Divine Lotus Healing ~ Blog

Spontaneous Gratitude- Tulip

2012-01-27T14:29:00.001-05:00

-Spontaneous Gratitude Moment -
A single photo, sans explanation, capturing a moment during the week that gave me pause and filled my heart with gratitude.

*Having a gratitude practice opens the heart to love, energetically draws good karma to you and improves the quality of your life. The yogi's in India have known and demonstrated this for eons. Western science has begun demonstrating this statement as well.*

(Inspired by Val @ Collecting the Moments...)

The Gift of Time

2012-01-25T09:30:00.000-05:00

This is the trail I walked yesterday under the pine trees.
The photo was taken last summer.

Yesterday, I had a meeting that let out early. There was about an hour or so of daylight left and it was unseasonably warm for January; temps in the 50's. I had a lot to do at home- check email, prepare for upcoming client sessions, organize upcoming Reiki class material, prepare for tax time, organize and clean the piles of paper that continuously grow in my home office, etc.- all the usual stuff that occupies my "free" time.

Instead of doing any of my routine tasks I went for a walk in the conservation land woods near my house. And I'm so glad I did. As I entered the pine grove at the entrance of the trail a quiet hush came over me. The tall pines have a way of blanketing a person and making them feel small as they step under them. The pine scent was sharp and invigorating under my nose. As I walked my mind began to slow down. My thoughts became less about the day I just had and the 10,000 things I had to do.

Unconsciously I followed the trails winding deeper into the woods until I came to a small pond. It was frozen over but because of the warm weather it had a layer of unfrozen water on top. I could hear trickling water coming into the pond from across the way. I listened to the gentle breeze swaying through the tops of the trees. I looked up.

For several minutes I just stood there, looking up. I found my hand leaning on one of the pine trunks. I drifted into an eyes-open meditative state and noticed the tree energy pulsing into my arm. It felt strong and ancient and a bit surprised that I had noticed it. I also became aware of wolf energy around me, although we do not have wolves in New England in the wild anymore. It too was strong and ancient.

These minutes passed by with me growing more peaceful and deeply relaxed. I became aware that I needed to head back to the trail head if I was going to walk in day light, so I said thank you to the nature energy around me and took my leave.

It was a great way to spend my gift of time. I hope you too can find a peaceful retreat of some kind this week in your busy schedule. Namaste.

Video: January 2012 Channeled Message

2012-01-24T05:50:00.001-05:00

Spontaneous Gratitude- Eleven

2012-01-20T11:16:00.001-05:00

-Spontaneous Gratitude Moment -
A single photo, sans explanation, capturing a moment during the week that gave me pause and filled my heart with gratitude.

(Inspired by Val @ Collecting the Moments...)

The Virtue of Speaking

2012-01-17T17:54:00.005-05:00

This short video touched my heart. It is a good reminder. Master Phin Kung says:

Speak less words of complaint and more of forgiveness, as complaint brings about hatred while forgiveness is wisdom.

Speak less words of sarcasm and more of respectfulness, as sarcasm reveals disparagement while respectfulness increases understanding.

Speak less words of harm and more of thoughtfulness, as harm causes contradictions while thoughtfulness develops friendship.

Speak less words of command and more of discussion, as command forces acceptance while discussion is true leadership.

Speak less words of criticism and more of encouragement, as criticism creates barriers while encouragement nurtures potential.

Spontaneous Gratitude- Door Knocker

2012-01-13T16:14:00.002-05:00

-Spontaneous Gratitude Moment -
A single photo, sans explanation, capturing a moment during the week that gave me pause and filled my heart with gratitude.

(Inspired by Val @ Collecting the Moments...)

Mudra of Will

2012-01-10T13:48:00.000-05:00

This mudra strengthens you at all levels and is beneficial for all internal organs.

Take life's challenges one step at a time, small and calculating. Set goals for yourself that bring you joy and satisfaction. Write down what you want to accomplish and break it into sub-categories of action. Begin immediately. Small successes should be recognized and celebrated.

Mantra:
Each small step brings satisfaction and brings me closer to my goal.

Spontaneous Gratitude- Sunset on the Roof Deck

2012-01-06T10:11:00.003-05:00

-Spontaneous Gratitude Moment -
A single photo, sans explanation, capturing a moment during the week that gave me pause and filled my heart with gratitude.

(Inspired by Val @ Collecting the Moments...)

January 2012 Channeled Message

2012-01-03T09:37:00.010-05:00

Council of Light Channeled Message through Laura West

January 2, 2012

8:28am

Topic: Celebrate the New Year Energy of 2012

Good day to you Laura. We would like to say, “Hip, hip, hooray!” We honor humanity and your civilization for you all have made it into the new. Those of you reading this have come through the stew; the stew of energy that you waded through so deep, the stew of energy that had the potential to keep you back, holding you afar. Not letting you progress on your journeys thus far, but you have those of you, come so far through the pea soup of energy that is the earth stew.

You have unzipped your old energy bodies and stepped into a new cocooned chrysalis, just birthed you. Your energy is raw and new. It is tender so you must take care. Be gentle with your souls. Be wary at this time of others for you have crossed a threshold and it is time to focus exclusively on yourselves. Turn out the outside world and focus within. Go deep. Sink into your inner harmony. Ask your soul what it is you wish to complete in this year ahead, in this new energy space.

The energy of 2012 is lighter we see. It is calmer and more fresh and ready to be a space of helping and holding light for you so that you may walk forward ever through on your journey towards your own enlightenment. We have said this before many times and we say it again once more: your job on your journey is to learn and grow through many lifetimes, this we know. And, this lifetime with the turning point of 2012 energy has brought you a new space of learning. For some it is subtle. For some of you it is grand. For some of you it has hit you in the face like wind from a fan. And, however the energy has surrounded you; it penetrates deeply through and through. It is a wonderful new catalyst for healing, helping you grow and feeling. Be kind to yourself. Take time to rest. Meditate each day and focus inward with zeal and zest. We do not mean for you to sit for hours upon hours but simply find five minutes of time for connecting with your spiritual power. Your spiritual center must be awakened, you see, for you to be able to continue to receive this wonderful new energy of which you have stepped into.

You will find that you have friends, family, loved ones, co-workers, colleagues and acquaintances who you are leaving behind. You have shed your old skins and you are walking forward anew into this new dawn, this new day of energy, breaking just for you. You have risen, karmic-ly, consciously into a new expanse, almost like a heaven. Of this, you will be happy to dance.

We see that you are like babes fresh from the womb, walking forward out of a tomb. Rejoice, be happy. You have crossed the threshold you see, into a new space of energy. It is not an end game. It is not the end for all. There should be no suffering. Rejoice, rejoice one and all.

If you would like to sustain this energy space, this happy being, that has replaced the dark and tumultuous energies that came before the clearinghouse energies that ripped through to your core; you must practice daily to connect to this grounded centered place of peace and happiness. You will find an inner strength, an inner core. A connectedness to who you really truly are once more. Like plugging in an electric socket, energy currents will run through to the socket. Through your being, coursing, pulsing, helping to sustain energy to you once again.

We see that this is nothing new. We have explained this to you all the way through. We are using different language now, here, today so that you may in some fashion understand the way that this energy has twisted and turned and coiled and rotated to bring you to the space you are in today. Most of the work has been done by you. Those of you reading this message are awakened. You are on the path. Your knowledge of where you are going is true. You are highly evolved beings and for this we applaud and say hooray to your awakened state of being. Your energy is alive with vibrancy like the spring freshness that comes after a long winter’s sleep. You my dears, this energy will keep.

We say hooray for we see you walking along your evolutionary path to join in joyful harmony rejoicing with your ultimate light crescendo, a rapture of sorts. Not the rapture that is captured by some religions, you see. But a rapture of pure bliss and harmony. You are walking upon the earth plane in this happy place. You can remain and sustain this awareness and this state of grace.

We are here evermore, always, helping to guide you; us the spirit from outside source. You must remain aware of this heightened state of being for yourselves to be continually awakened. It is possible for some of you to slip backwards and fall asleep once more, to cloud your minds with judgments. But, we see that many of you are ready to remain awakened for you have stepped through the portal of energy, you see, and risen to this next platform, plateau of wonder and beauty in energy.

We are so proud of you for taking this leap. Your souls have grown from a state of sleep. And, from this you grow, you learn, you move forward. You continue to know all the secrets of the earth plane that are unlocking once again for you have known all these truths to be true. And, when you birthed into this family unit, this you, you decided to walk once again on the journey through suffering and pain to reawaken and remember, brining you forward from the darkness to the sweet evermore.

This year of 2012 promises to bring new energy. It will be intense and rocky and tumultuous for you in many ways that you cannot anticipate at this new moment of birthing. It will bring you much intense joy and speed your evolutionary karmic awareness through with rapidity. Rapid growth, releasing old karmic chords because you have no use for them anymore. You have crossed a threshold and you are in a new energy place and for you new energy patterns will replace the old belief systems, the old core way of doing and being and you will begin to see that your old patterns, your old thought forms do not fulfill the needs that you feel inside of thee. You will continue to grow ever more. You will continue to show a heightened state of awareness, this we know.

Ask for divine support, God-source energy is all around you with loving force. Here to protect you and help you and guide you with loving wisdom and guidance. You are in ultimate control of your destiny, this we know. We cannot do it for you but we can hold your hand. We can stand behind you and brace you strong human kind. And, we may only help if the wish has been heard. We may only come to your aid to give you loving guidance and support your energy growth if you request it. We stand humbly by waiting for your yonder-ing, searching being to ask.

There are those of you who will feel an intensity, a yearning, a deepening, a longing to connect to your spiritual being, your inner core. You have shed the layers of the old you, of pain, of disgruntled old disheveled body energy. And, this has brought forward your spiritual being, fresh like a baby, raw and new. Please remember to take care sitting in this new stew, this new energy. It is delicate. And, in this new state, be gentle. Take care and have much grace. As you rest in harmony with yourself in this new being, this new energy wave pattern surrounding you, it will begin to strengthen and grow and become harder to outside forces that will eventually try to penetrate, this we know. And, you will remain inside this strong core, this light being evermore. Spiritually connected, plugged in like a light, tuned in and turned on to your energy awareness just right. This day we come to you with this message we say it is a catalyst, a turning point, energy at play.

Like we said in the beginning and ever once more, hooray, congratulations! This is a time of celebration! We see that the earth energy coming from the collective consciousness has birthed into a new you. A higher elevated being, a more consciously awake, ever endearing space of residency, of understanding of your consciousness that has a higher vibration. Vibratory intelligence that is forming across all nations. We sense and see that many of you are doing the work to raise the vibratory frequencies of the earth plane. And, you have succeeded in bringing through a new energy to the whole earth successfully guiding, crafting energy. Grounding yourselves on a new plateau in a new platform of energy. Ask for God-source help to support you in this new space, like a cohort. We are here to help and support. We wish you to grow continually and you know all the joys not the sorrow. You have left that behind. You are birthed into a new being of some kind. And we say hip, hip, hip hooray.

We throw confetti and streamers and toot party horns. It is a glorious day, a celebration, a birthing, a birthday of sorts. Congratulations, you have made it to the next platform. Climbing the rungs of the cosmic consciousness ladder evermore, you have risen to that next stage in your life. Take some time to revel in the journey. Take pleasure, not strife. Be happy. Be satisfied. You are birthed anew. And we are excited for humanity.

Those of us who work with you to help you along your journeys see that you are doing the hard work that is necessary. And you, those of you dear sweet souls who read this message true have an understanding, an inkling, a knowing of what to do. Sit in quiet reverent solitude for a few minutes each day respectfully bowing to the energy that we say is surrounding you in this new doorway/ portal that you have crossed through. Notice it. Sense it. Feel it. Revel in the wonder that is beauty and splendor that is being gifted to you at this time of harmony, of joy, of peace.

Make no mistake; there will be catastrophic distress around you in the coming year. However you shall remain clear. Standing firmly from this new space of grace, projecting out love and peace all over the place. This will help to counter balance the strife. The old energy that did not come through this new portal with you. There will be wars and anguish and pain coming from others who, once again, chose not to rise and ride through the portal of energy joining you. You are in a new place. And, it is up to you as people awakened in the human race to continue to hold space, balancing and counter-balancing the negative energy with beauty and grace.

Feel the love coursing through your hearts, your veins, your muscles and your energy beings once again. Project it out across the universe. Heal the earth. Send it to adversaries with mirth. Do not mock. Do not jest. Send it with true love and compassion. And, always, always remain true to your core being once again. For we see that this is the way for you to continue to be true to your own energy that is new. Hurrah, hooray, ha-roo for you. Congratulations earth being, cosmic consciousness starry light, your loving vibration shines so bright. Take a moment. Breathe deeply. Feel it this day, this night. Celebrate your journey. Give yourself a high five. You should be proud of the energy journey that you have arrived, in this new space, in this new place. Congratulations to you. We are proud of you earth dear one. Yes, we speak directly to you, and you, and you too. All of you, each individual reading this message. Create a global loving oneness that cannot be destroyed. Breathe it in to your heart and project it out, project it out over the earth plane. See it coating the earth like a pink blanket once again. For this will help to counter-balance the old energy that did not come through to this new space with you.

