12.28.2007

The 2nd week of the Usui Online Retreat


The Second Week of The Usui 21 day Online Retreat

The original description of what Usui Sensei came across when the Universe hit him sitting on Mount Kurama was coined by him as: Shin- Shin Kaizen Usui Reiki Ryoho. This phrase means: For the improvement of Body/Mind/Soul Usui Soul (or spirit) Energy Healing Method.

In the seminar manual that he used to give to his students (published by me under the title” Reiki, the legacy of Dr. Usui; Lotus Light Publishers, Wisconsin) we find an interview with him where he is asked the following question: “Is Reiki a Shinrei Ryoho?” (A psychic or spiritual healing Method).

Answer: “Right, you could call it Shinrei Ryoho. But it would also be correct to call it a physical therapy, because energy and light are emitted from all body parts of the practitioner, mostly the hands, the eyes and the breath.”

The Japanese people believe in reincarnation. Life does not end with the death of the physical body. We are continuously reborn, until we reach a state of maturity that allows us to be reborn into the Pure Land- some kind of Buddhist Paradise. Until we have reached this maturity we keep on coming back.

The soul is believed to reside inside the body, and when the body is touched, the soul is touched. When the soul is touched past and future is touched. When past and future are touched, Body/Mind and Soul are taken care of- for eternity.

The improvement of Body/Mind/Soul

The improvement for Body/Mind/ Soul is twofold. It happens to the practitioner and the client both at the same time. During a treatment as well as during an attunement, the practitioner as well as the client is purified on all levels.

Hayashi Sensei used to say to his students (Mrs. Yamaguchi told me) that the best way to learn Reiki would be to begin with some sort of discomfort or illness, either on the physical, or mental- emotional level. You are then introduced to Reiki to find the antidote to your suffering. After receiving treatments you are healed and once healed you
feel grateful.

Out of your gratitude springs the desire to help others the same way you have been helped. And thus you begin practicing Reiki your self. Because the learning process has transformed you, you may become interested in spreading the work further and you want to become a teacher… And now you pass the healing on to your students.

Usui Sensei says in the aforementioned interview that once healed the mind becomes “Buddha like”. Look at it from the standpoint of the word “Reiki”. By receiving the treatment or the attunement you are once again connected to the Cosmos/ God. You are what you are supposed to be…

Exercises for The Second Week

This week, please be acutely aware of the fact that you are a unity of Body/Mind/Soul. In every breath you take your whole Being breathes. Past, present and future breathe together. Heart, mind and body dance together. You are eternity; you are Millions of years old. You are immortal: life continues after this form has changed shapes. Imagine a
wave in the ocean: is it the same wave returning to the shore again and again- or is it a different wave? You cannot tell them apart, the fabric of life belongs together.

Reiki heals Body, Mind and Soul. Every time you touch your self or someone else this week, be aware of the fact that Reiki heals all wounds of present past and future, no matter where they stem from. Whenever you catch yourself with the old habit of dividing yourself into “this and that” this week, please discontinue the pattern and become aware of your Oneness once more.


Blessings, Arjava

12.20.2007

The 23rd online Usui 21 day Retreat


It is Winter Solstice and the beginning of the 23rd Usui Online Retreat

Nurturing the Spirit Year Round

Holidays and joy are two elements of our lives that are naturally intertwined. Traditional celebrations awaken within us an ardent desire to reconnect with the people we care about and to share our abundance. During the holiday season, we feel more driven to actively practice compassion, tolerance, selflessness, and gratitude. When we feel stressed, we find peace in the company of loved ones. And, filled with warm thoughts, we endeavor to ensure that others can share in our celebrations. Yet while happiness and holidays go hand in hand, the serenity and optimism that blossom within as we act on our festive feelings need not be relegated to a few days or weeks each year. We can carry the holiday spirit within us all year long if we make an effort to embrace a celebratory frame of mind no matter what the date.

Holding the holidays in your heart can be wonderfully transformative. Changing your life can be as simple as thinking about the uplifting activities you engage in and the positive attitudes you adopt during the holiday season and then integrating them into your daily life. If you learn to always be as open to wonder as you are around the holidays, the world will seem like a more magical place, whether it is December, March, or August. While holidays represent a great opportunity to reconnect with family and friends, there is little preventing you from reaching out to the people you care about throughout the year. The patience, compassion, goodwill, and tolerance you feel while celebrating can easily become a part of your everyday experience. Likewise, you will soon discover that the generous charitable gifts you give once a year mean just as much during other months and are often needed even more.

To remind yourself of your decision to carry the holiday spirit in your heart, consider displaying some small part of your holiday decor to signify your commitment. Remember that giving, whether your gifts are tangible or of the soul, always feel good, whatever the occasion. However you prefer to celebrate the holidays, practicing the ideals of the season every day means experiencing the beauty of the holiday season all year long.


Here is an excellent article on Reiki and Cancer http://www.advancesjournal-digital.com/advancesjournal/2007fall/


The Usui 21 day Retreat

Arjava Petter will be our guest for the 23rd online Usui 21 day Retreat that starts today the 21st of December 2007. I have had the pleasure of being with Arjava several times when I lived in Europe as well as studying with him in the USA on one of our visits to the States. I think of him as a brother and certainly a terrific dance partner in life. He has also contributed several times to the Retreat in the past.

For more information on the retreat itself please go to http://www.wisechoices.com/usuiretreat.html

Remember it is not how much you do, but your intention to spend even a few minutes will make such a big difference to our world.

Now here is Arjava…..


Dear Friends!

I have been asked by our friend and dance partner Mari Hall to write the meditations for this year’s Usui retreat. I pondered about what to write for a few days, and looking out across the Mediterranean Sea outside of Athens, Greece, something stirred up the quiet waters.

Usui Sensei, our beloved teacher, used some Japanese words and phrases to describe his work, the purpose of his work and the outcome of his work. Some of these words have been translated and explained here and there earlier, but I feel that they have been done some injustice. By understanding these words and phrases clearly, a whole new Reiki Universe opens up and takes you to a deeper understanding of what we all do and love so much.

When Usui Sensei described what he had experienced on Mount Kurama in March 1922, with the word “Reiki”, he had something quite specific in mind. To illuminate that, I would like to explain the word for you in detail.

The First Week- The word Reiki



The word “Reiki” is made up of two characters. In Japanese those characters are called Kanji (Chinese characters). The reason they are called “Chinese characters” is due to the fact that the Japanese did not have an adequate written language of their own; so they imported the Chinese written language and modified it over the centuries to fit their own needs and their own culture.

The character for Rei

Just as some words in our languages do suddenly change their meaning, Kanji too may change their meaning with the times. The word “cool” for example used to mean the temperature of something. Nowadays it usually means something else.

In Usui Sensei’s time the word “Rei” meant “Soul”, or “Spirit”. Nowadays it is often understood to mean” ghost” or “occult”. (This is the reason that Reiki is not as wide- spread in Japan as it is elsewhere).

The first character, “Rei” can be divided into three components. Each part has a distinct meaning of its own. When you understand the word in its totality, you understand Reiki – and you will be able to explain it to your friends and students.

The first part of the character for Rei stands for “Ame”- rain. Japan is a volcanic country and as you know, volcanic ash and rain make for fertile soil. So the word “Ame” stands for the cosmic blessings falling from the heavens; the powers that fertilize the Earth. The meeting of Yin and Yang.

The second part of the Reiki- Kanji is a simplification of the word “Utsuwa”, meaning container, or human body. It looks almost exactly like Michelangelo’s well-known drawing. In our case this means: The human body is the container for the cosmic blessings (the rains that fall from the heavens).

The third part of the Reiki- Kanji stands for “Miko” meaning female Shaman. In ancient Shintoism, the original spiritual practice of the Japanese people, a Miko or Miko- San is a young girl previous to her first menstruation, who is thought to understand the “language of the gods”. In short she is a medium who bridges the gap between the human and the divine. She is someone who is well connected to the cosmic forces, as well as to the powers of the Earth. Someone who is connected with the powers of the Earth and the powers of the Heavens is the container for cosmic energy. This is you, the Reiki channel…

The character for KI

the second character, “Ki” can be divided into two components. The first one means cloud. The cloud is what divides Heaven and Earth, what lies between us humans and the divine beings above- the gods. The second component of the character Ki is “rice”. Rice is the staple food of the Japanese and all Asian people. And rice gives you power… In Germany this would probably potatoes…or German water- beer…

So, all together, the word “Reiki” means “Soul Energy” or “Spirit Energy”. And this is the reason we give someone a treatment or an attunement. We want to help them to be properly connected to the Divine forces once more.

