WORKING WITH OTHERS
The aura is the energy envelope that surrounds our body. As we continue to develop our skills and work more deeply to gain understanding of energy, having a general idea of what the aura is about is extremely useful.
I think it is important to note there are varied ways that different schools of thought describe the layers of the auric field. When we study, we should be investigating and gathering information. Once we assemble our information, I suggest it is beneficial to pass it through our heart center. If the information resonates with us, then we should connect with it, use it, expand upon it, develop it more, etc. Nothing in this world is brand new and unique, it is just a variation of something already expressed. So with that in mind, the following information on the aura is that which resonates with me and what I have been working with over the last several years.
AURA DEFINED
To me, the aura is the subtle energy field surrounding a living organism which gives a indication of what the organism is experiencing on a mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual level...in other words, I like to think of it as a holistic snapshot. This aura can be seen, felt or experienced by many individuals in a variety of ways.
Personally, there are times when I can very clearly see the auric field of a person, but I have more difficulty with plants and animals. Usually I am in a very high energy environment when I can detect the aura in colors.
For example, yesterday my husband and I were at a dowser's meeting and the guest speaker was a woman healer. As she spoke with passion about her life journey, the aura around her head became visible to me, coming through in the first layer as a bright yellow and the next layer expanding out several feet was a beautiful green. After awhile, the floor was opened up to discussion, and as different individuals spoke, their auric fields around their bodies glowed. Once again the color I was seeing was either yellow or green. I also saw the aura around many others,but not containing a particular color, instead, being a hazy, fog like glow surrounding them.
As I work with individuals giving a Reiki session, I do so with my eyes closed most of the time. While in this state, I feel the aura or energy body. Sometimes it feels strong and vibrant, at other times it may feel out of balance. When the aura is out of balance, it can be felt in a variety of ways. If I open my eyes, then I usually perceive the aura in a hazy, fog-like manner, probably because I give a session in very dim candlelight.
LAYERS OF THE AURA
Etheric Double
This is the energetic blueprint of the body, containing an exact duplication of the cells, tissues and organs within the body. It extends about a quarter of an inch to several inches beyond the physical body. The Etheric Double has two main functions. First it absorbs energy and distributes this to the whole body, through the functions of the chakra system. Secondly, it acts as an intermediary or bridge between the dense physical body and the astral body, transmitting the consciousness of physical through the etheric level to the astral body, and also transmitting consciousness from the astral and higher levels down into the physical and nervous system.
Emotional Layer
The emotional aura extends about two to four inches from the physical body. This aura is associated with feelings. Positive feelings generally create bright colours, where as negative feelings generally create dark colours.
Mental Layer
The mental aura extends about four to eight inches from the physical body. Within this aura are our thoughts and mental processes. The more active our thinking processes the brighter our mental aura becomes. Within this aura can be found thought forms.
Spiritual Layer
This is the next layer after the mental containing our feelings within the world of our spirit. Here we communicate with all the beings of the spiritual world.
There are many more layers, but as I work with Reiki, these are the basic layers I am concerned with, preferring to keep things simple You may wish to do more research on your own and go deeper into the other layers.
See upcoming post entitled, Colors of the Aura, to learn about the different interpretations or meanings assigned to the colors of the aura.
Monday, March 31, 2008
Introduction to the Aura
Friday, March 28, 2008
Reiki FAQ 6
Q: I tripped over the dog in the middle of the night once on my way to the bathroom. My feet were sort of stuck under her on one side & I went straight down on my knees on the other side of her. My feet must've come out from under her, because there I was on my knees & she never made a sound. I hit hard on the wood floor.
My question is, could I have created a giant block now? I ask because just as I get no response from my pendulum work, now I haven't been able to get any feedback at all from Reiki. This was since the fall mid Aug. I had a truly neat experience with a self Reiki treatment just a week before that. -PD
A. To answer your question..no, I don't think you have created a block to receiving Reiki just because you are not receiving a perception of feedback..if you are willing to have Reiki come through you, it will...whether you feel a response to it or not will vary...but if you do not feel the feedback, it does not mean that it is not occurring...release the fears/anxiety you may be having over it..
Let me give you an example, that happened to me today, in fact, maybe for a particular reason, now that you are asking this question... I had been trying to clean out my dishwasher...I emptied it and ran it with a cleaner to get some of the stains out...I did this 2 times...after the second time, I noticed that the spinning arm above the heating element was clogged, so foolishly I was trying to unclog it without being totally aware that the heating element was still hot, to make a long story short...I burned my middle finger and ring finger pretty bad touching the heat source...
