Each day you will learn or review a different Reiki technique or meditation and give a short Reiki Treatment. This, along with journal writing will form your daily practise.
Don’t let the word “meditation” scare you. I have students who cringe at the thought of having to “sit still and think of nothing”. Before you place this book back on the shelf, consider this quote by Allan Wallace:
“The point of Buddhist meditation is not to stop thinking, for cultivation of insight clearly requires intelligent use of thought and discrimination. What needs to be stopped is conceptualisation that is compulsive, mechanical and unintelligent, that is, activity that is always fatiguing, usually pointless, and at times seriously harmful”
Meditation is designed to take away the mind chatter. All those self defeating thoughts that run constantly through our minds, undermining our energy and self esteem. There is no requirement to “empty the mind”. The techniques you will learn make it increasingly easier to centre yourself and bring your mind into the present moment.
Some of the techniques you may have been taught in Reiki courses and some may be new. If you have been taught to do the exercises differently then, just do them the way you were shown. As Reiki practitioners we all know that each Reiki Master does things a little differently.
For optimum results, a commitment to a daily practise will be required from Day One. Honour yourself by taking the time every day for this practise. Whether you have half an hour or five minutes it is important to practise daily.
At the end of the 21 days you will have established a daily routine of Reiki. You may not want to continue with all the exercises included in this book, just your favourites. That is OK. There are no rules! My aim is to bring awareness to the many ways you can use Reiki in your day and the many wonderful benefits you will experience by doing so.
Remember to go easy on yourself during this process. A little “self-compassion” may be required in the beginning and as you progress you may find that you begin to move out of “critical self judgement” and begin to honour and accept your unique Human-ness.
ROUTINE IS IMPORTANT
The first thing to consider is to establish a routine. We are after all creatures of habit and by working with that, we make things easier for ourselves. Each of us has a morning routine or an evening routine which includes shower, changing clothes and cleaning teeth. Most of us wouldn’t even consider going to bed without following this evening ritual. Making Reiki part of that routine will make it easier to form the habit.
If you practise at the same time and in the same place every day your mind will begin to respond by calming down as you start getting ready. This makes the experience even more enjoyable and one that you will look forward to every day.
Put aside time every day. If you want to try something new, you may have to let go of something old. Remember ten minutes is a couple of commercial breaks during your favourite TV show or a small amount of time spent on the Internet. You could just get out of bed ten to fifteen minutes earlier in the mornings.
It may help if you create a ritual of lighting candles, burning incense or playing music. Making the space special adds to serve as a focus for your intention. According to Buddhist teachings, statues, flowers, candles, and incense are all reminders of positive characteristics that we seek to honour in ourselves. The image of a Guru or Master reminds us of our own inner potential. Flowers remind us how life is beautiful and precious but impermanent at the same time. The flame of a candle bringing light to the space, signifies wisdom illuminating the darkness of the unenlightened. While the incense, as its perfume effortlessly floats through all corners of the room, reminds us to trust Reiki’s ability to gently transform our anger and worry into an inner peace.
I have included here a version of Hawayo Takata’s House Blessing. This Reiki ritual was given to the class during our Second Degree Course. You may use it to cleanse your room and infuse it with Reiki energy, in preparation for the next three weeks. It is not essential that you do this every day.
HAWAYO TAKATA’S HOUSE BLESSING
Please note: Some lineages believe that the Reiki symbols and mantras are sacred and should be kept secret. So as a mark of respect I have not included them in the descriptions of the techniques. I will use the acronyms CKR, SHK, HSZSN and DKM
On a tray place:
A lighted candle (this represents spiritual enlightenment and spiritual illumination)
A lighted incense / oil burner (this represents spiritual cleansing and clearing)
A flower preferably a rose. A pink rose is considered a Reiki rose and it stands for unconditional love. (This represents beauty of spirit and beauty of soul)
A small dish of salt (this represents spiritual abundance and prosperity)
A small dish of rice (this represents spiritual nurturing and nourishment)
The Blessing:
Hold the tray in one hand.
Acknowledge the tray (Namaste or Gassho) draw CKR over the tray and place hand on or above the tray until the energy shuts off.
Take the tray to all the outside corners of the house; acknowledge the corner, bow with tray in your hand or perform Gassho with the tray at your feet. Draw CKR and give Reiki to the corner until the energy shuts off
Do all the corners in the same way.
Do front and back doors as well
*If you haven’t been attuned to Second Degree Reiki simply perform the procedure without the use of symbols.
CREATING A JOURNAL
Each day is a new canvas to paint upon. Make sure your picture is full of life and happiness and at the end of the day, you don’t look at it and wish you had painted something different. ~ Author Unknown
Along with Reiki exercises your daily practise includes journal writing. Some days it may be tempting to skip this part but it is important not to. Intensive Reiki work such as this can promote change in all areas of your life. Sometimes the changes can be obvious and others can be subtle. Journaling is your way of tracing your journey over the next few weeks.
Journaling on its own can be healing. It is very therapeutic writing about your experiences, emptying your mind of worries at the end of the day, where your thoughts can be safely expressed. According to Writer Bud Katter, journaling is a ”reflection of our soul in the mirror of life”.
The following few pages will describe how to set up your journal. You could do your journaling on your computer, I prefer books because they are portable. I use mine like a scrapbook. It contains magazine articles. photos anything that has meaning to me. It is scrappy, but it is fun.
MORE INFORMATION TO INCLUDE
Your journal is for your personal thoughts, feelings and observations. It is a record of your experiences over the next 21 days.
The next step is to take a photo of yourself and add it to your journal. This is an interesting exercise we carried out during our Reiki One Course. I have a photo of myself and my Hubby taken before our course, and we could not believe the physical changes in both of us when we compared it with the “After” photo..
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