Week one- Recapture the spirit
and energy of that first attunement
“You are a child of the universe no less
than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And
whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is
unfolding as it should.” –From Max Ehrmann’s
“Desiderata”
Those of us who “came of age” in the
1960’s have fond memories of our “Desiderata”
posters, poignantly positioned on the wall, surrounded by the
“day-glo” posters and images of our counter culture
heroes and heroines.Many of us struggled with who we were, who
we wanted to be and where we were going.We felt out of place
and unloved, clashing in ideology and social perspective with
our parents and the institutions that they grew up with, yet
longing for acceptance, approval, understanding and compassion.Desiderata’s
simple and profound message was very grounding for us in our
times of deepest despair, but we lacked the experience and maturity
to fully appreciate it.
We grew up in an atmosphere of very mixed messages
and social programming.We were bombarded with images equating
worthiness with physical and material ideals and societal conformity.This
was particularly difficult for those of us born into this lifetime
with a different agenda, or sensitivity to subtle and spiritual
energies.Many of us found “worthiness” by establishing
co-dependent relationships with family and partners in which
we sought approval through service and care taking, often at
the expense of our own care and real needs.
For me, the gift of Reiki was a spiritual and
personal accelerant, and a path for opening the door to self
worth.Reiki taught me to receive and to recognize that I am
worthy to receive.I’m sure most of us will never forget
our first attunements and the connectedness we felt with the
energy, spirit and each other.
In this, the first of our retreat meditations,
let us try and recapture the spirit and energy of that first
attunement; from the excitement and nervous anticipation of
taking the first steps on the Reiki Path to the knowing, realization
and acceptance of our calling.
Begin by preparing your favorite meditation setting
with all of the amenities that make the experience unique and
meaningful for you. Remember that each of us has our own way
of “getting there” and that as different as they
may be, they are equally valid and perfect.
When your setting is right for you, begin with
some gentle stretches, inhaling as you extend your arms to a
comfortable position above your head and exhaling as you allow
your arms to gently float down, as if the air around you was
like sweet and viscous honey.
Gentlyand slowly turn your head from side to side,
inhaling as you turn to the left and exhaling as you turn to
the right. Do this several times, always observing the sensations
in your neck and face, allowing all of the tension to leave
and feeling a sense of warmth and contentment.
Return your head to center and allow your hands
to rest gently in your lap with your palms up if this is comfortable
for you.Close your eyes and begin to take a series of slow,
deep breaths, holding each inhalation to your comfort level
and then slowly exhaling completely. Repeat this breath several
times until you feel very relaxed, centered and cleansed, and
then allow your breath to return to its normal rhythmic pattern.
As you deepen your relaxation, begin to visualize
the place of your very first attunement.Connect first with the
feelings and sensations….the temperature of the air and
the way it feels on your skin….the scents and aromas around
you…the lighting of the room or area… and any thing
else that comes to mind.
Begin to remember the circumstances of the class…see
the faces of those around you…other initiates if there
were any…and the face of the Master and others present.
Remember your feelings and reactions to the information
you received before your first attunement.How much of it was
new to you and how much of it were you aware of before?
Remember the explanation and preparation before
the first attunement.Does anything about this experience stand
out for you? If so, why?
Now remember the attunement itself.Pay particular
attention to physical sensations first and then subtle sensations.What
did you feel?Did you hear or visualize anything? What did you
sense from the Master’s hands?
After the Master finished the attunement, what
was your experience?How did you feel? What were your emotions
at the time? Remember your unique and personal experience.
Close this memory experience with an expression
of gratitude for what you received that day and with the deep
and abiding knowledge that you were worthy to receive it.
Repeat the following affirmation three times:
I am worthy to receive Reiki and all of the gifts
of spirit that enrich my life.
Begin your journey back by taking a series of
deep, slow and comfortable breaths.Gently begin to move your
fingers, your toes and any other part of your body you need
to as you ascend to consciousness.
Keeping your eyes closed, take three more deep
breaths, one for the body, one for the mind and one for the
spirit.
When you are ready, open your eyes and dwell in
the meaning of your experience until you are ready to resume
your activities.If it suits you, you may journal your experience
first, making note of any questions or comments that may have
come up for you.
Bless you as you continue your retreat.
Namaste’.
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Week two- The sense of spiritual
family and community
"And when you stop and think about
it,
You won't believe it's true,
That all the love you've been giving,
Has all been meant for you."
--Justin Hayward, "Question" 1970, Moody Blues
In 1970, Justin Hayward of the Moody Blues wrote
a song called “Question”, the title theme of the
group’s classic album, “A Question of Balance”.(For
those of you not familiar with the music of the Moody Blues,
they were pioneers in creating albums that were really musical
journeys with deep spiritual and philosophical foundations,
combined with virtuoso classical and rock musicianship.) “Question”
is an anthem for anyone who has walked the spiritual path and
asked life’s “unanswerable” questions.
The quote above comes from a soft refrain in the
middle of the song. I cried the first time I heard it in 1970,
because it defined the way I was living my life.
