Tuesday, December 20, 2011

42 - The Meaning of Life


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.



Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Giving is Receiving

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.

Saturday, October 22, 2011

Beyond the Mind

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?

Monday, October 10, 2011

Misconceptions

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.)

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Meditation has annoyed me

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.

Friday, August 19, 2011

I've Been Promoted



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.




Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Practical Reiki is READY!

Hello everyone! It's funny, but a year ago I was told that I'd write a book about Reiki and I laughed and said that was silly, that there wasn't anything to say about Reiki that wasn't already in a book. I stand corrected.

Recently, I was at The Cleveland Clinic, where I volunteer with the Healing Services Department giving Reiki to patients, family and staff. I was talking with the head of the department, telling her that I'd love to teach Kundalini Reiki to staff there. She told me that people feel that the word "Kundalini" is too mysterious and has negative or strange connotations. So I said I could change the name and take out the word "Kundalini" and the method would still work and have the same effectiveness.

I checked it out with Ole Gabrielsen, the founder of Kundalini Reiki, because I wanted to be sure it was okay with him that I'd make adaptations to the method he channeled. He told me that it would be just fine. Green light!

So instead of revising the Kundalini Reiki manual, I decided to put everything I say when I'm teaching into a book. There's a lot that I have been adding when teaching in person - information on clairs, chakras, intention -all important stuff!

My family went on vacation to Virgina Beach - a 10 hour drive each way - and so I took my laptop in the car and typed the first five chapters on the drive. It was a good start! Now the book has 10 chapters, includes FAQs, recommended books, and two Appendixes (a quick guide for teachers at the end, and articles on using a pendulum and Master Kuthumi). The cover is absolutely gorgeous, thanks to a talented graphic designer who was able to beautifully recreate my attempt to express a design!

So here it is!


Practical Reiki TM
for balance, well-being, and vibrant health. A guide to a simple, revolutionary energy healing method.
by Alice Langholt

If you’ve never heard of Reiki, this book will explain it in plain, clear language.

Reading the book will help you understand what Reiki is, how it works, how it helps, and how it can be learned. This book presents a down-to-earth, “woo-woo-free” approach that’s easy to understand whether you’ve had any experience with intuition or none at all. Anyone who wants to learn to connect with the innate, natural power for healing is capable of doing so.

If you already practice Reiki, this book will show you the true essence of working with energy, beneath the ritual, symbols, and mystery surrounding the practice.
It will widen your knowledge and strengthen your connection.

Practical Reiki TM is a new, revolutionary Reiki modality for everyone who wishes to quickly and easily learn to practice Reiki energy healing for themselves and others. It is simple, strong, and will change your life. The entire method through Master level can be learned in just three weeks.

Order Practical Reiki here.

If you'd like to save $3 off the list price (because you are such awesome blog readers!), you can enter the code: FBSBD4JN

For an autographed copy of Practical Reiki, use this link to order directly from me! Just let me know how to inscribe it!

Who knew, when I started this blog as a Reiki level 2 practitioner, that I'd be writing this post today?! Not me for sure!! Thank you all for being here for this journey with me, and for the path ahead!

Friday, July 8, 2011

Follow Up

I want to thank again all who helped me with paying forward the Random Act of Kindness (see previous post) for my friend who needed help. She has emailed me a response to share with all of you. I'm so proud to have been part of a beautiful effort to make a difference.

To all who have graciously contributed!

During our time of need and with so many changes and hardships going on we thank you immensely for the gracious donations that you have made to help our family. These things have helped decrease some of the stress we've been dealing with and made life infinitely easier! While I myself have heard of such wonderful things being done for people I never thought to have it happen to myself and I am stunned and astounded to tears that so many people - none of which I know personally - were kind enough to be so generous! You have my eternal gratitude!

Love,
The Williams Family

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Random Acts of Kindness and Paying it Forward


We went on a family vacation! It's the first time we've had the chance to really get away for a full week all together in six years. If you've been reading my blog for a while, you know that the last couple of years have been hard for my family. But we put some money aside and were able to rent a beach house in the Virginia Beach area for a week of R&R and sunshine. It was really needed. It was wonderful.

One night on our trip we went out to a little crab shack for dinner. We ordered food for our crew of six and dug into a delicious repast. The kids were (happily) well behaved and even sang a little bit together, just having fun. The restaurant was a social atmosphere- not quiet or fancy. When we finished, we asked the server for our check. Evan, my husband, went to the bathroom. Before he came back, the server came back to our table and informed me and the kids that the gentleman at the table behind us had paid for our meal. Surprised, I turned around. He was sitting with his back to our table. He had not spoken to us or acknowledged us in any way during the meal.

