43 in 13

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It's my birthday and the 5th anniversary of the day I started this blog.

I went back and read last year's post and am grateful for the progress in achieving my goals, and the new goals that I've added.

But I'm not going to talk about those things this year. I just want to share my day.

There's a lot of hoopla going on right now. People are all excited over tomorrow, 12-21-12, and the Winter Solstice too. Energy people I've spoken with are talking about the intensity of the energy they feel. I can't say that I'm as swept away as some are, but I do feel a sort of intensity. Plus, with the recent events in the news, who doesn't feel the intense energy right now?

So that was all the more reason for my choosing to spend this birthday on myself. Time for some "me time"!

Here's what I did today to celebrate my birthday:

• I met a Facebook friend (who I've never met in person) at a lovely little bakery cafe for some breakfast and really great "Reiki talk". Her name is Michelle Winkler, and her website is http://www.createhealingreiki.com/.
• I went to see my very favorite massage therapist, John Goad, for a very nurturing 2-hour massage. Not only is John amazing as a massage therapist, but he incorporates energy work, aromatherapy, and  myofacial release techniques. I had the honor of teaching John Practical Reiki two years ago. His energy work is very powerful! The whole experience was wonderful. If you're within 2 hours drive of Mantua, Ohio, an appointment with John is well worth the trip!
• Then I got my driver's license renewed (it expired today). The man taking the pictures at the dmv was smiling and so nice that it's my best driver's license picture ever!
• I came home, made a nice dinner, spent some time with the kids, and now I'm enjoying a quiet glass of wine while I share my day with you lovely readers.


• My new Energy Healing Cards (which I just published!) came and they look really great! They are now available on Amazon as a gift for the energy healer you are or the energy healer you know.(Energy Healing Cards are a tool for anyone practicing Reiki or other energy healing techniques. Beautiful, full color cards each feature an intention and an affirmation to inspire and encourage your daily healing practice. Choose a card for extra healing, meditation or journaling, or inspiration. Many uses and lots of healing potential in every card. 44 cards plus an instruction card. 3.5 x 5", rounded corners, laminated, packaged in shrink wrap and sent in an organza drawstring bag.)

So I'm sharing all of this with you because it was such a lovely day. I'm so very grateful that I had the chance to take some time for myself. I promised myself I wouldn't wait a year to do it again.

The message here (there's always a message, isn't there?) is that especially when stress is in the news, our work, and energies surrounding us are high, we NEED to take time to care for our bodies and our souls. Whether it's your birthday or not, this is really important. It helps us stay at our best to manage all we do. 

May you all enter the new age refreshed and ready. 

Happy holidays and new year too!

12-12-12 and the Children

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As a family with a more active awareness of metaphysical practices than the average, we tend to have some different issues too. An interesting thing happened today, and I thought I'd share it.

For some reason I can't really fathom, this morning my 10-year old daughter, Sari, told my six-year old daughter, Arin, that the Mayan Calendar is at its end, and that means in nine days the world could end, the sun blow up, and the planets all die. FOR THE RECORD: I did not ever even mention the Mayan Calendar to any of my children, nor did I have reading materials lying around about it. So in this case, it didn't come from me. I think my kids' interest in this is more than most because we talk about astrology at times. We also talk about crystals, Reiki, angels, healing, pendulums, muscle testing, and tarot cards. But it's also been the talk at school, and it's hit the mainstream too.

This morning, before I had gotten out of bed, Arin was in my room asking me if it was true. I reassured her that just like when we finish a calendar we start a new one, the Mayan Calendar is just at the end and a new one is needed. I told her that the world is fine, we are fine, and she is safe. The kids went to school.

After school, Arin told me that she was so worried during Kindergarten today that she couldn't concentrate. She was scared, almost cried, talked with her teacher (I expected a phone call this evening but one didn't come), and that she was going to be very kind to everyone so she could "die in peace." Oy vey.

I told Arin again that she needn't worry. I told her that if the world was going to end, scientists would know and it would be on the news and the computer. And it isn't. I also told her that her dad and I would talk with her if something like this was going to happen. I told her that not in nine days, nine years, or even ninety years or nine hundred years, would this happen. 

