Luminous Heart Reiki & Massage

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crystals

  • Last night I closed up shop early because a street festival was taking place in front of my office. It’s always chaotic and not the energy I want my clients to slog through. Instead, I decided to brave the heat and the ginormous potholes for which PA is so famous and go on an adventure. To the suburbs. 🙂

    My birthday is coming, and as you might already know, we Cancerians like to celebrate the month, not just the day. So I planned to have dinner with a friend I haven’t seen in a few years and explore the area where she lives.

    She pointed me to a delightful metaphysical shop that really made my day! SO many gems to view, so little time. I had decided to splurge on a necklace as a birthday treat. I enjoy wearing my crystals so the healing energy is with me all day.

    Rather than looking for a particular type of stone, I browsed. I waited for something to call out to me. A gorgeous rosy stone with delicate white swirls caught my attention. I nearly choked when I saw the price tag, but there was a smaller pendant next to it that didn’t blow my budget out of the water.

    This photo pales in comparison to the real thing!

    Rhodochrosite. I’d never heard of it. The staff was so helpful and shared about some of her (yes, this particular stone anyway, is most definitely a her) qualities and it was exactly the medicine I’m needing! If I had spent 100 hours online researching which crystal would serve me best, I doubt I could have made a better match.

    I wanted to share this story because so many Reiki students ask me about using crystals in their practice. Reiki doesn’t need crystals to be super-powerful, but they do work nicely together as they are both natural energies. It can be overwhelming when you’re learning about crystals from a book because there are so many variations and so many benefits from each of them.

    I start with the gemstone that wants to come home with me. I observe how I feel when we’re together and then, and only then, do I look at the information that is readily available from external sources such as a guidebook or website.

    It’s important to cleanse your crystals right away as they are batteries for storing energy and you don’t need to be soaking up the residual vibes of everyone else who has handled them. You can then use Reiki to charge them, intending a specific healing purpose, if you like.

    It turned out to be a lovely day and I’m so glad I got out and about for a change. I had the most delicious salmon tacos, sat on a bench under the trees by a creek in the park, and had a great catch-up with my friend over dinner. It turns out there was also a street festival there, but we ate inside since it was crazy hot.

    I had to laugh that one event was the motivation to go elsewhere and a similar event was happening there. I don’t understand the desire to dine on the sidewalk when it’s 90 degrees out, but hundreds of people apparently do. Lucky for us, that made indoor seating much easier to come by.

    All in all, this was a great reminder to go with the flow and let Life lead the way. I’m always pleased with the results when I do.

    Let Your Crystals Choose You

    Last night I closed up shop early because a street festival was taking place in front…

  • When my friend approached me about making a customized painting for my office, I jumped at the opportunity! Rod has been making multi-layered, multi-media art for years and is an embodiment of Love Itself.

    He coached me through the creation of a unique set of chakra affirmations that reflect the exact vibration of healing that I desire to promote. I chose a theme of safety as I work with lots of people healing from trauma; old and new, big and small, overt and complex. Building a sense of feeling safe here and now is an important element for deactivating the fight/flight/freeze response so that healing can begin.

    He painted these affirmations, layer upon layer, and in the process encoded the final product with the essence of each of them. (I’ve attached the individual affirmations below.) The final layer is based on a shape from the tradition of sacred geometry called the seed of life. It represents the interconnectivity of all beings. While this is not my area of expertise, I recognize a symbol of power when I see one, and wow! This is a visual representation of an energy similar to what I share in my Reiki practice.

    The icing on the cake is the attached crystals and set of stones engraved with the chakra symbols, cultivating harmony within and well as with the natural rhythms of the universe. These photos don’t do the art justice, but you can get a glimpse of its potency. Below is a close-up of the disk representing the heart chakra, Anahata; the center of the painting, and seat of love, joy, compassion, and gratitude within us all.

