The Reiki Ideals or Concepts
Just for today I am letting go of anger.
Just for today I am letting go of worry.
I express my gratitude for all of my many blessings.
I work hard with honesty and integrity.
I am kind (compassionate) to all living things.
MY ONGOING REIKI JOURNEY
(Please scroll down for more recent entries - latest update, July 19, 2010)
I first heard of Reiki back in 1993 when a friend, Paul, introduced me to conscious channeling. But, it wasn't until 2003 that I sought out a Reiki practitioner to help me work through some issues which had concerned me since returning home from Moscow.
Then in early 2004, while working on a film, I spent time in the company of a Reiki Master and a friend of mine who had also taken Reiki training. Both of these generous actors helped us to keep our energies clear and get through some days which were 12 - 15 hours in length, and always with a positive attitude towards each other and the work. I also noticed that I was "free" of my usual habit of grazing the food tables whenever I wasn't on set. This alone made me want to know more about Reiki.
So, upon returning to Barrie, I approached the lady who had worked with me the year before (Liane Gallant) and signed up for Level I training. For the first 21 days following my training I pretty much kept my hands to myself (pun intended) and practised the suggested self-healing work while I was processing this new relationship with Reiki energy.
When I got to Gananoque for the summer I posted a notice for members of the company to assist me by allowing me "hands-on" experience with this energy system; thanks to each of these people I learned so much and I enjoyed the sessions enough that I took my Level II training with a teacher in Kingston during my last month in Gan. Over the course of the summer I had the privilege to work with about 30 people both in full sessions and what I came to call shorter "spot treatments", usually before and/or during performances.
Though it took me awhile to prepare myself mentally and, yes, spiritually too I suppose, I took my Level III training in late October of 2005 with Suzanne Dobinson. Although technically I've taken the Reiki Master training and could consider myself a "Master" I won't be teaching it for awhile nor do I consider myself to be anything more than "newly initiated" into the next leg of the journey. There is so much to experience and I've recently begun to believe that though Reiki is being spoken of more as a healing tool for your friends, families and clients, I'm finding that I'm looking towards dealing with my own needs on all levels before I profess to be a Master or Teacher of this energy system. It's been an interesting journey (over three years now) and I'm sure that the years to come will teach me a lot.
I look forward to learning more as I work with family, friends and colleagues and continue to share the company of like-minded individuals. I offer the occasional session in my home and I attend monthly Reiki shares to stay current. I hope to begin teaching classes sometime in 2008. I'm enjoying the health benefits and the doors which Reiki is opening for me and I'll keep you posted as I gain experience and experiences. I've also begun research into Reiki Massage, Reiki with Crystals and Reiki with Essential Oils.
In September of 2007 I was invited to come back and audit the Level III training that I had taken in 2005 with Reiki Master Suzanne Dobinson. Suzanne is now a good friend and she inspires me to walk the Reiki path with a glad heart and an ever-inquisitive mind. The refresher course was very informative and I now feel less intimidated by the prospect of teaching in the future.
The folks with whom I shared the class have allowed me to post a photo of them following their attunements. Our intention is/was to send Reiki energy to anyone who views the photo (and who wants it, of course).
November 16, 2007: Just a short note to let you know that I recently received a long distance attunement from a Reiki Master in England. He is offering attunements in what he considers to be Levels V & VI complete with Manual and Certificate. I enjoyed the attunement (I'd been wanting to experience a distance attunement) and I'm enjoying working with the new symbols that accompany the process. I'll share more with anyone who wishes to know more about this "extension" to traditional Usui Reiki.
July 19, 2010: It's been nearly three years since I last updated this page and I only realized this when I returned here today to check out The Reiki Concepts that I had posted here. I'm currently reading a book by Reiki Master and Teacher, Don Beckett titled REIKI - THE TRUE STORY. I have long been in search of the true origins of Reiki and although we may never fully know the validity of the Usui Reiki story that many of us have been taught, this book goes a long way to reconnect us with the "heart" of Reiki as a tool for personal self-awareness and our connection to that which we consider "Source" energy.
In the past two years I have been learning a lot about The Teachings of Abraham as channeled by Esther Hicks, and her husband Jerry. Their teachings about vibrational alignment seems like such a natural fit with Reiki training that I mention them here as a tangent that each of you may wish to investigate on your journey. You can check them out online at www.abraham-hicks.com and I whole-heartedly recommend their books, DVDs and workshops. Abraham and Reiki have opened me to a great deal in this lifetime.
Getting back to Don Beckett's book for a moment, I'd like to suggest a few changes to The Reiki Concepts or Ideals that he mentions in the book. The reason that they've caught my attention is that they seem to resonate with the revised wording that Abraham often suggests, because "what we focus upon is what we attract to ourselves". So... with all due respect, and intention, I'm going to change my daily kotodama to the following:
Just for today,
I am Peace.
I am Faith.
I Do Without Doing,
and with Appreciation.
I am Kind.
If you'd like to experience a Reiki session sometime please contact me, or ask about it when you're working with me on a theatre production. In the meantime, if you're interested in knowing more about Reiki I encourage you to do a word search on Google.ca or youtube.com and see where it brings you.
I would like to thank all my teachers and guides for their love, encouragement and support and I'd like to thank Charlotte and Robert who encouraged me to begin my journey while on the set of The Pacifier.
To begin your journey you may wish to check out the websites of each of my Reiki teachers: Suzanne www.suzannedobinson.com, Cheryl at www.sacred-journeys.ca and/or Liane at www.personal-coaching.ca. Each of them are terrific women and they've proven to be good teachers and friends.
Some of my favourite websites dealing with Reiki include:
The International Centre for Reiki Training (William Rand's website) www.reiki.org
The Reiki Threshold (Rick Rivard's website)
Reiki Dharma (Frank Petter's website)
I have now added a copy of my Reiki Master certificate to the website for those people and organizations who have asked for it. At the latest Reiki III training my Reiki Master provided me with an updated certificate with Gold Certified stamp. As soon as I have it scanned into the computer I'll replace the one below.