And most of all, I told her that one should be kind because it makes LIFE better for oneself and for others, not in order to "die in peace." Goodness. Where did she get THAT one??

I also took Sari aside and let her know what her little story did for Arin's day. Sari felt awful. I told Sari just to learn from this that it's not okay to tell little kids scary stories, because they can't tell the difference between scary stories and reality. And I reassured Sari that this story she was telling was not going to happen.

There's a lesson here. Talking about the Mayan Calendar - 12-12-12, 12-21-12, and all that speculation is picked up by kids, taken in, and repeated to each other. It affects them, it confuses them. It's so unnecessary.

Here's what I think about 12-12-12, and 12-21-12 and all that: 

• This is a new time. People are becoming more energy-sensitive. Many are waking up and finding out that there's more to life than the five physical senses tell them. They are seeking answers, seeking connection. They are realizing that thoughts and intentions are powerful. They are finding their power to heal themselves.
  
• The energy is heightened these days. The Solstice, the movement of the planets and the Sun, they all affect how people feel. It can cause mood swings, uncertainty, and some confusion for those who are becoming more sensitive. It can make people wonder if "something is coming." It is. But nothing bad. Just a wave of new energy. I felt a little dizzy at times today myself. I grounded my energy more than usual to balance it out.
  
• Those of us who work with energy are being called to teach those who are ready to learn. I'm here, I'm ready, and I've been preparing for this for nearly five years. 

And here are a few reminders:

• Talk with your kids. Find out what they've been wondering about, and reassure them that they are safe and loved.
  
• Ground your energy. When you feel a little off, breathe. Get outside. Drink water. Eat something with protein or that grows in the earth.
  
• Be vigilant about self-care for your energy and your body. Give and receive positive healing energy. Be mindful of your energy. Take time for meditation, connection, and mindful awareness.
  
• Be a resource of love and light to those who come into your circle.
  

Blessings and light to all metaphysical-minded parents, everyone becoming one, and those who are as yet unaware. 

Thanksgiving 2012

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It's Thanksgiving. 

It's always good to review the reasons to be grateful around this time. Funny, but it's really good to do this daily. I even saw a trend on Facebook with some of my friends to post something every day that they were grateful for. 

In the Reiki Precepts, gratitude is one of the five things that are listed as the secret method for inviting happiness. They all are:
  Just for Today, I will
  Avoid anger
  Avoid worry
  Do my work honestly
  Be grateful for all I have
  Treat everyone with kindness.

So now we have a holiday about expressing gratitude. It always kind of makes me laugh. Like Mother's Day - one day to honor mom, when it would be nice to be treated with respect every day. Many of us do anyway, so why one day a year? To make sure we get to it?

Plus, I kind of have weird feelings about Thansgiving's origins....but I'm not going there right now.

I have lots to be grateful for. This has been a good year.

Here are the top five on my list. Please read them, and then post your top five as comments here below this blog post, because we'd have a really nice long list if every reader added five!

I am grateful for:

• The ability to work from home, with all four of my kids in school together. A few hours of quiet during the day help me focus, be productive, and schedule my day with flexibility.
   
• A growing practice, increased enrollment in my school, fantastic teachers and staff, opportunities to teach in Lily Dale and The Cleveland Clinic, and a new book published this year.
   
• A supportive husband who very agreeably and competently cares for our four kids those weekends when I go to expos or meetings in Columbus, or teach out of town. He's a great partner and a wonderful father.
   
• My wonderful students who send me grateful emails and thoughtful questions daily. Not only do they help validate my purpose in life, they also surround me with love.
   
• My four children, who fill our house with energy, laughter, love, singing, challenges, and a reminder every day of what family really means. 

Mazel Tov...and now what do I say?

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This weekend is my 13 year old daughter, Rayna's Bat Mitzvah.