So, upon this earth plane you will walk with new energy. Take care. It is raw. It is fresh. It is pink. It is the new you. Be gentle with your souls. Don’t try to hard at first. Take time to get to know the new you. We see that most of you are eager to begin anew. Feel the joy. Feel the love. And as we have explained, it will begin to grow and form a hard wonderful, resilient exterior shell around you that will allow you to permeate love out to the masses evermore.

Good day to you dear ones of the light. We send you blessings, very bright to your awakened core, your souls so sparkly and bright. Congratulations to you for being awakened on this journey true. Namaste and adieu for now. We say to you that we are the Council of Light bringing you loving energy and beauty forthright. We wrap you all in a golden blanket of light to help sustain you and keep you in the weeks ahead helping you to be guided from a clear space in your head. Bright blessings on this day. Namaste. Adieu and goodbye for now we say.

Spontaneous Gratitude- One Flower

2011-12-30T10:42:00.006-05:00

-Spontaneous Gratitude Moment -
A single photo, sans explanation, capturing a moment during the week that gave me pause and filled my heart with gratitude.

(Inspired by Val @ Collecting the Moments...)

The Five Remembrances

2011-12-27T15:22:00.000-05:00

Winter Holiday Schedule 2011

2011-12-23T15:39:00.001-05:00

Divine Lotus Healing will be closed from December 24th 2011 through January 2nd 2012 for the holidays. There will be no Psychic and Spiritual Development class on December 28th. Class will begin again on January 4th. Client sessions will resume January 7th.

Enjoy this Winter Break everyone!

Spontaneous Gratitude- Winter Light

2011-12-23T09:09:00.004-05:00

-Spontaneous Gratitude Moment -
A single photo, sans explanation, capturing a moment during the week that gave me pause and filled my heart with gratitude.

(Inspired by Val @ Collecting the Moments...)

A Solstice Poem

2011-12-21T09:40:00.000-05:00

*This is one of my most favorite poems of all time. I share it with you humbly and with joy in my heart on this Winter Solstice. Blessings. In 2011, the December solstice takes place on Wednesday, December 21 at 11:30 p.m. CST (Thursday, December 22 at 5:30 UTC).

And so the Shortest Day came and the year died
And everywhere down the centuries of the snow-white world
Came people singing, dancing,
To drive the dark away.
They lighted candles in the winter trees;
They hung their homes with evergreen;
They burned beseeching fires all night long
To keep the year alive.
And when the new year's sunshine blazed awake
They shouted, revelling.
Through all the frosty ages you can hear them
Echoing behind us - listen!
All the long echoes, sing the same delight,
This Shortest Day,
As promise wakens in the sleeping land:
They carol, feast, give thanks,
And dearly love their friends,
And hope for peace.
And now so do we, here, now,
This year and every year.
Welcome, Yule!

--Susan Cooper

Patience Mudra

2011-12-20T12:34:00.001-05:00

When you use this mudra it helps regulate body temperature, fortifies the liver and balances out strong emotions. Use this mudra when you are involved in conflict and cannot see or think clearly.

Sit in quiet contemplation or meditation and hold this mudra position with your hands. Use this time of waiting for an answer to come, nerves to be calmed and insight to be gained. Inhale long deep breaths.

Mantra to use:

My patience and inner calm increase from moment to moment.

Spontaneous Gratitude- Rainbow

2011-12-16T12:40:00.003-05:00

-Spontaneous Gratitude Moment -
A single photo, sans explanation, capturing a moment during the week that gave me pause and filled my heart with gratitude.

(Inspired by Val @ Collecting the Moments...)

Prayer for Forgiveness

2011-12-13T08:53:00.000-05:00

This is a simple, powerful and effective prayer to use with forgiveness practice (daily use for 35 days is recommended):

If there is anyone or anything that has hurt me in the past,
knowingly or unknowingly, I forgive and release it.
If I have hurt anyone or anything in the past,
knowingly or unknowingly, I forgive and release it.
If I have hurt myself in the past,
knowingly or unknowingly, I forgive and release it.

Credit goes to Tom Bishop

Spontaneous Gratitude- First Clementines

2011-12-09T11:37:00.001-05:00

-Spontaneous Gratitude Moment -
A single photo, sans explanation, capturing a moment during the week that gave me pause and filled my heart with gratitude.

(Inspired by Val @ Collecting the Moments...)

December 2011 Channeled Message

2011-12-06T10:44:00.010-05:00

Council of Light Channeled Message through Laura West

Topic: Universal Love for Yourself and Others

We would like to talk to the beings at large, humanity, which has come from the stars about energy. What kind of energy do you ask? The energy of love. It is the ultimate task to tune into love and say unconditional love is always at play for people have emotions and feelings; anger and jealousy, rage, need, want, greed. All of these emotions come into play within each and every day. And the human being must navigate the waters and sail cleanly through if they are to evolve from one state of being to new.

Emotions play a role in keeping humans safe. They help you to know when something is dangerous or unsafe and they also can take over and control your ways. They can manifest in your actions and make you behave in ways that are untrue to your soul form and to what you really wish or want to do. And sometimes even should do. For example the Buddhist with love in her heart who is challenged by a group of other humans who are smart and yet do not reside in that same place of love, see her differently from around and above. She must still navigate the waters of love and hold space of love for those others, not so that she focuses on them but so that there is space for them to enter the love. And when this is done we see that a loving vibration spreads out and creates harmony. And often human emotions get the better of you. This is what it is to be on the earth plane we see.

So often when people are surrounded by vibrations other than love for example with the woman we mentioned above, it is hard to radiate out love from your heart continuously from the start. You feel pressure and pain to cover and block. You focus on the negative and what is not. There is not peace. There is not harmony. There is not grace. There is pain and sorrow in your face. And it is hard to uphold this higher vibration of loving grace, peace and adoration for your fellow humans. But we say you must try. Try each and every day. For when you try to hold yourself and others in the light all the time things will begin to manifest and turn around just right. As this vibration of loving energy comes out, you see, it begins to seep through all the interactions and connections that have come to be in your life everyday.

There is much science behind what we speak of. Your scientists have discovered energy and how it travels and manifests and makes what you want. So if you always focus on the negative that is what you shall receive. It is much like holding a mirror up to your face and you will believe whatever it is that you are projecting out, it will be bouncing back into your life ten count.

So please humans, as you enter this space of energy bliss it is intense and emotional for many of you we see. And even with the painful emotions like anger and greed we say to you to take time each day to find a little space, some of you may feel comfortable to pray, meditate, sink into your own being. Tune into your own heart and ask for the guidance of love to start flowing though your heart. There are some of you reading this message who many say you are not worthy of this love today and we will very clearly tell you that this is not true for each of you is valid and worthy of love. All the days long. You all are special, unique and strong. You have been made from god source love. You have been created from “up above”. And your job is to realize, actualize and grow towards your enlightenment so that you know how to navigate through what we call the pea soup of life, that sticky and tricky place on the earth plane that is rife with hurtles and stumbling blocks and painful lessons, we see. Honor your path with grace and let it be. You have control. You have choices. Make them from your heart spaces. Do not over analyze and choose to live only in the mind for this will give angst and pain. Make decisions from the heart once again and you will become better you see. Better at navigating the waters of thee.

We love you all, us here in spirit form. We are tasked with helping you learn and grow and change and move forward ever so. You are all Divine beings, Divine sparks of light. We honor and keep you and tell you this is right.

We wish you bright blessings on this merry day. For some of you, you are going into a dark winter time of year and we say hold us in your hearts. Light a candle. Five minutes. Bring some spirit into your life. Ask to be connected. And this will be alright. You all have loving spirit that is here to help, help support you, help you grow, help you to learn, help you to know. Rely on us. You may not know our names. You may not know what we look like. And, this is just fine. But once again we say we offer ourselves as a resource to humanity. Some of us are spirit just made for this message through Laura and some of us are spirit crafted just for you individually reading this message, it is true. You may or may not know who we are but just tune in, five minutes, it is all we ask. Bring love into your heart, up through your head, down through your toes and throughout your whole being. Picture it washing through you, through your core to its inner being.

Peace shall rein upon the earth plane once humans once again move through life guiding their hearts. We see this as possible and that it can start. It can start with each one of you with your actions all the day through. So simple, yes we see. It is almost incompressible. Can it be that something so simple can change the world and help you grow towards your enlightenment? And we say, as you know, yes, yes of course it can. Something so simple is often the way. And we celebrate with joy on this day for you reading this message here and now are planting seeds in your heart of how to do exactly this. And we see and say that you can enter a state of bliss.

Blessings, bright blessings to each one of you. Peace and love and joy and hope too. We are the Council of Light. We wrap you in a golden blanket of light to guide you and keep you in the weeks ahead. Supporting you, loving you. Blessings. Namaste. Adieu. Goodbye for today. We are always with you. Just ask and you shall see. Spirit, loving spirit is around you, always, always. Just ask and loving spirit guidance comes forth to you. Blessings. Namaste. Adieu.

Spontaneous Gratitude- Bulb Planting

2011-12-02T09:35:00.001-05:00

-Spontaneous Gratitude Moment -
A single photo, sans explanation, capturing a moment during the week that gave me pause and filled my heart with gratitude.

(Inspired by Val @ Collecting the Moments...)

Six Stress Prevention Tips

2011-11-29T14:01:00.005-05:00

Scientific American Mind (September 2011) offered "six strategies for fighting stress before it starts":

Seek and kill. Take a few minutes every day to identify stressors in your life and find ways to reduce or eliminate them.
Commit to the positive. Don't rely on self-destructive ways of coping with stress — drinking, drugs, overeating.
Be your own personal secretary. People who keep lists of things to do really do more things.
Immunize yourself. Through exercise, thought management, and the daily practice of relaxation techniques, you will be in a better position to face stressors.
Make a little plan. Spend a few minutes every morning planning your day. You will waste less time, get more done, and feel less stressed.
And make a big plan. Planning your future is a great way of exercising more control over your life.

Source: ChildCareExchange.com

Shipping Deadlines for my Etsy Shop 2011

2011-11-28T11:52:00.101-05:00

Watercolor Painting by Montana Nana Designs

This season when you are buying gifts for the holidays, don't forget to check with the vendor about shipping deadlines. You wouldn't want your gift to arrive late!

Following is a list of related holiday dates:

First night of Hanukkah (Chanukah ) – Dec. 20th at Sunset
Christmas Eve – Dec. 24th
Christmas Day – Dec. 25th
Kwanzaa – Dec. 26, 2011 – Jan. 1, 2012

In my Etsy Shop I ship via United States Postal Service Priority Mail Shipping which is also called USPS Flat Rate Shipping. I have marked these dates in Red. The deadlines for all types of shipping are as follows to ensure your gift arrives on time:

US Postal Service Shipping Deadline Guide 2011

DOMESTIC MAIL DEADLINES

Domesitc Mail Class          Deadline
FIRST CLASS MAIL®          DEC. 20
PRIORITY MAIL®              DEC. 21
EXPRESS MAIL®               DEC. 22 (Check your local Post Office)
PARCEL POST®                 DEC. 15

OUTBOUND INTERNATIONAL MAIL DEADLINES (SHIPPING TO A FOREIGN COUNTRY) USING Priority Mail International™

AFRICA                                             DEC. 2
ASIA/PACIFIC RIM                              DEC. 9
AUSTRALIA/NEW ZELAND                    DEC. 9
CANADA                                           DEC. 12
CARIBBEAN                                       DEC. 12
CENTRAL & SOUTH AMERICA               DEC. 2
MEXICO                                            DEC. 9
EUROPE                                            DEC. 12
MIDDLE EAST                                    DEC. 12

Light Transmission through Mirabai Devi

2011-11-26T10:38:00.009-05:00

Mirabai Devi is one of my spiritual teachers. She transmits healing, loving, restorative energy through her hands to anyone sitting in front of her and she gives Darshan. I've been blessed to see her in person many times when she has come to Boston and each time has been transformational for me. I'm so glad to see that she has made a video of the light transmission!

To receive the maximum benefits of the healing energy she sends through this video you should sit quietly in front of it the entire time. Turn off your phone, close the door to the room you are in, let your family/ housemates know you are not available for the next 10 minutes. Open your heart center, relax, calm your thoughts and feel the loving energy as it moves through you. Typically the energy comes in three waves, pulsing and radiating warmly. There is no limit to how many times you can watch this video to receive the light transmission energy! Namaste.

Spontaneous Gratitude- Wild Turkeys

2011-11-25T10:32:00.001-05:00

-Spontaneous Gratitude Moment -
A single photo, sans explanation, capturing a moment during the week that gave me pause and filled my heart with gratitude.

(Inspired by Val @ Collecting the Moments...)

