Needing To Pause

Life can be constantly busy and this can become overwhelming.  One of the beautiful gifts I have received from my Reiki practice is a way to pause.

I have learned that pauses are necessary for my well being.  For example last month 3 lovely Reiki friends died, all kind generous people, none of whom were old.  Reiki has taught me that when faced with loss like

Gwen, one of my lovely friends who died recently

this I move through the grief more easily when I pause and allow time to feel the sadness and ponder the memories.

There is a well known saying "Keep calm and carry on" which is a typically English approach to challenging situations.  Perhaps this is why so many of us ignore things that are difficult in our lives and, rather than give ourselves time to allow the feelings, 'carry on regardless'.  However what Reiki teaches me is that those feelings don't disappear because I ignore them.  They are still there and if I don't deal with them may become overwhelming at an inappropriate moment or cause imbalance that results in physical illness.

I know that when I used to go down with the flu it was usually because there was something I was ignoring.  Keeping something out of mind is stressful, which depletes the immune system and makes me more vulnerable to illness.  The resulting flu is nature's way of giving me an enforced pause!

What I try to do these days is to avoid this sort of collapse by making space for pauses in my life, dealing with the causes of difficult feelings if there's something that needs to change, or simply allowing things to be as they are if it isn't.  Pauses are also important for the integration of something new I'm learning.  When I learn a new song I know it will work it's way into my memory after I stop singing it.

Reiki practice offers several ways of having a pause.  For those initiated into Reiki the self treatment can be a daily pause: at the start of the day it can be a useful way of not rushing headlong into everything that I need to do.  Instead I pause, reflect and tune in to my body.  During this time I can become aware of intuitions about what nutritional needs my body has.  A self treatment during the working day is a good way to pause and become calm before carrying on!  As Leonardo De Vinci said: "Every now and then go away and have a little relaxation. For when you come back to your work your judgement will be surer."

Receiving a Reiki treatment from someone else (whether or not you are initiated into Reiki) is also a wonderful way to pause for a while from a busy life.  Like the Japanese Tea Ceremony - where "participants withdraw from the stresses of daily life to the peaceful setting of a special tea room" - a Reiki treatment offers time out where the recipient can experience a state of peaceful relaxation.   In the gentle hands of a good practitioner, you are held in a time of non-doing, a pause from responsibilities, a time to see what is really going on and to let go of what is not helpful.

As the Easter holiday approaches I wish you time for a pause, for reflection and for re-connection with yourself and those closest to you.

Reiki for a Kinder World

As 2017 begins I have heard a lot of people expressing unease about what this year may bring.  There are many uncertainties in the world that seem likely to affect the lives of all of us.

I'm very grateful for my Reiki practice at times like these.  The Reiki Principles are like a guiding star to steer me though rough waters.  First there is the suggestion not to worry (just for today).  So rather than focus on what perils may lie ahead, I let go of the anxiety and concentrate on what is right here beneath my hands.  Then I'm encouraged not to be angry - which would be very easy when there is so much apparent disregard for other human beings and often a feeling of powerlessness in the face of world events. 

The Principles also remind me to honour previous generations - as I think of my grandparents I wonder how it felt in 1917 when the war that was supposed to be over by Christmas in 1914 was still going on with appalling suffering and loss of life.  To me honouring our elders means remembering what they went through and learning from their experience.

Being a Reiki master is my work, so the Principle 'Earning your living honestly' encourages me to live authentically.  Deception (including the avoidance of our own truth) always seems to get us into trouble!   There seems to be a lot of fear about the effect the new US President will have on the world once he takes office.  I am not worrying, but commit to making my way in life true to who I am, no matter what happens in the coming days and years.  Like Hayashi Sensei, who made the decision in 1939 that he would prefer to die rather than participate in the 2nd world war as a combatant, I also choose healing and kindness over disregard for fellow human beings and this is something I too am prepared to act on.

The final Reiki principle reminds us to show gratitude for every living thing.  Sometimes this is easy - when it's my dog, my cosy home or garden.  However I've learned that spiritual life isn't about when things are easy: deepening happens when I come up against something part of me wants to reject or ignore.  Likewise it's much easier to disregard those I disagree with, creating separation, than it is to be open to an alternative perspective and look deeper. 

In addition to these stated Reiki Precepts there are also implicit principles in Reiki practice: we offer healing by placing our hands with care upon another person or animal - and hopefully also ourselves.  Our daily self treatment practice is a way of preparing to interact with the world in a calmer state, thereby being less likely to create conflict or violence.  When I offered some distant healing to someone recently for his back pain he thanked me for noticing: offering treatment is also a way of saying to other people: "I see you are suffering - I am here for you". 

So if the current political situation is causing you suffering: Reiki is here for you.  Whether you need a calming space to reconnect with your inner peace or would like to learn so that you can bring more kindness into the world, whether you need support for your practice so that you can make the most of your Reiki or would like to connect with other like minded people: I am here for you. 