Exercises for The First Week

For this week, please become as intensely associated with the meaning of the word Reiki. Begin writing it, with a thick pen, one stroke at a time. Feel the rain that fertilizes the Earth, every time it pours down on you. Feel the morning shower cleanse and fertilize your day. Imagine standing under a waterfall and letting it purify your body/heart/mind.Use any situation in your daily life that has any relation with water. Every time you wash your hands…are purified.

Also, remember the word Utsuwa, human body /container. For this week be a container for the cosmic blessings. Watch your self, when standing at the bus stop, or at the cash register of the department store. Watch yourself when standing in the garden or in your kitchen.

Stand straight, with both feet on the ground, slightly pointed inwards. Breathe into your lower abdomen. Move your pelvis slightly backwards and let the lower abdomen come out. Let the shoulders relax and allow the air to come into the body and go out of it just by itself. Become a container for cosmic energy. Feel how it fills you, how it comes and goes. Feel like a hollow bamboo, a flute, a perfect conduit for the cosmic blessings.

Become aware of the fact that you are just a medium. Nothing in this world is yours, yet everything is yours. You are a conduit for the divine forces and you are the divine forces. You and the energy are one. Feel this whenever you remember my words. Celebrate your Oneness with the Cosmos for this week and enjoy every moment of it.


Arjava

11.28.2007

Our Wedding Journey


We started off our wedding trip on November 8th in the wee hours by driving to Nashville first and staying at the Union Hotel (the grand old train station) and the next day taking a murder mystery train ride for the day out and back to Nashville. The town the train stopped in had a Veterans Day celebration all staged for us complete with GI’s dressed like in the old days. Many of the men on the train were Vets and appreciated the time and effort of the town.

We then drove to Gatlinburg and were in a small condo up a hill at light 8 (everything is on which light number you are at) for 4 days until the kids started coming on Thursday, then we moved to the big cabin up a mountain in Ware Valley between Pigeon Falls and Townsend with stunning views and lots of space.

We had 16 of our kids, grandkids and my adopted daughter who is Stacey's best friend Dawn and her family. Everyone got along great, did things together and by themselves, they took turns cooking breakfast and dinner. I had a hand for breakfast one morning turning left overs into breakfast casseroles that were yummy. The morning ritual was gathering in the kitchen and dining room for coffee together and laughing over what happened the day before or when we all were younger.

Gary and I took many drives on nature trails and I was busy taking photos and both enjoying the sight of fall in the Smokey Mountains. We were completely turned off by the crowed tourist trap shops that line the streets of Gatlinburg, Pigeon Falls and Sevierville. Gatlinburg retains it charm...but the real beauty is in the nature. We were so close to deer and other critters.

We also spent some time in the artisan’s community and fell in love with an artist who draws pictures of the people in the hills...truly amazing. We bought two small pictures one of Miss Emily at 106 and a hermit named Daniel around the same age. Take a look at his work www.paulmurray.com There was also a photographer named Steve Shoemaker who does the most beautiful work...you feel his soul in each one as he is so engaged with the subject he is filming and has Patience to get just the right shot...we came away with cards of his work. You can check out his work at www.mountainvisionsgallery.net. Then there was a small community “Cliff Dwellers” within the bigger one that has excellent artists of all media we stayed and talked with them for hours it seemed. http://www.cliffdwellersgallery.com/index.html We found The Wild Plum tea room and were like a couple of kids, sampling great food and talking with everyone. We have their cookbook and have even traded recipes.

We applied and received our marriage license in Sevierville at the court house where they issue an average of 400 licenses each and every week. Gatlinburg is 2nd to Las Vegas in weddings...a very big business for sure.

The wedding was on Saturday night November 17th and while set for 6:00 the pastor ended up late to the wedding by 2 hours which also made the wedding dinner at the Park Restaurant back in Gatlinburg late, in fact they kept the place open for us to have the dinner at 10:00pm. What was frustrating was because of the mountains we hardly ever had a signal on our cell phones and with that big family there were many phones to try. We would finally get a signal, call the preachers house and he would not have a signal to answer...and so it went.

I had flowers delivered to the cabin for the fireplace, the girls all had cream colored roses, my bouquet was stunning and then of course for Gary. His daughters and grandchildren brought in half the forest so it seemed to add touches of green. The cabin had a Christmas tree up and lit so I added packages for each person that had a sweatshirt I designed, the boys got pocket knives, the girls had Black teddy bears and the grown ups mugs from our favorite potter at the artist community...and of course the book I did for the family and copies of the wedding music. They opened these after dinner (midnight) while having a piece of the wedding cake.

The wedding itself was very sweet. We had written our own vows and had not shared them with each other till the time during the wedding. We had a unity candle that was first lit by Gary and I, then all the family there lit their individual candles from it. We did things to unite us as a family. Tears were in eyes, a sense of wonder filled the room mixed with joy. After the I do’s, Gabby one of Gary’s granddaughters said “Goodie now we are official cousins” to Jinny my granddaughter.

I gave Gary a beautiful hand made Dulcimer for a wedding gift. He had said he always wanted to learn how to play an instrument. The man who made his dulcimer also had a book where you can learn by number http://www.smokymountaindulcimers.com/ Little did I know he would serenade us at 6:00 am one morning with “Love me Tender”…he had all of us up and in the kitchen early and grumpy till we realized he was playing the song clearly. Of course he thought he was playing softly since he did not have his hearing aids in. We requested that he not play till at least 10:00am and not later than 10:00pm while we were together. The kids did not know who to be angry with, him for paying it so early or me for giving it to him.

Angela, Gary’s youngest daughter lead many of the children on long walks to water falls or spots in the mountains each day to keep them interested and tired out at day’s end. They loved it but I do not think she was successful on getting them tired, there was too much to see and do with each other.

My kids left on Monday with their families and his stayed on with us. We moved from the large cabin to a motel in Townsend for the last two nights and had Thanksgiving together before leaving on our return trip. We took two days to drive back.

The bags are unpacked, wash is done, mail all opened and read and now I am spending time answering several e-mails like yours. Filling you in and sending some pictures along. I have not worked with them yet but at least you will have an idea. Gary and I came down with a flu bug once we were home so it has been a little slow going. When we stopped I guess it all caught up with us.

We knew that many of our friends were with us in spirit, both feeling the presence of love in the room with us. Yes indeed we are so blessed…and it is good to be home and in the quiet of our space.

Here is a photo of us with SOME of our grandchildren.






Love to you all,

Mari

10.31.2007

News from Mari



In just a week Gary and I will be leaving for our wedding trip. We will drive from Houston to Nashville, TN and then on to Gatlinburg TN the next day. Our family will start arriving on the 15th of November for our wedding on the 17th. Afterwards we will be spending Thanksgiving with part of our family in Townsend, TN before driving back to Houston on the 25th, to arrive on the 26th. We are so thrilled that we will be in the mountains in the fall. Hopefully the fall splendor will still be bright and colorful for our special day. I will post a newsletter with some photos once we are back and settled in.

The Usui Rereat will start on December 21st. I will write more about that later.

Have a beautiful month of November. This is the time to celebrate and enjoy the harvest with family and friends. We have so much to be grateful for. Thank you for being in my life.

I hold you all in my heart.

Love and Blessings,
Mari

10.14.2007

News from the Meditation Garden

In just a month from now on November 17th Gary and I will be married with our combined families as witnesses in a beautiful cabin the Smokey Mountains of Gatlinburg, TN. The cabin overlooks the mountains and all the splendor that especially comes in the autumn in the “Smokies” bring. I will feel the presence of your spirits with us on that day.

It is a giant step for us both. I have been single for over 23 years. Learning to be in relationship has been quite a growth opportunity! Our children didn’t want us to elope (their words) and have opted to join with us as we unify as a couple and as a family. I appreciate your sending us your well wishes, prayers and love.

“Meeting the Great Mystery” my first meditation CD and downloadable MP3 is for sale. It was well received at the Reiki conference in Washington DC last month. I appreciate Tom Parish for helping make this dream come true. Use this link to hear a preview and/or purchase. Doing this has certainly stirred my creative juices.

http://stores.lulu.com/store.php?fAcctID=1249135


Project Health Update

We are still so excited about the continued results we are experiencing by taking the wonderful substance Frequensea…over the past months I said that Gary immediately stopped having the constant bowel complaint he has lived with for over 40 years, in fact he is stable since starting to take Frequensea, that his hair is turning darker; he is not as gray anymore, he also had dental surgery and had been on liquids for over two weeks and maintained his weight, even gaining a few pounds. He has certainly been given a new lease on life in just weeks. I continue to feel as if I am coming into balance from the inside out. I continue to take my increased dosage of one ounce of Frequensea twice a day.