Today and Every Day

2011-11-24T09:50:00.002-05:00

Earth Mudra

2011-11-22T12:35:00.000-05:00

This mudra's Eastern name is Prithivi, also known as the Earth mudra. It helps to sharpen a person's sense of smell. People who have broken their nose or smoke tobacco might try this mudra to help their noses come back to life. It also helps the liver, nails, skin, hair and bones to function at their optimal best. On a mental and spiritual level this mudra helps a person to cope with changing moods.

Focus your thoughts and frame them positively to determine a good quality of life. Decide what is good, important and genuine, giving you fulfillment. Then emphasise these thoughts as you sit in contemplation.

Affirmation: My life is a gift. I respect and value this gift and make the best of it.

Spontaneous Gratitude: Reiki for Occupy Boston

2011-11-18T14:00:00.112-05:00

The spontaneous gratitude post this week diverges onto a path of emotional description and it is not so spontaneous. Last Sunday I visited Occupy Boston with a number of other Reiki folks (who are amazing light beings in human form!) to offer free Reiki. It was a magical experience. I met so many good people, looking into their eyes and seeing their joy, sorrow, anger, peace... it was a blessing and humbling to be able to give them Reiki. I stood for about an hour and a half with what seemed like a never ending stream of people, about 10 or so- I lost count, that came to sit in my chair. The universe sent the people who needed a dose of Reiki one after another!

I met a man who just celebrated his 82nd birthday who told me he was, "an occupier to the end." Then there was the woman who visited that day not as an occupier, but as part of a group who are knitting mittens and scarves for the people who are camped out as the weather in Boston gets colder. There was a man who had rode his bike to the camp that afternoon who sat and rested with me. A man who watched the process for a while sat down and said, "Okay, show me what you got." He fell asleep in the chair and woke up "mellowed out" by his own words. Each person was kind, trusting, calm when they got up from the chair. In each person I saw their grace, humanity, soul. It was emotional at times for me.

With each person, I introduced myself and told them my name. I thanked each one of them for being there and said I appreciated their efforts in supporting this movement. I explained that with their permission I would lay my hands on their shoulders and then on the top of their head. After the Reiki came to an end I repeated my gratitude for them sitting in the chair and for being a part of this movement. I was left with a smile and sometimes words of thanks, although that was not what I was looking for. I am forever grateful to each of those people for letting me give them Reiki. I am also grateful that I got to participate in this movement in a way that gave back.

Here are some photos of the day. (I had one very beautiful photo of our entire group of Reiki practitioners standing under the Gandhi statue that I lost, so you will have to imagine our collective energy together.) I hope it gives you an understanding of the culture that is solidly camped out in Dewey Square- the heart of the financial district in downtown Boston. Given the events of the past week in other Occupy camps around the country I hope the Boston camp can continue to be a beacon of message sharing to the world. Blessings.

The History of Usui Reiki- Updated

2011-11-15T10:44:00.102-05:00

What is the History of Reiki?
by William Lee Rand

The International Center for Reiki Training

Takata photo taken June 11, 1979, Penticton, British Columbia, Canada.
Used with permission from the estate of Gunter and Ursula Baylow

The following referenced history of Reiki is taken from Reiki, The Healing Touch and has been carefully researched to contain verified information from dependible sources. You have permission to copy and paste this history including the photos on to your own web site as long as you use the entire text and do not make changes to it.

Mrs. Hawayo Takata brought Reiki from Japan to the West in 1937 and continued to practice and teach until her passing in 1980. Because of her devotion, Reiki has been passed on to millions of people all over the world, and the numbers continue to grow! And as you will see, if it wasn’t for her, Reiki most likely would never have been discovered by the West and even in Japan would have been practiced secretly by only a small number of people.

Until the 1990s, the only information we had about Reiki came from Mrs. Takata. Her story of Reiki was recorded on tape, and this recording is still available along with a transcript of the contents.(1) In the past most people including many authors simply accepted Takata Sensei’s interpretation of the history of Reiki as accurate without attempting to do any additional research. Because of this, Mrs. Takata’s version of the story was repeated in all the earlier books written on Reiki. (Fortunately many current authors are using more recent historical information.)

In the course of researching the origins of Reiki, I learned that Mrs. Takata took liberties with the history of its development. In 1990, for example, I wrote to Doshisha University in Kyoto, Japan where Mrs. Takata reported that the founder of Reiki, Usui Sensei, had held the office of president. I had hoped to gain additional information that would help us understand who Usui Sensei really was. I also contacted the University of Chicago, from which Usui Sensei had obtained a degree according to Mrs. Takata. Neither university had ever heard of him. (Copies of the letters from both universities are available from the International Center for Reiki Training.) This disappointing discovery led me to wonder if other parts of the Takata Sensei version of Reiki were also inaccurate. In talking with several early Reiki Masters about this discovery, I was told that Mrs. Takata had westernized the story of Reiki by changing certain details and adding others to make it more appealing to Americans.

I continued to seek additional information about the history of Reiki, but attempts to secure it went slowly at first. The main reason for this is that after World War II, the U.S. government banned all Eastern healing methods in Japan and required that only Western medicine be practiced there. The members of the organization Usui Sensei started, the Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai, decided they wanted to find a way to continue to practice Reiki. Some of the other healing groups such as the Acupuncturists were able to get a license to practice, but the Gakkai chose not to go through this process. In order to continue to practice Reiki, they decided to become a secret society and practice only among themselves and not talk about Reiki to anyone outside their organization.(2) This made it difficult for anyone to learn about Reiki including the Japanese. In fact, if someone in Japan wanted to learn Reiki after the war, he or she had to travel to the U.S. to learn or had to learn from a Western trained Reiki teacher who traveled to Japan. Because of this, even now most Reiki practiced in Japan is a combination of Western and Japanese Reiki.
Footnotes
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1 Mrs. Takata Speaks, The History of Reiki, CD and transcript (Southfield, MI: Vision Publications, 1979).
2 Tadao Yamaguchi, Light on the Origins of Reiki (Twin Lakes, WI: Lotus Press, 2007), 66.
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This is why an accurate history of Reiki took so long to unfold up to this point in time. Then in 1996, I received from Japan a copy of the Original Reiki Ideals, which were different and more expansive than what had been presented by Mrs. Takata. They include the idea that chanting and offering prayers are important to Reiki practice.(3) In 1997, Arjava Petter’s book, Reiki Fire was published, which was the first of a series of books on Japanese Reiki. He along with his wife, Chetna Koybayashi, had made contact with the Gakkai. They had discovered the location of Usui Sensei’s grave and many other facts including information on the Japanese Reiki Techniques, all of which were revealed in his books and subsequent workshops.

Invited by Arjava Petter, Laura Gifford (now Laurelle Shanti Gaia) and I went to Japan in 1997 and with Arjava as our guide, we were taken to Usui Sensei’s grave and Mt. Kurama and much of the new information was explained to us.(4)

In 1999 and 2000 I invited Arjava and Chetna to come to teach workshops on the Japanese Reiki Techniques across the United States. In addition, in November, 2001, I took Reiki I&II from Chiyoko Yamaguchi in Japan, a Shihan (Reiki Master) who received her training from Hayashi Sensei. (She passed on in 2003). In October 2002 I took Gendai Reiki training from Hiroshi Doi—who is a member of the Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai—and also had two detailed interviews with him.(5) It is from these sources and my continued contact with these and other Reiki researchers that my understanding of the history of Reiki along with how Usui Sensei and Hayashi Sensei taught and practiced Reiki has developed.

Footnotes
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3 Toshitaka Mochitzuki, lyashi No Te [Healing Hands] (1995), 227, ISBN 4-88481-420-7 C0011 P1400E; “The Original Reiki Ideals,” Reiki News (Fall 1996); and page vi of this manual. To order the Original Reiki Ideals click here.

4 For more information, see Appendix A, “Discovering the Roots of Reiki,” and The Inscription on the Usui Memorial section below.

5 William Lee Rand, “An Interview with Hiroshi Doi,” Reiki News Magazine, Pts. 1 and 2 (Summer 2003): 9–11; (Fall 2003): 12–14.
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A More Accurate History of Reiki

The following is an updated history of Reiki based on accurate, verifiable information. Where possible, sources have been referenced so others can follow up on this research if desired. The history begins with a look at the inscription on the memorial stone that was erected in 1927 in memory of Mikao Usui Sensei, founder of the Reiki healing system.

The Inscription on the Usui Memorial
The Usui Memorial

The inscription on the Usui Memorial, dating from 1927, was written by Juzaburo Ushida, a Shihan who was trained by Usui Sensei and able to teach and practice Reiki the same way he did. He also succeeded Usui Sensei as president of the Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai. Masayuki Okata, also a member of the Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai, was the editor. The English translation was done by Tetsuyuki Ono and is reprinted here from the book, lyashino Gendai Reiki- ho, with permission from the author Hiroshi Doi.

The large kanji at the top of the memorial stone reads: “Memorial of Usui Sensei’s Virtue.” The remainder of the inscription reads as follows:

What you can naturally realize through cultivation and training is called “VIRTUE” and it is called “MERIT” to spread a method of leadership and relief and practice it. It is people of many merits and a good deal of virtue that can be eventually called a great founder. People who started a new learning and founded a fresh sect among sages, philosophers, geniuses etc., named from the ancient times, were all those as mentioned above. We can say that Usui-Sensei is also one of those people.

He started newly a method to improve body and spirit based on REIKI in the universe. Hearing of the rumor, people who would like to learn the treatment and undergo the cure gathered from all quarters all at once. Really, it was very busy indeed.

Mikao Usui
(Usui Sensei), founder of
the Reiki System of Healing

Usui-Sensei, whose popular name is Mikao and whose pen name is Gyohan, came from Taniai-village, Yamagata- district, Cifu Prefecture, and had forefathers named Tsunetane Chiba who had played an active part as a military commander between the end of Heian Period and the beginning of Kamakura Period (1180-1230). His father’s real name is Taneuji and his popular name is Uzaemon. His mother came and got married from the family named Kawai.

Usui-Sensei was born on 15th August, 1865. Having learned under difficulties in his childhood, he studied hard with efforts and he was by far superior in ability to his friends.

After growing up, he went over to Europe and America, and also studied in China. In spite of his real ability, however, he was not always successful in life. Although he was compelled to lead an unfortunate and poor life so often, he strove much more than before to harden his body and mind without flinching from the difficulties.

One day, Usui-Sensei climbed Mt. Kurama, where he began to do penance while fasting. Suddenly on the twenty first day from the start, he felt a great REIKI over his head, and at the same time as he was spiritually awakened he acquired the REIKI cure. When he tried it on his own body and members’ of his family also, it brought an immediate result on them.

Having said “It is much better to give this power widely to a lot of people in the world and enjoy it among them than to keep it exclusively by his family members.” Usui-Sensei moved his dwelling to Aoyama Harajuku, Tokyo in April, 1922 and established an institute, where the REIKI cure was instructed openly to the public and the treatment was given, too. People came there from far and near to ask for his guidance and cure, and they over-flowed outside, making a long line.

Tokyo had a very big fire caused by a great earthquake in Kanto district in September, 1923, when the injured and sick persons suffered from pains everywhere. Usui-sensei felt a deep anxiety about that, and he was engaged in a cure, going around inside the city every day. We can hardly calculate how many persons were saved from death with his devotion. His activities of relief, in which he extended his hands of love over to those suffering people against this emergent situation, can be outlined as noted above.

Thereafter, his training center became too small to receive the visitors, so he built a new house in Nakano outside the city in February 1925 and transferred there. As his reputation got higher and higher, it was so often when he received an offer of engagement from everywhere throughout the nation. In accordance with these requests he traveled to Kure and Hiroshima, then entered Saga and reached Fukuyama. It was at the inn at which he stayed on his way that he caught a disease abruptly, and he passed away at the age of sixty-two.

His wife got married, coming from the Suzuki family, and she is named Sadako and has a son and a daughter. The son’s name is Fuji, and he succeeds to the Usui family.

Usui-Sensei’s natural character was gentle and prudent, and he did not keep up appearances. His body was big and sturdy, and his face was always beaming with a smile. But when he faced the difficulties he went ahead with a definite will and yet persevered well, keeping extremely careful. He was a man of versatile talents and also a book lover, knowing well in the wide range from history, biography, medical science, canons of Christianity and Buddhism and psychology up to magic of fairyland, art of curse, science of divination and physiognomy.

In my opinion, it is evident to everybody that Usui-Sensei’s cultivation & training were based on his career of art and science, and the cultivation & training became a clue to create the REIKI cure.

Reviewing the fact, I understand what the REIKI cure is aiming at is not only to heal the diseases but also to correct the mind by virtue of a God-sent spiritual ability, keep the body healthy and enjoy a welfare of life. In teaching the persons, therefore, we are supposed to first let them realize the last instructions of the Emperor Meiji, and chant the 5 admonitions morning and evening to keep them in mind.

The 5 admonitions in question are:
1. Don’t get angry today.
2. Don’t be grievous.
3. Express your thanks.
4. Be diligent in your business.
5. Be kind to others.