The connection that became wired in my young psyche
was that love was based on giving, fixing and taking care. That
left little room for self-love and receiving and programmed
the concept that worthiness was based not on who I was but what
I could do for others.
At it’s simplest level, this is the foundation
of co-dependency and it set up a pattern that was repeated several
times in my life resulting in failed personal and professional
relationships.Of course the most important relationship was
the one with myself and it took many years of hard work to start
seeing my worthiness.It wasn’t until my late thirties
that I allowed my “heart to open” and that’s
when all of the synchronicity and magic started. A series of
wonderful souls graced my life with messages of dignity and
love and an acceptance of who I was as an eternal being and
not on what I could do for them.
One of the great insights that resulted from this
opening was that I was not the only one who felt this way.The
community of spirit and healing that welcomed me was filled
with teachers and peers who mirrored my experiences and shared
their paths to worthiness with me.I found family, brothers and
sisters, who understood me as I understood them…and we
all helped each other to find that love within.
Let’s dedicate this meditation to that sense
of spiritual family and community.
Again, begin by preparing your favorite meditation
setting with all of the things that make the experience special
for you. Remember that each of us has our own way of “getting
there” and that as different as they may be, they are
equally valid and perfect.
When your setting is right for you, begin with
some alternate nostril breathing.Using your left hand, close
all of your fingers except your index finger and thumb. Holding
your left nostril closed with your thumb, inhale slowly and
deeply through your right nostril. Close your right nostril
with your index finger and hold the breath for a count of two.Release
your thumb from the left nostril and exhale slowly and completely.Keeping
the right nostril closed, inhale deeply through the left nostril
to a comfortable level and then close it with your thumb.Holding
this for two counts and then release your right nostril and
exhale completely.Repeat this pattern so that you use each nostril
seven times.
End this technique by releasing both nostrils
and taking three deep cleansing breaths at your own pace and
level of comfort. (If you have a condition that prevents you
from doing this, you may substitute any gentle breathing exercise
that helps you to relax).
Center your head and allow your hands to rest
gently in your lap with your palms up if this is comfortable
for you.Close your eyes and begin to take a series of slow,
deep breaths, holding each inhalation to your comfort level
and then slowly exhaling completely. Repeat this breath several
times until you feel very relaxed, centered and cleansed, and
then allow your breath to return to its normal rhythmic pattern.
Now as you deepen your relaxation, begin a journey
to a place where you have felt a sense of deep spiritual community.This
is a place where you always feel welcomed….where you assemble
with people of like mind, aspiration and ideals.
It may be a community of two or dozens, but always
a place where you feel warmth, acceptance and love.
Begin to experience the sensations associated
with the place, the feeling of the air on your skin, the lighting,
the scents and aromas and the energy.
Now start to visualize the faces of those who
welcome you there, those whom you’ve come to trust implicitly…who
engender feelings of worthiness and love and who you share this
energy with.
Begin to remember your exchanges and communications.What
were the common threads and experiences that they mirrored for
you.Recall those “Aha!” moments of connection when
you heard them relating experiences and feelings that you thought
only you had and how comforting it was to know you were not
the “only one” who felt that way.
Dwell in this energy ofmutual recognition and
awareness.What lessons did it teach you? On what levels did
it open you and help you find your own worthiness?
After a few minutes, express your gratitude and
love to all of those you connected with and to yourself for
making the connection! Remembering that this place of communion
is always available to you whenever you choose to go there,
slowly begin your journey back to the present place and time.
Take a series of deep, slow and comfortable breaths.Gently begin
to move your fingers, your toes and any other part of your body
you need to as you ascend to consciousness.
Keeping your eyes closed, take three more deep
breaths, one for the body, one for the mind and one for the
spirit.
When you are ready, open your eyes and dwell in
the meaning of your experience until you are ready to resume
your activities.If it suits you, you may journal your experience
first, making note of any questions or comments that may have
come up for you.
Namaste’
Post Script:
Here is the entire lyric of Justin Hayward’s “Question”
“Why do we never get an answer
When we're knocking at the door
With a thousand million questions
About hate and death and war?
'Cause when we stop and look around us,
There is nothing that we need,
In a world of persecution that is burning in its greed.
Why do we never get an answer
When we're knocking at the door
Because the truth is hard to swallow
That's what the war of love is for.
It's not the way that you say it
When you say those things to me
It's more the way that you mean it
When you tell me what will be.
And when you stop and think about it
You won't believe it's true
That all the love you've been giving
Has all been meant for you.
I'm looking for someone to change my life,
I'm looking for a miracle in my life,
And if you could see what it's done to me,
To lose the love I knew
Could safely lead me through.
Between the silence of the mountains,
And the crashing of the sea,
There lies a land I once lived in,
And she's waiting there for me,
But in the gray of the morning,
My mind becomes confused,
Between the dead and the sleeping,
And the road that I must chose.
