Life Struggles

I was having a very heated discussion with my mother about the struggles that people have in their life. She is a very traditional Chinese in her beliefs. LOL. I could not be anything but the polar opposite. She believes in hard work, and if you work for it, you will achieve. If you fight for your life, you will make it through.

I strongly disagreed, because I have seen those close to me 'fight for their life', and not be able to meet the success. Did they give up before achieving their goal? I don't think so. I do believe that some people are 'born unlucky'. With my open spiritual beliefs, I could not disagree with my mother more, who also does not understand my beliefs. A daughter who talks to the other side and Angels? WTF? How could a traditional Asian woman wrap that around her head? But this is the contract I am born into with my mom. How to grow up in an environment that does not support my spiritual beliefs but stand centred and grounded in my beliefs.

Yes, I think people are 'born' unlucky or may have more obstacles and struggles in their life because that is the life contract their soul has agreed to, to achieve the lessons they will learn in this life. I have a very dear Friend, who had the biggest heart. He was the guy who always said hi to strangers, would help the random stranger and engage in conversation with anyone. He would lighten people up. The past few years, he has had many large challenges in his life, and sadly they have changed him. I see him born into conditions where he did not have a supportive environment that would help him through the obstacles. I could only be a positive force in his life, but not make decisions for him, and allow him to live out his karma. From my eyes, the Universe was teaching him soooooo many lessons. So maybe some of us have more lessons to learn than others. That's what I think. I wonder how some people live such a balanced life, be financially successful and love their life, and achieve it with such ease. Maybe they have it easy in this life. But not so easy in a previous life.

What it means to be a Reiki Master

Being a part of several spiritual communities, I know a lot of Reiki practitioners and different energy practitioners. I was attuned to become a Reiki Master in 2008, but did not teach for several years. Don't get me wrong, I was all ready to go and spread the energy of Reiki to others. I was eager and started writing my Reiki I manual right away. I prayed to my guides for guidance on how to teach and where to teach. I was worried about not doing the attunement correctly or not being a clear channel. So I prayed some more. My prayers were answered with the appearance of a new Reiki guide (yes Reiki guides can change!) and it would be years later that I started teaching. I was not ready to teach, but was lead to learn for years and develop my understanding of Reiki. Only after that, did the students appear.

I have seen so many Reiki Masters bastardize the Reiki energy that it is so disappointing. A gift from God, something SO sacred, manipulated by man into something else. Why and where do they go wrong?

• spiritual energy can be mis-directed into the Ego. Spiritual energy can concentrate at the upper chakras, and for those who are not aware or doing the internal work, it manifests to the Ego. It can transform ones intention to be of service to being a Guru and attuning as many students as they can to feed their ego some more
• people look to Reiki as a form of income and forget it's not about the money. I am guilty of it myself. My passion for energy work and desire to do it full time forced me to rely on it for income, which then created financial stress and then a downward spiral continues. After going through that learning, I see now that the work we do in the service of God does not automatically entitle us to financial gain. I have seen Reiki Masters pump out Reiki students like McDonald's pumping out burgers on a Friday night. At $200/student x 20 students in a class, that's a pretty penny for 5-8 hours of work. I have also seen these same Reiki Masters have their gift taken from them, no longer channeling Reiki or divine guidance (because they are no longer working with the Reiki guides or the Reiki energy). Some breakdown occurs which does not allow them the opportunities to practice or teach Reiki
• people are attuned to Reiki levels I-III in a short period of time without letting the energies settle in their bodies. The short period of time does not allow for the energetic shifts to happen in their lives. I received a lot of energy work and learned various forms of energy work within a period of 2 years. After that, my life turned upside down, sideways, spun around and then inside out! I would not wish anyone to experience changes in energy like that. Thankfully I had the support of community and spiritual teachers. 
• The Reiki master is not working with the guides. They are not asking if they are the right teacher for the student or if the student is ready. I have had potential students contact me, eager to learn. I provide them with information about Reiki, my philosophy and ask them to discern for themselves if I am the right teacher for them. 
• Reiki Masters do not provide adequate support or encouragement to the students. I have seen many students attuned to Reiki, but their practice with it is not supported. If they don't use it, they lose it. 
• Just because one is attuned to Reiki, it does not mean they are channeling Reiki at all times. Practitioners need to be grounded and check in with themselves to see if they are channeling Reiki and call in the guides. When I first started practicing Reiki, I was giving my own energy along with the Reiki. Not intentionally, but because I was so eager to help that I was giving it everything I could. 

