CANADIAN REIKI ASSOCIATION NEWSLETTER

Spring 2014 Issue

IN THIS ISSUE CRA Info………………………………………………………………………………………………..……… 3 Message from the President …………………………….……………………………………..….. 4 CRA 17th Annual General Meeting………………………………………………..……………… 5 Reiki Reflections: Preteens and Reiki..………………………………………………………….. 6 Book Review: This Is Reiki…………………………………………………………………………….. 8 Mindfulness Meditation Can Change Your Life..…………………………………………. 10 Finding Courage through Connection: Reiki and Me…………………………………….12 Gratitude for Reiki, Reiki of Gratitude………….…………………………………………….. 15 The Perfection of a Moment………………………………………………………………………. 16 Strengthen Your Light with Reiki………………………………………………………………... 19 Book Review: Integrative Healing……………………………………………………………….. 25 The Grip of Pain………………………………………………………………………………………….. 26

Canadian Reiki Association We provide our members with a national voice and encourage high educational standards. Through our Code of Ethics, we are promoting ethical practice and teaching. We assist the public with referrals to CRA Registered Practitioners and Teachers and we are committed to enlightening and educating our communities about Reiki.

Board of Directors: Bonnie Smith Alice Creighton Louyse Vigneault Carell Mehl

Editorial Committee: Editing & Layout: Anouk Mackenzie [email protected] Website: Susan Chepelsky, Sue Studios

Mailing Address: 24-2350 New Street - Burlington, ON L7R 4P8 P: 1.800.835.7525 or Local: 604.669.9049 F: 1.866.734.4540 E: [email protected] or [email protected] W: www.reiki.ca We welcome your comments and feedback. The editors reserve the right to select and edit submissions suitable for the newsletter.

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THE CRA ONLINE COMMUNITY REIKI EXCHANGES AND SHARES LISTINGS The ongoing shares and exchanges are updated regularly on our website at www.reiki.ca. If you wish to know of an upcoming event near you and you do not have access to the internet, you may call our toll free number and we will provide you with the information: 1-800-835-7525

FOLLOW THE CRA’S NEWS AND UPDATES: CRA Website: www.reiki.ca

TWITTER: reikicanada

FACEBOOK: Canadian Reiki Association (or search for us under the email address [email protected])

IMPORTANT NOTICE TO OUR READERS Effective as of April 1st, 2014 Upon completion of the C.R.A. year end financials, it has come to our attention we are now required by Revenue Canada to charge the (GST) H.S.T. on all membership fees, products and services provided by the C.R.A. As this rate varies from Province to Province we must abide by the rate of that Province. We have been working diligently on updating all forms including the web store to meet this federal tax requirement. All documents post marked April 1st or later must include either the H.S.T. or G.S.T. rate set by your Province to avoid any delay in processing your membership. Bonnie Smith, CRA-RT ADVERTISING INFORMATION Advertise your business, sell merchandise or place job ads in the newsletter. On review of the content, non-members can also advertise in our newsletter. Contact: [email protected]. Ad Size

NEWSLETTER DEADLINES We are always looking for fresh articles that would be of interest to our members. If you wish to publish your article or advertise in our newsletter, below are the deadlines for each issue:

Members

Non Members

ISSUE

Date of issue

Deadline for ads & articles

March 21

February 15

June 21

May 15

Full

4.5” x 7.5”

$70

$140

Spring

1/2

4.5” x 3.75”

$40

$80

Summer

1/4

2.25” x 3.75”

$20

$40

Fall

September 21

August 15

1/8

2.25” x 1.87”

$10

$20

Winter

December 21

November 15

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Message from the President In this edition of the spring 2014 newsletter we welcome Anouk Mackenzie to the staff as our chief editor. With her experience and enthusiasm we will look forward to many great issues in the coming year. We hope you will support Anouk by submitting your stories of interest that we have all come to enjoy. You may contact her at: [email protected]. We want to thank Greg Cupples for his time and efforts as our past editor and for taking our newsletter to a new level. We wish him and the family our best as they settle into a new life and work here in Ontario. Once again I want to thank Barb Weston for her time and dedication to the C.R.A. She has chosen this time to retire from her position as Director and is very much remembered as our Past President. Together we faced many challenges over the years to bring the recognition the Association has come to deserve. The C.R.A. will be celebrating our 17th Annual General Meeting and it will be held on May 31st at the Holiday Inn, Oakville, Ontario. The information package has been emailed to all members in good standing. We hope you will be able to attend. Gary Diggins is back for an encore performance for our afternoon performance. As a multi-instrumentalist, Gary has performed internationally and recorded with dozens of collaborators. Gary was our musical feature for the 2005 A.G.M. with an unforgettable presentation and we look forward to seeing him once again. Our mini market has shown to be a great success and will be back to interest to everyone attending. The Board of Directors has appreciated your support in the past and we look forward to seeing you there. Reiki Blessings, Bonnie Smith President

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CANADIAN REIKI ASSOCIATION 17th ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING We would like to invite our members and their students or guests to join us to celebrate our 17th Annual General Meeting held on May 31st at the Holiday Inn, 2525 Wyecroft Road, Oakville, Ontario. This is a day set aside for our members to meet the Board of Directors and fellow Reiki practitioners in the C.R.A. Reiki community. The business meeting will be followed by a buffet luncheon with a special guest star, Gary Diggins, for the entertainment portion of the afternoon. There will be time throughout the day to browse and shop at the mini market. The A.G.M. has been a huge success in the past with your support and we look forward to seeing you there. Reservations can be purchased at the C.R.A. web store: www.reiki.ca/store.htm#eve.

