holistic healing

Reiki is a handy tool for all sorts of things. Most people know it as an alternative healing modality, but it can also be used for cultivating ease, abundance, harmony, creativity, connection, and so much more! It’s not effective for creating that which is not aligned with the soul’s purpose or manipulating others, but all authentic needs and desires can be supported with this energy. Recently I used it as a form of travel insurance.

The moment I booked my airline tickets, I began applying Reiki for A Smooth and Easy Trip. It was a lot more productive than worrying about all the undesirable outcomes travelers have been experiencing lately. Using visual aids helps me to focus my attention, so I drew a map and created a crystal grid of sorts. I spent several minutes every day saturating it with Reiki.

I think what actually happens when using Reiki to support preferred outcomes is that it brings me into alignment with that which I desire and removes barriers within myself to receiving or experiencing it. Basically, it helped me become someone who is a vibrational match for smooth and easy travels, and enlists the universe’s aid in making it happen.

Every leg of my journey was simply perfect. I was guided to leave much earlier than logic suggested and took a Lyft to a train station based on a gut feeling, even though I could have walked to a closer station. Every other plan I considered for getting to the airport triggered a “meh” feeling that led me to keep trying out options. Eventually this particular idea felt like a “YES!” clicking into place internally.

I arrived at my first destination on time and easily retrieved my rental car. I spent two lovely days with a dear friend enjoying wonderful company, delightful weather, fantastic meals, and nature. I joked that perhaps my “smooth and easy” intention included the forecast even though I hadn’t specifically tuned into that. She smiled mischievously and confessed to working some weather magic herself. (It helps to have friends with Reiki skills!)

Happily, her efforts covered the next stage of my trip: a ferry across Lake Michigan. I really loved this journey! The temperature was ideal for spending a bit of time up on the deck, allowing the crazy wind to blow off all the outdated and stagnant energies that our visit had loosened. Just what I needed before navigating urban traffic in an unknown city. Not my favorite thing, but it went well enough.

The first day at my next destination was rainy, yet this was also perfect. It seemed like the weather was suggesting that we do all the indoor activities such as viewing art (even better when your friend is an enthusiastic curator!) and shopping for souvenirs and chocolate. That freed up the following days to check out a gigantic flea market, spend time in nature, and dunk myself in Lake Michigan. BRRR! It all worked out better than if we’d tried to plan the specifics.

Perhaps the most amazing factor was my return flight arriving 25 minutes early and walking to the train platform to find one ready to depart. I got home an hour earlier than expected! Funny, I’m just now realizing that I had left an hour earlier than necessary at the beginning of my trip. Somehow that hour got returned to me in the end when I was able to enjoy it rather than pacing the living room anxiously.

If I had set my intention for “flights being on time”, I might have missed out on this getting- home- early bonus. I chose “smooth and easy” because that allows for change without disruption or discomfort and the possibility of unforeseen upgrades. It didn’t matter to me if flights were on time if I got to where I was going with minimal stress. And I did!

If you’re interested in having Reiki super-powers that help you go with the flow and enjoy the optimal wellness, creativity, and joy available to you, consider taking a class. Anyone can learn Reiki in a short amount of time and have a lifetime full-access pass to spiritually guided life-force energy. It certainly comes in handy when traveling. Really, this stuff works!

Using Reiki as Travel Insurance

Reiki is a handy tool for all sorts of things. Most people know it as an…
Wowza! This Being Well podcast fascinated me. I very much appreciate Rick Hanson’s work (neuropsychology meets Buddhist meditation), and the dynamic between him and his son, Forrest, is endearing and inspiring.

In my work as a Reiki practitioner and teacher, I am consistently reminded of the detrimental effects of shame on our well-being. I see a link between a variety of chronic illnesses and feelings of inadequacy, unworthiness, and feeling oneself to be somehow wrong or unacceptable. Their discussion addresses many issues, including that of failing to live up to standards, perhaps societal or familial, that we haven’t consciously accepted and may even disagree with.

