Who have you healed?

Being involved in complementary modes of healing as well as energy works, the question often arises. Who have you healed?

As an energy healer there may be no visible results. Like Paula Horan, Reiki teacher and writer said, no one is ever healed with Reiki. This of course can and is debated.

I would relate it from another perspective.

I know a family whose father was struck down with stroke resulting from a massive brain haemorrhage. After a month or so in hospital and going under the knife there was no recovery. He remained bed-ridden, unable to move. The hospital discharged him as there was nothing more they could do and bed space was scarce.

We mentioned to the son about the possibility of using acupuncture as we had seen good results.This acupuncturist is a good man and also our acupunture and tuina teacher.

It was a happy ending. Aftera week of treatment, he could move and after the second week, he was, I heard, doing laps in the pool.

That is amazing by any standard. His doctors thought they had the wrong patient card when he returned after 2 weeks for a check-up and said something like he no longer needed any more treatments.

He has fully recovered. Good for him!

Healing sometimes need not necessarily be through our own hands. In our involvement, healing has been effected. So, for all Reikians and other like workers, despair not that you have not seen results.

What Usui Sensei means to me

Recently I got back into healing therapy again. Not really getting back, more like exploring and learning again.

I was introduced to a myofascial therapist and became a patient to explore what can be done with my bad neck and back. (and I have found something that works and will share later..)

Healing and relieving of physical problems and pain had always held a great interest for me. Maybe it has something to do with the good feeling of being able to build something, put something together or repair something that was not working too properly.

With all this the journey led to picking up all kinds of magic and then to Reiki. Apart from the healing aspect itself, it was the life of the founder, Dr. Usui, himself who made a deep impression on me.

From the few stories that we know now, he led a simple life. If it is true that he meditated in the mountains, he was deeply spiritual. From his service to the beggars and the victims of the earthquake, he showed great compassion.

Typical of the orient way of doing things, students gathered to him. I can appreciate that part of his culture which is similar to my own. Through my experience in the learning of martial arts and other stuff, a good teacher is hard to find and a great master is one who shares whole heartedly with very little expectations of payment.

What I learnt and hopefully others see it too is that the Reiki that is taught is not so much about healing but of giving and offering of services. More importantly it is about leading a deeply spiritual life. A life beautifully lived is a life that leads one to self understanding and inner knowledge of the greater scheme of things.

That is how I view my Reiki grandmaster-a fine example of a life well lived.

Lower Back Pain

Ever experienced lower back pain?

Here is on tip that may help. The source of lower back (that is the area of our abck behind our navel) can sometimes be strain to the buttock muscles, the gluteus. The other is the psoas muscles which are muscles at the front around the navel area.

Through strenous excercises like climbing stairs or standing for long periods of time, tightness develops in these muscles and the pain shows up in our lower back. It even causes tender tail bone.To relief pain, try lying down on a golf or tennis ball at the area of the buttocks which are most tender. A good massage of 12 times many times a day helps. The common areas are near the depression of the hip joint and just above the crease line of the thigh and buttocks.

To work the stomach muscles, again lie on your back and apply deep pressure with fingers to look for tenderness. Apply pressure and watch the tenderness ease.

I remember the effectiveness of this therapy. It was during my week long Reiki Master training in Australia and I developed a stiif back. My fellow Reiki master, Rhonda, who was sitting next to me noticed my discomfort. All she did was reached into my muscles just below the hip bone and with her sensitive hands found the right spot. It was for maybe 20-30 seconds and my pain was gone. What a great therapist. Sure magic! Thanks, Rhonda if you are reading this.

Neck Pain Remedy

Being a sufferer of neck pain, I have tried many forms of treatment from massage, painkillers and other drugs, natural and un-natural, acupuncture, exercises, traction and others.

Lately I have been using a goose feather pillow and I find that they give the neck a rest allowing a more restful sleep compared with other pillows I have tried.

This one is sold at Jusco as "Sleeping Partner".

I would suggest that even if you have no neck or back problems now, do use a pillow with good neck support. I believe this allows the neck to rest and muscles and what-nots a chance to recuperate preventing damage and eventual neck pain.