Gary Diggins Profile Gary Diggins has worked as a therapist in private practice for over 30 years. While based in Toronto he created Soundwork as Soulwork, a discipline that blended counselling with music for healing. Gary recently moved with his family to the artistically rich community of Guelph. Gary has served in Africa through Mindfulness Without Borders and throughout Europe with Inspired Future. He also teaches in the Expressive Arts Department of Fleming College. As a multi-instrumentalist, Gary has performed internationally and recorded with dozens of collaborators. He is currently completing a book. Come see Gary perform at the 2014 CRA AGM For further information, go to www.garydiggins.com ~ Love Gary Canadian reiki association newsletter

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Reiki Reflections: Preteens and Reiki According to Merriam-Webster, a preteen is a girl or a boy who is 11 or 12 years old. According to the online Free Dictionary, it is a child, especially between the ages of 9 and 12. For the purposes of this article, let’s just think of them as our little angels during those last few years before they turn into teenagers. During this relatively short transition period, our children start experiencing the influence of peer pressure, societal pressure and cultural pressure with respect to their physical, emotional, mental and spiritual connections in life. Many dilemmas can surface at this time. For example: Do I comb my hair the way I want to, the way my friends do or the way my parents want me to? Do I keep my feelings to myself, share them with one or more friends, speak to my teacher about them, or to my parents or siblings? Do I work hard to succeed in school or do I just coast not to appear too brainy with my friends? How do I balance play, sports, artistic interests, academic interests? What do I believe? What makes sense to me regarding my family, my community, the world at large, how it all fits with the spiritual or religious principles and rituals which have been part of my life to date? Of course we all struggle with these existential questions throughout our lives, but preteens are swamped with the lot of them almost overnight before they have had much of an opportunity to develop coping strategies to deal with it all. The result for many preteens can be unhealthy levels of stress. Enter Reiki! The basic objective of Reiki is to empower every person, no matter what their age, with a mechanism for providing care of self and care of others. It achieves this with a gentle technique which helps us calm our physical, emotional, mental and spiritual energy. The relaxation response, which comes from this state of calm, targets stress directly and helps to reduce it in all our energy fields. As a result, life’s challenges can be approached from a more grounded and balanced perspective. During the preteen years, our children start wanting to do things for themselves, by themselves. They start wanting to do things like an adult. Reiki is a wonderful practice which we can use to support them in this phase of their journey of growth into mature, independent feeling and thinking human Canadian reiki association newsletter

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beings. Research and practice have shown that preteens take joyfully to the energy and process of Reiki, which they can experience the same way any adult would. There are many web sites which deal with Reiki and kids. I found these two particularly interesting: http://advancedenergytherapeutics.com/reiki_for_children.htm. http://www.reikikids.ca/teaching-reiki-to-children-part-1.html. Whether it is a Reiki treatment which they choose to receive or Reiki training which they decide to pursue, for their own benefit (self-treatment) or for the benefit of others (treating others), preteens can manage the whole process by themselves from A to Z. If they decide to undertake some training, they are then equipped with the ability to use Reiki at any time to alleviate any personal difficulty or help someone else (a friend, sibling or parent) by treating them. Reiki is a life-long gift of caring and wellness that we can offer our preteens, and it gives them a powerful coping mechanism to see them through their preteen phase and all those other fun phases that follow. And remember, “Mother Nature is providential. She gives us twelve years to develop a love for our children before turning t h e m i n t o teenagers.” (William Galvin) Reiki Blessings! Joffre Carpenter-Ducharme of Reiki Associates www.reikiassociates.com Canadian reiki association newsletter

