Luminous Heart Reiki & Massage

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energy healing

  • When giving a Reiki session, it’s pretty obvious to me that there is an overflow of energy. The client naturally receives an abundance of Reiki, but the excess will spill over, filling the room and beyond. Pets are able to sense this and are drawn to the room where I am working when I do outcalls. People comment on the “good vibes” in my office space and sometimes I joke about creating a Reiki café where people can hang out and soak up healing energy. This is because Reiki is not confined to the limits of time and space. Let’s just say that universal energy is pretty darn miraculous! I’ll probably never intellectually understand how it works, but I’m astounded again and again by its vast power and unfathomable-ness.

    I’ve been observing this phenomenon for over a decade, so when I was invited to offer a Community Reiki Clinic at a wellness center, I wholeheartedly agreed. It’s my hope that Reiki will one day become a popular source of wellness maintenance. Therefore offering people the opportunity to receive a treatment in a group setting got me pumped. This lowers the cost significantly, making it available to a much wider range of recipients than those who are able to schedule frequent one-on-one sessions. It’s also a great joy for me to watch the transformation that takes place on people’s faces as they relax for an hour in a Reiki-infused environment. And I get to rotate through the room several times delivering personal attention and connecting with each participant.

    When learning how to give a Reiki treatment, we are taught that it is our intention that opens the channels for Reiki to flow. In the beginning, it might be helpful to use a few words (“Reiki on” or “May Reiki flow through me now for the highest good of Sally.”) for the mind to accept the power that lies at our fingertips. Eventually though, it’s enough just to think about Reiki and poof! The energy is flowing strongly. I’ve been experimenting with different “settings” for distributing the ki (life-force energy). I call the setting for hands-on Reiki “Super Soaker” after the popular water gun that releases a strong stream of water. This is the setting most practitioners rely on during treatments. I’ve also been using a “Fountain” setting, for filling the room with Reiki, and a “Sprinkler” setting as if I am watering the garden of participants resting before me.

    I can only imagine that there is a limitless variety of ways to share healing energy. I always encourage my students to be creative and to experiment with different styles. I’m delighted to discover a new format of practicing that is more affordable and accessible to more people. I’m even more excited to remember that I am limited only by my thoughts, and that as I open up to the realm of Limitless Possibilities, I will be led to new ideas and circumstances that will expand my growth and ability to serve. I look forward to my experiments with the even more new settings and the opportunity to share them with you. If you’re in or near Philadelphia, check out Mama’s Wellness Joint for the next Community Reiki Clinic.

    Community Reiki Clinic

    When giving a Reiki session, it’s pretty obvious to me that there is an overflow of…

  • As I continue to immerse myself in the realm of healing, I am noticing more and more how it all starts with the spirit. As my own personal practice deepens I am uncovering spiritual wounds, some of which are decades, even lifetimes, old. As I work on these issues, repairing the damage from the countless times I abandoned or betrayed myself to please another or gave up on my dreams because they seemed too improbable or difficult, I notice the subsequent emotional and mental distress that developed. As this pain lingered in my psyche, sometimes it settled into my body in the corresponding chakra or organ and caused physical ailments or discomfort.

    For example, lately I have been feeling tightness in my neck. When I turn my head there is a crunchy sound and some limitation in the range of motion. Attempts to remedy this from the outside have achieved only temporary results. That’s because it’s a symptom of a deeper issue. Stretching or massaging the muscles feels great and of course is beneficial to the body. However, as I sit with the pain and open to the meaning it carries, I realize it is actually the result of a lifetime of being afraid to express my true self blocking energy flow in my throat chakra. This fear is perhaps justified due to previous experiences, but now it is not serving my highest good and it’s time to let it go. No amount of bodywork will cure pain that stems from spiritual misalignment. Reiki, on the other hand, uses divinely guided life force energy to heal the original wound, and reminds me of my true nature, which is fearless.

    As I concentrate on this concept during my daily self-treatment and Reiki meditation, I can slowly feel the tension melting away as my muscles no longer feel the need to protect me from condemnation or restrain me from speaking my truth. I feel chronic low-level stress and anxiety that I’ve come to accept as normal begin to fade as I remember that it is safe for me to speak my truth. I am growing to realize that many people will not care to hear what I have to say, and that’s just fine. I’m not saying it for them, although if they are ready, my words might benefit their well-being. I am speaking the words I do for me, because it is my path to share the wisdom I receive from Spirit, whether it is received or not. Interestingly enough, as I freely communicate from the heart, I am discovering the path to recovery from all that ails me. Truth is medicine and as I tend to my spirit, all else is healed.

