When we use reiki to self-treat for illnesses there are many times when it’s obvious which hand positions to use. A stomach ache calls for placing our hands in our midsection, though we might reach around to our ribs or lower back. There are other ailments, such as stress or exhaustion, where we might guess about the hand positions, but where we might also wonder, what is the right thing?

The good news is that reiki is intelligent energy. Even if we put our hands on the bottom of our feet, for example, when it comes to that stomach ache, reiki will go where it’s needed. So there really can be no “wrong” hand position. Personally, I am more of an organic reiki practitioner; I let the energy and my intuition guide me to where I need to direct the energy, so the stomach ache equals reiki position for the abdomen doesn’t always apply.

However, there are a few hand positions I’ve found especially helpful.

It’s taken me a while to finish this series, and I apologize for the delay. Perhaps you could say that it’s in accordance with the third part of that old saying, the “to be silent” part.

It’s commonly said that when working magick, it has to be done in secret. I’m sure some of this comes from the fact that there are those who don’t believe in magick, or in the power of spells (which are really just prayers). Secrecy is needed to keep people from being persecuted or experience negative consequences to being active in magickal workings. But the “to be silent” part also is borne out of other necessities.

The fact is that our words and thoughts take on a life of their own. If we think it, we’re creating it. So if we were to talk about our magickal undertakings to others, especially those who would doubt, their doubts would be acting against our own work. Our own doubts do the same thing. If we constantly think “Oh, I did a money spell, when’s the money going to come? I’m not getting any money.” then our own doubts are subtly undermining our working, like erosion during a hurricane taking away the beach sand.

We also need to give the universe space to work on our requests. We asked to have our magick spun for the best and highest good of all, didn’t we? Then we need to allow the space for that to happen. Our own ideas of how things should work out may not be what the universe has in store for us or thinks is best. It’s a be careful what you wish for situation. If we don’t allow our wishes to be very non-specific and very much up to the universe/God/Goddess, then we might be setting ourselves up for even bigger problems down the road.

It’s also a test of will, which is the middle pillar of the saying and the glue that holds it all together. Can we be quiet about something? It’s hard. Trust me. I’m a talker. LOL! (Though with the fibro fog, I’m good at keeping secrets because I totally forget them. *grins*) So to not say anything about a spell or ritual or goal is difficult. We want to tell. It’s bursting to get out of us. But, we are silent, for we know the magick has been done and the silence is the fuel that makes it get to work.

Some say that the second part of this saying, “to will”, is the most difficult one to follow. I’m not so sure about that. It’s easy to will things, and then sometimes it can be the most difficult thing in the world. Granted, we all “want” things, but that’s not the same as willing them. Will means you have the power to make something happen. Will means that you are actively working toward a desired outcome.

Think about those two things which we commonly think of as needing a lot of will: losing weight and quitting smoking. It takes an active act of will to do these things, and it’s something that needs to be done on a daily basis. The thought processes which we use to continue to overeat must, for example, be tackled on a daily, sometimes even an hourly or a minute-by-minute basis.

In the case of spellwork and ritual, that will is twofold. First, you must have the will to actually do the spell and craft it in accordance with the purpose of your ritual. You need to do the research and the work to craft your ritual exactly the way you want it. You have to have the will to make the right decisions in performing the spell. This means following the rule of three and harming none.

Secondly, you have to actually have the will to go through with the ritual. Some of our magic is fun, celebratory work. However there are times when we will need to do containment or protective spells, or even banishings. It’s part of the wheel of life and the wheel of the year. We have to have the will to do these things, to take care of problems, and to be active in our solution to them.

Will is the act of performing magick. Will is the action taken when we need to move forward with something. To will it is to make it happen.

So we know what we’re doing (how and why) and now we will it to happen. Next, we’ll discuss the hardest part of all, to be silent.

To know. To Will. To Be Silent. What does it mean?

The phrase might be borrowed or adapted from ceremonial magick, but it holds true in nearly every aspect of our lives, not just our magickal ones. But let’s take a look at this phrase, step by step, piece by piece to see what it really means and how it can apply to our mundane and our magickal lives.