It’s my hope that you will find some relief from the burden of shame and its origins. Shining the light of awareness on it contributes to its immediate diminishment. Perhaps you will find their words as comforting as I did.

Changing Your Relationship to Shame

Wowza! This Being Well podcast fascinated me. I very much appreciate Rick Hanson’s work (neuropsychology meets…
I’m really enjoying this free 40 day mindfulness meditation course with Jack and Tara. I’m finding it to be a good review, and it’s also beginner friendly. In the episode I received today, Tara shared an essay. She didn’t reveal the author and I haven’t been able to find it via my search engine. I don’t know who deserves the credit, but it’s so wonderful that I want to share it anyway. It’s a love note from the body and accurately reflects what I see daily in my Reiki practice. I hope it encourages folks to heed the messages our bodies are constantly trying deliver.

I am the pain in your head, the knot in your stomach, the unspoken grief in your smile.
I’m your hot flashes, your fragile low back, your agitation, and your fatigue.
I’m your high blood pressure, your elevated blood pressure, your fear of challenge, your
lack of trust.
You tend to disown me, suppress me, ignore me, inflate me, coddle me, condemn me.
You usually want me to go away immediately, to disappear, just back into obscurity.
More times than not, I’m only the most recent notes of a long symphony, the most
evident branches of roots that have been challenged for seasons.
So, I implore you. I am a messenger with good news, as disturbing as I can be at times.
I am wanting to guide you back to those tender places in yourself, the place where you
can hold yourself with compassion and honesty. I may ask you to alter your diet, get
more sleep, exercise regularly, breathe more consciously.
I might encourage you to seek a vaster reality and worry less about the day-to-day
fluctuations of life. I may ask you to explore the bonds and the wounds of your
relationship. Wherever I lead you, my hope is that you will realize that success will not
be measured by my eradication, but by the shift in the internal landscape from which I
emerge.
I am your friend, not your enemy. I belong. I have no desire to bring pain and suffering
into your life. I’m simply tugging at your sleeve, too long immune to gentle nudges. I
desire for you to allow me to speak to you in a way that enlivens your higher instincts for
self-care.
My charge is to energize you, to listen to me with the sensitive ear and heart of a
mother attending to her precious baby. You are a being so vast, so complex with
amazing capacities for self-regulation and healing.
Let me be one of the harbingers that lead you to the mysterious core of your being,
where insight and wisdom are naturally available when called upon with a sincere heart.

Felt Sense Prayer

I’m really enjoying this free 40 day mindfulness meditation course with Jack and Tara. I’m finding…
Reiki helps to correct any type of imbalance, and it can be fun to think of choosing the goal of a session as if from options on a menu. A sense of humor can be very helpful in the healing process! Sometimes my clients come up with comical names for the type of treatment they desire. One asks repeatedly for The Reboot; a session devoted to resetting the nervous system and activating the relaxation response. She finds it incredibly recuperative given the intense demands of her career.

The Deactivator is also popular, especially for those recovering from trauma or dealing with chronic pain. It helps to break the uncomfortable cycle triggered by hyper-vigilance and near-constant sympathetic nervous system (AKA fight-flight-freeze) activation. Occasionally folks ask for The Activator when they’re feeling stuck or blocked and can’t seem to get motivated. Kinda like all-natural, energetic uppers and downers with no negative side-effects!

Over the past couple of years, most of my work has been centered around The Fill ‘er Up treatment. People who have become depleted energetically, physically, and emotionally seem to be developing bizarre symptoms such as rashes, digestive upset, or severe joint pain as the tank runs dry and there just isn’t enough energy for the body to do much more than survive. Physiological systems begin to break down and mysterious ailments pop up.

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

For the past few months, there’s been an emerging trend that stems from The Fill ‘er Up. The Flush and Fill; the perfect remedy for those who have experienced the emotional equivalent of running a marathon in a toxic waste dump. So many of my clients are empathic and tend to pick up unwanted energies as they go about their days. When tanks are already low, there are few resources available for protecting personal boundaries or lugging around accumulated burdens, and eventually the body and the psyche begin to suffer. Burnout looms on the horizon.

