Wanderings' Wanderings

There was a time when the spoken word was something synonymous with knowledge, truth, and empowerment, but all too often words today are just hollow expressions of the vestiges of a bygone era.  Today, the spoken words spewing from varied orifices are filled with spite, hatred, and vitriol: not good, not good at all.

There was also a time when the energywork industry was new and something only the rich could afford, but today has transformed into something much healthier.  But still there are those holding on to ancient vices who are bound by old and tiring injustices, and are determined to remain mired in old ways and are charging large sums of money to even those unable to afford the most basic of necessities.

Cool.  That is where they are in their walk through this life.  So be it, but I will not join those ranks and files of unethical practitioners.  I will instead focus on the need around me and ensure I am able to reach out to EVERYONE regardless of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or any of the other varied boxes and categories in which we put the dynamic people of this earth.

Ethics is not merely a bunch of words strung together on parchment and pinned to a wall for all to read.  Ethics is an action which, like the sea, rage on and boils in the blood.  It is a movement of emotion flowing forth from the practitioner.  It is a way of life and not merely something to satisfy those who enter the sacredness of space provided by the practitioner.

There was again a time when ethics, honor, and all things good was gauged by a person’s handshake.  Honor was bound by a person’s promise; by the word spoken and then acted upon by the speaker.  It was something gained over time through diligence and hard work.  Today it is expected and demanded by those who have yet to break a sweat.  Entitlement rules the world and the word honor has been replaced by the phrase, “Give Me.”

In energywork we not only move and flow the energy around and within a person, place, or thing, but we also move and manipulate the very core of being.  If we are not ethical in our practice then real serious damage can be wrought and in so many different and subtle ways.  Our ethical natures are not only judged by our services, but by our demeanors, actions, words, rates, ratings, and whether or not we, or others in our field, can follow through on their promises.  One promise made by one practitioner can affect the entire industry.

Ethics is a verb and something which should be integral to the practitioner, to the client, and to society.  Ethics is Ethics, and what is good for one group is equally good for another.  There can not be one set of ethics for one group and another set for a different group.  Unethical behavior is the same no matter where you go, or by whom the unethical behavior is modeled.

Live it.  Breath it.  Be it.

To those who would be clients in any energy modality…  Ask to see your practitioner’s code of conduct, ethical code, or other WRITTEN guarantee of ethical behavior.  If they are unable to furnish you with a copy of their code of ethics, walk away.  The same should hold true for any profession or professional.  If they haven’t got an ethical guideline, then please do yourself a favor and demand one, or find another venue for your patronage.  If nothing else, you will have made that practitioner or business person think about developing a set of ethical guidelines; something they should have done from the very start.

Related articles

• A Meditation on the Ethical Side of Energy Production (beliefnet.com)
• New Humanist Blog : Work ethics (newhumanist.org.uk)
• Center for Ethics: Update (crookedtimber.org)
• Ethical issues ignored in teaching, research of sustainability (scienceblog.com)

I used to, for a time anyway, look outside myself for what might be wrong with just about everything around me and even including myself.  It wasn’t enough to just sit and watch the world destroy itself, I had to jump in and force my two cents upon anyone within earshot.  Usually my tirades included fits of uncontrolled finger pointing and government blame followed by ensuring everyone knew it wasn’t my fault for voting for the wrong politician.

It was always someone else’s fault.

As a Reiki practitioner I’ve learned it’s not always someone else’s fault, and to throw blame about willy-nilly is actually inexcusable itself.  Take the recent issue with the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.  Yes, the oil spill is their fault.  I didn’t have anything to do with it, or did I???  I drive a car which relies on a petroleum based products.  My car needs both oil and gas in order for it to go down the road when I push on the accelerator.  Many of the plastic parts in my car, actually many of the plastic parts anywhere rely on petroleum based products.  I guess I need to ask myself if there would be oil drilling if we didn’t rely so heavily on oil-based products.  It’s really easy to sit on the couch watching the news and point a finger at a multi-billion dollar company when I continue buying the products which supports those companies.

What about government spending?  That’s not my fault!  Well, I did support tax cuts, and I did support those politicians I thought would do a good job.  It turns out they didn’t do such a great job.  I, along with many other people, put those people in office.  If I didn’t vote, well, then I have no excuse do I?

