Foundations and the journey

Catching up…

I enjoyed my time at the Greater Washington Area Reiki conference and the ONE class I taught at the end of July. It was a homecoming of sorts. I graduated from Wheaton High School in 1962 and left the Washington DC area in early 1965. This was my first time back to Maryland. I had wonderful the opportunity to see the house I last lived in with my parents and brother. It is still there, smaller than I had remembered, the trees we planted are all great big and the neighbors that I grew up with are no longer living there…we have all moved on. While we can go back and take a look and reminisce, times have brought change and the visit became the way I could honor all the steps I have made in my journey since then and acknowledge that part of my past as the foundation I built my life on.

This summer has been a time of reconnection. I have been visiting old and dear friends that I have not seen in sometimes 25-40 years. I even managed to visit an old boy friend from 32 years ago. It was fun catching up, sharing pictures of the grandchildren, remembering times we had spent together and plans for the future. I was surprised that so many were eager for stories of my experiences in Czech. I have been asked to write them down…We laughed so much over some of the stories that tears streamed down our faces. I have decided to do that as a way to honor more of the steps in my journey.

I feel that my time I have been in Cypress, Texas with my daughter and her family has been a time of reconnection, coming full circle; a time to honor, laugh and yes even cry. Most of all it has been a time of forgiveness and reconnection to an inner part of my being I had lost touch with. I call her the foundation builder. It is she who weaves the foundation carefully out of past experience knowing when to lift and remove pieces of the foundation that are no longer needed and what to put in their place that are more substantial for future support. She is magical and fun. It is she who told me when I was in Buffalo, New York to tie myself to the happy times and not to focus on the sadness. By working with these happy layers I will move in to gladness. I have been doing some processing with this lately and I must say…She is right! And the foundation is changing.

Starting this Sunday I am taking a break in Sedona Arizona for a few weeks, connecting again and hopefully making new friends. I will be working on a new course when am there.

What is ahead? I will be in Australia from the 10th of September to the 5th of October teaching several courses. On October 22-23 I will be in Asheville, NC to teach ONE. In November the Texas Reiki Retreat and ONE class is scheduled for the 12-14th. For more information and to register follow this link:
http://www.wisechoices.com/paypal.asp

I am pleased this month to share with you several articles and a link to an excellent article that was in the Washington Post about using Reiki in the operating room.

Light Touch in the Operating Room
What Is Reiki, an Alternative Energy Therapy, Doing in a Mainstream Medical Institution? That's Just What Researchers Hope to Learn
By Matt McMillen

For the article follow this link: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/25/AR2005072501224.html

Have a magical fall.

Love and Blessings,
Mari



Reiki… what is it?
By Adonea

I'd like to talk a little about Reiki... the word, the kanji and what it is said to be.

In the system of Reiki which most of us have studied we were taught in First degree that the word Reiki meant Universal Life Energy or Universal Life Force Energy or spiritually guided life force energy. In my first degree training it was said that Rei: is Japanese for universal or spiritual consciousness wisdom (God consciousness) or a higher dimension of light and the soul; knows the cause of all problems and what to do to heal them. Ki: is Japanese for vital life force energy, which animates everything; also called Prana, Mana, Holy Ghost, Chi, etc..

Based on the definition Universal Life Force Energy... do you really truly know what it is you are accessing when you do Reiki? Have you ever wondered about it? I certainly have many times. And it always seemed to be something, which was way out there... Universal... WOW! What is Universal??? All the energies in the Universes??? I did know that Ki/Chi/Qi, Prana, etc. is also energy which animates all living things... but even this concept didn't bring me the 'ah ha' (understanding) that I wanted.

So I taught what I learned and took for granted that it simply 'WAS' and most importantly it worked... and that was what truly mattered... right?

