Sarah: JC, may I address another important part that can happen anytime, but often does during a Reiki session? Often, in a quiet meditative state, whether our eyes are open or closed, we begin to see how things could be. I guess one could say we are prophesying into our future. I do believe that we prophesy into our lives in so many different ways, by the words that we use, by the thoughts that we have, by what we’re choosing to expand. I’m kind of playing still this idea a little bit. One of the things that I teach is that everything starts in darkness. I’m not a theologian, but when I read Genesis chapter one, I do believe that there could be a space for a prequel, one where God looked and saw the darkness, saw the void, saw all of that and then began in the mind’s eye, as best as I can put it in human terms, to create all these different ways of looking at what the possibilities could be. So first, it began in the mind’s eye.
Sarah: And then the book of Genesis begins, with God speaks. Sheila Holmes has done extensive research on this next part: the ancients always knew that Spirit was a feminine energy. That was always just how they saw it. So, God speaks the word, the feminine energy we call “Spirit”begins to create and move things and things begin to happen. And I think that we have such a parallel of that inside of our own minds. In the space of darkness, yes, we can be despondent and move to spaces of deep anxiety suffering and fear, BUT we don’t need to live inside of those spaces! We can learn and apply tools. And I believe Reiki is a foundational tool for a whole bunch of different healing tools. I don’t think it’s the only way, but I do think that it’s a foundational way for people to be able to say, okay, I am energetic being, I’m connected into the unseen world and how can I best navigate the next step or get my toes in the right direction, at least.
JC: When people come to you looking for Reiki, what kind of misconceptions and what kind of fears and myths do they bring along with them?
Sarah: Since Reiki is newer in some circles, I start with: Reiki is not massage so the client stays in their comfortable clothes the whole time. Another misconception is that you have to be physically in a certain position. The client can be laying down or sitting in a chair.
Sarah: I trace my Reiki lineage to Mikao Usui. He had people sit in a chair. His number one student was Dr. Hayashi, a Japanese Naval doctor. He chose to have clients lay down and two practitioners work on that person at the same time. The Reiki energy will go wherever it needs to go. I don’t have to actually touch the space that is hurting for it to heal.
Sarah: One more misconception is the Reiki practitioner will “fix” you. I’m not here to fix anybody. I’m here to set my ego aside and open to Reiki’s healing energy on behalf of a request. If there are things that you are carrying energetically that you are done with carrying, if you’re ready to release it, it can be released. You keep the wisdom learned from the experience.
JC: And are they afraid that it is either going to be too expensive? It’s not going to work or maybe it’s going to take too long? My case is unique. It’s not going to be able to find a solution for me.
Sarah: When I come across a pricing conversation, I work with people who are on a fixed income and willing to do the work. And that for me is the big thing. If they’re willing to do the work, we’re going to figure this out. I’ve also set up two non-profits. And so, there is, there are multiple ways to get people support.
Sarah: The first time someone comes to me for an in-person Reiki session, I tell share with them what I’m going to do and that they are in charge of the entire process. “With your permission, I will have hands over your eyes, then over your ears. Then I will roll your head gently. The most important place to Reiki is the occipital ridge, because it allows the two hemispheres of the brain to start talking to each other. People will get into places of what I call the “ics”, either shopaholic or alcoholic or workaholic or whatever, where they don’t use both hemispheres. They’ll get stuck in one, and just keep circling. They can’t find the answer. And part of it is they’re not accessing the two hemispheres while looking for the best next step forward. After your occipital ridge, I’ll move down your non dominant side (shoulders, arms, knees, ankles), then dominant. I’ll finish at your feet. Then I’ll leave to get you some water.”
Sarah: An example of a time when I wasn’t sure how things would turn out was when a friend let me know her child was really struggling with mental illness, and we didn’t see it coming. Super smart, excelled at school. And it seemed like everything was fine. And within weeks, everything wasn’t fine. And I just remember at one point, just literally laying on the floor sending Reiki to the full situation. I had just gotten a message from her saying that they were once again, seeking outside help.