Rather than berate anymore issues or put myself down any further, let me get right to the point.  As a Reiki practitioner I have learned about self-responsibility and intention.  I have learned that my will CAN NOT come before that of my client, but that doesn’t mean I have to stand in front of my client and allow them to abuse me.  I do have the right to protect myself and to ensure the safety of my home.  Should someone violate that safety then I have the right to ask them to remove themselves from my presence, my home, or my property.  But the key is that I can not take responsibility for someone else; I can only take responsibility for my own actions or inactions.  Likewise I can not force someone else to take responsibility for their actions.  If those people don’t come to that realization on their own, then they have learned nothing!  I can point them in the right direction, but ultimately they are the only ones who can, or should take responsibility for their own actions.

I can only look at what I am doing as a practitioner, client, or as in the above cases, a consumer.  What is paramount is that I not point fingers or absolve myself of blame, but change my own life and help others come to the same realizations so they too may change their lives.  Together as one people can we truly make meaningful change.

The other thing I learned as a Reiki master is that it’s not about blame, but about the resulting healing that matters.  If all I am doing is pointing fingers and assigning blame then what am I doing to help heal the situation?  Where is MY intention when I verbally assault government, companies, or other people?  Am I looking out for my best interest, the best interest of my clients, or the best interest of the country in which I live?  No.  I am not.  I am being selfish and self gratifying.  Personally, I walked away from all that when I decided to follow the path of being a Reiki practitioner.  I should be looking for solutions and healing, not fixating on whose to blame for what.

I’m not saying here that no one else has blame for things that may happen, but I am saying that I need to stop fixating on everyone else and focus on my own actions or inactions.  I need to work together with others to find viable solutions rather that continually stirring the pot to watch it simmer.

One last point to make is that I’ve found myself having less and less patience for those individuals and corporations who enable bad behavior.  Enabling bad behavior happens all too often and through many different ways INCLUDING by ignoring potentially destructive behaviors.  Am I enabling bad behavior by being so dependent on products which cause harm?  Am I enabling bad behavior by not voting?  Am I enabling bad behavior by pointing fingers at everyone else rather than looking at what I can do to help heal and bring about change?  Am I enabling by listening to those who incite, or am I healing by committing to and then acting upon healthy decisions to change for the better?

Pointing fingers does no good in the long run.  Blaming others only incites anger and animosity.  What’s the old adage?  “Tis better to light a candle, than curse the darkness.” ~unknown.

What are you going to do?

K

(The following is copyrighted by Kenneth J. Nelan and may not be reproduced without written permission of the author. To obtain permission, please visit http://www.sacredwandering.com/contact.html)

Being an Energy, Reiki, or other modality practitioner is generally not something you are born to or just wake up one morning and decide to become.  More often than not, you come into being a practitioner by looking for something that fits what you are already doing, or thinking, unless you were raised with some sort of training in the manipulation of energy for healing, or ritual.   True, there are many who are born with natural abilities to manipulate the energy around them, but very few, if any, are ever born with the full knowledge of how to BE the very energy they are seeking to manipulate.

Many of those seeking a means to move and manipulate energy find that the philosophies of how any of the energy modalities view nature are the similar to the views they themselves currently hold.  They just didn’t know there was a way in which to express that shared view.

We can learn all we need on how to manipulate the energy through classes on Reiki, Therapeutic Touch, or any of the other hundred or so modalities, but it is one thing to use, manipulate, or move the energy, and another thing to actually be a part of the energy you move.

Being the energy around us means that we have given up a portion of our own control over our own energy to an unknown force ever drawing us towards something we find incomprehensible.  All we do know is that the energy “feels” right, and we know we are headed in the right direction.  Letting go of our preconception of control is  one of the greatest challenges we as energy-workers face, but blind faith is one of the key ingredients of energy-work and “Being” and energy-worker.   It’s quite easy to understand and figure out the scientific principles behind the workings of the energy around us, but until we actually let go, and let the energy do the work it is meant to do, we will only continue imposing our own will and ego over the energy and likewise the results of the manipulation.

The experience of “Being” energy comes to each of us in a different manner.  It is that moment in our lives when we feel the energy of the Universe for the very first time coursing through the very fabric of our beings; and we know beyond all things real and imagined that we are a part of the innermost workings of a connecting energy which is indeed real and present to each and every one of us; that it is truly there, and not a whimsical flight from reality.
If you are one who has seen striking similarities between what you believe and have found here, there are generally accepted ways to increase your awareness and find communion with others who feel the same.

One day a student of mine came to me asking if there was a quicker way they could become the very energy they were studying and trying to manipulate through the tradition of Reiki.  I responded, rather coldly, “Yes.  Die.”  The student appeared to be taken aback by my answer so  I continued to explain to the student that it is only in death that we can ever truly experience the fullness of the transition of one state of being to another.

