Christmas Articles 2007 - 2011

 Here are some articles I wrote for my newsletters in December 2007 to 2011.

Coming Home at Christmas with Reiki - December 2007

In November I travelled up to Scotland to teach a First Degree Class in Ayrshire.  It is a couple of years since I last taught there and it was a real joy to me to return.  Alec and I first started teaching in Scotland in 1992 and I have been returning regularly ever since.  I've always felt at home there, partly perhaps because of my Scottish ancestry but mostly because of the warmth and friendliness of the people I've met.  One family in particular have taken me to their hearts (and the feeling is mutual) so it is always something like a homecoming when I spend time with them.

At the Reiki Association Annual Gathering I attended recently Phyllis Furumoto spoke about how
learning more about Reiki felt like coming home for her.  I could understand her feelings as I have also experienced, through Reiki, these homely feelings of comfort, safety warmth and love.  The experience is often strongest when I gather with other people to share Reiki.

Those who attend Reiki shares often comment on how at ease they feel soon after arriving and how quickly they feel friendship with those they are sharing Reiki with.  This may be because we have to allow people into the category of 'friend' because we will be touching each other.  But perhaps it is also something more: the special quality of loving kindness that Reiki brings.  A quality that many people associate with Christmas.

As Christmas approaches, I think of how many people are preparing to gather at home with their families; often spending time with people they see little of during the rest of the year.  For some (like for me returning to Ayrshire) this can be a delight, a time to re-connect and recognise that the love has been there all the time, so it is as if we have hardly been apart: there are just lots of good stories to share!  For others being with family can be a less happy time, whether due to unresolved difficulties from the past or clashes of personality in the present. 

 Perhaps remembering some of the qualities we experience during our Reiki sharing can help us to have a have a happier time when we go home to our families.  The qualities I am thinking of are: kindness, compassion, a willingness to listen and to accept each person in their uniqueness, to be willing to see another's pain and offer comfort and most of all to hold a space that love can fill, without the need for words.

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Count Your Blessings with a Gratitude Journal - December 2008

 

Listening to a recording of Hawayo Takata (the Reiki Master who brought Reiki out of Japan) at the Reiki Camp this summer I was struck that when she talked about the Reiki Principles she also included the suggestion: "Count your blessings". This seems to me to be an extension of the fifth principle "Show gratitude to every living thing" because counting your blessings is also about gratitude.
 
There have been times when I have not been grateful for the many blessings in my life. Rather than focusing on the abundance in my life, I have focused on how little I have, and then got stressed about it. This is not a good way to live a happy and healthy life! Over the years, with the help of Reiki and the Reiki Principles, I have shifted my thinking, so that I now see how blessed I am in so many ways.
 
The current financial climate can be very worrying, but counting your blessings is a very good way of reducing your stress levels I find! There is so much more in life than money to be grateful for: such as the love of our (Reiki) family and friends, the animals who live alongside us, or the beauty of the natural world around us. The banks may be collapsing, but that does not affect the excited welcome from my dog, the beauty of a tree covered in snow or the song of a robin. Jobs may be uncertain, but what is certain is that the sun will rise each day, giving light, warmth and the energy for plants to grow. And at a time of celebration and gift giving, there is so much to be grateful for!
 
One of the little practices I use that helps me to count my blessings is to keep a Gratitude Journal, where I write down at the end of each day 5 things for which I am grateful in that day. They are sometimes the same thing as I wrote the previous day (my husband Alec features very often of course!), sometimes different. For example, I might write about the phone call from a potential student, the scent of a rose unexpectedly still blooming in my garden in December or the wonderful vegetables that arrive on our doorstep in our organic veg box! By writing down these things I am giving them my attention and appreciation, focusing my mind in a positive way.
 
I like to add to the experience by using a notebook that gives me pleasure to pick up and a pen that I enjoy to write with. I have found that by doing this each night, before I go to sleep, I end my day on a positive note, which helps me sleep and prepares me well for the next day. I have also found that by doing it regularly my whole attitude to life shifts and I tend to see more of the positive in each day and count my blessings all the time.
 
So why not try keeping a Gratitude Journal yourself for a couple of months and see what happens?

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

 Four Aspects: Mystic Order - December 2009

The Fourth Aspect of Usui Shiki Ryoho Reiki is Mystic Order.  It refers to the way the practice of Reiki helps to meet a need for connection and community that is fundamental to human beings.

In modern times we have lost many of the old communities we had: the village, street or extended family. Many people yearn for this kind of connection again. Reiki seems to offer a new way to be in community, where our essential connection with other human beings is acknowledged and nurtured.   This is what the Aspect of Mystic Order is about.

