The Healing Modality of Reiki
As I am preparing to teach a class in Reiki level I, I find myself looking back to when I had my 1st Reiki session in 2004 and then my subsequent trainings in 2005 and 2006. I had no idea back then how much Reiki would change the trajectory of my life path. I was completely ignorant as to what Reiki was all about; I was in pain and someone I knew offered to “do Reiki” for me. I was open-minded enough to say, “yes” once I was told that it was “energy healing” and that I didn’t need to do anything but be open to receiving it. That first encounter happened casually and quickly and was so helpful in alleviating the pain in my shoulder blade that I was amazed. All the person did was have me be still while she put her hands on my shoulder. At first nothing felt any different, but after a few minutes, her hands got really hot and the pain dissipated from a 10 (on the pain scale of 1-10) down to about a 2. I needed to learn more about Reiki.
Mariah taught me all 3 levels of Reiki over the course of a couple of years. She was one of the most unconventional people I knew at the time. She talked about things like journeying and space clearing and using crystals- all things I knew nothing about. She told me about “phone sessions” where she did distance Reiki. I was skeptical. I was leery of being “taken in” and at the same time wanted to be able to do this Reiki healing stuff. I had several other sessions with her and another person before I started my official training. Every session was different but every session was profoundly helpful. Once, I was having back pain, and the practitioner asked permission to put his hands on my back. The energy coming from his hands was remarkable and within a half hour I had an emotional breakthrough about what I had been holding onto in my body that was causing me pain. I came away from that session with a physical understanding of the mind/body connection. My third session with Mariah was more formal than the 1st. I was on a massage table and she began the session by asking me if I had an intention for my session. I really just wanted peace inside and told her so. She held my head in her hands and I felt the warm soothing energy pour into me. After a few minutes she told me that she was getting some information that she was supposed to tell me. This was super cool and a little unnerving as I asked, “Who are you getting it from?” She said it was one of my guides or Angels and they said that I had just received some upsetting information from a young man (it was true, I had) and they wanted me to know that I didn’t need to worry about how he was going to handle the situation, that I may need to work through it myself and that he and I would both be okay.
Well, this just blew me away! How did she know? I hadn’t told one soul about my conversation with the young man. After that session, I realized something I had long suspected was true- that there are many ways to access information and that psychic phenomena is one of them.
When I started my Reiki training, I wanted my abilities to look and feel and work just like I experienced with my teacher. She experiences clairvoyance (inner seeing) and clairaudience (inner hearing). I was so curious and so suspicious and so excited! I was a beginner. I wanted everything at once, but that isn’t the way it worked. She was so matter of fact about my training. She told me that my gifts and talents would be revealed to me in time and that they would be unique to me. She was right. She also told me that I am someone who will help humanity to change the way we handle pain. She then told me that it was like the “Hundredth Monkey effect” – the more people who became aware of this healing method, the faster we will all heal. I didn’t understand what she was talking about but I was willing to learn. I am still learning and it is an amazing path. We have the ability to bring healing to ourselves and others and each of us has our own pathway to healing.
In my experience, Reiki Energy is a high-vibrational, healing, light energy that is available to us all. Inherent in the energy is a “do no harm” meaning that the frequency at which it is accessed is only of light. If someone says that they have a bad experience with Reiki, it is not Reiki that they are experiencing. Reiki is not something we experience with our thinking mind; it is a vibrational frequency that we attune to. Reiki is not a religion or a religious practice. It is spiritually guided- it is with our spiritual self that we ask for and receive it. Reiki Energy does not come from a practitioner it comes through the practitioner to the client and the skills are developed through education and practice. It works with whatever value and belief system an individual has if they are open to it. I am grateful I was open to it when it was offered to me many years ago and I continue to be grateful that I am now able to share this healing modality with others.
Elizabeth Jackson LMT, RMT is a licensed professional Massage Therapist and Energy Worker who enjoys assisting others to achieve their own aspects of well-being through body and energy work. She owns and operates the Center for Balanced Living and Body & Soul Health Solutions offering Massage Therapy, Reiki sessions, Craniosacral Therapy, Tarot Readings and EFT sessions. She also facilitates regular Reiki Shares, group meditations and workshops in Self-Care Health Care. Check out Elizabeth’s practice: Body & Soul Health Solutions on Facebook or at: www.bodysoulmassagereiki.com and www.mainecenterforbalancedliving.com.
ELM™ | Maine
