Happy Christmas!
“In your now…”
This Sunday’s quotation is taken from the words of Abraham – Hicks.
During the month of December, it is customary to look back over the year that has just gone to see what we have achieved, while setting goals and expectations for the forthcoming year.
I’ve been busy setting up my goals for next year, building on from my achievements of this year. How about you?
Holiday Time!
Are you ready for the holiday? What are you looking forward to most? Or are you dreading the feeling of isolation caused by all the emphasis on belonging?
It can be a very difficult time of year for many people – people who live alone through choice, those recently bereaved, either through death or divorce, and those who although surrounded by family and or friends, still feel isolated for some other reason. It’s very easy to see these people as a burden at this time of festivities.
I have decided to set aside an hour on Friday evening to send distant healing to anyone in need this Christmas. If you would like your name added to the healing book, just write “Healing for ……. (persons name)” in the comments at the end of this post.
Christmas…
I love this time of year, reflecting on the Christmas story of the light coming into the world bringing love, hope and healing to all. This year my reflections have included all that I’ve learned since I started travelling on my Reiki path. It has made me realise just how closely linked the two pathways are.
The Christmas story tells how God loved the world so much that he sent his only son to bring heaven to earth. To experience this, a person needs to shift the focus from their material way of life and centre their being on loving, helping others, giving thanks to God for all things and allowing the Holy Spirit to assist them in the healing of themselves and others.
The Reiki story is about one man’s search for enlightenment. He discovered that to experience enlightenment it was necessary to focus your life away from material things, homing in on self knowledge, thankfulness, compassion and practices of energy exercises to allow healing to take place within and without each person.
I’d love to hear how your ‘Spiritual Story’ compares with these.
“The more light…”
This Sunday’s quotation features the words of Shakti Gawain.
When I took this picture from my front room window this week I was reminded that light has many ways of manifesting into our lives – we just need to be aware, to practise mindfulness.
In Japanese
The spoken word is a very powerful tool, something which is recognised by many spiritual traditions including Christian, Hindu, Buddhism, Sikhism, and Jainism. Every word we speak out loud has an impact on the universe just as every thought we think has an impact on our personal world. In recognition of this, spiritual traditions have taken ‘Sacred Sounds’, combined them and made them into Mantras which have great impact when spoken or chanted.
As part of it’s Buddhist heritage, Mikao Usui taught the five precepts and a series Kotodamas or Mantras, all of which required the student to chant them repetitively in order to obtain the benefits. The precept meditation was chanted daily, morning and evening, and was thought to be one of the most powerful tools in assisting the student on their spiritual journey. The Kotodamas or Mantras were chanted to assist the student to contact the various levels of Reiki Energy.
During the last two Reiki Shares I have attended, in an attempt to get closer to Mikao Usui’s original practices, we have been learning and chanting the five precepts in Japanese. I found this video on YouTube of Hyakuten Inamoto Sensei teaching the pronunciation of the Japanese words.
| Kyo Dake Wa | Just for today | |
| I Ka Ru Na | Let Go of Anger | |
| Shin Pai Suna | Let Go of Worry | |
| Kansha Shite | Be Grateful | |
| Gyoo Hage Me | Be Honest in Your Dealings with Others | |
| Hito Ni Shinsetsui Ni | Be Compassionate to Yourself and Others |
We found it a very powerful and moving experience. Try it for yourself.
Reiki Shares
Just over a week ago I attended my first Reiki Share since completing my Level lll, Master/Teacher course and was invited to participate by being one of the Empowerment givers.
Reiki shares are opportunities for qualified Reiki practitioners from all levels and (in many cases) any tradition to get together, share experiences and give and receive healing between each other. What takes place at a share varies from group to group and depends a lot on the tradition of the organiser.
The share I attend lasts just over 2 hours and is held once a month. We start by exchanging introductions and news then generally have a short time where we either try a new exercise or learn about something which is appropriate for any level of practitioner. This is followed by the Hatsurei Ho exercise, sending Distant Healing and individual Empowerments (Tandai Buddhist Blessings). We have a short break for refreshments, then divide up into pairs to give and receive healing.
I felt very humbled to be one of the Empowerment givers for the first time.
Go Quietly …
This Sunday’s quotation comes from Baba Ram Dass.
When I took the photo in the quotation image, I was totally mesmerised by what looked to me like flames in the sky. Time stood still as I watched the cloud patterns changing until eventually the ‘flames’ disappeared from view. During that time of quiet watching, I became very aware of the energy of the sun and its interaction with all the elements around it. I became quiet and the universe spoke it’s wisdom to me.
Slowing Down!
Slowing down would appear to be a strange thing to do right now. My head is spinning with all the different things I want to do and try, but instead of rushing in like I normally would, I’m going to step back and assess and meditate. Does that sound crazy to you? I don’t know how it sounds, but whenever I think about it my mind goes into panic mode thinking, ‘you can’t slow down, you’ll never get anything done!’
So I think the first thing I have to do is a brain dump! Have you ever done one of those? You take a lot of small pieces of paper and write down all the things in your head, one thing per piece of paper, then you start to categorise and organise the pieces of paper. One pile for urgent stuff, one pile for regular stuff, one pile for mini projects, one pile for big projects etc – you get the idea?
The next stage is to schedule and organise the piles. It might sound like an awful lot of work, but surprisingly it doesn’t usually take that long and I can guarantee that by the end of it you will have a clear head and a new sense of purpose.
So I’m off to give it a try!
A New Journey!
Just over a week ago, at the end of over a month of home study, I attended a two day Masters Course of my lineage and gained my Masters/Teachers Certificate. It was an amazing weekend. My experience of the Reiki Energy is so much stronger now!
In a way it feels wrong to call myself a Reiki Master. Normally when you get to the end of a course of study you feel as though you have completed something. I’ve come a very long way since I set out on my journey into the world of Reiki, and my life has changed in a multitude of ways, but instead of feeling that I have reached the end of a journey I feel as though I am just at the beginning of one.
The Masters course has made me aware of how little I know, and unlike many conventional courses, to gain more knowledge I must practice and experience things. I can’t just read a book about it. So the learning will be a slow process! As I wrote that, I was reminded that living in mindfulness does slow things down.
I would love for you to travel with me on my new journey while I attempt to share some of the insights I gain along the way.