     

    It Starts with the Spirit

    As I continue to immerse myself in the realm of healing, I am noticing more and…

  • Earlier today I burned myself. About 40% of the back of hand met the tea kettle that had just come to a boil. And stuck there for a second or two. Now, I’m not ashamed to say that I cursed like a sailor. Horrific expletives flew out of my mouth. Then I remembered who I am. I took a deep breath, ran some cool water over the burn, and activated the healing power of Reiki. Here’s the thing; I had the perfect day off planned and I just didn’t have time for an actual treatment. By some miracle of planets aligning, I had carved out enough time to watch a movie before I rode my bike around the peninsula to watch the sunset. There was no wiggle room in my timeline; the sun would not wait for me. Plus I have two prenatal massages scheduled tomorrow, for which I will be kneading (pun intended!) my knuckles.

    So, I activated the symbol that we use to send Reiki through time and space and intended for the healing to continue until it wasn’t needed anymore. Sure, I dabbed on some aloe and lavender oil. I have nothing to prove and use all the tools available to me at any given time. Then I sat down and watched my two hour movie, occasionally remembering to boost the on-going healing. Then I bicycled along the coast, arriving just in time to revel in the sight of the orange sun sinking into the Pacific. As I am preparing to bid the world good night, I will charge up my Reiki crystal to keep the healing energy flowing while I sleep.

    I am quite confident that I will have full use of my hand tomorrow. It might be a bit red, maybe a bit sore when touched, but I know from experience that the damage has been minimized. There are so many great things about Reiki, but one that I love the most is that it works anywhere, anytime, always. Sure, the power of ritual may amplify the results, but after years of use and developing an intimate relationship with this energy, all I need to do is intend for it to flow. And without a doubt, flow it will. What a blessing it is to have access to such a beautiful, reliable technique. Now that I’ve had a chance to report on this special benefit of Reiki, I do hope I won’t need to personally experience the emergency uses of it anymore. Seriously. I get it! I know it’s at my disposal and that’s enough for me.

    Update: I wrote this last night, and wanted to review it with fresh eyes today for final edits before posting. When I woke up this morning, I had completely forgotten that I had burned my hand until I washed it in hot water. I did feel a slight twinge of discomfort in that moment. However, I am delighted to report that there are no blisters nor any redness and I am able to apply pressure without any pain. Thank you, thank you, thank you Reiki!

    Reiki on the Fly

    Earlier today I burned myself. About 40% of the back of hand met the tea kettle…

  • Some of the most profound changes I see in my Reiki practice come when I work with caregivers. Whether amateur or professional, full or part time, people who take care of others give a lot of themselves, and unfortunately often take on unwanted and unnecessary energy during their acts of service. Parents, teachers, nurses, doctors, bodyworkers, councilors, and ministers are just a few examples of what I am referring to. Often the type of person who is drawn to such fields is sensitive, empathic, generous, and loving. They want to help others, and if they’re not careful, they do so at great personal cost.

    I learned very early in my massage career how important clean boundaries are. I had excellent tools to clear my energy field and prevent my clients’ issues from affecting me. Yet there were days when I was tired, overworked, or stressed out that my boundaries were weak and I got “slimed”. I remember one day in particular when all four of my clients had neck pain as their primary complaint, and later that night, so did I! Alas, it’s not always so easy to track stray energy. Sometimes we feel drained, funky, tired, cranky, or just “off” for no obvious reason. Especially when working with clients who are in pain, it is easy to over-give or pick up vibes that don’t belong to us. I think we can all agree that this serves no one. We can never suffer enough to alleviate someone else’s suffering. It just doesn’t work that way.

    Reiki is the most powerful technique I have experienced for clearing any unwanted energies from our auras, bodies, hearts, and souls. It re-establishes healthy energy flow within, connects us to natural cosmic vibrations, and releases any excess junk that we may have picked up inadvertently. Reiki helps us return to ourselves and renew our connection to Spirit. What’s even more exciting in my eyes, is that regular Reiki “tune-ups” can keep our energy fields vibrant and shiny and our protective force fields healthy and strong. It’s so much easier, more comfortable, more convenient, more balanced to prevent ourselves from allowing unwanted energy in than to release it once it is already present. There is enough pain, discomfort and disease in the world already; we don’t need to absorb any of it in the process of helping others.

    Reiki for Caregivers

    Some of the most profound changes I see in my Reiki practice come when I work…