At that point I also began addressing the entire class by saying, “Being Reiki, or being energy is not necessarily just using the energy we work with, but it is allowing the energy to work through us without expectation, while at the same time being aware of what it is doing to us as the practitioner while we work on our clients.”  It’s not enough just to use or manipulate the energy, but when we are able to incorporate it into everything we do, ethically of course, then we venture into that close unity with the very thing we seek to harness and manipulate for others: the energy itself.

When you can leave an energy session and still be able to express how the energy moves through and around you as the practitioner through everything you say and do in your personal interactions, then you have begun to coalesce with the energy and have started the process of Being that which you manipulate.
It is the energy in which we live, move and have our very being that we connect and share in the universality of life.  We are all connected and we are all special beings!1

Thoughts

Thoughts are perhaps the first place to look when discussing energy and energy-work.  We all know that action is a direct result of a single thought or process of multiple thoughts; even if they are only present in the mind for less than a split second, and have not even registered in our thinking minds.  It is our thoughts that focus our attention in a specific direction and gives life to action through dedication of mind.

The mind is also the source of our own personal awareness of everything around and within us.  It is the very center of concept and acceptance, definition and rejection.  Our thoughts can run away from our right mind, daydreaming of things not in existence, or contriving real life experiences to suit our individual fantasies.  Our thoughts are the very place where the concept of our self resolves itself with regards to the world.

If we couldn’t think or rationalize as we do, would we exist in the same way, or would we have developed as a race in the manner we have?  The very fabric of existence is little more than a concept someone else defined and we, the thinking people, accepted as reality.

If we can think something into existence, what happens when we put real intent behind the thought?  Intent was defined as focused thought put into action so if I can imagine my own energy going out from me to another individual to help them achieve their goals, then by the very nature of energy-work, it has already happened.  My thoughts have become reality because my intention was to make my thoughts come true.

There exists an inherent flaw in the above argument however, because in thinking something, whether focused or not, we have, just by allowing ourselves to think about it, set an intent without fully realizing what we have done.  It is an automatic event as we are unable to retract our thoughts.  The thought formed and because of those thoughts, intent has been granted and energy has been sent out.

We can send out a sort of nullifying thought which attempts to cancel out any negative thoughts, but the damage, as they say, has already been done.

It is far better to simply stop a line of thought in mid process and ensure it never comes to fruition if it is a negatively charged thought.

Words

Often, what follows our thought, however brief, are words charged from our thoughts.  If our thoughts have been negative, out pops a negative word, or sentence.  For instance, a student takes a test and receives a low grade.  The initial thought might be, “I screwed up again,” and the reactionary thought might be, “God I’m stupid.”  In this case, not only has the damaging thought been released and allowed to exist, but it is then followed by the personally explosive negative reinforcement of negative self worth.

Another example would be the person suffering road rage on the freeways of Los Angeles.  An initial thought may begin developing where they suddenly realize they are going to be late for a very important meeting.  Soon, their unrestrained thoughts become rants of rage and upset at others for not driving faster or properly.  Before anyone knows what is happening, barrages of colorful metaphors are ringing through the air directed at everything and everyone.  The original thoughts may have been exclusively directed towards being late, but the unguarded end result was a vitriolic exchange of hate and dissonance.
These words then carry power because they allow others to hear our thought processes.  Even if our thoughts are guarded and carefully directed, our words may be charged with undefinable intention and direction and could therefore be taken in the wrong light.  Before we know it, our words could have affected several or even one person around us pushing them into thoughts which may not be conducive to harmonious living or thinking.

But just as negatively charged words and thoughts have energy, so to do positivity charged words and thoughts.  The simple act of saying, “Thank You” to someone can change a dark dismal day into a bright sunny one, given the person receiving the thanks feels the words are genuine.
Words can be used as affirmations of positive actions and promote healthy thoughts.

Words alone, however, aren’t worth the space they take up in the universe without real thought, intent, and follow-through.

Actions / Habits
Let’s face it, any action is in and of itself, a force of habit.  We learn from a very early age how to react to given situations.  We are taught how to act in public, to be proper at the table, how to be attentive in school, polite to our elders, and all sorts of other actions and reactions to scores of situations.  I have gotten in the bad habit of putting my feet up on the desk when typing on the computer.  Since I often sit down to write twenty to forty page dissertations, my feet fall asleep regularly.  It is quite annoying to get up from the desk, having to rush to the bathroom, only to fall flat on my face because I can only feel the pins and needles sensation of the blood rushing back into my feet.

