerned, even with Covid-19. 

The Reiki Association Care Service is available for members to request distant Reiki treatments from a team of volunteers.  We have received many reports of positive outcomes, unexpected by doctors.  We frequently hear of the healing, comfort and peace of mind these treatments bring, including at the end of life.  I’ve received similar reports from the treatments that the Community Clinic volunteers have been doing.  These reports include better sleep and reduction in need for pain medication. 

I am always looking for ways to develop my Reiki practice so, following an inspiration during a self-treatment, I now offer distant Reiki treatments via a live Zoom link, which means that I can be present with the person I am sending to through their treatment via an internet connection and they can be aware of what I am doing.  I don’t even need a photograph to send Reiki but meeting via Zoom we are able to see each other and talk before and after the treatment (we can also talk on the phone).  Reiki offers many ways to explore the unseen and I am enjoying this time and the opportunity to expand my distant treatment practice.

Why I'm not teaching Online Reiki 1 and 2 Classes

I am unable to meet students in person to teach 1^st and 2^nd degree classes during the current situation.  This can be frustrating, but I hope you can wait, because the initiations, an important element of both classes, are not something that I would consider doing from a distance.

Some Reiki masters are offering ‘online’ initiation/attunement.  This is not a new thing, but due to current restrictions, it may seem to be an obvious solution to those wishing to continue making a living from Reiki.  Reiki Council, which represents practitioners from many different schools of Reiki,has been discussing this recently.  The conclusion was that for practitioners who wish to give treatments to the public, initiations need to take place in the physical presence of their Reiki master.

I would go further: my practice is that all Reiki initiations need to take place in person.  Reiki is not just healing energy, it is something that benefits us in the context of a specific form of practice.  This form guides us in how to benefit from it, just as a glass is a container that enables me to drink water.   I teach and practice Usui Shiki Ryoho and one of the essential elements of this form is Oral Tradition.   

Many Eastern traditions are taugh through Oral Tradition, with the master and student spending time together, the student learning from everything that takes place.  This means not just what the master says, but also what they do and the quality of their being is important.  The master embodies the practice and energetic transmission takes place when teacher and student are physically together.  

As a member of the Succession Core Team, I have enjoyed Reiki development online with other Reiki students, but when we were later able to meet and hug in person it brought home to me the difference between the virtual and real-world experiences.  It’s a bit like imagining eating a wonderful meal compared to actually eating one!  There is a richness of experience that is possible in physical presence that is simply not possible when we are in different places.  I am committed to giving my students an experience that is as rich as possible when they take what I consider to be the important step of learning Reiki. 

So why is initiation different from distant treatment, which our practice does include?  Distant treatment is usually part of a series that will normally include some hands on treatment.  It’s an option to support treatment when it is not possible to be physically together (such as during the current restrictions).  The difference with initiation is that, in Usui Shiki Ryoho, it is a unique one-off event.  Initiation means a new beginning, a doorway to a new way of being.  I would not want to offer a limited experience for this significant moment.  Having performed thousands of initiations over the years, each one has been unique and, to me, sacred.  

Another reason I would not perform the initiations remotely is that there can be no doubt the initiation has taken place if we are together in physical presence.  The student sees me, receives the touch of my hands, we breathe the same air and hear the same sounds at the same time.  A virtual touch is simply not the same experience.

Reiki has the potential to transform your life, so I feel it’s important to give this moment a full celebration, something that would feel very different remotely, just as singing is better when we are together than via Zoom!  So, difficult and frustrating as it is, I will wait until the full experience is possible again and I hope you will too.