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.

Comfort and Joy

If you are like me, November and December are busy months.  My community choir is in demand to sing carols and we put on a fundraising concert.  This year I was blessed with two Reiki classes and there have many demands on my time for voluntary work.  Thankfully the weather has been less challenging this December, with no snow and little frost, although today we have freezing rain, so I'm grateful to be inside with the comfort of a roaring fire!

What I love about this time of year, in spite of the pressures, is how many people seem to go by different rules to the rest of the year.  There is more generosity of spirit, reflected in the giving of gifts and cards.  Many people are kinder to each other 'because it's Christmas'.  Conflicts that rage through-out the rest of the year are put aside at least for a while, like when the British and German soldiers in the 1st World War called an informal truce to play a game of football between the trenches.  I imagine that game of football must have been a great comfort to them - a little bit of normality and fun in the midst of terrible suffering.

As Caroline Myss has pointed out, one of the messages of the Christmas story is that, like the birth of Jesus in a humble stable, miracles are not accompanied by a lot of fuss, but happen quietly and simply.  In a similar way, Reiki practice can be quiet and simple: all that is needed is a pair of Reiki hands and a willingness to give.  This simple gift can bring comfort and joy to both giver and recipient.

At the Community Reiki Clinic I am running in Ludlow we give short treatments in a very ordinary room in the community centre.  We don't have any candles or incense, the lighting is not soft, there is no music. In many ways it is not a particularly relaxing environment, but people who receive treatment - many of them experiencing Reiki for the first time - do find themselves becoming calmer, more relaxed and benefiting from Reiki's grace.  This month we treated the caretaker of the centre, who had just cooked Christmas lunch for 100 locals.  I found him doing the washing up and invited him to come for a treatment.  He was glad to lie down, but was also really surprised by how quickly the Reiki treatment calmed his feelings of stress and helped him relax (he nearly fell asleep!).

As Reiki practitioners this simple gift is a comfort available to us any time, through self treatment.  My Reiki self treatment practice has helped me to become calmer and more resilient, both mentally and physically, so that I am able to offer Reiki to more people. My life has become more joyful through giving my time and energy in this way. 

May you enjoy comfort and joy over the holiday season and I look forward to sharing more Reiki with you in the New Year.

Take Care of Yourself

Like many kind and caring people I used to put myself last on the list of people to take care of.  However through my practice of Usui Shiki Ryoho Reiki I've learned how important it is to take care of myself if I really want to serve others. 

I received my first lesson in this when I first encountered Reiki: I had sprained my ankle but instead of taking care of it and resting, I still went and limped through a tai chi class.  My teacher noticed I was struggling  and offered me Reiki.  Although the Reiki felt nice, it was not enough to encourage me take better care of myself.

My second lesson came when my father died suddenly: Reiki was offered to me again and, overwhelmed with grief and desperate for comfort, I accepted.  This time, after receiving a deep feeling of peace from the treatment that comforted me to my very soul, I began to learn to take care of myself by receiving more Reiki treatments.  This helped me to move through my grieving process.  I now see that at that time I was not good at caring for myself - because I didn't think I deserved it - so having someone else to support me who believed I was worth caring about was just what I needed.   Having received such a wonderful experience I chose to learn Reiki, so that I could help others experience the same.

However, my third lesson in self care was that learning Reiki also gave me the gift of healing for myself.  Initially I didn't bother too much about doing this: I was more focused on helping other people than helping myself.  Gradually, however, I began to understand that if I really wanted to benefit others I needed to treat myself.   I established the habit of giving myself a Reiki treatment most days and something began to change: I began to caring enough about myself to place my hands in the various positions to treat my whole being and this enhanced my ability to look after myself in other ways.

Self treatment gives me a daily opportunity to pay attention to what is going on in my body and mind.  Like mindfulness practice it helps calm my mind, but more than that it enables me to tap into the wisdom of my body and intuition.  Our bodies are so wise!  My fourth lesson, after some time of practising self treatment, was that my body sends me messages constantly about what is needed to keep me healthy.   So it was as a result of self treatment I became aware that  sugar was a problem for my body, which led to being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.

My fifth lesson in self care was that when I listen to my intuition, my body's wisdom and am open to messages coming to me from various sources, it is possible to restore my health and vitality.  As a result I have been able to reverse my diabetes and remain in remission as a result I have more energy and vitality, to offer my service in the world. 

This greater well being from my self care also resulted in greater happiness and I have found that my joy has a positive effect on those around me.  When I learned Reiki all those years ago I never anticipated that the way to truly benefit others would comes from self care.

Reiki Comfort

During the dark days of winter I sometimes comfort myself with the thought that the sun is still shining,

even if it’s hidden by clouds or during the night when it’s on the other side of our planet.  I think about going up in a plane on a dull day, above the greyness to where the light is bright and the sky blue.  Reiki comfort is always there too.   I have never forgotten Phyllis mentioning that her mother had said Reiki was really all about comfort.  The longer I practice Reiki the more true this feels.

There’s the physical comfort of warmth that comes from receiving Reiki, the relaxation that eases of pain and tension, improving my quality of life in this ageing body.

Then there is the comfort for the mind, enabling my busy head to slow down, allowing space for insights and intuition to arise, enhancing my creativity in finding solutions to life’s challenges.  This has a positive effect for my body too, as more energy can be released to support my immune system, instead of being in the stressful ‘fight or flight’ state that takes up so much physical and mental resources. 

Receiving Reiki for the first time after a sudden bereavement, I received much comfort in both these ways.  I was amazed to feel some relief from the physical and mental pain from such a simple and un-intrusive treatment.  The gentle touch of friendly hands is healing in itself, but with the addition of the energy of Reiki, which felt like sunshine inside my head, I experienced a deep comfort I’d been unable to find anywhere else.

So I was delighted when one of my clients recently said my hands were like sunshine.  She had been facing some challenges in her life and responded to Reiki like a flower opening in the sun – what a joy! There’s a deep comfort that comes from being able to offer that sort of support to others in need.

There is another kind of comfort that I now appreciate and recognise far more these days: comfort on the spiritual level.  I recently came across a description of healing that I feel really fits Reiki: “Healing does not mean finding and treating every single inner scar which sends its message to haunt us.  It means going even deeper... to the core of our self, to the heart of our spirit, where we find the light and warmth of our own core qualities of love and peace”.  I feel this is what we have the potential to do with Reiki: we can bypass the pain of the past and re-connect with the inner peace and love, thereby improving quality of life and happiness.

So if you are feeling a bit under the weather, have been dealing with a difficult change in your life or simply feel you need a bit of comfort, I hope you can find some Reiki to help you –whether it’s by receiving treatment, treating yourself or attending a Reiki share, class or workshop.

Like the sunshine Reiki is always there, waiting to comfort us, no matter what time of day or night.