My beliefs or approach to being a Reiki Master. I'm not saying these are right, but this is what works for me:

• you need to work with the Reiki energy for a significant period of time or high frequency to understand the energy before you teach it. A Reiki practitioner should work with various people to understand how Reiki affects different people on different levels (emotional, physical, spiritual or physical)
• Reiki level I is about healing yourself and not actually about healing others as many believe. Dr. Usui and Ms. Takata learned to use Reiki to heal themselves before others. The Reiki Master should be continuing their own internal work in order to support their students. The Reiki Master should continue to use Reiki on themselves as frequently as possible
• Along with the point above, taking care of oneself and seeking the help of other health practitioners or energy workers for healing is important. Sometimes you cannot see the energy blockages, as one person said to me, 'you can't see the full picture if you are in it'
• A Reiki attunement is like a super-duper Reiki session. Potential Reiki students should receive several Reiki sessions before becoming attuned. The sessions prepare the students for the shifts that will occur with the attunement. It is also an opportunity for the student to check out if the teacher is right for them.
• never do work if you are not clear. At times when I am going through personal issues or shifts, I do not see clients or teach. The universe seems to know, and situations pop up to prevent me from doing Reiki
• always check in with the guides and work with them. It is absolutely necessary to respect that you work with them, that Reiki practitioners are a channel for Reiki. If you are not delivering the messages or energies, the guides will stop working with you. They will also support your growth with Reiki and your spiritual evolution. 

Speak your truth, and speak from the heart.

It always feels better when the truth comes out. Truth is an alignment of energy. I have been feeling spiritually clogged lately. Not able to see my path, hear my guides to be able to check in with them on what I should be doing that is the best for me, or even just to be able to hear my own heart beat or feel my own energy.

I finally decided to meditate. I had left a practice of meditating every day to not meditating at all. What was before me in my meditation was grey matter, a cloud of it all around me and then twine binding me. I was thankful for guidance to meditate because I used that time to clear my energy. Visualizing this grey matter in front of me dissipating. When it left, I saw light, which then shone onto a secret of mine that I have had in mind to tell a dear friend. Every time I saw this dear loving brother of mine, I think to tell him this dark secret. But when I see him, I can’t overcome the shame I would feel and the pain he might feel from it.

Today I finally told him. I was guided to. Just as I was guided to buy that wonderful meditation seat set (from Half Moon Yoga, British Columbia) that helped me come to this revelation. What I thought would be a moment of shame, pain, and disappointment, actually turned out to be a heart-opening, sharing, and therapeutic moment. Maybe I am hearing my guides. Maybe they are watching out for me. Maybe this ‘insignificant’ conversation between friends is a healing moment. Hopefully I can move forward.

It does feel better. I feel more aligned. The truth always comes out. I guess the universe does want us to be in alignment with ourselves and speak the truth.

Self appointed "gurus"

I had a recent experience with what I call "a self appointed guru" that I am guided to share. My guides have been knocking me on my head, with this repetitive thought to share this experience. Maybe they want me to share my experience, so others will not be disempowered, like I was.

I consider myself a spiritual person. Yes, I am a Reiki Master, but I do not give into this title of "Master" because I'm still human, and here to learn. I am constantly learning about energy and spirituality, so I am still a student. I connect with the Goddess, God, Angels and ask for their assistance all the time, for I have learned that what they have to tell me is much better than what my ego tells me. A teacher of mine once referred to herself as a 'facilitator', which is a title I resonate with. I can channel the advice of the guides or channel Reiki energy, but it is not up to me to tell people they have to follow the advice or what to do with the energy in their system. It is not my business to bend the will of others.

