We are so thrilled to share with you this guest post from blogger and certified Reiki practitioner and teacher Clare Frances C. of Rocks and Salts. Today she is sharing her amazing story on how she came to learn about Reiki, what it is, and how it can help to restore overall balance to the body’s physical, mental and emotional well-being. If you are not familiar with this energy therapy, read on to hear about Clare’s journey in the post below.
A Guest Post by Clare Frances C.
This post has been a long time coming, so when Keri approached me, asking if I was willing to contribute an article to share my Reiki story, I could not refuse. Reiki has and continues to be a pivotal part of my personal growth, and life as a whole. It is something I wish for everyone to experience, and I hope that sharing my story may inspire others.
I remember my very first experience as if it were yesterday. It happened seven years ago when my friend kindly offered to give me a Reiki healing treatment. I had no idea what it was. All she told me was that I would feel deeply relaxed. That was all I needed to hear to agree to it.
She had me lay down on a yoga mat, with a pillow under my head, and asked me to close my eyes and relax. What was really interesting was, despite her hands not physically touching me (she hovered them an inch above) throughout the one hour treatment, I felt sensations around the crown of my head, which felt like a mix of tingling and buzzing. There was also a pulsating warmth unlike anything I had felt before – not quite the same as what I know to be regular body heat. This was different. It felt like a radiating heat pack. I was intrigued to say the least. What was this, I wondered?
I must have drifted off to sleep because the next thing I knew, she was gently nudging me awake. I felt incredibly calm and relaxed – a lightness in my being unlike anything I had experienced before. I did not quite understand it, but I knew I wanted more. Five years later, I decided to learn Reiki for myself, which remains one of my best decisions.
So, what exactly is Reiki? It is an energy therapy, which works with the body’s own remarkable healing capabilities, helping to encourage and accelerate its natural healing process, and restore overall balance to the body’s physical, mental, and emotional well-being.
Reiki originated in Japan and was founded by Mikao Usui. The word ‘Rei’ may be referred to as divine, spiritual, pure or source, and ‘Ki’ refers to energy – similar to ‘Chi’ in Traditional Chinese Medicine, and ‘Prana’ in Indian Ayurvedic philosophy. Reiki today is commonly known as Universal Energy, and to me, is energy at its purest.
A Reiki treatment is done through the hands, simply by having the practitioner place or hover their hands on, or above the body (fully clothed), which activates the energy to flow into the body. No special movement, posture or action is required. The Reiki energy will be used by the body to help heal, rejuvenate and reinvigorate. Whatever health or wellness issue the person suffers from, including physical ailments, disease, stress or anxiety, and any emotional or trauma based issues, can often be helped with Reiki in a very gentle and releasing way. Another wonderful trait of Reiki is there are no known contraindications. This means that Reiki is complementary to other forms of healing, be it conventional medicine or other holistic therapies.
When I signed up to learn Reiki, I went in with my sights on level two – at this level, we learn advanced tools like how to send Reiki over distance, and often seems to be what gets most people excited. This was appealing to me because I wanted to be able to offer healing to my loved ones – who live overseas – in times of need. I saw it as my way of offering them love across the miles, in a tangible manner. However, in order to do that, I had to go through level one first – getting Reiki activated in my hands, and learning how to use it.
I expected to stop at level two, but life had other plans for me. Level two progressed to level three, and before I could fully make sense of what was happening, I found myself signing up for the Reiki Master Training (RMT). I remember having many doubts, the main one being my fear of public speaking. How could I possibly teach a class?! It was never my plan to go on this journey with the intention to teach Reiki. My focus was always on personal growth, and to offer healing to my loved ones. However, it grew into something much bigger than myself. I felt a pull to go further. So I asked for a sign. Early one morning, two weeks before the start of the RMT course, I looked out the window. As I was gazing at the trees, I was surprised to see four white butterflies fluttering above the canopy. I live on the seventh story, and had never seen any butterflies from that height, let alone four of them together. I took that as my sign. I cannot explain how I knew, I just did – one butterfly to represent each of the three levels I had completed, and the fourth, to represent my future Reiki Master certification. I will always remember that magical morning, and since then, life has repeatedly given me moments of wild synchronicity to affirm me that I am on the right path. I completed my Reiki Master Training in September 2016, and in addition to hosting upcoming healing groups for beginners, I also have plans to conduct my first level one workshop later this year.
Although my desire to learn to Reiki was intended around offering healing to others, I soon learned that at its very core, Reiki is fundamentally a way to self-healing. Two years on, I can tell you that Reiki has helped me far beyond my physiological ailments. What I feel I have gained the most is deeper awareness, profound clarity and insight into issues that I previously didn’t have, being mindfully present, and having greater peace from being able to accept circumstances as they are, as opposed to resisting them when the outcomes were – in my limited belief – not ideal. Having a full time corporate job also means that Reiki helps to balance and ground me from the daily stresses that it brings.
There are many various forms of holistic healing therapies, but the wonderful aspect which Reiki offers that I find lacking in others, is the element of self-empowerment. My role as a practitioner and teacher allows me to shine light where needed, so that my clients and students can realize how to heal themselves, through greater clarity and their own Reiki practice. In my experience, the body has proven to be highly intelligent and remarkable, capable of profound healing.
Reiki has shown me that true peace and happiness comes from within. My purpose as a Reiki practitioner and teacher, is to inspire others to uncover this potential within themselves, and to be a guiding light for them on their own journey of self-healing, towards a more holistic and fulfilled life.
Clare Frances C. is a certified Reiki practitioner and affiliate teacher with The Reiki Centre (read more HERE). Through Reiki, Clare is passionate about empowering her clients and students to realize the potential of self-healing within them, towards a more holistic and fulfilled life. Clare also has a full-time corporate job which helps to fund her burgeoning crystal and Lotus Wei obsession. Clare recently discovered a new-found love for Kundalini Yoga which she shares along with her favorite natural lifestyle choices and reflections on life, on her social media platforms. Clare has three beautiful nieces whom she adores. They live aboard, in the Netherlands, and she dedicates her free time FaceTiming with them.