Archived Newsletter XIII - November 19, 2007

Dearest Friends:

Making a decision as to whom to train with defies the rational mind. I have found that those whom I study with first connect with me on an energetic level, and there is a resonance and an exchange of information that has no words. Rumi probably came close to expressing an aspect of this experience:

Something opens our wings,

Something makes boredom and hurt disappear,

Someone fills the cup in front of us.

We taste only sacredness. 

Sometimes it can be prudent to challenge the Western rational mind more often.

Last week I immediately connected with a couple of wonderful Reiki Masters from New Jersey who were attending the conference. Afterwards, it was amazing to meet with and listen to pioneers in the field of sound healing, most of whom I have only read about. It would take pages to mention them all; however, pre and post conference intensive workshops were spent with Layne Redmond, author of When The Women Were Drummers, and Silvia Nikkach, world renowned composer, singer and Clinical Psychologist who now focuses a great deal of her sound healing work with Hospice patients. Onye Onyemechi from Nigeria, founder of African Rhythms, demonstrated some amazing healing work derived from his African roots. Interestingly, he mentioned that in the West, doctors use forceps during labor and delivery, which can damage a baby. He said, “In Africa, we play our drums and sing and dance and beat on our chests. Babies do just fine with this.” At one point in time, he asked a question, and several people raised their hands trying to give rational answers. Interestingly, some of the comments were contradictory, and it was obvious that there was a wide range of opinion. Onye finally commented that he could not relate at all to such a rational and intellectual approach and said, “I’ll have to talk to my ancestors about this!” Then I thought about all of my children who were born via the utilization of forceps. One daughter’s delivery included a mid forceps rotation and my other daughter suffered multiple birth injuries because of the use of forceps. To this day she has large calcified hematomas on both sides of her scalp with the forceps indentations clearly identifiable. I have to ask myself why we accept some modalities in our Western world, assuming that they are the best available and most viable option? I sometimes wish that my consciousness didn’t awaken with a big leap at age 40. What we can do, however, is educate so that our children realize that truths can lie beyond our current mode of thinking and beyond the boundaries of the country in which we live. Afterall, truth is true, regardless of the variety of culturally tinted glasses worn by people around the world.

I must share one of my mystical experiences. The first day of the conference I saw a pile of embroidered cloths (song textiles) made by a woman of the Shipibo People who live up the Upper Amazon river, in the heart of the Peruvian jungle. There was a large 3x4 foot cloth that seemed to call out to me but my rational mind didn’t want to make a purchase; thus, I made an excuse not to purchase it. However, I realized that I couldn’t completely dismiss the possibility so I decided that if it was still there at the end of the conference I would take it home with me. Every day I saw the smaller embroidered cloths disappear. Even Silvia Nikkach purchased a medium sized one and put it on the podium when she gave her presentations. She understood its deep significance and healing power. Then, on the last day of the Conference, I saw that the one large cloth was sitting there—all by itself--- the one that I was obviously taking home with me. This is what I have learned:

The dark brown stain on the cloth is from mahogany bark and the other stains are from the Huito berry that changes color when exposed to air. The application is done with a nail or piece of bamboo. There are a lot of embroidered geometric designs. This design, specifically, is the Chant of Pachamama and Chacruna that has been woven into the fabric, which honors the earth—a symbolic story telling of the ability of nature to heal itself. There was a notation on the cloth that the chant raises frequency. I have learned that the pattern is not only an expression of the oneness of creation, the dynamic of light and sound, the union of perceived opposites but an ongoing dialogue with the spiritual world and powers of the Rainforest, which, of course, honors plant medicine. Thus, the visionary art of the Shipibo is brought into physical form as “visual music.” The patterns do not end at the border but extend and permeate the entire world.

Westerners do not understand how one can listen to a song or chant by looking at the designs and inversely paint a pattern by listening to a song or music. Yet, each design is unique and cannot be mass produced. A Professor of Ethnology Angelika Gebhart-Sayer wrote, “Essentially, Shipibo-Conibo therapy is a matter of visionary design application in connection with aura restoration; the shaman heals his patient through the application of a visionary design, every person feels spiritually permeated and saturated with designs. The shaman heals his patient through the application of the song-design, which saturates the patients’ body and is believed to untangle distorted physical and psycho-spiritual energies, restoring harmony to the somatic, psychic and spiritual systems of the patient. The designs are permanent and remain with a person’s spirit even after death.” Among other things, I appreciate the plant medicine component of this piece. I can honor that appreciation with therapeutic grade essentials oils and with a thankfulness that much plant spirit knowledge is being restored and acknowledged. We can move beyond the plant medicine power that we saw in our endeared children’s book, Jack and the Beanstalk. Few realize that Alice in Wonderland also developed such an awareness of plants.

SAVE THE DATE—Saturday March 15 (9am-6pm) and Sunday, March 16 (NOON-10pm) is the weekend for my intensive Sound Healing Workshop in Salt Lake City, Utah. I just returned from the International Sound Healing Conference in Santa Fe but no shopping or hot tub for me. I was absorbed in pre and post conference workshops, early and late evening workshops, and my meal breaks were spent downloading sound onto my computer or talking with marvelous healers. I feel closely connected with this international sound healing community—they are a real touchy-feely group who truly care about people. I can say, enthusiastically, that my upcoming workshop really is one of its kind. It gives an overview of many sound healing modalities, and there is no way I could have synthesized this workshop from such a huge, broad based body of sound healing research and knowledge if I had not been developing educational curriculum for over 20 years. Sound Healing I and Sound Healing II will be presented as one weekend workshop. The experiential group work—whether using the voice or sound instruments---is nothing short of cleansing, healing and transformational. A flyer will be forthcoming but info can be found currently at http://carolwilson.org/sound.html and http://carolwilson.org/sound2.html

Boundless Love-Light

Carol

www.carolwilson.org

Copyright © 2007, Carol A. Wilson

Archived Newsletter XII - October 7, 2007

Dearest Friends:

I was prompted to write this newsletter now because of an experience I had yesterday when I telephoned one of my former students who now lives back east. At one point in our conversation he said, “I don’t mean to change the subject, but do you remember the crystal you gave to me?” I had to think for a second but yes, I remember the day he moved away. He came by to say good-by, and I told him that I was going to give him a book. He said he had no where to put it—he was flying, and his suitcases were bulging—all he had was his pocket. Thus, I went into the other room and found my Reiki crystal grid that I had empowered for so many years. I picked up one of the quartz crystals, carried it to the living room, and gave it to him. “Yes”, I said on the phone. “I remember.” Then he replied, “I have slept with that crystal every night. I sleep with it on my chest. It helps me.”

Later that night, as I was falling asleep, I was so touched at his deep appreciation for this crystal—this powerful and living consciousness--that I felt tears welling. Then I reflected upon the enigma that is characteristic of so much of what we know as human behavior---how people can deeply appreciate a very small gesture but yet others will appreciate nothing, even when enormous efforts are taken. Attitudes are certainly influenced by values of our society, I thought---the instant gratification phenomenon, and the “keep up with the Jones’s” mentality, due in part, by the power of our media. However, I also concluded that much of our literature doesn’t encourage the value of gratitude and appreciation. For example, look at Shel Silverstein’s beloved book The Giving Tree. The story begins, “Once there was a tree…and she loved a little boy.” “Every day the boy would come to the tree to eat her apples, swing from her branches, or slide down her trunk . . . and the tree was happy. But as the boy grew older he began to want more from the tree, and the tree gave and gave.” 

Teachers, mothers, caregivers and children themselves read this book and admire the self- sacrificing and generous nature of the Giving Tree. However, the reality is that she gave the boy all of her apples, and he wasn’t happy. He wanted more. She gave him all of her branches that had provided climbing and shade, and the boy still wasn’t happy. He wanted more. She gave him her trunk so he could build a canoe. And, he still wasn’t happy. At the end of the book, he is a disgruntled, unhappy old man sitting on her remaining tree stump. The moral of the story is supposed to be that we are able to have serene acceptance of another’s capacity (or shall we say incapacity) to love in return. But, what is this story really about? My perception is that The Giving Tree is about enabling and co-dependency! If people would view the book in this manner, it provides an astute, insightful, and educational message. The Giving Tree did nothing to discourage what eventually developed into a man’s selfish and narcissistic behavior. Rather, she actually encouraged, enabled and reinforced that behavior by continuing to give him all that she had, believing that extrinsic “things” could make him happy. However, the proof is in the pudding: nothing she gave him created happiness. She unknowingly got involved in his pathology, and sadly, his problem soon became her problem. The book doesn’t disclose how truly devastated she must have felt at the conclusion of the story unless she was a Buddhist practitioner tree who transformed all of that trauma into wisdom during her meditations.