Often the newer form of the kanji Rei and Ki are utilized by most Reiki Teachers. This is changing though and when Mrs. Takata drew the Kanji for Barbara Ray she used the old form when she talked about Reiki to her. So Barbara Ray used the old form Kanji on her Reiki materials. Now why would this have any bearing on anything... everyone knows what Reiki is right? Maybe not everyone!

Well as I mentioned before I kept digging and searching because it felt like bits or understandings were missing somehow. Even in the simple description of the word Reiki. So....

I looked up the word 'reiki' in the Japanese to English Dictionary online. There are 6 possible definitions and 6 different Kanji/Kana combinations. The dictionary describes the 'new' Kanji combination Reiki used by the Alliance and many independent Reiki teachers as: 'aura'. The old kanji combination taught by Mrs. Takata is described as: 'Reiki (healing method)' and the Kana/Katakana version which TJR was using... is normally used for brand names. The other 3 mean: established rule; cold, chill, cold weather; and excitation. Hum... isn't this interesting... no where does it say anything about Universal Life Force Energy. Boy now I'm really confused.

Then, I believe it was back in 1998, a member of the Gakkai contacted me and 2 other Reiki Teachers, calling us the triad. He said that the old more beautiful form of the kanji of Reiki more fully described the Reiki system (see illustration left of old kanji penned by Adonea). This was the definition he gave us: "On the earth stands a shaman with his arms raised against the sky. From the heaven the rain comes down with lifesaving energy consisting of 3 parts, Light, Love and Power. The shaman acts as a channel (channeling this energy down to all the people of the Earth). The Reiki teacher is the channel when s/he initiates students and the practitioner is the shaman, when s/he channels this spiritual energy to the people treated." I love this... it is beautiful... but where did it come from I wondered?

If one looks to the genealogy of the Kanji 'Rei Ki' from the Chinese 'Ling Qi'... you can see the concepts the Sensei spoke of. How fascinating this was to me!!! It got me digging even deeper... I think Usui Sensei was prodding me along.

I looked up each of the old style kanji for Rei and Ki in the Japanese dictionary then to get a more spiritual concept of the words I looked in the Buddhist Japanese to English dictionary. This is what I found:

Rei – Strokes, 24. Consists of 3 parts. Top is rain, middle is things and bottom is Shaman. Rei means "spirit or spiritual”. The Japanese dictionary defines Rei as: (1) Spirit; the spiritual aspect of the human being as contrasted to the physical. (2) Divine, numinous, charismatic, supernatural, mysterious. (3) The luminosity of the spirit; the luminosity of a God or Sage. (4) Inconceivable spiritual ability; charismatic power; charisma; wonderful; a wonder. (5) A rainmaker, a diviner; a person or being with spiritual or supernatural powers. (6) A shaman. (7) Goodness; good, excellent, efficacious. (8) Clever, nimble, sharp. (9) Life. (10) A living being; a human being. (11) A supernatural (mythical) beast or being; a fairy, an elf. (12) Pure, undefined, unpolluted. (13) Bright, clear.

Ki – Strokes, 10. Consists of Breath with rice (Rice in Japan is sometimes used as a synonym for people). Ki means “energy". The Japanese dictionary defines Ki as: (1)Vital energy connected with the breath. Invisible life-force, somewhat equivalent to the Indian prana. (2) In the view of Zhuxi and other Neo-Confucians, the material force of the Universe. The generative forces of heaven and earth, by means of which all things are constantly reproduced. (3) Air. (4) Breath, steam.

Ok so here is something closer to Universal Life Force Energy... but it seemed clearer to me... 'Spiritual Energy'.

Mr. Doi told us that Usui Sensei said, "Reiho is a spiritual healing technique and an energy healing technique". In the Usui Reiki Hikkei, in the questions and answers section Usui Sensei's answers a question: A ....For achieving my teachings training and improving physically and spiritually and walking in a right path as a human being, first we have to heal our spirit. Secondly we have to keep our body healthy. If our spirit is healthy and conformed to the truth, body will get healthy naturally.... So here Reiki is described as 'Spiritual Energy' or a system that first heals the spirit then the body. Ok this is great... more food for thought.

