Preparing like Janet Baker!

Some time ago I watched a documentary about singer Dame Janet Baker.  I was struck by the preparation she put into her singing.  I believe her focus and dedication to preparing her music is one of the things that made her such a great singer.  I have found that preparation is valuable in Reiki practice too.

 I’ve not always been good at preparation, perhaps because I didn’t really understand its importance.  I am regularly try to do more than there is time for, so often haven’t allowed enough time for preparation.  When I wanted to learn Reiki, I was impatient to get started.  Part of the preparation for learning Reiki is to have the money available, to show a commitment to the Reiki teaching.  This I had put aside, but the Reiki master I wanted to learn with wasn’t teaching a class for months.  I was willing to wait because I was so keen to learn with her.  This was also preparation as I surrendered the timing that was my teacher’s (and perhaps Reiki's), not mine!

 Being an enthusiastic student, I took my 2^nd degree just three months after 1^st degree.  I have often seen this eagerness in students in those first months and have observed that those who wait until after three months have has passed, enjoy a deeper experience of the 2^nd degree class.  Practicing for longer is good preparation for what this next stage of learning offers.  I have seen how students connect with and understand the concepts and practice more quickly because it resonates with their experience, rather than just ideas they have heard.  I sometimes feel a little envious of their preparation!  In effect I had to do the preparation afterwards, which meant it was a couple of years before I really began to develop my 2^nd degree practice.

In those early years of my Reiki practice, I also began offering treatments in a complementary health clinic.  I was doing team treatments with a more experienced practitioner and thought I was ready to ‘go public’.  Again, my eagerness to give Reiki treatments outweighed the recognition of my unpreparedness: I didn’t know what I didn’t know!  I learned a lot through those treatments but ultimately the public practice did not take off and now I think that was because I wasn’t properly prepared.  I learned even more about how much more I needed to learn by participating in discussions about the qualities expected of a Reiki practitioner working with the public through The Reiki Association and Reiki Council.

The current situation has forced a pause in teaching classes and in-person treatments which can be seen as an opportunity to prepare.  Like Dame Janet Baker we have the opportunity to just practice, or to deepen our knowledge and understanding through other explorations.  Those who are keen to learn Reiki can practise by receiving treatment.  Those waiting to progress to 2nd degree can prepare by self-treatment practice and treating family and friends in their bubble.  Practitioners who are eager to begin or return to hands on treatment practice once this is safe, can deepen their understanding through similar practice, or by learning more about some of the theoretical aspects such as what society expects of practitioners in terms of legal requirements, appropriate presentation and preparation of the treatment space - something that has had to be updated in response to the coronavirus.

I have learned about the importance of allowing time to prepare, so this enforced pause has been in some ways a blessing.  30 years on I am still learning and preparing for the year ahead - whatever it may bring.