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This is Reiki by Frank Arjava Petter* Book Review by Jacqueline Ramsey, RMT I am biased, I know, but hear me out. In 2008 I did not know who Frank Arjava Petter was but he turned out to be a wonderful houseguest and a great teacher. What struck me most at the time was his love of history, particularly the Reiki history. Listening to him tell the story brought the practice alive for me. In 2013, with his newest book in hand and already read from cover to cover, I was once again in class with Arjava. His Reiki history had been expanded because in the intervening years he had met with more of the people who were directly connected to the Reiki practice in its early days. He had also visited the places connected to the Reiki story and, as much as he could, he had walked the path of Usui Sensei. This is Reiki may be in book form but the words and phrases are distinctly Arjava’s. You can hear him tell the story and feel the love he has for the practice of Reiki flow through the pages. In fact, his very first words are, “This book is my love song to Reiki.” While history is woven into all sections of This is Reiki, the book is also meant as a reference manual for teachers and a practical guide for practitioners. Arjava introduces the terms common in Reiki classes, explaining them from a Japanese perspective. He talks about the sites in Japan that he feels every practitioner should visit and explains the cultural and religious backgrounds surrounding the time of Usui Sensei. He widens your understanding of the Reiki practice as he explains how Buddhism arrived in Japan and its influence on the Reiki healing system. If that’s not enough, the last section of This is Reiki discusses the practice, again from a Japanese viewpoint. He also details many original Japanese techniques not usually taught in Western classes, including explanations of their esoteric backgrounds. Happily, the techniques are available to any practitioner, though Arjava suggests working with a suitable teacher if you have not done these techniques previously. The striking thing about This is Reiki is its comprehensive nature and ability to help the Western mind understand Eastern thinking and the impact it had on shaping the Reiki practice. Canadian reiki association newsletter

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Most of all you are reminded that, “Reiki means transformation and realization of your true nature.” And while you may need techniques to start with, and perhaps the inspiration of Arjava’s words, Reiki “can only really be conveyed from heart to heart – in person: this is Reiki.” *English edition first published in 2012

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Mindfulness Meditation Can Change Your Life Do you find yourself focused on the past or the future; perhaps you are not enjoying life’s simplest pleasures? Are you stressing about situations that have yet to occur? Over-analyzing situations in your mind? If you answered yes to any of these questions, your mind is likely filled with clutter. But the question remains, where does this clutter originate? Take a deep breath; recognizing these matters is a great place to start. Mindfulness Meditation is a tactic used The notion of living in the to help guide you through the development of moment has become an eliminating this clutter. This technique can essential aspect of our help you to reduce your stress, improve sleep patterns, promote healthier eating habits, being. Mindfulness develop happier relationships, and improve Meditation fosters this personal growth. This practice has the ability ability, allowing us to be to positively change your life.

aware of our surroundings and to acquire an appreciation for the present.

I asked my daughter (a fourth year student at UBC) to explain how mindfulness resonates with her; she described to me this: “When I think of mindfulness, I think of thoughtful awareness. I believe anyone can be mindful, however, in most cases it resonates from the development of our values. Mindfulness allows us to live in the moment, avoiding dwelling on the past or focusing too much on the future. I find this notion to be something that most of society takes advantage of. It is human nature to think in different tenses; but it’s interesting to further investigate how we tend to focus on the future or the past. Reflecting on my week, I noticed myself focusing on frustrations from projects or time management leading up to today. I also find myself planning for the future to compensate for focusing on the frustrations of the past to get more work done. Unfortunately what is lacking here is the ability to focus on the present, the task at hand. What I need to focus on is not either of these things. What I have realized is how these tenses work as distractions from the present. Instead of getting everything organized and doing it, I find myself drifting in thought with regard to what I have to do and why I didn’t prepare myself for a previous lecture. I also find myself excited about an upcoming event, which I build up in my mind; usually, once the event arrives, I get so caught up in remembering things I need to accomplish next, the moment moves by at a high speed. This is something I am working towards improving; I am working on directing my energy towards being more mindful of living in the moment.” Canadian reiki association newsletter

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The notion of living in the moment has become an essential aspect of our being. Mindfulness Meditation fosters this ability, allowing us to be aware of our surroundings and to acquire an appreciation for the present. Further, this concept facilitates recognizing these moments to fully enjoy what is actually taking place. Sometimes it is the little things in life that work as kind reminders to achieve eternal happiness. Often we let these moments slip by without even noticing. Mindfulness Meditation is a kind reminder to value these special moments to capitalize one’s ability to maintain happiness. Mindfulness Meditation enables us to become aware of our habits of thinking and reacting, eventually leading individuals to construct wholesome changes towards a less stressful life. Sandra Lepholtz, Reiki Master www.sandra-reiki-master-healing-meditation.com

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Finding Courage through Connection: Reiki and Me By Tania Lomaga A year after I moved to Ottawa, while pregnant with my first son, I decided that I wanted to volunteer at a local drop-in women's shelter giving Reiki treatments. Prior to that, I had been practicing Reiki out of a yoga studio in downtown Toronto and I really missed it. The volunteer coordinator suggested that I help It only makes sense that out at a permanent residence for women in caregivers also need to need of continuous care and support. She take care of themselves. felt this would be a safer, calmer place than Offering Reiki in the the drop-in shelter. And so my journey as a Reiki volunteer began. workplace can help ease

stress and tension, improve concentration and boost morale. When you feel good, that feeling spreads to others!