I said to him, "Excuse me, but did you just pay for my family's dinner?" He replied, "Yes." Shocked, I said, "Wow. Thank you so much! That was incredibly nice of you!" He said, "Ok." My kids asked him, "Why did you pay for our dinner?" He shrugged and replied, "I don't know." So I just responded that we were on vacation and this was a super wonderful thing for him to do and thanked him again.

Evan came out of the bathroom and we left. I told him what had happened and he was surprised and taken aback also. It was a wonderful lesson for our kids (and us) about random acts of kindness.

I've been looking for an opportunity to pay it forward. An opportunity has recently presented itself and I'm requesting the help of anyone who would like to participate with me. I know that I can be exponentially more powerful if I have support. Here's what I'm asking:

I have a good friend who I know from Twitter and Facebook. She just (6/10/11) had her first baby. (A little boy). She and her partner have been struggling very hard financially and she has decided she needs to go back to work as soon as she can - planning on two weeks or less - despite the healing she really needs to do instead, and the time she needs with her newborn son.


I see my friend now, who is really in need of making ends meet until she is well enough to start work again. They can barely make rent and food, let alone utilities. And I know she might be embarrassed if I put her name here, or if money started flowing to her from a lot of different people.

So I'm looking for a way to "pay it forward."

Here's my idea.

I've created a special paypal button.

If you feel like doing a similar random act of kindness for someone you don't know, click and put in whatever amount, however small, even $1, that you want.

In three days, (on 6/17), I'll send the full amount to my friend, include my own contribution, and tell her that it is a gift from her friends on Twitter.

I'll let you be anonymous like the guy in the restaurant. And we'll all feel great knowing that this generous act of his was paid forward.

Also, I'll send each person who donates an amount $10 or more a gift certificate for a full Distance Healing session, to use or pay forward to someone else. Just my way of expressing thanks to you for your support in this.

Thanks so much. Blessings and love, Alice








Donation to help a mom in need. Any amount is welcome.

Thank you for helping me pay a gift forward.

Monday, May 9, 2011

Water Energy

I've been thinking deeply lately (oops no pun intended) about water.

I've posted before about water and the work of Masaro Emotu, which very much impresses me. Click here to see my post on intention and water.

I'm also embedding here one of a large number of very well done videos illustrating the Rice Experiment, this one done with Reiki energy, showing the difference that Reiki can make on water, visually presented through cooked rice.

Okay. Now here's what I've been thinking lately, and I'd love to hear your thoughts as well.

I've been teaching Reiki, as you all know by now. :)

When I'm teaching, I offer many analogies to help people understand things about energy. One of the analogies I've been using lately to describe life force energy is water.

Water is:
  • a high percentage of our bodies
  • in the earth
  • in the sky
  • in the air around us (humidity)
  • in our breath
  • interactive, reactive to heat, cold, and intention
  • a finite, replenishing quantity, here on the planet for millenia
  • vital for all life
The truth is, the more I compared life force energy with water, the more they seemed...intimately related. Every analogy I could think of for water also applies to life force energy (except for the physicality of water, I suppose, verses the etheric quality of energy).

But everything else applies, and that's really got me thinking right now.

I think that there is a link here. Energy and water. Reiki energy affects water. It creates a molecular change, purifies, realigns the essence. I can also, and I know that anyone who has Reiki can, cause a small cloud to "melt away" by intending Reiki towards that particular cloud. The other clouds around the chosen cloud stay the same. I've done it dozens of times. (A note here that I have friends who say this is not a nice thing to do because it may affect the weather patterns in some other place in the world. I have also been told one should ask permission of the cloud spirit before doing such a thing. I offer these notes for your opinion also. For me, they sit in my "I don't know" file.)

I also have a teacher who says that water is a conscious Being - a living energy. Whatever form its in, it is ONE with itself, running through all life, part of the planet, changing, moving, and replenishing itself. There is, I believe, great wisdom in this idea.

So I'm offering this idea out there to all of you lovely readers.

Life Force Energy - All That Is - the energy that gives us consciousness; makes up our emotions; is integrated with our physical bodies; is between us all, allowing us to offer Reiki to any person, living thing or idea, anywhere in the world; which responds to intention by affecting healing...could this be integrated with the living energy of water?

Is the living energy of water the same energy of Life Force Energy? Perhaps this is the way to relate to it.

This idea is still one in development for me, but I would very much like your opinion on the subject as it marinates further in my thoughts.

Soak it in! :D
Peace.