Reiki can transform any and all energies that do not belong to us or that have worn out their welcome. Breaking free from the heavy loads that are outdated or not even ours to bear is incredibly invigorating. I don’t know of any other therapy that is so simple, so gentle and so powerful; certainly not any that can be received from the comfort of home or in a practitioner’s office; or learned in just a few hours for those who desire frequent application.

If you’d like to learn how to give yourself daily Flush and Fills, consider taking a Reiki 1 class. I am offering one online beginning in July, and others are teaching in-person classes. If you can’t stand the idea of adding one more task, no matter how wonderful the results, to your to-do list, that’s what we professionals are here for. If you’re already a practitioner, simply set your intention to transform anything that is not aligned with your highest good to that which is, and proceed with the hand positions you’ve been taught. Whatever your desired degree of participation (or lack thereof!) is, Reiki has a niche just for you.

Options on the Reiki Menu

Reiki helps to correct any type of imbalance, and it can be fun to think of…
It’s the longest day of the year up here in the northern hemisphere, and I’m taking advantage of the late sunset. I’ve come out for a hike after work; soaking up so much needed nature therapy and feeding many mosquitoes.
It’s also the first day in the zodiac sign of Cancer. Happy birthday season to all my fellow crabby friends! How many ways can you find to celebrate over the next month?

Happy Solstice, Everyone!

It’s the longest day of the year up here in the northern hemisphere, and I’m taking…
This isn’t your typical certification course! It’s a 7 month journey and Personal Healing Quest designed to let Reiki lead the way. We’ll meet twice each month online, covering all the traditional material, as well as exploring our unique pathways to healing. The gaps between meetings are meant to allow maximum digestion and integration of the material and individual practice.

This course is my unique recipe, an accumulation of professional experiences for over 20 years, and constant, eclectic personal development work. Actually, I never intended to become a teacher, but my intuition was strong (and persistent!) and I’ve come to realize that it gives me great pleasure to guide practitioners. I tend to march to the beat of my own drummer and have cultivated an environment that encourages students to do the same.

The curriculum includes:

• Level 3 Reiki attunement
• Introduction to 3 spiritual healing symbols
• How to hold space and why
• Communication guidelines
• How to release blockages and limiting beliefs
• How to formulate powerful and succinct intentions
• Individual support for your self-treatment practice and personal healing quest
• How to set up, activate, and maintain a crystal grid and why
• Guidance for the development of your personal style of sharing Reiki
• How to give attunements. Even if you never plan to teach formal classes, you’ll have the ability to initiate friends and family.
• How to develop your unique teaching style and materials
• Basic guidelines for starting a professional practice

Beginning on July 7, we’ll meet on the first and third Thursdays of each month from 6-8pm ET through January. The cost is $777, due upon registration. Contact me with any questions or to apply for one of the 7 spots. I’ve heard it said that the number 7 signifies ”you’re on the right track; keep going!” I’d love to hear from you if this rings true.

Reiki Master Teacher Certification Course

This isn’t your typical certification course! It’s a 7 month journey and Personal Healing Quest designed…
Accessing one’s intuition is a highly desirable ability. I believe these inner nudges are the soul attempting to guide me toward the highest good. Alas, I’m not always paying attention! No doubt lots of messages are simply overlooked while I’m busy doing something terribly unimportant.

I’ve been using Reiki for years to amplify my capacity to receive and interpret the guidance that comes to me. It’s a simple practice, which makes it easier to perform consistently. All I do is state my intention to intercept and understand intuitive messages, activate Reiki and the symbols, and place one hand on my heart and the other on my belly. Sometimes I feel guided to use the traditional hand positions, sometimes I’m led to leave my hands palm up in my lap, allowing the energy to fill and saturate my aura. Some days I only have a few minutes, other days I’m able to marinate for half an hour or more.

Other practitioners appreciate more elaborate, even ritualistic, protocols. One of the great things about Reiki is that there’s tremendous room for personalization. You can experiment and find a style that works for you. The essential ingredients are intention plus Reiki, but all sorts of garnish may be added. Anything that helps keep your focus or sparks the imagination can be of benefit.

