128639744 InnerSun Manual for Beginners

InnerSun Manual For Beginners

Copyright 2003 Jeanne Garner ~ All rights reserved No part of this manual may be reproduced without permission of author.

2

Table of Contents

HAND POSITIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 THE STANDARD SET . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 OTHER HAND POSITION SETS: CHAKRA BALANCING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 ACUPOINT BASED HAND POSITION SET . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 SELF-HEALING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 WORKING WITH CLIENTS: THE HEALING SESSION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 THE MEDITATIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 1. A GENTLE CHAKRA-LIGHTS MEDITATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 2. WORKING WITH THE GTUMMO FIRES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 3. GTUMMO MEDITATION USING HAND POSITIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 A WORD ABOUT ETHICS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 WHAT ABOUT CHARGING FOR YOUR WORK? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 PETS, PLANTS AND AUTOMOBILES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 FURTHER EXPLORATIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

3

HAND POSITIONS There are several good sets of hand positions. We'll cover a few of them here.

THE STANDARD SET The first one is good for general, all-around healing and relaxation. Although it might seem to be based on the chakra system at first glance, if you examine traditional Chinese acupuncture charts, you'll note that many important acupuncture points are covered with this first, basic set of hand positions. In many ways, this set resembles the “classic” set taught by most Reiki teachers, but it has an important difference. Rather than moving down the front and then down the back, this set moves down the front, and up the back. The natural flow of the energy is down the front and up the back: this set simply goes with the natural flow, which assists the bodies (physical, mental and spiritual bodies) in regaining balance and health. Use this set for your first self-healing, and for most of your daily work on yourself or others. Now, to begin. First, do the front of the body. 1. Open the aura, then the crown chakra. Visualize it, or use an "opening" motion with your hands. 2. Place your hands over the eyes, palms toward the mouth if self-treating, or palms toward the forehead, fingertips toward the mouth if treating another. If treating another, consider placing a hankie or kleenex between your hands and the person's face, especially if your palms are damp. 3. Place the hands under the back of the head, just over the occipital ridge, fingertips toward the crown if self-treating, towards the neck if treating another. Brief, gentle pressure on the stillpoint (the indentation just below the hairline) can increase relaxation. 4. Hands on the temples, fingers pointing up towards the crown for self-treatment, or pointing down, close to the top of the ears, if treating another. 5. Place your hands lightly over your throat–palms together if treating yourself, or fingertips together if treating another. It may be that some clients are more comfortable if you don't touch the throat at all–if treating others, ask if they are comfortable when doing this position. Alternate position for self-treating only: one hand on the front of the throat, the other on the back. Only use this hand position if you are comfortable with having your hands on your throat. 4

6. Hands just above the breast for the heart chakra, fingertips together if treating yourself, or if treating another, one hand in front of the other, forming a line with your hands. Some teachers suggest placing hands between the breasts, but some women may be squeamish about this. When treating others, always honor the client’s wishes. 7. The solar plexus--hands just below the breast, fingertips together if treating yourself, or if treating another, one hand in front of the other, forming a line with your hands. 8. The navel area--hands as in #6 and #7. 9. Just below the navel, across pelvic area and above pubic bone, hands as before. 10. Hands on either side of the hip bone area.

Now it is time to do the back. If treating another, turn your client over. If treating yourself, slide your hands under your torso. The back is done differently, working from the bottom up, following the energy's natural flow of down the front, up the back. There are only two back positions. 1. Place one hand at the base of the spine, and one at the base of the head. Especially if treating yourself, you might notice a flow of energy from the base of the spine to the base of the head. 2. Place both hands at the top of the head (at the Crown). Additionally, you might want to consider doing the legs and feet, cradling the knee and ankle joints in both hands, and holding each foot in that way. Time and intuition will be your guides. How long should you hold each position? Ideally, between three and five minutes--or until you feel the flow of energy lessen or stop. You might be guided to hold one or more positions even longer. Time might be a consideration in this, too. Use your best judgment. When you are done, soothe the aura with gently sweeping motions from top to toes (or as far as you can reach), and back again. Then close it. Do not close the crown chakra.

5

OTHER HAND POSITION SETS: CHAKRA BALANCING Sometimes, because of an imbalanced kundalini flow or for other reasons, including emotional upsets, the chakras will become imbalanced. This hand position set is good for restoring the balance to the chakra system. 1. Begin with one hand at the 3rd Eye, in the middle of the forehead, and the other hand at the root chakra. Hold the position until the energy feels the same in both hands. 2. Next, place one hand at the throat chakra, and the other at the spleen chakra. Hold as before. 3. Now, place one hand at the heart center, and the other at the hara area. Hold as before. 4. End with both hands at the Solar Plexus. Hold at least three minutes, or longer if guided.

