Wanderings' Wanderings

The Healing Mentality

kjnelan — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 23:55:38 +0000

“Before there can be any healing, there must be the expectation healing will occur.” ~ K. Nelan

healing of karmic illusions

I’ve visited Mexico City many times in my life and each time I would watch in wonder as people would process towards the Basilica de Guadalupe on their knees. At that time I did not understand why these people would suffer so much so that suffering would end, but ultimately their faith would help pave the way for change in their lives. They believed they would be helped if they paid a price. As I grow in the Reiki healing modality, I begin to understand that one’s frame of mind has everything to do with one’s ability to heal.

If we are so engrossed in our own discomforts and can not see past our infirmities, we struggle with moving beyond what is keeping us from health, but when we can see a clear path to health we often travel the path much faster and with little, if any complications.

What brought this up? I read an article today where someone was in the hospital and saw an event which concluded with negative results. The person witnessed someone else experiencing severe pain. A passing nurse offered Reiki to help ease the pain. The nurse claimed she was a Reiki master and so the person experiencing the pain agreed. The “master” placed a hand above the person’s head and one behind her back while concentrating with her eyes closed. After a few moments she made motions like she was pulling something out of the person’s body and throwing it away. The nurse repeated the motion several times with her hands in different positions. The whole process took 5 to 6 minutes. The nurse stopped when she was paged to a patient’s room. The person receiving the treatment never noticed the nurse left because her pain was overwhelming. The person’s response was, “I just need my morphine.” The writer of the article then goes on to say they suspected the person was addicted to the morphine. The writer also stated that Reiki was “bullshit” because of that one experience. If that was my only experience with Reiki, I might say the very same thing.

There are of course several things going on in this example, the first of which is that the alleged Reiki master should have known better than to offer Reiki to someone in acute distress. Reiki is NEVER a substitute for real medical emergency care and should only be offered when the person is not in critical need. Reiki is not a crutch, it is a tool to help a person grow towards health and wellness; not some quick fix. A real Reiki master would know that, especially given that the alleged master in this case was also a nurse.

You were my favorite drug

Second, the person experiencing the pain was under the influence of a highly addictive narcotic which just happens to also cloud the mind. If I see someone in excruciating pain, the first thing I’m going to ask is did they take something for the pain. We would have gotten to the fact this person was using harsh pain killers in which case the alleged master should have again recommended immediate emergency care and NOT Reiki.

All this brings us to the third thing: what was the person’s intention? If all they wanted was their morphine then the alleged master asserted their own dominance and control over the situation by not asking for the person’s intent. Reiki practitioners are not supposed to be ego driven miracle workers. We are supposed to be people who help others walk their own paths of health and wellness.

This brings us to the third thing: what was the person’s intention? If all they wanted was their morphine then the alleged master asserted their own dominance and control over the situation by not asking for the person’s intent. Reiki practitioners are not supposed to be ego driven miracle workers. We are supposed to be people who help others walk their own paths of health and wellness. The practitioner was passing by and inserted themselves in a situation that could have proven disastrous.

The person experiencing the pain may have been going through withdrawals from the narcotic, there is just no way of knowing, and an alleged master broke with ethical practice to help where they may not have been wanted, but more to the point, the person on the morphine may not have been in any frame of mind for healing. A drug addict only wants the next fix, not the solution. Because of the actions of one alleged master, one person has a negative opinion of this wonderful healing modality.

Healing must first begin with a person wanting to be healed. All the best medicine in the world will never be enough if a person does not actually want to be healed. There are people who thrive on illness because it provides them attention. They will never reach full health because their minds will continue creating one illness after another. Care must be given to empower a person to want to heal, then and only then can true healing begin.

Healing must begin with the willingness to heal. When a person wants to heal, they will find the right path and avenue to achieve that end result.

Reiki tiki bullshit (mojoey.blogspot.com)
Why Do People Turn to Energy Healing? (using-spiritual-energy.blogspot.com)
Can You Really Heal Your Body By Using Your Mind? (hilarytopper.com)
10 ways to build a healing mentality (wow.com)

What Is More Important, The Method Or The Madness?

kjnelan — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 16:51:05 +0000

Buddha's Hand

There has been some discussion lately on the use of hand positions during a Reiki treatments. Some claim that only the hand positions as taught by Mrs. Takata should be used during a treatment, while others are throwing the hand positions completely out the window. The arguments are actually more maddening than the subject, but more to the point, the question still isn’t answered.

All of us who have practiced Reiki for many years have come to a sort of understanding between ourselves and the Reiki energy. We know the energy instinctively goes to the area in need of healing, and does so without our prompting and without our insistence, but still we tarry on like good little practitioners doing what we’ve been taught with little or no questioning, and sometimes little or no understanding why it is we do what we do.