To Know.

What does it mean to “know” something? On the surface, if someone knows something, then it generally means they were taught it or learned it on their own. Someone who knows something is generally seen as a point of contact or expert in sharing and passing on that information. Additionally, someone can “know” something in his or her gut, through intuition. This type of knowing is very important in magickal workings.

When doing a ritual or a spell, it is important to know several things. First, you need to know the actual components of the ritual. The timing, where, when, the components being used, the reason for using those components. You have to know this information in order to have an effective ritual or magick working. You also need to know why you’re doing the ritual. Not just the superficial meaning, though that’s important too, but the deeper one.

And you have to know what kind of an outcome you’re working toward.

There’s a lot of knowing that goes into working rituals or magick. But that’s not all, and we’ll look at the next part of the phrase, “to will” in the next blog.

“I do not agree with what you have to say, but I’ll defend to the death your right to say it.” – Voltaire

Honestly, while I have very strong feelings about Occupy Wall Street, I propose that anyone who is an energy worker or who wishes to pray, light a candle, do a ritual, whatever spiritual or metaphysical practice you prefer, do so with the following aims in mind:

1. To protect the protestors and keep them safe from within and without. (Points to the quote above). Our first amendment guarantees the right to assembly and the right to free speech. It also guarantees the freedom of the press. For any of these rights to be denied for any reason weakens us all.

2. That the issues of income inequality and the plight of the poor, disabled, senior, or disadvantaged of those among us come to light, and that all work toward a solution that is healthy for all.

3. That those in power over the Corporations realize that the root of the word Corporation is cooperate, and that their actions may have directly, or indirectly, created the environment in which the issues of #2 have flourished.

4. That those in political power remember the basic tenant of our Constitution: by the people, for the people.

5. That those in power remember that if they deem Corporations to be people like you and me, then Corporations must be held to the same levels of justice and accountability that citizens are.

Therefore, I call upon all reiki and other energy workers, those who wish to pray or meditate or simply send positive thoughts towards these goals. I believe these goals transcend political party or ideology. These goals transcend religion. And I believe that these are good goals for all of us to have.

So mote it be.

I know, I know, the phrase sounds kind of naughty, but it really isn’t. There’s a joke at our house, that Baxter, one of our cats, when he curls up in your lap, his “love battery” is low, and he needs to soak up all the comfort and positive energy from cuddling with you that he can. When his battery gets full, he goes off to do kitty stuff. Last night at work (and boy was it a bad night at work), he curled up in my lap. I immediately smiled and asked him if his love battery was low? He lifted his head, blinked his golden kitty eyes, and looked at me and I heard, “no, I’m charging your love battery.” Kitty love and cuddles for the win!

And I realized something. I’ve been letting my love battery get low. How have I been doing that? I’ve been marinating in negative thoughts about my work situation (because I’m not writing and talking to everyone and following my soul’s purpose and my heart desire when I’m at the “day job”. I’ll talk about that later…). And I’ve been taking care of everyone except myself, using the “well we’re losing health insurance after the first of the year *grumble* *grumble* argument” as a basis for treating myself like crap. So yeah, my love battery was deader than a six-year-old car battery in the dead of an Iowa winter. Not even a click.

After thanking Baxter for his wisdom (our kitties are so much more wise than we are), I thought…how can I charge my love battery? And then I realized.. wait…there are people out there just like me who don’t even know their love battery is low. So here are the thoughts I had about charging your love battery.

Steps to self-love (because really, a love battery is simply a measure of how much you love yourself. And you must love to receive love.)

1. Open yourself up to love. I don’t know about you, but when I get stressed I close myself off. I curl in on myself (which causes my fibromyalgia pain). So take a deep breath and imagine your heart opening to all the love the universe and those around you have to offer.

2. If you do reiki or an energy modality, give yourself reiki. Whether you’re charging batteries for your digital camera or your love battery, nothing works like energy!

