Lighten Up

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My kids are regular kids. When your kids are energy-aware, though, play has an added dimension to it. There are more topics that end up incorporated into their role-play games. The perfect example is what we did yesterday. My kids have been developing a skit called Chakra Tony's Metaphysical Outlet. Yesterday we video recorded it and put it up on Youtube.


The reason this is significant is mostly the reminder that we should never take ourselves too seriously. Yes, I'm passionate about Reiki and deeply spiritually connected to this powerful work. But it's also important to remember to have a sense of humor. We can poke fun at ourselves and have fun and that's important too.


Things in my personal life are a little stressful, as things sometimes are. So being able to step back, laugh and have fun, helps me be in the flow instead of captured by stress and worry. Thanks to my kids, I get plenty of reminders of this important point.


Now I'm passing it on to you. Enjoy.

42 - The Meaning of Life

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In the first novel and radio series, a group of hyper-intelligent pan-dimensional beings demand to learn the Ultimate Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, The Universe, and Everything from the supercomputer, Deep Thought, specially built for this purpose. It takes Deep Thought 7½ million years to compute and check the answer, which turns out to be 42. The Ultimate Question itself is unknown. ~http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phrases_from_The_Hitchhiker's_Guide_to_the_Galaxy

Today is my birthday. I'm 42. According to The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams, 42 is the answer to the question of the meaning of life. In the series, the reader finds out that once the answer was discovered, a supercomputer was then developed to find out what the question is. That supercomputer is called Earth, and humans are part of the program. I think that's a pretty spiritual concept, for all its sci-fi-ness. What's the meaning of life? We're here to discover it. Not alone, but collectively, through our interactions - a complex series of bopping in and out of each other's fields, lives, events and stuff.


Well, I guess this is my year.


It's also the fourth anniversary of the start of this blog. I'm so proud to have kept a record of my journey for this long, and pretty glad to be able to go back and remember what was going through my head at various times over the past four years. My Reiki journey began four years ago, and it continues today. Thank you all for being a part of it through reading, commenting, and sharing my posts.


When my birthday's coming, I tend to assess my life from as objective a viewpoint as I can. I think a lot of people do this around birthday time. It's a pretty weird experience. Objectively speaking, over the last four years, I've centered my career more and more around sharing and teaching Reiki.


So from an outside perspective, I:

• claim and truly believe that an invisible energy flows through me upon request
• feel warm, soothing tingles, relief from discomfort, and emotional calm when I direct this energy towards myself
• claim and truly believe that I can offer this invisible energy to anyone, anywhere in the world
• demonstrate, discuss, and teach others how to work with this invisible energy
• volunteer and get paid for offering this energy to others, who report that it helps them

am completely and utterly a passionate weirdo. At least, I would have thought so if the person I was 5 years ago met the person I am today. 

It gives me pause.

But then I consider that I also:

• have a great husband and four fascinating and adorable kids with lots of quality family time
• work, shop, clean, do laundry, pick up from school, make dinner
• run an academy, which I started, and manage the business side of things along with teaching
• wrote a book and promote it

have a semblance of a grounded, regular life. And then I breathe again, returned to feeling like I'm still a "normal" human in some respects, still the me I've always been, with a few super powers thrown in here and there.

Are there things I'd like to improve? Of course, doesn't everyone have those? On my list this year, I would like:

• to drop a few or ten pounds
• to take more time for myself for meditation, exercise (see above), and relaxing
• to dance more, sing more, play the piano more
• to attract 1,000+ more students to my school
• to have all the money my family needs to not worry about having the money we need (see above)

And of course, my blessings, for which I am very grateful:

• Good health
• Family nearby (my parents, my grandma, aunt and uncle who we have dinner with weekly)
• My wonderful supportive husband and our kids who amaze us daily
• My students who express gratitude, enthusiasm and love for their learning
• My staff, colleagues and friends who make the Academy possible (Connie, Yancey, Amber especially)
• My friends who help me keep things in perspective
• The opportunity to follow this path, which as crazy as it feels sometimes when I try to see it from the outside, is exactly what I feel aligned with doing in every way possible.

And I'm also fascinated with the things I'm continuing to learn, which I'm sure will bring about more and more weird and wonderful moments this year and moving ahead:

• noticing angels at work in my life
• sensing and responding to guidance
• learning new tools and techniques to strengthen my intuition
• ways to build and grow a business that's successful and thriving
• making the most of these gifts - the grounded and the superhero stuff - in gratitude and humility

So...I guess that's the 42 report - my 4th anniversary of writing this blog. 