The truth is that while many practitioners choose to walk a path of healing and empowering others, a few remain who only go through the motions because it pays the bills. For them the honeymoon ended long ago and they have forgotten the real benefits Reiki can bring to personal healing. But there is a very small group of people who have remained because they have chosen to control and dominate the industry by continuing to feed into the propaganda initiated by Dr. Hayashi and Mrs. Takata.

The very real truth of this discussion is there are no real set hand positions for any treatment. The hand positions we teach today are illustrations or guides to help prepare a student enter their own Reiki practice. Any Reiki teacher worth their salt should tell their students that the energy is the guiding force, not our own egos. If the energy guides the hands to a position not in keeping with tradition, then so long as that hand position still respects the clients’ privacy, go for it! During one session my hands moved towards my client’s side. I could hear my client’s breathing become more and more relaxed the longer I kept my hands on their side. After the treatment my client asked how I knew they had broken their ribs. I didn’t, but the energy did.

We teachers usually claim the energy goes where needed, but then some of those same instructors will teach that the hand positions are sacrosanct.

The hand positions are little more than a tool for us to use as a guide during the sessions. Actually, the hand positions are a tool which the energy itself uses, not us. We must allow the energy to guide our hands. It is the client’s need(s) which guides us to help them heal as they need it, not as we wish it for them.

Does it truly matter whether we use the hand positions taught by Mrs. Takata, Dr. Hayashi, or Dr. Usui? No. What matters is the result: balance.

Reiki As My Teacher (teachstreet.com)
Taking Reiki on the Road (teachstreet.com)
A Simple Overview On The Benefits Of Reiki (e-prescribe.biz)
Why Do People Turn to Energy Healing? (using-spiritual-energy.blogspot.com)

Anxiety, Fear, Panic? Focus!

kjnelan — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 15:16:57 +0000

One of the most effective ways to overcome anxiety is to try to shift the focus of attention away from self and toward others. When we succeed in this, we find that the scale of our own problems diminishes. This is not to say we should ignore our own needs altogether, but rather that we should try to remember others’ needs alongside our own, no matter how pressing ours may be. ~ HHDL

: Image by nimboo via Flickr

For some unknown reason the song “Put On A Happy Face” has been running through my mind this morning. Perhaps it is the gray clouds lingering behind from the midnight showers, or perhaps because of a bit of personal apprehension regarding an upcoming presentation in a new and totally unknown forum. What ever the reason, the way I personally get through the anxiety is to focus on the needs of the people I am serving at that moment, and only that moment. From the moment I let go of my own anxiety and walk a path mindful of others along the way, I begin to release what ever tensions have built up inside myself.

Hearing all of this is truly nothing new, but I do believe this is the first time I have heard a leader in the religious world actually say that we should not ignore our own needs in favor of someone else’. I simply can not stress enough how important it is to be aware of your own needs during times of anxiety.

Anxiety and fear make us hyper aware of our immediate surroundings and so we quickly pick up on things which may pose threats to our own well being. When we ignore those signs in favor of taking care of someone else, we risk hurting ourselves, which can be a subtle form of self-destructive behavior.

A great many professional and religious leaders have said time and time again, that when we are “broken” we are less likely to help others around us because we are unable to do so based on our own state of being. Basically that means we can’t help others when we are broken.

The aforementioned focusing on others is a tool to focus on something other than our anxiety or fear. It is not meant to supersede our own needs, but is instead meant to help us through a moment which is perceived to be difficult.

In a nutshell, we can use focusing on others as a tool to get through our own stress. Another tool we can use is by replaying the following words over and over and over and over and over in your minds.

Gray skies are gonna clear up
Put on a happy face
Wipe off the clouds and cheer up
Put on a happy face

…

So spread sunshine all over the place
Just put on a happy face.
~ “Put On A Happy Face” from the musical Bye Bye Birdie by Michael Stewart (That one took some research to figure out… Who’da thunk. I always thought the lyrics came from the TV commercial for a mop product…)

Light and Love Everyone!

When Anxiety Hits, Do You Take Charge or Freak Out? (lifescript.com)
Overcoming Fear (lifescript.com)
Overcoming Anxiety with Mindfulness Therapy (psychologytoday.com)
Panic Attacks and How to Overcome Them (mindbodyfitness.suite101.com)
Is Your Anxiety Worse than You Thought? (healthadel.com)

Not The Same Old Reiki

kjnelan — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 20:21:06 +0000

: Image by Jason Michael via Flickr

I remember being fresh on the Reiki scene back in the late ’80′s, before we knew that piece of paper was important, and wondering to myself, “but what happens if someone comes to me with a knee ache? Why would I treat the entire body?” I know all the chakras are connected, and I know the principles behind the meridians, but arthritis in the knee is such a localized focal event that it really does not need an entire treatment. In fact, very few ailments need full Reiki treatments.