I believe so strongly in Frequensea and how it can help people to “live healthy”. I know it can be something everyone can benefit from, because of this I will continue to keep you informed of our progress.

Please check it out for yourself. Go to: http://www.forevergreen.org/videos/AnotherDay_dsl.html there is an excellent video entitled “Another Day” when you watch the video you will see how the Marine Phytoplankton was grown and harvested in a one of a kind $30 million Sea Farm.

By going to my personal web page at Forever Green you can order the product by signing in. http://www.myforevergreen.org/566187/home.html we both highly recommend it. And it can be a great opportunity to earn extra money.


I thought this was a good reminder….

"Priority-wise, it simply makes sense to take care of yourself before you start searching for your higher meaning or trying to live your higher purpose. You aren’t really much good to anyone else if you’re totally unhealthy, a financial burden, or an emotional basket case. Begin the work on yourself first before you turn outward. It’s best for everyone involved, starting with you."Scott Raymond Adams, in The Dilbert Blog: The Meaning of Meaning

Here are some great stories to uplift you.

"A wise woman who was traveling in the mountains found a precious stone in a stream. The next day she met another traveler who was hungry, and the wise woman opened her bag to share some of her food. The hungry traveler saw the precious stone and asked the woman to give it to him. She did so with a smile and without hesitation. The traveler left, rejoicing in his good fortune. He knew the stone was worth enough to give him security for a lifetime. But a few days later he came back to return the stone to the wise woman.

'I've been thinking,' he said, 'I know how valuable the stone is, but I give it back to you in the hope that you can give me something even more precious. Please give me whatever you have within you that enabled you to give me the stone in a way where it obviously didn't cost you anything.'"

-- "The Wise Woman's Stone," Author Unknown


This extract from an on-board magazine and is attributed to Loren Eisley:

“The journey is difficult, long, and sometimes impossible. Even so, I know few people who have let these difficulties stop them. We enter the world without knowing for sure what happened in the past, what consequences this has brought us, and what the future may have in store for us.
“We shall try to travel as far as we can. But looking at the landscape around us, we realize that it won’t be possible to know and learn everything.

”So what remains is for us to remember all about our journey so that we can tell stories. To our children and grandchildren, we can tell the marvels that we have seen and the dangers that we have faced. They too will be born and will die, they too will tell their stories to their descendants, and still the caravan won’t have reached its destination.”


Bounded By Wellness
Send Healing To Yourself

Most people, when given an opportunity to aid someone in need, are eager to do whatever they can to be of service. Those of us who have chosen to make healing the world a vocation are grateful for any occasion to send light and love to people in our immediate spheres of influence and beyond. As we apply our passion and our principles to this altruistic endeavor, we often forget to send ourselves the same bountiful gifts of wellness, though we ourselves may be in dire need of it. We overlook ourselves, not because we forget, but because we fear that focusing on the self is an indicator of selfishness. It is moreover much more difficult to heal oneself than to heal others because the seeds of uncertainty are more easily banished when we act on another's behalf. When we send healing light to ourselves, it is important that our intentions and our self-trust be stronger than ever to counteract doubt.

As we bless ourselves in this way, we serve as both an active channel and a passive destination. This should not change the way we interact with the valuable energy we wish to receive, however. Though we may be tempted to consciously direct or influence the manner in which light impacts our lives because we know ourselves most intimately, we should not try to control its path. When we draw the white light of protection and purity to our bodies, taking it into ourselves with each inhalation, our belief in the fact that it will naturally move toward areas of dysfunction will ensure that it flows through every muscle and organ. And when we fill our spaces with this light, our environments are cleared of all the negative energy that can sap our strength and our spirit. Surrounded inside and out with healing light, we feel safe and protected, healthy, relaxed, and content just as those who regularly receive such loving gifts from us do. If you sincerely believe that there is a part of yourself that exists independently of upset and illness, the love and light you send yourself will help you connect with it. You will see the affirmative impact of this connection almost immediately when you include yourself in the recipients of your healing gifts, as life's frustrations become more tolerable and your bliss becomes ever more palpable.

Below The Surface
Finding Deep Strength

We have all faced moments in our lives when the pressure mounts beyond what we feel we can handle, and we find ourselves thinking that we do not have the strength to carry on. Sometimes we have just gotten through a major obstacle or illness only to find another one waiting for us the moment we finally catch our breath. Sometimes we endure one loss after another, wondering when we will get a break from life’s travails. It does not seem fair or right that life should demand more of us when we feel we have given all we can, but sometimes this is the way life works.

When we look back on our lives, we see that we have survived many trials and surmounted many obstacles, often to our own amazement. In each of those instances, we had to break through our ideas about how much we can handle and go deeper into our hidden reserves. The thought that we do not have the strength to handle what is before us can be likened to the hard surface of a frozen lake. It appears to be an impenetrable fact, but when we break through it, we find that a deep well of energy and inspiration was trapped beneath that icy barrier the whole time. Sometimes we break through by cutting a hole into our resistance with our willpower, and sometimes we melt the ice with compassion for our predicament and ourselves. Either way, each time we break through, we reach a new understanding of the strength we store within ourselves.

When we find ourselves up against that frozen barrier of thinking we cannot handle our situation, we may find that the kindest choice is to love ourselves and our resistance too. We can simply accept that we are overwhelmed, exhausted, and stretched, and we can offer ourselves loving kindness and compassion. If we can extend to ourselves the unconditional warmth of a mother’s love, before we know it, the ice will begin to break.

B e i n g L o v e
Baba Ram Dass

The most important aspect of love is not in giving or the receiving: it's in the being. When I need love from others, or need to give love to others, I'm caught in an unstable, unsustainable situation. Being love, rather than giving or taking love, is the only thing that provides stability and self-sustainability. Being love simply means seeing the Beloved all around me.

I'm not interested in being a 'lover.' I'm interested in only being love. In our culture we think of love as a relational thing: 'I love you' and 'You are my lover.' But while the ego is built around relationship, the soul is not. It wants only to be love. It's a true joy, for example, to turn someone whom you didn't initially even like into the Beloved. Mother Teresa has described this as 'seeing Christ in all his distressing disguises.' When I realized that Mother Teresa was actually involved in an intimate love affair with each and every one of the poor and the lepers she was picking up from the gutters in India, I thought to myself, 'That's the way to play the game of love.' And that is what I have been training myself for the last past quarter century: to see and be with the Beloved everywhere I am.

One of the interesting aspects of seeing the Beloved in this way is that it doesn't require the other person to see him or herself as the Beloved. All that's necessary is that I focus on my own consciousness properly. It's interesting to notice, though, how warmly people respond to being seen as the Beloved, even if they don't even know what's happening. Of course, it all assumes that your feelings are genuine and that you aren't compelled to act on them or to lay any sort of trip on the other person. The idea is simply to live and breathe among the Beloved.

The way I work at seeing others as the Beloved is to remind myself, 'This is another soul, just like me, who has taken a complicated incarnation, just as I have. I don't want to be in his or her incarnation any more than he or she wants to be in mine. But since I want to rest in my soul and not in my ego, I would like to give everybody the opportunity to do the same.' If I can see the soul that happens to have incarnated into a person that I don't particularly care for, then my consciousness becomes an environment in which he or she is free to come up for air if he or she wants to. That person can do so because I'm not trying to keep him or her locked into being the person that he or she has become. It's liberating to resist another person's opinions, yet still see him or her as another soul worthy of love. That's what Krishna meant when he said, 'I'm not going to fight, because they are all my cousins on the side.' We may disagree with one another in our current incarnation, but we are all connected souls.

A story I have told many times reinforces this point. Some years ago I put out a set of records called "Love, Serve, Remember." The records - which had music, readings from the Gospel of John, and all kinds of neat things - came in an album with a beautiful booklet with text and pictures. It was a wonderful package, and we sold it by mail order for about $4.50. I showed the album to my father. Dad was a wealthy Boston lawyer - a conservative Republican, a capitalist, and, at the time, the President of a railroad. He looked over the album and said, 'Great job here! But, gee, you know - four and a half dollars? You could probably sell this for ten, maybe fifteen dollars, don't you think?'

I said, 'Yeah, I know.''Would fewer people buy it if it were more expensive?' he asked.

'No,' I replied, 'probably the same number would buy it.

''Well I don't understand, then,' he pressed on. 'You could sell it for at least ten, and you're selling it for four - fifty? What's wrong, are you against capitalism or profit or something?'