Universe, my door is open. Welcome.

May this year move us all ever closer to finding the elusive question and enjoying the process of discovery.

A side note: in the Hitchhiker's Guide series, the question gets discovered and it turns out to be What is six times nine? Of course mathematically, that is incorrect. The explanation given for that is: "There is a theory which states that if ever anyone discovers exactly what the Universe is for and why it is here, it will instantly disappear and be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable. There is another theory which states that this has already happened."

Indeed.

Giving is Receiving

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One of the most meaningful activities I've been involved with in the past few years has been volunteering. I volunteer as a Group Leader with the Distance Healing Network (http://the-dhn.com), I give Reiki healings twice a month to people dealing with cancer at a local cancer support center The Gathering Place (http://touchedbycancer.org), and for a year I was with The Cleveland Clinic weekly, giving Reiki to patients, staff, and visitors.


The reasons I started volunteering were many. I wanted to get more experience with Reiki and help those who want it. I wanted to balance my professional Reiki practice with offering energy to those who couldn't pay. And I wanted to also just have more opportunities to use this powerful gift to make the world better.


Usually, volunteering is about giving. Giving to others, offering your time, etc. But I found out that it's also about receiving. Here are some of the gifts I received as a result of volunteering:

• Watching people who were suffering from anxiety relax and smile
• Hearing people tell me that their pain went from a "10" to a "1"
• Hugs and thank you - more times than I could count
• Inspiring many of my students to volunteer also
• Setting an example for my children, who are proud of me
• Knowing that I'm doing something worthwhile, meaningful and powerful with my life
• Increased confidence that Reiki is there, every time

So, as it happens, the act of volunteering has given gifts to me also - equally if not even more than any effort on my part.

And so I am grateful for the gifts, and for the opportunity to share what I've learned with you also.

May we receive and acknowledge many gifts this season, and all year long.

Blessings.

Beyond the Mind

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Lately, I've been pondering the way people think about healing energy and try to define it. Students in my Energy Healing Certification Program are charged with defining Reiki in a paragraph, an "elevator speech" they could use to answer the inevitable stranger's query "What is Reiki?" They don't pass the program without being able to do this. And it isn't easy! Search on the Internet and you'll find a great variety of definitions, just for the word Reiki. But look for energy healing and you'll find thousands of techniques and methods, variations on methods, and practitioners saying that their method is the most effective of them all.

I love what I do, and yet I'm very interested in learning more, expanding my abilities, incorporating new energy methods, and making sense of it all from an experiential perspective. So news stories such as this one really draw my attention.

Dr. Nemeh lives in my area, and I know several people who have had individual or group sessions with him. As you saw on the video, he has "catchers" to stand behind the people he works on, because they often become overwhelmed with energy and collapse. That's different.

I'm also fascinated by the noise discussed in this news story, that occurs when he does healings via Skype. I haven't tried doing a live distance healing over Skype, and I have some interesting and powerful distance healing techniques that I wonder if they would produce such a sound if I tried them live that way. Think I'll have to grab some colleagues and do some investigative work on that one!

Then there's Braco, the Gazing Healer. He came here recently and one of my students went to see him, skeptical, and yet she reported feeling profoundly changed by the experience. Here's a video about him, and his healing sessions via Skype.

Braco simply gazes, stares out at people, over internet or live. And those watching report powerful emotions, strong energy, and often visions while looking at him or being in his presence.

Recently, I read a book "Whose Hands Are These?" by (the late) Gene Egidio, an autobiography. In this book, Gene tells his fascinating story, and reports how he began doing "Open Eye Healing" - basically staring and sharing healing energy for a group of people at a time. His crowds grew to enormous size, just as Braco's have.

So what's going on here? There are connections. I believe the connections are these basic ideas:

• Energy is directed by intention.
• The energy that is directed is a natural part of our inherent essence already, but at a higher "frequency" or "vibration" so it affects our own by also elevating it, enhancing the ability to heal and balance.
• The limits to what we can do are ours to discover. The more we are open to allowing for endless possibilities, the more we find that to be true.
• Love, gratitude and humility strengthen this connection.
• Understanding that healing for others is a direct result of the recipient's openness and ability to receive the energy, rather than the healer "doing something to them" is also important.
• We are all connected by this ONE energy, our collective consciousness - intentions, thoughts, and emotions - create our reality. This creation via intention and manifestation by expectation of results is Spirit energy. Not separate from us, doing something, but a part of the endless and limitless energy of life that we are and create. This means that WE are, collectively, God/Spirit/Source.

