Reiki, Level I

Sometimes I google "What is Reiki?" just to see what comes up. Almost every explanation I've seen on the internet sounds ridiculous. What is life force energy? What does it mean to "move energy?" "Tingling" or "buzzing" in the palm of the hand could just mean you slept funny and now your hand has fallen asleep. Every attempt to explain, no matter how eloquent, falls light years short of articulating what Reiki is.

I used to make fun of Reiki. I told people I already knew "Reya-ki" so I didn't need to pay good money to be reminded of the truth that every one of us is a healer. (It's true, you know, we all heal with our hands.)

When will I learn not to make fun of things I know nothing about?

A class in Level I Reiki came around just in time for me to earn some CEU credits which is why I signed up. OK, I'll admit it, I was humbled after that first attunement and weekend of training. In fact, everything about my path to becoming a Reiki Master/Teacher has been humbling. I can't explain what, and I can't explain how or why, but what I can say about Reiki is that it is astonishing, palpable, trippy, and always different in every session with one exception. At the end of a Reiki session, both practitioner and receiver have connected with trust. Reiki connects us to hope and a belief in our power to deal with what life hands us. That's the only thing every session has in common. It's quite extraordinary!

Since that first attunement, eight years ago, I have used Reiki every day. First and foremost I give myself Reiki every day. I use Reiki in every session of massage. I have clients who come strictly for Reiki, too.

Jake (my old dog) did not like Reiki, but I've given Reiki to other dogs and cats, to trees, I've even channeled Reiki into the Washington Monument for god's sake! I send Reiki remotely, for half an hour once a week, to a someone or someones who asks. Someone always asks. I channel Reiki into food, water, my clients' meds (if they want me to).

Clearly this practice is valuable, at least for me!

I'll write more about Reiki tomorrow. For today: be well. Trust in what's beautiful and mysterious. Yes? I say yes. Shalom.