My Nepalese Family

Like so many others my thoughts are currently with the people of Nepal after the recent earthquake.  When disaster strikes in other parts of the world it is our natural desire to want to do something to help.  Some Reiki practitioners send distant Reiki treatments to those affected.  However Phyllis Furumoto (lineage bearer of Usui Shiki Ryoho Reiki) advises that we think twice before following this impulse.  It is important for those who receive Reiki to give their permission and, as we do not know the many individuals involved, this is not possible.  In one sense we have no connection with them, certainly less than with our own selves, family and community.  In wanting to send Reiki to such events are we perhaps not seeing these individual people, but an imaginary thing that needs fixing.  Phyllis suggests that instead we look at what it is in ourselves that feels this need to help.  What is the wound in ourselves that resonates with the hurt of others so that we want to act?  To send Reiki to that pain is very appropriate and of course permission from ourselves is easier to obtain.

 

The recent earthquake in Nepal is far away and I don’t know the people involved, but it does touch me   My sister fell in love while trekking in Nepal – after I had sent her some Reiki for her travels!  Sadly the marriage didn’t last, but they are still friends and the boys see their father regularly (he still lives in the UK).  Although I have never visited Nepal, the stories about it from other members of my family have become part of our family story.    

personally because my sister married a Nepalese man, so my beautiful nephews are half Nepalese.

Reiki has given me a greater sense of connection with the world family, many of my Reiki master friends are from different countries and cultures, which I relish.  I have learned that although there are many differences between us, we also share some essential qualities: a need for love, safety and nourishment; an essential nature that is kind and considerate rather than violent.  The kindness is something I’ve heard spoken of a lot about Nepalese people and have certainly experienced this quality in my brother in law.

So when we heard the news of the earthquake, we were in touch with him immediately to ask after his family and friends back in Nepal.  So far he has heard that family and some friends are fine, although worried about aftershocks.  Some friends he had not heard from.  I’m also grateful, perhaps a bit selfishly, that this didn’t happen while he was on a visit to Kathmandu just a couple of months ago.

My sister immediately organised an event at work and raised over £300 selling cakes and Nepalese crafts.  This inspired me: while sending Reiki may not be appropriate, this sort of help is clearly needed and welcomed.   Money is also energy, so I would like to send this sort of energetic help to those in my extended family.  I’ve therefore set up a fundraising page and my aim is to raise £500.   If you would like to contribute go here: https://www.justgiving.com/Kate-Reiki-Jones

I’m also trying to think of a Reiki themed fund-raiser: a Reiki-a -thon (doing Reiki treatments all day for a day)?  Reiki share with all donations to the fund?  Reiki tea party?  Distant treatment for donations?  Any ideas welcome.

"Don't Worry It May Never Happen"

Feeling Calm about the dentist! (Photo Jim Reynolds)

On the wall in my grandparents house was a little wooden plaque on which was written “Don’t worry, it may never happen”.  I remember looking at those words as a child and disagreeing with them: I was going to have a tooth out, so there was no point not worrying about it!  My early experiences of dentistry were pretty traumatic, so the anticipated procedure filled me with dread.

I’m often interested how the same experiences in life are often repeated and understand that when an issue is unresolved it will re-occur, to offer another opportunity for transformation.   So last month I once again faced a tooth extraction.  Co-incidentally I saw recently that my mother still has the little wooden plaque with its suggestion whatever we are worrying about may not happen.  Once again I faced with the inevitability of the tooth extraction, but I’m able to see those words differently thanks to the Reiki Principles and my Reiki practice.  The first Reiki principle is similar to the words on the plaque: Just for today do not worry.

This Principle invites us to be in the present moment, where what we are worrying about doesn’t exist: worries are always about something in the future or past.  Understanding that helps me to see the truth in the statement my grandparents had on their wall: that when it comes to whatever you are worrying about happening, it is most likely that it won’t be as bad as you imagine.  So yes, when I was a child I did have to have the tooth out, but it was less traumatic than I had imagined, I survived and after the visit to the dentist was a visit to the cake shop!

This time I also found that there was no need to worry – with the added bonus that I knew I was receiving a lot of support from my Reiki friends.  Some sent encouraging messages and many were doing distant Reiki treatment for me.  I was surprised to discover that, unlike the previous occasion, my body did not go into shock as a result of the past trauma, which I feel was thanks to the healing from Reiki.  The first Reiki principle helped to remind me to stay present, so I could be aware that the pain was brief and bearable, rather than go into the panic I used to experience in the past.   I realised that previously my fear of the past repeating itself had actually made the experience more painful and traumatic.

The dentist and dental nurse were kind and supportive and, being present instead of lost in fear, I was able to be aware of this.  I received Reiki through-out from my husband and my own hands, which was very comforting.  I think the dentist wondered what I was doing holding the side of my face after the extraction because I certainly wasn’t feeling anything!  What I was doing, of course, was helping the clotting and subsequently I experienced no further bleeding, which I’m sure is thanks to Reiki.

I’m very grateful to everyone for their support and to Reiki for helping me through this challenge.  I now understand the wisdom of the phrase my grandparents held dear, and hope it’s a life lesson learned and I can keep the rest of my teeth!