So what do we do now? Bring all of these methods, modalities, etc. under the umbrella of "energy work" and know that whatever we do, the concepts above apply to strengthen it. I think that Dr. Nemeh and Braco are just examples of what happens when we do that. (Plus perhaps some factors such as near death experiences, or being open to a spiritual "calling" where they are concerned). How much is learned, acquired, or brought into being by being open...that much I'm still engaged in finding out by observing myself.

I'm one who knows that healing can be learned, because I learned to do what I can do now. I wasn't gifted from birth, had no significant near death experiences or bold flashes of light and understanding thrust upon me. No, just a lot of "try it and see."

I know that I plan to learn more, try more, and discover more. And keep doing what I already am doing - try things and reflect on what it means. And I have Skype, but haven't tried live distance healing over Skype ...yet.

Are you interested in moving beyond self-imposed limits too?

Misconceptions

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On the phone today, during a coaching call with one of my students, I heard that there is someone on the big conference circuit who is teaching a workshop in "everyday shamanism." Sounds nice. She's up there with Doreen Virtue, Gregg Braden, and other bigwigs. Except that my student reported that this person is telling Reiki practitioners that Reiki energy is "lower level" and the symbols are "blocking higher forms of energy from getting through." Then she brings Reiki practitioners up to the stage so she can "remove their symbols" through a "deattunement" process and thus free them from their energetic limitations.


Oh dear, I think I feel my blood boiling. Must be the reason smoke is coming out of my ears.


Grounding...yes...a good thing for moments like these.


And now to set the record straight.


Reiki is not a "lower level" of healing. Reiki is a specific frequency of healing. And Practical Reiki, furthermore, is an expanded frequency because it includes Earth (Kundalini) energy in the mix. All energy healing techniques work with specific frequencies of energy. Qi Gong, Quantum-Touch, Polarity, and more, all have methods, techniques, and subtle energetic frequencies that activate to create energetic change. Think of an orchestra, and each method is a specific instrument in a family of instruments. One who learns to play a range of instruments has more tools for his use, in combination or singly. It's not that one is "better" than another, but the more one uses, the more energetic ranges are affected for healing and balance.


Symbols are a way of setting the intention for the energy to work. I teach a method of Reiki that does not use symbols. I do not "remove" symbols for people who use them (as if that were possible!!), but instead I teach that the use of symbols is optional. I teach people to access intention through words instead of symbols so they have a choice. I also give everyone an understanding of what symbols really are - shortcuts for directing intention. Speed-dial. When people learn Practical Reiki, they learn, experience, and then practice directing Reiki energy by thoughts and words only. There are no hand positions or symbols. This isn't a higher level of healing, it's a higher level of understanding about what's really going on behind the scenes when one is practicing Reiki.


What this person is doing, actually, is the same as what I'm doing, but her way is misleading. She doesn't have the power to remove symbols. There is no "symbol removal" necessary or even possible, even if symbols were used in one's attunements (as many are). In essence, that's not what she is doing. But by making people think that after she does her little ritual, they will magically be "free" of the "limitation" of using symbols, these people are now ready to believe that they are practicing a higher form of healing - without "needing" to use symbols. Ta-daa! I no longer need those symbols!! It's mind manipulation.


By being a person at the forefront, accepted as a authority, and speaking alongside others who are at the top of this energy healing and metaphysical field, she is responsible for the accuracy of what she teaches. And I have to say that I totally resent her giving the impression that Reiki is sub-par or that a Reiki practitioner needs an energetic "deattunement" of any kind in order to move forward. That's just wrong.


Increasing the strength of the intuition and the power of one's energy healing ability is done through mindful practice and dedicated learning. It is good to become attuned to various systems, as long as one takes the time to fully learn and incorporate these new energetic frequencies into his or her own. I'm trained and familiar with several methods of energy healing and going to a workshop to learn another method in November.


But you will never hear me telling someone that one method is "lower level" than another. Because just as methods are different, people are too. Different methods will naturally resonate with different people. I'm very resonant with Reiki. My good friend and colleague Ernie Betz is very in tune with Quantum-Touch. We've each learned Reiki and Quantum-Touch both, and we both experience profound results in our practices. But we both understand that it's about the practice and the person's comfort level that makes the difference. As long as one is mindfully practicing, one's intuition gets stronger, and the results continue to show themselves as valid and powerful.