I tried to figure out how to explain to him how our approaches differed. I said, 'Dad didn't you just try a law case for Uncle Henry?

''Yeah,' he replied, 'and it was a damned tough case. I spent a lot of time in the law library.'

I asked, 'Did you win the case?'

And he answered, 'Yeah, I won it.'

Now, my father was a very successful attorney, and he charged fees that were commensurate with his reputation. So I continued. 'Well, I bet you charged him an arm and a leg for that one.'

Dad was indignant at the suggestion. 'What, are you out of your mind? That's Uncle Henry - I couldn't charge him.''

Well, that's my problem,' I said. 'If you find anyone who isn't Uncle Henry, show me, and I'll rip them off.'

The point I was trying to make is that when you see the Beloved all around you, everyone is family and everywhere is love. When I allow myself to really see the beauty of another being, to see the inherent beauty of soul manifesting itself, I feel the quality of love in that being's presence. It doesn't matter what we're doing. We could be talking about our cats because we happen to be picking out cat food in the supermarket, or we simply could be passing each other on the sidewalk. When we are being love, we extend outward an environment that allows people to act in different, more loving and peaceful ways than they are used to behaving. Not only does it allow them to be more loving, it encourages them to be so while teaching them how to be so.

In 1969, I was giving a series of lectures in New York City. Every night, taking the bus up Third Avenue, I got the same extraordinary bus driver. Every night it was rush hour in one of the busiest cities in the world, but he had a warm word and a caring presence for each person who got on the bus. He drove us as if he were sculling a boat down a river, flowing through the traffic rather than resisting it. Everyone who got on the bus was less likely to kick the dog that evening or to be otherwise hostile and unloving; because of the loving space that driver had created. Yet all he was doing was driving the bus. He wasn't a therapist or a great spiritual teacher. He was simply being love.

Remember, we are all affecting the world in every moment, whether we mean to or not. Our actions and states of mind matter, because we are so deeply interconnected with one another. Working on our own consciousness is the most important thing that we are doing at any moment, and being love is a Supremely co-creative act.

Finally, I am giving you a link to watch a precious evoking video. http://www.gratefulness.org/brotherdavid/a-good-day.htm I encourage you to take the time to watch it for yourself, the potential from watching it is that everyone you meet will be blessed. Have a great day, until we meet again.


Love and Blessings,
Mari

9.04.2007

News from Houston

I am thrilled to let you know that my first meditation “Meeting the Great Mystery” has been published and is for sale now as a CD and a downloadable MP3. Thanks and deep appreciation to Tom Parish for helping make this dream come true. It was great to work with him. It is my intention to have a series of meditations published...stay tuned!

Use this link to hear a preview and/or purchase.

http://stores.lulu.com/store.php?fAcctID=1249135

I will be introducing the meditation at the Greater Washington Reiki conference this coming weekend. There is still time to register. http://www.reikicenter.info/

Project Health Update

We are still so excited about the continued results we are experiencing by taking the wonderful substance Frequensea…last month I said that Gary immediately stopped having the constant bowel complaint he has lived with for over 40 years, in fact he is stable since starting to take Frequensea. Another new result is that his hair is turning darker; he is not as gray anymore. This month he also had dental surgery and has been on liquids for the past two weeks. He has maintained his weight and even gained a few pounds. He is hungry and wants “good food” we have created shakes for him to drink that fulfills his nutritional requirements. He has certainly been given a new lease on life in just weeks. I continue to feel as if I am coming into balance from the inside out. I have increased my dosage of Frequensea to one ounce twice a day.

I believe so strongly in Frequensea and how it can help people to “live healthy”. I know it can be something everyone can benefit from, because of this I will continue to keep you informed of our progress.

Please check it out for yourself. Go to: http://www.forevergreen.org/videos/AnotherDay_dsl.html there is an excellent video entitled “Another Day” when you watch the video you will see how the Marine Phytoplankton was grown and harvested in a one of a kind $30 million Sea Farm.
By going to my personal web page at Forever Green you can order the product by signing in. http://www.myforevergreen.org/566187/home.html we both highly recommend it.

Change is Just Around the Corner.

Fall is in the air, leaves are getting ready to turn into bright colors. One of the biggest changes for us this coming fall is that Gary and I are getting married. We are going to Gatlinburg, Tennessee in the Great Smokey Mountains where 16 members of our families will be with us when we marry on November 17 over looking the mountains in a lovely log cabin. We thought we would have a quiet affair, just the two of us, but our children said they didn’t want us to elope. They are so happy we have made it a family affair. We will be sightseeing and enjoying the nature before and after the wedding. I will feel your presence in spirit as we stand together. We have many projects going on about the wedding including writing our own vows. We will keep you updated. Life even in my 60’s proves exciting each and every day.

Here are some great articles for your reading pleasure and another link to check out…until next time…Breathe in the magic of the moment.

Love, Mari

I invite you to view a very important film trailer….http://www.theshiftmovie.com/


Throwing Away Crutches
Spiritual practices can be misused as crutches, too.
We can become so attached to a teacher (or guide of any kind), to meditation (or medication), or to a diet (or other form of self-improvement program) that we lose sight of the fact that it is really God that we want and need, and not another habit. A teacher or a discipline ceases to serve its purpose if it becomes a dead end of devotion to a form (rather than essence). Stopping at vegetarianism or a particular form of meditation (or even one's particular practice of religion) is like hanging out on Boardwalk and forgetting to pass "Go." In the end, all forms must go.
When necessary, however, it can be very helpful to accept the support of a discipline, a person, or a group that can further our spiritual growth. If a man injures his leg, a crutch is very much in order, and a great blessing, at that. When the leg has healed, though, the crutch must be relinquished. At a specific stage of the journey, it may be very valuable to become attached to a teacher (such as a coach, mentor, pastor, or spiritual guide), to a physical practice (such as yoga, tai chi, or a good diet), or to a spiritual community (such as church, Love Machine, or small group). These positive crutches give us the momentum to free ourselves of old, destructive habits such as smoking, laziness, harmful behavior, and negative company. These spiritual crutches, however, are merely habits that lead to no habits, which is our real destination.

The reward of the adventure of life is freedom. The irony of the adventure is that we were free before we set out, but we needed to learn that freedom was not to be found where we fantasized it to be. We needed to learn, like our old friend Dorothy from Kansas, that there's no place like home, because there is no place but Home. When we learn that God is everywhere, that Love fills all space, and that Truth is the very Ground of Our Being, we may surely release the little to embrace the All.

To be free, to be able to stand up and leave everything else behind - without looking back. To say "Yes"! to what matters most, ... that is freedom.

-- Dag Hammarskjold

Source: The Dragon Doesn't Live Here Anymore
By Alan Cohen, page 68



From a Different Perspective

One day, the father of a very wealthy family took his son on a trip to the country with the express purpose of showing him how poor people live. They spent a couple of days and nights on the farm of what would be considered a very poor family.
On their return from their trip, the father asked his son, "How was the trip?"

"It was great, Dad."
"Did you see how poor people live?" the father asked

"Oh yeah," said the son.

"So, tell me, what did you learn from the trip?" asked the father.

The son answered:

"I saw that we have one dog and they had four.
We have a pool that reaches to the middle of our garden and they have a creek that has no end.

We have imported lanterns in our garden and they have the stars at night.
Our patio reaches to the front yard and they have the whole horizon.

We have a small piece of land to live on and they have fields that go beyond our sight.

We have servants who serve us, but they serve others.
We buy our food, but they grow theirs.
We have walls around our property to protect us, they have friends to protect them."
The boy's father was speechless.
Then his son added, "Thanks, Dad, for showing me how poor we are."

Isn't perspective a wonderful thing? Makes you wonder what would happen if we all gave thanks for everything we have, instead of worrying about what we don't have.


The Soundless Center
Silence of the Heart

We spend a lot of time attempting to put the feelings in our hearts into words, to communicate to others our passions, our emotions, and our love. Often we are so busy trying to translate our heart’s roar into language that we miss the most profound experience the heart has to offer, which is silence. Every poem arises from this silence and returns to it. When all the songs have been sung, the soliloquies delivered, the emotions expressed, silence is what remains. As each wave of feeling rises and falls back into the silence, we have an opportunity to connect with the vast, open, powerfully healing wisdom at the soundless center of our hearts.
Our hearts may seem noisy and tumultuous so much of the time that we do not even associate them with silence. It takes a sensitive ear to tune in to the silence of the heart, but it is there in each one of us, so close and so large that we do not even notice it. We can begin to become aware of it in the same way we become aware of the negative space in a still life, the background of a photograph, or the open sky that contains the sun, clouds, moon, and stars. We are accustomed to tuning in to objects and sounds that are one-pointed, solid, and three-dimensional. Seeing and hearing the apparently empty space that contains these sounds and objects takes a little practice.
We can bring our awareness into our hearts by simply breathing into the general area of our heart. The first thing we may notice is feelings like joy or sadness and physical sensations like tightness or tenderness. We acknowledge these as we continue to breathe and focus, listening attentively. We surround these feelings and sensations with breath and recognize that they are contained and held in an immeasurable substance like water or air, intangible, ineffable, but utterly real. This is the silence of the heart, and the more we listen for it, return to it, and accept it, the more we bathe and purify ourselves in the soundless center of our being.