 (For any readers not sure what that is, it's a Jewish Rite of Passage for kids turning 13 in which they lead prayers, and read a passage from the Torah - that's the "Old Testament" - a scroll written entirely in Hebrew. It takes months of preparation to learn. The student also prepares a speech about what all of this means to him or her. It signifies being old enough to take on a more responsible role - in fact, those who have had a Bar or Bat Mitzvah are counted as Jewish "adults" for the purposes of ritual and responsibility.)

As the mom of the Bat Mitzvah, I'm supposed to say a few words to my daughter in front of the congregation during the ceremony. I'm struggling to decide what to say. I mean, of course, "I'm so proud of you, you're such a beautiful young woman inside and out, and you've grown so much" come to mind. But beyond that...I'm feeling stumped.

Those of you who have been blog readers here will probably know that I struggle personally with formal religion. This is especially so because Reiki gave me my spiritual connection, not praying in temple. I'm really saying it lightly here, because I actually harbor a lot of resentment toward formal prayer. It really does nothing for me spiritually except frustrate me. I think Reiki has changed me into a Spiritualist. But I'm still a Spiritualist in a Jewish life, with a Jewish family and kids that go to Jewish Day School. So I keep my inner conflicts hidden for the most part (except here in my blog where I can let it fly!) 

This ceremony is special and important for my daughter, certainly. She's done a very dedicated job preparing and I know she'll lead her parts with grace and competence. But to me, really, this ceremony is more about a coming of age than a spiritually uplifting event. 

Family and friends are coming in from out of town and locally to attend. They'll all be so proud of Rayna, congratulate her on her accomplishment. Look at what she did: she learned a lot of prayers in Hebrew. And she can lead them confidently in front of friends and family. She learned her Torah part and wrote a nicely educational speech with a dash of humor. Well done. 

I acknowledge with some relief that other people will find this more spiritually meaningful than I do. 

Rayna and her siblings are being brought up a little differently from other Jewish kids at their school. In addition to learning and practicing Judiasm, my kids do Reiki. At home, they also talk about angels, crystals, and know how to use pendulums and Tarot cards. I think they already are far more spiritually advanced at their age than I was with a Master's Degree in Jewish Studies at age 37. So what can I say in front of this congregation, that will be sincere, and also inspiring in some way to my daughter?

I guess I could focus on what I want for her. I hope that she will always be proud of who she is. I hope that she will continue to grow and listen to her heart. I hope that she will always know that she has permission to question and wrestle with everything she is taught...even by me. 

I hope that will be enough. 

In the Fire

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Last night I attended a Fire Ceremony. A man named Ljubomir Rozic has these Shamanic ceremonies at each new and full moon. There's a bit of learning about a healing concept, a meditation, and then the fire. He teaches everyone to touch the fire and bring it into their heart chakra (there are no burning or special effects involved!). We also put a list into the fire of things we would like to remove from our lives. Then Ljubomir changes the frequency of the fire to manifestation, and we put (either symbolically or physically) into the fire a list of things we want to manifest into our lives. By the way, it was pouring rain last night, and we still gathered and did the ritual. This was my first time going, and I really liked it. It was also my husband's birthday. He wanted to go (to my surprise), and also really liked it.

I've been thinking lately that I have lots of things in the fire (symbolically). You know the expression "A lot of irons in the fire"? That's what I mean. I've got a lot of irons in the fire, and I'm waiting to see what's going to come out.

The things I have in the fire are all things that I've applied for, or inquired about, and am waiting for results or answers.

Here's my list:

• I applied to be part of the new Transdisciplinary Holistic Care Education Program at the Cleveland Clinic. This includes specialized training in holistic patient care, rounds, case studies, and lots of direct experience in being an advocate for Reiki and holistic care in the hospital setting. Only CCF staff and volunteers from the Healing Services Department were allowed to apply.
 
• I sent in my application to teach in Lily Dale for the Summer, 2013 season.
 
• I've been invited to be a practitioner for a research study on comparing the effectiveness of acupressure vs. Reiki for people with Gulf War Syndrome. I completed all necessary forms as asked. Funding should be approved (or not) in two months.
 