Anyone who doesn't understand this does not belong in the spotlight teaching others.


(Alice steps off the soapbox...for now.)

Meditation has annoyed me

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I am trying. Seriously. I've determined to allow 30 minutes per day to meditate. I know it would benefit my intuitive development to do this. I also know that a person who does this sort of work should have a regular meditative practice. Otherwise, it's like getting personal training from someone who doesn't exercise.

Sure, I do self-Reiki daily. That's a given. It also truly helps me stay healthy and balanced. I can feel the difference and know that it's working.

But meditation, that's another story.

So I decided to take this seriously and really give it a try. At first, I was meditating just sitting quietly and closing my eyes. That was okay. I could stop whenever I wanted to, and usually found myself sitting there pretty peacefully for about 20 minutes.

Then I got this Holosync CD. It promises to help one meditate at a much deeper level, by listening to the sounds that have some kind of binaural waves that are supposed to engage some kind of deeper brain waves into the process. Cool, I thought. I can sort of fast-track my meditation practice. This is a good idea.

So I put it on, sitting with my earphones in as instructed. Waterfalls and bells are played. Hmm hmmm hmmm...what am I making for dinner?...oops....meditating now.......ding ding.....oops I forgot to call the kids' school to remind them that I'm picking up today....oops...meditating! Stop thinking!....ooh, I need to email this person and put that event on my calendar, and I should make that call, and ....ugh I'm doing it again....dang. How long until this is over?

This is about how it's gone now for a few days running. This is not enjoyable. Instead of peaceful, I left my meditation time frustrated and feeling like I'd wasted 30 minutes trying to listen to waterfall and bell sounds and getting some benefit from trying not to think.

I have to rethink this.

I know that there are benefits to meditation. Of course. Meditation is the number one way to increase one's intuition. I know this. I think, actually, for myself, that Reiki is better for me because I am able to do this much more when I'm working with Reiki.

But I should also try to have a regular meditative practice, and I'm not doing so well at it so far.

Just thought I'd share.

Kinda funny to rant about meditating.

I'm not giving up. I'll keep you posted.

I've Been Promoted

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This has been a very eventful summer!





I wrote a book about Reiki. Over 100 copies have been sold in the first month.

Now I've launched the next step in my practice - a school of intuitive development, The Reiki Awakening Academy. It felt right - to make more classes available to more people, in an organized way. The pieces lined up - my teachers, colleagues, and students showed up ready to help others learn. I know it will grow - I look forward to selecting more teachers and offering more classes to those who are looking for learning and support.

I've been told that this is a time of great change - an awakening, not only for me (Reiki Awakening!), but around the planet, people are becoming aware of their intuition and powers for healing. They are seeking answers, methods, and information about how to harness, nurture, and use these abilities to help others and themselves. A consciousness is rising - I think I feel it too.

This journey I've been on since I started this blog seems to reflect this change. I hope that my school can become a resource for those seeking guidance, learning, and support. I'm offering what I have learned, and as I learn more, I will offer more. I'm also bringing on board those who have passion to do the same.

And now I've inherited a new title. I'm the founder, the leader, the head teacher, the big cheese of this school. I tried on all of those (well not the cheese - that's a joke), to see if they felt right. I guess, in order to express in business terms my role in the process, that I have become an Executive Director. Funny how businesslike and a little stuffy it sounds. Funny how I picture an Executive Director sitting in a suit behind a big desk in a large office with a door. And funny how that image doesn't really fit me here in my t-shirt and jeans shorts, typing on my laptop in its docking station in my basement.

But it's what I am I guess!

I am organizing and posting all classes, setting up the virtual classroom for my teachers, training the teachers on how to conduct their classes, taking registration, keeping track of students, rosters, enrollment, payroll, answering emails, teaching a large number of classes and programs myself (it's my passion and my true calling!), and recruiting students. So I guess that title fits.

But I still feel like the person who started this blog, amazed at the tingles in my hands, dying to find others to share this amazement with.

Well, the universe has promoted me. Thank you, Universe! I am so glad to be here. I look forward to the next steps.

Come on over and have a look. Try a class. Choose a program that will help you become who you are too. We're here to help.