Recognizing Our Own
The Greatness in Others

A person who is said to possess greatness stands apart from others in some way, usually by the size or originality of their vision and their ability to manifest that vision. And yet those who recognize that greatness, whether they display it themselves or not, also have greatness within them; otherwise, they could not see it in another. In many ways, the achievements of one person always belong to many people for we accomplish nothing alone in this world. People who display greatness rely upon others who are able to see as they do, to listen, encourage, and support. Without those people who recognize greatness and move in to support it, even the greatest ideas, works of art, and political movements would remain unborn.
We are all moved by greatness when we see it, and although the experience is to some degree subjective, we know the feeling of it. When we encounter it, it is as if something in us stirs, awakens, and comes forth to meet what was inside us all along. When we respond to someone else’s greatness, we feed our own. We may feel called to dedicate ourselves to their vision, or we may be inspired to follow a path we forge ourselves. Either way, we cannot lose when we recognize that the greatness we see in others belongs also to us. Our recognition of this is a call to action that, if heeded, will inspire others to see in us the greatness they also possess. This creates a chain reaction of greatness unfolding itself endlessly into the future.
Ultimately, greatness is simply the best of what humanity has to offer. Greatness does what has not been done before and inspires the same courage that it requires. When we see it in others, we know it, and when we trust its presence in ourselves, we embody it.

Reiki stories shared from Cookeville, TN


Reiki Helped My Rescued Cat

My husband and I have several rescue animals. Our orange tabby cat came to us with intense fears of thunder. When it thundered he would immediately run for the nearest cover, be it bush, car or chair for refuge. During the time it stormed he would cower, shiver and refuse to eat or drink water for the duration. He was so petrified by the storm that offering his favorite lap and blanket were ineffective at calming him - he was inconsolable. After I received Reiki II training and he got used to the new energy, I began giving him Reiki as often as he'd accept it. This summer we've had some loud thunderstorms that last several hours and I've noticed a difference in him: he no longer immediately runs for cover, but waits to see how much more thunder will come before making a decision to seek shelter; he seeks shelter that is less protected now, and sometimes he seeks the openness of my lap or his favorite blanket instead of a covered area. Now he will also seek food and water if the storm continues.

This cat is probably my favorite pet - being a first-time cat owner, he taught me how to handle cats and what to expect from them. He also taught me that they are wonderful little Reiki healers themselves as I received wonderful healing energies from him while trying to adapt to a new life in the country. I am very grateful to Reiki that it allows me to return the favor by giving him healing energies when he needs it, as he did for me.

And another story with deeper healing than imagined

Reiki Controls Pain and Facilitates Healing with Table Saw Accident

When I began doing Reiki last fall it seemed emotional or spiritual issues that manifested as physical ailments were always appearing in my work. I read how others used it to heal physical illness and injury, and have had others heal some of my physical maladies, but it seemed it wasn't my lot was to have Reiki work at a physical level when I did it. I was a little disappointed because I hoped Reiki would work at all levels through me, but accepted this served a purpose. This summer I had a situation that showed me Reiki does work at all levels through me, I simply wasn't aware of it.

This summer I was taking a workshop on furniture making. I've worked with wood and electric saws for 20 years, so was looking forward to finally expanding my skills into dovetails, joints, etc. The second day of class I was cutting my table legs on an unfamiliar table saw and got distracted by some activity around me. I was also getting frustrated with the table saw because the excess wood kept blocking subsequent passes instead of being thrown clear like it does on my table saw. So, I turned the table saw off to clear the excess wood, then broke a cardinal rule of table saws - I swiped at the wood to remove it before the blade quit spinning! At first it didn't hurt, but when I looked at my hand and saw blood dripping down I quickly realized I'd cut off the tips of two fingers. After cleaning the wound and almost fainting, I asked to be taken to the emergency room for treatment.

En route, I kept looking at my hand, appalled and angry at myself. I knew better and this was the first time I'd ever hurt myself with power equipment, but it certainly looked like I'd hurt myself pretty badly. I was very nervous and afraid, so began to do Reiki on my hand. I asked for a pure and perfect healing from Mother Ansa, Father God, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit and all benevolent spirits who surrounded me. As I began to do Reiki I was surprised at how much PAIN I felt in my fingers all the way up to my elbow, but I persisted and the pain abated after a few minutes. I continued doing Reiki while traveling, then in the waiting room and in the treatment room. I even cleaned and blessed the room, and called upon the benevolent spirits who protect my ER physician and his nurse to guide them and assist with my healing. After I got to the treatment room I was pleased to find I could tell the doctor I wasn't in any pain, and could refuse the Loratab they offered, but I did request over-the-counter Tylenol, just in case. I was also amazed to find the shots for the localized anesthesia didn't hurt at all. (I've had stitches before and have often found the pain of the shots to be almost unbearable without a painkiller.)

Later that evening as I was removing the wrapping to clean the wounds I was literally floored by the pain of removing gauzey strings from my mutilated fingertips and the sight of the wounds. I immediately began doing Reiki again with the determined intention of "no pain." After a few minutes the pain ceased, and I was able to clean and rewrap the wound without difficulty.

The doctor had informed me in the Emergency Room that I'd knicked the bone of one finger, so I needed to be very careful to avoid infection, and I needed to hope the skin would grow back over it to avoid future injuries and infections in the bone. He also told me I needed to watch for possible nerve damage as the wounds healed. After seeing how well Reiki had performed that day, I determined to do Reiki on my hand with every cleaning and :30 per day for at least one week.

It's now two months after my table saw accident. One finger has healed so well it's impossible to tell it was recently a bloody mess. The finger that received the most damage has healed 3/16" shorter and little deformed, but again, the healing is so complete the injury is imperceptible unless someone knows what to look for. The skin has grown back over the exposed bone, forming a nice, safe cushion, and there is no perceptible nerve damage in either finger. As a matter of fact, the only difficulty I'm having is adapting to the shorter finger when I type!

Eventhough I think I would have liked a less dramatic proof that Reiki works at the physical level when it moves through me; I also know I wouldn't have been so firmly convinced of its healing if a less dramatic injury and healing had occurred. For that, and for the evidence it provides when I tell this story in the future, I am grateful.


Connie Perdue, MSSW
Usui/Tibetan Reiki Master

7.23.2007

How does "our" Garden Grow?

Mari, Mari how does your garden grow?
"It grows with love and prayer and a partner who talks to each and every plant daily!"

Wonderful News from Houston
Shortly after my last letter in which I declared I am worthy to prosper on all levels. I heard about new substance to help me heal my body from the inside out. My immediate thought was, “Yes, I am worthy of health and prosperity” so I decided to give it a try. I brought it home I enrolled my guy Gary in “Project Health” too. The result has been nothing short of a miracle as far as I am concerned.

I am so excited about the results of a wonderful substance named Frequensea … Just to give you a bit of history, shortly after returning from the Viet Nam war in the late 60’s Gary developed massive internal bleeding. He finally had his stomach removed nearly 40 years ago in one of his many extended stays in the VA hospital. Keeping weight on him has been a chore. As a couple we look like Jack Sprat who ate no fat and his wife who ate no lean, yet Gary is a butter and sugar-holic.
We both started taking an ounce of Frequensea everyday. I felt the energy of Frequensea like a shimmer running through my body as I drank it. It feels alive and energetic in my system. I have had more energy and vitality and have been sleeping so much better. Gary immediately stopped having the constant bowl complaint he has lived with and in fact has been stable since starting to take Frequensea. He is starting to gain weight and he feels more energetic and calm. He has been given a new lease on life and in just a few short weeks.

What is so wonderful is that Frequensea goes to the cell with out going through our digestive system and liver so the all our cells are nourished and can help the body to heal. It is comprised of 100% pure Marine Phytoplankton. Marine Phytoplankton are single celled- plants that are responsible for making up to 90% of the Earth’s oxygen and are the basis of all other life forms on the planet.