ACUPOINT BASED HAND POSITION SET This set has been widely published on the internet and in books, and is excellent for bringing the the entire body--physical, mental and spiritual--into balance. Originally, it was designed for use with acupressure, but it's perhaps even more effective when used with Reiki. In all, there are ten hand positions to be held for a minimum of two minutes each (or more if so guided). 1. Place the right hand atop the head, on the crown chakra area, while at the same time placing your left hand over the 3rd Eye area. 2. Leaving the right hand atop the head, now move the fingers of the left hand to the tip of the nose. 3. The right hand is still at the crown; move your left hand to the heart center area. 4. Leave your right hand at the crown, and now move your left hand to the solar plexus area. 5. The right hand continues to remain at the crown, while you move your left hand to the spleen center area. 6. The left hand remains at the spleen center, and now the right hand moves to the corresponding area on the back (back side of spleen center).

6

7. Now move your right hand to the back of the left shoulder, at that point where the neck joins the shoulder. At the same time, your left hand holds or rests upon the left buttock at the point where the buttock meets the leg. 8. Leave your right hand at the back of the left shoulder, and move your left hand to the front of the body, at the position of the left groin. 9. Now place your left hand on the back of the right shoulder, while your right hand holds or rests upon the right buttock at the point where the buttock meets the leg. 10. Leaving your left hand on the back of the right shoulder, now move your right hand to the front of the body, at the right groin.

SELF-HEALING Reiki, along with Huna and one or two other methods, is almost unique among the spiritual healing modalities, in that it works as well on yourself as it does on your clients. This is because you are not using your own energy. You are using energy channeled from the universe, and there's a never-ending supply of this type of energy. When you are done with a client, you should feel energized, because some of the Reiki stays with you as you pass it on to the client--a little bonus for the healer. Every Reiki practitioner should take care of him or herself first. A healthy channel is a good channel, after all. It's not self-indulgence, it's good maintenance. You should do self-healing daily, without fail. If you haven't the time to do it all at once, split them up--maybe the head positions in the morning, the front of the torso at lunch, and the back at bedtime. At least do the front positions--a little Reiki is better than none! If you are really and truly strapped for time, try placing both hands over the heart center as you fall asleep. It’s not a full treatment, but it will do in a pinch. In other matters, consider your diet and lifestyle carefully, and drink at least six, preferably eight glasses of water daily. Reiki will cleanse the body of a lot of collected toxins, and the water helps wash it out. Try to include potassium-rich foods, or take a supplement, and add a little more protein to your daily diet.

WORKING WITH CLIENTS: THE HEALING SESSION Reiki works on the physical, and the non-physical level, primarily through the aura and the chakra system. That it is so effective is testament to the existence of what science has for so long denied: that in addition to a physical body, we have energy bodies. 7

Before you begin, always ask for guidance from your Reiki guides, and from the guides and angels of your client. More than that, ask that you accomplish the highest good for all concerned. If you take those steps before your healing, you can do no harm. When working with your clients (or on yourself), you might be guided to spend more time on some areas of the body, and less on others–or you might sense a need to place your hands somewhere that is not on “the map” of hand positions. Go with this guidance for best results. It is important that the healer and the "healee" both be comfortable in this work. A massage table is almost a must, but it's possible to do work without one if you don't mind some discomfort. Not everyone has an expensive massage table handy--but put it on your list of needs if you intend to do a lot of Reiki work. You can lower the lights if desired, and music can be played. Keep the needs of your client foremost, however: music you like might be jarring or annoying to the client, making your healing work less effective. Ask them if they'd like to listen to music, and what sort of music they prefer if so. The hands are traditionally placed on the person for healing treatments, but let your intuition guide you on this matter. Some people are uncomfortable being touched by strangers. Explain the Reiki process, and ask them if they prefer the work be done with hands on, or hands off. If the latter, perform the hand positions a few inches from the body--it's just as effective. In fact, even if you use the hands-on technique, you can boost the energy levels a bit by holding your hands a foot or so away from the person, beaming Reiki into the aura after you’re done with the regular hand positions. When you are treating others, the client might experience relief and release from conditions that were longstanding. Emotional blocks are sometimes removed, releasing buried feelings. It is not uncommon to hear a long, intense sigh after about ten minutes or so. There can also be weeping or groaning. These reactions do not occur in every person, however. If a client reacts this way, let him or her know that this is fine, and not to fight it. Mentioning it before the session, however, could be like a "self-fulfilling prophecy." There's no point in bringing it up unless it occurs. Each person is unique, and will have unique experiences. In all likelihood, your Reiki client will be "spacey" when you're done. Don't rush him or her off the table or out of the room. Allow time to reorient, and for questions. Often, there are lots of questions, especially if it’s someone’s first Reiki session! Some teachers say that it takes three treatments to get the job done, but some cases will require more, and some clients will come only once or twice. You'll have to be flexible in your work: life demands it.

