Julie’s Heaven

Just for today, I will not worry.
Just for today, I will not be angry.
Just for today, I will give thanks for my many blessings.
Just for today, I will do my work honestly.
Just for today, I will be kind to every living thing.

With a book, on living the Reiki Prayer, in progress, I find myself delving more and more into the symbols and meaning of Reiki. So much has happened since my first attunements and I cannot help but wonder how life would be different had I not made the choice to accept Reiki into my life.

We hear so many wonderful stories from those who have taken the path of Reiki, yet seldom do we hear others sharing the difficulties and pain that surfaces when we choose to do the healing work.

I believe that attunements and the above prayer should come with a warning label. That is what this blog is about. There is never a time that I wish I had not taken those first attunements or gone on to become a Reiki Master/Teacher, but I do wish there had been more class time spent in explaining energy and the accountability for accepting a life of Reiki. Over time it becomes excruciatingly clear that healing can be a painful process. With each lesson, the sense of peace seems less restricted, the flow of love boundless, yet I wish I had been warned - I wish the focus on the Reiki Prayer had been stressed as mandatory to the practice. If you are a practitioner of Reiki or strongly connected to Universal Energy begin today to use this prayer, making it a part of all you are and hope to be.

I find as I dig deeper into the energy, my life turns upside down and becomes a shambles that requires clearing, release, forgiveness. As I work with the energy of the symbols, I find a profound sense of peace, along with a greater longing for solitude. It is not a self-centered desire to be alone, but a need to stay focused on the bigger picture of life, encompassing not only family and friends but the entire world. Somehow I feel responsibility for everything that is happening everywhere. This feeling is not guilt exactly, but something quite similar. Can I generate enough energy to be part of a global healing force? Will my healing, loving thoughts join with others creating a strong enough spark to initiate more abundance for all?

In the midst of this I find the sense of Oneness so many talk about, but have never felt. Again, we hear the joyful stories about how Oneness feels, but seldom do we talk about the gravity of responsibility that comes with the acceptance that our actions, thoughts and words affect our entire Universe. Take a moment to envision yourself as totally responsible for what is going on in places you have never even heard of. Envision the ripple of your thoughts spreading beyond your sphere of imagination. Can you?

Reiki Master/Teachers speak of the many healing benefits that come with Reiki. Few talk about the fullness of responsibility that comes with attunements. When you choose Reiki you take on new role in life. Reiki is not just about healing family and friends. It is about self-healing and Universal healing all tied together. Accepting the attunements is about unraveling the knots so that the energy you accept during attunements can flow freely throughout the entirety of existence. Your manifestation powers strengthen to a point where even the slightest glimpse of envy, anger, guilt, blame and doubt, amplify inwardly and externally creating circumstances seen and unseen without your being totally aware.

The same is true of all the loving, prosperous, healthy thoughts and actions that you take in each moment. This is one reason the Reiki Prayer becomes an important focal point in Reiki Practice. It is also a good reason to use this prayer daily, even if you are not an attuned Reiki Practitioner.

The book will outline real life examples of how this prayer can alter circumstances and events in your life. It will also open your heart and mind to the knowing that all you think, do and feel affects a greater community. For now I ask you to sit with the prayer and find ways that applies to your life - just for today.

This is my warning to you, if you are contemplating Oneness, Reiki, or simply opening to the possiblities that come with choosing to allow the flow of Universal Energy in your life. Accept all that shows up as part of a more magnificant plan. Accept that you are agreeing to align your will with that of a Higher Will. Live the Reiki Prayer in all circumstances, without fail. Accept that outer conditions may not reflect the truth of your true being. Have faith that all is just as it meant to be. By accepting this path you have agreed to be a teacher for the lessons of others, and this may mean that the life you choose to live will be altered for higher and grander reasons. Just for today.

At the end of each day I take time to review and decide what ideas, thoughts and feelings I choose to keep. In a short meditation I give thanks for all I have learned throughout the day and release those thoughts and feelings I do not want to keep. I use this time for forgiving myself and others for errors in judgment, actions, words and lack of communication.