These are really the important precepts for a cultivation, just the same as those by which the ancient sages admonished themselves. Usui-Sensei emphasized that ‘This is surely a secret process to bring a good fortune and also a miraculous medicine to remedy all kinds of diseases.’ by which he made his purpose of teaching clear and accurate. Furthermore, he tried to aim at making his way of guidance as easy and simple as possible, so nothing is difficult to understand therein. Every time when you sit quietly and join your hands to pray and chant morning and evening, you can develop a pure and sound mind, and there is just an essence in making the most of that for your daily life. This is the reason why the REIKI cure can very easily spread over anybody.

The phase of life is very changeable in these days, and people’s thoughts are apt to change, too. Could we fortunately succeed in spreading the REIKI cure everywhere, we feel sure that it would have to be very helpful in order to prevent people from disordering their moral sense. It never extends people nothing but the benefits of healing long term illness, chronic disease and bad habit.

The number of pupils who learned from Usui-sensei amounts to more than 2000 persons. Some leading pupils living in Tokyo among them gather at the training center and take over his work, while other pupils in the country also do everything to popularize the REIKI cure. Although our teacher already passed away, we have to do the very best to hand the REIKI cure down to the public forever and spread it much more. Ah! What a great thing he did; to have unsparingly given people what he had felt and realized by himself!

As a result of our pupils’ recent meeting and discussion, we decided to erect a stone monument at the graveyard in his family temple so that we may bring his virtuous deed to light and transmit it to posterity; so, I was requested to arrange an epitaph for the monument. As I was much impressed by his great meritorious deed and also struck by our pupils’ warm hearts of making much of the bond between master and pupil, I dared not refuse the request, but described the outline.

Therefore, I do expect heartily that people in the future generations would not forget to look up at the monument in open-eyed wonder.

— Usuida, in February, 1927. Edited by Masayuki Okada, The Junior 3rd Rank, the 3rd Order of Merit, Doctor of Literature. Written by Juzaburo Usuhida, The Junior 4th Class of Services, Rear Admiral.

Mikao Usui

Mikao Usui, or Usui Sensei as he is called by his students in Japan, was born August 15, 1865 in the village of Taniai in the Yamagata district of Gifu prefecture, which is located near present day Nagoya, Japan.(6) It is thought that he entered a Tendai Buddhist school on or near Mt. Kurama (“horse saddle mountain”) at age four. He also studied kiko, the Japanese version of qigong, which is a health and healing discipline based on the development and use of life energy. The young Usui found that these healing methods required the practitioner to build up and then deplete his own life energy when giving treatments. He wondered if it were possible to do healing work without depleting one’s own energy.(7)

Usui Sensei had an avid interest in learning and worked hard at his studies. He traveled to Europe and China to further his education. His curriculum included medicine, psychology, and religion as well as the art of divination, which Asians have long considered to be a worthy skill.(8) Some think that he was from a wealthy family, as in Japan only the wealthy could afford to send their children to school although others think this was not the case. Eventually he became the secretary to Shinpei Goto, head of the department of health and welfare who later became the Mayor of Tokyo. The connections Usui Sensei made at this job helped him to become a successful businessman.(9) Usui Sensei was also a member of the Rei Jyutu Ka, a metaphysical group dedicated to developing psychic abilities.(10)

In March 1922 Usui Sensei’s personal and business life was failing.(11) As a sensitive spiritualist, Usui Sensei had spent much time meditating at power spots on Mt. Kurama where he had received his early Buddhist training. So he decided to spend some time on this holy mountain to see if he could discover a solution to his personal problems; he was not seeking to discover a method of healing as some have said. He enrolled in Isyu Guo, a twenty-one-day training course sponsored by the Tendai Buddhist Temple located there.(12) We do not know for certain what he was required to do during this training, but it is likely that fasting, meditation, chanting, and prayers were part of the practice. In addition, we know there is a small waterfall on Mt. Kurama where even today people go to meditate. This meditation involves standing under the waterfall and allowing the water to strike and flow over the top of the head, a practice that is said to activate the crown chakra. Japanese Reiki Masters think that Usui Sensei may have used this meditation as part of his practice. In any case, it was during the Isyu Guo training that the great Reiki energy entered his crown chakra. This filled him with tremendous spiritual light and he received understanding about how to solve his personal problems.
Footnotes
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6 Inscription on Usui Memorial, Saihoji Temple, Suginami, Tokyo, Japan.

7 This information comes from Tatsumi-san, one of Hayashi Sensei’s last students.

8 Inscription on Usui Memorial.

9 Shiomi Takai, “Searching the Roots of Reiki,” The Twilight Zone (April 1986): 140–143. This article can be viewed on the web at http://www.pwpm.com/threshold/origins2.html. (Note that this Japanese magazine is no longer in business.)

10 Mochizuki, lyashi No Te, see note 3.

11 Ibid.

12 Takai, “Searching the Roots of Reiki,” 140–143.
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When this happened, he was filled with excitement and went running down the mountain. On his way down he stubbed his toe on a rock and fell down. And in the same way anyone would do, he placed his hands over the toe, which was in pain. As he did this, healing energy began flowing from his hands all by itself. The pain in his toe went away and the toe was healed. Usui Sensei was amazed by this. He realized that in addition to the illuminating experience he had received, he had also received the gift of healing.(13)

Usui Sensei practiced this new ability with his family and developed his healing system through experimentation and by using skills and information based on his previous study of religious practices, philosophy, and spiritual disciplines. He called his system of healing Shin-Shin Kai-Zen Usui Reiki Ryo-Ho (The Usui Reiki Treatment Method for Improvement of Body and Mind) or in its simplified form Usui Reiki Ryoho (Usui Reiki Healing Method).

In April 1922, he moved to Tokyo and started a healing society that he named Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai (Usui Reiki Healing Method Society). He also opened a Reiki clinic in Harajuku, Aoyama, Tokyo. There he taught classes and gave treatments.(14)

The lowest degree of his training was called Shoden (First Degree) and was divided into four levels: Loku-Tou, Go-Tou, Yon-Tou, and San-Tou. (Note that when Mrs. Takata taught this level, which in the West we refer to as Reiki Level I, she combined all four levels into one. This is most likely why she did four attunements for Level I.) The next degree was called Okuden (Inner Teaching) and had two levels: Okuden-Zen-ki (first part), and Okuden-Koe-ki (second part). The next degree was called Shinpiden (Mystery Teaching), which is what we call master level. The Shinpiden level includes, Shihan-Kaku (assistant teacher) and Shihan (venerable teacher).(15)

Contrary to previous understanding, Usui Sensei had only three symbols, the same three we use in the West in Reiki II. He did not use a master symbol. This fact has been verified by Hiroshi Doi and by research done by Hyakuten Inamoto, Arjava Petter and Tadao Yamaguchi.

In 1923, the great Kanto earthquake devastated Tokyo. More than 140,000 people died and over half of the houses and buildings were shaken down or burned. An overwhelming number of people were left homeless, injured, sick and grieving.(16) Usui Sensei felt great compassion for the people and began treating as many as he could with Reiki. This was a tremendous amount of work, and it was at this time that he began training other Shihan (teachers). It was also at this time that he developed methods including a more formal Reiju (attunement) process.

Demand for Reiki became so great that he outgrew his clinic, so in 1925 he built a bigger one in Nakano, Tokyo. Because of this, his reputation as a healer spread all over Japan. He began to travel so he could teach and treat more people. During his travels across Japan he directly taught more than 2,000 students and initiated twenty Shihan,(17) each approved to teach in the same way he did.(18)

The Japanese government issued him a Kun San To award for doing honorable work to help others.(19) While traveling to Fukuyama to teach, he suffered a stroke and died March 9, 1926.(20) His grave is at Saihoji Temple, in Suginami, Tokyo, although some claim that his ashes are located elsewhere.

There were many hands-on healing schools in Japan at the time Usui Sensei started his school. These other schools were not part of Usui Reiki.(21) There may have been some connection between Reiki and MahiKari and Johrei as these two Japanese religions have a Reiju like (attunement) process and offer people healing through the hands.(22)

After Usui Sensei died, his students erected a memorial stone next to his gravestone. (This is the memorial stone pictured on page 14.) Mr. J. Ushida, a Shihan trained by Usui took over as president of the Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai, and was responsible for creating and erecting the Usui Memorial stone and ensuring that the grave site would be maintained. Mr. Ushida was followed by Mr. lichi Taketomi, Mr. Yoshiharu Watanabe, Mr. Toyoichi Wanami, and Ms. Kimiko Koyama. The current successor to Usui Sensei is Mr. Kondo, who became president in 1998.

Contrary to what we have been told in the West, there is no “lineage bearer” or “Grand Master” of the organization started by Usui Sensei—only the succession of presidents listed above.(23) The twenty teachers initiated by Usui Sensei include Toshihiro Eguchi, Jusaburo Guida, Ilichi Taketomi, Toyoichi Wanami, Yoshiharu Watanabe, Keizo Ogawa, J. Ushida, and Chujiro Hayashi.(24) Contrary to one version of the Reiki story, Chujiro Hayashi was not the successor to Usui Sensei, but rather Mr. J. Ushida as previously mentioned.

Footnotes
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13 Inscription on Usui Memorial.

14 Yamaguchi, Light on the Origins of Reiki, 63–64.

15 Walter Lubeck, Frank Arjava Petter, William Lee Rand, The Spirit of Reiki (Twin Lakes, WI: Lotus Press, 2003), 15

16 “Earthquakes Tokyo-Yokohama,” Encyclopedia Britannica (1997), CD-ROM.

17 Reiki News Magazine (Spring 2011): 18 for a photo of Usui Sensei and the twenty Shihan.

18 Yamaguchi, Light on the Origins of Reiki, 63–64.

19 Takai, The Twilight Zone, 140–143.

20 Inscription on Usui Memorial.

21 According to Toshitaka Mochizuki, lyashi No Te, Taireido was started by Tanaka Monihei. Tenohira-Ryouchi-Kenkyuka, which means “The Association for The Study of Palm Treatments,” was started by Toshihiro Eguchi, who learned healing from Usui Sensei before founding his own group. Eguchi also wrote books on healing, which are now hard to find. Jintai-Ragium-Gakkai, which means “The Human Body Radium Society,” was founded by Matumoto Chiwake, and Shinnoukyou-Honin was a religious group founded by Nishimura Taikan, whose method was called ShinnouKyouSyokusyu-Shikou Ryoho, meaning “Violet Light Healing Method.”

22 Winston Davis, Dojo, Magic and Exorcism in Modern Japan (Palo Alto, CA: Stanford University Press, 1980).

23 Frank Arjava Petter, Reiki Fire, (Twin Lakes, WI: Lotus Light, 1997), 26. ISBN 0-914955-50-0.

24 This list comes from the research of Frank Arjava Petter.
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Chujiro Hayashi

Before his passing, Usui Sensei had asked Hayashi Sensei to open his own Reiki clinic and to expand and develop Reiki Ryoho based on his previous experience as a medical doctor in the Navy. Motivated by this request, Hayashi Sensei started a school and clinic called Hayashi Reiki Kenkyukai (Institute). After Usui Sensei’s passing he also left the Gakkai.

At his clinic he kept careful records of all the illnesses and conditions patients who came to see him had. He also kept records of which Reiki hand positions worked best to treat each patient. Based on these records he created the Reiki Ryoho Shinshin (Guidelines for Reiki Healing Method).(25) This healing guide was part of a class manual he gave to his students. Many of his students received their Reiki training in return for working in his clinic.(26)

Hayashi Sensei also changed the way Reiki sessions are given. Rather than have the client seated in a chair and treated by one practitioner as Usui Sensei had done, Hayashi Sensei had the client lie on a treatment table and receive treatment from several practitioners at a time. He also created a new more effective system for giving Reiju (attunements).(27) In addition, he developed a new method of teaching Reiki that he used when he traveled. In this method, he taught both Shoden and Okuden (Reiki I&II) together in one five-day seminar. Each day included two to three hours of instruction and one Reiju.(28)

Because of his trip to Hawaii in 1937–38 prior to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, he was asked by the Japanese military to provide information about the location of warehouses and other military targets in Honolulu. He refused to do so and was declared a traitor. This caused him to lose face, which meant he and his family would be disgraced and would be ostracized from Japanese society. The only solution was seppuku (ritual suicide), which he carried out. He died honorably on May 11, 1940.(29)

Hawayo Takata

The following is a summary of Mrs. Hawayo Takata’s version of her early years leading up to her contact with Reiki at the Hayashi clinic:

She stated that she was born on December 24th, 1900, on the island of Kauai, Hawaii. Her parents were Japanese immigrants and her father worked in the sugar cane fields. She eventually married the bookkeeper of the plantation where she was employed. His name was Saichi Takata and they had two daughters. In October 1930 Saichi died at the age of 34, leaving Mrs. Takata to raise their two children.

In order to provide for her family, she had to work very hard with little rest. After five years she developed severe abdominal pain and a lung condition, and she had a nervous breakdown. Soon after this one of her sisters died and it was Mrs. Takata’s responsibility to travel to Japan, where her parents had resettled to deliver the news. She also felt she could receive help for her health in Japan.

