Tag: spirituality

Seeing through Reiki eyes

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I have lived with Reiki for 26 years. I believe that my soul understood Reiki perfectly, from the very beginning. My conscious mind has been gradually catching up, gradually understanding more about what is happening when I offer my hands.

Of course, I am offering more than my hands. I am offering my heart and my presence. I am offering Reiki, I am offering a connection to the Light.

What is Reiki? None of us know. Even Usui Sensei said he was not certain. But it seems to me that our connection reaches to the realms of pure light, and we become available to a great consciousness. When we allow Reiki to flow through us, we surrender to something that is beyond our understanding and yet fundamental to our being.

The Reiki path is a path of surrender. In offering Reiki, we let go of so very much of ourselves. But in so doing, our deepest aspect is revealed. My essence, your essence, the essence in all of us, seems to be composed of this same Light. When our essence recognizes Reiki, we are bliss through and through.

This morning, I woke out of a Reiki reverie, my hands on my heart, understanding more what happens to us when Reiki flows through us, and how that affects the experience of the receiver.

As Reiki flows, I become the light that I truly already was, and when I am in that state and I look at you, I see the light that you already are. I see you as completely precious, fundamentally intact, spiritually perfect.

I see you and Reiki sees you and you are seen, in all your intrinsic glory.

Perhaps Reiki is Love. I think so. If not, it is Love’s next door neighbor. They occupy the same vicinity, over there in the realms of pure light. Over here in the realm of pure light, because the Light is everywhere.

And do buds not bloom beneath the light? Are we not more able to be our true selves when we are truly witnessed?

If you are like me, in some moments, you struggle to let go. You fight against surrender. In some moments, we are exquisitely present, and in other moments, presence is like gravel in our veins. But eventually, we do let go. In each of us, there is a part of us who understands that we are only letting go into our essence.

As we become Light together, so very much becomes possible. Beyond our imagining, beyond our intention, fundamental and relentless, there is the healing power of the Light.

Angels Among Us: An Explanation of Channeling

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What I most want to convey to you is the abundance of help available from spiritual sources. Whether or not you perceive non-physical beings, they are here, all around us. There are many ways to connect with these beings. One of those methods is channeling.

Most people think of channeling as a recent development – a weird, woo-woo, new-age innovation. That couldn’t be further from the truth. Channeling the wisdom of spirits is an ancient practice. All around the world, for millennia, healers have communicated with spirits and guides. Some listened to spirits and then carried the words back to their community. Others allowed spirits to speak directly through them – and this is the method currently described as channeling.

There is nothing strange or new about channeling. It is a traditional wisdom and healing practice. What is strange is how our society turned away from these beings, when they have so much to give.

Fortunately, we are beginning to turn back. As we enter this period of planetary instability, as the Earth’s ecosystem shows clear signs of breaking down, we are reevaluating our priorities and looking for help. And the spirits are stepping forward, ready to partner with us to avert disaster, or to support the survivors when full-scale disaster strikes.

Over the last 15 years, I have been developing my capacity to channel non-physical beings. I didn’t intend to do this; it happened organically. It started with a strange feeling of overlap, changed to a sensation of them opening the chakras along my back, and then settled into a familiar routine of them dropping in through my crown chakra. It’s entirely voluntary on my part. I can say no, I can tell them to come back later, or I can accept the offer.

I have been careful from the very beginning about who I channel. I have asked my primary guides to screen them, so that I only work with beings who are bright and safe. The majority are angels or light-realm guides, but some are ascended masters or nature spirits. I absolutely do not channel deceased humans.

Channeling is different from repeating information that has been gleaned intuitively. I am capable of hearing what guides say, through clairaudience, and I do offer this service. But when I channel, a being speaks directly, using my body. I am semi-conscious, which means that I am partially aware of what is being said. I remember some parts but am completely unaware of other parts.