The rewards of volunteering far surpassed my expectations. I became friends with women of all ages and backgrounds. Some shared stories of their trials and tribulations, some preferred to just quietly receive Reiki, and others just curiously looked on. After an evening of volunteering I would happily return home to my role as a stay-at-home mom, feeling like I had made a meaningful connection, not only to the world outside, but also to the sacred world inside. Reiki assists one to open a channel to the divine – it inspires and uplifts. I have gained a greater sense of purpose from serving others in the community as well as my family. Connecting with women through Reiki has nourished my spirit. I get to do something I love, and receive trust and friendship in return. Recently, I was invited to offer Reiki at a new permanent residence, built in 2011. For the first time ever, many of the support staff, including nurses and social workers, have come to try Reiki. Many have reported feeling calmer and more peaceful after a session. It only makes sense that caregivers also need to take care of themselves. Offering Reiki in the workplace can help ease stress and tension, improve concentration and boost morale. When you feel good, that feeling spreads to others! As a volunteer, I have made new friends, heard many stories and learned more about myself and the world. By touching the lives of others, I have gained a valuable sense of confidence and contribution. Serving in this way has deepened my connection with Reiki and the community I live in. Canadian reiki association newsletter

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THE HEALING PLACE IN OAKVILLE www.sandra-reiki-master-healing-meditation.com Reiki Master: Sandra Lepholtz [email protected]

Learn breathing techniques for total relaxation. Live in the moment. Meditation helps you develop inner peace. It also will help you to cope with stress and anxiety, and works well with Reiki. 6 weeks to Mindful Meditation is an intense 6-week meditation program. Mindfulness Meditation Training helps to: • Reduce stress • Improve sleep patterns • Promote healthier eating habits • Develop happier relationships • Improve personal growth Mindfulness meditation enables us to become aware of our habits of thinking and reacting, and eventually to make wholesome changes towards a less stressful life. Mindfulness practice is taught by means of guided meditation, exercises, silent meditation periods, and discussion. Mindfulness practice has proven to be useful in counseling, education, therapy, and the creative arts. Countless people have used it successfully to lead happier and more productive lives, to improve the quality of their relationships, and to deal with the stresses of modern living. The practice of moment-to-moment awareness, attention to ordinary tasks and everyday events is conducive to transformation and healing oneself. Contact Sandra Reiki Master at [email protected] to enroll in classes.

Monthly Guided Meditation Sessions are available. Go to www.sandra-reiki-master-healing-meditation for schedule. Other Services Offered: Reiki Treatments and Training Reflexology Black Pearl Hot Stone Massage: incorporating Reiki and Reflexology

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Come with us!

Japan April 9th – 21st, 2015 Kyoto Cherri Blossom Festivals Mt. Kurama with Hyakuten Inamoto Sensei Osaka Aqua Liner – Doll Factory – Markets Holy Mountain Area of 120 Temples Koyasan/Mt. Koya overnight

This spiritual and cultural experience will be life changing. Tea ceremony; Reiki Share at Hyakuten Inamoto Sensei’s Temple “Daizen-In”; Visiting the Birthplace of Reiki “Mt. Kurama”; Temple of 1001 images of thousand-armed Kannon; Golden Pavilion; Nijo Castle; Miyako Odori Spring Festival; Gion Area; Nishiki Market; Yasaka Pagoda and so much more. For more details please contact Marianne Goetsch-Wholistic Health [email protected] Phone 780-479-0620

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Gratitude for Reiki, Reiki of Gratitude I had just sat down to write a gratitude letter to someone. Even though the occurrence to which my gratitude is related took place more than a year and a half ago, I find that this sense of gratitude has an interesting characteristic. As we all know, unlike a material possession, gratitude, once given, does not leave the giver. In fact, it can continue to grow with time. When I tune into my body and heart and to that ever-lasting, ever-refining sense of gratitude, I find that I am feeling something very familiar: I am, in essence, feeling something not very different from Reiki! Anyone who ‘lives Reiki’ would know the sensation of free-flowing, loving, harmonious energy that runs through the body and vibrates through every cell. I find that gratitude, like Reiki, flows in my body with a sense of nurturing love and harmony, healing my soul as it elevates the energetic vibration of every cell. Like Reiki, its flow and vitality do not deplete with time; in fact, when deeply experienced, gratitude seems to almost have a life of its own! At times it comes uncalled, just washing through me without apparent reason. I guess the same can be said about other feeling states like unconditional love, happiness, bliss, peace, and harmony. Like Reiki, they flow through our body/heart/mind, and heal and restore our sense of inner wholeness and the sense of being one with ‘All-That-Is,’ of being one with life. Even emotions that do not contribute to our wellbeing, such as anger, sadness and grief, have the ability, when tapped into, to fill up the cells of our bodies and to almost become entities of their own. These emotions, however, carry a very different potential, as they deplete us of our own life-energy and rob us of our connection with life-source, feeding our sense of separation rather than the sense of oneness. And so, as I was sitting to write my letter of gratitude, I found myself submerged in a ‘Gratitude treatment’… or was it a Reiki treatment? And as always I ended the treatment with gratitude for Reiki, or shall I say, this time I ended it with Reiki of gratitude? Ora Waldman, RT-CRA Etobicoke/Mississauga, Ontario www.TouchOfLight.ca 416.423.3019 Canadian reiki association newsletter

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The Perfection of a Moment By Catherine Bastedo There are moments in life when we know that everything is just perfect, in flow, in harmony, when there is a sense of happiness that goes beyond words. These moments often happen to us in nature, when we feel that we are in a spiritual place, a landscape that feels like home. For me, one of the best places is the seashore. The waves remind me of the rhythm of my own body and my life, the wind brings messages on its breath, and the gritty sand beneath my feet grounds me. Raucous calls of the gulls and terns, mixed with other shorebirds, only heighten the sense of peace.