8

THE MEDITATIONS While it is perfectly alright to practice InnerSun Reiki without meditating at all, these three meditation will increase the warmth in your hands and deepen your experience. It’s not a requirement, but it’s recommended that you do one or more of these at least once a week, or several times a week if time permits. Use common sense and discernment: three or four times a week should be enough. More than once a day is probably too much. This is a gentle, healing path to spiritual growth, not a marathon. Note: Most people will have a particular "favorite," but once in awhile, switch around a little; sample them all, and give each one a try once in awhile. 1. A GENTLE CHAKRA-LIGHTS MEDITATION This might not be so for everyone, but it's been my experience that when a meditation is too complicated and intricate, it's difficult if not impossible to maintain the meditative state. Trying to remember the right colors, how many petals the lotus has, etc., will pop you right out of alpha or theta, and right into wide-awake beta. In my meditation, I can tell when I've done this easily: I go from a feeling like gliding over a perfectly calm lake to bouncing along in choppy water.

So it is, that for me, one of the best chakra meditations I've tried is the first one ever taught me, long before I even knew what a "chakra" was. You can vary it somewhat to emphasize one chakra or another, but here is the "bare bones" of it: Begin at the base, and imagine a light there. Don't worry about colors--did you know that different systems are going to give your chakras different colors anyway? So your colors just might vary anyway. Thus--no particular color, but a light. If you see it in a particular color, fine; if not, also fine. Accept whatever it is you see as your personal gift. It is yours. Never mind the size of it: just acknowledge the light, and enjoy it, love it. Now up to the next center, the spleen center; do the same, noting the light in that center. And so on to the crown, which is where we now change directions. Moving down now, we return to the 3rd eye, then to a place within the head, right in the center of it in fact; now down to the throat, and to the heart. Change directions again. Back to the throat, the 3rd Eye, and crown. Change again, back to the 3rd Eye, the place in the middle of the head, throat and heart. Repeat this sort of figure-8 as many times as you feel comfortable with it, dwelling on each light as long or as short as you like. End the meditation, always, with the heart center. If you are trying to remove a particular block, as in the throat (a real common one!), I've found that the harder you try, the more stubborn it becomes. It's almost as though by concentrating on 9

that one spot, and the problem you believe is there, the more energy you send to the block, making it stronger. In my experience, if I do the work on all the centers more or less equally, I notice "blocks" gradually dissolving, sort of like a sand castle in the wind, a few grains at a time, but over time, the castle smooths, then diminishes, and then it's gone, absorbed into the universe of the Beach. Full body Reiki is a wonderful help for this process, but it does take time for most folks.

2. WORKING WITH THE GTUMMO FIRES NOTE: This meditation has been adapted from Lama Thubten Yeshe's meditation in his book, "The Bliss of Inner Fire." Although there are references to kundalini nectar, this is the nectar from the kundalini as the fires heat up. It's very blissful, but this is not the same as kundalini rising--although in time, it might, but very gently. So, to begin. You can do this any time you have a few moments. First make yourself peaceful and centered. You can lie down or sit; if you sit, make sure your back is straight and your legs uncrossed. Use the lotus position for other things, but not this. Start with the basics, and become comfortable with that practice, then move on to "Blazing the Inner Fire", practice that awhile, then move on to the next and so on. If at any point you feel discomfort, stop, and try again at a later time. BASIC. Now, first picture all your chakras. Start from the root and go up, and see each one as a lotus. Now envision your entire body, with all the chakras, all the lotuses present and shining. The petals are sort of waving, as though a fine breeze is caressing the petals of all the lotuses. Enjoy the feeling a few moments. Now focus on the area just below the navel, which is the gTummo. See a flame, reddish in color, like a lit candle flame. The lotus petals again stir as you take in a deep breath, making sure it enters the central channel. Release the breath, again through the central channel, stirring the lotus petals. Make that small flame grow taller, rising up the central channel. As it reaches upward, it rises past the solar plexus, the heart, throat, third eye and crown lotuses. It is like a flame suddenly blazing up--and now it dies down again. You will feel a blissful heat, which should be soft, not harsh, very warm, but not painful. If painful, stop awhile, but so far, I've not had that happen. Repeat your deep breath sequence, and become one with the flame, and intensifying your inner fire now. The brilliant red fire now radiates up the central channel to embrace the heart, throat, and crown chakras (lotuses). From crown to feet, your entire body is filled with blissful radiant red light. The heat from this should be subtle, gentle, and pleasant.