As you remember, when Jesus returned to Nazareth during his ministry and people were offended at what he had to say, he simply dusted off his feet and left. He didn’t waste his time with disgruntled people who didn’t appreciate him. Thus, too, the Giving Tree did not have to invest all that she had into someone who didn’t appreciate what she had to offer. In retrospect, she could have provided much for other people. There would have been others who would have appreciated her apples, her branches and her tree trunk. There surely who would have been another boy or old man who would have appreciated one of her apples. In fact, he might have even taken it home and slept with it on his chest.

AND, that moment would have been a memorable moment. You know, a moment that you will cherish when you look back and reflect upon your life--the moment after moment that soon accumulates to become collectible moments, of which Elisabeth Kubler-Ross spoke:

It’s very interesting when you look back at hundreds of dying patients—young and old. Not one of them has ever told me how many houses she had or how many handbags or sable coats. What they tell you of are very tiny, almost insignificant moments in their lives—where they went fishing with a child or they tell of privacy in an interpersonal relationship. These are the things that keep people going at the end…they remember little moments that they have long forgotten and they suddenly have a smile on their faces…they begin to reminisce about little memories that make their whole lives meaningful and worthwhile.

Therefore, as we near the Holiday Season, I look forward to collecting little memorable moments that I will hold near and dear to my heart--- like hearing that one of my students sleeps with my Reiki grid crystal on his chest. I also hope that we can continue to encourage others to collect memorable moments, also, recognizing the fine line between when someone else’s problem starts to becomes our problem and thus, an even bigger problem. We are of little use to others as healers if we are like the Giving Tree and our well goes dry with nothing left to give. Let us re-write her story. Afterall, there’s a whole world out there waiting for more light and love to dispel of the darkness. There might even be a disgruntled old man or other individual just waiting for you to not attempt to fulfill selfish needs but rather, to point your finger at his own Divine Essence so that—hopefully--hopefully--he might recognize it. 

Love-Light

Carol

www.carolwilson.org

Copyright © 2007, Carol A. Wilson

Archived Newsletter XI - September 2, 2007

Dearest Friends:

Our Reiki Clinic was an amazing success. Our Community, as a group, raised the power of our intention and the power of Reiki. We manifested that intention with focus, and some incredible healings occurred not only for those who were present but for those whose names were placed on the Reiki empowered Crystal Grid. Every Reiki practitioner who channeled Reiki that day came from the heart. 

Those who felt obligated to come in order to support me, I told them not to come if it was from a place of obligation. Healing work really does need to come from the heart. It’s a heart thing---not an obligation thing; thus, we worked from the heart. As a result, it heightened our commitment to healing, and it developed our appreciation in being with like-minded people who “support” our path in improving our own lives and the lives of others. The sacred, morphic field we created was not punctured nor deflated by a single person with a negative and/or judgmental thought or comment. We were focused in unity and wholeness with a group intention of healing, and that kind of focus is necessary in order to manifest a powerful and desired outcome.

Our Reiki Clinic will be an annual event. One of my Master students in San Diego, Mike Simms, won the 13” crystal bowl in our raffle drawing. I said that whoever won it would really need it, and Mike has wanted that bowl for quite some time! Mike is a cancer survivor. He is among many of us who suffer a death and is reborn onto a spiritual path. Thank you again to everyone who participated and to Susan, Ric, Kimberly, Denise, Craig and Cindy for bringing Reiki tables. About 20 of us ended up at Thaifoon’s after the Clinic, and just so you know how MUCH we love Thaifoon’s: Lilian’s boyfriend PROPOSED to her in Thaifoon’s, and they were married in July.

Another Lesson

We could have had a disruption in holding sacred space at our Clinic, however, and I wish to share this experience with you because a lesson was learned. I had recently told Andi Goldman, Jonathan Goldman’s wife, that at Jonathan’s Healing Sounds Intensive in Colorado in July, Jonathan drew boundaries quicker and faster than any one I had ever seen. When he teaches and with the exercises that participants engage in, a sacred vibrational space is created. Behavior by someone that doesn’t support the resonance of the group is “nipped in the bud” very quickly. Although I have years of managing classrooms and groups, which started as a Middle School Teacher in the Public Schools, I realize that there have been a couple of occasions when I have tried to work at length--tirelessly--with disruptive people to “keep them in the fold” but sadly, at the expense of others. I left Jonathan Goldman’s healing intensive feeling that what I had learned most from him was the importance of drawing boundaries more quickly when a boundary needs to be drawn. Well, you know that when we think we’ve learned a lesson, the Universe will test us to determine if we really learned that lesson. Thus, the test: I wasn’t told what this situation was all about until the next day, but a woman followed her boyfriend to our Reiki Clinic. Her energy might have been perceived as equivalent to a nuclear bomb that had been dropped into our event. As soon as she arrived in the entrance hall where I was multi-tasking, she was very confrontational about who my students were, what they were doing, if they lived in the building, that invitations should not have been distributed throughout the building, and even picked up one of my Reiki brochures and challenged the Reiki principles, stating that they were from the 12 step program. Dina was on her way to the bathroom and heard this comment, so she quickly jumped in with her Russian accent, “They’re from Japan!!!!!!” While this was going on about 10 people were arriving every 15 minutes—some who were sick and others who were grieving. I asked this disgruntled woman if she wanted to make an appointment and she bluntly replied, “NO!” A man came out of the Reiki room beaming after his session and asked this woman if she was going to go in for a session, and she again replied, “NO!” I later realized that the reason she was looking through the closed glass door was that her boyfriend was on the table and one of my most gorgeous students had her loving hands on him. Although the woman’s behavior only lasted for a couple of minutes, it did seem like an eternity. I then walked over to her and said very firmly, with my hands in Gassho in front of my heart, “This is the deal. You can either get on a table, or you can leave.” She left. 

I can honestly say that two months ago I would not have acted so quickly, and as a result, this woman would have had even more of a negative impact on others who were in the hallway waiting for their appointment. The Universe gave me a real test on drawing boundaries. I took yet one more step into my own power, although one of my students who is quite a big guy felt that I could have used him as a “bouncer.” Yes, I have compassion for this woman who was so miserable in her own suffering that she had no qualms about making others miserable and putting a dent in the quality of their experience; however, my first responsibility was to facilitate a positive and healing experience for the more than 100 other people who were in attendance. It is important in the healing work that we do. I hope that this event will be remembered so we are reminded that we need to be protective of those who are truly depending on us to help facilitate their healing, recognizing that we must first do no harm. In a way this reminds me of my work as a researcher. I have to control extraneous variables or those variables will confound my work and thus, contaminate the outcome results to the point where the results are not worthy of publication and thus, of no use to anyone! A researcher’s mantra is, “Garbage in---garbage out.” If you want good outcome results, look at the energy (intention) that is going into the process.

I have studied and been involved in Reiki Communities for many years now. I have seen few that thrive and survive. Reiki is pure and whole but often people are not; thus, when human elements get involved (i.e. ego, competition, gossip, judgment—essentially when a sub-social group forms whose intention is no longer focused on healing as a group), the resonance of Reiki can be derailed and thus, not sustained. It makes sense---why would Reiki choose to function in a dissonant field? Thus, it’s not Reiki—but people—who can get sidetracked. The resonance of Reiki needs to be supported--and with pure intention. The additional power behind Reiki is in the intention in which it is practiced and channeled, which, in my opinion is one of the distinguishing factors between a so-so Reiki practitioner and a powerful Reiki practitioner. 

As I have been saying for years, in the future we will be called upon as a cohesive community to do some very important work, not only on an individual and group level but on a planetary and universal level. The ALL appreciates you and appreciates the fact that you recognize the significance of our sacred and much needed healing endeavors.