• I pitched an idea for a board game to a game company. They received it and will get back to me...whenever they do.
 
• I am beginning to plan a very big two day Practical Reiki training weekend for April, 2013. The goal is to have at least 100 participants. I'm looking for a venue, interviewing holistic event marketing professionals, and waiting for people to get back to me.
 
• I'm starting a project, called the Just Love Project. There will be t-shirts that on the front say "Just   love."
  On the back, will be a variety of quotes, cartoons, and specifically chosen artwork that fits the theme. The writers and artists who created the selected works for the back will also be featured on the website. 100% of the profits from the series of shirts will go to charity. Each quarter, we'll change to a new charity. The idea is to spread messages of being loving and kind, while also doing something more to help those who need it. I've initiated contact with the first couple of artists and writers whose work is fitting, and am waiting to hear if they are willing to participate. I had one shirt made to see how it would turn out. It arrived yesterday. Stay tuned for a more official launch...whenever it's together. I've got the website, the manufacturer, and the idea. Now I'm waiting to see who will participate so I can get to work on the website details.

So, these are a lot of works in progress, and my need for patience is at a premium. There's such an element of surrender in waiting. I'm very much an action person, and those of you who've read my blog over the last few years (bless you all!) know that this is one of my life lessons. 

Meanwhile, I'm working on things that need action now - teaching, giving Reiki, promoting events, finding a venue for my big spring Practical Reiki workshop, etc. Of course, there are personal life things going on always too. Next month is my oldest daughter's Bat Mitzvah. There are school activities, homework, lunches, grocery shopping, chores, and a big group of holidays to observe in the next few weeks. 

So I breathe. And put myself back into the space of the present moment. "Just love," I remind myself. It's all about that.

And, I'll let the fire ignite, offer, and shape what's been placed in there. I look forward to seeing what emerges, all in the right time. 

Now I Know Why

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At the end of August, I had the wonderful opportunity of teaching Practical Reiki at the Lily Dale Assembly in Lily Dale, NY. It was a fantastic time. The class was the largest number I've ever taught in one group. Their ages ranged from 19 to about 80-something. My class included a mix of people new to Reiki, Reiki Practitioners, Reiki Masters, and practicing Mediums. The absolute best thing was the joy and enthusiasm with which Practical Reiki was universally met. I was told repeatedly that it was "refreshing" to have a "real person" teaching this. (That made me laugh!) I had the opportunity to meet privately with 13 of the 20 students, and get to know them better. I heard about their lives, and offered some intuitive advice and instructional support. I loved it. I left feeling like a rock star. 

I realized that Practical Reiki is more needed, and has the potential to help more people than I had ever imagined. It confirmed for me that I'm really here to bring a simple and powerful way of healing to the world. People new to Reiki discover an immediate connection to the energy that they can instantly tap into. People who know other Reiki modalities discover an easier way exists - one that spells out what took them years to figure out on their own (because they were taught differently) - and an additional frequency that strengthens their own energy work. And people who were intimidated about teaching Reiki because they learned a complicated process of symbols and ritual are now empowered to teach it "straight up" - as I do. Practical Reiki needs to be big, and it's time to share it with more people on a bigger scale. 

So now, I'm starting to think big, and have begun to plan my first two-day Practical Reiki training for Spring, 2013. This will be an event that people can travel here (Cleveland, OH) to take, and it will be a weekend. I'll get good rates for blocks of rooms at nearby hotels, and make it as easy as I can for people to get here. It's time, the guidance pushes me, and I'm listening, and feeling the little nervous flutter in my stomach that means that it's exactly what I need to do.

The Lily Dale experience taught me something really important, and today I saw it as part of the bigger lesson about life that applies to everyone. 

Man, when I ask for inspiration for my next blog post, I get it!!

This morning, as I perused Facebook (better than the morning paper!), I found this. I realized that it's the truest thing I've ever read, and it's also the overarching theme of the bigger picture I've been shown. I wish I knew who wrote it, but I have to share it regardless. Whoever you are who wrote this, I send you gratitude and admiration.

This quote. This.