After informing her parents, she entered a hospital and stated that she was diagnosed with a tumor, gallstones, appendicitis and asthma.(30) She was told to prepare for an operation but opted to visit Hayashi Sensei’s clinic instead.

Mrs. Takata was unfamiliar with Reiki but was impressed that the diagnosis of Reiki practitioners at the clinic closely matched the doctor’s at the hospital. She began receiving treatments. Two Reiki practitioners would treat her each day. The heat from their hands was so strong, she said, that she thought they were secretly using some kind of equipment. Seeing the large sleeves of the Japanese kimono worn by one, she thought she had found the secret place of concealment. Grabbing his sleeves one day she startled the practitioner, but, of course, found nothing. When she explained what she was doing, he began to laugh and then told her about Reiki and how it worked.

Mrs. Takata got progressively better and in four months was completely healed. She wanted to learn Reiki for herself. In the spring of 1936 she received First Degree Reiki from Dr. Hayashi. She then worked with him for a year and received Second Degree Reiki. Mrs. Takata returned to Hawaii in 1937, followed shortly thereafter by Hayashi Sensei and his daughter who came to help establish Reiki there. In February of 1938 Hayashi Sensei initiated Hawayo Takata as a Reiki Master.

To summarize Takata Sensei’s Reiki background, she traveled from Hawaii to Japan to tell her parents about the death of her sister. Having been diagnosed with several ailments, the main one being asthma, she was guided to Hayashi Sensei’s clinic in Tokyo and after receiving four months of Reiki treatments was completely cured.(31) She wanted to learn Reiki in order to continue treating herself and also to take it back to Hawaii to share with others. Hayashi Sensei allowed her to work at his clinic and also began giving her Reiki training. She worked one year at the clinic and eventually received the Shinpiden level (Reiki Master). Hayashi Sensei officially acknowledged this in Hawaii on February 21, 1938, and also stated that she was one of thirteen Reiki Masters trained by him.(32)

Footnotes
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25 A translation of this healing guide can be found on page 63.

26 Frank Arjava Petter interviewing Tsutomo Oishi, a member of Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai.

27 Rand, “An Interview with Hiroshi Doi, Part 1.” 13.

28 Yamaguchi, Light on the Origins of Reiki, 28.

29 Ibid., 69.

30 Vera Graham, “Mrs. Takata Opens Minds to Reiki,” The (San Mateo) Times, May 17, 1975.

31 Patsy Matsura, “Mrs. Takata and Reiki Power,” Honolulu Advertiser, Feb. 25, 1974.

32 This information was recorded on Mrs. Takata’s Reiki certificate and in Mrs. Takata’s handwritten notes dated May 1936. A copy of her Reiki certificate is included in the article How Hayayo Takata Practiced and Taught Reiki.
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Takata Sensei practiced Reiki in Hawaii, establishing several clinics, one of which was located in Hilo on the Big Island. She gave treatments and initiated students up to Reiki II. She became a well-known healer and traveled to the U.S. mainland and other parts of the world teaching and giving treatments. She was a powerful healer who attributed her success to the fact that she did a lot of Reiki on each client. She would often do multiple treatments, each sometimes lasting hours, and she often initiated members of a client’s family so they could give Reiki to the client as well.

It was not until after 1970 that Takata Sensei began initiating Reiki Masters. She charged a fee of $10,000 for Mastership even though the training took only a weekend.(33) This high fee was not part of the Usui system, and she may have charged this fee as her way of creating a feeling of respect for Reiki. She said that one should never do treatments or provide training for free, but should always charge a fee or get something in return. She also said that one must study with just one Reiki teacher and stay with that teacher the rest of one’s life.(34) In addition, she did not provide written instruction or allow her students to take notes or to tape record the classes and students were not allowed to make any written copies of the Reiki symbols. She said that Reiki is an oral tradition and that everything had to be memorized.(35) While this is generally true, she didn’t always teach the same way and in at least one class she allowed her students to take notes and gave them handouts.(36)

It is not certain why she said Reiki is an oral tradition or why she taught Reiki this way. What we do know from our research in Japan and the research of others is that these rules are not part of the way Usui Sensei or Hayashi Sensei practiced Reiki. In fact, Takata Sensei received a Reiki manual from Hayashi Sensei indicating that the oral tradition was not how Hayashi Sensei taught.(37) In addition, Takata Sensei taught Reiki differently than howshe had been taught. She simplified and standardized the hand positions so that every treatment would be the same. She called this the “foundation treatment,” containing just eight hand positions.(38) She also eliminated the Japanese Reiki Techniques.

Before Mrs. Takata made her transition on December 11, 1980, she had initiated twenty-two Reiki Masters.(39) These twenty-two Masters began teaching others. However, Mrs. Takata had made each one take a sacred oath to teach Reiki exactly as she had taught. This made it difficult for most of them to change, even though some of her rules made it more difficult to learn, which seemed to go against the nature of Reiki.

This version of the history of Reiki from Usui Sensei to Mrs. Takata relies on verifiable information that has taken a long time to reach the West. In addition to the reasons for this mentioned earlier, there are a number of others. After Hayashi Sensei died and World War II ended, Takata Sensei stated that all the other Reiki Masters in Japan had died during the war and that she was the only Reiki Master in the world.(40) Therefore, most people refrained from researching the history of Reiki, thinking she was the only authority. Many of the Masters she initiated also discouraged people from doing such research, stating that it was not needed, as their knowledge of Reiki was complete. Add to all this the fact that the Gakkai had become a secret society along with the linguistic, cultural, and geographic barriers that separated the United States from Japan, and it is easy to see why most authors simply accepted her story as true without seeking verification. Most did not realize that the organization started by Usui Sensei still existed in Japan and that contact with them, while difficult, was still possible.

Footnotes
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33 Bethel Phaigh, “Journey into Consciousness,” 130. Other Masters initiated by Mrs. Takata have confirmed that she gave Reiki Master training in a weekend.

34 We know that Keizo Ogawa took Reiki Master training from Usui Sensei and lichi Taketomi, so it is not likely this rule came from Usui Sensei.

35 “Mrs. Takata Speaks,” audiotape. This was also explained to me by Bethal Phaigh in 1981 when I took Reiki I from her.

36 William Lee Rand, “Takata’s Handouts,” Reiki News Magazine (Summer 2009): 58. This article contains the handouts and notes taken during one of her classes.

37 A translation of this manual is in Reiki, The Healing Touch on page 63.

38 John Harvey Gray and Lourdes Gray with Steven McFadden and Elisabeth Clark, Hand to Hand, The Longest-Practicing Reiki Master Tells His Story (Gray, 2002), 93.

39 Before she died, Takata Sensei created a list of the twenty-two Masters she had initiated. They are: George Araki, Dorothy Baba (deceased), Ursula Baylow (deceased), Rick Bockner, Barbara Brown, Fran Brown (deceased), Patricia Ewing, Phyllis Lei Furumoto, Beth Gray (deceased), John Gray (deceased), Iris Ishikura (deceased), Harry Kuboi, Ethel Lombardi, Barbara McCullough, Mary McFadyen, Paul Mitchell, Bethel Phaigh (deceased), Barbara Weber Ray, Shinobu Saito, Kay Yamashita (Mrs. Takata’s sister), Virginia Samdahl (deceased), and Wanja Twan.

40 Graham, “Mrs. Takata Opens Minds to Reiki.” This is also stated on her Reiki flyers dated July 1975 and June 1976.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Reiki Since Mrs. Takata

Reiki energy is very flexible and creative, treating each unique situation with a unique response and working freely with all other forms of healing. The Reiki energy itself provides a wonderful model for the practice of Reiki. This began to be acknowledged gradually after Takata Sensei passed on. In the mid-1980s, Iris Ishikura, one of Takata’s Masters, trained two Reiki Masters at a more reasonable fee and made them promise they would also charge a reasonable fee. The Masters trained by Ishikura at this lower fee began training many other Masters in turn. Out of this group, many were open to change and began allowing the wisdom of the Reiki energy to guide them in the way they should practice and teach Reiki. Because of this, restrictive rules began to fall away. Reiki classes became more open and more supportive of the learning process. Workbooks were created, notes and tape recordings were allowed, reasonable fees were charged, and many began studying with more than one teacher. All this generated greater respect for Reiki. It also increased people’s understanding of Reiki and improved their healing skills. With lower fees, the practice of Reiki began to grow quickly and spread all over the world. It is estimated that there are at least 1,000,000 Reiki Masters in the world today with well over 4,000,000 practitioners, and the numbers continue to grow!

I learned Reiki I on the Big Island of Hawaii in 1981 from Bethel Phaigh, who had learned from Mrs. Takata. In 1982, I received Reiki II from Bethel. I loved Reiki and started a Reiki practice. Because of the high fee for Reiki Master training and other restrictive rules, I did not think that becoming a Reiki Master was part of my spiritual path. However, Reiki has a way of guiding us in the way we should go, and through a number of coincidences and fortunate circumstances I met Diane McCumber in 1989. She was a Reiki Master of the Ishikura lineage and was charging a very reasonable fee to train Reiki Masters. I took her training and began to teach.

I chose to allow the Reiki energy to guide how I would teach. Rather than adhere strictly to the rules set by Takata Sensei, I wanted to do everything I could to help my students learn Reiki and use it in a way that was right for them. If they wanted to start a Reiki practice or to teach, then I wanted them to be as successful as possible.

To further this purpose, I took everything I had learned about Reiki to that point, organized the information and placed it in a class workbook that included drawings of the Reiki hand positions, which I then gave to my Reiki students. I have continued to expand and update the workbook until it evolved into the workbook you are reading now.

From the beginning, I encouraged students to take notes and to tape record my classes; I openly answered all questions and actively encouraged my students to do well. I taught the value of developing one’s intuition and having confidence in one’s experience and personal decision-making abilities. Knowing that one can always learn more, I continued to study Reiki from others and eventually took the Master Training from four additional Masters including two from Japan. This added to my understanding of Reiki, as each teacher had gained many unique insights about how Reiki works and how to practice it. I make it a point to acknowledge the value of other teachers and practitioners. In my travels, I continue to exchange Reiki information with them, looking for new information to use and pass on to others.

Because I based my Reiki practice on the process of working in harmony with the qualities and values apparent in Reiki energy and following Reiki’s guidance in carrying out my plans, my classes were filled with students right from the beginning.

A newsletter was started in 1990 that continued to grow in size and readership and in 2002 became the Reiki News Magazine.

Wanting to maintain high standards for Reiki, I started a teacher certification program (now called our Center Licensed Teachers program) that required additional training and takes about three years to complete.

In 1995 a website was started (www.reiki.org) that offers over 300 free articles on Reiki and lots of resources for those wanting to practice or teach Reiki. We also have a web store, which offers class workbooks, Reiki tables, and other products helpful to Reiki practitioners and teachers. (http://www.reikiwebstore.com/)

We began the Center for Reiki Research in 2009 (www.centerforreikiresearch.org). Staffed by seven Ph.D qualifed researchers, it contains references and summaries of all Reiki research studies published in peer-reviewed journals, a list of 70 hospital Reiki programs, and many useful articles and other features to help those interested in promoting an evidence-based understanding of Reiki. We’ve also started our own research study on pain in orthopedic patients due to be completed in 2012.

In 2010, we created a professional Reiki Membership Association (www.reikimembership.com). The current membership of over 1300 Reiki practitioners and teachers offers Reiki sessions and classes across the U.S. and in some foreign countries.

The text above is reprinted from Reiki the Healing Touch by William Lee Rand. Permission is granted to reprint the text onto your web site as long as you use the entire text and do not make changes and indicate that the source is from www.reiki.org.

Spontaneous Gratitude- Chocolate

2011-11-11T11:11:00.001-05:00

-Spontaneous Gratitude Moment -
A single photo, sans explanation, capturing a moment during the week that gave me pause and filled my heart with gratitude.
*Having a gratitude practice opens the heart to love, energetically draws good karma to you and improves the quality of your life. The yogi's in India have known and demonstrated this for eons. Western science has begun demonstrating this statement as well.*

(Inspired by Val @ Collecting the Moments...)

November Channeled Message 2011

2011-11-08T11:11:00.002-05:00

Council of Light Channeled Message through Laura West

November 6, 2011

Time: 6:10am

Topic: 11.11.11 Energy

November 11, 2011 is fast approaching. The numbers read as follows: 11, 11, 11 and at exactly eleven o’clock, eleven minutes, eleven seconds am and pm on the eleventh month, the eleventh day, in the eleventh year of the 2000 we say that energy portals will be opening to those of you who are sensitive enough to receive the energy. And by sensitive enough we mean that you shall receive energy frequencies into the very heart- core of your beings.

There are people on the earth plane with which this energy will affect and they will not be conscious of this energy burst coming through to them. And, we say that they will have a difficult day. They will feel grumpy or misaligned or headachy because they are unaware of the energy that is surrounding them. For those of you who are reading this message however, you are aware of the energy shift that is occurring and about to take place. Some of you have noticed energy that has been shifting already. This is in relationship to the general shift of the energy field that we have been talking about for so long in preparation for the new millennia energy that is transitioning.