MUCH Boundless Love and Light,

Carol

www.carolwilson.org

Copyright © Carol Wilson 2007

Archived Newsletter X - July 22, 2007

Dearest Friends:

Among the many amazing metaphysical phenomenon I have experienced during the past month, I was able to enjoy the unicursal, single Eulerian path labyrinth at Sunrise Ranch in Loveland, Colorado during Jonathan Goldman’s 9 day Sound Healing Intensive. The first time I entered the labyrinth last week, 

I lost track of direction and of the outside world. Immediately, a strong wind arose that stirred the leaves of the trees around me with the sound of rain sticks, and Spirit spoke to me of the many things I knew but had forgotten. I continued to step slowly through the labyrinth, bare feet pressing on rough grass, until I paused at the center, facing the direction of West, which among other things, honors the Bear—the same Bear spirit that I came to know recently in the Catskill mountains. A golden spiral then appeared in front of me and around me, and like a cork screw, the spiral penetrated the soil, reaching downward until it touched and connected me with the heart of Mother Earth. I then realized, with greater awareness, the significance of my spiral and heart logo that I told my daughter to design many years ago----the significance of that journey to the heart, which connects us in love. We have been blessed with so many powerful tools to assist us in this journey, and sacred sound is one of them, because it can activate and accelerate our vibrational ascension. 

I have known and worked with many sound healers over the years, and it has surprised me that they are not teaching. I honestly believe it is because the body of knowledge of sound and sound healing is overwhelming and yes, even intimidating. I remember when I was asked to teach the HIV/AIDS course for the College of Nursing at UNLV, and the tremendous pressure I was under to quickly develop an expertise in a field that was changing as fast as the HIV virus itself. But, “diving in” and developing curriculum was what I was trained to do, and I became accustomed to such arduous assignments. On the contrary, I have spent the last seven years integrating sound healing into my work but have shared little of that knowledge with my students in Reiki classes and individual sessions. I have emphasized that sound healing, like Reiki, is being integrated into mainstream medicine. We have Mitchell Gaynor, MD, Director of Oncology at the Strand-Cornell Cancer Prevention Center, to partially thank for this awakening in our society of the oldest healing modality known to mankind.

The Universe has never called me to do anything at a time that I would consider “opportune.” When Reiki found me, I was immersed in an 80 hour a week job, and did not have one minute for a new endeavor; however, I was enrolled in a Reiki class the next week and have been committed to healing ever since. A few of you who have come to me for individual Reiki sessions lately have noticed that I have been accessing other healing tools in addition to Reiki and broadening my use of sound; however, because I have been a member of Jonathan’s Sound Healer’s Association for the past five years, I decided three years ago that I would participate in Jonathan’s intensive training and become "official” before I would formally teach Sound Healing. I finally stopped procrastinating. Not only was my time with Jonathan beyond my expectations, I also studied with other brilliant sound healers, individually and in group, including Laraaji, Lama Tashi who was nominated for a Grammy Award for his CD Tibetan Master Chants, and Kimba Arem, whom you may recognize because of her recent sound healing work with Dr. Andrew Weil. Therefore, after years in the making, my Sound Healing courses are now developed and scheduled in Salt Lake City with San Diego scheduling to soon follow.

I. Sound Healing Class Content and Schedule

A. Sound Healing I and II will be held on a Saturday and Sunday,

Sept. 28 and 29 (NOON-10pm). Sound Healing I will consist of:

Principles of Sound Healing

Psycho Acoustics & Sonic Entrainment

Shamael-Angel of Sound Initiation

The Healing Power of Sound

Intentionality and Silence

Breath and Sound

Vowels as Mantras

Toning

Toning the Chakras

Name as mantra

Mantra and Sound

Sawawati-Godddess of Music and Healing

B. Sounding Healing II will include:

Introduction to Harmonics

Tuning Forks

Tibetan Singing Bowls, Tingshas, and Bells

Sound and Crystals

Crystal & Alchemy Bowls

Vocal Harmonics

Overtoning for Healing

Mantras: Tools for Healing

C. Sounding Healing III on Saturday, Dec. 1 (NOON-10pm) will consist of:

Sacred Ceremony

Tantra of Sound

The Divine Name

The Way of the Shaman

Tools for Sound: Drums, Rattles & Didjeridu

Sacred Drum Healing Ceremony (as taught to me by Brooke Medicine Eagle in the Catskill Mountains at the Society for Shamanic Practitioners Conference)

Note: The reason why the break between Sound healing II and III is that I am spending a day with Layne Redmond, author of When The Drummers Were Women: A Spiritual History of Rhythm, in November, and I want to acknowledge her in my Sound Healing III class along with MANY other profound and revered healers, sound healers, and Shamans who have touched my life in ways too numerous to express at this time; i.e. being in ceremony with Bhola Nath Banstola, a 27th generation Shaman from Nepal, was one of the most incredible experiences of my life. Bonnie Horrigan had told me “He’s the real deal”, and he is. (Thank you, Bonnie, for getting me to the Society’s annual conference this year.) These healers have inspired me, challenged me and left me in boundless gratitude. I learned via experience that traditions are often passed on via encoded sound, and if we tap into those frequencies at a subconscious level, they teach us.

Sound Healing I, II and III contains more information than you can possibly imagine, and I believe that a week could be spent on every class. If I offer Sound Healing IV, it will probably be a day of silence in retreat with sound. We actually did this at the intensive for 12 hours, and I’m still not quite back on the planet. Also, until I am convinced otherwise, I will continue to cap my classes; thus, my sounding healing classes will be capped at 10 students so please register early. Registration forms are on my website under Classes, Sound Healing I, Sound Healing II and Sound Healing III. 

II. My individual healing sessions have evolved into not utilizing one single modality; rather, they arise from intention and intuition, and I offer frequencies that I feel will be of benefit to the uniqueness of the client, whether they be essential oils (yes, I have about 200 different bottles on hand), sacred sound or channeling Reiki or Karuna Reiki®. I have many new tools, sound instruments, lessons and uplifting stories to share with you during classes and at healing circles. The final highlight at the healing sounds intensive was our graduation, and farewell when Jonathan taught us a song that we sang individually to every person in the group, “Listen, listen, listen to the song of my heart…I’ll never forget you...I’ll never forsake you….” We were in tears. 

We are all unique, vibratory beings, and the more we understand and utilize vibration as a healing tool, the better we can bring love and harmony to all sentient beings, to Mother Earth, and to the ALL of the Universe where we are ONE. When the task seems overwhelming, I am always reminded of the Essene Gospel of Peace: “And one day the eyes of your spirit shall open, and you shall know all things.”

Love and Light,

Carol

Copyright @ by Carol A. Wilson 2007

Archived Newsletter IX - Being Reiki - June 23, 2007

Dearest Friends:

As our healing community is at the forefront of my thinking as we plan our community Reiki clinic in August, I would like to share a few thoughts that might be insightful in some way.

When I was an Assistant Professor of Community Health Education at UNLV, my students permeated the Las Vegas community. I required that they serve internships in grassroots organizations. They served at the American Cancer Society, Aid for Aids of Nevada (AFAN), United Way, REACH OUT (Relieve Every AIDS Child’s Hurt Our Ultimate Task)---and the list goes on. (Yes, I have seen HIV, cocaine addicted newborn babies.) These organizations were very active and offered a desperately needed service to the community; thus, for my students to offer their personal service and some additional knowledge about health education was an additional gift. Later I attended the first International Women’s Day Conference in Moscow with a delegation of six women from the United States, including Karla Scherer of the Karla Scherer Foundation, (whose father invented the gel capsule). As a delegation, we spent a great deal of time meeting with the many women of Russia who were heading grassroots organizations. In my opinion, these women and their grassroots efforts continue to be the power and strength of Russia. 

My present community orientation with individuals (who are “team players”) comes from my background and an innate sense of altruism. This is what I admire the most about the Native American culture. Native Americans truly think of the “tribe” before they think of self, much like the Buddhist adage, “I am one but others are many.” I have always known that the practitioners in our Reiki community will be of great benefit to others, and they do not need to be physically present in Utah because our community is very active in sending distant Reiki as a group. I also know that we will be called upon one day to serve others as a united and thus, powerful healing community. As I watched news reports of the devastation of New Orleans and saw the despair of its residents, all I could think about was how they needed a community of Reiki practitioners there to make a difference. Reiki can be compared to the ripples that reach out to others after a pebble is thrown into a pond. 

As soon as I meet a new student, I see a vision of their community. I see them as an individual with karmic connections. I see the individual’s family and the community around them. I take note of their workplace setting. It is a natural thing for me to do to see the subcommunities within a community. So often my students think they have little to do because they have no clients. Yet, all they have to do is draw an imaginary circle around their body and observe the people who come into their space. This is their community being delivered right to their door! And, the circle continues to grow.

