This past week I had the opportunity to visit Vancouver for a meeting of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. The conference itself was a meaningful experience, but the visit was enhanced by my Vancouver Reiki experience.
After studying Usui Reiki Ryoho with my first teacher, Robin Littlefeather Hannon, I was trained and attuned to Gendai Reiki by Amy Rowland, and after that learned and received attunements from Rick Rivard.
One of the wonderful "perks" of learning with Rick, is participation as a former student in his "Tera" listserv. Rick was one of the founders or URRI - Usui Reiki Ryoho International, that ran from 1999-2003 and brought Reiki masters together from all over the world. "Sharing from the heart" (as Rick usually signs his emails) is a part of Reiki, and sharing Reiki experiences with Master teachers and new students worldwide is an enriching opportunity. As valued as this experience has been, I had wanted to meet Rick, receive "in person" attunements from him, and meet some of the other compassionate caring human beings who post on "Tera."
It is sort of fitting that Vancouver be such a hot bed of Reiki - not only was the first URRI session held there in 1999, but as well, Mrs Takata taught in a limited number of venues, and she lived with the Twan family in British Columbia, and taught there for a significant period of time.
So when I emailed Rick letting him know that I would be in Vancouver for a few days, and would like to meet and receive attunement from him - little did i know the treat that was in store for me. Rick and Peggy arranged for an exchange and about 20 practitioners turned out for an evening at the beautiful Canadian Memorial United Church at 15th and Burrard in Vancouver. Rick picked me up from my hotel, showed me quite a bit of Vancouver, the Sylvia Hotel where the Japanese masters stayed in 1999, the beach, views of the mountains, and finally we were at the exchange. There is a certain feeling that occurs when so many Reiki practitioners are together - my wife and I felt this when we visited the Temple in Kyoto where the Komyo exchange meets every week.
We gathered in a circle, and Peggy led a meditation. Energy flowed in the circle, and members of "Tera" who were not physically present "joined in." There was a sense of renewal, and connection, and ripples of compassion. A picture of Usui Sensei and the Japanese rendition of the Reiki precepts graced the front of the room, turning the church into a "dojo" - Rick and Jaime gave Reiju to all present.
Sitting in the circle, each of us shared our stories. And then we divided into groups working 4 or 5 practitioners to a table so that each of us received 10-15 minutes of Reiki.
I want to express gratitude to Rick for his years of commitment to Reiki, teaching, and for his constant sharing from the heart; to Peggy for helping with arranging the evening, and for doing a wonderful meditation, to Jaime for the Reiju - and to everyone who shared (in physical presence, or by distant Reiki) this exchange.
I do want to add to this Blog a poem I wrote earlier in the day. At the AAHPM meeting I participated in a section on working to relieve Lateral Violence in Health Care. This is a huge problem, and responsible practitioners and Health Care systems are facing this issue of mistreatment of health care workers by health care workers. To bring out issues, we broke into groups of 8 physicians and nurses, these were "mainstream" docs and nurses, not a Reiki group, but stories poured out. We had a reading based on experiences of an Intern, and we then each did a Reflexive Writing exercise.
I felt such incredible pain and anger around me - and people poured out their hearts. Perhaps with the help of Reiki, I am holding very little anger in - anger and worry are so harmful to us when we hold it in - but even before hearing everyone else's stories (some of the physicians and nurses said that what they wrote in their exercise they had never told anyone in their lives - and seeing people through the week you could see the healing).
But I wrote this poem - it reflected on the intern who, exhausted, and mistreated himself, had a dying patient who he could not save.
A last breath is taken
The wind goes through the trees
A noble spirit emerges
I see your pain.
You saw me suffering
And you were powerless to help me
But it is OK
I know that you cared.
Do not worry
Let go of your anger.
You have more energy within you than you know
You can heal.
I am grateful that you were present for my transition
It is OK
Let go of your own pain.
Do not despair.
You have compassion.
Form sacred spaces with others
And find the strength present for you.
Two days later I was listening to another session at the AAHPM meeting, and I heard a quote - I do not know from where it initially derived. It stated - "we do not do miracles, we form sacred spaces where miracles can occur."
And so I will always remember my time in Vancouver, where a group of conventional doctors considered the possibilities of Sacred Spaces - and I experienced the sharing of a Reiki exchange with so many compassionate people.
I am grateful.
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