Reiki: The Healing's In Your Hands

     Everyone wasn't expecting it, a global shutdown, a pandemic! My name is Laura and I have a disability called Cerebral Palsy, (C.P.). I had just decided at the beginning of the dreaded CV scare, that I wasn't going to ride the bus anymore to my job as a "security person" for a company that works local college entertainment events, at the time I had been doing it to make a little extra cash along with my then day job as a quality analyst. My first thought was...

Now what?

What is Reiki?

    For those that are curious, Reiki, or "life force energy" is an ancient Japanese healing technique in alternative medicine, started by Dr. Mikao Usui in Tokyo in 1922. He  began the most common method called "Usui Reiki" because he found himself unhappy with the way his life was going. 

"Hmmm." I wondered to myself, "do I dare cross that line again?" (A few years prior, I had experienced some rather negative energy with the wrong group of people and it scared me so bad I ran from all things spiritual  because I could not safely share my own intuitive gifts.) Now, though, I felt ready again and found someone starting a class in reiki level one and I reached out on Facebook, careful to share only what was necessary about myself and a little about my past experience. I knew what reiki was, but I really hadn't practiced it, at least not the way I thought you were supposed to. The teacher set up a time to chat with me to see if I was a good fit to be her first student, we chatted a bit about what I wanted to do with the knowledge I would learn in class and what reiki meant to me. Personally, reiki is a way to heal the self and a really cool way, to enhance intuition and your connection to God/Spirit/Source, whatever you want to call it and I wanted to use it to not only grow my journey, but help other people connect too, especially in such an isolating and lonely time for many people, and for the world.  After speaking with my teacher, we decided to move forward in my learning where I would soon become a reiki master.

    Now, we've all seen the Marvel fantasy movies where some magical being or person has light shooting out of their fingertips, right? Well, that's what Reiki energy does except it's far less dramatic. I had learned reiki level one, now it was time for the second level reiki level two, I was able to learn  more of the history and the sacred symbols that go into actually practicing this stuff. 

    From there, I learned the precepts of reiki which is what you learn as part of a reiki level one course, these steps are similar to what you might learn in a twelve step program and should be practiced daily or as often a possible and there are 5...

• Just for today, I will not worry.

   Anxiety and stress are present in our daily life more than ever with lockdowns and the seeming political circus that’s taking place in our country, more and more of us find ourselves on medicine such as antidepressants or considering engaging in self harm. This precept reminds us to stay out of low vibrational, negative thinking patterns. (I know, this is hard and a working progress daily) however this idea guides us to focus more on what is good, clean and pure think on these things. Hint: You can find this exact reference in any bible in the book of Philippians.

• Just for today, I will not anger.

   Like stress and worry, anger contains a low frequency, and while it is a natural part of human emotion, this precept teaches us to recognize when we get angry and work to calm it in a loving way so that it’s not harmful to ourselves and others. Additionally, anger comes from a place of fear and incorrect thinking, so if I know my triggers I can seek to eliminate them over time or through my reiki work. Again this is an ongoing process so don’t worry too much if you’re not perfect overnight.

• Just for today, I will live honestly.

   We all know life isn't perfect and it's almost impossible to predict what each day may bring, however, this precept guides us to support ourselves and loved ones in a fair and honest way as much as we can.  This could simply mean the following:

Have a credit card bill due? Make the payment on or before the due date and pay a little over the minimum if you can. Did you tell your sibling they could borrow your Prince shirt but secretly YOU wanted to wear it? Make amends and promise them that they can have it next week to show off to their friends, Don't like a guy who wants to date you? Be polite and respectful, but say "no" from a place of integrity and truth. Trust me, you'll feel better!

• Just for today, I will be grateful.

As humans, we're so used to being busy and in a hurry that we forget to look up, or stop and smell the coffee, and even smile at your 100 year old neighbor, LOL. This idea suggests that we find something, or someone, to be grateful for and appreciate every day.

   According to research, groups of participants wrote about things they were thankful for during a one week time period, the other group wrote about things that bothered them. The final group wrote about things that had happened that week, without mention of the positive or negative aspects. 10 weeks later, the group told to write about positive things, found themselves to be happier and exercise more than the groups that did not. Additionally, one study found that managers who say "thank you" to the workers may find that they work more efficiently. What's one thing I'm grateful for, you ask? Well...that's easy. You, dear reader!

• Just for today, I will show kindness to all living things.

     Friends, in today's world kindness should be automatic and I'll admit there is a lot of good in the world. Also too, there is a lot of hate and a great disconnect which seems to be growing wider with every passing minute. This precept reminds us, that we should honor our parents, teachers, and elders.  For where there is honor, there is love.  So remember to pay it forward wherever you go because we are all connected. If we try to live by this concept in our lives, the human race shall overcome anything and be divided by nothing. Truly United WE stand!

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    Though this may be difficult at first, practicing these along with self reiki can open you up to a more balanced and mindful way of living. It's also important to remember that in your reiki journey, you're still living a human life with all it's ups and downs, so don't be too hard on yourself, no one expects you to be perfect! As part of my journey my reiki teacher also gave me a journal to keep track of my experience while I learned, which I know is necessary but tedious because I'm a classic over thinker and like to keep everything in my head for safe keeping, LOL. But, if I had a student in my class I would definitely recommend keeping a journal because the reiki process overall is amazing and you never know when you might have an experience you want to remember.

The Importance of the Reiki Symbols:

    While I'm not going to go into great detail about the symbols and what they are, I do think that giving their history a mention is a good idea. Reiki is all about energy and intention, the energy of the teacher and the student. After all you want to be sure that no one with, as I believe the late, great Jim Morrison would say, "dark mojo" giving you a reiki treatment! So make sure they have good intentions and know what the heck they're doing. That's why we need the symbols.

    The symbols are derived from the ancient Sanskrit languages and are also used in Buddhism. They can be used to channel universal energy and "power up" a reiki session because once the student receives them in ceremony from the teacher and passed to them, the student then can release the energy they were given to help others in healing from stress, pain, depression, and a host of other things. But, please note: reiki is NOT a substitute for medical treatment from a good medical professional. However it can be used alongside it and multiple sessions may be helpful.

"Reiki symbols serve like triggers to stimulate various responses physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually, within and around the person receiving Reiki treatment. It works like the reflex response system in the human body to stimuli. Just like the body responds to various things a certain way; the symbol invokes a response from the person receiving the symbol, whether through attunement or treatment. Reiki symbols are energized when you draw them.**

In my learning, my teacher did have me draw the symbols  as a way to connect with their energies, and although I'm no Picasso, I did find that drawing them out in my own handwriting beneficial. I even had my friend, who is a fantastic artist, draw one that I was having trouble with and then I understood better.

     In conclusion, although the pandemic has been challenging and scary for me, and everyone I'm sure, learning and opening myself up to this ancient and sacred art I feel, has rounded me out and made me a better person overall. And although I still struggle at times with aspects of daily physical life, I feel more confident, grounded, and I feel I'm accomplishing one of my life's goals.  I hope as  you read this article, it might inspire you to take a leap of faith...and try something new.

Sources

**Reiki precepts - www.reikimedicine.org

**History of reiki symbols -  2012, October   Reiki Symbols: History and Significance www.reikirays.com

**Image of Mikao Usui - www.reikimedicine.org