Luminous Heart Reiki & Massage

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surrender

  • Karen: Can you explain how “free will” and Reiki work together? Is it possible to surrender free will so that Reiki fixes everything?

    Pamela: Yet another intriguing question! This is a fascinating topic for me. From my perspective, free will is a universal law, like gravity. It just is. Everybody has the power to make their own choices within the circumstances they’re in. These choices help influence future circumstances.

    When it comes to healing, each person is free to decide if they wish to receive it or not. This is an important distinction when it comes to long-distance Reiki treatments. When students first learn how to send Reiki to those who aren’t in the same room, they are eager to share it with family and friends, near and far. The issue is that some of those folks aren’t all that keen on being Reiki’ed.

    While some teachers demand that you first receive permission before sending Reiki, this isn’t always possible. For example, if I’m in a coma or a hurricane or otherwise unreachable, I do wish to receive all the healing energy possible! I teach that first we must tune in with our hearts to check if our motivation is selfless, and tune in with our intuition to see if the recipient is willing. I imagine that we each have a gate keeper; an aspect of our higher selves who stands watch protecting our free will.

    Even when someone has asked for help, I sometimes feel a resistance to healing a particular chakra issue. That’s the higher self saying, no, not yet. I simply move on to a different area, and sometimes when I return, the resistance has dissipated. Sometimes not. I could try to force my way through, but it would be both invasive and pointless. Instead I choose to respect this boundary. Reiki cannot supersede universal law.

    Can we surrender our free will entirely? I’m not sure. I don’t think I’d want to! Perhaps that would be the ultimate expression of faith. I’m not there just yet. What I do instead, is surrender on a case by case basis. 🙂 If I’m struggling with worthiness, and intending to receive Reiki for healing this nonsensical belief that any spiritual being could ever be unworthy, I can surrender in that moment to that particularly healing. I do often pray to be shown the way to my greatest good, and will surrender to the keys that arise in that regard on any particular day.

    You’ve really got me thinking! Is it possible to surrender my free will to the infinite, divinely guided healing energy of Reiki? How could that not be for the greatest benefit of my health, happiness, and life purpose? Is there any reason other than my ego’s need to feel a sense of control that prevents me from doing so?

    This subject deserves some thorough research! I’m going to experiment on myself and observe. When I check in at this moment, fear is what holds back. Fortunately, I can use Reiki to excavate this fear, see what lies underneath and repair the foundation of any faulty thinking that may be the source. And I’m totally willing to surrender to that.

    Reiki and Free Will

    Karen: Can you explain how “free will” and Reiki work together? Is it possible to surrender…

  • This morning I woke up in a funk. Knowing myself as I do, I recognized that there were three possible outcomes. One was to let the funk take over and drag me down, potentially for days or even weeks. I was all about finding an alternative to this undesirable conclusion. Another possibility was to numb and distract myself from the gnawing sensation inside. I am well-practiced at the art of avoidance and needless to say none of these activities actually make me feel better.

    I am choosing Door Number Three: sitting with the pain. My Reiki practice has taught me that much of the suffering I experience is due to stuck emotions. Once I am willing to let go, things begin to shift, and progress might be slow, but it begins rather quickly. Since I had been planning to go to my favorite yoga class, I realized that would be a great opportunity to get unstuck. It was a close call as I really wanted to stay home with the novel I was enjoying and just zone out. So I went online immediately and signed into class, knowing that once I’d paid, I’d have excellent motivation to go.

    I highly appreciate the detailed anatomical instruction I received during this “Fundamentals” class at Magu Yoga. Alex is a brilliant teacher and enthusiastically guided us through very specific movements that aligned my posture and allowed my energetic pathways to open. I felt muscle tension releasing and emotional gunk clearing. My limbs were trembling, which I recognized as a sign that my body was letting go of needless tension and my nervous system was unwinding. The precision demanded by this type of class gave my mind something to do other than fret, and the overall reward was body-mind-spirit rejuvenation.