3. Release your negative thoughts. I know it’s hard. Believe me I know it’s hard, and it’s all to easy to sit there and repeat the same things over and over again, but release these thoughts. Say “cancel” outloud, or “clear” or “delete”, whatever words work for you. Let them go.

4. Think about charging other people with love. Do you work with the public? Make a conscious effort to smile and offer genuine friendliness and joy to those you meet. Spread the love around because the more you give, the more you get back.

It’s tough, and it will take a conscious effort. Even today, less than twenty-four hours after Baxter’s education, I found myself waking up and wallowing in the negativity until I realized I was draining my own love battery. That’s not good. So when you catch yourself make sure you forgive yourself. Because that’s the biggest act of love you can do.

I’ve been doing a lot of personal work lately, and I hope to detail some of it in the blog, as I think it’s information from which everyone can benefit. Working with fears, the root of emotions, and then transforming those emotions, has been an amazing, and ongoing, experience. As someone who has fibromyalgia, I’ve been focused a lot on the physical aspect of my illness. After all, fibromylagia comes with its own host of physical symptoms from the pain to the exhaustion and fatigue as well as the fibro fog. Depending on the given day, I might have all of these in abundance. (I always was a “to do” list kind of person, but the fibro fog has been getting a lot worse lately, and it’s becoming mandatory. It’s also why I tell friends and family members to not be shy about reminding me about things, because sometimes I remember, sometimes not.) And, as I care for others in my family, I’ve been really lax on the self-care.

All of which led me to the recent serious emotional work I’ve done lately involving finding roots and causes of fear and working to release them and replace them with love. It’s taken me down a dark road, one filled with “aha” moments, and one filled with realizations.

It’s also leading to my work in emotional reiki.

But isn’t reiki a method of healing and stress-reduction, so doesn’t it already work on the emotions? And isn’t there already a symbol devoted specifically to emotional work? Yes, there is. However, emotional reiki is a specific focus, and a specific aspect of this work and takes it to a deeper level. It utilizes all the tools, including distance reiki and sending reiki back, and forward, in time, to help work through emotional issues. It takes all of this, and boosts it, so to speak.

It’s powerful, and it’s something you can work with when you’re ready, when all the barriers and the fear fade away and we have just ourselves and our situation. I hope to post more about it in the coming weeks and months. Because it’s not done changing me, and mostly, I’m just letting it speak. I am the vessel, the reiki is the energy and the love.

This blog is going to make a lot of people upset, so I’m going to apologize in advance. But I also would like to ask that before you get mad, think about what I’m saying. I think, you’ll find, that in some cases, if not all, it is most likely that I’m right.

Speaker phones have their uses. I believe that in limited cases they can be beneficial.  The key word is limited. And no, talking while you’re driving on speaker phone isn’t any better, and doesn’t qualify as a limited case. Turn the phone off when you’re driving! Really. I won’t get into the limited cases here; I think by the time the blog is finished you could think of a few. But I do think that we should think before using speaker phones. And here’s why.

Speaker phones tell the person on the other end of the phone, “you are not important enough to warrant my full attention.”

I can hear you saying, “but I use speaker phones to keep my hands free.” “It’s more convenient for me.” There are a hundred little excuses we could use for speaker phones, but honestly, they’re the modern day equivalent of “You’re bothering me. I need to focus on something else.”

Think about it. Why do we put people on speaker phone? Generally it’s to have our hands free so we can do other things, whether it’s focusing on typing on the computer or drive. You’re cooking dinner or washing vegetables and need to have your hands busy, so you set the phone on the counter and call your relative while you’re working. It’s all about multi-tasking and not giving either task your full attention.

So not only do we have our attention divided, which completely annuls any attempt at mindfulness and living in the moment that we are doing. We also are giving half-attention to each task, so there’s a good chance we’re going to miss something. The relative to whom you’re speaking will feel slighted, as if you can’t give him or her your full attention.

In a business setting, we put people on speaker phone all the time, generally without their permission. Again, we do this so we can focus on other tasks, such as typing out emails or scheduling even more meetings. This tells the business person “I wanted to meet with you, but you’re not important enough for me to focus all my attention on you.”