If I were to use the keyboard drawer rather than my lap, I wouldn’t have to suffer the humiliation of answering my wife as to why there was a sudden thump on the floor.  So I direct my thoughts to a specific purpose of using my keyboard drawer more often, and to my happy surprise, I’ve not had to scrape myself off the floor in for a very long time.  My thoughts became action, and because of the dedicated purpose, my actions became a positive habit resulting in a positive reaction.

Action and habit seemingly work together in all sort of other ways.  Positive results can and often do result from positive thoughts and actions.  Positive affirmations are just one way in which a person can take a thought, turn it into an action, and have it become a positive habit within a short amount of time.
A habit is “an acquired behavior pattern regularly followed until it has become almost involuntary”; “a particular practice, custom, or usage”.

A positive habit, therefore, is an acquired positive behavior or action.  It is actually quite easy to create good habits simply by engaging in  positive thoughts, then putting them into action.

Character / Destiny
How does one even begin to convey the concepts of character and destiny other than by saying that neither one of them fully exist without the other, and that neither of them fully exist at all without some preconception on behalf of the individual thinking about the concepts.  In other words, “Huh?”

The concept of character comes from precisely what the name implies: it is the defining characteristics of an individual as perceived by others.  It is their very definition of self as viewed by others: their quality of person, or their ethical or moral makeup.

It is important to also note here, that we are not discussing ego, where the individual is qualifying their own existence.  No, we are talking about the outside view looking in at the person being scrutinized.  It is something developed over time by an individual’s actions or course of reactions to given events.  It is a culmination of all things about a person’s behaviors, actions, expressed thoughts, education, moral standing; basically everything about an individual.
Destiny is integral to a person’s character because destiny is not only about what has yet to come to pass, but it is equally about that which has already happened: the future and the past.

All of the varying parts of our being have their own roles to play in the energy make up of our individual persons, but what remains constant throughout, and from person to person, is that all parts are nothing more than energy which has been formed through thought and action.
Because all things are energy, we can manipulate that which is already “natural” to our very beings.  We do so by raising and channeling the energy found within the self, nature and in the Divine of unity which binds all things together within the universe.

An energy-worker combines this energy with their focused efforts to achieve an end result; what ever that may be.  It sometimes takes dedication, effort, energy and hard work to achieve a desired result, however, we must always balance that hard work and effort with our understanding of being an ethical person, and with the understanding that we must never harm another individual, entity, or thing.
There truly is no way to separate the energy from the person.

What energy-work Isn’t
Energywork is not Hollywood hocus-pocus.  It is not bending the natural order of things to fit your needs or desires and in all honesty if that is what you are looking for, then you are in the wrong place and I, for one, don’t much like the idea of that kind of person in the energy-work industry.  energy-workers, and other energy modality workers have had enough bad press over the past few centuries and are working hard to turn those misconceptions around.

The last thing we need is people running around claiming to “zap” people or do other harmful work simply because they cannot face reality, are not willing to work for what they want, or are looking for an easy solution to their problems.  energy-work just does not work that way.

Energy-work of any kind is a state of being in which we move the very essence and core of our beings to bring about the resolution of intention, whether our own or someone else’s, to a positive end result.  It is not a weak excuse for those who have no control in their personal lives to control others.

Energy-work is NOT a stand alone treatment or single action through which everything else in the universe will be made to fall into one’s lap.  There is no grounding in any kind of reality, made up or otherwise, that would even suggest such a thing.  I am the first person to trust in a healing session given by my local Reiki practitioner, but I am still going to utilize the services offered by my doctor.   I’m also going to take responsibility for my healing and get out and exerciser, eat properly, and do what ever else I need to do to remain healthy.

Energy-work is not an excuse to NOT do what is right because someone else will fix it or I can fix myself at any time.  It just isn’t an excuse of any kind for any purpose real or imagined, nor should it be used to trick others into using as a sole means of help.

Energy-work is a “complementary” modality of healing and being, meaning it works in conjunction with other healing modalities, thought processes, and ways of being.

Energy-work isn’t even about helping other people, healing them, or helping them move into new ways of thinking or being.  It is not up to me to decide whether or not someone is ready for a healing, up to the task of beginning a new spiritual or mental transformation, if they were even aware that such a thing could in fact be done at all.  Again, that would be an imposition of my will or energy over theirs, which as we recall, is unethical.

Energy-work is not dependent on any belief system in order for it to work.  We do believe the energy goes where it is needed.  For energy-workers, it is that simple.  While we do have a sort of blind faith in the energy itself, we as energy-workers, are not required to believe in a supernatural, all powerful person or thing which controls the universe.  Many of us chose to believe in a higher universal power or central force from which all things spring forth, and which in some way or another we are all still apart of, but many of us are of the opinion that the less we define such a thing the better as we lose the need to control the very thing we attempt to describe.