I immediately began to Reiki the affected area but did not feel the feedback I was expecting as I had with previous burns...I reikied it for about 10 minutes and then continued with cleaning the kitchen. You could tell that I had burned both fingers but they did not blister...after dinner I began to Reiki the area again..this time only the middle finger...still did not feel any response...I deliberately reikied only the worse finger to have a comparison of what the burned areas would look like. The middle finger which I reikied a 2nd time, it was hard to tell where the burn was...the less damaged finger (ring finger) although it had not blistered, there is a definite visual sign that a burn occurred in that area..
Last night, shortly after my oldest daughter went to bed, she came downstairs practically in tears, saying she had a really bad, sharp pain on her left side...she asked if I could reiki her...I began to treat the area, again feeling no feedback at all from the area where my hands were placed...a short time after, she said "let me try to stand up" . She stood up and said the pain had disappeared...she had a quick response to the reiki, yet I felt nothing coming through me...
Many times it is a test of faith...returning to the idea that I leave my ego behind and be a clear channel...many times we are graced with feeling the experience, at other times, this is not the case, nor does it need to be..... .
Thursday, March 27, 2008
How in the World Do I Let Go?
LETTING GO IS A CHOICE
Whether we are working on resolving issues within ourselves, or find ourselves assisting others, such as friends, family members or clients, often we discover at the root of the problem is the core issue of not being able to let go…This could be any number of things that occurred in the past…a traumatic event, a perceived defeat or failure, a personal injury of some sort, and on and on the list can go. Upon closer examination, we frequently find ourselves clinging to this past wreckage, as if floating around at sea, waiting to be rescued from the pain. So why do we do this?
Well I would like to discuss a few things that were presented awhile ago when facilitating at a Sunday Celebration. The topic presented was Bridge Over Troubled Waters. The subheading was The Anatomy and Physiology of Life’s Struggles. Although this is not meant to be an all inclusive listing, it does provide some thoughts to ponder.
We started out by discussing vocabulary…what is the form, the function, and the process of life’s struggles?
LIFE'S STRUGGLES:
Form:
1. Will without a doubt show up daily, invited or not…or so we think!
2. These can be tiny, but annoying, struggles, like a fly buzzing continually around our head or
3. They can be huge and enormous…like we have been buried under an avalanche
Function:
1. To help us discover who we really are
2. To create opportunities for us
3. To engage us in life lessons we wish to experience on some level
4. To teach us how to create inner peace
Process:
1. We Sink…deny the experience…throw in the towel…blame others, etc
2. We Swim through Murky Waters: taking on the Superman/Superwoman role…assume the “No Pain,No Gain” attitude, etc…
3. We Find a Bridge to Cross…we go inside…turn for help…use resources…make connections
As we work on resolving some of our life’s struggles it is of top priority to do the inner work…the internal housecleaning so to speak, if we really want a healing to occur. By now we all know that a cure does not necessarily equate to a healing, and a healing does not necessarily insure a cure. But if given the option of which direction to go…going for the healing is the best route to travel, in my opinion.
A BIG part of this process is the ability to let go. When we go in this direction we often have an new awakening …the realization that our inner nature knows what is best for us because it sees life without the painful confusion and contractions that usually accompany our compulsive self-interests.
Our higher self knows that we don’t need to ache even when we are so sure that we must. Our higher self has the strength and wisdom to gently open our hand that grips so tightly onto our life struggles, allowing us to drop all that is making us unhappy. The secret to letting go not only holds the keys for ending what is unwanted, but locked within this same secret is the beginning of a new life…the birth of a new nature that never has to hold onto anything because it is already everything.
Here are some Points to Ponder if you decide to head down this path. This is a powerful listing of insights I came across from the book, The Secret of Letting Go, by Guy Finley.
that self acquires to make it feel free.
to find is like saying “I want to see the whole world from my bed.”
And finally without a doubt, I feel the bottom line solution to ending our life’s struggles is finding and staying in the space of inner peace. By letting go, we can achieve this, because when we have inner peace, the outcome never matters…I am not suggesting that we don’t make life changes, what I am saying is that in the presence of true inner peace, nothing can pull us from our center. Often easier to say than to implement, but it does give a goal to strive toward!
.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
The Voice and Consciousness
Every person holds a map of consciousness within their voice. The energy inside the voice directly affects the mind and body. Using the voice is an efficient and natural way to massage the bones, organs and skin from the inside out. It is a natural accessory for the release of tension, the stimulation of the mind, the expression of thoughts and bridging the emotions with the mind.
Forms of drumming, singing, and chanting all create endorphin releases that reduce pain,calm the mind, lower brain wave patterns and balance the body. Music therapists are using the voice as a tool for healing the link between conscious expression and physical disabilities.
New forms of healing and relaxation insist that the generation of the vibration come from within the client rather than through the instrument, the drum, a recording or the voice or music of the therapist. New systems are encouraging you to do it yourself…to tune in and tune up.