Friday, April 29, 2011

Growth


Lately, I've had the feeling that I need to learn more.

My main goal is to be the best resource I can for my students. I want to know things, yes, but most important, I want to be able to teach from experience. This is my highest goal, because it's not about giving instruction, it's about being able to teach authentically. I have learned that anything that I can do, I can teach to others. That's because I know that any abilities I may have are those I learned - I am not one of those "naturally psychic" or "highly intuitive" people from childhood. I didn't "suddenly discover psychic abilities" like many, either. I'm coming from the place of a muggle (to use a well-known literary reference) - someone who didn't know anything before, and learned everything I know deliberately and on purpose. The advantage that this gives me as a teacher is that I have been very aware of how I learned the things I can do, and so I can guide others to the same outcome via my path. As part of my teaching skills, (some of which are my natural "talents" if you will), I am able to see ways to help people get from here to there. Have a goal? I can put together steps for you to reach it, and explain them clearly to you.

But back to the topic.

I've been feeling that I need to know more to be a better resource - not just know-intellectually, but know-experientially. A funny thing happens when I feel guided. Guidance doesn't come to the surface of my conscious mind on a straight path. It tends to manifest itself through my actions until I become aware of what I'm doing and think it over.

So I realized that I've been buying books lately. In the past month, whenever I'm at a book store, I'm walking out with three or four. At one of the expos I went to, I saw a book I wanted, and I took a picture of it on my phone, and later ordered it through Alibris.com (a discount online book store), along with another book. My bookshelf has gained about 10 new friends, all about psychic experiences, intuition, grounding, Higher Beings, Angels, and energy healing. "Oh," I thought, "I need to learn more."

But it's not just book learning I need. I need to get a handle on what I'm capable of, so I can be a better teacher and stronger lightworker altogether. I need a teacher.

So I started thinking about what I need from a teacher. Do I need to take a class? Do I need to go to a workshop? Do I need tutoring? I came to the conclusion that I need a teacher who will take me one-on-one, for a weekend or a long day, sit me down, present me with a task, and say "do this" with a little instruction. I learn by doing. I try things, they work, I realize I can do them. I need someone who will show me what I can do by simply expecting me to do it. And there are so many things I think I could do if I only knew a little bit more about how, and had someone to take me through it.

I've thought that I can interpret angel cards well. But every time I think of buying a deck of angel cards or the like, I feel overwhelmed and unsure. I've had the feeling that I could sense the energy of objects, but I've never done that before and don't know exactly how. I've thought that I'd like to hear guidance and angels and earthbound spirits more clearly, but I need a little push in order to fine tune my connection. And probably more stuff that I'm not even aware that I can do, that I'd like to know how to try.

So I figured out what I need. Then I asked the Universe to show me who should teach me, and indicated that I'd be willing to travel if that were needed. Then I dropped it and waited. I've learned not to "oatmeal the Universe." That's a little phrase I coined based on what one of my kids sometimes does to me. "Mom, can you make me some oatmeal?" "Okay, honey." I get started making oatmeal. She interrupts, "Mom! Are you making me some oatmeal?" "Yes, dear, I'm getting it." I continue to prepare the oatmeal. "Mom? Can I have raisins?" "Yes, honey, I know you like raisins." "Mom? Is it ready yet?" "No, not yet." "Mom? Can I have cinnamon?" "Yes, dear, I'm getting the cinnamon..." By now, I wish she would just quiet down and let me do what she asked me to do without interrupting me a dozen times while I'm getting it for her. If she'd look, she'd see that I'm setting up her place settings, getting the ingredients into the bowl, stirring and preparing what she asked for. She doesn't have to keep asking me. It's being done.

This translates to me continuing to ask the Universe over and over again for what I want, what I need, please please please, blahblahblah while the Universe is, the entire time, putting things into place for my highest good, and if I would just shut up and look around, I might notice that things seem to be getting there. The little details that indicate that something is happening would be more obvious if I would just quiet down, observe, and be patient. Don't oatmeal the Universe. It's a nice little reminder for me. Go ahead and adopt it if you feel it would work for you too.

And so...
Last night, my mentor, friend, and teacher, Connie, emailed me. In the middle of our email conversation, she suddenly wrote, "
I hope you don’t mind me saying, you are at the point where you need some further instruction in order to prosper both inside & outside family & the business" and she invited me to her house in Columbus for a day and overnight so she could help me move forward. We chose a date. I feel answered.

I love it when that happens.

Oh, and regarding the books I bought, two things:
1. A friend reminded me recently that having all those books and no time to read them isn't a waste. Just picking up a book and turning to a page and reading where my eye falls can be the right advice at the right time.