If we chose to call the central force God, and we all agree that God is all powerful, then that is where all definition should end.  There can be no qualifier to something which is all powerful.  It either is, or isn’t, but there can be no in between.  Insomuch as there exists a single central unifying force in the universe, we as energy-workers chose to honor all traditions and honor all paths that lead to the very personal belief in an all powerful force.

Energy-work is not a powerful force in and of itself.  It is simply a way of being, and a method of manipulation of the energy around us to affect an outcome.  It is a connection to a flow of energy on a much higher vibration than our own which all living things can connect with regardless of their awareness of its existence.

Perhaps most important of all is that the energy around us, the energy we workers manipulate, is not owned by any one single individual, nor is it controlled by any single individual.  We do manipulate, change, and exist within it, and we may even incorporate it’s existence into our lives, but we never fully control any part of the universal energy.

So here we are.  Floating through space on a round ball of goo, which at some point in our history coagulated, solidified, and developed life: us.  That’s about how it happened though I’m sure there were other catastrophic events between the creation of everything we know, and our own mortal existence.  The point is simply that we can no more separate ourselves from this earth than a leopard can change its’ spots.  We are born to this world, and no other, yet we go on destroying it because we are the superior ones and know what we are doing.  Right?

When I first started working with energy healing way back in the early 1980′s, I began a path of understanding that the energy I work with does not come from within me, but is something I tap into and to which we are all connected.  There is a “life force energy”, a “Rei” “Ki” which permeates every living creature, every rock, every non-natural made object, literally every thing on, in, and around our planet, solar system, and universe.  The notion we are alone, separated, and detached from everything around us is utter nonsense and not worth the time it takes to think of such a thing.

When we use energy healing of any sort, we tap into something greater than our own individual-ness, and reach for the unknown quantity.  We touch the very fabric of existence, but seldom if ever do we carry that experience of the unknown into our personal lives.  Seldom do we ever connect that universal flow of energy to our own lives or see the connective threads binding all things together.  We heal, then we go back to our everyday life.

Humanity seems bound by the limitation it sets on itself; one where the individual is the center of the universe and where self-centered egoism becomes the guiding force for how we judge everything, and everyone around us.  We expect things to change to suit our needs, and often look outside ourselves for that change, seldom thinking about how our actions affect those around us, or how our needs may conflict with someone else’s.

In a sense, we become separatists.  We externalize the world and universe around us.  We keep at arms length the notion that we have a responsibility to, and for everything around us.  Though the connective thread which binds us to everything around us never breaks, we grow and develop never giving it a second thought; until it directly affects our own microcosm.

Even when our own personal worlds are affected by some external force, we leave the fixing of our own private worlds to someone we deem as better able to handle such matters.  We give up our own ability to effect change, charge someone else to fix what ever has gone wrong, and then gripe and moan when said thing does not get fixed or becomes worse.

We are too busy thinking everyone else around us are monsters for creating a dying environment that we never bother to look in the mirror to see what it is we have done, or what we haven’t done to fix the world around us.  In that regard, we all become monsters because it is everyone’s fault, not just the guy who was in charge.

But how does this relate to energy healing?

Because we are all connected with everything around us.  Our energy is created from everything we consume, everything we expel, and everything we do. We know dust can travel thousands of miles, so when you cut a piece of wood to put up in your home, the dust from the saw has the potential to affect someone thousands of miles away from you.

That doesn’t mean you should stop what you are doing, but hopefully at some point human kind will become aware that what we do has a direct influence on the world around us.

It is however, important to remember that we are energy and energy can not be created or destroyed.  It can only change to other forms.

At this moment in time, at this very place where we are, this is all we have.  We do not have another planet we can fly off to if we should accidentally kill this one.  We do not have the resources to start over again and hope people will change.  This is it: we live in the here and now!

As citizens of this earth, we are bound, together with our host, to ensure this world lives.  It is all we can do because we are totally dependent on this world for our own existence.

We must give up the attitude that we are the omnipotent ones.  We must give up our notions of superiority over the world around us.  Without the life this world offers, we wouldn’t even be here.