But if one looks even deeper... to all the words contained in the definitions of Rei Ki above one can come up the following possible definition (which really resonates with me): "Inconceivable spiritual ability utilizing the generative forces of heaven and earth."

So lets define each of these words and break it down to see what we come up with...

Inconceivable in the dictionary means 'unable to be imagined or impossible to believe'. To me in this context, inconceivable means something that is just beyond the tangible physical world... or metaphysical (beyond the physical)... something which seems just outside of reach... but is not.

Spiritual in the dictionary is described as: 'of the human spirit or soul, not physical or worldly'.

Ability is described as: 'the quality that makes an action or process possible; the capacity or power to do something'.

Utilizing is described as: 'finding a use for'.

Generative is described as: generate is 'to bring into existence or to produce'. Generative is an adjective which describes the quality of bringing into existence.

Forces is described as: 'strength, power or effectiveness'. Seem to fit the best in this description. Forces are the energies of... or power behind if you will.

Heaven is described as: 'the state of the soul's union with God or a state of supreme bliss, something delightful'. Or Divine Consciousness

Earth is described as: 'the world on which we live'. I see this as all things of a material nature... all things physical or the Divine Material.

So Reiki could be described as:

Humanity using the energy of heaven and earth to bring our soul/spirit/mind/body back to the knowledge of its’ oneness with God.

Or perhaps:

It's unimaginable (to our human mind) that the human spirit/soul can create ways to use the power and effectiveness of the union of itself with God in the physical world.

Or maybe:

The ability of the human spirit to produce and use the power of its’ oneness with God on Earth.

Yeah those are what I've been searching for. All these hidden jewels contained within the simple word Reiki...

So we've looked at a slightly different perspective on the meaning of Reiki and what it actually does.

Thank you Usui Sensei for your guidance and direction.



Making History Every DayYour Personal Legacy

When we focus on people who make a huge historical impact-presidents, visionary artists, great spiritual leaders-we sometimes forget that we, too, are making history and influencing the future with the way we live our lives. This is obvious if we just look at our own parents and how the way they lived affected us. In the best case, we received lessons from them or other mentors that have empowered us. On the other hand, we may have decided to depart dramatically from the way they conducted their lives. If so, then their mistakes and shortcomings were catalysts for us to change old familial patterns. Either way, their way of being determined the course of our future. By the same token, our actions determine the course of the future for others, and those who follow us will remember us as part of their history. In light of this, it is good to ask ourselves what our legacy will be. We have all heard stories about family members we may or may not have known; sometimes it is their humor that shines through in others' memories, or their contagious positive energy, or their skill in managing the family assets. People outside our immediate family may have changed the course of our lives as well-a teacher who encouraged and inspired us; a neighbor who helped us in a time of need; or even a stranger who came to our aid in a difficult situation. When we remember these people, we realize that however small our daily lives seem, they are actually very important. How we treat people in each moment, with each interaction, can have a major impact. It helps to begin our days with an acknowledgement of this fact, taking a moment to consider how we want to be in the world and how powerful we really are. We must remember that our lives are not meaningless--quite the opposite. Every day we have an opportunity to "make history" and influence the future for the better.
The Daily OM


And finally from Paulo Coelho

The Caliph and his wife

The Arab Caliph sent for his secretary: “Lock up my wife in the tower while I’m away,” he ordered. “But she loves Your Majesty!” “And I love her,” answered the Caliph. “But I respect an old traditional prover­b of ours that says "keep your dog thin and he will follow you; make him fat and he will bite you." The Caliph went off to war and returned six months later. On arriving, he called for his secretary and asked to see his wife. “She has abandoned you,” was the secretary’s answer. “Your Majesty quoted a beautiful proverb before leaving but forgot another Arab saying that goes: "If your dog is tied up it will follow anybody that opens its cage".