2. I'm going to soon add a section to my website called "Alice Recommends" where I'll list and link to products, services, and programs that I fully endorse for their value, all of which will have been useful to me at some point in my own growth. A number of these books, as well as some of the most amazing teachers I've met and learned from, will be featured on this list for you to choose from also if you're drawn to them.

So again, I am thankful for the opportunity to recognize my guidance, follow it, and excited to find out what will happen next. May this work for you too. I'm glad for the chance to share my experiences with you all, in hopes that they can be of help to you.

Thanks for reading and being along for the journey.

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

The Sandwich and the Angels


Last weekend I was at the Gift of Light Expo in Cleveland. I had a booth and was sharing Reiki healing and passing out postcards about the upcoming Reiki Retreat May 13-15. I share a booth with my friend Ernie of Creekside Healing. It's great fun and a wonderful way to meet people and share the experience of Reiki.

We had just arrived to set up our booth on Saturday morning when we discovered that the food vendors were not equipped to sell lunch foods, but only snacks. We'd have to go out to find lunch and bring it in. I said, "Someone will bring me a sandwich." Then we went about setting up and starting our day at the expo.

At lunch time, Ernie went out and brought back some food. Nothing that was unplanned.

On Sunday, I had packed us lunches so we wouldn't have to go out. It was a pretty busy time, and we enjoyed being there.

At about 4pm, it got slow and we were sitting in our booth. Suddenly, another vendor who I hadn't met come straight to our booth. "Are you hungry?" She asked, "I have this sandwich. Would you like it?" We looked at her, surprised.

"Sure." said Ernie, "How much do you want for it?"

"Oh, nothing. I just want to give it to you." she said, "I found out that I'm going out to dinner right after I bought it so I don't want to eat it. If you'd like it, you can have it." We gratefully accepted and shared a delicious panini.

I remembered how I had said "Someone will bring me a sandwich" the day before and laughed.

The point here isn't about the sandwich, although it was great and hit the spot. I also don't know why this vendor chose us. She hadn't been asking around, but just came straight to our booth. But beyond those things, I think the point is a greater one.

We have power. Tremendous power, and most of us don't even know it. Many times over the past year or so I've noticed things happening, shifting in my direction, once I set the expectation that it will happen that way. The timing is often surprising - not when expected - or not in the way that's expected. But that makes it fun - and usually the way things arrange themselves is better than how I would have arranged them myself.

We have help. We're not alone. When we need something, want to make our lives better, if we ask, things will start to move into place.

There's no harm in trying this and see how it works for you. How? Just ask. Or state what you want.

There are ways of asking that can help get to the heart of what you want or need. I'm learning these things from the wonderful Amy Oscar. I encourage you to go to her website, buy her book, and just absorb her graceful energy. Amy teaches to ask the angels for the result of what you need. For example, instead of asking for money for paying your bills, ask that your bills be paid in full. Perhaps that will happen in a new and unexpected way. Or instead of asking for a new job, ask for a career that fulfills you and allows you to use your gifts and talents in the best way for you, which allows your family to live in the most comfortable way. Or instead of asking for money for a new refrigerator (if yours is broken), ask for a new refrigerator to be made available to you. Perhaps someone you know will be giving one away and you'll be in the right place at the right time to know about it.

Most of all, it couldn't hurt to try. And most likely, the results will surprise and delight you. Isn't that the best part of all?

Mmmmm. Good sandwich. Thank you, angels.

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

The Miracles of Possibility

Last weekend, I was reminded that anything is possible. Here's what happened:

I was at the Gift of Light Expo in Columbus, Ohio, teaching a workshop and giving Reiki healings at my booth. I met lots of nice people, shared Reiki, and had a really good time. The last big expo I was at was in November, in Cincinnati, Ohio, called the Victory of Light. I'll be there again the second week in April.

Flash back to November, 2010, at the Victory of Light in Cincinnati. The last day of the expo, a woman (I'll call her Jean) came to my booth, brought by her friend. Jean was stooped over, walking slowly with a cane. She was obviously in pain, said she couldn't turn her head, stand straight, and couldn't stand or walk for long. She said she had a cancerous tumor on the base of her spine and constant pain that made it impossible to sleep well at night. Her friend convinced her, with some urging, to try 10 minutes of Reiki. Rather reluctantly, Jean sat in my chair.

I gave her Reiki for 10 minutes. At the end of that time, Jean was surprised to find that she could turn her head back and forth without pain. She was very impressed, and I was grateful that the Reiki had done some good for her. Her friend also had a session, and the two of them left.