Related articles

• Studies Suggest Brennan Healing Science Lowers Health Care Costs (prweb.com)
• Yi or I Mind Intent for Healing (clearstaichi.com)

Lately, one particular movie has been coming to the forefront of my mind. The movie? The 1985 classic, Enemy Mine staring Louis Gossett, Jr. and Dennis Quaid. At first glance it’s a Sci-Fi about two races, one human and the other alien, and their fight for dominance, but on a whole other level it’s about two individuals who come together to discover the real problem isn’t outside, but deep within themselves. It is, in my humble opinion, a story about personal development and inner growth.

The reason this particular movie comes to mind is a dear friend recently found, and suggested I read the following: http://tsemtulku.com/en/teachings/contemplations/the-enemy-is-within/menu-id-15.html

What I’d really like for you to do is take a moment to click on the above link before you continue reading.  It will open in a separate window or tab so you can bookmark that page, then come back here any time you’d like.  It is very short and to the point so please go there now and read the wonderful article.

Welcome back…

“The Enemy Is Within” is the most perfect discourse of how we convince ourselves we don’t have to take personal responsibility for our own thoughts, actions, growth, or personal, words, or deeds.  It seems as if it is far easier to place the blame outside ourselves and think of ourselves as above the minutia that to truly look inward and see the real cause of what’s going on around us.

How easy is it to say, “It’s not my fault people don’t listen to me”, or “Why does no one help me when I need help?”, or even, “No one else but me knows what their talking about.  If they don’t agree with me, then they aren’t worthy of me.” Statements like these are nothing more than ego strokes and only serve to further separate the individual from the perfect truth that you and you alone are responsible for everything you are and everything you do.

As His Eminence Tsem Tulku Rinpoche  stated, “If the enemy was on the outside, we should all be walking Buddhas. If your enemy is on the outside, then move to the moon. All your problems should be solved….  …Realizing the enemy is on the inside, stop blaming others.”

You and you alone are your own worst enemy.  You and you alone prevent yourself from recognizing the perfection of everything around you.  If all you see around you are people who are unable to see as you see, then perhaps you are the one with the problem.

“Buddha and Christ are wrong, I am right.
Millions love them. No one loves me.
Hmmm??? Destroy self cherishing mind.”

It is only the self-gratifying mind that tells others their beliefs are wrong.  It is only the self-gratifying mind that tells others what they should and should not believe.  It is the self-gratifying mind that causes others to suffer due to needless name calling.  It is the self-gratifying mind who refuses to acknowledge any personal wrong-doing.

“The enemy, your true foe, the cause of all pains, the master of deception is the SELF CHERISHING MIND.”

“So, how do I break the cycle?”  The first thing is to at least acknowledge YOU and YOU ALONE hold responsibility for your words and actions.  Don’t hide behind self-gratifying convictions and delusions that everyone else around you is the bad-guy.  Don’t blame other people for your failings, and don’t convince yourself you had good reason to blame others or call others names.

While I don’t agree with the practice, the principle of Catholic “confession” is, for the most part, sound.  It was in the facing another person, a priest, where we would divulge our faults and not be able to get away with justifying or convincing ourselves we were doing what we had to at the time in order to accomplish a greater good.  We had to lay out the truth as it was, with no fluff.  “I did this, it was my fault, it was my responsibility.” Period.

That is the very same thing we need to do in order to move past the crap of self-delusion; not to a priest, or some other “confessor”, but to ourselves in the private of our own meditations.  Just throw it out there.  “I did this, it was my fault, it was my responsibility.” STOP!  Don’t go any further.  Don’t breath another word.  Don’t convince yourself that someone else is an asshole and deserves to be called names.  Don’t convince yourself that someone else is to blame for the world crumbling around you.  Don’t convince yourself you are justified in your actions.  It is all self-gratification and drags you further down than you already are.  Once you have acknowledged the self-responsibility, then make the commitment to change the behavior.  This is not a moment for self flagellation.  Do not think of yourself as a bad person because that only defeats the purpose of getting rid of negative behavior.  Do not compound one negativity with another.  If, in order to move beyond the hurt you have caused others, you need to make amends, then do so.  It’s that simple.  Swallow your pride, remove the ego and superiority complex, and then get on with your life.  It does not need to be anymore difficult than this: acknowledge personal responsibility, forgive yourself and commit to change, make amends, get on with life.

The alternative is tocontinue to suffer with out ever realizing the cause.  Karma really is a bugger!

Choose!

Be Well and BB,

K

Delusions of grandeur and egos stoked by illusions of greatness are incompatible with healing, though there are now many out there who practice such atrocities.  There is simply no other way around the fact, and no matter how anyone spins it, superiority complexes will only lead to failure and abandonment.