On this day, with these two energy portals it is best for you to say out loud, “thank you” and do some energy harmonizing frequency work to allow the new energy to come into you and absorb fully. Be conscious of the energy coming to you, even if you cannot feel it on this day. Know that it is sinking into your pores like lotion, healing, restorative, quenching your thirst. It is entering to the very core of your being on a cellular level, all your tissues all your fibers, all your muscles will be soaking up 11.11.11 energy, 11 and 11.

We are showing six eleven’s here because there are two points in the day when the energy will be most important. Important because they are at their peak of energy bursting. There is not one particular place upon the land that you need to stand. There is nothing important that you need to do specifically for you. However, we suggest taking quiet time, quiet moments, resting, going inward, relaxing the body, chanting or singing or sitting with healing hands resting upon the heart and solar plexus area of the body for these are areas of energy entry.

Some of you who are aware of this day may experience headaches or neck tension or vision blurriness or ringing in the ears. Breathe, simply breathe through this experience and the energy will begin to disperse throughout the body.

Why is this important you say? Why is the energy coming to me in this way? Well, we wish to tell you that this is so because for all of humanity through the eons you have contracted with the Universe to allow energy to come to you so that you may evolve and become enlightened beings. But, not all at once at rapid pace, gently like a trickling race. We say to you that you have agreed to let the energy sit and stew brew over the millennia and at certain times the tap is turned on like a faucet running clear and strong. And it turns on and comes to you clear and strong on days just like this that helps make you feel anew.

There’s nothing magical or mystical about it. The energy portal opens, energy dispenses, and you shall receive whether you are aware or not. Those of you who are not aware (and those of you who are not aware are not reading our message) will have a harder time receiving the energy. As we said before your body will feel yucky, headachy flu like and more. But, there is nothing that we can do to help support you. For, if you are not “awake” and you do not ask for support and help we may not come and give you our aid. Stand by your side, yes, we will do that, and we cannot hide. But we cannot change the energy entering your system unless you ask for support dear friends.

We are excited and happy for those of you who are consciously on this journey. We see that you are taking an active role in helping yourselves to grow. We are always here to support you. And you may call upon us or speak to us through Laura at any time. We help millions upon the earth plane in many different ways. This channeled work, through this lady, through this body is just one way. We are honored to do this work. The God-source has charged us on high with helping humanity to get by and we take our work so seriously you see. We take our work very joyfully. For, we love seeing humanity evolve and change and grow for the better, and for the know. The “know” being knowledge that you receive as you become wiser, wiser indeed.

We also say that on 11.11.11 at 11:11 each time of that day karmic energy shall be lifted if you request it to be so. Ask for the karmic chords that hold you back to be released on this day. Send the asking forward before the day begins so that in the portal of the two energy times you do not forget. Do it today. Sit down right now. Ask the Universe to cut the chords of karma that are holding tight to your being. Ask for those chords to be cut away on 11.11.11 at 11:11 each time that day. And you shall see a freeing of spirit, a lightening of load, a beautiful being arising.

For some of you it will be very direct and clear. It will feel as if ties are being cut from around your body dear. For others it will feel like a mood has shifted, a lightening of spirit, a happiness has lifted into place. There is not one way that you will experience the energy on this day. There is not one correct way to go through the world or to experience the heavenly energy. It is different for all and all shall experience it in their own way.

We are all lined up here, helping, helping always helping each day. We help you all. That is our job, big and small. It does not matter. Just ask or call and we are by your human sides. With love and adoration we say to you goodbye for now, goodbye today, adieu. But not really goodbye for you see, we always stand by your sides happily. We are the Council of Light. We wrap you in a golden blanket of light, sustaining and keeping you, free and clear, safe and secure. And, we wish you peace ever more. Namaste.

UPDATE Reiki for Occupy Boston

2011-11-06T19:38:00.003-05:00

UPDATE: We will meet near the Faith & Spirituality tent located in Dewey Square. Hope to see you there! Don't forget a folding chair for Reiki receivers to sit in.

Thanks to the wonderful brainstorming session held by my Reiki Master class students this past weekend, we decided join the Occupy Movement with our Healing Hands!

We will be at Occupy Boston on Sunday, November 13 at 1:00PM to give Free Reiki to the folks who are camped out. Please consider joining us!

We will begin by sending distance Reiki to the entire crowd. Next we will offer individual 15 minute Reiki sessions to anyone who wants Reiki. If you have a folding chair please consider bringing it, otherwise we will ask the Reiki recipients to stand.

Follow up details with the exact location will be posted on my Facebook page later in the week. Be sure to check there!

If you live in another city that is holding Occupy sessions, and you are Reiki attuned, please consider setting up an event like this!

Spontaneous Gratitude- Meditation Hands

2011-11-04T10:06:00.002-04:00

-Spontaneous Gratitude Moment -
A single photo, sans explanation, capturing a moment during the week that gave me pause and filled my heart with gratitude.

(Inspired by Val @ Collecting the Moments...)

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

2011-11-01T10:43:00.003-04:00

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds are delicious and nutritious and easy to make!

How to Roast Pumpkin Seeds

1. Rinse pumpkin seeds under cold water and pick out the pulp and strings. (This is easiest just after you've removed the seeds from the pumpkin, before the pulp has dried.)

2. Place the pumpkin seeds in a single layer on an oiled baking sheet, stirring to coat. If you prefer, omit the oil and coat with non-stick cooking spray.

3. Sprinkle with salt and bake at 325 degrees F until toasted, about 25 minutes, checking and stirring after 10 minutes.

4. Let cool and store in an air-tight container.

RecipSource: Allrecipes.com

Health Benefits include:

*Pumpkin Seeds May Promote Prostate Health due to good source of zinc

*Anti-Inflammatory Benefits in Arthritis

*A Rich Source of Healthful Minerals, Protein and Monounsaturated Fat

*Pumpkin Seed Phytosterols Lower Cholesterol

*Protection against ostioperosis

All Hallows Eve

2011-10-31T17:29:00.000-04:00

May you be blessed with the visit of spirit loved ones this evening!
Look for their sign:
a smell
a sound
a movement of objects
on this night where the veil between the worlds is thinnest...

Spontaneous Gratitude- Rainbows in the Vestibule

2011-10-28T10:04:00.002-04:00

-Spontaneous Gratitude Moment -
A single photo, sans explanation, capturing a moment during the week that gave me pause and filled my heart with gratitude.

(Inspired by Val @ Collecting the Moments...)

Annual Fall Trek

2011-10-26T12:38:00.002-04:00

Wilson Farm in Lexington, MA

ornamental squash and gourds

ornamental kale

pumpkins!

ghost squash

ornamental dried corn

mums

mimi rainbow pumpkins

History of Halloween

2011-10-24T05:00:00.000-04:00

*This post is a classic- I originally wrote it in 2009. It is now reposted each year for Halloween!

Halloween falls on October 31st and is celebrated in many countries around the world. It has a long and interesting past that began 3000 years ago with ancient Celts in Ireland. The Celtic people of that time were nature worshipers, not part of any organized religion, rather honoring nature as a way of marking the changes of the seasons they saw around them.

The ancient Celts celebrated Samhain, pronounced Sah-win, on one night in late October. They believed that on this night, in the time between dusk and dawn, the spirits of people who had died in the past year could come back from their graves to visit the living. Not all who died were good beings. To lure these spirits away from their dwellings, the people would hold processions long into the night, marching out to the edges of their villages with offerings of food and sweets as a way to placate the dead. This offering of sweets is not unlike the trick-or-treating tradition of today.

Also on this night the people honored the gods. Believing the gods were in charge of shortening the days, the people would light bonfires to please them on this the night of the changing of the seasons. As a thank you for the fall harvest the people would offer up sacrifices of animals, burnt on the bonfires. Druid priests would read the burnt entrails of the animals and make predictions of who would die in the coming year. These predictions would spread as stories long into the night from village to village, not unlike the tradition of telling ghost stories today. Large rock mounds in Ireland, called fairy mounds, were (and still are) believed to house fairies who would come out on this special night to celebrate. Trick-or-treaters of today come out on one night dressed as these fairies as well!

Around this time in ancient Rome, the Romans also celebrated the changing of the seasons by honoring the goddess Pamona. She is the goddess of gardens and fruits. To thank her the people would lay out apples and nuts. The tradition of bobbing for apples in modern times comes from this honoring of Pamona. In 50 B.C. the Romans conquered Europe and the two traditions of Samhain and Pamona began to merge, honoring the dead and the harvest.

At the dawn of the 1st century, Pagans, who were like the Celts in many ways, worshipped nature and were not part of any formalized religion. Christianity was beginning to spread at this time. To gain control over the Pagans, Christian leaders pronounced that the worshiping of natural forces and multiple gods was demonic because the practice did not honor the one true god. They decried that the devil himself must be deceiving the people by displaying himself as multiple gods and goddesses, trying to trick the people. However, Pagan practices were so deeply ingrained in the publics traditions, it was hard to squash them.

In the 4th century the Roman Emperor Constantine, who himself was Pagan, had a vision of Christ and denounced his Paganism. He sent priests out to convert the masses. Baptism became popular around this time. In the year 600 Pope Gregory I attempted to rid the land of the Pagan nature worshiping traditions, so he sent out priests to convert the people. When they came upon groups of people worshipping a tree, instead of chopping the tree down, he had the priests consecrate the tree to Christ so the people could continue worshipping it, with the true worship of Christ taking place behind their actions.

The general public at this time did not like the idea in the Christian church that a person had to wait until their next lifetime to have a good life or to be a good person. The Church had to make Christianity more attractive so they blended practices from the old Pagan traditions with new Christian rituals. In the 8th century Pope Gregory III had enough of Pagans and their devil worshiping ways, so he challenged them head on by declaring Samhain, the most important day for them, a day of the church. November first was declared All Saint's Day, also known as All Hallows Day. Hallow referred to the blessed saints that were to be honored on this day. The Eve of Hallows became known as All Hallows Evening which became shortened to Hallow-Ween. The contemporary people of this time continued to dress in costumes made of straw and animal skins. They would leave offerings to the dead, but now under the name of Halloween, not Samhain.

In the 10th century the Christian church declared November second to be All Souls Day, a day to remember everyone, saint or not. This did not shift the masses from celebrating their age-old traditions however. Around this time, the Church declared witches to be of the worst offense, especially on Halloween. The word witch comes from the old English word wicca which means wise one. Usually these wise ones were women and they were seen by the church to be powerful feminists who tapped into the dark sides of Halloween. These witches were usually the medicine and oracle givers in their villages and they were seen by the people to have much power. The Church stood in direct opposition to them.

In the 1400's Church zealots hunted down many witches, calling them "Devil's Handmaidens." These women were portrayed as violent old hags who practiced devil worship. In 1486 Pope Innocent VIII published a book declaring a direct link between witchcraft and the devil. He outlawed the Pagan Celtic traditions all-together in large part because of the links to witches. They were dangerous icons because they upset the male centered universe of "Father, Son, and Holy Ghost." These witches were put on trial all over Europe and were hanged or burned alive. In 1431 even Joan of Arc was found guilty of being a witch and was burned at the stake.

As the Church carried out these witch hunts, it associated all animals that these women kept as devils. Black cats especially were thought to be the souls of witches. Being nocturnal, these cats would go out masquerading as the witches in the night to cause harm to people. This is most likely where modern people get the idea that if you cross paths with a black cat at night it is bad luck. Bats are also linked to ancient Samhain traditions because when the people built bonfires, mosquitoes would be attracted to the heat, and bats would come to eat them. They could be seen in the dark, being so large, and became images associated with this Pagan holiday.

In the 16th century, the Church began to split and Martin Luther declared a thesis that attacked church dogma, which began the Protestant Reformation, thus changing the face of Christianity forever. He rejected all icons, popes and saints and the like, instead honoring the one true god. As a result, All Saints Day and All Hallows Eve became unpopular with the people who split off into Protestantism. On November 5th, 1605 the Catholic militant, Guy Fawkes, was arrested for attempting to blow up the mainly Protestant-run Parliament. Ever since that day, the English people have celebrated Guy Fawkes Night, by lighting fire crackers and bonfires. Since the holiday of Halloween and Guy Fawkes Night are so close together, many traditions became blended. In the weeks leading up to Guy Fawkes night children beg people for a penny for the Guy as they hold effigies of the man. This is not unlike the trick-or-treating of today.

In America in the 1600's there were stark contrasts between Catholics and Protestants and how they celebrated Halloween. In the north, the Puritans held strict rules that the holiday was too Pagan. Anyone found guilty of being a witch was hunted down and hanged. In 1692 the Salem Witch Trials took place and 20 people were killed, 19 by hanging and 1 by the crushing of stones. In contrast, in Virginia Catholics celebrated the holiday with zeal, which labeled Virginia as the birthplace of Halloween in America. Adults would gather on this night to celebrate by telling ghost stories, divining for the future, and bobbing for apples.