Now flash forward to last weekend, in Columbus. I was at my booth, when Jean and her friend came over. Jean was walking tall, smiling, without a cane, and as she came closer, she danced the rest of the way to my booth! I was amazed and exclaimed how great she looked. Jean said that she had to come and see me to thank me for introducing her to Reiki. She said that since meeting me in November, she had been getting weekly Reiki treatments from a woman in her local area. And now, she is completely healed. I mean completely. Jean said she stands taller than she ever has, walks, dances, and moves without pain. The cancer is gone. The pain is gone. She sleeps, and dreams, at night. She was smiling broadly as she told me all of this. I hugged her, overjoyed to find this out. Jean also told me that next week she was being attuned to Reiki.

Seeing Jean again has had a deep impact on me.

I realized that we never know how much Reiki can help someone. Sometimes it is a little, sometimes it is with miraculous results, as in Jean's case. I'm only grateful that I was in the right place for Jean to experience the start of a life-changing journey of healing.

The experience illuminated for me that I am here to present an opportunity for those who are searching for ways to experience and learn how to access this beautiful healing energy for themselves.

I hope that all who teach Reiki get to meet their Jean.

*************************************************************
Here's a reminder that Reiki practitioners of all levels and modalities are invited to come together the weekend of May 13-15 in Peninsula, Ohio, to share the joys and challenges of this work at the 2011 Reiki Retreat.

Learn more and register here.

Sunday, March 6, 2011

Communicating with Angels with Your Feet on the Ground

I have just spent an afternoon absorbed, fully enrapt, in a book. This is rare for me because I have very limited chunks of time. But I couldn't, wouldn't drag myself away. It was just this good. I have to tell you about it, and also tell you why it is incorporated into the way I'm thinking these days.

First though, a little background.

Last summer, I went to a free talk. One of those Feel Your Power, Own Your Life (not the real name) kind of things. One of my friends was involved in putting the presentation together, and mostly I went because I wanted to support her. It was well done and I liked it. I signed up for the mailing list, and told my husband about it too. He also signed up for the mailing list. We started getting daily "inspirational" emails. They were just little messages about incorporating love and spirituality into your life daily. To tell you the truth, I unsubscribed after about a week because I really can't deal with daily email newsletters. I just get too many to read them all and I feel overwhelmed. I prefer a slower paced newsletter subscription. My husband, though, stayed on the list, saying he liked the little daily messages. Cool.

So some of the little daily inspirations were worded kind of whimsically. This week, my husband shared with me one of them, laughing. The message at the end of a post about looking within was "Go Deeper." He said that he couldn't help but shoot off a teasing quote from one of our favorite TV shows as a reply. He sent "That's what she said." I guessed it before he told me. We laughed and I told him he had chutzpa (brazen nerve) to reply that way.

The author of the daily emails didn't like it. She sent out an email to everyone on her list chastising them for "going there" and guilting them into failing to receive the message as a higher-consciousness one. Evan (my husband) actually sent out a reply to her again, this time saying that it was a joke, and that sometimes, when sending out a message as strong in entendre as that one, such replies are inevitable.

She didn't like that either, and wrote back a personal response to him, accusing him of being creepy and she even quoted laws of sexual harassment in her email. He apologized for offending her, said he felt she was out of line in taking it so seriously, said that a life in balance seems to be important, even for someone "enlightened" and "spiritual," and then he unsubscribed from her list. He wrote eloquently and I was proud of him.

He got me thinking.

Balance. It is very important. I am a person who has a day to day live here now kind of life. I also have a seeking that spiritual connection, higher vibrations, help the world kind of life. Both are important and essential for me. I think that people who live entirely in one world or the other are missing something essential for fully experiencing this life we are given. For example, people who just do the day to day 5-senses only experience are missing the beautiful experience of feeling the Divine is a part of them. And people who only talk and walk in etheric energy, looking down from their holy perch to chastise those who are making bawdy jokes or having a beer, are not grounded in the real world, and as such, are not fully LIVING in this gift of a body we are given. I think we need both.

I am a mom of four kids. I take care of them, clean up after them, shop and cook for them, help them with their homework, and even yell at them when they aren't listening to me tell them in my soft way the first or second time. I enjoy a little obnoxious humor from time to time, I may occasionally drop an f-bomb (not to my kids), and I like a beer now and then. I do other work - I write content for board games and do social media networking for a few businesses.