I needed to read this. It gave me the courage to move forward with this bigger-than-I've-ever-done thing, and face the voice that counters with "are-you-really-worthy?" Because it's love that is moving me to action. Love for this role I've taken on to share Practical Reiki, but more so, to help people find that inner power for healing that was there all the time (right, Dorothy? Of course, says Glinda). It's love that I receive from the grateful emails that pour in from my students. And the feeling of being connected to this great big LOVE that is the light I'm connected to when I'm teaching, sharing Reiki, and attuning people.

This quote also gives me permission to make mistakes as I move forward. It's so accepting and forgiving, and it gently takes my little snarky background voice and wraps it in a cocoon of love that soothes it to sleep...for a while. 

So that's my message today, and as always, I share it with you, in hopes that it will inspire you to go for that big dream of yours that's fueled by love.

------------------------------------------
Follow-up...I found the author. Her name is Courtney A. Walsh, and there's more to the quote than I posted above. The entire quote, and her contact information is here:
Dear Human:

You've got it all wrong.

You didn't come here to master unconditional love.
This is where you came from and where you'll return.

You came here to learn personal love.
Universal love.
Messy love.
Sweaty Love.
Crazy love.
Broken love.
Whole love.
Infused with divinity.
Lived through the grace of stumbling.
Demonstrated through the beauty of... messing up.
Often.

You didn't come here to be perfect, you already are.

You came here to be gorgeously human. Flawed and fabulous.

And rising again into remembering.

But unconditional love? Stop telling that story.

Love in truth doesn't need any adjectives.
It doesn't require modifiers.
It doesn't require the condition of perfection.

It only asks you to show up.
And do your best.
That you stay present and feel fully.
That you shine and fly and laugh and cry and hurt and heal and fall and get back up and play and work and live and die as YOU.

Its enough.

It's Plenty.

-Courtney A. Walsh
https://www.facebook.com/loonybus
http://www.courtneyawalsh.com/

----------------------
I simply love this quote so passionately that I've ordered a tee-shirt with the part of the quote I posted originally on the back, and "Just love." on the front.  If anyone would like one, I'll order you one and ship it to you for $25 free shipping (inside the continental US). Be sure to indicate size (S/M/L/XL) when ordering. Here's a picture.

$25 and free shipping. Let's start a love movement!

Mercury Retrograde, Angels and the Grill from Lowe's

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This is a true story.

This is not my grill. Mine was worse
but I didn't stop to take a pic!

At the start of this summer, I caught my grill on fire. Yes, really. Not just a little. It was on fire from the ground up, a pillar of flame that melted the entire grill like the Wicked Witch of the West and peeled the color off our vinyl siding.


It was my mistake. It was the start of summer. The grill had been sitting patiently during the winter and spring. My husband said to let him clean it out and check it, but I was impatient. I didn't wait for him to clean it out and replace the burner that had ended up angled awkwardly backward. I just wanted to quickly grill some chicken before I ran off to teach a class. I figured I'd put the chicken in the front part of the grill grates and cook it on indirect heat. I didn't realize the grill was quite as in need of repair as it was after the winter and spring. 
Well, I DID realize it once the awkward burner caused the grill and all of its parts to turn into a towering inferno.


After turning off the gas and hosing off the grill and house, I left to teach and my husband, Evan ordered a pizza. 


So we needed a new grill. My sister decided to give us an early Chanukah present and she gave us money for a new grill. 


Mercury Retrograde notwithstanding, we looked online for sales and went out to Lowe's, and purchased a decent looking grill. We paid for it and were told it would be assembled for us and we'd pick it up in a couple days. We were sold a conversion kit because we have a natural gas outlet from our house so we don't need to use propane tanks. 


A couple days later we went to pick up the grill. We waited inside Lowe's for a longer time than should be expected. Finally, someone wheeled up a grill and said something like, "Here it is." Before us stood a partially rusted, obviously used and returned grill of the same model as we had purchased. We pointed out that there must've been a mistake because this was clearly not new. The salesperson tried to insist it was new and had just been assembled in a dusty warehouse. Then he offered to sell us this rusty used grill for $75 off what we had paid. We declined the offer, got a refund and went home. 