Self-created relaxation is actually a repatterning and retraining of the mind and body through various levels of sound production from the voice and muscle rhythms of the body. With the voice and the awareness of making inner sounds in the mind, you can begin to find effective and readily available ways to tune in and tune up your consciousness, body and emotions.
Below are some exercises you may want to begin experimenting with to help induce
relaxation. Although they sound easy, obvious and quite unsophisticated, give yourself two weeks to explore their power, their ease and remarkable results.
EXERCISE 1: I AM VIBRATION
Sit comfortably in a chair so there is a feeling of relaxing upward. Close your eyes and imagine your whole body as a balloon. Inhale, sensing your body expanding with ease. Then exhale,visualizing your body releasing air from every pore in the body.
Continue to sense the balloon gently expanding and releasing with deep long exhalations and inhalations for about 2 or 3 minutes.
When you feel comfortable with the breath, then relax the jaw and allow a HUM to begin.It is not a melody, a chant, or a tune…it is a tone. This tone is not being made for the purpose of making beautiful or musical sound. It is being made for the purpose of massaging the body from the inside out. The jaw is loose, the teeth are slightly apart and the lips are together. The sound is low and soft. In your mind, think:
I am exhaling tension by massaging the body and mind with vibration
I am inhaling harmony and well-being
I am vibration
Complete this exercise for 4 to 5 minutes each morning and evening a week to tune up your world! Let your critical, verbal brain to take a rest and allow the rest of your brain and body to naturally attune itself.
EXERCISE 2: RELAX WITH VOWELS
Set aside a time where you can explore the vowel sounds. Sit comfortable in a chair and exhale a few times releasing thought. Then for 3 -5 minutes begin to tone with a relaxed jaw. Place the palm of your hand just below your throat so that it rests comfortably on the upper part of your chest. Bring the other hand to your cheek and allow your head to gently rest on your hand. Close your eyes.
Day 1: Open the lips slightly and make an “eh “ sound.
Day 2: Relax the jaw and make an “eee” sound
Day 3: Make a gentle “ah” sound
Day 4: Make a long restful “ oh” sound
Day 5: Make a gentle “ouuuu” sound
Imagine you are deaf and that all the energy of the sounds is massaging your body from within. Let you hands be your ears and sense the vibratory power. Do not look for an outcome,just be aware of the presence.
After your time of toning, put your hands in your lap, keep the eyes closed and deeply sense your body and mind.
Each vowel at every pitch has a different power. Each person responds differently. Let you voice be lower in pitch as you begin this tonal awareness. Keep the same pitch for most of the time your are toning. If you ever feel strain or stress, just stop for thirty seconds, the begin again. If you feel it is just time to stop, then just stop.
At times an emotion or a memory may arise. You can choose to tone right through that
memory and allow it to be cleared away, or you may come to rest and know that you will work with that feeling at a later time. There is wisdom of the vowels in the body, become aware of their power to charge, relax and heal.
Source: Adapted from The Big Book of Relaxation
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Energy Technique Toolbox: Tip 6
MOVING THE ENERGY FLOW
When doing Reiki, there are times that an energetic blockage can be really locked into the body and it is helpful to utilize a few additional techniques during the treatment process which helps move the blockages along. This is especially true if while giving Reiki to an area that has shown an energetic restriction, the energy seems difficult to move, is feeling very concentrated or is taking a long time to drain out or release. These techniques will assist in breaking up the energy patterns holding the blockage in place.
These techniques come by a variety of names, depending on which modality is being utilized or who has taught the techniques. But regardless of the name that the technique is being labeled, the important thing when using them while doing Reiki, is remain a clear and open channel and not to become attached to the process or the results.
THE TRIANGE TECHNIQUE:
This is a simple, effective two-handed method for removing blocked energy.
1. Place your hands palms down, with the tips of your pointer fingers touching and your thumbnails overlapping. Your hands, especially the open area between them, form the shape of a triangle.
2. Form the triangle directly on or 2-6 inches above the area to be worked on. When working above the body, you are moving into other areas of the aura of the body…the etheric double, the emotional, the mental, the spiritual.
3. Visualize and feel the Reiki energy as well as healing colors coming from the palms of your hands and your fingers, penetrating directly into the area you are working on.
4. As the Reiki energy penetrates the area, visualize the energy blockage breaking up. See and feel this blockage being pushed up and out through the center of the triangle and being released and immediately transmuted.
5. It is also beneficial when you have the person receiving the treatment participate in the visualization process. The more actively engaged in the process the person is while receiving the treatment, the more they will benefit. This active engagement can take on many different forms, use the one that works best for you and the person receiving the Reiki.
The triangle is a sacred and powerful symbol. For me, it feels intuitively natural to use during a Reiki session and was a technique I began using as just that.. through intuitive inspiration, before I began reading and learning about its application in other areas.