I believe so strongly in Frequensea and how it can help people to “live healthy”. I think it would be something everyone can benefit from. And because of this I want you to know about it first hand.

Check it out by going to this website www.frequensea.com/marihall-2 there is an excellent short video called “Another Day” and find out how the amazing discovery of Marine Phytoplankton was made on a one of a kind $30 million Sea Farm. Please pay special attention to the amount of nutrients, minerals and goodies that are in Frequensea. It is LIVING.

The Forever Green Corporation who sells Frequensea through distributors is growing rapidly. By getting in at the ground floor I am hoping to generate more income to have more time to enjoy doing what I love and in a way that speaks volumes about integrity. The company has a great message.

What has impressed me in addition to the product itself is that where the plankton is grown in the Pacific North West, the marine life is returning, the estuary is cleaner, water clearer and even bird life is returning.

Giving life back to nature sure speaks volumes to me.

More News…

In August I will be working with Tom Parish, a friend of mine in Austin to make my first Meditation CD. So many of my students over the years have asked me to do meditation CDs; the opportunity just opened for it to happen. When I declared I was worthy, it was like the stars aligned to support my clear intention.

I will have copies for sale with me for the Reiki conference in Washington DC in September. You can read and also register for the conference by following this link:

http://www.reikicenter.info/conferences.htm


May you be blessed with health, happiness and joy, may you always know you are abundantly cared for, supported and loved, and that each day is one more precious day to realize that you make such a beautiful difference in the world.

Love, Mari


I am also sharing some interesting articles with you.

Just Being There
Acting As a Guardian

One of the greatest gifts we can give another human being is to act as their guardian. Whether this gift is related to a specific situation or is representative of an ongoing commitment, we each benefit from the association. To protect someone is to walk with them in challenging times and see them through safely to the other side. In doing this, we grow with them. And those under our guardianship derive confidence from our support and assistance, enabling them to persevere through almost any conditions. There are many reasons we feel inspired to serve as guardians to those we care for. Sometimes just holding the space for somebody allows them to do what is necessary to grow or heal. We may simply want to see that our friend or loved one is taken care of and equipped to prevail over difficult circumstances. We may also sense that we are in possession of knowledge our loved ones are lacking yet need in their current stage of development. Our offer to serve as a guardian may also be both unsolicited and unrelated to any one situation. Instead of helping someone we care about cope with a specific challenge, we may find ourselves providing them with a more general form of emotional sustenance that prepares and strengthens them for challenges yet to come. Our ability to empathize with those under our guardianship is our greatest asset because our comprehension of their needs allows us to determine how we can best serve them. Even when this comprehension is limited, however, the loving intentions with which we enter into our role as guardian ensure that our care and protection help others grow as individuals while living their lives with grace.


The Gift

"If we are too busy, if we are carried away every day by our projects, our schedules and deadlines, our fearful uncertainties, our lustful cravings, how can we have the time to stop and look deeply into the real situation - our own real situation, the real situations of our loved ones, the real situation of our families and of our communities, and the real situation of our nation and of the other nations?" -- Thich Nhat Hanh
"The process of discovering oneself is usually the same as the process of inventing oneself as one discovers others." -- Isaac Perez

"Fortunate, indeed, is the man who takes exactly the right measure of himself." -- Peter Mere Latham
"Power is not revealed by striking hard or often, but by striking true." -- Honore de Balzac
"A man's true delight is to do the things he was made for." -- Marcus Aurelius
"The best you can do for someone else is to be yourself." -- Aaron Eisenberger"
Attachment to the result of love's labor destroys it." -- Swami Sai Premananda
"The more you know, the less you need to show." -- Anonymous
"The worse a person is the less he feels it." -- Seneca
"Know thyself." -- Socrates
Who are you? What were you made for or made to do with your life? How do you measure yourself and against what standard? Why are you here and for whom? When do you really show up? These are the most important Who, What, How, Why, and When questions of your life. Have fun living the answers.
And, if you feel a strong desire to give yourself selflessly to something much bigger than you, please remember that you must know your "self" in order to lay it down completely. And how can you possibly lay down (vs. inflict an unconscious need for validation upon others) what you do not know and fully possess?

Jim Spivey

7.07.2007

Following Your Dreams

My Friends

On this day 7-7-07 I offer you an idea about making your dreams come true by following your dreams ...
if you need to get re-ignited and if you haven't seen this YouTube video, you simply must go see it now at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_S0DtpvpIg&NR=1

I have been simply blown way by this man and his journey...Things happen when we even "start" to believe in ourselves. This "opportunity"to watch this video clip came to me to a time when I have been looking at what I have been doing to block the energy to my creating and living an abundant life from my heart.

Today I promised and made a commitment to my self that I am worthy and I AM manifesting life and love in abundance NOW.
Dreams those dreams and manifest what your heart desires by believing in yourself. I certainly believe in you!
Love and Blessings,
Mari

7.05.2007

The 3rd and final week of the Usui Retreat, June 2007

Welcome to all of you who have joined us for the 3rd and final week of the Semi Annual 21 day Virtual Usui Retreat for June 2007. The retreat is now in it's eleventh year.

It is a pleasure to have Bronwen and Frans with us and I trust that your experience this week will be just what you need.

To pick up this weeks meditation go to:
http://www.wisechoices.com/forum/forum.asp?FORUM_ID=7

I was sent an invitation today that I am passing on to you. Whenever any group of us gets together in focused thought, as this site suggests... I feel it is one of many opportunities for us to help our world. I will be "Be" in the meditation for that one beautiful hour, come join me please and ask your friends and circles of people to join with us.

http://firethegrid.org/eng/home-fr-eng.htm

I asked Arjava Petter who lives in Germany, but is now traveling if I could share his message with you about Reiki. He so graciously said yes and he also will be doing the focus meditations for the Usui Retreat in December.

Love and Blessings,

Mari

Arjava wrote....

"I would like to talk to you about two subjects. The first subject is Japanese terms commonly used in Reiki. And the second subject: responsibility, a serious issue concerning all of us, clients, students and teachers of Reiki alike.

Let’s begin with clearing up the meaning of some Japanese words.The word Reiki

The word “Reiki” was not introduced by Usui Sensei. It is part of Japanese culture and is often understood to mean occult, or ghost energy. In our case it means cosmic energy. But Usui Sensei did not describe his teaching by this one word only. He used the following phrase: Shin Shin Kaizen Usui Reiki Ryoho, which means “For the improvement of body and mind Usui Reiki Healing Method”. The phrase “Usui Shiki Ryoho” that is commonly used in the West, is a misunderstanding and not the best way to describe what we do. It means “Usui Style Healing Technique” - missing the word “Reiki”. In order to avoid the long (Japanese) phrase, most people in Japan just call it “Usui Reiki Ryoho.” This would be the appropriate term meaning Usui Reiki Healing Method.

The word Reiju

The word Reiju is an ancient Japanese term for energy transmission, literally meaning "granting (someone) the soul”. In Reiki this ritual was used to make someone a Reiki channel- to remind him of his original nature. Contrary to what you may find written in countless internet sites, Reiju is exactly what we call “attunement”. Of course the way it is done is different, but that’s no subject for public discussion.

The Reiki Teacher

In Japan several words are being used to address your teacher. Which word you use depends upon the situation as well as upon the background of the teacher. Before I explain it more clearly, I would like to tell you how the Reiki system was divided originally.

The Degrees

The first degree was called Shoden, which means “ beginner degree”. The second degree was called Okuden, meaning “ middle” or “deeper degree”. The third degree was called Shinpiden or “ deeper mysteries degree”.

Shoden

The first degree was divided into three subdivisions, called roku- to, go- to and yon- to (levels 6, 5 and 4), each one being taught in one day. According to Ogawa Sensei from the Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai, Usui Sensei used to grade his prospective students by touching his folded hands. When he felt their energy he graded them into the respective levels. According to the research of Tadao Yamaguchi, Hayashi Sensei had a slightly different way of grading his students. He used pre- Reiki sublevels for those with a sparse natural energy flow. Only after practicing some energy enhancing exercises would they be permitted to be attuned.

Okuden

The second degree was divided into two subdivisions, called Okuden Zenki and Okuden Koki. Again, each subdivision or teaching module was taught in one day.

Shinpiden

The third degree was divided into two subdivisions, Shihan- Kaku (assistant teacher) and Shihan (teacher). The correct technical term for the Reiki Teacher is either Shihan- Kaku or Shihan. The Shihan- Kaku was permitted to teach Reiki One for a while and when his teacher agreed, he was granted the title Shihan. A Shihan was permitted to teach Reiki One and Reiki Two.

