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Reiki Reflections and Natural Abstractions

I had a wonderful vacation with my family this summer. It was so refreshing to get away from our day-to-day lives and spend time in nature. As I took photographs during our vacation, I was drawn to a style of photography that I had not used in a long time. Several years ago, as a fine art photographer, I worked on a series of images that I referred to as, “Natural Abstractions.” I was using images from nature to create abstract photographs and question the representational nature of photography itself. It was a very energizing and creative project for me and I loved making the photos in a black and white darkroom.

I present here some images, with quotes from the Tao Te Ching, that harken back to that photographic project I worked on several years ago. I hope you enjoy them.  For me, they are Reiki reflections on life, nature, and the essence of being human.

May you be well and filled with peacefulness.

Reiki Reflection and Natural Abstraction 1
Image by Janice E. Lodato

“When people see some things as beautiful,
other things become ugly.
When people see some things as good,
other things become bad.” *

Reiki Reflection and Natural Abstraction 2
Image by Janice E. Lodato

“Practice not-doing,
and everything will fall into place.” *

Reiki Reflection and Natural Abstrations 3
Image by Janice E. Lodato

“Things arise and she lets them come;
things disappear and she lets them go.
She has but doesn’t possess,
acts but doesn’t expect.
When her work is done, she forgets it.
That is why it lasts forever.” *

*from Tao Te Ching: An Illustrated Journey, by Lao Tzu, Stephen Mitchell

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Request Reiki

The nexRaised Hands for Reiki imaget time you, or a family member, receive(s) a treatment or procedure at a hospital, ask for Reiki. According to some estimates, over 20% of hospitals in the U.S. offer Reiki to patients and family members. When you request this light touch therapy from Japan you are sending a positive signal to the hospital staff that this is a beneficial therapy that should be included in their services.

In previous posts, I’ve listed and discussed some of the hospitals that currently offer Reiki, for example, MD Anderson, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and the University of Maryland’s Medical Center. At Hartford Hospital, the Reiki program is in its 16th year!

If your hospital doesn’t offer Reiki or your doctor or the staff resist your request, you can simply state, “Reiki helps me to relax.” or “Reiki helps me to sleep better.” One doesn’t need to get deeply involved in discussions or debates around how human beings heal or which is better conventional medicine or alternative. Remember, you’re talking with human beings who are attempting to heal you, respect them, their practice, and yourself. You can do all of this by acknowledging what they have to offer and simply asking for a little help relaxing by receiving Reiki.

If no Reiki volunteer or staff is available, you can request to bring in a practitioner from outside. Because Reiki is non-invasive and complementary, a well-trained practitioner will be able to place his/her hands on you without getting in the way of any wires or tubes that are part of the hospital setting. Also, most nurses prefer a relaxed patient, so it becomes a win-win situation for all!

So next time you need it, just raise your hand and ask for Reiki!

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Reiki feels like . . .

In a typical Reiki session, lasting an hour, the recipient lies down on a Reiki table (aka a massage table), fully clothed and is offered Reiki by the practitioner through the light placement of hands on the recipient’s body.  The hand placements are over eyes, jaw joint, back of head, throat (with a cupping hand position), heart, solar plexus, stomach, abdomen, knees, and feet.  If there is time, and the practitioner thinks it would be helpful, the client rolls over onto his/her stomach and the hand placements are upper back, mid back, lower back, and coccyx.

Those are the mechanics of a Reiki session, but what does it feel like?  During a Reiki session, recipients experience deep relaxation and some report a pleasant floating session.  Sometimes a recipient experiences a rush of energy to a particular area or intense heat where the hands are placed.

Here are some experiences of cancer patients that I work with describing how Reiki feels:

“I felt lots of warmth and a pleasant tingling radiating from my heart.” Barbara

 

“You helped so much. The pain is gone. I’m floating. Thank you.” Irena

 

“I’ve been experiencing neuropathy as a side effect of my treatment. After our Reiki session, the pins and needles are gone!” Nancy

 

I hope you’ll join us at an upcoming Reiki Clinic or schedule a Reiki session to experience for yourself what Reiki feels like!