I have seen, and continue to witness those who think they are so far above everyone around them, that they put down the very people from whom they seek assistance, or who seek their assistance.  The sadness then is that instead of healing, destruction results.  Would you want to help, or receive help from someone who calls you names, or refers to you with disdain?

There is simply no more personal accountability for actions by these “want-to-be’s” who can do nothing more than seek to be supported by their flocks.  When the flocks don’t come up with the goods, they are chastised and made to feel… insignificant.  There is also no way to hold them accountable by outside sources; at least not yet.

On top of everything, an old fad is beginning to reemerge known as the “Grandeur complex”, but this time those who have taken to these complexes are no longer boasting about their conquests, but are instead putting down their followers, clients, friends, or just about anyone around them.  Those with the “Grandeur complexes” are now labeling others as weak, uninformed, or using other straw man type arguments in order to place themselves above everyone else around them.

A Reiki‘s first responsibility is to never harm anyone; no matter the reason, and no matter if directly or indirectly done!  It follows very closely with other practices of harming none, but the damage is being done.

As the Reiki industry grows, so too must the ethical standards by which these practitioners must be held.  Egos must be kept in check by those seeking the services of these infantile ‘megalos’.  Perhaps the greatest litmus though is still looking to see whether or not the person is able to empower those around them, or if they feel the need to continue to diminish and condescend.

As you walk your own path, be careful of those who would raise themselves up by putting you down.  Be aware of those who think they are above the rules and steer clear of those who would cause more harm than good.  But most of all, be aware that you, and you alone are responsible for your healing.  You have control over your own self.  Never let someone dismiss you, or put you down for your beliefs, your faith, or for being.

You deserve to be treated with dignity and respect.  If you are not, then find another practitioner and don’t look back.

It always amazes me how many people have difficulty defining ethics, or understanding how ethics may impact not only themselves, but others around them in their daily lives.  So many people think ethics have to do with their feelings, or their religion or religious beliefs, and some people believe ethics is nothing more than legal mumbo-jumbo to keep the average person under the thumbnail of government or big business.  There are so many varied views on what Ethics IS that few people actually spend time defining HOW to go about living ethical lives.

You see, ethics isn’t just a set of definitions or rules and regulations governing how we live our lives or conduct our businesses.  Ethics is a two part principle:

1. It is a defined set of standards and/or practices (whether personal or professional).
2. It is an action of the above defined set of standards and/or practices.

The Religious View

Many people think their church or synagogue imparts a sort of holiness upon the average person in the pews.  I’m sorry to say that while the average bench warmer may have high moral standards, religion often promotes a single mindedness which narrows our views and can cause an opposite reaction.  For instance, we can see how this works in the statement, “Only Christians are moral people.  Pagans and other religions are not so the people who practices those faiths are not good people.”  This is the typical double standard for religious based ethics.  While the Ten Commandments and other rules and regulations to live our lives by are great models and examples of ethical standards, some of the results may not be so ethical such as allowing for slavery, the “eye for an eye” mentality, or even “my god is better than your god” argument can become an unethical diatribe of abuse.

It must again be pointed out that religion has contributed greatly to modern ethics by pointing out human frailties and weaknesses which can effect individuals around them.  Religious based ethics simply needs to expand to include ALL individuals and encompass all diverse cultures and religious beliefs rather than focusing only on their particular brand of moral standard.

The other problem with this concept is that if it is okay for a religious group to do a thing, then all persons should be able to do the same thing regardless of membership qualifications.  As we all know, that is not usually how the religious view works.  Just think of how those without religious views must think about the imposition of a god and it’s rules and regulations on them makes them feel.  What about the Christian view imposed on those who are of the Jewish faith?

The Religious View can sometimes forget the practical side as well.  For instance: a woman is raped and becomes pregnant.  The woman has a choice of termination or carrying to full term.  In most religious circles, the woman has no choice but to carry to full term.  However, this action does not allow the woman any sort of closure on the horrendous episode and will be a constant reminder of her ordeal.

The Social Acceptance View

As strange as this is going to sound, the Social Acceptability litmus test is probably one of the worst ever developed forms of ethical standards.  Take for example the early days of the United States of America.  We had slaves.  It was socially acceptable to have a slave.  Was that ethical?  No.  Granted social awareness caused great changes in our country and social outcry from other groups helped to rid our country of such an atrocity, but there is no way around the fact that for a time it was an ethical practice to own another human being.  It was Socially Acceptable.

There are many other example so social acceptance of things that are ethically and morally reprehensible.  One such example is how it is okay for our great country to impose our standard of living on other countries even though they may not want our way of life.  We call it a fight for democracy, but in reality we are conquering and diminishing other ways of life that are not congruent with our own.  Entire cultures have been wiped out from the face of this earth due to our imposition of our standards on other cultures.