Those of us who learned the Takata style of Reiki have relied on entire one hour treatments. We’ve made our treatments routine and we do the same thing for every person and every ailment, every time. But that is not what Dr. Usui taught. What we know today as Reiki has been modified and shortened twice, once by Dr. Hayashi, and then again by Ms. Takata.

There is an old saying which goes something like this: “History is often taught from the viewpoint of the winner.” meaning that the person relating the events usually has some sort of bias either with the information being presented, or the manner in which the information is conveyed. The same holds true in the Reiki community. Anyone can expect to find differing accounts of the history of this healing modality based upon who is telling the tale.

New information has, and is being uncovered on the origins of Reiki, Dr. Usui’s life, Mrs. Takata’s stories, and so on. What is more important than the actual facts is that there be at least some idea of the oral tradition of Reiki as passed from teacher to student. A Reiki practitioner should know the history as told by the Takata tradition, as well as keep up to date on new discoveries.

One such discovery is the original hand positions as taught by Dr. Usui which can be found at James Deacon’s sight located at: http://www.aetw.org/reiki_pdf.htm. (While you’re there, please have a look around and read up on some of the new discoveries, or become familiar with the ever unfolding history of Reiki.) There is another quick reference chart type system I personally use located at http://www.reiki.nu/Treatmentguide2.pdf

No matter the industry, there should always be continuing education. Challenge yourself to discover new things. Reach out for new and updated methods.

Learn and Grow.

Blessings to all+

The Cycle of Growth

kjnelan — Sat, 07 Aug 2010 15:52:01 +0000

Words Cannot Express

So many voice, but only one mind to control them.
So many facets of one being, but only one being; all.

This is how it has been since the beginning of time, and this is how it shall always be, and yet beneath the frailty of our being exists a beauty seen only in rare glimpses when we bear ourselves open to the fullness of the Great Divine in all things, and all of being-ness.

We ARE the purified expressions of a created-ness long ago made manifest through the Divine universal energy which exists in, through, and around all things.

And still we bumble about wondering who we are and where we are going little realizing we are still a part of the very thing which created us.

We are energy. We ARE energy. We are ENERGY~

Blessings+

Reflect Back What You Want To See.

kjnelan — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 17:26:05 +0000

We all live in our own bubbles

Imagine for a moment you are walking down the street and can actually create the world in which you live.

This past week we had a client who continually said they didn’t want to be around negative or incompetent people, and she kept saying that over and over again, and then it hit me: the reason she was surrounded by those types of people is because she was continually focusing on that type of energy. She was subconsciously drawing in the negative energy she was trying to keep out because her focus was on the negative, not the positive. When we brought this to her attention she looked like someone had slapped her in the face.

We sometimes become so focused on what we don’t want in this life that we forget to focus on what it is we DO want. When become mired in the difficulties we never see that the path actually deviates around the problems. Then we sit on our pity-pots crying the world is unfair and that we are incapable of positive things in our lives.

The world is exactly what we make it. When we see only the strife and hardships, then we are really focusing in on that type of energy and draw it towards ourselves, allowing it to feed upon our fears, and upon our own negativity. When we are able to look beyond the mess in front of us to the possibility of hope and joy, then we allow for the opportunity for growth and new life.

When negative stuff happens, learn from it. Take something positive away with you when you leave the negative behind. Find a lesson worth learning and turn the page to a new chapter.

What do you want in this lifetime? Set a goal. Now go get it and stop focusing on why you can not achieve your goal. Focus instead on the goal and think of it as already achieved.

As you begin to focus on the positive in life, so too will you reflect that positivity to others. When you show a positive and loving light, so too will you attract that positivity to your own life.

Go forth and reflect.

Finding Your Happy Place.

kjnelan — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 16:45:36 +0000

Waterfall With Sunrays

With all that happens in the world, how do you take time for yourself? Do you take time for yourself?

Self Care is much more than personal health maintenance [Wikipedia:Self_care], it is an assurance that you are looking after your own needs in a way that keeps you both healthy and happy.

