Summer Is here in Houston

Summer is here in Houston, Texas. Our thermostat has not registered under 100 in almost two weeks and no rain in site. After the flood of April I thought I would never wish for the gentle cooling effects of rain again. Bring it on, besides I have flood insurance now, not that I wishing for one, it would be nice for a good soaking rain the garden is in need.

We are back in the house and mostly settled in from having to redo it due to the inches of water that had collected there over April 28th. I am most grateful to my adopted kids Dawn and Donnie Bell who came with a crew from Dallas and fixed the house and added some new improvements as well.

Once they left then Gary fell and broke his hip in four places…it seems once it rained it started to pour! He is on the mend, walking with a walker and in a much better mood since he is not in so much pain.

I feel like I finally have some space to be creative and have started writing to get caught up on all fronts.

We have a pair of cardinals that have taken up residence in the patio tree in front of our living room window. We have watched them build the nest and now she is sitting on the nest. Right there in front of us nature has provided us the best show.

Here are some excerpts from the newsletter I have just sent out…enjoy!

World peace is not an abstract concept removed from our everyday lives. It starts with trust between one individual and another-each of us opening our hearts and speaking with sincerity, communicating and touching the other on the deepest level.
President Daisaku Ikeda

Truly Feeling like Authentic Individuals
We begin to understand that the only acknowledgement that truly matters is the acknowledgement you give yourself. We can only reach a mental and emotional place in which we truly feel like authentic individuals when we choose to do what we do because it fulfills us rather than to attract the attention of those in a position to offer validation. While recognition can be both sweet and satisfying, we address the needs of our souls only when our motives come from within the very depths of our being. For this reason, we must feel a strong connection to the choices we make if we want to fulfill our purpose. Some paths will prove more rewarding than others, but there is no substitute for the pride we feel upon knowing that we are following a destiny that is uniquely our own. We will no longer feel ignored when we remind ourselves that our desires are not related to outer-world glory but are a product of our wish for fulfillment.

The Divine Hand- Rabbi Elisha ben Abuyah
"Those who are open to life's lessons and who nurture no prejudices are like a blank sheet of paper on which God writes his words with divine ink

"Those who are always looking on the world with cynicism and prejudice are like a sheet of paper already written upon and on which there is no room for new words.

"Don't bother about what you already know, or what you don't know. Don't think about the past or the future, just let the divine hands write down each day the surprises of the present".

Sage Words for Summer and Always

Remember to Care for Yourself

When we accept that caring for ourselves is no more selfish or self-centered than caring for the important people in our lives, we come to realize that our willingness to see to our own needs facilitates our ability to ensure the well-being of others. If we are tired or worn out because we have spent all our available time or expended the whole of our energy stores helping others thrive and achieve contentment, we have nothing left with which to refuel. When we save a portion of ourselves, however, so that we may use that to satisfy our own wants and needs, we ensure that we always have plenty of resources to devote to those whom we wish to see fulfilled. As you nurture your loved ones today, you will be a better caregiver if you remember to care for yourself.

You honor your goals by embodying them

We tend to derive far more satisfaction from the pursuits we engage in when we dedicate our minds and our souls to the task at hand. However inconsequential these duties may seem, they are likely in some way related to our larger purpose in life. When we recognize and acknowledge this, we begin to see that a lack of commitment in just one area of our existence can interfere with our ability to make the most of our aptitudes on multiple levels. We need only regard each and every one of our objectives as being worthy of our attention to ensure that we never overlook the importance of any one of them. The more dedicated we are to our purpose, the smoother our larger life paths will be. You will feel competent and purposeful when you honor your goals by embodying your devotion to them in your choices.

Reiki is as easy as touch

Upcoming Reiki Courses
Reiki Two- San Antonio, September 19-20
Reiki One and Two - Houston, September 26 and 27th, 2009
Reiki One and Two - Houston, November 21st and 22nd, 2009

To register

It is my pleasure to invite you to attend any of the courses offered this Fall.
The Reiki Two class scheduled for the 19-20 of September in San Antonio includes Saturday afternoon in the surrounding countryside The Reiki One and Reiki Two courses in Houston in September on 26th and 27th and on November 21st and 22nd will be taught at my home.

All the classes combine lecture, discussion, attunements, meditations and experiential practice in a well organized, but relaxed program A detailed class manual is included, and upon successful completion a certificate from the International Association of Reiki is awarded

Read about Mari's integrated approach to healing. Energy work sessions with Mari

Home office sessions and Distance Energy Work by Appointment Make an Appointment

I look forward to seeing you soon!