Once the new teacher had his own students, they called him Sensei. His own teacher’s students, or his Shihan colleague’s students may have used the same title. For example, the students of Tadao Yamaguchi call him Sensei, and when they address me, they will use the same title for me. But if they do not accept my position and don’t respect my expertise, they will call me Petter- San (Mr. Petter) or Frank-San (Mr. Frank). If they want to make fun of me, or if we are very close to me, they may call me Frank-Chan (little Frankie). And if they disapprove… lord have mercy!

The word “Sensei”

The word Sensei means respected, or venerable teacher. This word is for the student to refer to his teacher. The teacher will under no circumstances call himself “Sensei”. I often feel quite embarrassed when I am given a Reiki Teacher’s business card that reads “ So and so Sensei”… If there is the need to distinguish between two teachers with the same name, let’s say Hayashi Sensei and his wife, you may call them Hayashi Sensei (for him) and Onna Sensei (woman, for her). Another way of distinguishing between the two would be to call them by their first name, followed by the title Sensei. We called Tadao’s mother “Chiyoko Sensei”. If your teacher, or the teaching couple allow a close relationship to their students, the students may also call them Chujiro Sensei and Chie Sensei. If you don’ know your teacher well, or the age difference is big, you use the family name plus Sensei.

In the Oriental Reiki Tradition, only the head of the organization- in this case Usui Sensei- was permitted to teach another teacher. In the Usui Association this is still done the same way today. That means that if someone claims to teach in the Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai tradition, he must be dreaming…The Teacher- Training The teacher, whether a Shihan- Kaku or a Shihan was instructed on a personal basis by his teacher. There were no formal classes for an upcoming teacher. After the training he was allowed to start a branch of the organization in his place of residence, and his training continued every time he met his teacher. Japanese society is martially organized and therefore divided into a very strict hierarchy. This hierarchy never changes…As an example, you call your elder sister by her title “Onesan”, not by her first name.

The Master Symbol

The so- called Reiki Master Symbol that we use in Western Reiki, is not used in the Japanese Reiki Tradition. Who added it to the system is not clear. I have heard from one of Mrs. Takata’s student’s that she was taught it by her. We know that the Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai and the Hayashi Reiki Kenkyukai did and do not teach it. However, this symbol is not channeled. It is an ancient, powerful Buddhist term used for hundreds of years in various Buddhist traditions. It is used in Zen Buddhism as a supreme principle. It is used in Ninjutsu, in many small Japanese groups called Shin Bukkyo, as well as at the Kurama Temple as their highest principle- the result of the merging of love, light and power. But essentially it has nothing to do with traditional Reiki- it is a new development.

Back to the Reiki Teacher

But, lets come back to the Reiki Teacher. When teaching at his own branch of the organization, the new teacher was permitted to have his own students (teaching Shoden or Okuden depending on his level). Whenever he met with his own teacher, the training continued. They team- taught together, with the training teacher giving Reiju alongside with his teacher.

The responsibilities of the teacher to himself

The Reiki teacher is not necessarily a spiritual teacher. As far as I am concerned the description “spiritual teacher” is too big a word for a small person like me.Personally I follow a rather strict regimen towards myself. I neither lie to myself nor to others. I practice utmost honesty, yet when working with others I am soft and accommodating. My own advantage is not my interest, my disadvantage not a deterrent for doing something I feel like doing. My main focus nowadays is living a loving and compassionate life. I know that the way I live and incorporate Reiki in my personal life influences my students. Therefore, the medicine is simple: Just follow the Reiki principles… Kyo dake wa…(only today). Ikaru- Na, Shinpai suna, Kanshe shite, Gyo o hage me, Hito ni shinsetsu ni…

The responsibilities of the teacher to Reiki

In all spiritual schools, the teaching is more important than the teacher. However, the teacher can nourish the right attitude by doing serious inner work. When he puts himself in the service of Reiki, he can learn to erase his own personal affairs for the time being. This is a lovely experience for the teacher and for the student. When the ego is temporarily out of order, and Reiki calls the shots, the teacher turns into a fountain of love and compassion… for everyone to be nourished by- including himself!

The responsibilities of the teacher to his own teacher

Remember the third Reiki Principle. Be grateful, “Kansha shite”. Hang a photo of Usui Sensei and the others who have passed on in your treatment room. Call on them (silently) when you begin to work…

The responsibilities of the teacher to his students

Traditionally the teacher thinks himself responsible for his students. Once asked in a workshop by a student about this issue, Tadao Sensei replied that he feels even responsible for his student’s students.

The responsibilities of the practitioner to his client

The only practical responsibility I see toward the client is for the practitioner or the teacher to empty himself as much as possible and to allow the Reiki to pass through him as un- obstructedly as possible. All else is up to someone else. On a psychological level his responsibilities are manifold. The most important may be to know that Reiki is always good, and always helpful. With that knowledge in your heart, your clients will find the courage to continue, even when times are rough.

The practical responsibilities

The teacher has countless practical responsibilities as well. The foremost and most obvious is for him to train his students well. In Japan the teacher’s level is not given too freely, because it is felt that not everyone is a born teacher. Once the title is conferred, there is no way back. As we said earlier, the teacher is responsible for his student’s students…

Teaching skills

Some teaching- skills can be acquired with training but the main ingredient of teaching is either in- born or it develops due to a spiritual experience. In India one distinguishes between two kinds of enlightened beings. The first they call Arhat. An Arhat is someone who enjoys his enlightenment by himself. He sits under the tree, smiling…The second category is that of a Bodhisattva. He postpones his own enlightenment for the sake of his fellow men. This is the perfect example for a spiritually oriented Reiki Teacher. It is no coincidence that in Reiki Two we invoke the Buddha of love and compassion (the same principle as Mother Mary). This helps you nourish the Bodhisattva aspect, which in turn transforms your surroundings…

with love and gratitude from the desert

Your friend, Frank Arjava Petter

6.27.2007

The 2nd Week of the Virtual 21 day Usui Retreat

Welcome to all of you who have joined us for the 2nd week of the Semi Annual 21day Virtual Usui Retreat, now in it's eleventh year. It is still not too late to let your Reiki friends and other Reiki communities know about the Retreat and ask them to join with us in the balance of a deep and meaningful 21 days. Remember we all set our own pace and commitment. Here are some helpful links
To register to have the Retreat notices sent: http://www.wisechoices.com/newsletter.asp
To read about the Retreat these links will provide all the information needed:
Invitation to the Usui Retreat: http://www.wisechoices.com/usuiretreat.html
How the Retreat works:
To Pick up the 2nd week's meditation with Bronwen :
Have a beautiful week and again thank you for being here with us.

Love and Blessings,

Mari

6.21.2007

The 21day Virtual Usui Retreat Starts Today

Welcome to all of you who have joined us in the eleventh year of the Semi Annual 21day Virtual Usui Retreat. It is not too late to let your Reiki friends and other Reiki communities know about the Retreat and ask them to join with us in what promises to be a deep and meaningful 21 days. Remember you set your own pace and commitment.

To register to have the Retreat notices sent:
http://www.wisechoices.com/newsletter.asp

To read about the Retreat these links will provide all the information needed:

Invitation to the Usui Retreat: http://www.wisechoices.com/usuiretreat.html
How the Retreat Started:
http://www.wisechoices.com/usui_start.html
The Retreat Options:
http://www.wisechoices.com/usui_options.htm
To Pick up this weeks meditation with Bronwen Stiene:
http://www.wisechoices.com/forum/default.asp

Have a beautiful week and again thank you for being here with us.

Love and Blessings,

Mari

6.17.2007

A Reminder that the 21 day Virtual Usui Retreat starts soon

Happy Father’s Day to all the Fathers this letter is reaching.
Today is June 17th, and it is only 4 days from the start of the Usui 21 day Virtual Retreat that is in its 11th year. I am so honored to announce that Bronwen Stiene of the International House of Reiki has written and recorded the three meditations that will be used as a focus for the retreat. I promise you they are beautiful.

Let your Reiki friends near and dear know that the retreat is about to begin. They can register to have the notices of the retreat sent to them by going to this link.
http://www.wisechoices.com/newsletter.asp

To read about the retreat this link will provide all the information you as well as they need. There are several pages.


The Usui Retreat invitation: http://www.wisechoices.com/usuiretreat.html
How the Retreat started: http://www.wisechoices.com/usui_start.html
The Retreat Options: http://www.wisechoices.com/usui_options.html

You will be directed to pick up the meditations each week at our Wisechoices forum. You can get there using this link. http://www.wisechoices.com/forum/default.asp

You are welcome to post your experiences on the forum once you sign up as a member. It is all marked and easy to follow on the forum page.