I wish you a peaceful, happy and healthy year in 2017.

The mystery of Mystic Order: From Disconnection to Participation

Like  most humans I craved feeling part of a 'tribe', but in early life, at school and university, felt like an outsider.  As a result I would keep myself apart, either by not participating or by acting a role.  Subconsciously, this feeling of separateness made me unhappy.

Learning Reiki began a healing of this sad disconnection, bringing a deeper understanding of what being in community means and how it nourishes me.  I now value and benefit from participating in community in many forms: my students, the UK and international Reiki groups and other communities such as my choirs.  This understanding has come through the Aspect of Usui Shiki Ryoho Reiki known as Mystic Order.

In my early years in Reiki, participating in Reiki gatherings was uncomfortable and a struggle.  However in 1994 I attended a gathering with Phyllis Furumoto as special guest.  I was interested in the opportunity to learn more about Reiki from her, so overcame my resistance to be present.  She described the 9 Elements and 4 Aspects of Usui Shiki Ryoho. I recognised the way I had learned Reiki in the Elements and also understood 3 of the Aspects: Healing Practice, Personal Development and Spiritual Discipline.  The fourth Aspect was a mystery: Mystic Order.

Phyllis describes Mystic Order as: "A group of people who share a common practice that brings them in relation to reality beyond the realm of the five senses is considered a mystic order. Though the practice of Reiki employs the sense of touch, the quality of that touch can take us into the realm of union and communion with self, others, and the essence of life. Students experience directly through practice the interconnectedness of being and awaken to the experience of a much greater reality beyond what is known."

The 'reality beyond the 5 senses' is something familiar to me from life in Reiki. It led me to explore the 'greater reality beyond what is known', particularly through my involvement with The Reiki Association.  It was often difficult: like many aspects of Reiki it's the challenge that creates growth!  Feelings I had experienced in communities since childhood became more conscious: not feeling a part of the whole, not being acknowledged or valued and wanting to escape before I was pushed out.  This brought up some of my negative views about myself which was often painful, causing me to hide behind a 'role', such as being the Administrator.

However Reiki helped me to stay in connection, in spite of the difficulty, which brought me to experience and understand the benefits of being in community.  I learned that being part of a caring community is something I need; that to experience the connectedness with a greater whole that goes beyond the senses - even though challenging - nourishes something fundamental in me as a human being.

So, after years of practice, at the recent TRA 25th Birthday Gathering instead of hiding behind a role or feeling separate, I relished the interconnectedness of being in community!  I felt able to participate fully and joyful, receiving nourishment for my soul.  I felt welcomed, acknowledged and valued without the need to perform.  I now understand the value of Mystic Order: it satisfies my human need to be connected with the greater whole, bringing comfort, healing and happiness in return.

More pictures of the Reiki Association 25th Birthday here

New year Choices

When Joy Drake, the co-creator of the Transformation Game was staying with us in November last year she mentioned a concept she had come across concerning the choices we make in life.  At this time of year people are often reflecting on the year that has just passed and making plans for the year to come, so I thought I’d start this year’s newletters by sharing this idea with you in case you find it find it useful too.

 

What she described is the way that when making decisions that affect how to move forwards in life, we always have a choice described as going through door A or door B.  Door A is doing what we have always done, behaving in a habitual way and making what often appears to be the safest choice.  Choosing door B is to decide to do something different from what we normally do, to try another way, take a different path.

Choosing to go through door B is often scary, or at least challenging, but in my experience can also be exciting and enriching.  Learning Reiki at a time when it was little known in the UK was a door B decision all those years ago and I feel that Reiki has been a catalyst for choosing door B ever since. 

One example of this was daily self treatments.  Door A was to just go on with life as normal, forgetting most of the time to give myself a Reiki treatment during the day.  Door A was maintaining the old habits of paying more attention to what other people wanted than to the needs of my own body and soul.  I often looked at door B, saying to myself that it would be good to have a regular self treatment practice, but something always kept me from going through.  I now understand that my sub-conscious was telling me that it would be far too risky to go through door B and self treat every day.  It seems crazy, but there really was a part of me that felt that self treatment would lead to difficulty and painful situations that I would prefer to avoid.  However by taking little steps towards door B –just self treating occasionally, then a couple of times a week, then just for 21 days – I finally managed to go through door B into daily self treatment.  Of course I discovered that not only was it less difficult than I had imagined, it also helped to heal the pain I was afraid of and led to me living a better life.

Choosing door A can feel more comfortable and safe, but as a Reiki master I am committed to continuing to learn and grow, to taking the next step on my spiritual path, to serve those around me and the wider world.  The next step on this path does not usually go through door A.  So as I think about a resolution for the New Year, I think I only really need one: to go through door B as often as possible.  To ‘feel the fear and do it anyway’, knowing that challenges don’t have to be problems, but are opportunities.   I know that Reiki will support me as I cross the threshold into the unknown and I’m looking forward to the adventure!