Being Together in Person

Reiki Master Rick Bockner - the last master initiated by Sensei Takata

Listening to Rick Bockner's talk at The Reiki Association gathering in May I was struck by a comment he made about Oral Tradition.  This is one of the Nine Elements of Usui Shiki Ryoho and refers to the way teaching is offered in person rather than through distant learning or books.  What Rick pointed out is that it also refers to making the effort to be together in person.

In the past few years I have participated in many meetings with Reiki people around the world through the internet, where we are able to talk in real time and sometimes see each other (there's often not enough bandwidth for us all to activate our cameras at the same time!).   This is a great improvement on communicating via email, but when I attended the Association Gathering I noticed how wonderful it is to actually meet people in person!  I was grateful that Rick and everyone there had made the effort.

While modern technology does allow a part of the energy of a person to be transmitted over the airwaves, it's not the same as being in physical presence with them.  There are subtleties of communication that we read instinctively when we are with someone, but also I feel there is energetic presence that goes beyond that.

I've also found that a group of people who meet together create an energetic field - something I've often experienced in Reiki Sharing groups.  Even though not a word is spoken while we treat each other, we enter into a deeper connection with each other and ourselves.  This connection is comforting and supportive, so that we leave feeling better, more able to cope with the vicissitudes of life.

So if you're wondering why I'm planning to travel all the way to Almaty in Kazakhstan to attend the Office of Grandmaster (OGM) Retreat, it's because I feel called to be there in physical presence, to meet other Reiki students and share in the energetic field that will be created by this gathering.  Of course I'm also  feeling somewhat daunted by the idea of travelling so far, but I'm receiving wonderful support for this journey and I'm willing to make the effort!

I've often made long journeys for various Reiki meetings - usually in the UK, but also to the USA and Australia.  I'm happy to travel because I know from experience that being there in person can be important.  Perhaps that's why I was required to appear in person rather than by remote link when giving evidence recently to the Crown court.

While it is possible to give Reiki treatments from a distance, there is a story of Sensei Takata taking a long and arduous journey that involved various forms of transport to give someone Reiki treatment.  When asked why she didn't just send Reiki distantly she responded that Reiki in physical presence is always preferable when possible.  So I encourage you to take every opportunity to be physically present in a Reiki energy field whenever you can.  After all Reiki is a way to bring non-physical energy into the physical world, so to receive it we need to be physically present!

Alone but not Lonely

Recently I had to travel alone from my home in Shropshire to Essex to appear as a Reiki expert

Selfie taken just before leaving for court

witness.  It was a daunting journey, not only the physical travel, but also the challenge of appearing in crown court for the first time.  However it struck me that although the experience was challenging I didn't feel alone.

I remember how alone and disconnected I felt around the time I learned Reiki, in my early thirties.  Like many people I could feel lonely in a crowd and also felt unappreciated.  Learning Reiki changed that.

I found like minded people in the fellow students from my 1st degree Reiki class.  We met every weekend to share Reiki with each other.  We talked about our experiences and wonderings about this healing art we had just begun to explore.  From those early days there was a feeling of connection which I'd only experienced in other settings after spending time with people in a deep group process.  This feeling of being part of a spiritually-minded community continues to this day, especially at the Reiki Shares.

Soon after my 2nd degree Reiki class, I began offering Reiki treatments to people I didn't know.  I was surprised to find that I felt kindness towards people who, on initial meeting, I didn't like.  As I gave people a series of treatments this feeling deepened.  When I became a Reiki master a few years later I had a new way to connect through teaching Reiki.  I can see now that this feeling of connection was Reiki beginning to awaken my non-judgemental, compassionate self.

Then I became involved with The Reiki Association, which led to further exploration of being non-judgemental.  As in any organisation there can be struggles around hierarchy and the organisation's purpose.  My involvement helped me to grow personally, towards a more tolerant way of being.  "It takes a whole village to raise a child" - by joining community I received the education and support I needed to grow. 

I learned that the more compassionate I became, the more I received the acknowledgement I craved.  It was good experience of what Phyllis Furumoto said to me recently: "Honour others if you want to be honoured yourself". 

I now have the blessing of being in community with Reiki people all over the world: I feel part of a world-wide Reiki family that is always connected even if we rarely meet in person. 

So when I made my journey to court, I asked my Reiki community to support me by sending Reiki for the physical and emotional journey.  In the witness box I was questioned about distant Reiki: it gave me great pleasure to think "Yes I'm receiving Reiki right now, thanks to those who are sending to me".  I felt them all there supporting me.  I also received kind messages of acknowledgement and appreciation in response to my request.

When the world seems to be going through a time when division and separation are highlighted by violence, it comforts me to know that Reiki practice brings connection and compassion.  So what can I do to help the world in it's apparent state of confusion and disarray?  Share Reiki - with myself, with family, friends and other Reiki students, with a wider circle. 

Reiki for Midwives

On 1st July I had a wonderful opportunity to introduce Reiki to people at the Maternity, Midwifery and Baby Conference in Edgbaston, Birmingham.  Wendy Henry, one of my students, works for Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospital NHS Trust and when she heard about this event coming up, she asked about offering some Reiki tasters.  In response she was asked to submit a paper, which she did and was then asked to do the presentation at the conference! 

She asked me if we could do the presentation together, so we spent a day together planning and organising our talk and Powerpoint slides.  I had never done a Powerpoint presentation, so was glad to have Wendy's expertise in preparing this!  Neither of us had given a talk to such a big room of people either, so were very glad to have the support of some distant Reiki from some of my students. 

As well as the presentation we had a table for leaflets and space to give taster treatments.  I asked one of my Reiki master friends who is a retired midwife for a testimonial about how Reiki had helped her in her work (you can read it here).  we made it part of the presentation, illustrating how Reiki could be beneficial in the context of midwifery.

Due to the comforting and calming response most people have when receiving Reiki, it could help women in labour to be more relaxed, leading to easier births.  Indeed one of the midwives came and told me about how a first time mothers had given birth quickly and easily with the help of some Reiki.  We are also told that if women receive regular Reiki treatments in the last trimester it helps the birth to be easier for mother and baby.  I have heard it said that Reiki helps to encourage the baby to participate in the birthing process, like a chick pecking its way out of the egg.  Reiki babies have often been observed to be calm and alert immediately after birth and are often less distressed in the first days of life outside the womb.

We also wanted to get across to our audience was that Reiki could be helpful for the midwives themselves.  Working in the NHS can be stressful - Wendy would like to set up a clinic for staff to receive Reiki treatments.  It would be really beneficial for midwives and related healthcare staff to be able to treat themselves - any time day or night - to help cope with the stresses of their work.  Wendy had noted that many staff have been going off sick, creating heavier caseloads for other midwives.  If Reiki could help to reduce this sickness it would be beneficial for all.

We gave taster sessions all day, but were particularly busy after our talk.  A long queue of people waited patiently for their 'go' and we were the last stall to pack up because people were still wanting to talk to us and receive Reiki right up to the end of the day. 

Many knew little or nothing about Reiki and, to my delight, were really interested.  They were impressed with what they felt from the Reiki tasters: even the most sceptical was amazed by how calm they felt after just a few minutes of Reiki. 

I'm very grateful to Wendy for having the courage to ask for this opportunity, to Reiki students for supporting us, for a successful day and to everyone who came to hear our talk and receive Reiki tasters.

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