Age and difference add beauty to natural objects. Can we accept that our own true essence is also magnificent?

The tide is coming in as I walk – beautiful greenish waves topped with white foam. A delicate Snowy Egret with his bright yellow feet steps delicately along the strand, watching for fish. The sky is a brilliant blue and the shellcovered shoreline glistens whitely. The sun warms my back as I wander along Tigertail Beach on Marco Island, the Gulf coast of Florida.

As I admire the scene, the egret walks in a semicircle around me and then back. Now it steps along the beach and I follow. When I pause, the egret pauses, when I move forward, it goes on too. We proceed slowly along in our own rhythm, he checking the water for food and I for pretty shells, both of us companionably halting here and there. I muse on the notion of perfection, because a moment like this, when time stops, is magical, and I cannot help wishing that it would last. I ask the universe for a symbol of this moment, and then my eye is caught by a oneinch-long tiny whelk shell, a cream-coloured Lightning Whelk, with brown lightning-bolt streaks and twelve tiny knobs on its upper body. It is the only shell of this kind I have found over several long walks on the beach, and this one is lying on the shore amidst innumerable other sorts of pale orange, purple, pink and yellow-hued shells. The whelk stands out, even though it is not as showy as some. Beauty does not require brilliant colours. I am reminded of a conversation with a fellow beach walker, who told me she was looking for a perfect shell. When her small granddaughter brought over Canadian reiki association newsletter

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an old sun-bleached shell that had a hole in it, the woman told her granddaughter that it was broken, and no good – she should look for another. “No, Grandma,” the little girl said. “This one is perfect.” How quickly our idea of perfection is “corrected.” In our day-to-day life, reminders of perfection surround us – perfect teeth smile at us, perfect bodies advertise the life we should have. Every time we buy groceries, magazine covers remind us of all the things we must do – overcome our weight problems, improve our sex life, host the perfect parties. Even our gifts seem to require the bow that is artistically displayed with just the right amount of creativity and artistry. No wonder we struggle to accept our bodies, our wrinkles, our lives. I stoop again and see that in the same cluster of shells as the one with the lightning whelk is the large, gnarled core of a shell, the outside gone and the inside twisted around and around. This old piece of shell radiates wisdom, wear, loss, and compassion. It will be here a long, long time, until it disintegrates into tiny specks of sand. It, too, is lovely. Age and difference add beauty to natural objects. Can we accept that our own true essence is also magnificent? We have no personal control over the weather, the scenery, the colours of the water, the shape of the land, the feel of the shell, or the perfection of the moment. Can we see that our lack of control over certain aspects of our lives may also be a divine gift? Perhaps the only real control we have is our decision to trust or not to trust. I leave the ancient twisted shell on the beach and bring the little whelk home with me – a reminder of a moment when harmony flowed through everything, touching, blessing, giving faith. The little white shell, placed inside a much larger cockle shell, seems to lie there content, protected, trusting. Can I truly absorb its message? © Catherine Bastedo Vision Reiki Catherine Bastedo is the author of Bird Vibes, a meditation deck to provide insight into current life situations by connecting with nature and the universal energy in us and around us. She teaches Holographic-Usui Reiki, and holds Inner Guidance Nature Workshops and Retreats in Ottawa, Toronto, Muskoka, and other locations. She teaches Chakra Basics online at Wise Woman University. Canadian reiki association newsletter

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IMPACT INSURANCE BROKERS INC SPECIAL INSURANCE OFFER for practising therapists who are members of the Canadian Reiki Association. For one low annual premium you can Protect yourself with a comprehensive insurance plan designed specifically for you! The policy offers the broadest listing of modalities, with limits of coverage beginning at $2,000,000 for Malpractice and General Liability occurrences. This coverage is offered through The Preventative Health Services Group. Premiums begin at $230.00 per annum (including your Preventative Health membership but exclusive of applicable Retail Sales Taxes). For more information visit our website at: www.impactinsurance.com or contact Preventative Health 416-423-2765. Impact Insurance Brokers Inc. 1600 Steeles Ave W, Suite 214 Concord, ON, L4K 4M2 905-660-6170 1-877-238-7054

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Art by Gaia Orion

Strengthen Your Light with Reiki By Colleen Benelli One of the techniques available to Reiki practitioners is “Strengthening your Light with Reiki.” When you strengthen your light with Reiki, your personal energy and your light are stronger. Reiki can help you strengthen your light internally, and it can surround your body with Reiki light, which gives you an additional source of pure life force energy to rely upon. When you have Canadian reiki association newsletter