Recently, an acquaintance discovered that I am an Angel Therapy Practitioner certified by DoreenVirtue, and do Angel readings part time. From creeping my Facebook page, he discovered that I am interested in spirituality and energy work. Leading up to our conversation, I could feel him probing my energy all day. After interrogating me on how much I knew about energy, he felt compelled to tell me that I was 'blocking my energy and sending out bad energy out to others', and that he could teach me a few things. His comments caused me to doubt myself and it really drained me. I consulted with a teacher of mine, someone I have chosen to be a spiritual teacher for me. She confirmed for me that it is was his ego bothered by the fact he could not access my energies and encouraged me to continue my spiritual practice, which was working for me. I also meditated on this, consulting with my guides, and what came through was also encouragement of to continue my practice of protecting my energy.

I ran into this person again recently. The funny thing is that before I ran into him, my guides came to me and reminded me to protect my energy. So I took a few minutes to call on the guides for protection, and do my visualization that I do for protection. When I ran into him, he right away tried to read my energy again, and was quite aggressive about it. When he left, he looked quite annoyed that I stood my ground and voiced that what I chose to do with my energy worked for me. He shunned me for not 'emanating angelic energy, and that I should know better'. My response was I'm not working all the time. Do you do your work off hours? Conduct your work on strangers walking down the street?

The analogy that my guides have presented to me is that of identity thief. In our society now, our personal information is so easily hacked. We are constantly reminded to protect our passwords, so people cannot access our personal information. What if someone hacked into your bank account and saw your financial records? What if they made judgements on how you spend your money, without asking you about your financial obligations are or what your life style is like? That would not be acceptable. So accessing someone's energy is similar to this, hacking into their energetic body.

So I finish with a few thoughts:

• do not allow others to tell you what to do with your energy. That is up to you and your God
• with the increase interest in spirituality and the new age movement, I have come across many of these 'self appointed Gurus'. They need you more than you need them. It feeds their ego and energy to have 'students'. You are your own Guru. Your learning should be from your own experiences and your God
• psychics, energy healers, yoga teachers, or any health practitioner (including Medical Doctors), are, in my opinion, facilitators. In the end of it all, you are the one to decides what to do with your bodies (I pluralize because I mean emotional body, energetic body, mental body, spiritual body as well as the physical body)
• true spiritual teachers respect you to learn on your own, at your own pace and know that the universe will present you with your lessons. They understand the laws of the universe, karma and will not bend your will

I share this in hopes that you will not be disempowered. I once heard that 'a smart person learns from their own mistakes. A wise person learns from the mistakes of others'. So please, I encourage you to be Wise :)

Namaste (which is the Sanskrit for "The Spirit/God within me salutes the Spirit/God in you")

Angel Card Readings

I receive a lot more inquiries about what angel readings are than I do about what Reiki is. It’s a service I offer, that I do not advertise as much as Reiki or Reflexology, because I think people think it’s too weird. So when people inquire, it’s a pleasant surprise. I really do enjoy doing angel readings and that it also shows that this person may believe in angels. I don’t know when I started believing in angels. Probably after I started praying, and noticing that my prayers were answered by synchronistic events occurring. It happened too often to ensure me that I’m not crazy and that ‘something’ else had to be at work.

When I first noticed that I can sense and work with energy, I asked that I be guided and work with only the highest beings with the best intentions for people. The universe opened and I suddenly had money for 2 weeks vacation in Hawaii, one week coinciding with Doreen Virtue’s Angel Therapy Practitioner course and money to pay for the course. My job that had kept me so busy was ok with me taking the two weeks off and I got into Doreen’s course. So maybe the angels are these highest beings that answered my prayers. Four years later, and I still work with them everyday, during my clients’ sessions and they have never failed me. With love, they serve all beings.

I believe angels to be non-physical beings that co-exist on our 3D plane, and exist as energy. When an angel is around, people report feeling ‘presence’, a gust of wind, a ringing in the ear or the hairs on their arms standing up. On some level we are sensing something, as there is a force that is causing a response in our physical body. We just may not be able to see them (though some people do). I believe if we set intentions to work with a specific energy, the universe has to respect that. Angels always are there to help us and act with a divine force.  They respect our free will and only offer guidance when we ask for help. They never tell us what to do, offer guidance and it is up to us to listen or not.