My First Degree students often comment, at the end of the course, on how they feel a strong kinship with their fellow students.  People who were strangers on the first evening often feel as if they have been friends for years by the end of 4 days.

People often remark on the special quality that seems to be present when Reiki people gather together, whether it is at a Reiki share (where people give each other Reiki treatments) or other event.  I was at a sharing group recently and there were 8 of us. We could either have used 2 Reiki couches and had 2 groups of 4 people, or we could have one big group. This particular group of people decided they would like to receive Reiki from lots of hands at the same time! So we had one big group. We treated in silence, so there was little social chat. Yet by the end of the evening there was a deep sense of connection. This was Mystic Order.

‘Mystic’ implies something mysterious that is not easy to put into words. Very often the people I give Reiki to through treatments or teaching, find the special quality Reiki gives them difficult to describe. One person said it is like 'a hug inside', another said it was like a feeling of coming home. Most people have a feeling of comfort and connection that goes beyond the physical.

When students receive the initiation into First or Second degree, this is also a mystical experience. They are asked to close their eyes and keep them closed for the ceremony so they do not know exactly what is going on, yet many have an experience that is moving on a deep level.

The word 'order' was chosen with the idea of monks and nuns who share a common spiritual practice and live together in community. Reiki people do not generally live together, yet we often come together in groups, whether of just 2 for a treatment or a few for a Reiki Share or bigger numbers for gatherings and other events.  We share the common practice of Reiki and the experiences it brings, giving us a sense of connection. 

Connection is one of the essential qualities of a spiritual life to me and I have found that the more I have practiced Reiki, the greater my sense of connection: with myself, with my family and friends and with the Reiki community. Reiki has enabled me to feel more comfortable with myself and being in a group. I used to be shy and awkward in groups of people: Reiki has helped me to see how a community can offer support and nurturing in a way I haven't experienced anywhere else.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  

Be Kind - December 2010

Last month a lorry damaged my car while it was parked and didn’t stop to leave his details.  However, a kind man who witnessed the collision left his phone number for me.  The kindness of this stranger has helped me in this unpleasant situation.

This led me to remember a story I heard once:

There was once a great guru who many people had gathered to hear.  It was said that he would be giving a great teaching that day.  The audience waited in eager anticipation.  The guru walked onto the stage, sat down and looked at them all.  After a long silence he said: “Be kind.” And walked off the stage!

Reiki, I have found, has had much to teach me about being kind.  Many people learn Reiki in order to be able to help their family and friends or their animals.  Giving your time and presence through gentle touch to someone in need of help is a lovely act of kindness.  It is also kindness to give Reiki to yourself.

Stress often leads to unkindness.  I’ve noticed when driving in Birmingham, for example, that the traffic really keeps moving thanks to the kindness of some drivers, letting others out at junctions.  When I am stressed, I often feel as if I don’t have time to pause and do something that would be a kindness.  Sometimes I’m so busy I don’t even have time to think of it!  However, over the years I’ve found that Reiki has helped me to slow down so that I have the space to notice where I have an opportunity for an act of kindness. 

We can be kind to ourselves by receiving a Reiki treatment: receiving Reiki helps us to slow down, becoming more balanced and healthier.  A calm and happy person is more of an asset to those around us, so it really is a kindness to everyone to live that way!  If we receive Reiki from someone else, we are also being kind to the person giving the treatment as we give them the opportunity to help us and also to receive whatever we give them in exchange for the treatment. 

Kindness to ourselves can be the most difficult of all.  We often judge ourselves more harshly than we would judge anyone else!  Giving ourselves a Reiki treatment each day, which I encourage all my students to do, is a daily practice of kindness towards ourselves.

I have often been touched by the kindness of people who have learned Reiki.  I have found that there is great kindness among the Reiki Sharing Groups for example.  As they get to know each other they offer support, but even as strangers there is always a feeling of wanting to help each other with Reiki.  This also often goes beyond the Reiki Share evening, such as the way one of the students recently asked for support during a very stressful time when she was doing an important exam.  She received distant and hands-on Reiki from fellow students who were only too pleased to help.  Happily (and perhaps because she knew so many friends were thinking of her kindly) she passed!

I am also very grateful for the kindness of my students in their willingness to support me.  I often received lovely replies to my e-mail messages – even if it is to say they are unable to attend a workshop I’m offering I appreciate their kindness in taking time to respond.