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outside help, it takes less effort to stay centered and to act on your own inner guidance, regardless of your life circumstances. Creating a consistent practice of strengthening your light has many benefits. Surrounding yourself with the light of Reiki increases your intuition and spiritual guidance, and it improves your clarity of mind, which makes it easier to see your life and priorities. It can make it easier to manage your feelings so you are more capable of thoughtful decisions. You can place your intentions into the field of Reiki light around you to help you manifest your goals. A field of Reiki light within and around you can offer you spiritual, mental, and emotional protection from “less than light” energies. At the recent seven-day Karuna Reiki® retreat in New York, Reiki Master Teacher Michael Baird, explained it this way: “When you have Reiki light all around you, any dark or less than light energy that comes toward you will enter the field of light. The energy will choose to transform into the light, or it will turn and go the other way. A dark energy cannot withstand the light of Reiki.” Strengthening your light is also an important part of preparing yourself before a Reiki session and before giving Reiki attunements. Instructions for strengthening your light as part of your personal preparations before Reiki activities are taught in all of the Reiki I and II, ART/Master, and Karuna Reiki® manuals written by William Lee Rand. Many Reiki practitioners are naturally empathic and intuitive people. Strengthening your light with Reiki can also help you manage your empathy. When you strengthen your light with Reiki, it places an external field of divine light around you that can absorb the various changes in vibrations you encounter in your daily life at work, home, or any other place you may go. This allows your inner light to stay strong and constant, unaffected by your environment or by other people’s energy and feelings. The health of your chakras can influence your perceptions about your life and your world. Your chakras receive information for you and they need to be balanced and full. When the colors of your chakras—red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet —and the light within you are full and bright, you harmonize with the divine colors of the earth and of creation. If the light and color in your chakras is dim, it is more difficult to receive accurate information through them.

Strengthen Your Light with Reiki This is the technique taught by William Rand as part of the practitioner’s personal preparation prior to giving a Reiki treatment or attunement. I also Canadian reiki association newsletter

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use this practice in my daily life when I am in situations where I need quick protection for my empathy. •

•

Draw the Tibetan Master symbol, Usui Master symbol, and the Power symbol on your palm chakras. Draw a large Power symbol down the front of your body. Draw a Power symbol on each of your chakras, starting with the root chakra and ending with the crown chakra.

I have a longer version of this technique that I use during meditation. I call it my Reiki light infusion technique. I use this technique often to infuse divine light into my body and to surround my body with an entire field of Reiki light. I clear and fill my chakras with the divine light of their individual colors. I then blend the light of the earth and the light of God with my own heart light. Finally, I speak the Five Reiki Ideals and my intention for the day into the field of light. The steps: • •

• • •

• •

•

•

•

Activate all the Reiki symbols you are attuned to into your hands. Draw a Power symbol over the front of your body and on each chakra, starting with the root chakra. Draw a Power symbol over the mouth of God chakra at the base of your skull. Draw a Power symbol in front of you, on each side, above you, and below you. Repeat with the Usui Master symbol. Draw all the symbols you are attuned to in front of you. Give yourself Reiki. Start by placing both hands on your root chakra. Ask for the light of the divine color of red to fill your root chakra. Working up the body, repeat this for each chakra in turn, increasing the divine light of each chakra with its color—orange (sacral), yellow (solar plexus), green (heart), blue (throat), indigo (brow), and violet (crown). Place your hands on your heart and intend that the divine light in your heart grows and fills your body. Send the light from your heart out through your feet into the earth. Ask the divine light from the heart of the earth to blend with your light and travel back up through your feet and into your heart. Send the light from your heart out through your crown chakra into the universe. Ask for the light from the heart of God to blend with your light and travel back down through the crown chakra into your heart. You have now increased the divine light and color within you, and placed a field of Reiki light around you. You have blended the light of the earth and the light of God with your own heart light. Now speak the Five Reiki Ideals into this field of light. “Just for today,

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•

•

I will not anger. Just for today, I will not worry. I am filled with gratitude. I devote myself to my work, and I am kind to people.” Speak an intention that you would like fulfilled into the field of Reiki light around you. Know that the Reiki light supports your intention and can help you manifest your goals. Seal this light infusion by drawing another Power symbol over the front of your body.

If our empathy and intuition is on and our senses are heightened, we can often feel all the various human emotions around us. We can feel the joy, sorrow, triumph, grief, creativity, and the caring and the pain within people and the world. It can be very difficult to stay in our own joy and center when we are feeling the feelings of the world.

I also use the Reiki light infusion technique for my clients during Reiki treatments. They often come for a treatment with their personal light dim and depleted and they may feel tired, dull, and unable to manifest their goals. When I use this technique for my clients, I begin with a standard Reiki treatment and include this at the end. They leave feeling more vital, creative, and grounded. A recent client who was in the process of divorce realized after her treatment that she was ready and capable of beginning her own Reiki practice. When I last spoke with her, she had found a location to practice, had started creating her business materials, and had found a community of healers close to her that had welcomed her with open arms into their group. She now feels as if she has the creativity and the ability to thrive with her Reiki practice!