Love and Blessings, Mari

Waking up to See Life as it Really Is

So life you see is only waking us up...and it is up to us how we SEE what is true in the LIGHT of day

We all have pain in our lives. It is hard-wired in. It is not based on or grounded in, but is surely linked to, our external circumstances, both past and present. It is, in the end, a gift through which we find our way to true "joy, peace, and freedom." When we pretend we don't have any pain, either because we perceive that it is not allowed or appreciated or helpful, or because we are striving to look superior or unaffected by life, or because we feel we have some "need to" appear "just fine," we often make fools of ourselves, because it is certainly not the human condition to be "just fine," unless, of course, it is referring to the old acronym, F###ed-up, Insecure, Neurotic, and Emotional. Yes, we are all, under varying levels of masks and costumes, that kind of "just fine."

And when we think we have "more than our fair share" of pain, we eventually find out that that is also not true. We all have our equal human share, regardless of circumstances, and equally regardless of circumstances we tend to be either in agony (whether consciously or not) or transcendent (which only happens consciously) - one or the other. Why would we ever try to hide something so natural and so perfectly our own? Well, this is probably because we "learned to" in a society that is so thoroughly pain-averse, pain-avoiding, pain-condemning, pain-covering-up, pain-escaping, pain-killing, pain-managing, pain-medicating, etc., etc., etc..

But pain is not our enemy; our own resistance to it is. By resisting it, it persists, and it feels like such a PAIN!!!!, instead of what it usually is, a signal to our senses that something different than what is is now being called for or invited. We sure have a tendency to blow things just a little out of proportion, turning minor inconvenience or nuisance into WORST NIGHTMARE!!!!, until it really becomes that. We have learned this art after decades of practice as children and young adults.

I retook a training last weekend that I have considered pivotal in my growth. In 1982 the course was called Life Training. From that experience I literally started living fully. I learned tools in the training to help me tell the truth and see from a clearer perspective. To live life unencumbered by my conditioned mind. What I also discovered was that if one does not use the tools it is like going back to sleep again. Not the way I was before the "Life Training" but certainly dozing in areas of my life.

The training is now called "More To Life" and believe me it was worth the investment in time and money to be able to once more see that it is not the tiger in the night to be feared but the kitten on the bed to be loved in the light of day (clear mind) It is all a matter of perspective and choice. I am choosing to use those precious tools daily. For More information follow this link to More to Life.

Happy New Year

I realized that I have not added anything to this space in quite a while. I have been sending out newsletters to people who have indicated they wanted to hear from me and failed to post here as well. Here are a few things to start the New Year off with.

I understand that often during the holidays people will get depressed. Perhaps things did not go as well as planed, or they felt alone and unloved. We all go through times like that. But this New Year I want you to know that you are loved beyond measure…

I am sharing with you two videos worth watching:
Discover the 5 secrets of Living,

And…

"The Law of Attraction Explained"

This movie clearly explains how to use the Law of Attraction to get more of the things you want and how being clear on what you want, which puts you in a proper state of being, is important so you can take the best inspired action to get you to your goal.

Here is a story about being very wise

In the animal kingdom: The centipede decided to ask the wise man of the forest, who happened to be a monkey, the best remedy for the pain in his legs. "That’s rheumatism,” said the monkey. “You have too many legs.”
"And what do I have to do to have just two legs?"



"Don’t bother me with details," answered the monkey. "A wise man just gives the best advice; you have to solve the problem."






And finally;
The mark of your understanding is the depth of your belief in injustice and tragedy.

What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the master calls a butterfly.
- Richard Bach


Here is to a New Year filled with promise, hope, peace and love

Blessings,
Mari

Important Information on Upcoming 21 day Virtual Usui Retreats

This is the 13th year of the 21day virtual Usui Retreat.

I realized in August of this year that my mail list server had not been functioning for at least 6 months. I had not known this when I sent out the Retreat notice and three week meditation E-mails through the defunct server for the past two retreats; December 21, 2007 and June 21, 2008. What was amazing to me was that during this six months I had not heard from a soul about not getting the mail or asking me where the meditations were and I thought that perhaps there was no longer any interest in continuing the Retreat.

Fortunately I now have heard from many of you when I sent out the E-mail from the new mail server in August and was asked to continue the retreat with a reduction in how many times the retreat was done per year. Many of you found that in December with the holidays there was just too much going on.

It is my commitment to continue to have the Usui Retreat as a focus meditation for the Reiki community. The difference is that the 21 day virtual Usui retreat will be held on the anniversary of Mikao Usui's birth on August 15th. The next Retreat will be on August 15, 2009.