It has taken a while for me to learn how to interact with spirit beings. They are diverse in their character – they can be funny, serious, irreverent, kind, and sometimes very direct. Some are skilled at explaining concepts, others can barely speak. Gradually I’ve come to understand that even more important than their words are the energies they transmit. Their energies can help us heal, by bringing us greater balance.

For several years, I’ve channeled in healing sessions, when a client is receptive and a guide presents him/herself. Just this year, I’ve begun channeling in group sessions, with a colleague who also possesses this skill. Whether in an individual or group setting, the wisdom that comes through can be very useful for spiritual guidance and for help with practical matters.

Again, what I most want to convey to you is the abundance of help that is available. Non-physical beings are here, all around us. Although the light-realm beings I’ve channeled are diverse in many ways, they have in common their complete lack of judgment, their compassion, and their willingness to help.

In whatever way you can connect with them, I encourage you to do so. Life is so much better when we understand that, in every step we take, we are accompanied by angels. Life is so much richer when we understand that, everywhere we go, we can greet wise and beautiful spirits.

Upcoming event: Conversations with Guides, Saturday September 14, 3:00-5:30 USA Eastern Time. This event is hybrid, in-person in the town of Harvard Massachusetts or via Zoom. For further information, contact me.

Together May We Bring Harmony

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Shamanism refers to traditional healing practices of indigenous people. In many cases, these traditions have persisted for thousands of years. The shamanic perspective values balance and harmony above all, and holds all existence as sacred. Spirit Allies, such as power animals or light beings, are central to shamanic practice and are sources of help with spiritual matters and everyday issues.

My own journey with shamanic practice started quite organically. As I became gradually more aware of subtle energy, I also became more aware of the subtle energy beings who coexist with us. I began to communicate with them, and my life was changed forever!

Serendipity struck when I did a series of classes with an energy-work teacher who had studied Navaho practices in the American West. Through this contact, I realized that a study of shamanism was unfolding in me naturally. I was blessed to find an excellent local teacher, Ann Drake. A shaman with 40 years of experience, Ann’s background is primarily in the traditions of Borneo and Tibet, as well as core shamanism. I have continued my training with two teachers in Ireland – Owen Roberts and Majella Fagan. Their training has been in core shamanism and in the traditions of the Q’ero. I have also learned with Mama Coca Sylvia Calisqueya, a healer in the Peruvian Aymara tradition.

Shamanic practice has unfolded beautifully in my life, and also in my professional practice. As I learn more and more, shamanic methods and understandings weave themselves into my client sessions. It is a true adventure to connect with a client’s system and listen – to that person’s higher self and also to our Guides. Within that space of respectful listening, sessions come together beautifully to address the client’s particular needs.

I am passionate about shamanism, not just because it can improve an individual’s quality of life, but because it offers a path of healing for the planet. Values of balance, reciprocity, and complete sacredness are what helped many indigenous people create a sustainable way of life. Now, more than ever, we need to foster sustainability – the survival of our species depends upon us finding balance once again.

If you are interested in shamanism, I encourage you to pursue that interest. It’s a beautiful path, and one that is very much needed at this time. Please do make sure to get thorough training from an experienced practitioner/teacher, particularly if you want to do healing with other people or if you are inclined towards magical workings or influencing outcomes. Shamanism is similar to energy work in many ways. However, it is very different from practices like Reiki in that shamanism can cause harm. And generally, the person it harms is the practitioner – if they have not learned how to sufficiently protect themselves, or how to manage karmic risk.

There are many well-trained teachers out there, so follow your intuition and find yourself a good match! Any good program will begin with establishing adequate protection, developing self-responsibility, and building a shamanic way of life – so I advise you to seek those characteristics.

I am excited to be kicking off a shamanic studies group on May 20. This group is meant for those with little to no experience in shamanism. It will focus on self-development and shamanic awareness. The curriculum will include shamanic journeying, ceremony, calling in help, developing relationships with guides, deep cleansing, and building protection. For many students, this is an end in itself. For those interested in becoming shamanic practitioners, this group can provide a solid foundation for future training.