Let’s take a look at the triangle as a symbol. A symbol can be defined as a means of communication that goes beyond the ability of expressed language- written or spoken. It is something that is felt, and it is felt on a number of different levels, invoking a variety of feelings and emotions. Each response to a symbol is highly individualistic—based on our experiences, perceptions, background, culture. etc.
So keeping this in mind—read through some of the interpretations I have gathered from different resources regarding the triangle,some,none,or all may resonate with you. What we are trying to explore here is the metaphysical meaning the triangle has for you personally.
Triangle: The triangle is the strongest geometric form. It cannot collapse unless one of it's joints give out. The triangle can be used to represent the 4 basic elements:earth, air, fire. and water.
The Triangle: represents the active principle and is often used as a symbol of fire. It's energy is dynamic and it creates change, moves forcibly and with power.
The Triangle: associated with the number three. Pointing upwards, it symbolizes fire,male power and counterfeit view of God. To Christians, it often represents the Trinity. Pointing down, it symbolizes water, female sexuality, goddess religions and homosexuality.
The Triangle: is a symbol of manifestation. It will amplify anything put into it. Triangles have an effect on anything inside them. In the 1970's triangle shapes were used to preserve milk and other food without refrigeration. I do not recommend anyone doing that as the technology is more complicated than I am explaining here and one might get ill if they try that, but commercially it was done. I know with my own experiments with pyramid shapes, I mummified meat in 3 days with just a simple, basic pyramid. My grandfathers' razor blades (before the days of Bic throwaways) lasted for one year when stored in a pyramid. As you can see the triangle amplifies the energy in a unique way.
The Triangle: The three is symbolic of multiplicity: creative power, growth and the forward movement overcoming duality. In the Tao three is the central number of equilibrium.
The Triangle: is a mystical symbol. The pyramids of ancient Egypt are built in this shape. A triangle has three equal sides, and the number 3 may be regarded as a symbol of completion. The number 3 appears throughout history in many cultures and religions. There are, for example, the three worlds or three levels of consciousness:consciousness, unconsciousness, and cosmic consciousness. Western psychology may define these same three worlds as the ego, the shadow and the self.
The Triangle: In Christianity the number 3 is exemplified by way of the Holy Trinity. This concept suggests that three apparent gods are, in fact, one and the same. This would seem, once again, to be our eternal triad of body, mind and spirit. God the Son is the body, God the Father is the mind, and God the Holy Ghost is the spirit. These constitute the whole person.
The Triangle: Manifestation of the spirit in the body as the life force, the need of spirit to extend itself through creative expression, and true expression of spirit, which comes when we realize we are spirit.
The Triangle: This sign holds the power of integration through the trinity: of body, mind, and spirit; of mother, father, and child; of past, present, and future;of the Holy Trinity. Represents time of integration in life. It also embodies the power of the pyramids. It is an active symbol of spirit and aspiring to higher realms. Two triangles- one in the normal position and one inverted and superimposed on the first-form a six-pointed star, called Solomon’s Seal,that is a symbol for the human soul. The triangle also has the power of protection. This sign says, you are safe and you are being protected.
The Triangle: carries the theme of self-discovery and revelation, the shape stands for goals, visions, and dreams. It is the universal shape associated with the attainment of desired goals, and with the ability to envision new possibilities.
.
Monday, March 24, 2008
Enhancing A Session: Using Polarity
POLARITY SIMILARS
Although there are hundreds of Polarity reflex points, for simplicity listed below are some of the most used reflex points.
SUPERIOR POINTS/INFERIOR POINTS
(Toward the Head)/(Away from the Head)
Fingers/Toes
Palm/Bottom of Foot
Forearm/Shin
Elbow/Knee
Upper Arm/Thigh
Inside Border of Shoulder Blade/Calves
Inside Border of Shoulder Blade/Buttocks
Buttocks/Calves
Occipital Bone/Sacrum
Shoulder Joint/Hip Joint
Wrist/Ankle
Mastoid Part of Temporal Bone/Ischium
Parietal Bones/Pubic Bone
Jaw/Symphasis Pubis
Occiput/Sacrum
Sphenoid/Coccyx
COMMENT FROM REIKI RETREAT:
These Polarity Similars points can be used as hand positions when giving someone a Reiki treatment. As you review the list, you may notice that you have been instinctively drawn to placing your hands in some of the positions that are listed above.
Try a few of the positions when giving a Reiki treatment,and place your attention on what is going on beneath your hands,if an area has an energy blockage, you may notice you are receiving more feedback when your hands are placed in the Polarity Similiars positions.
