I myself did take Celtic Reiki through an online ad, distance attunement and everything. I received a very nice certificate and an PDF download of the manual. My Celtic Reiki Teacher seems like a super cool person, and I did feel the energy during my attunement.  I looked for a local person who practiced Celtic Reiki and couldn’t find one at the time. The pictures of her space and her cat, the whole atmosphere looks like a cool place to learn Celtic Reiki. But since she’s halfway across the country, the commute seemed a little far. Over a year has gone by and I don’t think I’ve visited her website once, or emailed her or received an email from her. If she were local, I think we would have gotten along great and even become friends. But because it was long distance, and the attunement a one shot deal, we never had a chance to build any kind of relationship.

Maybe I’m old fashioned, maybe I just am learning to love the company of others as I grow older. What I do know is that it’s hard to talk about the nuances of working with a healing modality in person, and even harder to describe in writing.

The advantage of learning Reiki in the comfort of my own home included lower cost and convenience. The disadvantage is that I didn’t have an opportunity to create a symbiotic relationship with this Reiki Master. I don’t care how much you email each other back and forth, nothing can replace a real world hands on experience of learning from another Reiki practitioner. Relationships that are limited to emails over time will trickle off until you may  not remember your Reiki Master’s name unless you look at your certificate.

We are in a digital age, obviously I have embraced much the internet has to offer with my blog, facebook, and twitter accounts. It’s a wonderful tool for written communication. But there are so many other ways we communicate, verbal, non-verbal, you can’t really get a feel for someones personality online. Case in point I have a friend who online is very conversational, direct, and sarcastic. In person she is very, very, shy. Those who know her online would never know her by her quiet hello, and single word responses.

I value my relationships with my Reiki teachers, and I’m glad that I made the choice to go with in person training whenever possible. I’ve learned a lot by reading other blogs, books, and even renting some DVD’s as well. But nothing compares with working with other Reiki practitioners, which I do twice a month in my Reiki Share.

So much of the digital age is replacing the old, now that Kodachrome film has been discontinued we have to say goodbye to the unique quality of the color prints. Renting videos for a fun night at home has to be pre-planned or ordered online to watch on your computer. I miss the experience of going to the DVD rental store, strolling through the aisles, laughing at oddball titles,  the excitement of the new releases and finding the perfect movie. That’s almost all gone now.

A few pictures on a website, or a DVD that I put in are a poor substitute to the real thing. I also missed having another student in class, asking the questions that I didn’t think to ask. Now that I’m a teacher myself I’m committed to providing a hands on kind of training to all my students. I’m learning so much from them in turn, about balance and friendship and Reiki too. It’s worth it to have a class in person, it’s about building a spiritual community and not just a personal practice.

So I’m drinking a big glass of water tonight before I do my self treatment. Water really does make a difference, it’s just like after working out or getting a massage, your body really needs plenty of water when practicing Reiki. I’m glad that it’s supposed to rain overnight as well, my flowers need it as much as I do. Mother Nature will provide what we need, and we need to be good stewards of what we have as well.

Reiki flows along with the water, in fact, I like to give my glass of water a shot of Reiki before I drink it. That way I get that healing energy flowing within my system as well. All I do is hold my hands together with thumbs touching above my full glass of water for a few minutes to send the Reiki energy to it. It’s a nice to have small ways to keep up my practice like this, and receive an additional blessing during my self treatment. My CD that I like to listen to when doing meditation or energy work has the sound of running water. I really love the mood it sets.

So today I can say that I’m grateful for water, and the way it quenches my thirst, helps me to stay cool, and bring me joy. Today during lunch I watched a group of Canadian Geese by a pond under the shade of some birch trees. It was a beautiful scene. Water represents the flow of emotions and women’s spirituality. That is the significance of the Suit of Cups in the Tarot. Without water we cannot live. Whether we swim, drink, skip stones, sing in the rain, or just watch the geese playing, we are all blessed by water. So drink water and be filled with Reiki!

Change is happening here as well, read on for the Reiki Artist Happenings including Reiki Shares, Reiki I Workshop, and Faerie Readings at the Eye of Horus Psychic Faire. I’ve also expanded the website just a titch, so you can scroll to the bottom to learn more about that.

Reiki Artist Happenings for May are:

Reiki Share 1st & 3rd Thursdays

• Thursday May 6th from 7-9 p.m.
• Thursday May 20th from 7-9 p.m.

Having Reiki with many pairs of hands is a wonderful experience, and we learn from each other. Hands on practice for those new to Reiki, or to those who haven’t yet developed a regular self-practice is something that I’m committed to providing as a Reiki Master Teacher and Practitioner.

