receive effective attunements indirectly (i.e. online, through a DVD, by enabling the student to self-attune) from a teacher? Would that render in-person teachers unnecessary? Would all teachers have to consider offering an online option in order to remain viable, regardless of how she/he viewed such courses? Can some people really get what they need from an online class and then learn the rest through practice? Would the effectiveness of such courses indicate that what has been taught about the way Reiki must be learned is incorrect or perhaps obsolete? Was the teaching on this point always incorrect or did something happen recently to make it so? What else might be incorrect? Is there anything else within the teachings that can be outmoded? If anyone can learn this way what does that mean for those who've been in practice for a while? If these classes are legitimate does that open the floodgates, make it less special, and mean that the cost will go down?

It's kind of exhausting, right? 

You can likely gather from all of the above my impression is that the general Reiki community does not have warm fuzzy feelings for online learning. In fact, when this topic is broached I've encountered a range from hostility and mockery to mild doubt and uncertainty. I fall in the latter category. I really don't have an opinion of online courses yet likely because I've never taken one (it's kind of hard to justify the expense to satisfy only a mild curiosity) and I don't know anyone who has. 

Of course the point isn't lost on me that Usui Sensei received a spontaneous attunement--an energetic initiation which enables you to do Reiki--and if it can happen to him why couldn't it happen to others and why couldn't it happen through a teacher remotely? I also understand that we humans are consciously aware of such a small slice of what is true, possible, and real. One thing I know for sure is that we humans make everything a heck of a lot more complicated than is necessary. The rules we place around all kinds of topics create unnecessary regulations and change energy. 

So why not take online courses?

The best argument against them is practice and connection. In the big picture I suppose it might make a difference what you intend to do with the training. If the thinking is to be primarily treating the self and pets then there's no harm in taking an online course--as long as you're not counting on effecting change from the treatments. However, if the intention is to treat others and even perhaps open a practice, I'd say that you definitely would benefit more highly from seeking out a local teacher and even a community of fellow practitioners.

With an online course there's no 1 to 1 student/teacher connection. If questions arise about the material or about something that may come up during practice on the self or others, or perhaps advice might want to be sought sometime down the road, an online teacher isn't really the best option. There's no hands-on guidance either. There's also no coaching on how you can do things a bit differently should a situation arise. In an in-person class there's the benefit of having fellow students: hearing their questions, learning about their experiences as they walk the same journey, and building community with them as peers. 

If the intention is to at some point teach Reiki then you really can't get around taking an in-person class I think. A prospective teacher would have nothing to model after, really any idea how an in-person class would operate, or would have a much steeper learning curve. Nor would there be in-person teacher to teacher mentorship availability.

Finally there's the question if long-distance attunements actually work. I'm not saying that I know one way or another if they do or don't. If they don't work you've wasted at least some of your money. What I do know is that when I have a student right in front of me and the attunement is taking place I'm directly connecting with him/her.

So, there's a lot to consider. There are many teachers in this world and I'd advise anyone contemplating this option to check in about your intentions and your desires. Please, don't make a choice based on fear about potential perceptions of fellow Reiki practitioners. Follow your own guidance all the way along, including being honest if your needs are being met regardless of whichever option is chosen. Not all in-person teachers are a good fit for you either. If you do decide to join an in-person class after being dissatisfied by an online course and you're repeating the material, let the teacher know. There's a possibility you might receive a discount. I'd certainly grant one. 

sat on a wooden, kneeling meditation bench; made sure I was as physically comfortable as possible; closed my eyes and tried to focus my mind. I chipped away daily for about 2 weeks twenty minutes at a time. Although after a while I was more or less able to get to a quiet, soft, easy spot in my mind, it just wasn't quite enough. It was like I was eating nothing but snacks and I was starving for a real meal. 

Fortunately, in the way things happen, one night while flipping through channels I happened upon a program about Edgar Cayce, also known as the sleeping psychic. I learned that he would lie down and drift off into another dimension. Bells starting going off for me and I thought "you can lie down?" That was a revelation and I've never looked back.

My more-or-less daily practice consists of me meditating for anywhere from one and a half hours to up to four hours. Yes, that's a big investment and simply not practical for most people. I freely and playfully admit that I'm not "normal." It's part of my life and find that no matter how much sleep I get at night I still require meditation at least five days a week. Without it (as my family will attest) I get overly sensitive, crabby, tired, and start to shut down.  