However, trying to be of benefit to others can be overwhelming. I remember when I was at the home of His Holiness the 17th Karmapa in Kalimgpong, India, a man told the Karmapa that he had little time to help others. The Karmapa responded by telling him to just think of one person…even if you are helping one person you are helping that person to be better, live better, and die better. However, some may not be ready for that just one person; thus, it is important, as Byron Katie says, “Do your work!” It is important to heal self. All the wounds and hurts and anger are waiting to be healed. Yes, anger is a by product of being hurt for most people but it does not resonate with or support Reiki. I always remember the story of a woman who was being hurtful to Mrs. Takata and causing her many problems. Mrs. Takata went to Dr. Hayashi and asked him for his permission to give this woman “my elbow”. Mr. Hayashi said “no.” He would not give her permission to be angry with this woman, regardless of the harm she had caused to Mrs. Takata. I believe that Mrs. Takata took this to heart because after she became a Master, she was very protective of her healing space and would not allow angry people in her home. With uncompromising courage, she would ask them to leave, stating that her home and clinic was about healing—not about anger. From a Buddhist perspective, one outburst of anger can destroy eons of accumulated merit. That is why His Holiness the Dalai Lama and other spiritual leaders such as Thich Nhat Hahn have written about and given many teachings about anger. It is absolutely destructive at the deepest levels with severe karmic consequences. It is not surprising, then, that the first Reiki principle is, “Just for today, do not anger.”

Therefore, I like to remind everyone to begin with healing self so they will have the capacity to benefit others. It is then that one can be of real assistance to family, co-workers, friends and acquaintances. You will then automatically receive the hundreds of hours of experience that you need as a practitioner before you begin teaching if you choose a teaching path. Although one of my dreams is to develop a uniform standard for Reiki training, we have heard from some of our leaders on this topic. Pamela Miles recommends 3-5 years; Fran Brown, one of Takata’s Masters, says that 4 years as a practitioner is minimum; Mari Hall, founder of IARP and the author of 4 Reiki books, now requires from her students a 3 year practitioner minimum prior to Mastership and even more time after Mastership, prior to teaching. It is not only common sense but ethical that one needs to take the time to learn from Reiki; i.e. just as a nurse wouldn’t graduate from nursing school and begin teaching or a massage therapist wouldn’t graduate from massage therapy school and begin teaching, so, too, must a Reiki practitioner engage in practical experience before formally teaching. There is a HUGE learning curve; however, what I want to emphasize is that those experiential opportunities to practice Reiki are around you in your very own community. It is not as difficult as you might perceive. In fact, I know Reiki practitioners who are busier channeling Reiki to family members than Mrs. Takata was kept busy in Dr. Hayashi’s clinic in Japan. I will also continue to offer support. Last year I referred more clients to my students than I had clients on my own Reiki table. And, my circle continues to grow.

You are the ripples in the pond. BE Reiki. LIVE Reiki---in your homes, with your friends and acquaintances, and among your co-workers. TEACH Reiki best--by living the Reiki principles. Your community is right there at your doorstep--waiting for you. You only have to see the door---in order to open it.

Boundless love and light,

Carol

www.carolwilson.org

Copyright © 2007 by Carol A. Wilson

In Celebration - The Life of Hannah Nydahl

Dearest Friends:

It is my aspiration in writing this entry that Hannah's life--and her memory--will be a teaching that continues to benefit all sentient beings impartially, without exception. 

Hannah and Lama Ole Nydahl first traveled to Nepal in the 60’s on their honeymoon. It is there where their Buddhist roots were awakened when they met Lopon Tsechu Rinpoche; however, these roots were earlier recognized as children playing in the woods north of Copenhangen, Denmark where 5-year-old Hannah asked 10-year-old Ole to build a meditation hut for her out of tree branches.

In the 60’s, Buddhism had not arrived in the west; thus, translated texts were close to non-existent. Hannah proceeded to learn Tibetan in a slow, unfolding process and translated her meditation texts and Ngondro practices word for word, beginning with the prostration text. To practice speaking Tibetan, she and Ole stayed in Tibetan camps where no one knew how to speak English. They then became the first western students of His Holiness the 16th Karmarpa, Ranjung Rigpe Dorje, and after a few years, the Karmapa was very specific in his instructions to them that they return to Europe and work for the Dharma. Connecting the east to the west was vitally important to the Karmapa, and in order to do this, translators were also vitally important. Few Buddhist texts had been translated, and few teachers spoke English; thus, Hannah began translating for Tibetan lamas and Rinpoches. She and Ole also arranged large pilgrimage tours to the east, inviting as many as 100 people every year, which continued their contact with the east. Later in life, Hannah translated for the Tibetan teachers at the Karmarpa International Institute (KIBI) in New Delhi. His Holiness the 16th Karmapa had referred to her as the "Mother of Buddhism in the West"---and appropriately so.

Hannah experienced the vast depth and breadth of the Buddha’s teachings. “There is no end to them”, she once said, but the teachings always confirmed her belief in their truths, which progressively took her into deeper understanding, while at the same time seeing how those teachings benefitted herself and others. One of the greatest messages I heard from Hannah was that if you do not know the Dharma, “you tend to live in some unrealistic illusion and think that things are what they are; you give things a permanent existence, which they do not have. You may think something is wonderful, then suddenly it is not wonderful any more……the teachings say that we can understand impermanence by seeing how friends turn into enemies and enemies turn into friends…”

Hannah gave tirelessly of herself for the benefit of all sentient beings while traveling around the world, and the love people felt for her reminded me of the love that people felt for Mother Teresa. She was an amazing teacher--teaching best by the example that she set. She was egoless. So many times I saw her when she had had little sleep, and a “yawn” simply propelled her into the compassionate action of Green Tara. The last time I saw her was in November 2006 in San Diego. As I sat next to her at dinner, I knew she was seriously ill although many were telling me that she would be okay. I told her how I had received a copy of her recommended reading list (56 books, translated in English), and I vowed to read them all. I didn’t realize how difficult it would be to obtain a copy of some of those books; thus, this has been quite the project. To date, I have read nearly 30 of them, which also requires study, contemplation and meditation and includes a few book reports that I have written, particularly in regard to Padmasambhava's teachings; however, completing this endeavor takes on additional meaning for me now because it seems to be a way in which I can honor Hannah and the Buddhadharma that was her life, which has also become the foundation of my own life. The teachings have penetrated very "deep", and I cannot express the windows that continue to open while obscurations fall by the wayside. Princess Mandarava and Yeshe Tosgyal are among my heroines now, and they were certainly feminists before the west knew the meaning of the word. It's impossible to believe that Lama Ole Nydahl wrote his book, The Great Seal, in the hospital following his parachutte fall where yes, he hit the ground. And Kalu Rinoche—to think he was a Khenpo at age 11 and spent 12 years in solitary retreat. I bow to these teachers and many more teachers whose blessings we receive from reading their words and integrating them--and their aspects--into our practice.

In the meantime, I had asked a select number of my students to support me and join with me in reciting prayers and mantras for Hannah. After three days my lungs started to fill with fluid, and whereas lung cancer was what was killing her, I saw this as a good sign but I couldn’t transform it so I had to stop. We sometimes simply cannot interfere with one’s karma or destined journey. My Tibetan Medical Astrologist Astronomer, Jhampa, reminded me that it is very common for women in Tibet to not live through their obstacle year of age 61. According to the Tibetan calendar conversion, Hannah was 61.

On March 31, 2006 (April 1 in Copenhagen), the day that Hannah left her body for Dewachen, the Pure Realm of Great Bliss, I seemed to know that I should cancel all of my plans for the day, and I sat in bed reading Gently Whispered by Kalu Rinpoche. I wanted to read the words of one of our Kagyu lineage teachers. When I got to Chapter 5, "Teachings on the Bardos of Death and Dying", I took a break and went over to my computer, which is when an email came through from Ole, asking us to say the mantra of Amitabha for Hannah--the Red Buddha of Limitless Light--because she would not live for more than a few hours. The visualization of Hannah with Amitabha at her head was so clear, and I was grateful that Ole allowed us to participate in her passing. Then I went back to Kalu Rinpoche. When Hannah left her body, I was reading Chapter 8, "Commentary on the Bodhisattva Vows", which was the ESSENCE of Hannah’s life—--living and honoring her Bodhisattva Vows. Ole then wrote a letter that included the words, “She returned to space, timeless and beautiful." Finally, "the finest gift to Hannah now is to continue your practice.”