10

BLAZING THE INNER FIRE: Again, the breath sequence, and remember to concentrate on the central channel. As you breathe, imagine you are drawing in all your negativity to be absorbed, burned, and cleansed by these fires. Take another breath, and swallow, pressing down firmly, whilst also tightening your lower muscles. Notice the increase in heat in the gTummo area as it becomes greatly enlivened. Now the fire explodes, blazing up 3-4 inches up the inner channel. Before, the fire was small and only lasted a few moments. Now it is powerful and doesn't die down. The blissful heat shoots up the central channel and automatically stimulates the other chakras. The lotuses are now on the verge of melting into blissful kundalini nectar. Hold your breath as long as its comfortable, then release it, imagining winds shooting up your central channel. Feel the bliss. Tighten the lower muscles again slightly; this adds more bliss and more explosions of heat. Repeat tihs deep breath again, imagining the gTummo as a sort of chalice of fire; the winds from your breath whip around the edges of the chalice shape causing the fires to blaze and to generate incredible heat. The more heat there is, the more response you'll feel from the upper chakras. The heart chakra begins to vibrate, and it's almost ready to melt. Soon the throat chakra follows suit, and then the crown. Blissful kundalini nectar is about to drip from these lotuses. Every movement of energy encourages your consciousness to unify with bliss and the Divine. Your entire body is filled with bliss and Divine heat. BLAZING AND DRIPPING. Repeat the breath sequences, tightening the lower muscles as before. Negative energies now no longer exist; only the positive energy in the central channel. Feel a new movement of energy coming from the gTummo now, intensifying your inner heat and melting the kundalini. The flames blaze all the way up to your heart chakra; it wraps around the heart lotus 3 times, and it becomes super hot. The lotus fills with blissful kundalini nectar, which then flows downward to the gTummo; it's like pouring liquid butter over a fire: it blazes even higher. Your entire nervous system becomes fire, causing still more blissful kundalini nectar to flow down. Concrete concepts automatically wither and disappear; you rest in the feeling of utter satisfaction. Blissful energy explodes into an intense awareness of wisdom and universal reality. As more wind enters the central channel, preconceptions disappear, and you transcend your current reality. Again, the breath sequence and the tightening of the lower muscles, causing the flames to again blaze up, higher now, beyond the heart and to the throat chakra. The fires fill up the throat lotus and wraps itself around it three times, superheating it. Blissful kundalini nectar now drips down from the throat lotus, through the heart lotus, to the gTummo, causing the flames to flare up still more. You are filled with much bliss. Again, the breath sequence and the tightening of the lower muscles; again the flames blaze up, still higher now, past the heart and throat to the crown. The crown lotus begins to melt and flow downward, filling the throat with intensely blissful kundalini nectar, which mixes with the kundalini nectar in the the throat and flows down to the heart; here also it mixes with the 11

kundalini nectar in the heart and then flows down to the gTummo. The gTummo fires now burst limitlessly, filling your entire body (spiritual and physical) with blissful heat. Every nerve, every hair, every pore is one with bliss. EXTRAORDINARY BLAZING AND DRIPPING. As before, do the breath and tightening of the lower muscles; the flames flare up again. They blaze up to the heart, filling it with fire, while the heart drips downward; the throat, filling it with flames, while it drips kundalini nectar downward; the crown, filling it with fire, while kundalini nectar drips downward. Flames are moving up, while kundalini nectar drips down. Now the fires blaze downward to your feet, from just below the navel to your feet; your entire body is filled with blissful inner fire. Your chakras and channels are filled with it. You're one with blissful inner fire. Now imagine your brow chakra (3rd eye) and your right nostril shooting out, lightning, this blazing fire into the universe. It reaches all the supreme beings, bodhisattvas, great teachers, and Masters, and it enters their bodies through their left nostrils, touches their 4 centers (gTummo, heart, throat and crown), and melts their kundalini nectar. Now the blissful energy comes out their right nostrils and enters your body through your left nostril, and their supremely blissful energy comes to your energy centers, generating supremely blissful heat throughout. The bliss itself, says Lama Thubten Yeshe, should be digested and transformed into wisdom. Bliss becomes wisdom; wisdom becomes bliss. Otherwise, the experience is only pleasure, which can create desire, which will create nervousness and other negative conditions. Integrate what you experience into blissful wisdom to avoid this. It activates all the chakras, clears them of negativity, literally melting away any blocks you might have created in this lifetime or brought with you from others. With your Reiki, you might find, as I do, that this practice also makes your hands a little hotter.

