• Carnelian - This orange & yellow stone stimulates analytical capabilities. It provides enhanced perceptiveness & helps awaken inherent talents & ingenuity. It is a bright, happy stone that works well with the lower Chakras increasing physical energy, personal power, creativity, & compassion. Carnelian protects against envy,fear, rage, sorrow, & home sickness. All in all, it promotes a sunny outlook on life, and encourages you to shine brightly. I keep mine in a little red bag.
• Blue Quartz - this stone is also a boost for creativity and expression. Due to it’s soft blue-grey color, it is associated with the throat chakra and it enhances communication between the lower and higher chakras. It brings a sense of order to all things, releases fear and brings courage to one’s life.  I keep mine in a little purple bag.

These two stones really called to me today, and I think I’ll be using them for myself over the next few days. One of these days, I may just get around to getting a box just for the stones that I use for healing, just like this one below:

That way, I can have them at hand when I need them. It’s also a good reminder about the power of Reiki and it’s role in my life. This Reiki Heals design is also on t-shirts, bags, journals, cards, and all kinds of good stuff!

Where were you when Barack Obama accepted the nomination for the Presidency of the United States of America? I know this is a Reiki Blog, it’s not about politics. But it is about hope, health, and change. It’s about a vision for my community of America, my community of the Earth that welcomes everyone as equals and with love. Where was I when Barack Obama accepted the nomination for the Presidency of the United States of America, which includes being the leader of the free world? I was home in Brooklyn Center MN watching his speach on TV, drinking my Sam Adams from the bottle, and petting my cat Jasmine. My husband was at work, I assume he was watching as well.

Hope. It’s something of substance to me, something that I know brings about positive change in my life. Emily Dickinson wrote in a poem that

Hope’ is the thing with feathers

That perches in the soul

And as I explore my soul and the wisdom of my heart each night in meditation and reiki practice, I find that thing of beauty taking flight across a wide landscape as beautiful and as powerful as my dreams of a better tomorrow. I know how to take that and put paint on canvas and let you see that hope as well. I also know how to step aside and let reiki flow through me to heal your body, mind, and spirit so you can find your own vision of Hope in your heart.

Together, we can create Hope for each other, for our friends, for our neighborhoods, for our souls. Because one note rings true to all of us, and that is that we are in this together on this Earth. The moon and the stars shine at night to show us the beauty of light. The shadow in the heat of the day reminds us of the comfort of the cool breezes and peace and quiet that darkness brings. To be rejuvenated and to dream is our task as we  lay our heads to rest. And what defines our dreams? Our hopes. Hope with your heart and our dreams together can and will be fulfilled.

What does that mean? Well in Dreamhost’s own words:

Putting a price on carbon output is just one way to help make the world a better place. It’s a first step towards true energy sustainability. Organizations large and small are constantly working on reducing their environmental emissions. When they do so a neutral third party then steps in to verify the reduction and issues what are known as “Renewable Energy Credits”.

We’ve purchased enough of these credits - which are retired after purchase and not resellable - to account for our energy usage. The proceeds of these credit purchases are then put toward funding further emission reduction and renewable energy projects.

I just thought you’d like to know that. Of course I started with Dreamhost eight years ago…long before Green became the thing to be. I’ve stuck by them as a company, and I think they’re doing a fabulous job taking care of Mother Earth.

Have a wonderful night!

In case you are wondering, here are the Laws according to Deepak:

1. The Law of Potenitality
2. The Law of Giving
3. The Law of Karma
4. The Law of Least Effort
5. The Law of Intention & Desire
6. The Law of Detachment
7. The Law of Dharma

Many of these are a challenge to the traditional American concept of success, most notably the law of least effort. We are programmed to believe that hard work and going above and beyond in our efforts is what it takes to be a success. But I want to introduce the idea of a garden, once you initially prepare the soil and plant things, something will grow there. It could be the plant you intended, or a weed. If I think of my success as a weed, then it can grow just about anywhere I plant a seed no matter what the environment around it.