Here's what my process looks like: I lie down in my bed, lower back supported by propped-up pillows underneath my bent knees, and an eye pillow helps with sensory (distraction) deprivation. To anyone looking at me it would appear as though I was sleeping. In fact, I do drop in and out of various states of consciousness and levels of lucidity but the key I believe is to set the intention from the outset that mediation is what's going to take place. So to achieve that I typically call upon God, my masters, guides, angels, teachers, and fairies saying that I am there to commune with them. 

Then I proclaim myself available only to the highest good. This is an important step I believe. In the past when I didn't make this step part of my process I would periodically encounter energies that were not so friendly. Learning this lesson was important for me but it needn't be something you subject yourself to. When meditating we are making ourselves wide open to receive and by voicing (I do say it aloud) that I'm only available only to the highest good I ensure that only those energies of the highest integrity/vibration/quality are allowed to interact with me. 

After that I count my exhales up to about the number 40--some days when my mind is chirping away it's closer to 60--until I feel myself starting to focus inward. My quiet mind feels soft, dark, fuzzy, easy, comfortable, and effortless. It's as if I'm sitting in the middle of a dark room. When I notice my mind starting to make noise it feels like I'm walking around in the room or bumping/scraping against the walls. When that happens I gently coax myself back into the middle and observe everything getting quiet again. When I'm pretty solidly in a quiet spot I notice drops in consciousness, going deeper each time. That's it.

I purposely don't use any mudras (hand positions), breathing techniques, special music, or mantras (repeated words or sounds). All of those are confining to me. For me, the reliance on tools is limiting and sets an intention of something specific happening. I much prefer being open to whatever is most beneficial for me to receive. It is my constant prayer and contract with God to be of the highest and best service to everyone, including myself, whatever that looks like. By not pre-defining what the experience of meditation is going to be I am wide open and allow myself to receive whatever will support my equally non-specific goal. 

Sometimes during meditation I travel through portals to other dimensions and interact with non-humans. Other times I encounter humans or animals in this dimension. Oftentimes I feel energy coming into my body, mostly my brain these days, but in the past energy would travel throughout other parts of me. Energy can be heat, feel like rods of some substance entering and exiting the body, or vibration. When I first started meditating I had a difficult time receiving blasts of energy through the soles of my feet which would make my toes painfully cramp. Fortunately that problem was easily solved by me asking at the beginning of a session for angels to stop my feet from cramping. 

Your journey and process is your own. Please give yourself permission to try out all kinds of different approaches (sitting, lying, music, etc) and understand that one may be a perfect fit for a while and then stop working. You can always ask for help from your divine team, request protection, or even fall asleep. Maybe you'll never have a mystical experience during meditation or maybe you'll have one each time. By being patient and unattached to any particular vision you give yourself the gift of receiving whatever you need. For meditation is the critical balance of listening to the act of praying (talking). Please, trust that you are supported and loved at all times and let yourself receive  through meditation. It really can change your life.

_ disrespectful to indicate that you are not getting what’s being communicated. You also have the right to ask for specific information if the answers are too general. Know that precise names and dates may not be able to be provided, however. If the experience isn’t working for you for one reason or another, you can end it at any time. Please do try to separate discomfort over hearing something you didn’t want to and the internal alarm bells which tell you this isn’t the time, person or space to receive a reading. These are very different things.

Come prepared. Have an intention or overall purpose for getting a reading. That will help you to save time, money and get what you want. Along the same line, put together a list of questions beforehand and consider bringing with you meaningful materials that may help the connection such as journals, found objects and heirlooms. Check out the reader’s website or ask the person ahead of time if there’s anything to prepare. Every reader has a slightly different process—there’s no 1 valid way. Make sure you’re ready too. Get yourself as energetically clear as you’re able so you can be clearly seen and can receive what’s given more openly. This means being free of toxins (drunk or stoned, really?), emotionally stable as possible and grounded. It’s definitely never a bad idea to ask whatever divine source(s) you choose for help in being available to what comes through as well.