3. GTUMMO MEDITATION USING HAND POSITIONS: Here is a series of hand positions you can use to work with your gTummo a little more directly. As you work with it, you can imagine the sacred flames being fueled by your blocks, any illness that might be present, past traumas that might still be hanging on, etc. Just imagine the flames reaching these (you don't even have to name them), and as the blocks, etc., get hotter, they begin to melt. As they melt, they drip down to the gTummo, and feed the flames. Your impurities will feed and fuel your soul's growth. Begin by placing both hands at about the gTummo area. This is located about three fingers (or so) below the navel, but as with the acupoints, the "general area" will suffice. Call forth the fires, or allow them to flame up (either will work ok). Hold the position as with the regular Reiki hand positions, 3-5 minutes or until you feel some heat. If no heat, continue with the rest of the meditation/hand positions. Eventually you'll feel it. 12

Once you get the heat going, imagine the fires building until they move upward, and as they do, move one hand (I'm using the right hand) to the solar plexus, leaving the other hand at the gTummo. Imagine that you're taking all that heat with it as you do so. It should be hot from gTummo all the way to the solar plexus. Now hold that position (one hand at gTummo, one at solar plexus) until you feel the heat at the solar plexus. area. Next, imagine the solar plexus fires moving upward, and as you do, move your left hand (which was at the gTummo) up to the heart area, leaving the right hand at the solar plexus. Hold this position until you feel the heat at the heart area, 3-5 minutes or however long it takes. When the heart fires begin to move upward, move your right hand (which was at the solar plexus) up to the area just below your throat, the place between the collar bones, where there's a little hollow. Imagine the fires following it up. Meanwhile leave the left hand at the heart. When the heat at this center begins intensifying and moving upward, move your left hand to the 3rd eye area on the forehead. You might not feel as much heat here, but imagine the fires anyway. The right hand remains at the base of the throat. When you imagine the fires are growing brighter (and warmer) from the 3rd Eye area, now move your right hand up to the crown--now you are likely to feel more heat in the entire head area, very yummy heat at that! Wait until it "feels right" or a minimum of 3-5 minutes, then move your left hand up to join your right hand on the crown. Let the hands sort of form a circle around the crown, and leave them there about 3-5 minutes or until you feel it's "done." This sounds complicated, but it's simply a little "hand over hand" process, and you can start with the right hand or the left hand--experiment with it a bit. What I suspect this does is give those gTummo fires a little "assist" in rising up to melt all the impurities, etc., along the central channel. When I'm done, I really feel "light" and blissful/peaceful. So in brief, it's: 1. Both hands at gTummo 2. Rt. hand at s.p., left hand at gTummo 3. Left hand at heart, rt. hand at s.p. 4. Rt. hand at throat hollow, left hand at heart 5. Left hand at 3rd Eye, rt. hand at throat hollow 6. Rt. hand at crown, left hand at 3rd eye 7. Both hands at crown.