    The overall result is not only beautiful, but also a healing experience for those in its presence. It’s hanging in my office where I am able to gaze upon it and absorb and transfer its benefits during treatments. Clients generally close their eyes during a session, but many have commented on the effect it has when they enter the room.

    During this time of great turmoil and uncertainty, I feel incredibly blessed to have access to one more tool for healing. Every effort we make to raise life-force energy, access inner wisdom and serenity, and boost the immune system has a cumulative effect on our well-being. This then ripples out into the world, touching all those whose paths cross our own.

    These are the affirmations that have been layered into the painting. Feel free to use them as a starting off point for creating phrases that resonate deeply within yourself. May they bring you comfort and healing.

    First chakra. It is safe for me to be here and to take up space. I belong.
    Second chakra. It is safe for me to feel and express all of my emotions. I am connected.
    Third chakra. It is safe for me to act in accordance with my values. I am empowered.
    Fourth chakra. It is safe for me to give and receive love. I am loving. I am loved.
    Fifth chakra. It is safe for me to speak and hear the truth. I express myself freely.
    Sixth chakra. It is safe for me to see the truth and activate my intuition. I am guided.
    Seventh chakra. It is safe for me to access my inner knowing. I am awake.

    Medicinal Art

    When my friend approached me about making a customized painting for my office, I jumped at…

  • I’m excited to a have a new tool in my healing toolbox. I’ve learned to charge crystals with Reiki to send energy. After choosing the stones (or more accurately being chosen by the stones) I wish to work with, I cleanse them with Reiki, intention, and rock salt to remove any impurities they may have absorbed in the past. Then it’s quite simple to program them to absorb and transmit healing energy. One of the great things about Reiki is that it is not hampered by the dimensions of time and space. With the use of the long-distance symbol learned by level II Reiki students, healing may be sent anywhere and perhaps more interestingly, anywhen. This can be done without the use of crystals, but I’m noticing more powerful effects with the stones’ assistance.

    After practicing on myself and close friends, I’m feeling more and more respect and awe for this amazing technique. A friend I haven’t seen in over six months asked if I could give her a massage for her birthday. It was a rather last-minute request that I was unable to accommodate due to a previous engagement. Wanting to offer her something to contribute to her celebration of birth, I offered to “program” a crystal to send Reiki over the course of her birthday. We chose the time of her birth as a starting point, and I set up the treatment to begin then and continue over the next 24 hours. Alas, I do not have the luxury or stamina to spend all my time in meditation healing my friends. That’s where the crystals come in; once charged with Reiki and intention, they keep the energy flowing continuously.

    While I was charging the rose quartz that volunteered for this mission, I was overcome by a sudden and overpowering itching sensation in my left knee. Man, it was crazy intense! I’ve learned to recognize bodily sensations of unknown origin to be clues. This clearly was not my itch, but guidance from a higher power to tune-in to her knees. When I plugged into her energy field, I did notice stagnant energy in her right leg, but nothing in particular with her left knee. I was puzzled, but continued programming the quartz to do its thing.

    Now, keep in mind that I haven’t seen this woman in ages and that she mentioned absolutely no specifics about her physical health in our communications. When I asked afterwards if she had any idea why my left knee was outrageously itchy, she replied, “I don’t know. It’s my right knee that hurts.” Aha! There was an actual issue with knee pain. I realized that during the time I was charging the quartz, I imagined her facing me, so my body was mirroring hers. My left knee was facing her right. Of course! It makes perfect sense. What a great learning opportunity! I’ve learned to see the client in my mind’s eye standing in front of me, so that I am looking at their back to avoid any confusion over bilateral body parts. And even more importantly, I’ve been reminded yet again to trust Reiki and my intuition to guide me and the healing to exactly where it needs to go.

    She later reported that her knee is much better. Why am I not surprised?!?!

    Supercharged

    I’m excited to a have a new tool in my healing toolbox. I’ve learned to charge…