In the mid-90’s I took a Tarot card class in Gloversville, NY. The person teaching the class was mentioning a new method of healing she called “Reiki”. At the time I thought “cool.. You touch someone and they get better… ok sure, that makes sense”. And actually, it did make sense. I’d been reading about the energy field, energy work and the power of intention since I was 14. (Ok, so I was precocious)
Fast forward about three years. I experienced my first reiki session. I was amazed! I really thought the practitioner must have had hot water bottles on me. I wanted to learn this!
In 1996 I found a teacher I wanted to train with and completed Level I on a weekend in November. When I returned to work on Monday, I literally had to sit on my hands to keep from touching everyone in the office. My hands were HOT and itching to get to work.
I spent the next 6 months adapting to the changes I was feeling. I know that everyone experiences different things when the begin using Reiki. For me, it was an overwhelming compassion; almost to the point of distraction. It took me a good 6 months to learn how to deal with that, so as not to let it affect my daily life. I practiced on family members, (critters too!) went to Reiki shares and did a lot of reading and chatting with other practitioners.
On to Level II. I was intrigued with the use of symbols but slightly concerned at the willingness of my classmates to follow blindly. My teacher was a wonderful woman who knew her stuff, but was unsure of how to handle my questions. Never the less, I enjoyed my level II class and was ready to do more!
My teacher was excellent with people. She offered a supplementary course on how to work with clients. In this course, we learned how to take an effective interview while remaining respectful of client boundaries. She included tons of information on ethics and appropriate behavior. This course was a huge benefit to me.
On to Level III, right?
Wrong.
Ever been hit by a reality stick? It’s not pretty. The reality was I was overly willing to help others but not so into taking care of myself. This is a common theme I see in many energy workers. After a year of working with Reiki, suddenly EVERYTHING went wrong! My relationships with friends and family were falling apart. Any and all attempts at quitting smoking were failing miserably. My career took a turn for the worse and I found myself drinking too much coffee in the morning to wake up and too much alcohol at night to go to sleep. My health, both mental and physical, was suffering. I forgot all about Reiki, and worked rather ineffectively at dealing with all of this! Almost a year went by before I realized I needed to do something more than toss up my hands and wait for things to get better.
I took a good hard look at myself and decided that if I was going to help others, I’d better figure out what I need to do for myself. Who on earth was going to come to me for a reiki session? I certainly wasn’t a positive representation of how using reiki can enhance your life! It was time to be more active in my own healing process. I tackled this head on, making changes, falling back into old habits, and trying again until I got it right. (that stick gets mighty painful after a while!) I was fortunate to have my partner who would remind me when I got lazy, and give me a pep talk when I got discouraged.
In 2004, I came to a point where I was ready to pursue Level III. You read that right. Five years of figuring out who I was, what I wanted out of life, and how I wanted to live my life. Those five years certainly weren’t easy. I changed almost all of my relationships in one way or another. I redefined and reestablished all of my own personal boundaries. I quit smoking, reduced my caffeine intake and almost eliminated my alcohol intake, and although my job isn’t perfect, it allows me to do many of the things I wouldn’t be able to otherwise. I found hobbies I can enjoy and people I enjoy being with. I was ready.
One small problem. My former teacher was no longer teaching! What to do.. what to do…
You know that saying, “When the student is ready, the teacher will appear”? I have new faith in that statement. I went to my first reiki share in almost 5 years and found a teacher who I liked! Bingo! We have very similar ideals and thoughts about energy work as a whole.
The syllabus for my reiki master work seemed awfully easy. Until I started.
I was forced to really consider why I held certain beliefs and I have actually re-evaluated quite a few of them. Writing this manual has brought me to a new level of awareness and has been quite a gift. Many thanks to Christine Asta Lloyd-Newberry, RMT for encouraging her master students to do some work! I am grateful for this challenging journey and the wisdom it has brought me.
In 2005, I was attuned as a Reiki Master in the Usui Reiki Rhoyo Tradition. I welcome the opportunity to teach students what I’ve learned and to continue my own education through teaching others. I’m looking forward to bringing my unique approach to the Reiki Community and to have my own beliefs challenged by my students.