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Intuition: The Golden Gift
WORKING WITH OTHERS
“Intuition is one of a healer’s greatest assets. the ability to listen to and hear your inner guidance, to sense or see images in your mind or to be guided by an inner knowing is a very special gift. At times you may be guided to say or do things that seem strange to the logical mind. When used appropriately, this guidance gives you the opportunity to leap beyond the normal senses and gain insights in a way that could very easily lead to a breakthrough in a person’s healing process. Intuition goes far beyond book knowledge; it comes from your own deep inner knowing, not from your thinking.
Inner guidance may come in the form of a feeling, a picture or a voice. Meditation, or any practice that helps to quiet down the mental chatter and clear stray thoughts from the mind, will assist you in hearing and feeling this intuitive guidance when it comes. Asking and praying for inner guidance to become an active party of your life and to assist in your healing and the healing of others can greatly accelerate the process of opening up. Regardless of your current skill level, trust that your ability is indeed developing and allow time for this gift to grow. The more you use it, the faster it will develop.
My intuition-my inner guidance- is accessed when I mentally and emotionally disengage, take a few deep breaths, relax, quiet my mind and go inside to ask “What is really going on here? How can I help this person? What am I to do or say?” Many times when I am very relaxed and actively listening to a person, an image or impression will come to me; other times I will hear words. Some people I know smell fragrances or see colors. In most cases, the guidance received will be the key to unlocking the challenge.
Often when assisting someone I will get the impression of a parent or an earlier age in the person’s life. When asked, “What happened between you and you(father/ mother)?” “What do you want to say to your (father/mother)?” or “What happened when you were (age)?” The person will frequently burst into tears. The remembering of a past event and the completion of it releases the blocked energy,thereby facilitating the healing process.
In 1986 I met a man in Skagway, Alaska who was experiencing a recurring pain in his foot. He explained that he could not remember injuring his foot, however he was aware that it had not bothers him prior to his moving near the ocean.
As I listened I relaxed and in my mind clearly saw the inside of the bow of a small wooden boat with a coil of rope on the floor. As I watched I asked myself what this meant and although I did not get a picture immediately, I sensed that this person, in what appeared to be a past lifetime, was a fisherman who had been standing near the bow. Somehow his foot had become entangled in the rope and he was either hurt or dragged overboard and drowned. After sharing my insight and doing an aura cleansing the pain went away and to the best of my knowledge never returned. The amazing part for me was that this discussion and the insight happened while I was driving on a winding narrow road.
When learning to access your intuition make sure you ask the person you are working with for permission to share what you are receiving. After communication your insight always ask if what you have shared has any meaning for them. In all cases, make sure to approach this by asking questions rather than making statements. This will allow the person to go inside and check their own feelings. Most people will register a “true” response by some type of physical or emotional reaction in their body—a tightness in the pit of the stomach, a muscle jerk or goosebumps on the skin. Regardless of the reaction from the person you are working with, remember how and what you are intuitively receiving, so that over time you can observe the accuracy of your impressions. You may even wish to keep a journal of these intuitive insights.
The best healers are guided from within. It takes a willingness to practice and accept honest feedback in order to learn to listen and to trust the information you are receiving intuitively.”
Excerpted from The Healing Energy of Your Hands: Michael Bradford
COMMENTS FROM REIKI RETREAT:
The more you work with Reiki, the more you will find that you are receiving inner guidance or intuitive information/insights while working with yourself or with others. Some of the things I have found helpful to activate this process are summarized below:
1. Intuition is not a special gift for a selected group of people. It is a gift we are all given as part of our birthright. Some choose to open the gift and work with it, others choose to put it on a shelf and forget about it, others may be apprehensive about opening it, allowing it to stay under wraps until a later time…Think about this analogy and how it may apply to you…
2. Accessing the ability to receive intuitive information is easier than we think, and is already in use in our day to day lives. We may not give it credit when we have used this information, simply because it may have come to us in very ordinary circumstances, rather than appearing with all the bells and whistles.
Now just think about it…have you ever planned on going some place and then suddenly had a change of mind for no apparent reason, or decided to change the direction or route you were taking? Only to have discovered later on how fortunate you were to have missed an accident or a traffic jam. We will never know how many people were using intuitive guidance on Sept 11 when the Twin Towers were struck, and they had decided for some reason not to be there when they normally would have been.
How many times during your life have you had a creative idea, an inspiration or solution to a problem that appeared out of nowhere? We all have encountered this experience, which is intuition at work.
Have you ever had what feels like a gut reaction about something or someone in relation to one of your children? This again is intuition.
Want to take a nap and wake up in an hour but don’t have an alarm clock around? Just state before nodding off, I want to wake up in X amount of minutes. The message is relayed to the subconscious, which will wake you up at the designated time.
Have you ever found yourself saying, I had an epiphany today! or maybe you heard someone else say it…this is a direct result of inner guidance or intuition at work.
Any time you say, I can’t explain it, I just have this feeling about…. you are expressing yourself intuitively.