Don’t waste anyone’s time. If you go into the reading wanting to “test” the reader you’re not helping the process. The momentum and intention you’ve created isn’t to receive support. Skepticism is just fine, but if it’s so strong that it clouds the experience you’re not going to get what you’re looking for. No matter what.    

Listen carefully. Take notes if you need/want to or perhaps even better still request a recording or plan on bringing your own recorder. You’d be surprised at what you miss or mishear. A reading is an investment, likely not something you get every day, so why not plan on capturing it?

Try to not get hung up on “wrong” answers. What’s said might not be 100% accurate in the present moment or even in retrospect, but understand that it might be what you need to hear. Sometimes being told that the person you’re seeing is “the one” is just the thing to get you to look at your significant other seriously as a life partner. This happened to a friend of mine and it was the kick in the butt she needed to break it off.

Validation is not a bad thing. When you already know all that’s being said instead of seeing the experience as a waste of time and money why not give yourself a pat on the back? See, you really can trust yourself and that may have been the big-picture point all along. Remember that the next time your ego starts throwing doubts at you about your intuition.

Who you go to matters. Professional readers may not be better sources than amateur ones, but pros likely have more experience which helps them to be aware of trends (who doesn’t like to know they’re not the only ones going through something right now?), be more familiar with what filtering information feels like and be less likely to fall into that trap, and able to give solid advice that’s worked for others. Please don’t be swayed by cost. It isn’t a predictable indicator of skill. But please do listen to any kind of inspiration you receive to choose one person or another, even if it means going against a recommendation you received.

There are no guarantees. The future is not set in stone, really. All of your actions influence the future (no matter how small) so what’s stated may not come to pass. Don’t bet the farm on predictions.

What you have to say is important. Try not to interrupt the flow too often. For a reader stepping out of the stream of incoming energy to answer questions repeatedly can make stepping back in a bit challenging and may have an effect on the quality of information that’s provided. When in doubt wait a moment to see where things are going and maybe the answer to your question will come without you having to ask it out loud. Do give feedback, though, whether positive or negative, to let the reader know if she/he is on the right track.

Check your expectations. Try not to be too attached to what you have in mind to be addressed because what’s revealed may likely be more important in the grand scheme of things. Also open yourself up to a different explanation than what you think is true and do your best to not be disappointed if you don’t get the answer you wanted. Yes, some folks invest that heavily in the stories they tell themselves. Be aware that you may be asked to provide details about what’s going on so a deeper level of guidance can be given. Please don’t interpret the requests for more detail as evidence of an unskilled reader. In fact it can save time (and therefore money) by avoiding going over history or other information you already know. Further, sometimes how tightly you hold onto information can make you unavailable to receive fully what can be given. Release some of your grip and make room for guidance. Lastly, please oh please don’t go looking to be told what to do. This is your life, treat it with the respect it deserves and make your own choices.

A reading is your time. Do what you can to ensure that you get what you need and want while keeping and open mind and trusting that you are always supported. Then you're golden.

_ a complete release of the ego is something I long for and understanding that expectations are born from this place within our being motivates me to detach. The grace that is Reiki makes it possible for us to see expectations for what they truly are and let them go. The energy allows us to be more compassionate, seeing others as whole beings not just the sum of past events, as well. It enables us to hear what’s being expressed (including another’s fears and self-doubt) instead of what we assume or fear. 

Who doesn’t want to feel pleased with how we’ve behaved in every circumstance? Like grief counselor Ted Wiard likes to say, “You can only clean your side of the street.” By being clear about the energy present and having intention we’re a lot more likely to have a squeaky clean street and be happy with how we conduct ourselves. Reiki helps us to remain in integrity and not be triggered. In addition, having experience with the energy teaches us to understand energy in general, enabling us to sense escalating emotions ahead of time so we can respond quickly working to decrease drama. Perhaps even more important is that Reiki effortlessly encourages us to come from a place of love and kindness in all situations.

Finally, Reiki gives us courage. We’re empowered to enforce boundaries with love and respect. Further, the energy makes it a whole lot easier to ask for forgiveness because we are better equipped to recognize when we’re wrong and not feel so afflicted by it. Reiki gives us the strength to support others in need whether with words of encouragement, the patience to listen or through expressions of empathy. It also gives us the confidence to cut off unhealthy patterns and relationships. Being bolstered by Reiki makes it possible to be more fully ourselves—for me that means being as dorky, happy, enthusiastic and passionate as I am—without reservation.  By extension it permits us to share and be vulnerable so we can learn, heal and receive support. Isn’t that what connecting and communicating are all about?

