REIKI

 Feb 28, 2011
         I took a Reiki course in 1994. Hands on healing.  I was very skeptical but took a weekend course.  A few friends took it… First night, introduction and some sort of initiation… The teacher, Byll, gave us a background about himself and Reiki.  Then we individually went into a room with him.  Each person went in for a few minutes.  When one woman was initiated, she came out and said, “I’m in bliss”.  Another friend came out, broke down and cried.  Other people were very moved.  I went in, sat down in a chair and closed my eyes.  I don’t remember what he did, but I felt nothing… I came out.. I felt ok but not bliss… Then we learned some Reiki positions on the massage tables that were set up for us and then it was over until the morning.  I was in a lot of physical pain and I went home.  My friends went out to dinner.  I was so envious.  They were all so happy.  The next morning I woke up feeling awful.  I had to be back at 9 am and I couldn’t move.  The chronic back pain I had was full blown.   I called in and said I couldn’t come and they said they would see if the teacher would do an “Absentee Reiki” on me. “Whatever.”, I thought.   I hung up and I started crying.  I looked at one of the many pictures I had of spiritual masters and said, “Where are you?”…  I even mimicked the one girl and said, “I’m in bliss.”   Then I realized I absolutely HAD to get there.   I showered and with no makeup on, drove to my friend’s house.   As soon as I arrived, Byll asked very quietly, “Would you like some Reiki?”  Of course I did and I felt so much calmer with his hands on my back.  Someone said that I looked good and I said “I look better with mascara on.” , and Byll said, “So do I.”  It made me giggle, but such delight…. Then we all got ready to give each other Reiki.  I laid down on the table and Byll continued working on me.  I could feel my back sort of cracking but with great ease.  The pain got smaller and smaller…My eyes were closed and I began to silently pray.   I asked, “Is it possible that I could be happy for someone else, just for a second?”  I was so self involved, I could have cared less about anyone at that point.  I wondered if I could be as happy for other’s accomplishments and joys as if it were my own….. I kept praying…Afterwards, we had lunch that my friend served, and talked a little about our experiences.  Each person talked about the night before and then one friend said the initiation brought her to tears because she had always been unable to heal her hands of Rheumatoid Arthritis.  The rest of her body was healed, except her hands.  She didn’t have any more pain, but they were extremely twisted and deformed.   She said that many years ago, her brother was dying of cancer and in a crazy attempt to sort of “bargain” with God, she said she would be willing to not have her hands healed if God would heal her brother.  In other words, she would give up her hands so that her brother would live.  It didn’t happen.  Her brother died.   In the initiation, as she was sitting with her eyes closed, she said she heard a loving gentle voice say, “I don’t need your hands.”, and it brought her to tears.  She said she always had known, bargaining like that doesn’t work, but now, she felt so deeply loved by God.  She also felt the thing that would heal her hands, were in fact her hands themselves... In other words, she could place one on top of the other and do Reiki that way...  She noticed how her fingers were already more flexible. She felt extremely grateful for the experience.  As she told the story, my heart opened in a way it had never been.   I was so moved by her story and happy for her.  That’s right.  I was HAPPY for another person.  I not only was happy for her but I was happy for me getting out of myself…I don’t remember much about the pain I was in after that.  I just remember a sense of calm the rest of the day and the following.  After our three days were over I said, “I think I grew up this weekend.”