I also spend a lot of time teaching and sharing healing energy with my family, students, clients, patients at The Cleveland Clinic, and others in need. I meditate, read on spirituality, talk to my angels and guides. I have regular sessions and receive instruction from a psychic. I think about spirituality every day for hours, mixed in with my daily life.

I think I'm in pretty good balance with my woo-woo and my chop wood, fetch water sides. I may veer one way or the other at times, but I tend to move back to center pretty quickly afterward.

I am writing this post because I think it's important for us to fully experience this gift of a life we have from all sides. We need to live in the here and now present, and also take time to experience the spiritual. We can alternate between them quickly, and integrate them as well. Finding the balance, the rich sweetness of life with both the grounded and the spiritual, can help in so many ways.

Which brings be back to my reading experience today. I read Sea of Miracles by Amy Oscar. What a gorgeous, inspiring, elevating book. Amy acknowledges the connection to angels from a place of grounded reality. She talks from the perspective of one who has had her life infused with Grace as she became aware of the signs and assistance she was being given by the angels in her life. She teaches how to integrate the spiritual with the grounded in an approachable and relateable way. I came away from reading her book knowing that I am, as is anyone else who reads it, fully capable of having the same experience - of elevating my life through embracing this connection that's just waiting for me to see and feel it. The bare truth in her words touched my heart and brought tears to my eyes. I felt little touches of truth on my face as I read - this is how I experience the angels when I'm giving Reiki - as feather-light touches on my face and forehead.

Amy doesn't know I'm writing this. She didn't ask me to review her book. But it had such a profound impact on my heart, my day, and my spirituality, that I had to share it.

And also, it reinforced my feeling of needing to talk about living a balanced existence - with head in the clouds and feet on the ground, placing attention on each in a gentle, ebbing flow, sometimes consciously immersed in both at the same time.

Live. Feel. Love. Reach out. Listen. Reflect. Acknowledge. Share. Repeat.
All of it.

Thank you for this message, Amy.

Everyone, get this book. Click on the picture below to go to Amy's website.

Friday, March 4, 2011

The Full Potential Show

Hello Everyone! I'm so honored to have been a guest of James Rick on The Full Potential Show, and I wanted to share the interview with everyone. I think he did a great job, asked intelligent, thoughtful questions, and really "got me" during this interview. I love the way it's edited and the only thing I'd change about it is the messy basement in my background! I didn't know it would be seen quite so clearly! LOL!

Enjoy and please feel free to comment. Here's the video, and the link to the website is below it! Enjoy!





http://www.fullpotential.com/alice-langholt/

Peace.

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Intention and Attention

I've learned and have been exploring lately, the differences and interplay between intention and attention. I invite you to enter into this discussion with me so we all can grow together.

First, when working with Reiki energy, one is taught to begin by
intending to connect with the Reiki energy. We put our attention on the flow of the energy. Then, we intend for the energy to flow to the recipient, either ourselves (as in self-healing), another person, or a goal (as in attracting abundance). Once we set our intention, we are to simply place our attention on the flow of the energy as it goes. I think of it a little like giving the cab driver directions and then letting him to the driving to the destination. Already, in these first few seconds of a Reiki session, the interplay between intention and attention has occurred twice.

One can think of the attention part as surrender, but I think it's more than that, I think it's observation - this attention to the feeling of the energy flowing.
One can put as much attention into a Reiki session as one wishes. What I mean is, I can send a "shot" of Reiki energy to a person by just intending to send Reiki to him or her, noting the feeling of the energy flowing for about five seconds, and then going about the rest of my day. The energy will get there and do some good.

I can also sit for about ten minutes and simply focus on sending that same person Reiki, and for that entire time, I can attentively feel the energy tingling and pulsing between my hands as the energy flows via the connection between us.


Or, I could spend that same ten minutes while the Reiki is flowing, tuning into the recipient's energy, and using my hands to "scan" through the person's energy, observing which chakras or physical parts of the body are receiving the most energy. I can mention to the recipient those areas of need I observed, and ask him or her about any concerns related to those areas. This takes very focused attention.


In the Medical Intuition class I took during January, we learned that the mere act of observing triggers the healing process to begin. One of the key pieces to doing medical intuition that was emphasized in the class is to earn to tune in and observe the body parts inside yourself (and eventually another person). But this observation itself seems to be more than just looking. Healing begins here.