When I do distant Reiki, I strengthen my light inside and out and create a “light suit” around me. I am also a shamanic practitioner, and I use the Reiki Distant Healing symbol to travel on all of my journeys to the enlightened realms. I have recently discovered that my personal energy often literally travels to the places that I envision in my journeys and in my distant treatments. When I send distant Reiki, or work on clients over the phone, it is as if I am in the room with the client, and the light suit protects me from the change in vibration that occurs when my energy body shifts from one place to another. The light suit also keeps my energy whole when I travel in the enlightened spirit realms. Reiki practitioners often pray and ask to be more open, compassionate, sensitive, connected, intuitive, and to have heightened senses and Canadian reiki association newsletter

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perceptions. We invite spiritual guidance into our lives and ask to be able to communicate with enlightened beings, and we ask to live from our hearts. The more we ask for these qualities, the more capable and open we become, which is a wonderful life experience. However, this can also open us to negative energy as well. Negative energy can be very dark. Surrounding yourself with Reiki light generates a field of protection around you. The light will illuminate any dark energy that comes toward you. The Reiki light heals and transforms dark or less than light energy, because the light will always illuminate the dark. A high percentage of my students and clients are very empathic. At least several students speak of this in every one of my Reiki workshops. One of the challenges they often encounter is how to be in groups of people and not let the various feelings of other people affect them. They struggle with their ability to turn The light of Reiki their empathy on and off and sometimes surrounds me inside and need to stay away from group activities out, and I can listen and because of it.

hear people more In our daily lives as we watch television, effectively because of my listen to the radio and the news, we pick up intuition and empathy. My on the world issues around us. If our empathy is no longer a empathy and intuition is on and our senses liability, but a blessing. are heightened, we can often feel all the various human emotions around us. We can feel the joy, sorrow, triumph, grief, creativity, and the caring and the pain within people and the world. It can be very difficult to stay in our own joy and center when we are feeling the feelings of the world. The grocery store is an easy example of the benefit of surrounding yourself with Reiki light. People in the grocery store are often in a hurry and stressed, they may not have the money to buy what they need, perhaps they are frustrated by shopping with their children, etc. An empathic person can walk into the store and pick up all of the issues trailing throughout the store. (My hands often activate in a grocery store line, and I wonder who needs the Reiki!) Surrounding yourself with Reiki light can give you an external field of light that can absorb the fluctuating energies around you, and your internal light can stay constant and strong. Prior to my Reiki attunements, I was afraid to do energy work on people, because I knew that if they were in physical or emotional pain I would feel Canadian reiki association newsletter

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their pain as my own. Reiki attunements changed that for me. Now I have the benefits of my empathy, in that I can hear my clients and students with heightened perceptions, but I do not feel them internally or personally. The light of Reiki surrounds me inside and out, and I can listen and hear people more effectively because of my intuition and empathy. My empathy is no longer a liability, but a blessing. When your internal light is strong and healthy, you are creative, peaceful, capable and centered, even if your personal life is challenging. Strengthening your light with Reiki helps your divine light shine and surrounds you with an outside source of energy that can protect and heal you. Reiki light fills you with life force energy, illuminates the world around you, and allows you to walk through your daily life protected and with your intuition, empathy and heightened perceptions intact.

Colleen Benelli can be contacted at www.ReikiLifestyle.com, by email at [email protected] or by phone at 503-668-3308. This article was first published in Reiki News Magazine, Fall 2008. Artwork by Gaia Orion at artbygaia.com.

Just for today, I will not worry I will not be angry I will do my work honestly I will give thanks for my many blessings I will be kind to my neighbour and all living things

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Integrative Healing by Lorinda Weatherall Book review by Jennifer Kimbley Lorinda Weatherall's book Integrative Healing seeks to bring complementary and alternative medicine providers and western medical professionals to a closer understanding. Both groups are seeking health and wellness for their clients and patients, and this book is of particular interest to practitioners of any modality of energy healing. From an in-depth look at quantum physics and how it relates to energy medicine, to cellular memory and professional ethics, Weatherall offers a broad introduction to the key aspects of energy healing. She goes on to analyze the historical development of medicine from ancient Greek and Roman practices to the thirst for knowledge during the Renaissance and beyond that helped medicine evolve from superstition and ignorance to a more complete understanding of the mechanics of the human body. However, she illustrates the fact that "absence of physical illness" does not necessarily equate to health, and that there are many other facets modern medical practitioners need to consider. This is where complementary and alternate medicine providers can step in to fill the gap. Weatherall also throws the ball in our court, asking us to "restore some balance in all areas of our lives - work, sleep, health, play, and quiet time." This resonated with me as a mother of a preschooler, wife and Reiki teacher, and helped me reflect on the words of Usui Sensei, "How can we cure others if we are unable to cure ourselves?" (Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai Handbook, translated by Hyakuten Inamoto). The client/patient does benefit when they to set up the best possible conditions for true health, and ideally receive effective healthcare from both complementary practitioners and medical professionals when needed. Weatherall's book is available for purchase from amazon.ca. Jennifer Kimbley is a certified Komyo Reiki Kai teacher, and she teaches Reiki classes in Surrey, B.C. Her teacher is Hyakuten Inamoto, founder of Komyo Reiki Kai. She lived in Japan for five years, and studied traditional Japanese Reiki in Kyoto, the birthplace of Reiki. Her website is www.mountainskyreiki.com. Canadian reiki association newsletter