Neck pain is no fun and can be debilitating. Take care-prevention is better than cure.

Blessed are we who have Friends

Friends are one of the few the real Treasures in life. I read this here.

Ever wondered how true it is that true friends can be counted on the fingers of one's hands?

I remember reading from somewhere when I was young that a true friend is one you would want to bring with you into the deep forest. This is one test as a true friend will not desert you and would give his or her life for you in danger. They will not run away when you need them most - a friend in need is a friend indeed!

Through our journeys in life and on the road, we do get to experience the different kinds and levels of friendships. From our school days, we learn how mercurial friends can be. The push and pull of simply getting on with life affects our moods people around us perceive this.

Fellow travellers on vacations and holidays too show their true colors. When we are taken away from our familiar environments, we react as all animals do and the natural instincts start to show. Sometimes it amy make us think that if it is not with suitable companions, it is better to travel alone especially if the travel is going to be a rough one.Backpacking through unfamiliar regions for example.

I do believe that to fulfill our potential as human, the adage "reliable as the salt of the Earth" is something to live by.

Farewell, Uncle Yap

Yesterday was a sad day for me as I sent off a freind who had to go. His heart failed him.

Many of his Energy Worker friends were there too and I believe they felt the same way.

Wherever he is now may he frolic with angels and continue his passion and goodness just as he had done on Earth.

We shared the same office building many years ago and we were part of the team who laboured and saw the birth of "Inner Journey" magazine.

Be well friend for with your going away, you have left many lessons and one of these is the impermanence of life and more importantly to make urgent use of our time here.

Farewell....

Soft shell crabs, anyone?

I have heard of many people who enjoy eating the soft shell crab and treat this as a delicacy.

Well, I learnt over lunch today the cruel way in which these crabs are bred (more like prepared) for consumption. After reading this and knowing how much cruelty is involved I hope that you will not order them anymore and tell your friends about this. This is how it goes...

Young crabs which have been caught or reared have all their limbs and claws cut off. They are then thrown back into the breeding pond. These crabs apparently undergo and suffer much pain as they wriggle and struggle. Apparently it is the pain that triggers their bodies to shed their hard outer shell. Once this process is over they are harvested.

To all who rear soft shell crabs and those who delight as they eat them, please show conpassion...Om Mani Peme Hung...

Saving for what?

Ever own a laptop computer? And if you do, do you take the battery out to use when the mains are plugged cos batteries are expensive and you want to save the battery for that time when you need it most. Well, I did.

As often happens, the battery outlasts the laptop. Just like in life we always try to scrounge on ourselves so much so that we begin to develop some masochistic joy out of scrimping on ourselves. Very soon we find that our body gives up on us and we will leave behind all those treasured possessions like savings for that rainy day, unopened gadget or a new shirt still in its plastic envelope waiting for that one suitable day. One person I know still have the plastic wrapping on his car seat, not wanting to tear and throw it away for fear of dirtying the fabric. Well, he will never relish the soft feel of the seat cushion. That person is my brother…haha..

“Go for it!” says one shoe advertisement and I think we can see its relevance in the way we look at life as well. After energy work courses, we often teach that we must give ourselves a treat in celebration. It may be a hearty meal or just something simple like a bar of chocolate. In this way we celebrate life and also take it as an opportunity for the blessings and abundance that the Universe had provided us. Try it!

To Receive, Let Go

Hope nobody shouts"Plagiarism!!!" but this story i find meaningful..here goes :) thanks for the fwd mate.

The cheerful little girl with bouncy golden curls was almost five.Waiting with her mother at the checkout stand, she saw them, a circle of glistening white pearls in a pink foil box. "Oh mommy please, Mommy. Can I have them? Please, Mommy, please?"

Quickly the mother checked the back of the little foil box and then looked back into the pleading blue eyes of her little girl's upturned face."A dollar ninety-five. That's almost $2.00. If you really want them, I'll think of some extra chores for you and in no time you can save enough money to buy them for yourself. Your birthday's only a week away and you might get another crisp dollar bill from Grandma."