The next time you start to say “I don’t have intuitive ability.” stop and take a moment to examine some ordinary happenings in your life and you may be surprised to find that you are to the contrary, more intuitive than you give yourself credit for.
3. When thinking about those examples mentioned above and remembering yourself in similar situations, try to recall exactly what state of being you were in when it happened.
If you recalled having a creative idea or inspiration, what were you doing? Were you stressed out or more relaxed? Were you engaged in an activity that required your full concentration, or were you in a comfortable, calm atmosphere?
Generally, when a person is in a more relaxed state of being, when the logical, chattering side of the mind grows quieter, this opens the gateway for communication with the subconscious, which allows intuition to be recognized and heard. If you are one who describes yourself as not able to turn off the mental chatter—try this: be a detached observer, listen without attachment to the talk. I like to describe it as if I were sitting in front of a TV watching CNN, just watching the tag lines at the bottom of the screen go by…eventually the incessant thoughts will stop coming, and you will be peering at a blank screen…
This is also like daydreaming-- giving your mind permission to relax and take a break. It takes time to cultivate the ability to get into this state, but the more you practice, the quicker you can arrive there at each attempt.
4. All intuitive ability is not the same…as mentioned above, we all are gifted with this ability, but how we perceive it is not the same in everyone. For some it will be like watching a TV screen with clear images, for others it may be more like a quick running slide show, others may experience it as if they are listening to a radio, and still others, it may affect them as a feeling. One way is not better than the other. These modes of expression may vary at times. The best thing to do is to learn to trust the intuitive information as it comes in. Sometimes the understanding is known immediately, but at other times it will become apparent at a later date.
Here is an example of a time just recently that I received an intuitive message…
I had just finished my morning walk at the park, got into my van, looked at my bottle of water, then thought oh I’ll drink it later! I drove about 1 minute away to the grocery store located right next the park where I had just been. As I approached the store, an elderly couple was exiting. The wife said to the husband “If you wait until you are thirsty to drink, then its too late.” I mentally thanked the woman for the message, did my shopping, then drank the bottle of water as soon as I got back into the car.
Do I believe this was a coincidence? Most certainly! But I view a coincidence as something that is meant to happen, not a random event. This was an intuitive message for me, sent through this couple as a reminder of something I was working on to increase (my water consumption)
These messages can come to us in any number of ways: through the words of a song, a billboard message, an overheard conversation, a magazine ad, etc. The trick is to be open to receive them…by fine tuning our awareness..
So maybe during the next few weeks, you can work on fine-tuning your awareness….you just might be surprised at what you are learning!
.
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Reiki FAQ 5
Q. Best Way to Use Reiki for Post-Op Recovery
A. There are many ways to balance the charkas..the way I teach the balancing at the end of a session is just one way to do it…my suggestion would be to experiment and try different ways…when using the pendulum to assess the charkas what I have programed my reading for are: a clockwise swing indicates that the chakra is open…if the diameter of the swing is about 6 inches that would be considered open, less than 6 inches would be open but on the lower end, if the pendulum swings horizontally, vertically, irregularly, or is showing no movement this indicates a restriction in the flow…over 6 inches in a clockwise swing shows that the chakra is over stimulated…
Q. What is the best for using Reiki in helping with post op recovery. What timing is best, location of hands etc. Do you have experience with this? Do you have anything specific readings to recommend me to read etc. I welcome any advice. I have heard that some nurses use it immediately in the recovery room. I am sure they will not allow me in recovery room. Do you recommend that I apply it whenever I am visiting her even when she is sleeping etc. -LM
A. If you could get into the recovery room to administer Reiki that would be good, but as you said, they may not allow it…first I would plan on sending in Reiki to the operating room, the operating room staff, the equipment and your sister. If you can give her Reiki prior to the procedure that would be good as well…if not directly before, anytime prior would be helpful…as far as where to place your hands, I would do as much of a general treatment as possible..remember reiki goes to where it is needed anyway…but particularly spend a good deal of time in the upper chakra areas…if she is asleep it doesn’t matter, the Reiki will still be received..in addition to the Reiki if you could have your sister also begin to engage in some regular meditation or visualization techniques it would be helpful with the recovery process…her willingness to do the inner work as well as the outer physical recouping is to me, an essential part to the healing process, one does not work as well without the addition of the other.
Check William Rands web site: reiki.org for the archive of articles..there is an article entitled: Reiki and Breast Cancer, and another one Cancer, Surgery and Reiki…there may be newer articles, I haven't checked the site recently..
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
10 Reasons to Learn Reiki
1. Reiki connects you to universal energy so you can heal yourself whenever you feel the need. You can balance your body, mind and spirit by spending some time each day devoted to self-healing.