I'm looking for someone to change my life,
I'm looking for a miracle in my life,
And if you could see what it's done to me,
To lose the love I knew
Could safely lead me to,
The land that I once knew,
To learn as we grow old,
The secrets of our soul.
It's not the way that you say it when you say those things
to me,
It's more the way you really mean it when you tell me what will
be.”
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Week three- Worthiness
“He no longer saw the face of his friend Siddhartha,
instead he saw
other faces, many, a long sequence, a flowing river of faces,
of
hundreds, of thousands, which all came and disappeared, and
yet all
seemed to be there simultaneously, which all constantly changed
and
renewed themselves, and which were still all Siddhartha.”
—from Siddhartha by Herman Hesse
Virtually every major religion and spiritual system
has a common thread in their respective creation myths—that
humanity was made “in the image” of the creator
and that each and every one of us carries within us a part of
the creator that we refer to as the soul.
These concepts provide a very profound argument
about our individual and collective worthiness.Stated simply,
each of us physically resembles the divine source and we carry
the essence of that source within us. What greater message of
self-worth can there be. It also brings our mind to a liberating
conclusion; everything happens for a reason, there are no accidents
or coincidences, and that reason is the fulfillment of creation.
There is an ancient Kabalistic expression in Hebrew,
“Ha Kol Beseder”.
It means, “everything is happening in divine
order”.We may not understand, or like and we may even
despise the way certain events unfold in the world and in our
lives.The message saysdo the best you can, learn as much as
you can, grow as much as you can and love as much as you can….and
in the end, everything is in divine order.
Somewhere along the line, many of us, especially
in Western society, received a very disturbing message.That
message was that we were separated from the divine source, exiled
from “the garden”, tainted with sin and not worthy
of divine love.As we grow in energy and love, we know that nothing
could be further from the truth.We are not separated from source…we
are one with the source…and partners with the divine in
this fulfillment of creation.
In the last of our three meditations on worthiness,
let us turn our focus to that divine heritage, our connection
with “all that is”, and receive the gift of universal
sight as our hearts open to ourselves, to each other and to
the universe.
In preparation for this meditation, create your
own sacred space.Prepare the area with your favorite smudging
technique; perhaps just burning a little sage or by energetically
cleansing the environment.Burn some of your favorite incense
or a fragrant candle. (Please observe good safety practices
with candles, open flames and burning materials.)
Create a personal altar if you like with any objects
of spirit, books, or other items that fit in with your belief
systems.
Finally, play some music conducive to meditating
or if you prefer, allow soft silence to fill the space.
Once you have built your personal “temple”,
sit comfortably and begin to relax.
Do your gentle stretching and any movements to
soothe your physical self.Center yourself and begin to take
slow deep breaths.Close your eyes and focus on those breaths…imagine
that with each inhalation, you are bringing in divine love and
self-worth and that with each exhalation you are letting go
of any negative feelings you have been harboring about yourself.
Breathe in divine love and self-worth…..
Exhale separation and unworthiness….
Breathe in prosperity and comfort…
Exhale monetary problems and insecurity….
Breathe in health and vitality…
Exhale any illness or malaise….
Breathe in knowledge, ability and insight…
Exhale darkness, confusion and illusion…
Breath in love…
Exhale pain…
Breathe in love…
Exhale loneliness
Breathe in love…
Exhale despair…
Breathe in love…
And hold it deep inside you…
Exhale a joyful sigh of release.
Breathe in love…
And let the divine within you awaken…
Exhale a joyful sigh of knowing.
Breathe in love…
And let your spirit soar…
Exhale a joyful sigh of freedom.
Breathe in love…
And let your heart open…
Exhale a joyful sigh of“everything is in divine order.”
Keeping your eyes closed, allow your breath to
return to its rhythmic natural pattern.For a few moments, become
aware of any new sensations in your body, any visions or thoughts
that come to mind.
Ask your higher self to record this new information
so that you may use it to grow with in the days, weeks and months
to come.
With your heart open and your mind clear, repeat
the following affirmation:
“I pledge that from this day forward, I
will give myself the same loving kindness and attention that
I have so often given others and know that I am worthy to receive
it.”
Dwell in this energy for a few more moments and
when you are ready, return your consciousness to the present
place and time, move those parts of your body that you need
to gently to return sensation and take three deep cleansing
breaths, one for the body, one for the mind and one for the
spirit.
Open your eyes and enjoy the afterglow of this
experience.Journal if you care to before resuming your activities.
It has been my honor and privilege to commune
with you during this 21 Day Retreat.I am grateful to janeAnne
and Mari for their energy, love and compassion and for allowing
me to contribute to this experience.
Namaste’
Vic
“Deeply, Govinda bowed; tears, he knew nothing of, ran
down his old face;
like a fire burnt the feeling of the most intimate love, the
humblest
veneration in his heart. Deeply, he bowed, touching the ground,
before
him who was sitting motionlessly, whose smile reminded him of
everything
he had ever loved in his life, what had ever been valuable and
holy to
him in his life.” –Siddhartha
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