So when would be a good time to receive Reiki to best position yourself to take advantage of all its benefits? Before a big event you’re able to be steady and strong during challenges and ready for fun without concern for those things that don’t matter, like how you might appear. Afterward it lessens the charge of conflict, helps you to more fully feel gratitude for good times and be aware of the big picture: we all teach one another.

Learning Reiki gives us even more options. A practitioner can send the energy ahead of time to facilitate conversations and to one’s self in any situation so she can be present without diversion. Someone who’s been attuned to Reiki can treat himself before and after communicating to see things more clearly and to process change more easily.

Reiki can help you speak your mind, come from a place of love, be clear, reinforce boundaries and soothe emotions. Let the energy in and see what it can do for your communication.

_
here and there we feel connected to people and as though we’re doing something substantial to help. Part of me says “Yes! Let’s Reiki the world” but a stronger voice within wants to hold back, savor and honor the energy. After all, we can’t be responsible or even attempt to care for every sad story or crisis—that would certainly lead to burn-out. Instead, savoring the energy means giving it to ourselves first and then only to those who want it. It makes the experience more special and meaningful for us and also more potent as a result. As an analogy I like to think about what a wise person does with advice. Rather than going up to every person she encounters giving her opinion on any matter (mediating an argument, giving financial counsel to the mom who can’t pay for all the groceries, suggesting what a homeless person could be doing to get out of his situation), she waits to be approached and then chooses her words carefully making them like prized jewels.

When we ask first if we can send someone Reiki we show respect for that person’s free will and acknowledge that we’re all on an equal playing field. That’s also honoring Reiki. Just because we have the ability to send it doesn’t mean we should attempt to force it upon others. Even when we’re coming from a loving place it’s still force that will ultimately fail—the energy will only be received when accepted—and place ourselves in a position that is counter to the very spirit of Reiki.

Some folks I know work around receiving conscious permission by checking in with the intended recipient’s higher self. Of course this is an exercise in intention. I wholeheartedly applaud the use of intuition, but also know that the responses travel through a filter. Can you be sure that your filter is completely clean and that the answer you sense you’ve received from another about another is accurate? It’s one thing to see what’s best for you and to act upon it. It’s another entirely to check in for someone else and respond accordingly.  

Another approach around permission is to intend for the energy to go to someone or something else nearby who wants it if it’s rejected by the intended recipient. Is this worthwhile? Yes, the energy will be beneficial but why even direct it if there’s a possibility of it not going where you want it? Perhaps it would be more constructive to send the energy outward to anyone, anywhere at any time who wants it. Moreover, what’s stopping you from seeking approval? Truly the only time you can’t get approval from someone is when they’re completely out of reach: in a coma or perhaps in a foreign prison. How often are you going to encounter these situations?

Permission may seem like an unnecessary limitation these days when we view ourselves as all one. This is true, in a sense, but we are also separate, unique souls having our own experiences. Honoring one another is part of oneness and is, in fact, showing respect for ourselves by extension.

As an alternative, there is the option of sending Reiki to non-physical entities, like relationships or actions. Directing the energy to connections between people or to the process of decision-making is not an encroachment upon anyone's rights. By sending Reiki to these concepts we can help to promote peace, love, ease and grace—all these things that are Reiki. Isn't that we're ultimately after?_

Most folks likely wouldn’t have waited so long. What do you do when you can’t sleep? Do you get up and have a glass of wine, read a book, watch some tv, lie in bed praying that you’ll get back to sleep or add more energy to your field (worry, fear, joy and yes, Reiki)? Instead, cleanse your energetic field. 

Even if you do a good job of energetically grounding and protecting yourself, you’ll still need to cleanse from time to time. Why? It’s easy to build up energy within your own field. Whether you’re anxious about an upcoming presentation, worried about a loved-one’s health, dreading a difficult conversation you’re going to have, filled with joy after a fun night out, excited about an upcoming vacation, not having much sexual contact, spinning after some personal drama or busy with the details of a project you build up and house all these emotions/energy in the space that surrounds your physical body, also known as the aura. 