The Reiki Share begins at around 7:00, and I one Reiki table in my Reiki room where up to 6 people (and 3 cats) can gather around and give Reiki.

Click here for location details

Our only rule is that in order to receive Reiki at no cost, you have to give Reiki as well. It’s all about sharing the gift of Reiki with one another. If you are a Reiki practitioner who wants to introduce a friend to Reiki, or if you are not a Reiki practitioner and would like to try Reiki for the first time, we will not turn you away! I’m happy to help you learn a little bit more about how energy works and how you can use your hands to heal yourself and others.

Please RSVP and let me know you’re coming either through the Meet-up Group if you’re a member, Click here to check out The Twin Cities Energy & Holistic Workers (TCEHW)!or email me using my contact form if you are not a member: Click here to go to my contact form.

• Sunday May 23rd, 2010 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.

The purpose of the Reiki I class is to learn to sense Ki, cultivate Ki and use this knowledge to ground and heal the self and others. The Reiki I Shoden student will get his/her first experience with working with the system of Reiki. This is a full day workshop, with ample time for practice to gain a deep understanding of how this system works. Each student will both give and receive a full reiki treatment as part of the course. The focus is on personal development and spirituality, with an emphasis on the traditional Japanese teachings. My aim as your teacher is to connect all practitioners with Reiki’s true spiritual depth.

Four elements of the system of Reiki will be taught to you including receiving the attunement or reiju, an energy blessing that clear the body’s energy channels. Over the course of the day the body will begin to adjust to this energy. For some students this is experienced as a connection to a new world as perceptions change, renewing balance and harmony.

Each student receives a manual and certificate as a Reiki First Degree practitioner, and ongoing support through my monthly Reiki Shares.

Click here to learn more about the benefits of learning Reiki I and how to register for this class.

• Sunday May 30th, 2010 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.

People have been asking for Faerie Readings, and so I’m going to start to provide that service again at Eye of Horus Metaphysical starting at their Psychic Fair at the end of this month.

Click here to register for your 15 Minute Faerie Oracle Reading – $22.50
Register for your Reading before 5/30, and Eye of Horus will take $5 off the price of the reading when you check out on Sunday!

Website Updates

I’ve expanded our shop pages to also feature prints of my visionary artwork, so be sure to check it out:

• Reiki Artist Store
• (new!) Wyrdhaven Print Shop

The big news for November is that I’ve had several successful Reiki Shares now at the Reiki Artist Studio, and the next one will be on Thursday December 3rd from 7-9 p.m.

Learn more about Reiki shares by clicking here…

I am now an official Assistant Organizer for the Twin Cities Energy Healers and Energy Workers Meet-up Group, so the Reiki Share is an official event.

I’ve also had some inquiries for Reiki Classes, so I’ve scheduled a Reiki I class for Saturday December 5th. Here are the details:

Reiki I Workshop – Shoden

Shoden is a Japanese word meaning ‘first teachings’. The purpose of the Reiki I class is to learn to sense Ki, cultivate Ki and use this knowledge to ground and heal the self and others. During this class the student will gain experience with four of the Elements of Reiki which are:

Gokai – Develop the spiritual and mental connection using gokai

Kokyû hô – Learn kokyû hô (breathing techniques) appropriate to this level to ground the student.

Tenohira –The physical practice of tenohira (palm-healing) on the self and others for the purpose of healing.

Reiju – Receive reiju (a blessing) from a teacher to develop the student’s energetic connection.

Reiki I Workshop Saturday December 5th, 2009 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.Registration – $100.00 Click here learn more about what you can expect from your Reiki I Workshop from Reiki Artist Beth Hansen-Buth

There were times of extreme frustration as well, especially when I was learning how to paint. Whatever gift I had at drawing, painting was another story entirely. But with years of practice I got pretty good at it.

The traditional way of learning to work with healing energy involves years of practice as well. Whether it’s Tai Chi or Qigong, both involve lots of techniques and years of practice to master. The same is true of many other healing modalities, requiring specific expensive crystals, classes, and detailed procedures.

Reiki starts you out with a gift. In Reiki I, you learn the basics of Reiki in a one day workshop. The simple hand positions, the quieting of your mind, calming yourself with relaxing breathing…and the Reiju blessing increasing your capacity to channel the energy of love: Reiki. That’s the gift, and you can then do Reiki on yourself! So simple.

Unlike learning to paint, learning Reiki II and the symbols was fun and easy. When I was ready to learn the Master level, I took the Reiki ART class first. This one had more techniques, but again they were simple to remember and very useful. In fact, nothing about learning Reiki was frustrating for me at all!

With Reiki, everyone can be gifted.