I became a Reiki Master/Teacher in 2017 and I have words. Just a few.
My mom was into reflexology when I was a young whipper snapper. My sisters and I used to lay on the ground and put our feet up on her lap to subtly say “hey mom, will you rub my feet?”. We have a few pictures of her with two or three of us with our feet in her lap. She was always smiling in these pictures and I believe it was because she was in the midst of discovering her true calling. The reflexology led her to learn about different alternative healing methods. Eventually she took her Reiki I, II and III. I became her guinea pig as I used to get frequent headaches. I remember her putting her hands on me and asking if I “felt” anything. I’ll admit, I remember answering, “ya, a bit…”, but not really being sure if what I was feeling was anything at all. She ended up doing Reiki for over 22 years. She was also a nurse for 41 years. She gave her life to helping and healing people. 25 years later and after her passing, I felt a strong pull to learn Reiki. This past fall in 2017, I did Reiki I, a month later, Reiki II and then shortly after that, Reiki III.
It was fascinating. With each level, you get an attunement. An attunement is the process of your crown chakra and aura being opened by a Reiki Master, Reiki symbols being placed into your aura and crown chakra and then you being able to channel life force energy through you to anyone requesting/needing healing. Sounds simple right? LOL.
I’ve known about Reiki since I was 13 years old. I remember explaining it to some friends in school and in the same conversation I would throw out how I could feel ghosts or spirits in my house. My friends would look at me with big eyes and I knew right then they would never be sleeping over at my house. When I would ask my mom about spirits or ghosts and what to do when I felt them around, she would respond with: “Ask them what they want or tell them to go away.” After everything I’ve learned about the psychic and spiritual world, my mom was right on the money. If you feel a thickness in the room or you feel some sort of different energy, just simply say out loud “please go away, you aren’t welcome.” and you will feel them leave. If you are curious, ask them what they want and good luck with that. 😉
With Reiki, the more you do, the more your intuition/sixth sense develops. During the Reiki process, I acknowledged that my intuition has always been quite connected and strong and I’m excited to tap into it further.
My Reiki Experience:
Taking Reiki I is not a huge time commitment. It was 4 hours with JayaLeigh. You learn about the history of Reiki, a meditation to protect yourself, where to place your hands when doing Reiki on a real human being, and finally, the attunement. Then you are free to heal! You can place your hands on yourself or someone and feel the energy flow.
My mom had given me an attunement when I was 16, but I was A) Not really caring about it; B) Not really paying attention; C) Not really getting it; and D) I was 16. I can still remember asking what she was doing and then rolling my eyes to her response as I glanced at the Reiki symbols she had placed beside me on our bluey-green shag carpet. As you can see, my attitude did not warrant me establishing a Reiki career just yet.
The first thing you do in Reiki I is rub your hands together for at least 10 seconds. Then you place your hands a few inches apart and immediately feel the energy pull from one hand to another. It’s the teacher’s way of demonstrating that we are all energy and if we tune into it, we can learn how to flow positive, healing energy to ourselves and others.
After my Reiki I, I practiced on myself and my kids and couldn’t believe how much energy I was feeling through my hands, especially given that my mom had done it on me over the years. This was definitely much stronger than I had ever felt it.
If you are interested in becoming a Reiki practitioner, I would highly recommend reading Diane Stein’s Essential Reiki book. She felt that Reiki needed to be spread to as many people as possible because the world is desperate for more healing. She gives everyone permission to use her book and copy the symbols for use. She also made getting Reiki attunements much more affordable, bringing each level from a cost in the thousands to the low hundreds.
When you do your Reiki, your life changes – or it will change. You can feel it. Your aura has opened. You are seeing things differently. You acknowledge a bigger purpose in your life and you want to follow through with some changes. A little of this is obvious after Reiki I, but more so after Reiki II. I was so pumped about getting my 2nd level that I read so much of the Essential Reiki book. I started practicing the symbols beforehand. They were very easy for me to memorize. I had friends volunteer for me to practice on them. During the sessions with these friends, it was so evident when I needed to keep my hands on certain spots of their bodies. It was as if those areas were “thirsty” for the energy. I would describe it as if I had been doing it my whole life. I just seemed to know what to do. This is common for those newly learning Reiki. It feels like home. One of the biggest and most common explanations of this is because those who are called to do Reiki in this lifetime were most likely energy healers in a past life (or lives). I can say with confidence that I am returning home.
“I honestly feel like you changed my perspective on a lot of things that were drawing negative energy from me. You changed my life in three sessions and I am forever grateful. You give with such gratitude. Thank you!” Faye Rauw
Between Reiki II and Reiki III, I couldn’t stop smiling. Beforehand, I was always searching for the next thing because I felt unsettled. I felt I needed to do something big and meaningful and become famous because of it (even though I don’t want to be famous AT ALL). Now I do not feel this pressure. I feel happy with my new found purpose and I have faith in the process. People are coming to me and I’m talking about it with ease. Not with everyone, but with people who need it or want it and I’m all theirs. I’ve been giving attunements too and opening up crown chakras and auras to spread the love. Just like my mom was finding her calling, I am smiling in peace as I discover and experience mine.
Michelle GB.
EAT MORE VEG, SWEAT daily and don’t forget to BREATHE.
UPDATE: I will be teaching REIKI I on March 31, 2019 and REIKI II on May 26, 2019 in Toronto.
Please check out the link for more details.