Using Angel Cards as a divination tool, I deliver messages from the angels on what clients are asking about. The cards are a physical tool that help deliver the messages, as they guide me to focus on images, words and colours in the cards. I find they always give supportive and loving advice, and are quiet humorous at times too. I am quite passionate about energy work, and I give credit to the angels for lightening my work and making it fun. I use the cards as part of my own spiritual practice, and recommend it for others. It is a good way to exercise your intuition and learn to communicate with them yourself. 

Preparing to receive Reiki Attunements

My philosophy to improve universal healing is to empower people to heal themselves. Part of this is being aware of your own energy, following one’s intuition (or listening to our bodies) and learning how to manage ones own energy. I am grateful for my Reiki clients, as I learn from their Reiki sessions and see the growth and shifts on all levels. After awhile of receiving Reiki treatments, certain Reiki guides appear to me during a client’s session as a sign that this person will learn Reiki. It is such a gift to see, because on some level, the client is consenting to learn Reiki and inviting the guides to work with them. How amazing.

One ‘side effect’ of being attuned to Reiki is that your life shifts. Some shifts may include: changes in relationships, changes in diet, releasing habits/addictions, changes in perception/intuition and/or changes in body physiology. For me, I learned Reiki and other modalities in a short period of time. The shifts in my life were extreme and included: quitting my job and changing career path, selling my home, new relationship and change in life style. I was in shock and recovery from where the wave of life took me. I would not wish that on anyone, so I always warn people about the side effects of learning Reiki. My Zenith-Omega teacher taught me to ask for the lessons in life and shifts WITH EASE. I wish that on everyone. So as I continue Reiki on the clients that are to learn Reiki, I see the Guides working on particular issues relating to the chakras that are mainly out of balance on them. To receive the Reiki and channel it, means to balance our chakras, and this is really what the Guides wish of us.

From what I have observed from attuning people to Reiki, I noticed that the Reiki energy focuses on certain chakras during the attunement process. This has varied with each individual, as we all have certain chakras we are working on at different points in time. For example, with one person, the attunement seemed to focus on the solar plexus. Months after, her life and relationships shifted and she became more empowered. For another person, the Reiki was focused on the heart chakra. After the attunement, she had a physical release from her chest as she experienced cough and bronchitis. Within six months, she noticed a change in her relationships and started taking more time for herself. As the Reiki works on the specific chakras, it makes sense that our life shifts on the physical, emotional, mental or spiritual level. As we shift on an energetic level, so does our life.  

Energetic Bullying

I have been subject to bullying early in childhood. For being a minority, not being able to speak English, being female or being in the gifted program as a kid. Only in the past few years, did I realize I also experienced it in the workplace. I was a runner as a kid. Ran away from the bullies, because I was short and weak as a kid. That little runner child still resides in me. 

I had just undergone a period of high stress in the workplace and was energetically drained. After giving myself Reiki, doing some yoga, and calling on the Angels, I still could not release this draining energy. Thankfully, a fellow holistic practitioner and I set up for an exchange. How wonderful to receive Reiki! My friend is gifted with seeing energy and energetic cords/connections, and was exactly the practitioner I needed to see. She saw energetic 'boulders' of energy piled on me from a co-worker (bully). No wonder I felt stuck and drained! I was being crushed, and really needed assistance to be buried out of that rubble. I always say the energy we experience is not too far from what manifests in the physical. 

I have noticed that when there has been a shift in the Universe, people are put in a position to deal with their deepest issues. Releasing what does not serve them, and it's being released onto others. What I learned from my energy treatment was exactly this. Bullying is a form of people dealing with their issues, and loading them onto others. So from a place of love, I see it is their attempt to deal with their issues. Usually, people are not knowingly or intentionally forming cords to others. The boulders were crushing my personal power (solar plexus chakra) and not allowing that energy to be expressed. After the energy treatment, I was aware of the boundaries that I need to form and that it is not my responsibility to take on issues of others (which I find is a common in those that are healers/mothers/caregivers). I feel my inner runner child is learning to take a stand and not engage. How wonderful that Reiki can work on a me on different levels. 

Preventative measures from this happening is to maintain strong energy: eating well, exercise (to cycle energy), Reiki, and meditation. 

Sometimes thorough scrubbing (cleansing) of the body done with Reiki or other forms of energy work are helpful. 

To strengthen the solar plexus chakra: eat well so digestive system is functioning well, core exercises, essential oils ginger and juniper berry.