reikijoyliving

With everyone traveling this weekend, I thought I’d take a moment and talk about reiki for your car. One of the things I like to do before a long trip is to walk around my car, sending reiki to the four tires and to the engine and exhaust system. I surround my car with a bubble of white light, and as I drive, I send this light out in front of me and to the sides. When I’m driving near dusk or after dark, I mentally use this light as a beacon, telling wildlife that I am coming down the road and to please stay away.

Of course when you’re driving you want to focus on the road, but every now and then it’s good to send bursts of reiki to the car and the surroundings. Driving defensively is the best way to avoid any problems, but I like to think that reiki helps me too.

There’s a new reiki book out, REIKI TO GO by Sasha Vivelo. This 336 page book is published by The Lotus Circle, the company that will be publishing my own ANIMAL REIKI TO GO (still forthcoming). The book is sold in a kit with a small reiki charm (bearing one of the symbols) and a pouch to hold the charm. I love the TO GO sets. I think they’re a nice introduction to the topic, and the items that come with the books seem to be very well thought-out. As a reiki practitioner, I like to read everything I can about reiki. Each author brings his or her own unique perspective. Which, provides more information and tools for growth in using reiki. REIKI TO GO by Sasha Vivelo - purchase here: http://www.jasminejade.com/p-6830-reiki-to-go.aspx?skinid=14 

Although we’re still more than thirty days out from New Year’s resolutions, it’s always a good time to think about what we’d like to work on in our lives. Of course, once the holidays are over, many of us want to lose weight. Or perhaps we’d like to finish a project that we started. No matter what changes we want to make, reiki can help.

I like to use reiki as part of my visualization practice for these changes. Simply sit quietly and feel the reiki energy flowing through your body. Then imagine you making choices that lead to your desired changes and the end outcome. Practice this as often as you can. Studies have shown that those who visualize their goals and imagine themselves as having met those goals, like athletes practicing, are more likely to attain their goals.

It may not be the new year yet, but it’s never too early to start on those resolutions. That way, by the time January 1 gets here, they’ll be old, and good, habits.

This is a warm reiki Thanksgiving wish that I’m sending to you. Sometime during the day, take a moment, close your eyes, and imagine good cheer coming to you from a far away friend. That’s me. And that’s the joy of reiki. It transcends time and space. I’m sending the reiki to you now, and you can “pull it down” anytime during the day, like a warm hug when you need it the most.

And once you receive this “reiki hug”, pass it along. Let’s spread the holiday of good cheer and joy. Remember the reiki principles set out by Master Usui so long ago…

• Just for today, don’t get angry.
• Just for today, don’t worry.
• Just for today, be grateful.
• Just for today, be honest in your work.
• Just for today, be kind to yourself and others.

One of the things talked about in my reiki training was providing reiki to your food, either for yourself, a friend or loved one, or a pet. With the Thanksgiving holiday approaching, reiki may be a good addition to the dinner table.

There are two ways to give reiki to food. The first way is to actually send reiki during the cooking process. The second would be to reiki the food once it’s cooked and prior to putting it on the table. In fact, many families say grace prior to eating. This would be a good time to send reiki to the food.

To me, the goal of the holiday is to give thanks and spend quality time with friends and family. To me, giving reiki to the food is like giving an extra hug. And, it’s something to think about this Thanksgiving holiday.

So it’s one thing to talk about self-care and using reiki on yourself. It’s totally another to actually do it. The best thing to do is to schedule an appointment. Mark it down on your calendar. Do whatever it takes to make sure that you keep that date with yourself.

I think it’s important that we treat our reiki sessions like appointments. You wouldn’t miss a doctor’s appointment, or even a parent-teacher conference. Well, to me, reiki is just as important as those things, if not moreso.

So go ahead and write down that appointment. And then keep it. I think you’ll be glad you did.

With the winter “blues” setting in and the hectic holiday season, it’s important to practice self-care. There are several reasons why reiki is good for this. First of all, giving a reiki treatment requires a bit of time to sit, or lay, down, relax and breathe. Secondly, a lot of us do too much for other people, so by giving ourselves a reiki treatment, or even just sitting quietly and letting the reiki flow, we’re actually focusing on ourselves.

A basic self-care reiki treatment would be just sitting or laying in a quiet room. Get the reiki flowing and simply exist for five to ten minutes. Just breathe, focusing on your breath. Note any small aches and pains or if you have a thought, give it a moment, then dismiss it with a soft exhalation. When you’re ready, come back, and this quick restorative moment hopefully will help carry you through the rest of the day.

I’m going to make a short list of the situations that you could send reiki to in the hopes of receiving some kind of answer from the universe. Of course, in addition to sending reiki you would want to do your own diligence when it comes to researching options and finding alternatives.

• Buying a new car
• Changing jobs
• Finding a job
• Making  a major purchase
• Deciding to go back to college
• Adding a pet to your household
• Taking classes, or picking up a hobby
• Starting a weight loss or health regimen
• Starting your own business
• Teaching classes
• Taking a vacation
• Moving

There are countless things, large and small, that we deal with on a daily basis that could benefit from reiki. While not every question (What should I wear? Or what’s for dinner?) would require the same level of thought and concern, for the larger decisions in our life, reiki can be a valuable tool.

When you have a situation where you’re not sure what outcome would be in your best interests and the best interests of your higher self, sometimes the best thing you can do is send reiki to the situation and let the chips fall where they may. So how do you do this without your own personal desires getting in the way?

Here’s a small ritual that I tend to do. I like to sit and quiet my mind. When I feel that I’m centered, I take a deep breath, and I tell the universe the situation. All of it. The good and the bad. What you want to have happen and what you fear may happen. Then, once you’re done pouring your heart out to the universe, you send reiki, and ask for the best outcome for you. Don’t fixate on one ending or another.

And send reiki to the situation. Do this for as long as it feels necessary. You can usually tell when the energy stops flowing. And then in subsequent sessions, send energy to the situation; you’ve already told the universe how it works. Do this until a resolution is reached or you receive some sort of an answer.

Although each reiki school (or lineage) breaks down the levels differently, here are the levels as I’m familiar with them.Reiki 1 - This is beginning reiki. The student is attuned and able to give self-treatments

Reiki 2 - This is intermediate reiki where the student is usually given three reiki symbols to work with and can then treat others. Depending on tradition the symbols usually cannot be revealed to anyone who is not attuned to that same reiki level (i.e. they can be used in treatment, but can’t be disclosed as to what they are).

ART - This is advanced reiki training where the student may receive additional symbols and instruction.

Reiki Master - This is the highest level (though there are other types of reiki that build upon this), where students are given the master symbol and taught how to attune others to reiki.

Reiki 1 and 2 can be taught together, and ART and Master can be taught together. Some lineages skip the ART level and go straight to master.