If you don’t clear them they will remain and you won’t feel quite yourself. In fact, not cleansing can lead to all kinds of problems including depression, anxiety, exhaustion, insomnia, weight gain, mood swings, aggression and the inability to consciously receive communication from the Divine. Energetic cleansing is just as important as brushing your teeth.

There’s more than one way of going about it and they’re all easy. Here are some ideas:

• take a salt bath:1 lb of sea or epsom salt in a bathtub filled with water
  
• laugh: guffaw, roar, really whoop it up
• yawn
• cry: let it all out
• have an orgasm or 2
• yell (with purpose—not at someone needlessly)
• sneeze
• spend time in nature (direct physical contact is especially helpful)
• contract your field: directions follow

Some of these releases happen spontaneously and therefore don’t need to be done with intention. This is one way that we create equilibrium automatically. However, with such busy lives our yawns and sneezes can’t keep up.

My favorite way of releasing all that stored energy is by contracting my field. It’s quick, can be done anywhere at any time and it works.

Field Contraction:

Drop a cord of any color and material from your root chakra at the base of your spine and see/feel/hear it penetrating all the way into the center of the Earth. 

Next, imagine the exterior of your auric field as an egg-shaped structure surrounding your physical body about 2’-3’ all the way around you. Squeeze in the outside edge so it’s only about 1” away from your physical body. Understand that it may feel uncomfortable, claustrophobic, highly pressurized or odd. Intend for all that excess or negative energy to drain right out your grounding cord into the Earth where it will either be absorbed and neutralized, or gathered up by a divine helper and transmuted. Make sure your entire boundary is compressed so check all those spots around your body you might miss: behind your knees, under your feet, your throat, the small of your back, etc. Keep squeezing. Hold it for as long as you sense is necessary, or just guess. 

Release the contraction. Check how you feel. Perhaps you feel lighter, a sense of relief, cleansed, a bit light-headed, brighter or maybe even nothing at all.


Now go back to sleep.

This deep red dahlia about 8” in diameter was audacious, luscious and gorgeous. It was all of these things and completely without self-doubt, feelings of unworthiness and questioning. It just was. Its beauty was merely a function of the natural expression of its DNA. Of course it wasn’t going to be anything else. How could it be?

What would the world be like if we were able to follow the lead of plants? We could all just be who we are without worries, agendas, concerns about how others perceive us, ego, and fears. Does a tree think “Am I worthy of taking up this much physical space?” Are grasses anxious about how they look when they blow in the breeze? Does a bush ever question if it’s supposed to lose its leaves and go dormant for a while? Plants do what they do because it’s who and what they are.

Allow yourself to be you. Accept and love your skin color, sense of humor, body shape, drive to be alone sometimes and anything and everything that you may wish to change about yourself. Please understand that you’ve chosen many of your physical and personality attributes to help you learn and grow your soul. Liberate yourself from self-doubt and just be. Then you’ll see just how lovely and unlimited life can be.

I’d be sitting at my desk working out a schedule or writing an email, and when I paused, there it was: clickclickclickCLICKCLICKCLICK. It could be fast or slow, super loud or not. I didn’t know what the heck was going on! I just knew that if I stopped what I was doing, listened to it, and focused all of my attention on it, the noises would stop. I never thought about asking my doctor about the problem, because I was able to get it to stop on my own.

Indeed it was frustrating, but I just didn’t grasp the big picture. I wasn’t living in a way which promoted thinking in those terms. At first, I opted for the excuse that I was just beating up on myself—a super ego hammering—for living in a way that wasn’t bringing me joy. Then I wondered if someone or something was trying to communicate with me. I would repeatedly ask the source of the clicks to communicate with me in a way I could consciously understand. Clarity is a beautiful and funny thing.

That makes me chuckle now! Although I was on the right track, I wasn’t quite there. I had decided, on some level, to not see the point of stopping, listening and being still. However, that’s exactly what my spirit and my whole spiritual support team were trying to get me to understand.

Stopping, listening and being still to receive are critical to good mental, emotional, physical and spiritual health. Please don’t let yourself get to the point of physical discomfort from tinnitus, or any other physical ailment, to learn THAT lesson. Every once in a while, the clicks return and when they do, I stop everything and really listen.