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The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz

The Four AgreementsThe Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz is a delightful book that aligns beautifully with the Reiki precepts. While reading it recently, I was reminded again and again of the universality of the these truths and how helpful they are in our day-to-day lives.

The Four Agreements are:

  • Be impeccable with your word
  • Don’t take anything personally
  • Don’t make assumptions
  • Always do your best

The Reiki Precepts are:

Just for today:

  • I will not anger
  • I will not worry
  • I will be grateful
  • I will do my work honestly
  • I will be kind to every living thing

There are a lot of different translations and interpretations of the Reiki Precepts or Principles.  (The list above provides the gist of them.)  As we compare them with the Four Agreements we see that honesty is noted in both.  Indeed honesty makes your life more calm and compatible and allows the love and light of the universe to flow through it.

Always doing your best is a way to be kind to every living thing.  When we do our best, we honor ourselves and others. While not making assumptions helps us to avoid anger and worry.  When we assume someone will act in a certain way or a situation will have a particular outcome, we set the stage for feelings of anger and disappointment.  Even the act of assuming is one where we are living in the future where that mindset can lead to feelings of anxiety and worry.  Feelings of gratitude also help us to counteract negative feelings and selfish thoughts.

However, one of the Four Agreements really stands out for me with the statement, “Don’t take anything personally.” We all live from a place of our own perceptions, emotions, and mental states.  This leads to a lot of assuming about others and their experiences of a situation and their motives for acting in certain ways.  If we fully embrace this idea of taking nothing personally and understand that others are acting from their own points of view, we can liberate ourselves from a lot of grief and hurt from other people’s actions and words.

I invite you to reflect on this Agreement.  Place your hands over your heart, close your eyes, and say to yourself, “Just for today, I will take nothing personally.” Pay attention to your breath and as your attention drifts gently bring your mind back to the statement, “Just for today, I will take nothing personally.” After about 5 minutes, release your hands and go about your day.  What is it like for you to see the world in this new way? Let us know in the comments below!

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Creative Visualization by Shakti Gawain

 

Creative Visualization by Shakti Gawain

Creative Visualization by Shakti Gawain holds a special place in my heart. This particular copy is from my father’s bookshelf. He is a psychologist who has most recently practiced in the field of sports psychology and uses creative visualization and self-hypnosis to improve an athlete’s concentration and overall performance. I remember, as a child, seeing it there on the bookshelf and being quietly inspired by it as I loved to live in the dreamlike world of my imagination.

A few weeks ago, I read this book from cover to cover. Before, I had only read parts of it because it is certainly a book that lends itself to that type of reading.  The first part of it provides a thorough background about, and discussion of, the application of creative visualization and affirmations. In the second part, one can practice with the many visualizations for particular situations, like the Pink Bubble Technique or the Healing Meditations.  As I read it, I was pleasantly surprised to find phrases that I use in my Reiki practice repeated throughout the book. It was as if it had woven its way through my consciousness and connects me to my life’s purpose and to my father.

Shakti Gawain starts off this inspirational book with a crystal clear definition: “Creative visualization is the technique of using your imagination to create what you want in your life.”  This simple and straightforward technique is then presented as a natural part of your imagination.  Something that you’re using everyday anyway, so why not use it to achieve your goals? Shakti builds this book on two important techniques: 1. Relaxation and 2. Affirmation. (Even the Stuart Smalley affirmation appears on page 22, “Every day in every way I’m getting better, better, and better.”)

One often hears that there are people who just can’t visualize and therefore this technique will be ineffective for them.  However, I believe, as with any self-care technique, one has to find the method that works for your way of thinking and your way of living.  Perhaps you’re more of a verbal thinker than a visual one so rather than holding an image of your goal, you’ll create a phrase that captures its essence. If you’re more of a kinesthetic learner, perhaps you’ll dance your way to the heart of your dream.  When you’ve created that image, phrase, or dance, then you use that again and again to help manifest the life you love.