I went to Bronwen and Frans’ web pages to copy part of their introduction and ended up giving it all to you because they are such an interesting and dedicated Reiki couple as well as teachers. What their pages have not said is that they are amazing parents as well. It is my wish that you take them into your heart as I have and enjoy this retreat as much as I know I will.

It is my sincere pleasure to introduce you to Frans and Bronwen Stiene.

Reiki Masters Frans and Bronwen Stiene (pronounced stee-nuh) are authors of the internationally acclaimed The Reiki Sourcebook, and The Japanese Art of Reiki and are the founders of the International House of Reiki.

With over 16 years of combined experience as practitioners, teachers and speakers in healing and spirituality they have worked with, taught and researched healing in the USA, Europe, Asia, Australia and Japan. They are teachers whose passion is truth, education, support and spiritual development for all.Frans is from Holland and Bronwen from Australia. They met in 1989 and have shared their lives together since then in both their homelands. After living in Holland for seven years together they decided to embark on a spiritual search for a deeper connection to life and headed to India. In their first year there they studied a western form of Reiki called Usui Reiki in Katmandu, Nepal and then went on to open a Reiki centre in Darjeeling in the Indian Himalaya. Reiki had changed the direction of their lives forever.

Reiki House was the name of their Darjeeling centre and for a year they treated many locals from Darjeeling itself and traveled out into the tea villages. In the villages they volunteered their services to treat everyone from tea pickers, to school teachers to plantation owners and also helped to set up a small Reiki healing centre at one village. Here the practitioners were taught Reiki by Frans and Bronwen and then supported in opening a weekend healing centre to help their families. Frans and Bronwen also participated in treating patients at village eye camps where over 30 people would be operated on in one day by just one doctor who also volunteered his services. The patients were amazed at the benefit of receiving Reiki after the operations and it was a great joy to be able to participate in such events. Westerners traveling through Darjeeling also took advantage of having a ‘local’ Reiki centre and Reiki courses were held twice a week from Reiki House. Reiki House became so popular it was even written up in the Indian Lonely Planet

From India, Frans and Bronwen decided to head back to Australia for the birth of their daughter. It never crossed their minds that they wouldn’t continue teaching and practicing Reiki and soon the International House of Reiki was up and running in Sydney, Australia. It was at this time that they realized that the Usui Reiki that they had been taught was a mixture of varied systems – not just Reiki. The term Usui Reiki appeared to be a generic name for anything taught since about 1980 in the West. But what were the roots of the system? What was its original purpose? These questions inspired them to begin researching the system. Sifting through the different information they realized that the answers were not to be had in the West and they eventually traveled to Japan in 2001.In Japan they arranged to meet with various Japanese Reiki Masters, visited Usui Mikao's memorial stone in Tokyo as well as other spiritual energy sites such as Mt Kurama and Mt Hiei near Kyoto. In their attempt to learn more about the origins of Usui's teachings, Frans has also studied an early spiritual practice developed by the founder of the system of Reiki, Usui Mikao in Florence, Italy. Both Frans and Bronwen currently study with Chris Marsh - a teacher of this earlier spiritual practice. Chris Marsh is a student of Suzuki san, a 109 year old Tendai nun who studied with Usui himself.

Frans and Bronwen are also certified Gendai Reiki Ho Shihans (Reiki Masters) which is a Japanese/Western school of Reiki run by Doi Hiroshi, Frans Stiene having studied with Doi Hiroshi in Japan. In 2003 they also trained as Komyo Reiki Masters with Japanese Reiki Master and Buddhist monk Inamoto Hyakuten who they had met in Japan and invited to Australia to teach. Today they teach Usui Reiki Ryoho, a system that attempts to teach the origins of the system or Reiki from a Japanese perspective. As interest in the original aspects of the system grows, Frans and Bronwen Stiene have found themselves teaching people from all around the world who are searching for truth and inner connectedness through these specific teachings.In 2005 Frans Stiene has once again visited Japan to continue researching into the system of Reiki.Since 2005 Frans Stiene has been teaching in North America and Europe and both having been giving talks on the subject of the system of Reiki.Frans and Bronwen's open, informal style of teaching has been an inspiration for students and clients throughout the USA, Europe, Asia and Australia. Their aim is to provide students with the most comprehensive and up to date information about the system of Reiki as well as a strong energetic connection to Reiki's founder, Usui Mikao.They are referred practitioners and teachers of Australia's leading Reiki association; the Australian Reiki Connection. Bronwen Stiene is currently also vice-president of the Association.

In December 2003 Frans and Bronwens' research book, The Reiki Sourcebook, was published and has been an international success, currently in its fourth reprint. It has remained one of the top Reiki books sold through amazon since its release by UK publisher O Books.

In 2005, The Japanese Art of Reiki, Frans and Bronwens' second book was released. It is the first book of its kind to look at the practical elements of the system of Reiki from a Japanese, rather than Western, perspective.

In 2006, the Reiki techniques Card Deck was released. Develop your intuition and self-healing abilities by working with these 45 traditional and non-traditional Reiki techniques cards that are beautiful to look at, feel and use.

In 2006, the A-Z of Reiki Pocketbook was also published. It is a fabulous, everything-in-one handy pocketbook about Reiki. If you want to know the Reiki who, what, when, where and why then just look it up alphabetically!In March, 2007 Your Reiki Treatment was released. This a book that looks at what a client should expect prior to, during and after a Reiki treatment. An excellent book for both Reiki practitioners and clients!

6.06.2007

It is Almost Usui Retreat Time

Before writing this letter to you I sat in my meditation spot. My mood was certainly enhanced by the sunlight and how it played on the trees, the sound of the meditation fountain spilling over the crystals placed there and the sweet music of the windchime that hangs from the limb of the craggy old tree completed my peace filled expereince.

It is June already which means that in a few weeks the semi annual Virtual 21 day Usui Retreat will start. Mark you calendars for June 21st. The first meditation will go out then. This Retreat will feature Bronwen Stiene from the International House of Reiki in Australia. I have had the pleasure of staying with Bronwen and Frans in their home in the Blue Mountains a few years back. They both are wonderful teachers, facilitators and authors. Check out their web pages by using this link: http://www.reiki.net.au/

To read the invitation please use this link:
http://www.wisechoices.com/usuiretreat.html

To review how the retreat started and why use this link: http://www.wisechoices.com/usui_start.html

To review the practice for the retreat you may use this link:
http://www.wisechoices.com/usui_options.html

Please forward the invitation to people that you think would be interested. They can sign up to receive the notices by using the newsletter link:
http://www.wisechoices.com/newsletter.asp



Feeling Our Words
Words Have Weight

Words carry energy and this gives language its power and its potential to heal or hurt. Most of us can remember a time that someone sent a word our way, and it stuck with us. It may have been the first time we received a truly accurate compliment, or the time a friend or sibling called us a name, but either way it stuck. This experience reminds us that what we say has weight and power and that being conscious means being aware of how we use words.

The more conscious we become, the more we deepen our relationship to the words we use so that we speak from a place of actually feeling what we are saying. We begin to recognize that words are not abstract, disconnected entities used only to convey meaning; they are powerful transmitters of feeling.
For the next few days, you might want to practice noticing how the words you say and hear affect your body and your emotional state. Notice how the different communication styles of the people in your life make you feel. Also, watch closely to see how your own words come out and what affect they have on the people around you. You may notice that when we speak quickly, without thinking, or rush to get our ideas across, our words don't carry the same power as when we speak slowly and confidently, allowing those receiving our words time and space to take them in. When we carefully listen to others before we speak, our words have more integrity, and when we take time to center ourselves before speaking, we truly begin to harness the power of speech. Then our words can be intelligent messengers of healing and light, transmitting deep and positive feelings to those who receive them.
I am letting you know that I will be one of the guest speakers at a Reiki conference "Walking the Reiki Path in Gratefulness"Third Annual Greater Washington Reiki Conference, Friday, July 27 to Sunday, July 29, 2007

The Reiki Center of Greater Washington presents their annual conference, this year to be held at the Seven Oaks Pathwork Center in Madison, Virginia, about just over 100 miles from Washington, D.C. and Richmond, Virginia and 30 miles from Charlottesville, Virginia. For more information and to register please use this link: http://www.reikicenter.info
I would love to see you all there.

And finally I am giving you the link to watch a terrific movie. I hope you enjoy it and that it touches your heart as much as it touched mine.


To Watch and Forward this Movie, simply go to www.MeditativeMovies.com/MayYouBeBlessed.htm

Remember always that as you bless others, you instantly receive the blessing...

Love and Blessings,
Mari