The Individual View

This is the view that makes gut instinct, or the emotional quotient, or even the “It Feels Right” principle a valuable asset.  However, there is also a saying that “A fool and their money are soon parted.”  The “Gut” view is one of the worst tests available today and sets up a sort of competition between individuals over who is right and who is wrong.  Wars have been started due to the effect of “it feels right to me”.

The main and obvious problem here is who is right and who is wrong? Does the Individual ethical view cancel out the Social view or the Religious view?  What about conflict?  In one person’s ethical standard, it is perfectly acceptable to strike a child.  They call it appropriate punishment.  The Social view calls it abuse.  Who is right and why?

The Individual View is also the one most likely to get people into trouble because it can venture far from anything socially acceptable, and boarder on the heretical by the modern Religious views.

The Balanced View

This is the view which takes into consideration all aspects of life and uses a sort of common sense to deal with daily life situations.  From the Religious View, ethics tells us not to impose our understanding of a God or divine entity on others, nor to condemn others for not taking specific views into account.  The Social View is the dominating force here where people come together to approve and apply the set standards universally rather than for specific groups.  “What’s good for the goose is good for the gander”, sort of thing.  The Individual View teaches about domination and boundaries and we learn to respect those around us as fellow humans who also have their own faults.

The Balanced View gives us a sort of common sense approach to life, not were we call people names or fly off the handle when someone falls outside the scope of our ethical practices, but were we are patient and kind, helping the individual back on the path.  Should they refuse to step back on the road of ethical being, then the are wished well and watched over in the hopes they will be well on their individual journeys.  But should they stray too far, they are brought back in line with appropriate punishments or admonishments, then forgiven, and the cycle starts over again.

The Point

The point is very simply this: Ethics is not just a series of made up words written down for none to follow.  They aren’t fiction stories made up by imbeciles with nothing better to do with their lives.  Ethics is a concept made real by action.  All the world’s philosophers, and theologians can do nothing more than ruminate and fart if people don’t actually act on their theories and practical advices.  In some cases society itself would become anarchist and fall to pieces if people didn’t actually obey the laws created to protect society.

We may not like some of the practical adherents in force today, but ethics provide us with a sense of honor, pride, and morality that allows society to remain civilized and stable.  There will always be those who try to place themselves above the rules or set standards of ethical principles, but common sense will always win out and responsibility for actions will enforced.

Your Homework

(Hey, I’m a teacher.  It’s what I do.)  Sit down and write your own set of ethical standards and follow them from day to day.  Maybe post them somewhere in your home where you will see them often.  From time to time check in with the sheet you’ve written and see if anything needs to change based on what’s going on around you, or new things about which you have learned.  Ask yourself how you would feel if one of your standards was broken by someone else.  Make sure you remain steadfast to your set of Ethics whether it be in your personal day to day interactions, or at your place of work, study, life, or whatever!  Ethics should not change based on location, situations, or circumstances.  If they do change, then perhaps its not something which belongs on your list.

Honesty is honesty no matter where you are in your daily life, or no matter what the situation.

Peace to all,

BB

K

Related articles

• The Six Stages of Ethical Understanding (slowleadership.org)
• 6.Science And Ethics (slideshare.net)
• The best kind of rules are those we apply to ourselves (smlxtralarge.com)

Have you ever been so afraid of something you can’t see beyond it no matter how obvious?  When I was a child I used to be very afraid of the dark; so much so that if I should happen to wake up during the night and either the night-light had been turned off, or the bulb had burned out, I would freeze in complete terror.  We’re talking complete paralysis. 

One day I was talking with a friend of mine who just happened to have the same problem and so we commiserated about what we thought was a rather unusual problem.  Just as we were talking about it, my friend’s father came in and said what I thought at the time was the most profound thing I had every heard.  He said, “You know how you can kind of see the shapes of things.  Well that means it’s not totally dark because the stars outside give off light in the sky.”

I was floored.  I was finally empowered though I didn’t know it at the time.  Something so simple as telling a child the stars give off light can be the single most empowering thing for a child.  In my case, it was my freedom.

That night, I woke up, frozen as usual with terror, but something was different.  I remembered the words of my friend’s father and tried to look out my window to see if I could see the stars.  Before I realized what I was doing, I was on my feet craning my neck to get the best view possible.  I never again woke frozen in terror.

Many years ago I learned the stars also shined during the day, we just couldn’t see them so easily.

Do you see the dark, or the stars?

Peace

BB

K