Self Care regimens should include one or more of the following:

Taking time out of a busy day to relax and breath; if everyday is busy then this should be done everyday.
Making sure you are physically healthy.
Making sure you are emotionally healthy.
Making sure you are psychologically healthy.
(The above three should really be considered as one large point, but they are equally valid independent of the others.)
If you are a spiritual person, then you should also make sure you are spiritually healthy.
Take time away from work (in other words do not go into, or bring home work from the office on your days off.)
Continuing education (no matter what kind of class you take you should continue to learn and grow.)
Making sure you are ethical in all things.

Innerworks has a wonderful chart of 60 ways to nurture the self located at: http://www.innerworkspublishing.com/news/vol1/selfcare.htm

One of the ways I used to take care of myself was by driving out of town once a week to a remote location. The actual location didn’t much matter, but the driving and getting away from my normal surroundings was a very important routine which helped me decompress and let go of the stuff which may have come up during the week. I would often find secluded spots in the mountains or near a lake, and I would spend hours just staring off into the beauty that surrounded me. I let go of that routine a long time ago in favor of the more… harried …pace and have noticed a change within my core being, until my wife and I finally took a much needed vacation. Three years without a vacation equals not good. Add to that rarely taking days off, or on those days off doing nothing but chores.

The consequence for not taking care of the self can be devastating.

Find a way to ensure you are taking care of yourself. Let go of bad habits and negative people which may surround you, and remember this: if you are ill or unable to take care of yourself, how can you expect to take care of someone else?

Desiring a Happy and Successful Life (socyberty.com)
Happy, Happy Things (weirdomatic.com)
The Key To Happiness (selfimprovementbase.com)
Find Happiness (lifescript.com)
Charting Happiness: Study Finds It Comes With Age (npr.org)
Self-Care Tips (innerworkspublishing.com)

But Thought IS Energy Too!

kjnelan — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 16:40:59 +0000

The seven major Chakras

The Fifth Chakra is more than just the center for the throat. Aside from the obvious, this chakra focuses on the expression of one’s self through thought as well as voice. Clear communication, where thoughts and ideas are expressed, come from this chakra. This is the center for one’s needs, wants and feelings. It deals with ideals, philosophy, psychology and the need to understand at the intellectual level.

Thoughts too have a voice of their own and can carry with them the full power of the throat chakra. How much of one’s thoughts remain in the past, or worry about the future, and have difficulty dealing with, and remaining in the present?

Thoughts are not merely expressions of the mind, but help us further our own needs. We carefully discern what it is we choose to say by rationalizing our thoughts, thinking how we wish to convey our message, and then finally formulating the words which will be expressed. Much of this happens with lightening speed, but it is the same process for each and every person.

So, let’s use our Fifth Chakra for a moment and think about how thoughts then relate to energy.

We know sounds we make through our mouths carry with them a form of energy known as frequencies. They are real waves that can be measured by scientific equipment. Well, so too can thought be measured by scientific devices, only those devices measure a different type of frequency known as “Waves”, and are broken down into 4 main waves: alpha, beta, delta, and theta ["The Physics Factbook" http://hypertextbook.com/facts/]. These waves can move far beyond the person from whom they are emanating.

Now, put intention behind those thoughts. What do you think will happen?

Reiki teaches us that energy will go where it is needed, but so too will energy which is given life and purpose through our thoughts. When we think negative thoughts, we create for ourselves a negative environment and attract like energy. When we think positive thoughts the same thing happens and our surroundings become filled with positivity and renewed vigor.

But think for a moment what happens when we direct our thoughts towards someone else, or towards another situation separate from ourselves. What happens then? Energy is put into motion through intention, whether realized or not, and goes out to that particular situation. If someone there picks up on that energy and accepts it, then cycles whether negative or positive, are perpetuated. Regardless of whether the thoughts are positive or negative, they are sent and the person sending those thoughts MUST be willing to accept responsibility for those thoughts.

Thoughts have power and can either support us and bring us to new heights, or can depress us and force us to new lows.

Which would you rather have?

The Seven Chakras and What They Mean (brighthub.com)
Exploring the Chakras (slideshare.net)
Chakra Meditations (lifescript.com)
The Aura and the Chakras: Spiritual Healing (chakrayoga.suite101.com)
The Fifth Chakra: Throat (brighthub.com)

Who Do I Want To Become?

kjnelan — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 16:02:01 +0000

What do I want to do when I grow up?

I remember being asked the all important question every child faces on an almost daily basis, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” I quickly became frustrated with that question because it seemed no one wanted to get to know who I was, they only wanted to know what I wanted to become. As a child, I couldn’t care less what I would become so I would often announce my career choice based on what ever happened to impact me that day. Seldom, if ever, did any of those announcements carry with it the weight of “WHO” I was to become, only what I wanted to do with my life.