This idea of observation is also noted in the technique called Remote Viewing. It isn't the goal of remote viewing, but one of my students who knows how to do this technique, told me about an experiment done by a team of remote viewers and some plants that had been infected with a plant virus. The viewers were supposed to determine which plants had the virus, and which did not (they were attempting to "see" the plants from some other location, without knowing in advance which group of plants was which). The plants that were remote viewing targets, and had been infected with the plant virus, did not develop symptoms, while a control group of plants infected with a virus did. The non-infected plants were fine. It was a surprise to the group conducting the remote viewing exercise that the plants did not get sick, but it was an example of how just observing the inside of the plants for signs of infected cells had a direct effect on the health of the plants.


In physics, this is called the Observer Effect - that even quantum particles that are observed will behave differently than those that are not. On a molecular level, something about the energy of observation changes the behavior of the observed particles.

If a Reiki practitioner sets his intention to start the healing, but does not then step back and adopt a presence of attentive observation during the energy flow, will also make it harder for the energy to work. The practitioner who is focused on intention the whole time will likely end up using his own personal energy to drive the healing, making him end up exhausted at the end. Think of telling the cab driver where to go and then pushing the cab the whole way instead of letting the cab driver do his job and drive there.


Attention is important beyond energy healing too. For example, my kids always want attention. They want me to look at them, talk to them, play with them, listen to them. It's a natural human instinct to crave relationship and the simple act of attentiveness is a way of showing respect and love. My kids want me to show them how to draw a new picture, and then watch them do it, but they don't want me to push the pencil for them.

It's a little like surrender, or trust. You set the intention for the energy to work and then step back and let it go, trusting that it will work towards the highest good of the recipient. It takes the ability to let go for the energy to work.

Another thing is that the energy doesn't always work exactly as we expect it to. It may work in some other, more needed, way. It's not just about us as the practitioners, but the recipient's readiness to receive the energy also comes into play here. That may be on a subconscious level as well. So we need to let go of the focus on the results after setting the intention for the energy to flow, and trust that it is being received where the recipient is ready for the energy to work. That is not always our decision alone, and sometimes isn't even something we can predict.

When I am asked by someone new to Reiki what the energy is going to feel like, I tell them to simply relax and observe "what's different" as the energy is flowing. This helps the person focus in on his or her own sensations and then give those sensations attention. The more the person can pay attention to the sensation of the energy, the more he or she will begin to notice.

There is an interplay between intention and attention in the Law of Attraction too. We put our intention out there to manifest what we envision for ourselves. Then we let it go and allow the angels to arrange the things that need to fall into place in order to allow our dreams to become real. We need to pay attention to opportunities and signs along the way that will lead us to fulfilling our dream. Excess effort in trying to push and make it happen is discouraged. Put it out there, and step out of the way while the universe is bringing it to you on that stream of creation energy you have set out there with your intention.


What we place our attention on grows, and what we ignore goes away (eventually). So with energy, so with a lot of things in life.


I'm fascinated with the interplay between intention and attention. I think that it's helping me allow for the flow to come to me without me getting into my own way. Peace.

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Am I a Healer?


Am I a healer?
Lately, this question has been coming up. It was brought to my attention by one of my new students, who is an MD, and has the view that Reiki practitioners are, and should refer to themselves as "healers" or they are not bringing respect to what they do. According to Debra Katz,
"Any person who attempts to help another living being to transform them to a greater state of health is a healer. They don't need a medical degree because the energy used doesn't come from a pharmaceutical company or a corporation (at least not yet!). Reiki is the most well known modality of energy healing in the western world. If you ask a person what they do they will say they are a healer before anything else. If you ask a physician what they do they usually will say they are a doctor before they say they are a healer. To say a person who does Reiki is not a healer is like to saying a person who sings is not a singer or a person who drives a car is not a driver. It makes no sense."


I agree, to a point.


However, my opinion differs in that there is a connotation of arrogance to saying "I am a healer." It implies that those who I offer healing energy to are passive recipients, rather than participants in their own healing. I prefer to think of myself as an energy worker, one who works with subtle energies, Reiki being primary. I facilitate healing by offering one the opportunity to receive the healing that he or she is ready for. There is a dialogue, a give and take, and the recipient must be willing and open to receiving the Reiki energy. I am not "making you heal" as the word "healer" implies. I am offering healing energy to you, in the hopes that you will receive benefit from the energy.


It's a little like teaching, really. Yes, I am a teacher. That word is completely acceptable by the masses as being one who offers knowledge, and who facilitates another's ability to assimilate the knowledge. As a teacher, I have this knowledge, these skills, to offer you, the learner. You can decide that you cannot or will not learn what I am trying to teach you. You can decide that I am not a teacher that you can relate to. In that case, you can choose to find another teacher or subject that best fits with your needs. In this role of teacher, therefore, I am more accurately "a facilitator of your ability to increase or assimilate new knowledge". I can't make you learn any more than I can make you heal. That part is up to you. I can do my best to make the knowledge clear, to adapt to your unique way of learning so that it makes sense to you.


