my spiritual journey to Reiki

This past Friday I was certified as a Reiki* practitioner. I am in a happy place. A new piece of my 'spiritual practice' puzzle fell into place that day…the journey continues.  (It is a healing art form and spiritual in nature, therefore fits in nicely with my beliefs.)

My search for a spiritual practice began in my early twenties - although at the time I wasn't consciously thinking, "I'm searching for a spiritual practice". I was however, in despair and read a lot of, what many call, "self-help" books in search of answers. Divorced, lacking guidance, I was adrift in the boat of my life "without a motor or oars".  I am a product of the 60's and it was after all the 70's, the height of seeking enlightenment through sex, drugs and R&R.  I joined its' ranks - seeking "enlightenment" through large quantities of alcohol and recreational pharmaceuticals-so much so that near the end of that decade of hard living I stopped and sought out help and found it. I wasn't living - I merely breathed in and out. It was an extremely sad and painful time. Another part of my journey.

The next decade was spent in search for a spiritual practice/community that I could live with…I did research on religion/churches by attending services and I even spent two years as a ministerial student within the Church of Religious Science. I discovered that 'living a spiritual life' did not mean, for me, being committed to an organized religion. Apparently my love of church architecture did not extend into sitting through services or tithing to pay church bills. (sigh)

I have, for years now been a haphazard disciple of yoga, acupuncture, astrology, channeling, past lives readings (haven't we all read Shirley MacLaine's Out on a Limb - or - A Course in Miracles published through the Foundation for Inner Peace, seeking a higher truth?)  (Am pretty sure in another life I was a pacifist, even now "Do No Harm" echoes through my head each day)

The search continued, even during those times when I veered off course - only to return and begin where I had left off. I am, after all, a human being and am easily diverted by outside influences. (grin) In that regard I do surrender to the inner knowing that the Universe really is in charge and eventually was led to Reiki and The Insight Center. I did take a rather circuitous route, but I arrived, which in retrospect is the point.

Soooo, Saturday I shared with a group of friends this important accomplishment of mine and the inevitable questions arose (from those who have not dappled in Eastern philosophies), "What is Reiki?". A simple clean descriptive would be:

*An ancient hands-on healing art form established by Dr. Mikao Usui in Japan. The word Reiki is made of two Japanese words - Rei which means "God's Wisdom or the Higher Power" and Ki which is "life force energy". So Reiki is actually "spiritually guided life force energy." While Reiki is not a religion, it is still important to live and act in a way that promotes harmony with others.

As stated earlier, I am in a happy place. I have been instructed to practice, practice, practice for the next 30 days by my Reiki Master. So to reinforce the discipline and my consciousness I am offering a healing session to those of you who know me. Simply contact me directly of your interest and I'll make arrangements with you for a session at no cost to you.

Are you interested in a meditation class/astrology reading, chakra crystal cleansing or Reiki Distance Healing (none of which I provide)? Checkout The Insight Center's website for more information. If you have struggled with a meditation practice as I did, I highly recommend the meditation classes which are offered several times a year.

As you move about your day take with you this Reiki principle "Just for today, do not worry." See if your awareness/consciousness transforms.

And no I have not ordered business cards.

Namaste~

Books, books, books - in love with good books

I read. I love to read. I have been a reader for as long as I can remember. The first book I remember consciously reading was a Nancy Drew Mystery. I was enthralled with her skill as a teen detective and I read all of the books at the time, beginning with The Mystery of the Ivory Charm. At some point I  read a story about Florence Nightingale and for a good long while, I wanted to be a nurse- that is until I discovered I can't control my gag reflex around body fluids, especially other peoples.

Books saved me. They eased a troubled child's world, befriended her in ways that have, over the years  been a source of comfort. I used it as an escape then and even today I can be transported to a foreign country, or get my adrenaline pumping in anticipation of a murder that is about to happen or the apprehension of a killer.

But I digress...so recently I discovered the books by Stieg Larsson and  obsessively read all three of them, in about 10 days. And because the author died shortly after these were published, no more Lisbeth Salander. Now I'm pissed. She was a great protagonist...clearly the 3rd book was left with an opening for the next book and further adventures. Now what? (Of course, for about 3 mins I took this personally.)

Although I love to read and my selection is rather eclectic, I enjoy many different genres - from non-fiction historical books - to sci-fi mystery/thrillers that has a band of witches, faeries and vampires as protagonists - to biographies/autobiographic novels. And I adore finding a series of books-requiring me to start at the beginning with the very first book in the series.

Somewhere around 1990 I discovered female detectives and the women who write them -giving them breathe on the page. I now have a long list of women authors who write mystery/thrillers with female detectives that I follow, religiously. One of those is Dana Stabenow and her heroine Kate Shugak, a Alaskan Eskimo -  it's a brilliantly written series. Check out the link above. I find Kate to be a strong, intelligent and brave woman fighting crime within the beauty of the Alaskan wilderness. Sharp read. I'll leave you with this author, but will come back with others in the coming months.

Along with books, I also love libraries. Libraries make me happy. I feel safe in a library. I know how to find a book using the Dewey Decimal System...how many teens today can say that?