Notes from a Reiki Class

This past Tuesday we gathered for our monthly Reiki Share, Betty and Antonette were early and the three of us started with Breathing, and Dry Brushing, and reaching for Reiki, and Gassho. They had both learned Level 1 previously, but there is a benefit to repetition, and to method, and to daily self Reiki, and so we went through the basic hand positions first working each on ourselves.

At this point, the stress of the day was leaving. Betty and Antonette were taking turns practising on each other, and everyone was noticing that hands had gotten pretty warm! Karen arrived and I had them work on 4 hand techniques, as our share has grown we have increasingly had the luxury of working with 4 hand tehcniques.

While Mrs Takata taught her 22 students predominantly the 2 hand one person method. the year she lived with the Hayashi family and learned from Chujiro Hayashi, his clinic focused on 2 practitioners working on each patient, so certainly, she was aware of that technique.

It is interesting, that I received an email from a respected friend telling me that "Takata did not teach intuitive readings." It is an interesting question, for my own opinion, and from the biographies of Mrs Takata by Helen Haberly and Fran Brown, she must have been one of the most intuitive people of the past century. Prior to learning Reiki, she had a vision that caused her to go to learn with Hayashi. She lived with the Hayashi family for a year, and then, Hayashi and a daughter of his came to live in Hawaii with Mrs Takata for 6 months. She then had another vision leading her back to Japan, to be in the Hayashi household at the time of her teachers death. One of my teachers, Sensei and author Amy Rowland, has written a superb book, "Intuitive Reiki for our times." Amy's teacher, the beloved Rev. Beth Gray, was one of the original Takata students, and Bill Lee Rand of Reiki news wrote an incredible tribute to Rev Gray, and what she meant to Reiki.

Mrs. Takata taught method because method is what one is able to teach. But her Master students, such as Iris Ishikiro (and her student and partner Arthur Rubenstein) added Intuitive practices into much of Reiki teachings.

Barbara Hanley arrived, Barbara originally taught by Takata student Ethel Lombardi, founder of Mariel and cross trained by my first teacher Robin Hannon (in the Iris Ishikiro tradition). So many of us have trained more than once "from scratch," and one of the great joys of Reiki, is the sharing - there is more than one path to the pond in the mountain. Barbara's years of working in both traditional nursing and holistic nursing are of such value to us.

Dottie who has recently been co teaching my share with me, and is near completion of Shinpiden level training (Gendai) addition to Usui Reiki Master level, and Brenda and Jean - all masters who have been sharing together for more than a year now. (without Jean and my teacher Robin, it is doubtful we would have been able to succeed in our share). Brenda has a vision and a mission to reach out to people beyond our current share.

Christine came, and we were able to divide into different groups for awhile, Dottie teaching Symbols, and Barbara and Brenda and I able to work on an attunement workshop.

I arrived with a sense of stress from my day, and left very refreshed from the Reiki energy that was brought into our class by all who participated.

I want to thank those members of the class who are volunteers for our hospice patients, especially Dottie and Karen, who have been giving hours of presence and Reiki and caring for our patients. And to Christine who has agreed to join our volunteer program. While it is true, that in Reiki there is a saying, "first help oneself," my life experience tells me that helping others makes the anger and worry and hurt inside oneself go away, and adds to ones own sense of self worth.

We learn this lesson from the Broadway play "Avenue Q" where the play starts with each character competing in the singing of the song, "My Life Sucks" - and - in the end, when they realize that they can help others, each of their own lives turns for the better.

In my studying of the Jewish tradition, it is reminiscent of the Hillel teaching," if I am not for me, who will be for me? But if I am only for myself, who am I? And if not now when?"

We missed our super volunteer Louise this month, but I understand Anne and Patricia visited her the next day, and Dottie the day after that.

I want to thank everyone who is participating in our Reiki class, and everyone who is working in our Hospice, for Sharing a Journey. Our Executive Director says we are spreading Purple Ripples, and I have no doubt that he is right.

note:

the image at the top of this blog was taken in Ecuador, at the Equator. Whether at the Equator, or at Stonehenge, or in Jerusalem, or Giverny - all living things are connected.