These traditions continued well into the late 19th century where adults would stay up late with family and friends. Irish immigrants at this time were flocking to the north, bringing their Pagan traditions of celebrating Samhain with them. They discovered that carving faces into American pumpkins was much easier than the turnips they used back in Ireland. Thus, candles in pumpkins took hold.

By the end of the 19th century the associations of evil deeds and witchcraft were nearly gone from religious dogma and were replaced by a holiday the whole family could celebrate together. Friends, family, and neighbors would gather together in homes to play games, eat sweets, and tell ghost stories.

Things shifted in the beginning of the 20th century. Children began going out at night in their neighborhoods to make mischief. Soon, in popular culture Halloween became an unruly holiday filled with vandalism and children running amok. Towns across America had to do something. In the 1920's, Anoka, Minnesota hosted the first civic parade where children gathered to dress up in costumes to march down Main Street. This cut down on the mischief making. Towns all over America followed suit. Today children dress up in costume and go door to door asking for candy.

In Mexico, people celebrate the Day of the Dead on All Souls Day, which has roots in Pagan traditions. The Mexican Church does not demonize the dead but instead encourages celebrations by families. They go out to grave sites and hold picnics and tell stories of past loved ones. Thus, we see the brightly colored iconic images of skeletons around this time of year.

Modern Pagans continue to celebrate Samhain in the old ways. Using firelight and the sacred symbol of the apple, cut into a 5 pointed star shape, they honor the goddess of nature on this night that marks the changing of the seasons and gives thanks to the fall harvest.

References:

Manwaring, K. (2006). The Bardic Handbook, The Complete Manual for the Twenty-First Century Bard. Glastonbury, England: Gothic Image Publications.

Unknown. (Executive Producer.) (2005, April 1). A Haunted History of Halloween. [Television Broadcast]. History Channel: A&E Networks.

Email Channeled Message Giveaway

2011-10-23T09:38:00.005-04:00

I am giving away 10 FREE Email Channeled Message Readings!
Winners to be chosen at random once the Divine Lotus Healing Facebook Page reaches 250 Likes. Please click here to read an explanation of my channeling work.

TO ENTER:

1. "Like" the Divine Lotus Healing Facebook Page:
Click Here to Like the Divine Lotus Healing Facebook Page

AND

2. Sign up for the Divine Lotus Healing Mailing List (called Free Newsletters tab on Facebook):
Click Here to sign up for the Divine Lotus Healing Mailing List

*I need your email address so I can contact you if you are a winner & so I can email you your channeled message. The more people you tell, the faster we can reach the 250 goal & choose the 10 winners!

Good Luck!

Rules & Regulations:
1. Contestants must "Like" the Divine Lotus Healing Facebook page and sign up for the Divine Lotus Healing Mailing List (Free Newsletters tab on FB page) by providing a valid email address to enter.
2. Winners to be chosen at random once the Divine Lotus Healing Facebook Page reaches 250 "Likes".
3. Email Channeled Message Session to be scheduled at Laura West's convenience.
4. Only one question to be submitted per winner.
5. How the Email Channeled Session Works:

During your email session, I will tune into your energy field and bring forward a group of very high vibrational energy beings, who call themselves the Council of Light. They will channel a personal message through me to you.

While each channel session is relaxing, loving, and very insightful, it does not solve problems for people. The divine beings I channel do not make your choices for you. Instead, they give suggestions, fully recognizing that each person has free will and it is up to you to determine what choices are made in your individual life. If you are looking for a specific answer you will not find it through a channel session with me. If you are looking for supportive, loving guidance, that you shall receive!
THE LOGISTICS

After the winners are contacted, I will schedule a time to channel your answer, typically on Saturdays as with all my other client sessions. You may submit ONE question to be answered. You do not need to be present during the time of the channeling. Often people prefer to go about their daily activities, knowing they will receive the answer at a later time. You will receive a transcription of the answer via email within 24 hours of the session.

TIPS FOR A GOOD SESSION
*As with individual beings, not all channel groups are the same. The Council of Light are a divine group of beings who are focused primarily on health and energy practices on the Earth plane. If you are seeking information from them based upon a prior channel experience with someone else, the information will be vastly different.
*Be open to the process. If you say "no" right away, or are overly skeptical, the energy that I pick up from you immediately shuts down and the connection to information becomes lost. It is okay to question the whole process but it is harder for a psychic/medium/channel to read your energy if you close it off right away with negative thoughts or doubt.
*Relax and have fun! Enjoy the process. Let what unfolds for you unfold naturally. Go with the flow of the session and you will be surprised at how much more you get out of it than you thought you would!

Spontaneous Gratitude- Flowers at Work

2011-10-21T10:02:00.002-04:00

-Spontaneous Gratitude Moment -
A single photo, sans explanation, capturing a moment during the week that gave me pause and filled my heart with gratitude.

(Inspired by Val @ Collecting the Moments...)

Mushroom Hunting

2011-10-18T11:08:00.001-04:00

Mushrooms begin life as tiny spores. A mushroom that you see is the spore-producing part of a mature plant, the rest of which is either underground or inside whatever the mushroom is growing out of.

Source: A Field Guide to the Familiar, Learning to Observe the Natural World by Gale Lawrence (Prentice-Hall, 1984).

While mushrooms are going about their own private business of eating and growing and reproducing their kind, they are also performing an important service to other living things. Mushrooms are decomposers, which means they break down, or decompose, the physical structures and chemical bonds that trap organic compounds in the bodies of plants and animals. As a byproduct of the mushroom's own life process, it decomposes the material it lives in, returning elements and simple compounds to the soil to be used again.

Source: A Field Guide to the Familiar, Learning to Observe the Natural World by Gale Lawrence (Prentice-Hall, 1984).

Faeries like to adorn themselves with pretty things, just as humans do. They will use foliage, flowers and other greenery, or sometimes jewels and gold from their treasure hoards. They are said to have a particular fondness for toadstools and mushrooms of any kind which they often wear as headgear, and toadstool rings are said to mark the circles of faery rings where the Wee Ones dance and do their own magick.

Source: A Witch's Guide to Faery Folk by Edain McCoy (Llewellyn Publications, 2003).

When a mushroom spore finds a suitable place to grow, it begins the next stage of its life cycle by putting out a few fine hairs call hyphae. these hyphae grown inside the host material where they can't be seen. The first thing tentative hyphae must do in order to produce a new mushroom is to find hyphae growing from another spore of the same species but of the opposite sex. Only when these two sets of hyphae unite can they proceed to grow into a plant that will eventually send up new mushrooms to distribute another generation of spores.

Source: A Field Guide to the Familiar, Learning to Observe the Natural World by Gale Lawrence (Prentice-Hall, 1984).

Mushrooms are the fruit of the fungi that contain the seeds (spores) needed for reproduction. Unlike most plants, mushrooms are unable to convert sunlight into energy via photosynthesis and draw their energy from living or dead organic matter. They are frequently found on rotting vegetation.

Source: Mushrooms, An Introduction to Familiar North American Species (Waterford Press, 2002).

Reiki Master Class

2011-10-16T07:29:00.000-04:00

Click Here to View the Divine Lotus Healing Website Reiki Master Class Information

This Reiki Master class is for anyone who has completed Usui Reiki I, Usui Reiki II and Advanced Usui Reiki.

This Reiki Master class is held during three Saturdays, with independent practice time inbetween classes. This class is designed for those who choose to teach Reiki. In your Reiki Master classes you will learn how to pass Reiki Initiation Attunements to others. You will also receive the materials you need to begin your Reiki teaching. You will have an Initiation Attunement to the Reiki Energy and receive a Reiki Master certificate. Pre-registration & pre-payment is required. Please note payment plans are an option for this class. Materials are included in the cost of this class.

Cost: $600Date: Saturday, October 22, 2011 (first class), Saturday, November 5, 2011 (second class), Saturday, December 17, 2011 (third class)

Time: 10am-5pm

Location: Cambridge Health Associates

Instructor: Laura West

Spontaneous Gratitude- Swan

2011-10-14T10:01:00.002-04:00

-Spontaneous Gratitude Moment -
A single photo, sans explanation, capturing a moment during the week that gave me pause and filled my heart with gratitude.

(Inspired by Val @ Collecting the Moments...)

Bee Mudra

2011-10-11T15:13:00.003-04:00

This is called the Bhramara Mudra, or the Bee Mudra. It helps to lessen the effects of allergies. It also strengthens the immune system.

To activate: While holding both hands in this mudra, breathe in deeply six to 12 times. Imagine you can smell something you find pleasant. Next, breathe regularly. Imagine you can have whatever you want without the effects of allergies. Remind yourself that most often, it is your subconscious fears and limitations that manifest allergies, not nature or your surroundings.

Affirmation: I go out to meet nature, my fellow beings, and daily challenges with courage and determination.

Not Happy Columbus Day

2011-10-10T17:01:00.001-04:00

It is Columbus Day. Here in Massachusetts it's considered a holiday, so we always get a three day weekend. Let me break away from the backyard lounge chair fest I was having and from the racially insensitive weather term called Indian Summer that we are currently experiencing, to take a moment to remind us all:

1. Columbus did not discover America, the Vikings did.

2. When the Vikings got here, there were already Native Peoples living here, so really they didn't either.

3. We are all immigrants. Everyone who ever came here from another country, no matter how many generations back, is an immigrant.

If you'd like to learn more about these points, read this book:

Spontaneous Gratitude- Milky Way Latte

2011-10-07T10:00:00.001-04:00

-Spontaneous Gratitude Moment -
A single photo, sans explanation, capturing a moment during the week that gave me pause and filled my heart with gratitude.

(Inspired by Val @ Collecting the Moments...)

October 2011 Channeled Message

2011-10-04T12:28:00.004-04:00

October 2011 Channeled Message

Council of Light through Laura West

Topic: Meat vs. Vegetarian Eaters

Reader Question:

Our best of salutations to the Council of Light and to you, dear Laura.
Our question is: What is the difference between eating animals or plants if both of them are living beings? Why should we be vegetarians? May He bless us all. Namasthe

Answer:

We see that you dear ones who ask this question are highly evolved beings in your own right and your own selves. We do not wish to imply that you are better than your fellow humans among the human race but simply that you are just seeking answers on a higher consciousness level. And, we shall provide you with some answers for you to ponder and chew on today, here and now, so to say.

From a perspective of basic human interaction with animals and plants, when a human kills an animal, the animal suffers. It feels pain. And, it dies, but not in vain. For, the human eats it and becomes nourished, sustained and continue to grow, blossom and sow their knowledge upon the earth from the energy gained from the animal body. At the same time, plants have a form of consciousness. They understand they are alive. Some of them feel pain, although they cannot interact, move around and speak with humans in the same ways that animals can. They too feel the effects of being eaten by humans.

So, what to do? Humans on the earth plane who are seeking compassionate treading upon the earth, who wish to honor the consciousness of their fellow sentient beings, this is a tricky question indeed. And yet, the answers are so simple. But, they are so simple that the rational mind of the ego tricks the human into believing that they are not so. For you see, you all as humans have the power to be with just breath and water. Air and liquid and nothing more can sustain you forever more. It is a process of trust and deep relaxation, of faith and a looking inward of yourselves. Some folks on the earth plane have coined terms for this non-eating of animals and plants. And we see that it is possible for humanity to interact with the earth plane in this way. However, your brains, your minds, your egos self doubt, they get in the way. And, it requires an incredible amount of mind concentration to not eat any physical substance of consciousness. We are speaking in particular of some of the yogic masters of

India

who have lived for hundreds of years and who do not take sustenance of living creatures.

So while this is possible, it is hard for most of you to do. And, we say very clearly now, to you today that ultimately, it does not matter what you eat if you are eating with respect and acknowledgement to the consciousness of the being that gave its consciousness up for you to be sustained, for, very clearly we say to you that the form of the consciousness that you are eating still retains its consciousness after you have eaten it. It retains its consciousness in the ether much like a human soul after its body expires. The human soul continues with its consciousness and does not need a human form to exist, to be. The cow, the sunflower, the lettuce understands its consciousness to be in existence when it is in soul or energy form. It does not need its physical body of cow or leaf or seed to understand that it is a realized, actualized part of being in the universe.

So, we say to you humans who are asking how to sustain yourselves with food items that have a consciousness that you should be giving thanks to this consciousness that gives its life, its body, and by body we are talking about animal and vegetable. With respect, eat with grace. Say thank you to it at every meal, for, it is serving a purpose. It is helping you to move forward on your evolutionary path towards your own individual enlightenments. And, if you say thank you before each meal for the sacrifice that this consciousness has made for you, you will be tuning into the beautiful vibrations that bring forward the love, peace and harmony that is required for you to live in all the time so that you may move forward on the earth plane.

It is so complex, and yet, so simple, you see. Say thanks. Say thanks and let it be.