I’m sorry, but if a business person does this to me, then I don’t want to do business with him or her. End of story. And I wouldn’t think other customers would either.

If you do have to put someone on speaker phone, say if you’re working with someone and they ask you to do a task like typing in the computer, ask if you can put them on speaker phone. “I need to be able to type in this information. Can I put you on speaker phone for a minute?” Then, when they give their permission, complete the task, then take them off speaker phone. A little courtesy goes a long way to reassure the person that you are still giving your full attention to him or her.

It’s hard to live in the moment and be mindful of what we do. Our ever-faster paced lives make it even more difficult than it was last month or last year. So let’s take a moment and invite some common courtesy into our business dealings. Give up the speaker phone, and see how your relationships grow.

The news is getting rough these days about the recession, recovery, double-dip (and not an ice cream cone, alas), and jobs, jobs, jobs. I try not to listen, or at least choose my sources so that there’s a mix of positivity, facts, honesty, and analysis. Just because things aren’t coming up roses, doesn’t mean we have to walk around like Mr. Grumpy from the Mr. Men show all the time. (Or Grumpy Dwarf, take your pick of children’s characters.) It also means that we need to face up to some facts.

Workforces are cutting back, making most of us do more work for less…of everything! Less pay, less recognition, less empathy, less tolerance, less respect. It can be easy to start thinking of ourselves in those less-er terms. After all, it’s our fault things don’t get done. There’s something wrong with us when customers and suppliers don’t listen to us, or our boss chooses to ignore our accomplishments. Really, those of us who are out there in the world, working hard, are carrying a whole heap of a lot on our shoulders.

I don’t want to diminish, or dismiss your concerns at all. They’re valid. TRUST ME. However, the truth of the situation is, in a reverse of that old break-up line, it’s not us, it’s THEM.

Take a deep breath. Take two or three, goddess knows we need it.

Now, repeat after me. “I am not broken. The system is broken.” Now that might not be a happy phrase, but by golly it’s one that is going to help you keep your mindfulness and your frame of mind. What we choose to do about the broken system is up to us. And some of us might not take any action. That’s all right, as is becoming the crusader and working to change the system. We need a little bit of all types to make things work.

The important thing is that each of us remember that we are still the divine creatures, blessed by the universe, that we always have been. We might be misguided, and we might have built institutions that aren’t functioning right at the moment. But we are not broken. We have everything we need to make things better and we’ve always had everything we need.

I’d like to think that with this realization we can sit up a little straighter, hold our heads a little higher, and start easing that load off our shoulders. If we project our positivity and our inner light into the world, people will listen. Not everyone, and maybe not that grumpy customer who calls every week. But people will listen. And they will act by responding to your own inner light with their own. And so on, and so forth. Once there’s enough light in the systems, then not only will all their cracks and flaws be illuminated, but people will be driven to fix them. So keep on shining.

And when the work day gets you down and you feel like nothing is going right, remember… it’s not you. It’s the system. And we can fix it. Together.

Shamanic Reiki
by Llyn Roberts and Robert Levy
O Books, Paperback
ISBN# 978-1-84694-037-8

As a reiki practitioner and someone drawn to shamanism, this book called to me. Once I picked it up, the writing style drew me in. The authors work from the premise that the reader knows about reiki and is looking to enhance his or her reiki practice and work. While most of the exercises start with the practitioner treating a patient and walking him or her through the steps, I do think that they could be done during a self-treatment, especially if the reiki practitioner is versed in journeying.

There’s a lot of heavy material in this book, talking about soul retrieval, removing blocks, and cords. And yet, the information comes across as so accessible, yet serious, that the reader doesn’t feel overwhelmed. By combining shamanic work with reiki, the authors show you how to deepen your practice and use reiki to an even higher purpose.

This is one book that I’ll keep on my keeper shelf and refer to again and again. I’ve marked the suggested reading, and look forward to hunting down those books soon!