You may access the past two Usui retreat focus meditations on the Wisechoices weblog

The first two meditations of the December 2007 Usui Retreat are linked here

The last meditation of the December 2007 Usui Retreat is linked here


The first two meditations of the June 2008 Usui Retreat are linked here

The last meditation of the June 2008 Usui Retreat is linked here

Please help me fan the flames of possibility by sharing news of the Usui Retreat with all the people you feel will be interested. I would love to see this focus grow, be renewed. I will also open the retreat to others who would like to write the focus meditations. It is not my Retreat, it is our Retreat. The 21 day virtual Usui Retreat is our place to come together, focus and give thanks to Usui, Mother Earth and all of those who are using Reiki to help bring peace and harmony to our world.

Here are links about the Usui Retreat:

The Usui Retreat Invitation
How did the Usui Retreat Start
Retreat Options
Mikao Usui’s original course booklet

Love and Blessings,

An Invitation from Mari

My Dear Friends,

It is my pleasure to share wonderful news. I invite you to work with me directly to help you achieve a balance of body, mind and spirit.

As you know, I have been fortunate to teach Reiki for twenty-five years to thousands of people throughout Europe, Australasia and United States. My books have enabled this work to be available to many more. Throughout this time of teaching, practice and writing, I have continued with my own studying and development in the art of healing. The integration of this learning journey enables me to bring a unique approach to individual clients in search of attaining their own healing. I am also offering new Reiki classes to continue the ripple-on effect of people healing people and themselves.

A brand new section (“Energy work sessions with Mari”) appears on my Wisechoices Web site. Read about upcoming classes and my integrated approach to healing at http://www.wisechoices.com/matrix-reiki-sessions.html

New Office Hours
6103 ALden Street
Houston, TX 77084
By Appointment Only

Home office sessions and Distance Energy Work by Appointment

Make a Personal Appointment
http://www.wisechoices.com/matrix-reiki-sessions-rates.html
and/or
Register for Classes
http://www.wisechoices.com/reiki-classes-one-energy-therapy.html
(281) 856-7910 (home) / (832) 282-4454 (cell) (9 am to 9 pm CST, please)

Next Reiki Classes

September 20: Reiki Level One. September 21: Reiki Level Two.
Learn the art of Usui Reiki, in a sacred, loving, and healing environment

Please specify which Level you wish to sign up for, or whether you are signing up for the Reiki Weekend

Do you have a friend or family member who might benefit from a Reiki session or class? Feel free to forward this message! Gift certificates are available.

If you are interested in group classes outside of the Houston area, please contact me for details.

I am thrilled to have the opportunity to be of service and look forward to seeing you soon!

Love and Blessings,

Mari

Final week of the Usui Retreat

May your journey always lead you to places unexpected; may you find wonder and awe at every turn. May your awareness be such that you see that the path you are on is one you have chosen and where new decisions must be made; your faith in your self and in the universe frees you to make the ones required.

May peace, happiness and blessing follow you all the days of your life and to wherever your path takes you and may you rediscover things lost and have new experiences of happiness, fulfillment and success.

Wishing that each day in the remainder of 2008 and beyond is better and better and better.

Happy Summer…Are you ready to begin?

Next, I want you to do something different and unique. I want you to release all the positive memories you are holding on to from your past. Are you holding on to the best Summer you remember? Or the best present you ever received? Could it be your first car or favorite home, your first great love or your proudest moment? Maybe it is happy, loving times with your family, best tasting food, beautiful sunsets, flowers…release it all.

How many of you are holding these positive past events and feelings and using them to judge every experience you create today? Are you comparing every kiss or embrace today to an experience you had in the past? Release every positive experience from your past that is keeping you from being in the present moment and experiencing things as if for the first time.

During the release, make an intention to keep the wisdom, joy, and love from these positive past events. All you're doing is releasing the energetic charges you are holding on to which are still causing you to have judgments and comparisons today.

Once you've released all the charged positive experiences from your past, shower or bathe with fresh water.

Positive experiences often have more of an energetic charge than your fears. Think about it. We do our best to heal the negative things from our past, but we do not realize we are also comparing positive experiences. Releasing all charged memories is a helpful technique to aid us in staying present in the moment.

By letting go of even the good memories and allowing us to be present in the moment of This Summer season, just for it, we will have a choice we may have never had before. We will have the choice of LOVE, the space where miracles can occur.