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.

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!

Why Celebrate?

As my year of celebrating learning Reiki in 1989 comes to a close I’ve been thinking about why I wanted to celebrate this anniversary and why we celebrate things in general.  As the time of year when there are several celebrations (Hanukah, Solstice, Christmas...) So why are celebrations important?

All over the world, in every culture, there are celebrations of some kind during the year.  We celebrate birthdays, anniversaries of marriages, the turning of the seasons and one of the recent American festivals gave me a clue as to what it’s all about: Thanksgiving.  I realised that celebrations are a way to express gratitude – for the people in our lives, for the blessing of a marriage, for the gift of a spiritual teacher or for our abundance.

One of the Reiki Principles is “Show Gratitude for Every Living Thing” – and I note that the suggestion is to show gratitude, not just be grateful.  For me this means to do something in the physical world that demonstrates my gratitude.  A celebration or festival is one way to do this. 

Celebrating my sister’s 50^th birthday recently with special gifts and messages was my way of showing my gratitude for her life and our relationship.  Having a younger sister has not always been easy, so following this Reiki Principle is healing for our relationship: it challenges me to look past the ego-perspective of wanting to be the centre of the world (I was an only child until she was born!), to a wider perspective where I can appreciate the value of having a sister.  She offers me an opportunity to explore the important qualities of love, support and family relationships.  She has also provided the wonderful gift of two handsome and clever nephews!

The celebrations pre-occupying many people in the coming weeks are Christmas and New Year.  As we gather with family - often the only time of the year we spend a lot of time with them - this can be a stressful time.  Perhaps remembering that celebrations are about gratitude and keeping the Reiki Principle of showing gratitude in mind could help.  It helps to lift the mind out of the dramas of wants and disappointments, to a level of appreciation for each other.  Our gifts to each other are a way of honouring the other person and showing our gratitude for them.

So thank you to:

• all of you who’ve helped me celebrate this year
• to my Reiki Master Martha Sylvester, for initiating me into Reiki and supporting me as a Reiki Master
• to the many people who have chosen to receive Reiki treatments through me: I’m honoured to have walked part of your healing journey with you
• to all the hundreds of people who have learned Reiki with me: your gift has been to support me in living a Reiki life
• to the Reiki community: a source of support and enrichment

Thank you to Reiki for opening me to love, helping me find my husband and for continuing to nurture our relationship; for the healing that has resulted in continual improvement of my health and well being; for the deepening of my spiritual life, bringing greater happiness and peace.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Wishing you a wonderful celebration this Hanukah /Solstice/Christmas/New Year!

Balancing Rocks

One of my happiest memories from the summer was spending an evening on the beach in

Pembrokeshire with Alec while he balanced rocks.  To make a rock stand on its end takes patience and sensitivity.  The same is true for achieving balance in our own lives and Reiki can be helpful in this.

Daily self treatment with Reiki has increased my sensitivity to what my body needs.  It’s a daily check-in with how my physical and mental balance is doing.  As a result I’ve been able to address a few health challenges before they became more serious. 

Alec needed to be completely present and focused to make the rocks balance – something that’s also necessary when bringing the body and mind into better balance.  Paying attention to what I eat, how much exercise I’m taking and how I’m managing my mind so I don’t get stressed all require presence of mind and attention. Changing the old habits that cause imbalance can also require a lot of consciousness.

I have found that Reiki practice has helped me to be more patient with my body as it changes.  Having discovered something that is out of balance my mind wants things to be different instantly.  In the real world it doesn’t work like that: change in the body and even the mind takes time.  Unhelpful habits can be difficult to let go of, making overnight change impossible.  Once better habits are established, cells need time to divide and grow to create new healthier tissues.  Changes in body rhythms can take a while to get established.  Receiving Reiki helps my mind to slow down, accept reality and gain more patience while changes take place.

The Reiki Principles also help me – reminding me not to worry about any change I’m looking for or how fast it will be achieved.  Not becoming frustrated or angry about how slow change can seem is also essential – if Alec had been annoyed with the rock for not standing up it would have made it even less likely that he would find its point of equilibrium.    Similarly if I get annoyed that my weight has not gone down today it only creates stress, which never helps balance to be restored!

I would say that Alec honoured the rock, being totally present with it to find its true nature and balance-point.  Honesty is also vital when finding balance in myself:  self deception about how much I was exercising, for example, was the cause of unhealthy imbalance.   Taking time to be grateful for Reiki, my food and all the other elements that help me to achieve better balance with the natural world and my place in it, is an essential part of my practice, inspired by the last principle.

Once the rocks were balanced there was a wonderful feeling of achievement and a joy in seeing them stand there in that wonderful environment, balanced between earth and sky.  They were like a wonderful representation of yin and yang.  All the times the rock fell over were forgotten.  There was only the extraordinary miracle of a rock that looks as if it should not stand up, resting in stillness and balance.  Finding balance in my own body and mind feels similar – quite miraculous at times, all the times of falling over forgotten, just the sense of achievement, joy and wonder!