2. If you are feeling that there is something missing in your life that you can’t quite pin point, chances are that it’s your spirituality. By learning Reiki you are re-connected to your higher self, which means you will become far more intuitive, enabling you to make better decisions and to feel far more ‘whole’.
3. Stress is recognised as a major contributor to so many illnesses in modern society. Reiki has an extremely calming effect, filling you with a sense of inner peace and serenity that will ensure that stress won’t rule your life. You will gain a sense of real self-purpose and inner clarity that may have eluded you previously.
4. Our lifestyles are incredibly busy and this takes a toll on our bodies as well as other areas of our life. Through continual self-healing at a physical level you can not only help to prevent illnesses occurring but you can use Reiki on actual physical injuries and problems from mild back pain to cancer. Reiki can help with any illness.
5. If you feel that your life lacks direction learning Reiki re-connects you with your true purpose in life and will leave you feeling far more focused about where you need to be heading and directing all your precious resources. Many people spend years feeling they are in the wrong job or wrong situation and Reiki opens your mind up to the things that you really need, perhaps not want but need. There is nothing quite so liberating.
6. Many people often feel that they are taking so much from life and yet giving so little back and are completely unsure of how to rectify this situation. If you take a Reiki course to practitioner level you are able to heal others as well as yourself. There is nothing quite like healing other people to make you appreciate your own situation and bring comfort to your life. There is nothing more rewarding than being able to share your gift of healing helping someone else who so desperately needs it and bringing happiness to someone else’s life.
7. Reiki has the potential to turn your whole life around for the better if you self heal every day and listen to your intuition. Your whole life becomes clearer and you really do realise what is important in life and what you can do without. Everything is put into perspective and you learn to appreciate so many things and really learn who are your friends and who are just using you.
8. Most people have emotional traumas in their life and what many do not realise is that the energy from these traumas is carried with you and has a negative effect on you, possibly for your whole life. Our traumas hold us back in life stalling self-development. By using Reiki on yourself you can remove the energy attached to those traumas so you will no longer feel any pain associated with the event. Once this has been achieved you are finally free to be yourself.
9. It is easy to get trapped in the cycle of old lifestyle patterns and issues, for example: following the same faddy diets that don’t work, making new years resolutions you know you will break every year, getting trapped by financial issues, working too hard, struggling in relationships. This can continue for your whole life. Reiki can change the way you deal with life, the way you deal with situations and relationships in a way that is much healthier for you. It might not happen in a conscious way but you will find that for instance someone who takes advantage of you normally will get a shock when you defend yourself and demand greater respect. You learn to love yourself more and also to love others but in a way that allows them to learn their lessons and never take you for granted.
10. The founder of Reiki Mikao Usui said that Reiki was the ‘art of inviting happiness’. This is very true. If you ask anyone if they are honestly really happy I doubt you will get a resounding yes from the majority. People often misconceive what real happiness is and associate it with wealth, material possessions or a successful career. Happiness is about so much more than that. Happiness comes from a profound understanding of the universe and knowing your place in the universe. If you choose to learn Reiki you will be set on the path to enlightenment. For some this is a short path, for others a much longer one but once you know you are on it you find what happiness is. Reiki is not just another complementary therapy it is the way of the universe.
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Enhancing a Session: Using Imagery
GUIDED IMAGERY FOR HEALING
When doing a Reiki session for myself or a client, I incorporate guided imagery at the beginning of the session. My reasoning for this- it more easily allows ones self to become engaged in the purpose of the session. Many times we have that monkey-mind syndrome going on incessantly, refusing to give up control and step aside for awhile. This technique allow the mind to remain active but in a different way that is more conducive to healing.
At this point, I am fortunate enough, that I can close my eyes at the start of a session, and the right words needed flow. This was not always the case. If you wish to use guided imagery in your sessions but are not comfortable in creating your own, you do have options. There are many good CDs out there that have wonderful visualizations that can be used, or else you can find sample scripts or write your own. Then tape record them, playing some soft instrumental music in the background.
Here is a good script you can use for general healing.
Begin by taking a couple of deep, full breaths . . . and let the out breath be a real 'letting go' kind of breath . . . As you breathe comfortably and easily, invite your body to relax and let go of any unnecessary tension . . . take the time to bring your attention to each part of your body, and invite it to release and relax as you have so many times before . . . .
Release and relax any tension you may have in your left foot . . . your right foot . . . your calves . . . your thighs and hamstrings . . . your hips . . . pelvis . . . genitals . . . low back . . . buttocks . . . .
Take your time and sense the comfortable feelings of deepening relaxation beginning in the lower half of your body . . . easily . . . naturally . . . invite your abdomen to release and relax and join in this more comfortable and pleasant state of relaxation . . . the organs within your abdomen . . . your midback . . . your chest . . . the muscles across and between your shoulder blades . . . deeper and more comfortably at ease . . . the organs in your chest . . . and neck . . . relaxing more deeply, more comfortably, more easily . . . .