We did call the customer service line and complain about the experience. 


The next day, I received a call from a manager, who offered us an upgraded model for the same price as what we had paid for the previous grill, and that Lowe's would attach the conversion kit. I said we'd think about it and get back to him in a week. We did some research during the week, and found that the model had mostly good reviews and so we decided to purchase it. 


I called and asked for a manager. I told the whole story to this new person on the phone. He said that no way could Lowe's attach the conversion kit, because that is not allowed. In fact, he told me, the person who had said they would do that could likely be fired for saying such a thing to us. He then said they have one natural gas ready grill, it's an upgraded model and brand from the one we had been expecting to get, and that we could have this one for the same price as the one we had first purchased. I agreed. He said he would have it assembled first thing the next morning and we'd be able to pick it up any time that day. 


The next day...
Evan called Lowe's to ask if it was ready to pick up. He was on hold for 30 minutes. The person returned to the phone and said that he would have to call Evan back because they were looking for it. Half an hour after that, they called Evan and said it's ready, come on and pick it up. He came home from work and went to get our new grill.


In the store...Evan and our daughter Rayna, who he had brought along, waited a very long time while a salesperson ran around trying to find the grill, trying to find a manager, trying to find an answer. After finding none of those, this person offered us an even more upgraded model (we're up above $700 now) for the same price as we had been expecting to pay. And she'd throw in the conversion kit for free. Evan agreed, paid for the grill, bought a cover, and came home. 


We set up the grill and looked this gorgeous thing over. Evan went online for a moment and found out that this particular model can't be converted to gas after all. Another call to the store, speaking to a manager. The manager said the wrong grill had been assembled, which is why no one could find ours. I asked him if the model we had intended to purchase was in the store. He said yes. I asked if it was assembled. He said no. I asked how long it would take to assemble it, and he said an hour. I told him that we would be back in an hour to return this grill and take the one we had been meaning to purchase, and that I wanted him to throw in a cover for our trouble. He agreed. 


An hour later...
Evan went back to Lowe's to pick up the grill. Evan returned the grill and cover. Lowe's processed a refund on our card. They brought up the right grill, new this time, with a cover. Evan checked to make sure it was indeed a natural gas grill. It was. A little smaller but still really nice. Lowe's knocked another $100 off the price for our trouble. Evan purchased the grill (now $100 less than the first model we had bought, listed at $200 more than the first model). He brought it home. We discovered that the wheels were on wrong. We decided we could fix that part ourselves.


The next morning...
Evan checked the computer and said there's a problem. Our checking account was overdrawn. Why? Because apparently, the refund would take a few days to go through. So we had basically purchased two grills and a cover, as far as our checking account knew. 


Another call to Lowe's. A call to the bank. Evan went to work with the problem unsolved. He called me an hour later and said that the bank said I had to go to Lowe's, then call the bank from Lowe's and let the Lowe's customer service person speak to the bank person and give the bank person some code that verified our refund so they'd release the funds back into our account. I went to Lowe's. 


This was no simple matter, as you probably expected by now if you're still reading. For two hours, the bank person tried to explain to the Lowe's person what was needed, and the Lowe's person and his boss tried to find the code the bank person wanted. At the end of two hours, I spoke to the bank person, who said that the code is on our original receipt (and only there, apparently.) The Lowe's guy felt so bad he gave me $90 in cash.


I went home. Evan came home from work, found the receipt, we called the bank and got our money back in our account. He and I fixed the wheels, hooked up the gas to our outlet, and prepared dinner. It works beautifully.


The outcome? The final cost for the grill was less than my sister had given us. We put the difference towards dinner.


The punchline? Thanks to Mercury Retrograde for the communication issues at every turn, and angels for some wild manipulation of events, we now have a high end grill, better than we would've picked out for ourselves, for less than we expected to spend. 


The lesson of the story? I'll be sure to not use the grill until it's all checked over, cleaned up and ready when next season starts.