As soon as Jenny got home, she emptied her penny bank and counted out 17 pennies.After dinner, she did more than her share of chores and she went to the neighbor and asked Mrs. McJames if she could pick dandelions for ten cents.

On her birthday, Grandma did give her another new dollar bill and at last she had enough money to buy the necklace. Jenny loved her pearls. They made her feel dressed up and grown up. She wore them everywhere, Sunday school, kindergarten, even to bed. The only time she took them off was when she went swimming or had a bubble bath.Mother said if they got wet, they might turn her neck green.

Jenny had a very loving daddy and every night when she was ready for bed, he wouldstop whatever he was doing and come upstairs to read her a story.

One night as he finished the story, he asked Jenny, "Do you love me?"

"Oh yes, daddy. You know that I love you."

"Then give me your pearls."

"Oh, daddy, not my pearls.But you can have Princess, the white horse from my collection, the one with the pink tail. Remember, daddy? The one you gave me. She's my very favorite."

"That's okay, Honey, daddy loves you. Good night."

And he brushed her cheek with a kiss.

About a week later, after the story time, Jenny's daddy asked again, "Do you love me?""Daddy, you know I love you."

"Then give me your pearls."

"Oh Daddy, not my pearls. But you can have my baby doll. The brand new one I got for my birthday. She is beautiful and you can have the yellow blanket that matches her sleeper."

"That's okay. Sleep well. God bless you, little one. Daddy loves you."

And as always, he brushed her cheek with a gentle kiss.

A few nights later when her daddy came in, Jenny was sitting on her bed with her legs crossed Indian style.As he came close, he noticed her chin was trembling and one silent tear rolled down her cheek.

"What is it, Jenny? What's the matter?"

Jenny didn't say anything but lifted her little hand up to her daddy.And when she opened it, there was her little pearl necklace. With a little quiver, she finally said, "Here, daddy; this is for you."

With tears gathering in his own eyes, Jenny's daddy reached out with one hand to take the dime store necklace, and with the other hand he reached into his pocket and pulled out a blue velvet case with a strand of genuine pearls and gave them to Jenny. He had them all the time. He was just waiting for her to give up the dime-store stuff so he could give her the genuine treasure.

So it is, with our Heavenly Father.He is waiting for us to give up the cheap things in our lives so that he can give us beautiful treasures.

Are we holding onto things that we should let go of? Are we holding on to harmful or unnecessary partners, relationships, habits and activities that we have come so attached to that it seems impossible to let go?

Sometimes it is so hard to see what is in the other hand but do believe this one thing .The greatest gifts happen when you share love & touch others.

In giving love and generating compassion and practising generosity oneself is healed too!

Reiki symbols in meditation

A dear friend shared an interesting and beneficial way of incorporating meditation and Reiki. Link here. Personally I have always felt that meditation and reiki are inseparable and have often used them together.

I have always liked to work with the reiki symbols ever since I was taught them, maybe because my Reiki journey was a very beautiful, mystical as well as spiritual experience. I would admit that the skeptical part of me has always spurred me to look at them objectively. From the early beginnings, I have tried to read up on them as well as try to connect them to known symbols and knowledge, be they shamanic, pagan or religious.

Over time, I have found that this stifles my own journey. Instead it is better to set that objective part of me free and allow openness in my thoughts and belief. The dissecting mind and the real thing are two different cups of tea. After all, it is eventually one’s own experiential insight that becomes truth not words from books or the mouths of others.

I have played with many ways of working with the symbols. May I speak of one that I have used. It started with the time I saw symbol 2 being drawn in a slightly different way from that I used. In fact I liked this new way.

Symbol 1 is the power symbol and I visualize it in 3D, in powerful earthy colors swirling and dissolving into my being. Then I visualize a protective harmonizing soft golden light of symbol 2 covering me like a bell. The natural bell shape of symbol 2 is just perfect for this meditation. As long as I am in that state it becomes a most blissful experience. I find it best if the symbols flow rather than a hard attempt at a visualized form. Try it!