We are motivated to see our efforts through to their natural end when we can envision the brighter future these endeavors are calculated to bring about. It is easy to become discouraged when we are not quite sure how the outcome of our labors will affect our lives because the potential for negativity is omnipresent. Visualizing precisely what we hope to achieve empowers us to focus on primarily positive probabilities throughout the whole of the goal-realization process. When we feel disheartened by circumstances that interfere with our forward momentum, we need only call our image of success to mind to feel once again enthusiastic about the path we have chosen to follow. Because you are focusing on the fulfillment of your ambitions today, challenges in the present will have no power to adversely affect your mood.

To finish I want to encourage you to journal your experiences…. Mapping The Inner Journey using Journaling as Meditation

Of the countless forms of meditation we can use, journaling offers its own unique benefits. Most meditations help empty the mind of concerns and bring positive ideas from our mental landscape, but journaling helps us anchor that experience in the material world. Not every person is attracted to meditating in seated silence, and journal meditation is a nice alternative as an active meditation. It allows us to trace our journey and see where we have grown and what lessons we may be repeating. By employing a different part of the brain than creative or inspired thought, writing or typing a journal can create a greater sense of connection and union with our physical selves and the world around us.

In working through challenges, it can be helpful to first empty all worries from our heads onto the safe pages of our journal. Fears can be brought to light rather than allowing them to haunt the dark corners of our subconscious. We may even feel heaviness dissipate once our heads are free from clutter, leaving space for inspiration and the creation of positive images in their place. Often in the process of writing out all the details of an event that troubles us, something that had been forgotten will come to the surface, providing a missing piece of the puzzle. Then we can truly begin to come up with answers, and write them down beside the worries to map the way from concern to constructive thought.

For capturing guidance and flashes of inspiration, journaling is ideal. This is especially true in the case of dreams, which often fade as we awaken. While working toward goals, keeping track of progress as well as guidance from readings or divination tools can be encouraging. Though it can be difficult to keep all of our guidance in the front of our minds, if we write it down it can serve as a reminder whenever we need it. We can also use our journals to converse with our higher selves or even the universe. Journaling offers yet another way to unburden mind and spirit, while also creating a record of the present and preserving our hopes and dreams for the future.

From my heart to yours,
Blessings and Love,
Mari

The 2nd week of the Usui Retreat

Here we are at the beginning of week two. Several people wrote and asked me about the Life Training Program which is now... The More to Life Program. The name has been changed since I did the training in 1983 to the More to Life program. More To Life courses teach practical tools and skills that help you connect with your best self whenever you choose and grasp more of the creative possibilities in every life situation. I highly recommend this program to everyone…it certainly gave me the tools to have more to my life. You can find out more by following this link: http://www.moretolife.org/

I am sharing a process that a gifted spiritual teacher named Ken Page and his wife teach. It is excellent and naturally follows on from our first week together.

This summer season, you are being given a GIFT. Each summer past holds a memory, good or sad. Some of you may even hold the memory of one summer holiday that was truly wonderful, often comparing each following summer season. The holding on to that memory can bring about disappointment, resulting in the emotion of sadness. This summer season, let go of ALL memories of summers past by using the following simple 'Pattern Release Technique':

Old energy patterns can keep you out of the present moment. A good time to use this technique is while taking a bath, so plan for fifteen to thirty undisturbed minutes. Take off your jewelry, including your rings. Light a candle to represent a spiritual person you admire, such as Krishna, Sai Baba, Moses, Jesus, Mother Mary, or Buddha. Picture them with you. Feel the unconditional love this spiritual person reflects and recognize that place of love inside yourself.

Stare at the flame and release old feelings, thoughts, programs, issues, and fears. Allow them to flow through you. Say them either out loud or in silence. Your intention to clear yourself is most important.

Begin by releasing the things you are afraid of, such as losing your job, getting older, being poor, sick, or alone. Next release thoughts, feelings, and emotions you are holding, such as guilt, anger, hate, abandonment, separation, betrayal, grief, sorrow, or sadness. Release feelings of being helpless, hopeless, used, or trapped. Release feelings of pain and jealousy. Release all the feelings and projections of others that you have bought into. During the release, make an intention to keep the wisdom gained from these events and your feelings. Above all use your Reiki hands to respond to areas in your body that are cold, warm and/or dense (this is where reactive energy has been stored)

Once you've released all the charged negative and positive experiences from your past, shower or bathe with fresh water. Give thanks for the opportunity to let go and make more space in you. It may help to journal about your experience…once you are dried off and all bundled up after your bath that is.

I am sharing a wonderful site with a beautiful and meaningful song to hear. Follow this link;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMOMgQCRAqM I choose Love!


I am looking forward to being with you next week. Have a wonderful entry into this summer of 2008

Love, Mari