December, with Christmas and other holidays, can often be a stressful time.  One antidote may be to remember this teaching and be kind to yourself and those around you.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Giving and Receiving - December 2011

 With Christmas approaching, many of us are thinking about the gifts we will be giving or receiving. The practice of Reiki teaches us that what will bring good health and happiness is balance, which includes the balance of exchange.

Frequently people who are drawn to learning Reiki are those who feel more comfortable giving than receiving, helping others but reluctant to receive help themselves. This can work for a while, but is an imbalance that can ultimately lead to exhaustion or feelings of resentment. To achieve healthy balance these people need to learn how to receive and to do so graciously.

Other people are happy to receive without giving anything in return, which is also an unhealthy imbalance. This often stems from taking things for granted, or lack of awareness of the true value of what is being given. This can lead to feelings of resentment and judgment when the gift is felt to be lacking. This feeling of lack is an imbalance that can create discomfort and unhappiness. What helps people with this imbalance is to develop a sense of gratitude.

What can also happen when we give or receive is that we have some agenda attached to it. For example, we may give in order to be liked more, or give a large gift in the hope that we this will raise our status in the mind of the receiver. On the other hand, we may feel that if we give a gift of lower value we will be seen negatively. We are also encouraged at this time of year to look for the 'perfect gift' the one that will please the other most and of course the advertisers try to get us to believe that the more we spend the better, which if we believe them can lead to overspending (financial imbalance) or feeling inadequate, both of which are stressful and unhealthy.

There can also be expectations about what gifts we will receive. The value or nature of the gift is often seen as a measure of that person's valuing of us. Looking for a particular outcome when giving or receiving can lead to disappointment and also placing value where it doesn't belong. We have a natural instinct that calls our attention to the imbalance of this and the stress that it causes.

When there is balance, the giving of gifts can be a real pleasure and receiving can be a joy. To be able to
give and receive without attachment is what brings true happiness and the practice of Reiki gives us an opportunity to explore this. We are encouraged to give Reiki treatments unconditionally – without looking for a particular outcome, because Reiki will help the person however they most need it on that day. We are also encouraged to practice exchange, receiving something in return for the Reiki treatment we have given or giving in return for the treatment we have received, which maintains the balance between us.

So my wish for you this festive season is one I have learned through my Reiki practice: may you give graciously and receive with gratitude. May this be a practice you continue to explore in coming year and may it bring you good health, peace and happiness.

 

 

Story of a Reiki Master

There was once a young woman, Kate, whose father had just died suddenly.  She was suffering from shock and grief; it was the first loss of a close loved one.  A friend offered her a Reiki treatment and this changed the course of her life.  She found that Reiki lifted the sadness and distress.  It gave her peace of mind in a way she had not experienced since childhood.  She returned many times to receive this wonderful healing and re-discovered joy and love in her life.

Then one day a thought came to her: “I would like to be able to give this sort of experience to other people”.  She was surprised by this thought, as she was theatre director and had no plans to become a complementary therapist!

She was introduced to Reiki master Martha Sylvester and soon learned 1^st degree Reiki.  With joy at feeling Reiki in her own hands, she began giving Reiki healing to others within a few weeks.  When she received a phone call inviting her to join a 2^nd degree class a few months later she enthusiastically agreed and took the class.

Soon after she was invited to offer Reiki treatments at a complementary health clinic in Kings Heath, Birmingham.  She gladly agreed and experienced first hand many of the teachings she had learned about Reiki in the classes.  She also observed that many people would benefit from Reiki every day in their lives, rather than just weekly or monthly sessions.  But she didn't consider herself suitable to become a Reiki master.

Reiki had helped to bring her a new partner, her future husband Alec.  They had a home together in Cotteridge, Birmingham where they invited Martha to offer Reiki classes.  During one of these classes Martha invited them both to become Reiki masters.  Kate accepted immediately, seeing that this would enable her to teach those she gave healing to who needed to be able to treat themselves – or a member of their family.  Alec took a bit more persuasion, but after a night when he says “Reiki wouldn’t let me go to sleep until I’d changed my mind” he accepted.  Thus, they began their preparation to become Reiki masters together.

Their preparation took a few years, during which time they attended every class and workshop offered by their Reiki master.  “Reiki is preparing you” she told them.  Eventually she felt they were ready for
initiation and a 1^st degree class was arranged during which this would take place.  On 1^st November 1991 Alec and Kate were initiated as Reiki masters in their own home in Cotteridge.