    The challenging work of sitting with the discomfort and surrendering attachment is still ahead of me. I’ve cleared any unnecessary tasks from my schedule today to make space for that to happen. The yoga class really paved the way for me to sit quietly and honestly observe what is happening inside. It released the charged sensation of needing to escape as well as the fear of suffocating in the heaviness, which needs to be felt in order for true healing to occur. It created a non-stick surface on which energy can flow rather than stagnating in depression, suppression, or self-pity.

    Now it’s time for the main act.

    Ready? Set? Sit.

     

     

    Radical Self-Care, Just Sit

    This morning I woke up in a funk. Knowing myself as I do, I recognized that…

  • Generally speaking people book Reiki sessions with me because they are struggling with some area of their lives; health, prosperity, sense of belonging, stress, and relationships are the most common concerns. As we work together and they become willing to release this struggle, very often peace quickly descends. This does not mean that they remain inactive; rather they choose to accept the circumstances as their current reality and pursue a path to the outcome they desire. They stop fighting against something and instead work toward something else. 

    The current trend I’m noticing among not only my clients but also in my own life as well as those of many of my friends, is that even after the act of surrendering struggle, forward movement stalls. Despite clear intentions, decisive action, and heartfelt desire, progress seems blocked. Plans get revised, investment in creating change gets boosted and … Nothing happens. Master manifestors are stuck treading water. 

    I’ve begun exploring the possibility that while MY plan is completely off the rails and seemingly at a dead end, perhaps I am experiencing a different plan. A plan that supersedes MY plan. A Divine Plan. Perhaps THE PLAN- the optimal position gifted to me to support my soul’s purpose, my personal healing, and spiritual growth. 

    As I let go of my well-reasoned and deeply investigated plan (less than graciously more times than not!) I am coming to realize that MY Plan was actually a distraction, a tangent, heck it’s really a detour from The Plan. As I release the resistance to this awakening, I feel incredibly comforted by a knowingness that I’m back on track. Now I simply sit back and watch as the resources I need appear as if by magic. And in much greater ways than I ever could have planned on my own. 

    Not MY Plan

    Generally speaking people book Reiki sessions with me because they are struggling with some area of…

  • “You’re the expert.” I must admit, I love to hear my clients say this. They schedule a massage with a goal in mind, yet are able to let go and allow me; a skilled, trained, and experienced therapist to create the strategy to get there. They are acknowledging that someone who has devoted years of their life to studying a practice will hopefully have more insight than “push really hard here, where it hurts.” Because if that’s all there was to releasing stress and tension, all the sweethearts and spouses that have been enrolled to help their loved ones would have certainly eradicated many of the tight muscles by now. Clearly that has not been happening.

    And that’s what brings folks to a professional. That’s what causes them to dig deep into their tight budgets to fund a healing treatment. What they’ve been trying at home just isn’t helping; not in any sustainable way. So they ask for help, hoping that the therapist will have some knowledge, intuitive guidance, or practical experience that goes beyond the primitive idea that enough pressure on one or two knots will solve the problem. Well, we do! Our training enables us to understand that the body works as a unit, and that pain indicates an imbalance in the team of muscles and joints. We understand the holistic nature of bodywork, and know how to find the cause of discomfort rather than merely focusing on the symptoms.

    This is one case in which the customer is not always right. As a client of massage therapy, you get to choose the style of treatment that you desire (Swedish, Thai, deep tissue, sports, etc) and the area you wish to focus on, as well as request any modifications that are necessary for your comfort. From there on, it’s best to keep an open mind and surrender your preconceived notions. It is highly suggested that you remember that the trained professional you have hired knows how to proceed in an effective and efficient way. Learn to let go, relax, and trust and you will maximize the benefits of your session.

    “You’re the Expert!”

    “You’re the expert.” I must admit, I love to hear my clients say this. They schedule…