What I will miss about Hannah the most are her occasional emails. They were better than Christmas. One email from her negated all of the junk emails that I receive. She was articulate to detail and would ask me specifics about dharma activity here in Utah. She would sign her emails MUCH love, and I could feel the transmission. She always answered my emails even when I told her not to because she was much too busy. The last words she spoke to me in San Diego were also her greatest teaching for me. I asked her if she missed anything. Afterall, she didn’t really have a home because she was always traveling around the world. I asked, “Don’t you miss Denmark?” She replied, “I don’t miss anything.” I quickly responded, “So, you are giving me a teaching on attachment, which is so difficult for women to dissolve.” She laughed and smiled that big, gracious smile of hers that always came from her heart. Thus, when I miss her flesh and bones that have no ultimate reality, I connect with her mind---I remember her words---and it is then that I am free from the grief of her physical absence.

Copyright @ 2007 by Carol A. Wilson

Archived Newsletter VII - May 3, 2007

Dearest Friends:

Below is a letter that I received from William Lee Rand for clarification on the FDA controversy that many of you have emailed and asked me about. I hope that it proves to be helpful; however, I'm sure that we haven't heard the end of this.

Since this is a newsletter, I should include some other "tidbits" of information since there are never enough minutes and hours in the day to share with you. So, hang on....

I'm sorry that I couldn't be here last weekend but I was in San Diego teaching a Reiki I class. The Universe, in its all-knowingness, chose that date; thus, I continue to surrender in joy and gratitude. Sometimes it reminds me of when I was a soccer mom, but believe me, my son would have never been an ODP (Olympic Development Player) if I wouldn't have learned to surrender and go with the flow of its schedule, which included all major holidays.

We all learn "core" and foundational information from our teachers but then we grow and develop our own authentic path. Five years ago I was not where I am now, and five years from now I will be in yet another place. It's amazing how our journey unfolds; believe me, there is always something new around the next corner. My First Degree Reiki teacher was DiDi Otterson, who was a student of Denise Crundall. Denise was one of Beth Gray's two Reiki Masters. DiDi is why I have an inside perspective about this lineage, why I appreciate Denise Crundall, and why I include her poem "Togetherness" in my First Degree manual. I have spent many hours channeling with Reiki practitioners and Masters from this lineage because Mrs. Takata taught Beth Gray how to channel with Reiki symbols (I include an article about Beth in my Second Degree manual that was published in Reiki News). DiDi is the one who directed me to clairvoyant Walter MaKichen who had been her spiritual teacher for over 20 years. In all honesty, his clairvoyant abilities are like nothing I've ever seen, and he recently published the one-of -its-kind book Spirit Babies. The one-on-one mentoring I received from Walter has been invaluable to me because I had to learn how to manage being an open channel--bombarded with information. My Second Degree teacher was Grace Sesma, who was in the Reiki lineage of Barbara Ray Weber. Grace has also been a lifelong student of Grandfather Kachora, who is a Yaqui Medicine Man and Toltec Lineage Holder---now 92 years of age--one of the most beloved and revered healer in Mexico and known throughout the world. I learned so much from Grace about healing among the Indigenous First Nations, Peoples and Communities, and I have a growing appreciation every single day of that knowledge. Now that I am "in love" with Young Living Essential Oils, I appreciate Grandfather Kachora's love for plants, and in his words, "The way to the spirit is through an appreciation and knowledge of plants. The way to the infinite is through the experience of the infinite whole." In a future newsletter I will include a picture of me with Jesus Gonzales Mercado, Huichol, a now 85 year old shaman from the Huichol community of Tuxpan de Bolanos, Jalisco. I guarantee that you will laugh....his bonnet with feathers, tied under his chin is the most adorable thing I've ever seen.

Someone has asked--so yes, I have done hemi-sync training but as I told my Reiki Master teacher, I will never teach it, which is why you don't hear me talk about it or the metaphysical training that he acquired at the Monroe Institute. If you are interested in the Monroe Institute you'd be interested in Cosmic Awareness. However, it simply is not my path. I know that my purpose in this life is to be in my body helping other people in their body, which can be challenging for people who are working with high vibrational frequencies and struggling to stay grounded. Grounding is a very big challenge for many, if not most, of my students, and the solution is NOT astral projection. Trust me. I believe in the dharma truth that to acquire a precious body is indeed a rare gift, and we should utilize that body as a vehicle to help all sentient beings. I have taken Bodhisattva Vows many times to do just that. When we reach enlightenment, we will have endless time to zoom around timeless space without a body but in the meantime, the body is a tool to get us there. Let's not put the cart before the horse. I also made a huge shift from metaphysical training to spiritual development (there is a difference) after spending time with Thich Nhat Hanh, the Dalai Lama, Khenpo Choga Rinpoche, and my other teachers, primarily Lama Ole Nydahl and His Holiness the 17th Karmapa, Trinley Thaye Dorje. They are my living examples of human potential, and being in their enlightened energy fields brings tears to my eyes. I learned last week that in November I will be returning to India in pilgrimage while His Holiness the 17th Karmapa is in Bodhgaya, where the Buddha reached Enlightenment. If I decide to remain under the Bodhi tree until I attain Enlightenment, I will send an email or instant message. :-)

There again, remember that there are many different airlines to select from in order to arrive at a destination. If there are diving boards all around a swimming pool, you can jump off different diving boards to get into the pool. The important thing is to get into the pool--not how you get there. As I did, you will discover the tools that work best for you. And don't worry about developing your siddhis and psychic abilities! It unfolds and develops, especially the more that you meditate and practice Reiki. You'll find that you can even be "too" psychic. As a friend said to me last week when he couldn't hide something from me: "It's so unnerving." :-) So---enjoy the process---in joy and gratitude.

Boundless Love and Light,

Carol

Copyright @ 2007 by Carol A. Wilson

April 27, 2007

Information on FDA ruling not factual

Dear Students of Reiki,

Recently there have been many emails circulating on the internet warning about a new ruling the FDA is about to create that would threaten the practice of Reiki and other complementary practices making it illegal to practice unless you’re a medically licensed health care provider. The emails have also said that our right to use vitamins and herbs will also be threatened by this new ruling so that they will only be available by a doctor’s prescription and even then at very low dosages. People have been asked to protest this ruling by sending emails to the FDA by April 30.

This information is not based on fact. The practice of Reiki isn’t being threatened by any proposed FDA ruling, nor is our right to access vitamins and herbs. The information passed around on the Internet has for some reason been distorted and misrepresented.

In December 2006, the FDA issued a guidance document that commented on an existing ruling. They are not proposing anything new. To summarize part of the existing ruling, it indicates that if a vitamin, herb or food manufacturer states that their product will cure an illness, that manufacturer must first get permission from the FDA before making such a statement. The same is true for any practice such as Reiki. If a Reiki practitioner claims that Reiki will cure an illness, then the practitioner must get permission from the FDA before making that claim. 

The National Health Freedom Coalition has reviewed this issue and written a clarification document that I suggest you read for further information. Look specifically at points 5 and 6. http://www.nationalhealthfreedom.org/AlertFDAguidanceDoc.html

Here’s the link to the FDA document http://www.fda.gov/cber/gdlns/altmed.pdf

Sincerely,

William Lee Rand,

President, The International Center for Reiki Training

Archived Newsletter V & VI - January 30 & April 18, 2007

April 18, 2007

Dearest Friends:

Many of us are feeling pain in our heart chakra as a result of the shooting massacre at Virginia Tech, which I have been additionally aware of because my daughter, Chelsey, has been in Fairfax, Virginia for the past two weeks doing investigative work for the federal government, and my parents live in Weems, Virginia. Prayers and chanting "om mani peme hung" will help everyone. Sometimes I put a couple of drops of JOY on my heart chakra and hold my hands over my heart chakra or I hold a rose quartz crystal in my hands over my heart chakra (yes, the crystal gets very hot). I remember after 9/11 when a group of us Reiki practitioners and Masters got together to send Reiki and assist in the healing of the Universe. The screams of 9/11 alone had a shattering effect on many souls throughout the Universe, and SO much healing needed to be done. Let's remember that any time catastrophic events occur, they are not isolated, but rather, have a rippling effect throughout the Universe. One of our callings as healers is to take action and do what we can, utilizing the amazing gifts in our healing toolbox.