The other thing to think about is that it is the law of Least Effort, not the law of NO Effort.  Some effort is required to get things going, but you can’t force a plant to grow, it will grow on it’s own if given half a chance. It’s my job to get things planted and give them half a chance. Nothing more, nothing less.

Now I know where I can begin, with Japanese Garden Design. I have all Winter to dream and study and make some plans, and with the internet at my fingertips I’m sure I’ll find all kinds of inspiration and practical help in getting started. When you Google Japanese Gardens all kinds of fun things pop up, like this page from The Helpful Gardener which gives some basics for my subconscious to chew on.

There is a certain calmness that comes to you as you view a well laid-out Japanese garden. While it is hard to define any one particular element as the source of this peaceful influence, I would suggest that it is the solid, anchored look that the stone features bring to the garden that do the most to impart that feeling of peace. This should come as no surprise as the Japanese gardener utilizes rock as the “bones” of the garden, with plants and ornaments as trimmings.

It’s a place to start, with the bones of the place. The flow and harmony of Yin Yang will be a conscious part of my garden design. And so my Reiki Adventure takes me down a new path, one that I will build with my own two hands to create an oasis of healing in my own backyard. I have lots to think about, there are current gardens, how to work with the buildings and existing plants, learning about the different styles of Japanese gardens…I’ll be keeping busy this Winter!

I skipped my meditation last night and boy did I miss it! It’s my mini-vacation from the chaos of daily living, and it gives me a much better Source to draw from than my To Do List. So now I have a date with my soul tonight, and nobody else is invited. The cats have even learned to leave me alone when the candles are lit and the incense is burning. So I think that from now on, on busy days I’ll make some time to meditate. And give myself a little Reiki to bring things into balance. Which brings us to today’s featured design from the Reiki Artist Store:

The DVD started with cool new age music and scenes from the Pacific ocean. Finally we get to see Steve Murray in person. He gives a little instruction on what this video is about and how it all works. Then he talks a little about the Reiki Master Symbol, and a diagram of the symbol pops up on the screen. It was imposible for me to see the correct order in which to draw the lines, and Steve did not demonstrate how to draw the symbol. It was slightly different from the version that I learned in class.

This is a 30 minute video with a large amount of time showing a crystal on some rocks by the Pacific Ocean during your attunement. At no point does Mr. Murray demonstrate how to actually do an attunement. That was a big dissappointment to me. He did say to visit his website for complete written instructions on how to pass on an attunement.

Did I feel something during the attunment? Yes, my hands tingled and my heart Chakra tingled, and I felt the presence of my Reiki Guides. So that part of it was real enough. The main thing that I learned is that there is no substitute for actually taking a class and learning directly from your Reiki Master.

Reiki connects us with what it means to be a whole human being, connecting body, mind, and spirit within ourselves…AND with those we share Reiki with.

Whether it is as a student, pracitioner, recipient, or teacher; Reiki unites us with each other and with the Power of Creation. Call it God, Goddess, The Force, or Reiki Energy — it will bring us all together for a brief moment in time. If the only available means is over a distance, then that’s what you have to do. Believe me, I understand what it’s like to hear the call of Reiki and want to move toward that healing center as fast as possible. But the Reiki will still be there for you, and if you ask for a real-life-in-person training experience, it will be made available to you.

So I will read my Reiki books again and again, I will continue to work with my clients, and I am starting to teach Reiki to others, the best I can. Reiki meets you where you are in life, and right now, I’m here in my Reiki Studio watching my cat Caruso sleep next to the door to the deck, anticipating my future here. I will always be a student of Reiki, no matter how many times I’m attuned and no matter how many classes I may teach.

It’s like being a kid again in springtime, and schools out for the summer and I’m free to explore everything around me. The world is a brighter more colorful place for me with Reiki in it.