13

A WORD ABOUT ETHICS One should never enforce healing on another person without permission. There are often reasons why a person hangs onto an ailment or injury. It can be a tool for spiritual growth, or a shield against something more unpleasant. That's not for the healer to decide: if a person refuses a healing, don't press them, and don't "sneak" one by placing your hot little hands on their shoulders or back. Ask first, and if, even after receiving verbal permission, you feel the energy being rejected, honor that preference, too. In the case of the latter, complete the healing anyway: the person might begin receiving after you've moved through a few hand positions. Never force the issue, however. Intend that unwanted energy go to someone who does want it. Having said that, I believe it is impossible for Reiki to do harm. If you always ask that your work be for the highest good for all, you can be sure you won't violate anyone's wishes, on the mental, physical, or spiritual level. Always keep the patient's needs foremost--not your notion of their needs, but their actual needs, according to the highest good for all concerned. Never, ever, tell your client that Reiki can take the place of their current medical regimen. Reiki works well with conventional medicine, and a person should not be taken off medications or told to "fire" their current health care professionals. This is not only unethical, but it can get you in legal trouble, too. Finally, a word about words. It is easy to undo a lot of good with a few ill-chosen words. Telling your client their illness is their own fault can bring on a lot of needless guilt. There are many causes for illness, and this one may or may not be happening because of something your client has done or is doing. You might be receiving some sort of insight, but let the Reiki do its work. It will work on the mental and spiritual body as well as the physical, and if--and when--the client is ready for that insight, they'll receive it too. Let your words always be encouraging and healing.

WHAT ABOUT CHARGING FOR YOUR WORK? I do not charge for healing, although I let the Spirit guide me when it comes to teaching. That's my decision, and it works for me. Ideally, I'd love for all healing and teaching to be done for free, but in the real world, people have to eat. There's rent to pay and massage tables to purchase. I only ask that my students be fair. Healing shouldn't be withheld because of poverty, and people shouldn't be overcharged for this work. This isn't your energy that's being used, although it is your time and your overhead, if any. No doubt you've heard of Dr. Usui's story of spreading his healing among the beggars--only to discover, to his apparent horror, that once healed, they were still beggars. Many Reiki practitioners and Teachers use this story to justify charging large amounts of money for healings and attunements (up to $10,000 for Third Degree attunements!). 14

Reiki works just as well whether or not money changes hands. It's the same Reiki, the same unconditional love. An exchange of energy takes place without money changing hands. It's called, in some circles, "grace." That means that your "payment" is both immediate and powerful. When you help another with unconditional love, you've helped yourself in ways you might not see at once, but significantly nonetheless. And there's the little boost you get when some of the energy you're sending stays with you--no small thing there, either. As you begin your own practice, I sincerely hope that you'll consider donating at least some of your time to "pro bono" work, helping those who cannot pay. It's good for your soul, and good for the planet. Your efforts will be repaid in ways you cannot imagine.

PETS, PLANTS AND AUTOMOBILES Your little Rover or Sylvester benefits from Reiki as much as you and your clients do. Often, pets seek out a Reiki session after their first taste of it. Since the energy is boundless and limitless, you can't waste it--so why not indulge your furry friends? Use the same hand positions, but bear in mind that your pet might not be willing to sit still for the entire session. If he or she squirms out of your hands, honor their wish to be left alone. They know when they need it, and when they've had enough Reiki. Place your hands on the flowerpot of an ailing plant, and often the plant will perk up and begin to thrive. Some have even reported good results when "healing" cars, computers, and--one friend swears to it--bank books that stubbornly refuse to balance. Try it--can't hurt, and it might actually help. Be creative: use it wherever you see a need, but always remember to ask that it be done for the highest good for all concerned.

15

FURTHER EXPLORATIONS No doubt all Teachers hope that every Reiki I student will go on to take Reiki II and III. I'm no different. The greater the degree, the greater your scope for healing and personal development. But move at your own pace, and if you’re guided to linger for a time in one place, heed your guidance. If, at one time, there were few books on Reiki, now there is almost a confusing overabundance. Students seeking growth of abilities and spirit can find much food for thought on the shelves of most book stores, or, if you're on the internet, the Web offers a wide variety of philosophies and ideas. I hope your studies do not end here, and that you'll continue to learn, explore and grow as a Reiki healer! Here are some books that might assist you on your journey: On Reiki: The Spirit of Reiki, by Walter Lubeck, William Rand, and Frank Petter The Original Reiki Handbook of Dr. Makao Usui by Frank Petter Essential Reiki by Diane Stein Reiki: The Healing Touch by William Rand Self-Healing Reiki by Barbara Emerson Other helpful books: The Body of Light by John Mann and Lar Short The Bliss of Inner Fire by Lama Thubten Yeshe The Way of QiGong by Kenneth Cohen Tsongkhapa’s Six Yogas of Naropa by Glenn Mullen Energy Medicine by Donna Eden Energy Ecstasy and Your Seven Vital Chakras by Bernard Gunther Spiritual Healing by Daniel J. Benor, M.D. Highly recommended: Energy Medicine by Donna Eden The Touch of Healing by Alice Burmeister with Tom Monte

16

17