The very next day they received a phone call from someone saying that she a group of friends wanted to learn Reiki.  So Alec and Kate taught their first 1^st degree Reiki class the following month.  They continued to teach together for several years at a time when there were few Reiki masters and many people wanting to learn.  It was an exciting time, involving travelling to new places and meeting many lovely people.

Kate became involved with The Reiki Association, which also began in 1991, and through this met Phyllis Furumoto, lineage bearer of Usui Shiki Ryoho.  When Kate heard Phyllis describe the Nine Elements and Four Aspects of Usui Shiki Ryoho she recognised them and realised the value of what she had been taught by Martha.

Kate and Phyllis got to know each other well over the years, with Kate working for Phyllis and also studying with her, which deepened her understanding of Usui Shiki Ryoho.  This deepening of her understanding and experience added to Kate’s joy of sharing Reiki through teaching and treatments.  Kate also experienced personally the healing power of Reiki.

Following a talk by Phyllis, Alec realised that his main focus was being a taiji teacher so he decided to stop teaching Reiki.  Kate began teaching alone and continued to teach regularly every year and has been honoured to initiate over a thousand people, in many parts of the UK, into 1^st and 2^nd degree Reiki, as well as leading various workshops and retreats to help them deepen their Reiki learning.

Kate’s involvement with The Reiki Association fostered her interest in Reiki treatment practice.  Knowing from her own experience of the value of receiving healing through Reiki, Kate hoped that people would have a good first experience when going for a Reiki session.  This led to her being involved over many years with The Reiki Association and other organisations in an exploration of what it means to be a professional Reiki practitioner.  She began teaching courses to enable practitioners to become confident and competent practitioners.  Kate continued to give Reiki healing as well as teaching, gaining valuable experience in what being a Reiki practitioner offers.

In 2017 Kate joined a pilgrimage to Japan with Phyllis, which helped her understanding of the cultural origins of Reiki, which was both confirming and deepening of her experience.

In 2021 Kate reached both her 60^th birthday and 30^th birthday as a Reiki master.  Having now been a Reiki master for half of her life she is preparing for the next era, one that also begins with a parent’s death – that of her mother.  What will come next?  Perhaps it is time for her to begin initiating masters of her own.

Reiki at a time of Loss

Some of you will remember my lovely Welsh Springer Spaniel Ruby, who often accompanied me to Reiki Shares and was around if you came to our home for a Reiki event.  Sadly, she came to the end of her life last month.

She brough great joy to my life, being a kind and gentle dog who was also lively and fun to be with on
walks.  She came to us at the age of 9, having been my sister’s dog. Having known her since puppyhood and always thought she was a beautiful dog, I was thrilled to take her on when she could no longer stay with my sister.  I thought she might only share our lives for a year or so, but she lived for another 7 years! 

Being one of those dogs who always wanted to be with you, she was good company when I was working in my office at home.  She didn’t like being left alone, however, and I’m grateful to those Reiki friends who helped out looking after her when I needed to go and do treatments and classes.

She was very dear to me, so when she died, I entered a grieving process.  I am grateful that I am already familiar with the process of grieving – it was my father’s sudden death that brought me to Reiki.  I am therefore able to recognise the signs and understand what is happening.  I have learned, through Reiki practice, that the healthiest way to go through the difficult emotions like grief is not to try to deny the feelings or pretend all is well when it isn’t. 

So instead, I allowed myself to cry and was compassionate with my anger and lack of zest for life.   I gave myself lots of Reiki (especially the heart area).  I have also learned that when you grieve for one thing, any un-processed grief from the past can also surface for acknowledgement, so I also grieved the many losses of this past year, which I had felt deeply but pushed aside to be able to get on with life.  So I cried for all the people who have died from Covid and their families, for the loss of ‘normal life’, for the sadness of not being able to teach Reiki in person, give hands on Reiki treatments, sing with other people or go on holiday to the seaside.   This loss also coincided with the second-year anniversary of the time I was in Arizona with Phyllis when she was dying of cancer, so I cried some more about that too.   It has felt very healing to allow these tears.

I also reached out to receive Reiki, because I knew it would comfort me and support my grieving process.  I have been receiving daily Reiki distant treatments from one of my students and some days an extra one from others (you can never have too much Reiki!), which I definitely feel has helped me to move through this difficult time.  I cry less now, although I still miss Ruby (and Phyllis and my students and choirs). 

I know that this pandemic has caused a lot of loss, but I have learned about grief and loss that it is a natural part of human life and that when we are able to get through it, we emerge stronger, often with a deeper appreciation for life and the gifts we have, as well as gratitude for what is gone.