I also remember one particular day when I looked up at my father and said with all my might and the largest smile I could muster, “I want to be a good and wise man when I grow up.” I was quickly admonished for not thinking about what to do with my life, but I kept that lofty goal in my heart where it would remain safe and sound till I could once again look upon its innocent wisdom. In the past few months I have often sat alone with myself in quiet contemplation thinking back to that day when I boldly stated who I wanted to be, rather than what I wanted to be. Little did I know that one day would have such a lasting and permanent effect on my being.

“WHAT” we want to do with our lives changes greatly from time to time throughout our lives, but “WHO” we want to be should be the foundation of our entire way of life, and not just something to which we aspire, but actually something practiced and honed which will, in the long run, give us that personal sense of accomplishment and value.

Well, I’ve long sense grown and still find myself constantly evolving and growing, and I still ask myself the questions, “What do I want to do?”, and “Is this all there is?” I find very little solace in empty answers. But when I change my question to “Who do I want to become” suddenly the doors open wide and the limits disappear.

We are a people who constantly reinvent ourselves, but we are also on a evolutionary road. We have the opportunity to become greater than the sum of our parts and grow into the type of being we wish to be, rather than focus on our life’s career path.

Let’s face facts, the career choice will always be an issue. Do I work here, or there? Do I change jobs? Do I become a doctor, or take a different career path? Do I go back to school and do something else with my life? These are all questions we face throughout our lives.

Our internal personal growth, however, should remain fairly constant and maintain a singular focus on our internal being. It may vary from time to time, but “WHO” we are should seldom, if ever change. Sitting with ourselves and truly examining our core help us to grow in ways we may never have allowed ourselves to contemplate.

For you parents, it is nice to have children who can support themselves and do well in the world, but is that all there is? Is that all you want for your child? Try asking the truly difficult question and see what happens. Instead of the usual, ask “WHO do you want to become?”

My answer is: Me. If your answer is that you want to be like someone else, then perhaps sit in silence with yourself and try to discover why you would rather be someone other than yourself.

Peace to all.

Return to Nothingness (3quarksdaily.com)
Jan Shepherd: Living a Life With Meaning (huffingtonpost.com)
Mid Career Advice (tobiasbuckell.com)

Sit In Silence With The Self.

kjnelan — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 23:45:03 +0000

: Image by alicepopkorn via Flickr

Just for this moment, just for this one brief period of time, sit alone with yourself and allow for the perception of craziness by talking to yourself. Yes I know that is a vision often reserved for those individuals who have been pushing their lives down the streets in little steel caged buggies often called shopping carts, but allow yourself this one indulgence. Believe you me, they who talk to themselves openly are the lucky ones. They have not a care in the world and are free to “be” as they please and often without limitations imposed by society.

Let us take a few moment from our busy lives to examine a form of private meditation which allows an individual to come to a greater awareness of themselves through open communication with all parts of individual identity. I have found great comfort in silence and often sit with myself in personal examination and discovery. It is through this sitting in silence with the self that we grow beyond our current limitations.

To begin, just relax, focus on your own breathing, and from time to time silently ask yourself this question: “Who is aware?” In the silence of the response, you will begin to feel your own consciousness rise up from the very core of your being. Instead of asking “Who is aware,” you can instead repeat your own name silently to yourself over and over, trying to determine what your name really means. Of course what ends up happening is not so much discovering what your “name” means, but what you mean to yourself.

By observing yourself observing yourself, you enter an infinite progression or mental loop, until there is no difference between you the observer, and you the person doing the observation, or between you and your own consciousness. That intimate core awareness is a big part of your true identity, your true self.

Out of the intense focusing of your own being on yourself, something wondrous begins to unfold; your individuality begins to fade away and you begin to realize the vastness to which you are eternally connected.

Through this type of meditation, you will begin to realize that the loss of the ego-dominated personality is not an extinction of the self, but is instead the only true purity of life and just the beginning of a wondrous and awesome exploration of all that exists.

Sit in silence with yourself and being your own discovery of being-ness.

Vedic Meditation – The Effortlessness of Nature (teachstreet.com)
Powerful Self Suggestions (socyberty.com)
When You Help Yourself, Which Self Are You Helping? (beliefnet.com)
The Origin of Fear (beliefnet.com)

Wanderings' Wanderings

The Healing Mentality

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What Is More Important, The Method Or The Madness?

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Anxiety, Fear, Panic? Focus!

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Not The Same Old Reiki

The Cycle of Growth

Reflect Back What You Want To See.

Finding Your Happy Place.

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But Thought IS Energy Too!

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Who Do I Want To Become?

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Sit In Silence With The Self.

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