I highly recommend this book as a guide to creative visualization and the effective use of affirmations.  The techniques contained in it also beautifully blend with Reiki.  As you practice your self-Reiki, I invite you to repeat, with a loving heart, a phrase, an image, or a dance that guides you to your highest healing good. Combining Reiki with visualization and affirmation is a powerful technique.

What is your experience with creative visualization?  Please share your thoughts in the comments section below.

 

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Reiki: You, Gwyneth, and Demi

MeditatingAh, to be at peace, to be centered, calm, and focused.  Reiki is like the moment during meditation where you are completely at peace, balanced, and free. Though, most people find Reiki to be much easier than meditation.  Perhaps that is why it’s receiving so much attention recently.

Reiki is in the news a lot lately. It’s really wonderful that so many famous people are sharing their experiences.  As I read these articles, I think about what a great opportunity this is for you, as a Reiki Practitioner, to talk with others about our practice and its healing benefits.

As someone interested in the practice or healthfulness in general, this is a great opportunity to delve further into your Reiki journey.  Perhaps now is the time to learn Reiki by taking a class so you can start a self-Reiki practice. Or maybe what resonates more with you is receiving Reiki on a regular basis.  A series of sessions might be just the ticket that guides you in this stage of your life’s journey. (Click on the “Book Now” button below and sign up for a Reiki Power Package of 5 sessions or a Reiki SuperPower Package of 10 sessions.)

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If you’d like to read more about what Gwyneth and Demi have experienced and have encouraged others to experience, please read the following articles:

  • Gwyneth regularly receives Reiki and inspired this article in Elle.
  • Demi’s Reiki experience.
  • For a full round-up of famous people involved  in Reiki, scroll down on this page.

Wishing you many wonderful connections with the universe’s love and light!

 

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The importance of practice

“I believe that we learn by practice. Whether it means to learn to dance by practicing dancing or to learn to live by practicing living, the principles are the same. In each, it is the performance of a dedicated precise set of acts, physical or intellectual, from which comes shape of achievement, a sense of one’s being, a satisfaction of spirit. One becomes, in some area, an athlete of God. Practice means to perform, over and over again in the face of all obstacles, some act of vision, of faith, of desire. Practice is a means of inviting the perfection desired.” ~Martha Graham

We are accustomed to hearing about the importance of practice in areas of music, dance, and sport.  Practice, though, is vital in all areas of our life.  In many ways the act of daily living involves practice.  We practice how to relate to others — photo(1)family, friends, coworkers.  As parents, we practice how to parent with mindful words and actions.  At our workplace, we practice our craft over and over again through the repetition of the tasks that we complete on a daily or weekly basis.  Even driving or walking is a practice — we do it repeatedly and gain greater skill in it by doing it over and over again. Keep thinking about this — anything we do is a practice and we gain skill through the act.

Reiki is no different than any of these other aspects of your life.  The practice of it intensifies and hones our experience of it.  With practice we gain skill and mastery.  This however is not a physical skill, it’s a spiritual skill. Your skill with Reiki is a skill in a spiritual healing practice.  It is not something that can be measured with a stop watch or a more complicated musical piece being played. Reiki practice leads to mastery. It starts with daily self-Reiki and moves to Reiki for others.  These must be done consistently and frequently.

As Martha Graham stated, “Practice means to perform, over and over again in the face of all obstacles, some act of vision, of faith, of desire.” A musician, dancer, or athlete must practice his or her craft, so too must a Reiki Practitioner practice Reiki because of his or her desire for the highest healing good.

 

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Belief is irrelevant

For Reiki to work, belief is irrelevant.  The mind does not control Reiki.  You can believe in Reiki or not, it will still work.

The mind is pesky and it will ask for proof.  It will ask how to know it has experienced Reiki.  Your task as a Reiki Practitioner and/or as a recipient, is to quiet the mind and experience the Reiki.  This can take the form of showing up — consistently. That means, as a Practitioner, you consistently and regularly practice self-Reiki.  As a recipient, you regularly receive Reiki.

Do you need to believe in it?  No.  Just do it.