In addition to this simple daily self-treatment, I’ve begun asking for guidance from my dreams. Before I go to bed each night, I ask a question for which I’d like an answer. (A burst of Reiki here does wonders too!) The challenging part is capturing whatever images, characters, circumstances, or songs filter through upon waking. It’s much easier to turn over and go back to sleep! I’m getting better at recording whatever fragments I can, and interpreting them intuitively in the morning.

Last night I asked for guidance about window coverings to prevent the upcoming summer sun from baking my apartment. I woke up around 4am (I’m working on cultivating more time-appropriate delivery, but really, who am I to question my soul’s methods?) with the words “occiput” and “clavicle” in my head. Huh? I dutifully made a note and fell back to sleep.

As you might imagine, I was unable to apply any useful interpretation of these words to my shopping dilemma. Skeletal anatomy and curtains share no symbolic connection that I can discern. However… a few hours later I was trying out a free trial period of an online exercise program, and the teacher used these exact words several times! Ding, ding, ding! It didn’t take a huge leap of faith to accept this seeming coincidence as confirmation that the program would be helpful to me.

If I hadn’t been paying attention (and committed to the dreamwork process), I would have missed this opportunity. I’m always on the lookout for ways to keep my body happy and healthy, but it isn’t always clear what will help prevent chronic pain rather than triggering it. This unique and timely message was easy to decipher. Clearly wellness is infinitely more valuable than the window treatments! (Besides, that particular guidance will arrive with perfect timing too.)

Accessing intuition is part having an antenna extended, part willingness to slow down and pay attention, and part detective work. I guess humor and humility deserve a mention as well! Things don’t always happen according to my preferred timeline. It helps to remember that my soul has a higher perspective than my intellect. The more I practice, the easier all the steps become, and the more I am able to trust the voice within. But none of it matters if I’m not paying attention.

Intuition Chronicles: Pay Attention! Reiki Can Help.

Accessing one’s intuition is a highly desirable ability. I believe these inner nudges are the soul…
Wow! Brene Brown hosts this amazing podcast that I found to be helpful, humbling, informative, and inspiring. Apologies fall into the realm of holistic health and emotional well-being, so I wanted to share it here.

It’s a lot to digest, so you might like to break it up into chunks like I did. It’s taken me a week to listen to part one and the first five minutes of part two just blew me away. I feel confident it will not disappoint.

https://brenebrown.com/podcast/harriet-lerner-and-brene-im-sorry-how-to-apologize-why-it-matters-part-1-of-2/

https://brenebrown.com/podcast/im-sorry-how-to-apologize-why-it-matters-part-2-of-2/

How to Apologize and Why

Wow! Brene Brown hosts this amazing podcast that I found to be helpful, humbling, informative, and…
My next online class begins on April 7. We meet for 5 consecutive Thursday evenings, 6-8pm EDT, to explore the sacred symbols and how to access their potent energies. A lot of students come to learn how to share healing energy remotely. I’ll admit, this is indeed a valuable skill! Many of my loved ones live elsewhere, and being able to offer Reiki to people who are unable to visit my office is a tremendous gift.

But what I especially enjoy doing with level 2 symbols is sending Reiki to my future. That’s right; Reiki can bridge time and space. When it comes to energy healing, there are no such limitations. So I deliver Reiki ”care packages” to moments when I know I’ll need some extra support or just a boost to get through a long day. I send Reiki ahead to smooth out any unexpected bumps in an ordinary day. Of course, there’s no way to compare what happens to what might have happened without the Reiki infusion, but I do seem to live a charmed life!

There’s still room in this upcoming class if you’d like to join us. Level 1 certification is a pre-requisite. but it matters not how long ago that might have happened or if you studied with another teacher. You can find more info here or contact me to apply.

In case you’re wondering, yes, I’ve been sending Reiki to the meetings times ever since they were entered on the calendar. 🙂

Reiki 2 Certification Class

My next online class begins on April 7. We meet for 5 consecutive Thursday evenings, 6-8pm…