There is one thing that I do my best to do every night before I go to bed – take some time to give thanks. Even if it’s been a terrible day, I try to spend a few minutes thinking of things in my life that I am grateful for on that day. I try to review my day and find those moments of time, or small fleeting experiences that I may have had that brought me some enjoyment and made me feel good. I find that no matter how angry, or irritated, or sad that I am feeling, when I try and take a few moments to dwell on the good things in my life, as opposed to just mentally harping on the bad things, a shift in my internal spiritual and energetic atmosphere takes place…if only for the few minutes that I am giving thanks. My partner, my ani...

The subtle healing arts of the East are rapidly gaining respect and recognition for their effective, non-toxic, and non-invasive holistic treatment approaches here in the West. Where medical modalities such acupuncture and Shiatsu were thought of as pure quackery just a few short decades ago, we now find frequent peer-reviewed medical studies outlining their effectiveness, and insurance providers routinely covering such treatments.

The veterinary world is always quick to investigate and embrace proven human healing methods that may be of aid to animals, and utilizing Eastern medicine is no exception. Veterinary acupuncture, chiropractic, and Shiatsu’s acupressure massage have become commonplace in modern vet clinics, with thousan...

This week a small handful of people all contacted me separately wanting to know about one particular topic - distance healing. Specifically they were wishing to perform distant healings for those in need, but were unsure whether or not someone could do so without Reiki Level II training.

Since this seemed to be on many minds, and I think the answer is important for people to know, I felt it appropriate to write a little on the topic.

ANYONE CAN PRACTICE DISTANCE HEALING!

All it takes to do so is the firm belief that one can do it, coupled with the intent to do so. Period. Focus on your intent and then send healing energy their way. That's it!

This question comes up a lot for students of Reiki, as they know that with Rei...

In the Buddhist tradition there is a practice of "dedicating merit" that is both beautiful and useful to the healing practitioner or spiritual seeker, regardless of what faith they follow personally. It goes hand-in-hand with notions of karma, or cause and effect, as each act performed (either consciously or subconsciously) has an equal effect in both the personal microcosm and the universal macrocosm. Obviously like breeds like, so auspicious deeds create positive energy, while inauspicious ones breed more complicated and troublesome energy.

The practice of dedicating merit is one undertaken at the conclusion of any spiritual or otherwise conscious acts of positivity. The time immediately following an uplifting or enlightening...

Lately I've been running across a lot of people asking questions about using Reiki to manifest one's goals. I thought I would use this article to address some of the options available to Reiki practitioners along these lines. Firstly I'd like to say that one is free to experiment with using Reiki in any way that they intuit - you don't have to stick with currently popular techniques. Even within those popular methods there are many variations in the exact application of them, so even if you do wish to use one of these methods, you should feel free to tweak them to suit your own needs and preferences.

Before I go any further, we should address how the Reiki energy will function when directed towards goal manifestation. Reiki ene...

This article might ruffle a few feathers, but I think that there is so much over-esotericizing of Reiki in the West that this kind of well-grounded information needs to be presented. I'm all for esotericism and occultism, but very often the desire for something to seem 'magickal' or 'mystical' creates some very unnecessary myths that then get taken to extremes by some individuals. There is A LOT of overblown drama out there surrounding the Reiki symbols, and the process used in the Reiki attunements. I would like to present a more sober perspective on what the symbols and attunements are, what effect they are having on the energetic bodies, and how they really work. The answers may very well dissapoint you as there aren't very g...

A Reiki attunement opens the healer up to becoming a pure, flow-through channel for reiki energy. There is absolutely NO NEED for a Reiki healer to invest any of their own energies into a performing a treatment. The healer can direct a treatment via the use of symbols (given in Level II training and above), or through intent, but at NO time are they required to utilize any of their own personal energies in the healing.

Some systems of energy healing ask the healer to consciously draw energy for one source or another (the Earth, the Heavens, a particular spiritual Master, etc) into themselves, and then re-direct that energy into the person they are healing. This easily results in the practitioner inadvertently sending some of th...

Reiki is an extremely popular modality of healing energy work within the New Age, Neo Pagan, Conscious, and alternative spirituality communities. Almost every seeker-type that I meet seems to be at least a Reiki I initiate…or has 3 friends that are. Some of the more orthodox Reiki practitioners balk at the sheer number of Reiki Masters and Practitioners running around, and bemoan the “decline” of Reiki. They cite unethical teaching methods - i.e. too cheap, too quick, etc, - that are admittedly a gross departure from the original Japanese system as the main culprit, and are quick to deride any who do not practice and teach according to their own strict standards. (These arguments mirror the ones often debated in many spiritual c...