I am pasting in a portion of Frank Petter's latest newsletter because he has some great Reiki information. He also honors his teachers in the Reiki way in which teachers are honored. Frank is one who truly understands the Eastern philosophy in which Reiki was rediscovered not only because of his Zen background and training but because he was married to a Japanese woman for many years. This philosophy is often challenging for many Westerners. I am very "old school" in that respect in that I deeply revere all of my spiritual teachers where rightness or wrongness is not germane. Those teachers go beyond Reiki teachers. When I travel to hear Lama Ole, I like to be the one who gets everyone on their feet here in the West when he walks into the room, and although Ole doesn't want us to bow and prostrate to him, I automatically do that with teachers who more strictly adhere to traditional protocol. I will attach a picture to prove it! One of my pilgrimmage friends from Germany took the picture of me with His Holiness the 17th Karmapa in Kalimpong, India, and that picture is my most cherished possession! Many, many years ago I told a friend of mine, "I will never, ever, ever do all of that bowing stuff that Buddhists do!" In retrospect, I didn't have the humility.

I remember reading all the books about my Buddhist lineage teachers and what their own teachers expected of them as a test of their faith and devotion. It was almost more than I could bear to see Milarepa build a brick house at the instruction of Marpa--first in a triangular shape, then a half moon shape and then a round shape-- each time Marpa telling him to tear it down and start over. Of course, Milarepa became severely depressed but he persevered and finally built a brick square house of nine floors, purifying all negative karma and accumulating enough merit to attain Awakening in a single lifetime. Milarepa wanted lineage transmissions much the same way as Mrs. Takata wanted to receive the Reiki transmission from Dr. Hayashi. She wanted the Reiki Mastership transmission so desperately that she was even willing to give Dr. Hayashi her home in Hawaii. In another book that I was reading about another Kagyupa lineage teacher, Tilopa, Tilopa would deliberately create the most catastrophic situations for Naropa, one of his students; however, all of these events were teachings in humility, faith and devotion to teacher. It takes a lot to cut through ego and pride.

I realize that the West has changed yoga from its original intention in the east but I hope that one day Reiki hasn't changed in the West to the extent that the context in which Reiki was founded is forgotten. Although times change, and as Frank says, every culture has its own "cocktail", I hope that we remain a little old school here in the West, which is what Mrs. Takata and our other lineage teachers would want. The reality is that the Reiki principles and ideals are being threatened here in the West, and I hope, not to extinction. 

So, enjoy Frank's message, my friends:

"Spring has come, and the hearts blossom after a long period of gathering strength. Have you ever seen a lotus flower opening, petal after petal? Before we get into the Reiki work, I would like to share a text with you that I wrote in India some time ago:

A Ripple in the Lotus Pond

Every one has gone to sleep, except for the frogs and the silence in between their calls. They always talk to me, as I speak with them. Together, we watch the lotus that grows amongst them, opening. Petal by petal stretch forth in the moonlight. They know and I know. We have seen it happen many times before.

Clouds obscure the scene with their winter coats, hiding, then revealing mercilessly. Known and unknown sounds are carried by the cool fragrance of January. In the distance, an owl flies by, unseen.

Soft, dark and muddy, the bottom of the pond thinks of itself as the whole world. 

Pushing through is no easy task. The sap of life flows into one petal at a time, excruciatingly slow. The plant quivers: this way, and that way, ready to sink back to the bottom one more time. The gentle wind whispers in my ear “My love, the dawn is near.” 

The pond takes another breath as one more petal blooms where there was darkness a moment ago. Soon they will stand before it in awe and their hearts will be filled with bliss. They will pray to the Heavens and bow deeply to the Earth. It is good that they have never seen what I see.

I get up and go home, knowing that it will continue without me. A tear of gratitude slides out of my left eye: a ripple in the lotus pond.

And now to today’s Reiki theme:

The Reiki Symbols

I have been asked by a friend from South Africa to write an article on the Reiki- Symbols. After writing it I thought that it may be helpful to all of you. Below I will share with you what I have been able to research in Japan. My sources are the Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai- Dr. Usui’s original Reiki Society, and my beloved teacher, Chiyoko Yamaguchi, a direct student of Dr. Hayashi, and her son Tadao. When referring to Dr. Usui, Dr. Hayashi and Mrs. Yamaguchi, I will use the suffix Sensei. This is a Japanese word meaning “ respected teacher”. This is the proper way to address the one who imparts his love, grace and knowledge to you…

The Reiki Symbols are a wonderful source of inspiration, creativity and confusion. 

Inspiration

Let’s begin with the first, inspiration. Reiki was born in an eternal moment of intense inspiration and self- discovery. This intensity is present in any Reiki moment, during a treatment or an attunement. In a treatment, this is partly due to the symbols that intensify the energy, heal the soul and transcendent time and space. In an attunement it is due to the fact that the symbols help to awaken the sleeping Reiki in the student.

Creativity

Usui Sensei incorporated three symbols in his work, for his students to be able to work more effectively. Those three symbols were given specific jobs to do.

The Power Symbol was used exclusively on the body.

The Mental Healing Symbol was used exclusively for mental healing.

The Distant Healing Symbol was used exclusively for distant healing.

Three Concepts

When talking about the symbols, we must keep one thing in mind. The symbols have a geometric shape as well as a name- and, a meaning. This means, that a symbol can be many things. It can be a Reiki Symbol- meaning a tool that is exclusively used in Reiki. It can also be a Kanji (Chinese/ Japanese pictograph) or a symbol from another culture. And it can possibly be a Mantra. To all those three concepts apply different sets of rules.

1- A Reiki Symbol

A Reiki Symbol is a symbol incorporated into the Healing art by Usui Sensei. For me a symbol channeled by one of us, is not necessarily useless, but it does not belong to the original system. Therefore I would not call it a Reiki Symbol. A Reiki Symbol is Reiki specific. Usui And Hayashi Sensei stressed that they should not be shared with anyone who has not been attuned to Reiki. The one who uses it must have certain background knowledge, and healing skills, as well as instruction in how and when to use the symbol. You would not give a chain saw to a five year old either.

In the Japanese tradition the first two symbols are considered just symbols. They have a name but this name is just a description and the description does not need to be said when the symbol is written. Chiyoko Sensei said” no need to say “ spoon, spoon, spoon” when picking up a spoon

It is often thought that one is initiated into a certain symbol. The fact is that you are initiated into Reiki. The Symbols are just tools that help us concentrate on a certain quality. The cross, the symbols for male or female, or a stop sign on the highway are more or less the same. They tell us what we, and others ought to do in a given situation.

2- A Kanji or a letter/ syllable from another language

A Kanji or a letter/syllable from another language must have a certain meaning. The meaning of the power symbol, for example is 

“ By Imperial Command” or “ Direct Spirit”.

The meaning of the Mental Healing Symbol is “ Bad habit” (often used in connection with sexually perverted habits). This explains why in Japan the first two symbols are not chanted when they are used. Who could say while working on a client, “ By the order of the Emperor, by the order of the Emperor”, or even “bad habit bad habit bad habit…”?

Usui sensei gave the symbols Japanese names, because that was his language. The names were to explain what the symbols were used for. So “bad habit” is not really the name of the symbol, but a description of what we do with it.

The origin of the Second symbol is to be found in Sanskrit. It is a Sanskrit seed syllable from the Siddham writing, called Hrih. The Japanese call it “ Kiriku” because they have a hard time pronouncing a word filled with konsonant, like “hrih”.

In Japanese esoteric Buddhism (Mikkyo), this symbol represents the Amida Buddha, the Buddha of Love and Compassion as well as the Senju Kannon, the one thousand armed Bodhisattva. The Hrih, it is said, was formed out of a tear of compassion… 

So, knowingly or unknowingly you call on this divine emanation when you perform mental Healing. This means that you do not do the healing, but the deity does… 

A Mantra

A mantra is made of sound or a number of sounds. A mantra needs to be pronounced in order to release its power. The distant healing symbol is a mixture of symbol and mantra. That means that it must be written and spoken. If it cannot be spoken aloud, it has to be at least pronounced by your lips silently.