The group will meet virtually (via zoom) on Saturdays 4:00-7:00pm EST. Prospective members can try the first class on May 20 without registering, and I will be accepting new members through early June. Feel free to contact me for more information.

Wherever your path takes you, I wish you balance, and I wish you joy. Together may we bring harmony to our planet, to our communities, and to our lives!

Not everyone is merry today

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Given what I do in life, people often tell me things that they don’t say in social situations or sometimes even to friends and family. This holiday season, I am very aware of how many people are having a really tough time of it. All around there are casual expressions of Happy Hanukah and Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. On social media, posts of (apparently) happy families abound. Meanwhile, lots of people are just trying to find a way to get through the holiday season without falling into profound desperation.

So I am not going to say Happy Holidays or Merry anything. Those who are genuinely merry are very lucky. If you’re struggling today, you’re not alone. If you’re grieving someone’s absence, you are not alone. If you’re ill and don’t know how you can manage another year, or even if you’ll have another year, you’re not alone. If you’re broke and looking for work, or working hard and still broke, you’re not alone.

Life is full of challenges. And it’s full of opportunities and the potential for joy. If you are at a point in your life when it feels like the challenges are overtaking everything else, you are not alone.

This holiday season, can we please have the awareness that those around us might be suffering? I won’t say Merry Christmas to anyone today. Instead, I will say: I wish the very best for you. May you receive what you need to heal and thrive in this New Year.

To Allow Healing From Something So Simple

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Last week, a colleague of mine in the energy world said, “Are you still teaching Reiki?” The implication was that surely by now I had outgrown Reiki and gone on to bigger and better things.

Many of us have a tendency to look for the next big thing, to keep searching for something more powerful, and to assume that a simpler approach is a less effective approach.

After more than 40 years of seeking, I can say with some confidence that I have found nothing simpler or more powerful than Light.

As a client, I have experienced yoga, chi gung, tai chi, Feldenkreis, Alexander, energy psychology, lots of energy healing methods, scores of meditation techniques, and pretty much every type of counseling invented. Over the last 20 years, I have studied a wide variety of energy methods, and I have been authorized to professionally practice Reiki, Jin Shin Jyutsu, Eden Energy, and shamanism.

During all this time, I have found nothing more powerful than Light.

I have learned a vast array of techniques for balancing energy, for clearing congested energy, for bringing in needed frequencies of energy, for vitalizing energy, for circulating and reorganizing energy…

During all these studies, I have found no tool more powerful than Light.

Whether we are getting down to basics, or reaching the pinnacle of understanding, we are always faced with something brilliant: the No-thing Every-thing, the blinding Source, the continuum of rainbow frequencies….We are always faced with some form of Light.

So yes, I am still teaching Reiki. I plan to teach Reiki for as long as I can — because simpler is often better. When a client asks me for help, I choose from a wide variety of specific methods, but they are all fueled by Light. And often, the best method is simple Reiki touch, especially when someone is very vulnerable.

It’s true that sometimes we can see the bottom of the ocean because the water is shallow. But sometimes we can see the bottom of the ocean because the water is pure and illuminated. Reiki, when taught well and practiced sincerely, is a deep dive into that illuminated water.

Are we brave enough to allow healing from something so simple that it cannot be defined or controlled?

I am experienced enough now to claim some measure of wisdom. I wasn’t born yesterday. And I wasn’t born into an easy life. In all my moments — blissful moments, anguished moments, desperate moments, stubbornly hopeful moments – in all my moments, I have found nothing more powerful than Light.

The simple truth is that my greatest personal empowerment has come from surrender – surrender to a force essential to us and yet so far beyond us. When the Light moves through me, I seem to simultaneously lose and find myself.  

And when the light moves through me to another, that being has access to healing far beyond my own small human reach. I am experienced enough now to claim some measure of wisdom. I understand that my clients heal not through anything I have done, but from what they have allowed themselves to be. It is amazing what can occur when they allow themselves to be Light.