Luminous Heart Reiki & Massage

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go with the flow

  • 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…

  •      

    Here in Philadelphia, we just had our third significant snowfall in as many weeks. It makes for a lot of rescheduling clients so they don’t drive home after a relaxing treatment on icy roads. And it’s also provided several unexpected free days. Kinda like snow days as a kid, and loads of time to spend with my beloved books. In short, the weather has been wreaking havoc on my schedule and I’m doing a pretty good job of rolling with it.

    I especially enjoy my hikes as the woods are incredibly peaceful.

    Until yesterday.

    I’m expecting a delivery that has been delayed and have no idea how long. No big deal usually, but I need to sign for this one. When I ordered my BioMat weeks ago, I began sending Reiki to its travels all the way from Hawaii. Obviously there are lots of complications these days for such a lengthy journey, and snow is only one of them. So I turned to Reiki, and have been intending for safe and timely transport.

    Last week when I learned that it was scheduled to arrive today, I was elated. At that time, I had no appointments booked and simply blocked out my calendar so I could hang out at home listening for the doorbell. Reiki at its finest! Admittedly, I was a little bit smug about my success.

    Then the storm yesterday resulted in a notice that the package has been delayed, but no information as of yet as to how long it’s delayed. Curses! The rest of the week is rather full due to keeping today’s schedule vacant and all the moving clients around because of the weather.

    Again, not usually a big deal, even as a dedicated pedestrian. The pick-up store is walkable. But this package is 18 pounds! Too heavy to carry, even to the nearest bus stop. Too difficult to schlep with a shopping cart as crossing every intersection on foot means climbing over a frozen slush bank created by the plows. The likelihood of finding a friend available to give me a lift in the middle of my now-full rest of the week is slim and Lyft and Uber seem rather unappealing these days.

    From this perspective, it’s rather a downer. Somehow I’d forgotten about the magic of Reiki! As if the flow of life-force energy is unable to navigate a snowstorm? Puh-lease! I’m grateful I only lost a few moments of my precious life worrying about this triviality before I turned it back over to the ease and grace available when I’m connected to the flow of Reiki.

    So, I still have no idea when the package is coming. I’m continuously releasing my attachment to having it arrive today as planned (after all, I’m really, really eager to experience the BioMat!) and releasing my attachment to knowing when it’s supposedly coming so I can make a plan. Instead, I’m placing my trust in Divine Timing and an intelligent and benevolent Universe.

    It will get here when it gets here, and I’m certain that its arrival will be perfect in ways I can’t possibly know just yet.

    Going with the Snow Flow

          Here in Philadelphia, we just had our third significant snowfall in as many weeks. It…

  • When I pay attention, I am able to receive clues intuitively about how to best take good care of myself. I’ve been writing a lot lately about making plans and following through to achieve maximum results. While that is entirely true, occasionally I get an “override” message that has a new, updated plan encoded within. 

    For example, Tuesday night I came home from a meeting so amped up that I spent an hour and a half writing after my normal bedtime. Last night I was planning to go to a fun social event but was instead guided to go home early and rest. Right now I’m typing these words with my thumbs on my phone as I wait for the train because I used my planned blog writing time at home to respond to a very meaningful email. 

    As important as it is to have a map of where I’m going and the commitment to move forward, it’s likewise necessary to be real and acknowledge  when it’s time for a new plan. I often use an analogy borrowed from Abraham Hicks about floating downstream with the current rather than paddling furiously upstream. Everything I want is downstream! 

    So when I get a nudge to correct my course, I willingly drop my paddle and my plan and tune in. After all the goal of this project isn’t to cross tasks off of a spreadsheet and earn a gold star. It’s to give myself (body, mind, heart, and soul) the support I need to feel good and do my best work. That’s not always going to happen by following a neat and tidy plan. 

    Radical Self-Care, Tuning In

    When I pay attention, I am able to receive clues intuitively about how to best take…