Our Distant Healing Symbol is made up of five kanji that are jammed into one another. This is not done deliberately, but with precision and deep knowledge of the subtleties of the language. If you were to write all the kanji separately, you would see that the top part of the second kanji fits into the bottom part of the first. The top part of the third kanji fits into the bottom part of the second. The top part of the fourth kanji fits into the bottom part of the third. And the fifth kanji remains as it is…

This is a method often used in Shingon and Tendai Buddhism to create a mantra. This way the conscious mind is bypassed and the goods are delivered… The first who used this mantra is, to my knowledge, Saint Nichiren, a Japanese Buddhist reformer who lived from 1222- 1282. A student of mine in Japan told me that it is also used in ancient Shintoism, and the meaning is “Man and God are One”.

Confusion

Everyone seems to have their own theory of what the Reiki symbols mean, and how they are supposed to be used. I have explained where they come from and what their cultural/ religious background is above. 

However, Reiki is liquid and adjusts to the culture and the people that it is practiced by. Therefore many new ways of using the symbols have evolved. My understanding of that is, to incorporate what is useful- which you must find out for your self- and to let go of what is not for you. Everyone mixes his own cocktail and that is the nature of things. All I can say is: cheers…"

In conclusion, there will not be healing circle in SLC until Sunday, June 10 at 3:30. As a surprise, I am going to have healing circle "Japanese style" so wear jogging pants or pajama pants because jeans might be uncomfortable!!! Please remember that I have to answer my phone to let people in at the front door so please do not call me to talk to me during that time. At last healing circle I had people in the living room that I was happy to see and eager to talk with, and four different people called to talk to me while people were locked out at the front door and unable to get through to me because I was on the phone trying to get people off the phone, and then my cell phone started ringing! I'm just not the multi-tasker that I used to be. :-) I SO enjoy having just one task in front of my face, so I can be with the experience.....otherwise, I'll miss out on living....

Boundless love-light,

Carol

Copyright @ 2007 Carol A. Wilson

January 30, 2007

Dearest Friends:

The Secret

If you haven't heard about "The Secret", Oprah Winfrey will be highlight it on her show tomorrow, Wed., January 31 at 4:00. The DVD and book are amazing, and I highly recommend it to everyone, as I did "The Bleep" when it was released. 

Sylvia Brown

People have been asking me for my reaction to psychic medium Sylvia Brown "getting busted" over her totally inaccurate reading about Shawn Hornbeck after he disappeared. She told his parents that he had been abducted by a dark skinned man with long dread locks, and Shawn was no longer alive. Shawn's parents were devastated. We now know that none of those details are accurate. Montell apparently also "busted" her on his show where she got to meet a man whom she said had died and was "in water.". Sylvia's claim is that she has never said that she is 100% right, and now psychics are in this growing heated discussion, who joined Larry King on his show the other night. However, no one has clearly stated that one has to be "clear" in order to channel and one needs to do what it takes to be "clear." There are times when Reiki Masters have asked me to do their channeling when they have known they are not clear. I believe that this is the appropriate action. If you are not clear, have an awareness as to why you are not clear, do what it takes to get clear, and in the meantime, have someone who IS clear do your channeling for important matters. If I were to make an error like Sylvia has, I would not be channeling until I knew I was clear. Thus, if I were to make a recommendation to Sylvia right now, it would be to take a break and get clear or be open to the Universe possibly redirecting her into other opportunities. Isn't it unfortunate that she doesn't channel with Reiki symbols? Shawn Hornbeck's parents would have never been devastated, that's for sure. I am so grateful that Mrs. Takata gave this transmission for channeling to three of her Master students whose lineages appreciate and utilize this gift for the highest good of so many beings. And, like all transmissions, you cannot give the transmission as a Master until you have received an authentic transmission from a Master whose lineage can be verified back to Dr. Usui.

Please join us on Valentine's Day: This is GREAT, and our planet so needs this:

The 5th Annual 

WORLD SOUND HEALING DAY

FEB. 14, 2007

"The Sound Heard Around the World" 

Sounding an "AH" for planetary peace! 

WHAT: World Sound Healing Day—The Sound Heard Around the World. For five minutes, sound healers, meditators, peace activists and lovers of all humanity and sentient consciousness will send a Sonic Valentine to the Earth with the heart sound "AH" filled with the intention of Peace and Love! (visit: www.healingsounds.com to for more information on this event and to download an "AH" sound you can tone along with) 

WHEN: February 14, 2007, join Jonathan Goldman, the Sound Healers Association and thousands of people throughout the planet as they tone an "AH" together for five minutes during that day, projecting the energy of Light & Love throughout the Planet. You will actually experience generating a field of transformational energy as this occurs. We have found that creating a Global Sacred Sound any time within a 24 hour period on the planet will create a coherent waveform that will affect the entire Earth. Therefore, any time you feel guided to sound for Planetary Peace on February 14th is a good time! In addition, local toning groups will be occurring throughout the Earth at various times during that day with the intention of assisting planetary consciousness through sound. There will also be several global toning events occurring via the Internet during that day, including at noon Eastern Time on www.healthylife.net and at 9 PM ET on www.allonenow.org. 

WHY: To project peace throughout the planet. What better way to celebrate this joyous day of Valentine’s Day then to project Peace to Mother Earth and generate peaceful energy throughout the planet with sound! Sound coupled with intention has the ability to heal and transform. We will sound an "AH" sending a heart wave of Sound that will resonate throughout the planet. Now is the time for you to be part of the Celestial Choir and resonate together for World Sound Healing Day. We can create major positive shifts on our beloved planet. Through sounding together we will make a difference. 

HOW: Sound the heart sound "AH" for 5 minutes We will simply sound an "AH" filled with the intention of Peace and Love for 5 minutes at your local noon time. The "AH" is a universal, non-denominational heart sound that when projected with focused energy is extremely powerful and effective. For more information which you may find useful, please visit this link: www.healingsounds.com. There you will find a "Planetary Healing Sounds" section with articles on suggested sounds, visualizations and toning techniques as well as as well an "AH" sound you can download and tone along with. 

BOWLS

Love-light,

Carol

"When you meet with enmity and hatred, think, "This is a good friend helping me to cultivate patience! Think, "This helper for patience is a messenger sent by the victorious ones!" Guru Rinoche

Dearest Friends:

Many of us are feeling pain in our heart chakra as a result of the shooting massacre at Virginia Tech, which I have been additionally aware of because my daughter, Chelsey, has been in Fairfax, Virginia for the past two weeks doing investigative work for the federal government, and my parents live in Weems, Virginia.

Prayers and chanting "om mani peme hung" will help everyone. Sometimes I put a couple of drops of JOY on my heart chakra and hold my hands over my heart chakra or I hold a rose quartz crystal in my hands over my heart chakra (yes, the crystal gets very hot). I remember after 9/11 when a group of us Reiki practitioners and Masters got together to send Reiki and assist in the healing of the Universe. The screams of 9/11 alone had a shattering effect on many souls throughout the Universe, and SO much healing needed to be done. Let's remember that any time catastrophic events occur, they are not isolated, but rather, have a rippling effect throughout the Universe. One of our callings as healers is to take action and do what we can, utilizing the amazing gifts in our healing toolbox.

I am pasting in a portion of Frank Petter's latest newsletter because he has some great Reiki information. He also honors his teachers in the Reiki way in which teachers are honored. Frank is one who truly understands the Eastern philosophy in which Reiki was rediscovered not only because of his Zen background and training but because he was married to a Japanese woman for many years. This philosophy is often challenging for many Westerners. I remember Jhampa talking once about when he taught in India for the Dalai Lama, students would sit in reverence and respect but was he in for an awakening when he taught in the West and students would challenge and even argue with him. I also remember him telling me that if one wants to go to "well, just criticize your teacher." "Well", I asked? Yes, "WELL." Do you mean "hell"? I got a laugh out of that one but it is TRULY Eastern philosophy that the karmic consequences for such behavior are severe. I am very "old school" in that respect in that I deeply revere all of my spiritual teachers where rightness or wrongness is not germane. Those teachers go beyond Reiki teachers. When I travel to hear Lama Ole, I am the one who gets everyone on their feet here in the West when he walks into the room, and although Ole doesn't want us to bow and prostrate to him, I automatically do that with teachers who more strictly adhere to traditional protocol. I will attach a picture to prove it! One of my pilgrimmage friends from Germany took the picture of me with His Holiness the 17th Karmapa in Kalimpong, India, and that picture is my most cherished possession! Many, many years ago I told a friend of mine, "I will never, ever, ever do all of that bowing stuff that Buddhists do!" In retrospect, I didn't have the humility.