Beginning a new year gives opportunity for a similar ritual. I allow myself about a month spanning the old year and the new to review my life story, going through my journal, checking to see if there is residual hurt, anger, guilt or blame that needs to be released. I meditate, release, give thanks, and forgive. Once I feel totally clear of the clutter and disappointments from the prior year, I begin creating my new year.

Just as each day is a New Day, each year is a New Year, bringing new opportunities, challenges, and lessons to learn and enjoy. I have learned that as long as I carry old grudges, and mistakes with me, these new adventures will be clouded and scarred, not allowing me the full value they offer.

I often wonder why even with the best of intentions and goals set, based on a desire to offer greater health and prosperity to all, that I seem to feel let down at the end of each year. I feel I have never done enough to propel healing throughout my community and the world.

This year as I review beliefs I have carried forward, I accept that I can only offer love and support to those around me and to my many online friends and clients. Each person must decide for themselves when and whether healing will occur. Blessings can be sent out, but acceptance is up to the recipient.

The same is true for the gifts that I tend to block. What is it that keeps me feeling unworthy, or is it that I feel the offer is made out of obligation rather than the desire of another to give. Why is it that we feel so much better giving than accepting? Perhaps it is the belief that “it is better to give than receive”. After much thought and meditation on this phrase I think we misunderstand it’s meaning. As with everything else in life there must be balance. Giving from the heart is as much a gift to ourselves as it is to the recipient, but accepting the gift of another is also an act of giving. If you think about how you feel when giving to another, can you see that you are refusing to give, by not accepting their gift to you? This is one belief I intend to work on this year. How about you?

As I meditate on the dear friends I have made over the years, I marvel at their sense of purpose. Most seem so content in their lives and I appreciate the balance they offer as I continue to search for my deepest desires. I am grateful to have found a place of peace, joy and well-being, yet there still seems so much for me to do.

This year as I clear the clutter, from my physical environment and memories, I notice so many things I was sure I had already let go, but here they are still taking up space in my physical world and emotions. So today I set the intent to take 15 minutes each day to clear one area of my home until all the “junk” is gone. I will use this time to also clear my heart and mind of those old worn out beliefs and grudges.

Working through intentions that match our current desires is only a small part of magnetizing the dream. It is important to make space for the desire to enter, and to prepare ourselves for the good that is waiting for us. It is like wanting a new sofa, when your living room is already stuffed full of old furniture you don’t like. Get rid of the old and before you know it the new will arrive. But are you ready for the new? Have you trained the cat to use the scratching post and the children to drink their juice in the kitchen?

In an instance where increased energy is concerned are you prepared to accept the energy? Are you ready to release the “sick and tired” mentality? How will you use the new energy that comes? What sacrifices including diet and excercise are willing to accept?

As I look through my list of intentions this year, I realize that first I must prioritize current desires. What is most important?  What do I choose to let go of in order to allow that dream to come true? What new discipline will I follow in order to achieve my goals? What new beliefs about life will I begin to accept today, that align my wishes with intent?

This meandering is all part of the process. I share it with you in the hope of inspiring you to start your spring cleaning today. Begin with the clutter around you and as you clear put focus on the inner clutter. Decide what stays and what goes, then use meditation and affirmations to clear out the old and make room for the new.

Journal thoughts and review past journals. As you read feelings and ideas will present themselves. Keep what feels good and release that which brings pain or sorrow. Thank the situation for the lesson and then intend to move on. Trash those memories that no longer serve the purpose of joy, love and peace in your life.

Take your experiences to offer compassion to others. None of us can know how another feels, no matter how similar the experience, but we can support their journey unconditionally. Share your experiences - they may spark a light in someone else. Know when to let go of those moments, because they no longer serve you- sharing is often a good way to let go - it is like sending those still new clothes off to friends, family and goodwill - perhaps someone else can use what you no longer need. Once you have given it away, remember it is no longer yours to control. Let it go.

As always I send Blessings and Love. Here is to a year of clearing and magnetizing. May your world be shiny and bright.

Julie