So as a "healer" I am attempting to offer you energy that you are able to assimilate into your own, to then benefit from this energy in the ways that make the most sense to your needs.


The problem is in the connotation, rather than the definition here. It sounds arrogant to say that I am a healer. I am a healer in that I work with healing energy. I am not a guru, or one who can "make" you heal if you are not ready to heal, or willing to heal on some level.


In another sense, we are all healers - people who recover from illnesses. We heal ourselves, so we are healers. But the word "healer" is taken more widely to mean one who heals other people. I don't think I do that. I present the opportunity for others to receive healing energy. That I'm comfortable saying.


Do I want you to heal? Yes. I want you to feel better, I want you to enjoy and benefit from the beautiful energy that is flowing through me to you. I am deeply grateful for the ability to be connected to the Source of Reiki energy and to be able to pass that energy to you. I am also extremely grateful for the ability to pass this ability to others who wish to learn to do the same thing. I am a teacher.


So you won't find me putting "healer" on my business card. It says Reiki Master Teacher.


Reiki Master comes with its own connotations, for I am not a "Master of Reiki" (there's that guru connotation again). But it's easily explained that Reiki Master is a level designation that means one has received the proper training and attunements to enable one to teach and attune others. Like having a Master's degree - it is a definition of training. It doesn't make you any more holy or genius than anyone else.


So to Debra Katz, and to my Reiki student, MD, I say, I am in the practice of working with healing energy. In that sense I may be a healer, but I will not refer to myself that way for the reasons that I don't want to be mistaken for someone who will heal you. Only you can heal you. I can offer you energy that can help you heal, and will joyfully do so.


We are all healers.


Peace.

Monday, January 17, 2011

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

This morning I was greeted by some hostile posts on my Facebook page. They were made by another Reiki practitioner who disagreed with the fact that I charge for distance healing. Despite my telling her that I balance my professional practice with volunteer service as a Group Leader with the Distance Healing Network, weekly giving Reiki at The Cleveland Clinic, and twice monthly at a cancer support center, The Gathering Place, and that I accept exchanges and will reduce or eliminate entirely fees for those who are unable to contribute, she continued to berate me and tell me that I dishonor the practice of Reiki by charging for distance healing. I told her that I offer the same time and mindful attention to my clients, whether distance or local, she retorted that it only takes a few minutes to send distance Reiki. I deleted the posts, realizing that nothing I could say would prevent her from saying I was wrong.

My husband said not to blog about it, because that would add more energy and attention to the issue. I understand the philosophy of whatever we give attention to increases, and that which we ignore goes away (eventually). I see his point.

But this was staying with me, and I felt the need to address it.

The point is not whether or not I choose to accept an exchange for distance Reiki. The point is how Reiki practitioners treat one another. I advocate for respect. If she doesn't like that I charge for Reiki, she can go to another Reiki practitioner who does not. She doesn't need to attack my choices, and also my integrity. I bear no hostility towards her because her opinion is different from mine.

As people sharing healing energy with others, I would like to suggest that we all see each other as sharing the same goal of helping the world be a better place. That's it. Anyone who is trying to help others, educate about healing, and share energy with those who need it deserves to be seen as such. We should not turn on each other for using a different Reiki modality, trying to support our family so we can dedicate our time fully to a healing practice, or for disagreeing over how Reiki is shared or learned. I believe that in this work we are held to a higher standard. That isn't to say that we can't be human. I'm extremely human. I sometimes swear. I enjoy drinking wine or beer on occasion. I make mistakes. I sometimes worry, despite my efforts not to. But I also have internalized the Reiki precept, "Just for today, I will treat all living things with kindness" to the best of my ability. I honestly try to live that way.

The Reiki precepts are a beautifully written simple and yet complex set of values that anyone working with life force energy is encouraged to attempt to live by. They are:

Just for today...
I will avoid anger.
I will avoid worry.
I will do my work honestly.
I will be grateful for all I have.
I will treat all living things with kindness.

I honestly try to live by these, and hope that others, especially those who embrace Reiki as part of their path, will do also. They are not laws, commandments, and we are not bound by them. They are just suggestions, good ones, for how one may choose to elevate his or her life.

So I put out there: Please, all of you who are involved in this practice of sharing energy healing, respect the basics of our practice. Respect those who are on the same journey. Make your choices and let others make theirs. Walk your talk.

Thank you.