I remember reading all of the books about my Buddhist lineage teachers and what their own teachers put them through as a test of their devotion. It was more than I could bare to see Milarepa build a brick wall at the instruction of Marpa just to have Marpa tell him to tear it down and start over so many times that Milarepa became severely depressed! Milarepa wanted lineage transmissions much the same way as Mrs. Takata wanted to receive the Reiki transmission from Dr. Hayashi. She wanted the Reiki Mastership transmission so desperately that she was even willing to give Dr. Hayashi her home in Hawaii. In another book that I was reading about another lineage teacher, Tilopa, Tilopa would deliberately set up, Naropa, one of his students, for the most horrible experiences. I didn't think I could bear to see Naropa beat up or suffer one more catastrophic event one more time! But all of these events were teachings in humility and devotion to teacher. It takes a lot to cut through ego and pride.

I realize that the West has changed yoga from its original intention in the east but I hope that one day Reiki hasn't changed in the West to the extent that the context in which Reiki was founded is forgotten. Although times change, and as Frank says, every culture has its own "cocktail", I hope that we remain a little old school here in the West, which is what Mrs. Takata and our other lineage teachers would want. The reality is that the Reiki principles and ideals are being threatened here in the West, and I hope, not to extinction.

Copyright @ 2007 by Carol A. Wilson 

So, enjoy Frank's message, my friends:

"Spring has come, and the hearts blossom after a long period of gathering strength. Have you ever seen a lotus flower opening, petal after petal? Before we get into the Reiki work, I would like to share a text with you that I wrote in India some time ago:

A Ripple in the Lotus Pond

Every one has gone to sleep, except for the frogs and the silence in between their calls. They always talk to me, as I speak with them. Together, we watch the lotus that grows amongst them, opening. Petal by petal stretch forth in the moonlight. They know and I know. We have seen it happen many times before.

Clouds obscure the scene with their winter coats, hiding, then revealing mercilessly. Known and unknown sounds are carried by the cool fragrance of January. In the distance, an owl flies by, unseen.

Soft, dark and muddy, the bottom of the pond thinks of itself as the whole world. 

Pushing through is no easy task. The sap of life flows into one petal at a time, excruciatingly slow. The plant quivers: this way, and that way, ready to sink back to the bottom one more time. The gentle wind whispers in my ear “My love, the dawn is near.” 

The pond takes another breath as one more petal blooms where there was darkness a moment ago. Soon they will stand before it in awe and their hearts will be filled with bliss. They will pray to the Heavens and bow deeply to the Earth. It is good that they have never seen what I see.

I get up and go home, knowing that it will continue without me. A tear of gratitude slides out of my left eye: a ripple in the lotus pond.

And now to today’s Reiki theme:

The Reiki Symbols

I have been asked by a friend from South Africa to write an article on the Reiki- Symbols. After writing it I thought that it may be helpful to all of you. Below I will share with you what I have been able to research in Japan. My sources are the Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai- Dr. Usui’s original Reiki Society, and my beloved teacher, Chiyoko Yamaguchi, a direct student of Dr. Hayashi, and her son Tadao. When referring to Dr. Usui, Dr. Hayashi and Mrs. Yamaguchi, I will use the suffix Sensei. This is a Japanese word meaning “ respected teacher”. This is the proper way to address the one who imparts his love, grace and knowledge to you…

The Reiki Symbols are a wonderful source of inspiration, creativity and confusion. 

Inspiration

Let’s begin with the first, inspiration. Reiki was born in an eternal moment of intense inspiration and self- discovery. This intensity is present in any Reiki moment, during a treatment or an attunement. In a treatment, this is partly due to the symbols that intensify the energy, heal the soul and transcendent time and space. In an attunement it is due to the fact that the symbols help to awaken the sleeping Reiki in the student.

Creativity

Usui Sensei incorporated three symbols in his work, for his students to be able to work more effectively. Those three symbols were given specific jobs to do.

The Power Symbol was used exclusively on the body.

The Mental Healing Symbol was used exclusively for mental healing.

The Distant Healing Symbol was used exclusively for distant healing.

Three Concepts

When talking about the symbols, we must keep one thing in mind. The symbols have a geometric shape as well as a name- and, a meaning. This means, that a symbol can be many things. It can be a Reiki Symbol- meaning a tool that is exclusively used in Reiki. It can also be a Kanji (Chinese/ Japanese pictograph) or a symbol from another culture. And it can possibly be a Mantra. To all those three concepts apply different sets of rules.

1- A Reiki Symbol

A Reiki Symbol is a symbol incorporated into the Healing art by Usui Sensei. For me a symbol channeled by one of us, is not necessarily useless, but it does not belong to the original system. Therefore I would not call it a Reiki Symbol. A Reiki Symbol is Reiki specific. Usui And Hayashi Sensei stressed that they should not be shared with anyone who has not been attuned to Reiki. The one who uses it must have certain background knowledge, and healing skills, as well as instruction in how and when to use the symbol. You would not give a chain saw to a five year old either.

In the Japanese tradition the first two symbols are considered just symbols. They have a name but this name is just a description and the description does not need to be said when the symbol is written. Chiyoko Sensei said” no need to say “ spoon, spoon, spoon” when picking up a spoon

It is often thought that one is initiated into a certain symbol. The fact is that you are initiated into Reiki. The Symbols are just tools that help us concentrate on a certain quality. The cross, the symbols for male or female, or a stop sign on the highway are more or less the same. They tell us what we, and others ought to do in a given situation.

2- A Kanji or a letter/ syllable from another language

A Kanji or a letter/syllable from another language must have a certain meaning. The meaning of the power symbol, for example is 

“ By Imperial Command” or “ Direct Spirit”.

The meaning of the Mental Healing Symbol is “ Bad habit” (often used in connection with sexually perverted habits). This explains why in Japan the first two symbols are not chanted when they are used. Who could say while working on a client, “ By the order of the Emperor, by the order of the Emperor”, or even “bad habit bad habit bad habit…”?

Usui sensei gave the symbols Japanese names, because that was his language. The names were to explain what the symbols were used for. So “bad habit” is not really the name of the symbol, but a description of what we do with it.

The origin of the Second symbol is to be found in Sanskrit. It is a Sanskrit seed syllable from the Siddham writing, called Hrih. The Japanese call it “ Kiriku” because they have a hard time pronouncing a word filled with konsonant, like “hrih”.

In Japanese esoteric Buddhism (Mikkyo), this symbol represents the Amida Buddha, the Buddha of Love and Compassion as well as the Senju Kannon, the one thousand armed Bodhisattva. The Hrih, it is said, was formed out of a tear of compassion… 

So, knowingly or unknowingly you call on this divine emanation when you perform mental Healing. This means that you do not do the healing, but the deity does… 

A Mantra

A mantra is made of sound or a number of sounds. A mantra needs to be pronounced in order to release its power. The distant healing symbol is a mixture of symbol and mantra. That means that it must be written and spoken. If it cannot be spoken aloud, it has to be at least pronounced by your lips silently.

Our Distant Healing Symbol is made up of five kanji that are jammed into one another. This is not done deliberately, but with precision and deep knowledge of the subtleties of the language. If you were to write all the kanji separately, you would see that the top part of the second kanji fits into the bottom part of the first. The top part of the third kanji fits into the bottom part of the second. The top part of the fourth kanji fits into the bottom part of the third. And the fifth kanji remains as it is…

This is a method often used in Shingon and Tendai Buddhism to create a mantra. This way the conscious mind is bypassed and the goods are delivered… The first who used this mantra is, to my knowledge, Saint Nichiren, a Japanese Buddhist reformer who lived from 1222- 1282. A student of mine in Japan told me that it is also used in ancient Shintoism, and the meaning is “Man and God are One”.

Confusion

Everyone seems to have their own theory of what the Reiki symbols mean, and how they are supposed to be used. I have explained where they come from and what their cultural/ religious background is above. 

However, Reiki is liquid and adjusts to the culture and the people that it is practiced by. Therefore many new ways of using the symbols have evolved. My understanding of that is, to incorporate what is useful- which you must find out for your self- and to let go of what is not for you. Everyone mixes his own cocktail and that is the nature of things. All I can say is: cheers…"

Boundless love-light,

Carol