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The Grip of Pain by Anouk Mackenzie I’ve been thinking a lot about pain lately, about how it shows up in my life and in the lives of the people I work with. Currently I’m working with someone who is triggering quite a few “pressure points,” and it’s interesting to take a step back and look at what this experience is teaching me. June (not her real name) has a pet ferret (let’s call him Toots). June adores her pet ferret. However, Toots has been diagnosed with a list as long as your arm of health conditions, including a tumour and various chronic illnesses. Toots has received treatment from various clinics and is administered medication every two hours. The vet bills are adding up. June spends most of her day (and almost every day) at home taking care of Toots. June is a woman in her early 20s with an inquiring mind and a keen interest in writing. She also lives at home with her family in what she describes as a toxic environment, but can’t seem to get out. June tells me, “I haven’t had an easy life.” She, too, wants to be a healer. When I broach the subject of the future, which seems like a better place than the past or present, I meet with resistance. Toots’ deteriorating health is causing June a lot of suffering. One vet recommended putting Toots down. But Toots must be saved from death at all costs. I can’t help but think that Toots has taken on all the toxic, negative emotions in the family, and yet he represents something for June, perhaps a lifeboat. June’s predicament is also starting to cause a few issues for me. For one thing, I’m having a hard time watching her go through all of this, even if it is her own choice. But when a client chooses to stay in a situation, prolonging it instead of letting it go, can I honestly say I don’t do the same? Don’t I also comfort myself with uncomfortable yet familiar habits? Haven’t I endured chronic pain in my body and dismissed it as “normal”, rather than change or say goodbye Canadian reiki association newsletter

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to old habits that are no longer right for me? And why is my client’s situation making me uncomfortable? What about it is causing me discomfort? The fact that she chooses to stay stuck and focus on the past really bothers me. Yet not a day goes by that I don’t think about the “stuff” with my mother and the years I lived with her. Those days were a long time ago, and yet some of the pain and anxiety that surface from that time seem as fresh as this morning’s breakfast. Perhaps there’s a link between those repeating negative thoughts and the chronic pain and stiffness at the back of my neck and shoulders? Lately, I’ve been coming round to the idea that the mind is the seat of pain. We may not catch the mind thinking “painful thoughts” because they are so familiar, so routine. Rather, the pain has to reach the body—the physical, material level—before we pay attention. (I’m not talking about the pain felt from too much sun, a slip on the ice or other external phenomena. I mean that sort of pain that turns up at random, like when you’re on the bus or watching a movie. Then all of a sudden, Kaboom! Something snaps inside.) Not paying attention to the body’s signals is part of my cultural and emotional heritage. What counts, says the conditioned message, is the rational mind, the intellect, not the body. It’s only been in the last three years that I’ve started taking my “lump of clay” more seriously, that I’ve learned to listen to its various parts instead of just subjecting it to my will. And when I let it, this lump of clay won’t stop with its nerve pain and weird trembling sensations that make my stomach quiver like a sort of jellyfish. This layer of body knowing, when I finally quiet my mind and listen in the stillness, is like having a bunch of little eyes and ears all over my body, as if I had all these finely tuned receptors reaching out for something. I think this might be another form of intelligence. What’s more, in these moments of meditative quiet, in these brief timeless moments, I experience no pain, not one iota. Wait, did I just become pain-free by releasing my mind? Whenever I see my client, it’s clear to me that she believes in the transformative nature of pain, which is perhaps why she insists on holding on to the past. I guess I have similar beliefs, too. Each of us, in our own way, is learning how to work with the pain and negativity in our lives and in our minds. Maybe I just need to let go of my client’s suffering and trust that she, too, will find what works for her.

Anouk Mackenzie is a Registered Practitioner based in Montreal. Canadian reiki association newsletter

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To see a world in a grain of sand, And a heaven in a wild flower, Hold infinity in the palm of your hand, And eternity in an hour. William Blake

vous aider à déchiffrer le quotidien. Il peut aussi vous accompagner lors de vos méditations.  Laissez-vous guider par les pensées associées aux 50 magnifiques illustrations d’oiseaux et aux chakras.  Découvrez des faits intéressants au sujet de 50 oiseaux de l’Amérique de nord.  Guide inclus des qualités associées aux 8 chakras. Pour obtenir votre copie, communiquez avec [email protected] ou visitez le site web www.visionreiki.com. CDN$ 29.95

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