Well, it seems I need to overhaul the title and stated purpose of this blog. But I’ll get to that.

Update #1:

On June 18, I was in a car accident. My friend Alexa was visiting from the Bay Area, and I’d been looking forward to introducing her and my friend Jennifer that lives here. Jennifer picked us up and we headed to get some food and drinks before then going to see some women’s roller derby (kick ass!).

About three minutes after we got in the car and Jennifer and Alexa met for the first time, we were hit by a car that ran a stop sign. The cars collided twice, front to front and then back to back, pushing us into the opposing lane. As serious as the collision was, we immediately realized it could have been SO much worse. No one was bleeding or had broken anything; we were all able to get up and walk around. I took the brunt of the impact in the front seat of Jennifer’s car, but the two collisions skipped right over the passenger door. Additionally, there was no oncoming traffic for us to further collide with.

Still, I could tell some stuff was going on in my neck and, emotionally, I was super-freaked. I called 911 right away, and it ended up taking 45 minutes for the police to show up. During that time, I sat in the front seat trying to breathe deeply and calm myself down. After about 25 minutes, I thought, “Oh! I’m an energy healer!” And as soon as I opened myself up to the flow of Reiki, it came on FAST and STRONG. I can’t say I would choose the experience again, but that was one really cool thing to come of that moment.

In the three weeks since, I’ve been getting very good care from Dr. Athena Paradise, DC, a chiropractor and energy worker; Rachel Allen, LMT, massage therapist; and Forrest Wilburn, LAc, acupuncturist, at Portland Natural Health. My part in my recovery has been a bit overwhelming, though. I’ve been prescribed a new (temporary) diet: gluten-free, sugar-free, and no nightshade vegetables: potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, eggplant. I have daily back strengthening exercises to do. I am to do some light walking each day instead of going to the gym for a while. And before all this started, I was making an effort to practice Reiki daily.

In the days immediately following the accident, I continued to be amazed by my lack of dedication to practicing Reiki. If there was a time my body, mind, and spirit could use some healing, it was then. I’ve finally experienced a shift around that, however. I’ve taken the pressure off myself, and I’ve stopped kicking my own ass about it. I practice when I can. I don’t force it. I think about the benefit it offers and how good it feels instead of treating it like a to-do item to cross off. I reduced the amount of time I spend on a self-treatment session to a manageable 30 minutes. I’ve worked my way up to three self-treatment sessions a week. This is progress.

Update #2:

The first Reiki volunteer clinic at New Avenues for Youth, organized by my teacher Michelle, took place on June 25. Speaking honestly, I was not looking forward to it. The clinic was on a Saturday, right in the middle of the day. My weekends are precious to me. I require lots of down time at home. Still, I welcome opportunities to practice Reiki on others, and I’m making a conscious effort to push through whatever resistance comes up around this new path.

I ended up being very grateful for the experience.  We were five practitioners on three tables and thus gave Reiki to three youth at a time in 20-minute sessions.  The kids who spend time at NAfY have lived difficult and painful lives. They come from unsafe homes. They have chosen to live on the streets and in shelters rather than in their home environments.  These kids didn’t know anything about Reiki or what would happen to them if they chose to try it, but 9 of them did so anyway.

And it was amazing for everyone all the way around. If nothing else, these 9 youth got 20 precious minutes of rest and safety and nothing to do or worry about except to breathe and receive universal life energy. And we practitioners got to be of service to an underserved and deserving community. The staff member serving as a liaison between us and the youth kept his ear open for the feedback the youth were giving after returning to the community room after their sessions, and it was quite positive. They may not have understood what we were doing, but they liked it and recommended it to the others.

On a personal level, this was my second time practicing on other people. I still did not feel strongly guided to focus the energy in one place or another and was not able to sense the health, or lack thereof, of the recipients’ chakras as the other practitioners did (“they were messed up”, said one).

I did, however, experience the faintest sense of being guided to focus the energy on the sacral and root chakras of most of the kids I practiced on, though I didn’t know why as I am still learning what each energy center is about. It was a slight enough pull for me to doubt that I felt it at all, but as I understand it, that is how developing intuition works. It is a process of stepping aside and ALLOWING it and TRUSTING that it’s there. The other practitioners expressed that they were drawn to those chakras as well, which makes sense as – I was reminded – the root chakra is the center of survival and security, and the sacral chakra is that of sexuality and relationships.

I experienced another thing that was really cool. Receiving Reiki energy often results in involuntary muscle twitches that signal the release of an energy block. I’ve felt it myself when receiving, and for the first time at this clinic, I saw it happen in someone I was practicing on. I felt two things simultaneously: gratitude to be of service in facilitating the release, and on an ego level, pride that I DID THAT!

Michelle had initially intended the clinics to be quarterly, but we all agreed that wasn’t often enough. She also didn’t want to overwhelm our schedules, so the new idea is for them to take place bimonthly. I will definitely be doing the one in August.

Update #3:

Michelle offers a discount when paying for her Reiki I and II classes together.  I couldn’t do it all at once, and she gave me a grace period for covering the balance. I have now paid in advance for Reiki II, though I don’t know when I’ll be taking it. She is offering a Reiki II class in August, three months after my Reiki I attunement. A general guideline is to take I and II six months apart, but like Michelle says, that’s a rule and she doesn’t do rules. She suggests the student move on when ready. Will I be ready? That probably depends on how much I practice between now and then. I have been using the idea of taking the August class as further incentive to practice regularly. I don’t want to rush my learning curve, but I do look forward to experiencing the next level of Reiki energy.

Update #4:

Today I attended my second Reiki share since being attuned, which was my third opportunity to practice on others.  There were 9 of us, and we practiced on two tables in 18-minute sessions.  I have nothing new to report, really.  This time, I didn’t think too much about trying to figure out where to place my hands.  I just placed them wherever was comfortable for my own body, being limited in the amount of time I can stand without hurting my back or reaching across the recipient’s body without hurting my neck.  I felt the energy more strongly at times and not as strongly at others. [shrug]

Update #5:

The desire to chuck it all and travel the world that was a recurring fantasy pre-Reiki and was then re-awakened when I attended WDS has completely taken root.  I cannot, and I see no reason to, let go of the notion that I am about as free of attachments as a 39-year-old can be and thus have an opportunity at this time in my life to engage in long-term travel.  And I love the idea of incorporating Reiki into my travels.  I can bring healing energy to people everywhere I go, perhaps in exchange for food and/or shelter.

I turn 40 next May, and I have registered for WDS next June.  It would be fun to celebrate my birthday in another country, but I wouldn’t want to miss the 2nd WDS.  I’m more or less aiming to depart sometime in June or July next year.  Between now and then, I have lots of planning to do, lots of money to save, and lots of Reiki to practice and develop.

So I suppose the focus of this blog has shifted slightly. It’s still about my Reiki journey, but not toward self-employment. Not yet, anyway. I’m not giving up on Blossom Reiki, but I will be remaining open to any new opportunities that come my way while I’m meeting people and having adventures.  Isn’t that exciting?!