As each part relaxes, you relax more deeply . . . and as you go deeper, it is easier to relax . . . the relaxation is flowing down your upper arms . . . your elbows . . . forearms . . . wrists . . . and hands . . . sense the relaxation in the small muscles between your fingers . . . and all the way to the tips of the index fingers . . . the middle fingers . . . ring fingers . . . little fingers . . . and thumbs . . .
Scalp and forehead soft and relaxed . . . the muscles of the face soft and at ease . . . the little muscles around the eyes relaxing more deeply . . . more pleasantly . . . more comfortably . . . .
And imagine yourself at the top of your imaginary staircase that leads to an even deeper and more comfortable state of mind and body . . . notice what it looks like today . . . and descend one step at a time . . . going deeper, more comfortably relaxed with each descending stair . . . let it be an enjoyable experience . . . head for that special inner place of peacefulness and healing you have visited before . . . .
Deeper, more comfortably relaxed as you go down the stairs . . . . . not being concerned at all with how deeply you go or how you go more deeply . . . . . easy . . . comfortable . . . . just allowing it to happen . . .. . . comfortable and pleasant . . . . body relaxed yet your mind still aware . . . one
And go in your mind to a special inner place of deep relaxation and healing . . . an inner place of great beauty, peacefulness, and security for you . . . a place you have visited before, or one which simply occurs to you now . . . . It really doesn't matter where you go now in your mind as long as the place is peaceful, beautiful, and healing to you . . . take a few moments to look around this special inner place and notice what you see . . . what you hear . . . perhaps there's a fragrance or aroma here . . . and especially notice any feelings of peacefulness, safety, and connection that you feel here . . . .
As you explore, find the spot where you feel the most relaxed, centered, and connected in this place . . . become comfortable and quiet in this place . . . .
When you are ready, focus your attention on the symptom or problem that has been bothering you . . . simply put your attention on it while staying completely relaxed . . . allow an image to emerge for this symptom or problem . . . accept the image that comes, whether it makes sense or not . . . whether it is strange or familiar . . . whether you like it or not . . . just notice and accept the image that comes for now . . . let it become clearer and more vivid, and take some time to observe it carefully . . . .
In your imagination, you can explore this image from any angle, and from as close or far away as you like . . . carefully observe it from different perspectives . . . don't try to change it . . . just notice what draws your attention . . . .
What seems to be the matter in this image? . . . what is it that it represents the problem? . . . .
When you know this, let another image appear that represents the healing or resolution of this symptom or problem . . . again, simply allow it to arise spontaneously . . . allow it to become clearer and more vivid . . . carefully observe this image as well, from different perspectives . . . what is it about this image that represents healing? . . . .
Recall the first image and consider the two images together . . . how do they seem to relate to each other as you observe them? . . . Which is larger? . . . Which is more powerful? . . . If the image of the problem seems more powerful, notice whether you can change that . . . imagine the image of healing becoming stronger, more powerful, more vivid . . . imagine it to be much bigger and much more powerful than the other . . . .
Imagine the image of the problem or symptom turning into the image of healing . . . watch the transformation . . . how does it seem to happen? . . . . Is it sudden, like changing channels on television, or is it a gradual process? . . . . If it is a process, notice how it happens . . . notice if what happens seems to relate to anything in your life . . .
End your imagery session by focusing clearly and powerfully on this healing image . . . imagine it is taking place in your body at just the right place . . . notice whether you can feel or imagine any changing sensations as you imagine this healing taking place . . . let the sensations be sensations of healing . . . affirm to yourself that this is happening now, and that this healing continues in you whether you are waking . . . sleeping . . . imaging . . . or going about your daily activities. . . .
When you are ready, prepare to return to your waking consciousness . . . imagine yourself at the bottom of your imaginary staircase . . . and begin to ascend . . . one . . . two . . . allowing this image of healing to continue to work within you . . . three . . . becoming more and more aware of your surroundings . . . four . . . when you reach ten you may come wide-awake and alert, feeling refreshed and better than before . . . five . . . lighter and lighter . . . six . . . aware of the room you are in . . . seven . . . feeling refreshed and relaxed and better than before . . . eight . . . almost wide- awake now . . . nine . . . your eyes may want to open now . . . and ten . . . allow your eyes to open and come fully wide-awake . . . feeling refreshed, relaxed, and better than before . . . and stretch and smile and go about your day . . . .
Source: Martin L. Rossman, M.D., is the Founder and Director of the Collaborative Medicine Center in Mill Valley, California, a Clinical Associate in Medicine at the University of California at San Francisco Medical Center, and a member of the scientific advisory council of the Institute for the Advancement of Health. .