We wrap you all in a golden blanket of light to sustain you and keep you just right. Anchor yourselves in love and light. Root yourselves every day and every night. Contain yourselves in the vessel of love. Surround your heart. Send it out like a dove. Banish hatred, anger and fear you see, for, these only detract from your essence of thee. We love you all. Each one of you, the human consciousness that does pursue perfection, growth, beauty, truth, enlightenment, and, we are here to say we are with you each and every day. Thank you for taking the time to listen to our message today. And, we say adieu, good bye for now and Namaste. We are the Council of Light, blessings, and mixed in between are spirit bodies of righteous light. We will come to you in times of need. Have no fear. We have a seed. A seed of love, a seed of light, to give to you, each day and night should you request, this seed of light. We have it ready. It will be right. Blessings, blessings dear ones and all. Blessings to you until we call upon Laura again to let us speak and say our words to all of you dear friends.

Spontaneous Gratitude- Red Bellied Woodpecker

2011-09-30T09:57:00.002-04:00

-Spontaneous Gratitude Moment -
A single photo, sans explanation, capturing a moment during the week that gave me pause and filled my heart with gratitude.

(Inspired by Val @ Collecting the Moments...)

Breathtaking

2011-09-27T09:34:00.000-04:00

It has been said by spiritual guides who help humanity evolve that the reason we come into human form on the earth plane is because this is the planet of color. No where else in the universe is there color so vibrant and varried.... after taking some photos of a particularly glorious sunset, I quite agree!

Yes. Yes, YES!

2011-09-25T15:27:00.000-04:00

Spontaneous Gratitude- Happy Birthday, Soul Friends

2011-09-23T14:30:00.001-04:00

-Spontaneous Gratitude Moment -
A single photo, sans explanation, capturing a moment during the week that gave me pause and filled my heart with gratitude.

(Inspired by Val @ Collecting the Moments...)

Ghost Equinox Energy Cleanse

2011-09-20T13:50:00.002-04:00

I had some strange things happen in the last three weeks that made me think it was time to cleanse my house of stuck energy.

Towards the end of the summer, at night, while I was watching TV I was psychically aware that a man in spirit was standing on my back porch smoking a cigarette and watching me.

He didn't feel harmful. He couldn't enter the home due to the energy protection I have set inside. But, he would show up and just stand there. It got to be kind of annoying to me because he never said anything. But, I'm used to spirit hanging around me in my life so I just went about my business as usual.

Then, last week a neighbor whom we had never met rang our door bell. He was looking for information about some tree work we had done over the summer. We invited him in and got to chatting about the neighborhood, the way neighbors do, and he told us a strange story. He said about four years ago a man and woman lived in our home and they always fought. Eventually the man couldn't take it anymore and he committed suicide by sitting in his car in the sealed garage downstairs.

When we first moved into the home, I did an energy cleanse to get rid of all the energy from all the past people who had lived here. I never picked up any disturbing energy in the garage or anywhere else on the property for that matter. When I looked up suicide and my street address in the local town database, nothing came up. It could be that the neighbor had our house confused with someone else. It could be that I just didn't research the right way.

So, with these two strange events and with the Fall Equinox arriving on Friday, September 23, 2011, I thought this would be a good time to do a house energy cleanse. Equinox days are charged with a lot of energy changing and they are portals for spirit to come and go easily. My family took an hour and walked through the house, drumming and smudging with white sage. I made sure to go out into the yard and walk the perimeter of the property, along with the deck where the man in spirit had stood.

The house and land around us feels more balanced now. It feels lighter. When is the last time you energetically cleansed your home? You don't have to have spirit encounters to feel like it is full of stuck energy. With the Equinox coming, it is a great time to cleanse. Blessings.

Spontaneous Gratitude- Pedicures

2011-09-16T15:39:00.001-04:00

-Spontaneous Gratitude Moment -
A single photo, sans explanation, capturing a moment during the week that gave me pause and filled my heart with gratitude.

*Having a gratitude practice opens the heart to love, energetically draws good karma to you and improves the quality of your life. The yogi's in India have known and demonstrated this for eons. Western science has begun demonstrating this statement as well.*

(Inspired by Val @ Collecting the Moments...)

Enlightened Minds About Color

2011-09-13T09:45:00.000-04:00

A conversation between two people at Woodstock:

"If anger is red and envy is green, what color is jealousy?"

"Black because jealousy is poison."

"Yeah, but it's gotta be somehting other than that."

"Green because after all jealousy is like envy, right, except that envy is over things and is jealousy over people and a lot of people treat other people like things."

"Groovy."

All these years later, I think this is so true!

Remember

2011-09-11T07:19:00.002-04:00

Today is a day to remember.
Today is a day to cry.
Today is a day to hug our loved ones close.
Today is a day to feel with our heart.
Today is a day to be thankful.
Today is a day to breathe.
Today is a day to acknowledge what it means to be a hero.
Today is a day to teach our children about how the world changes.
Today is a day to forgive.
Today is a day to sit in silence.
Today is a day to scream.
Today is a day to banish hate from our hearts, minds and actions.
Today is a day to hold compassion for ourselves at the surface of our being.
Today is a day to be alone.
Today is a day to be together.
Today is a day like any other.
Today is a day like no other.
Today is a day to include family in spirit form, because they are still with us.
Today is a day to stand on the side of love.
Today is a day for you.
Today is a day for me.
Today is a day for all of humanity.

May the Divine Bless Us All.
Namaste.

Spontaneous Gratitude- Memorial Tree

2011-09-09T11:35:00.001-04:00

-Spontaneous Gratitude Moment -
A single photo, sans explanation, capturing a moment during the week that gave me pause and filled my heart with gratitude.

*Having a gratitude practice opens the heart to love, energetically draws good karma to you and improves the quality of your life. The yogi's in India have known and demonstrated this for eons. Western science has begun demonstrating this statement as well.*

(Inspired by Val @ Collecting the Moments...)

September 2011 Channeled Message

2011-09-05T08:49:00.001-04:00

Council of Light Channeled Message Through Laura West
The message this month is in response to the following question:

Our best of salutations to the Council of Light and to you, dear Laura. Our question is : There seems to be a law which is : You reap what you sow. So why many highly spiritual beings as Prophets or Saints suffered a lot at the hands of other human beings or in general ? May He bless us all. Namasthe

Here is the answer:

Many Prophets and Saints who walked the earth a long time ago, and who are currently walking the earth today in modern times, seemed to outwardly suffer at the hands of many when in fact inwardly they were strong pillars and solid to the core. For example, we take Jesus as a historical figure who preached peace and emanated loving blessings to all who came in contact with him. Some were ready to receive the love and the blessings, and others were not. The one's who were not were discordant with his energy field. They were on a different energy plane and they were not willing or ready to graduate to the level of higher energy that he was resonating. So, they chose to feel negativity, anger, hatred, etc. towards him. But, we say that he was such an evolved being that he understood this and still felt compassion for all no matter what was being thrown back at him energetically from the masses. He did not strive or thrive to reach or live in the positive energy waves that came back to him from those who understood and loved him. Nor did he strive to or thrive to live in the energy that was hateful, hurtful and negative because he lived in his own energy field with his own energy cord connected to the Divine in his own light. And, the people around him, whether positive or negative, did not sway, alter or bother his energy in any way.

It can seem that Saints who have prophetic messages now and who are receiving a lot of hate, or judgement or questioning, are being attacked. And, from the people's perspective of the energy being sent, they are trying to, whether they consciously realize or not, send negative energy to that person, for whatever reason. They don't agree, they don't feel the same energy wavelength, they don't see the same perspective, they don't have tolerance, they don't believe, etc. But, the Saint is walking his or her own path and living according to his or her own Divine will and it does not matter what comes their way.

Hurtles, there are many, sure, for each person to get over. Mother Theresa is a good example of someone who followed the Divine will of the energy she called God and she often times felt alone and burdened and saddened by her isolation and disconnection from others around her. And, this is because she was working from an energy point of very high connection to the Divine, and, her faith was continuously challenged. So, it appeared that she was suffering when in fact she was connected to the Divine and was able to see, hear, sense, feel the presence of God throughout her life.

You as energy beings in your own right can sense this connection to the Divine and as you begin to connect to it, it helps strengthen and grow the bond of higher energy in your life. The more you practice connecting the easier it becomes and the longer you can sustain. We will also point out here that some Saints and Prophets were on their own individual journeys through evolution, and reaching enlightenment just like all beings that are sentient upon the earth plane. And, some of them may have come up against extreme road blocks in their lives as tests, or hurtles, or ways to prove to themselves that they were in the presence of God and they were connected to the Divine. And, for some a very drastic polar opposite experience was needed to help get them over the hurtle, awaken them, make them jump so to speak, etc.

Every being's understanding and limits of testing are unique. God energy does not play games and dangle string before humans like a mouse being caught like a cat. But, each individual being is tested and is able to rise above and to the next level throughout his or her life, given the different experiences he or she has. Saints and Prophets are highly evolved beings so sometimes their experiences are quite enormous, very powerful, almost earth shattering.

A person who is on their journey, who is not a Saint or Prophet, may have the same kind of earth shattering testing experience. But, it is not recognized because they are not famous. Their words have not been canonized. As soon as an energy experience that is hard is placed into someones life that person has a choice to learn from it, grow and gain knowledge and experience, or walk away from it. If they choose to walk away from it, there is nothing wrong with that, however, the lesson will keep repeating itself over and over and over again, in the person's life or possible through many lifetimes until they learn the lesson. If the person chooses to learn from the hardship, then the lesson has been completed and the situations which arose to teach the person the lesson are no longer needed. So, that rough or perceived harmful, or perceived hurtful energy is dissipated forever from that person's life because they no longer need it to help them grow and learn.

We see that you who asked this question are on a journey of your own. And that one of you is experiencing hardship in your life as a way to learn a lesson. Have no fear, the lesson is close to being realized. You shall persevere. Surround yourself with love and light and connect with your version of the Divine and you shall be alright.

So, with that, we say Namaste, adieu and goodbye for today for we are the Council of Light. We bring you energy blessings and good tidings across the earth plane. We are here to help humanity, grow, expand, learn, and co-create together. We work with you as a humanity from this group collective consciousness of ours. Some of us are individuals. Some of us are a collective group. And, together we form the Council of Light. We thank Laura for allowing us to come through her voice box and we honor the energetic continuum that is being co-created between us. And we look forward to next month's message. We send you bright blessings and joy humanity. Thank you.

Spontaneous Gratitude- DeCordova Sculpture Park

2011-09-02T14:24:00.001-04:00

-Spontaneous Gratitude Moment -
A single photo, sans explanation, capturing a moment during the week that gave me pause and filled my heart with gratitude.

*Having a gratitude practice opens the heart to love, energetically draws good karma to you and improves the quality of your life. The yogi's in India have known and demonstrated this for eons. Western science has begun demonstrating this statement as well.*

(Inspired by Val @ Collecting the Moments...)

Unconditional Love is Pure Energy

2011-08-30T13:40:00.002-04:00

I was having lunch last week with a couple of colleagues and we were talking about all things energy related. One person brought up the point of love being the best energy you can send out to other people at all times.

It got me thinking that in our modern society with all the distractions and hurried pace of things people are quick to express anger, frustration and any number of negative emotions to everyone they meet. Think about this: how many times have you been driving in traffic only to be cut off by someone driving fast, horn honking, and middle finger pointed your way? The energy this person is putting out is not loving at this moment!

So, what do you do when this kind of energy comes your way? If you choose to respond, you have two choices. 1. Engage with the anger or 2. Diffuse the anger

With choice number one your actions would look like this: send the anger right back by honking your horn, give them the finger too, yell at them etc. This will attach your energy to the anger being sent your way and strengthen the anger chord that has grown between you and this total stranger. It will stay connected forever as a little shard or splice in your aura unless you conciously remove it.

With choice number two your actions would look like this: smile, wave, slow down, say out loud, "Boy you sure are in a hurry, must be something important, by all means, go right ahead," let them into traffic and send them a loving energy vibe from your heart, let it go that they were "rude" to you. This kind of reaction will stop their negative energy from coming into your car and penetrating your energy field. It will be blocked by your love and grace. The love and understanding you send out will prevent their anger from attaching to you, thus, keeping your own energy safe and protected.

This kind of energy choice happens all the time, multiple times a day in each of our lives. Think of all the interactions you have with your colleagues, your children, your beloved, the people at the grocery store, every one you come in contact with! The more we become concious of how we choose to interact with people and respond to them, the more we can begin to shift our energy to a positive state all the time. This is one way to create good karma because karma means "what kind of energy you put out, you get back."

Going forward today notice how you respond to the people around you. Then try sending out unconditional love to one of them and see how it feels!

Spontaneous Gratitude- Neighborhood Garden

2011-08-26T13:23:00.000-04:00

-Spontaneous Gratitude Moment -
A single photo, sans explanation, capturing a moment during the week that gave me pause and filled my heart with gratitude.

*Having a gratitude practice opens the heart to love, energetically draws good karma to you and improves the quality of your life. The yogi's in India have known and demonstrated this for eons. Western science has begun demonstrating this statement as well.*

(Inspired by Val @ Collecting the Moments...)

Reiki Chocolate Medicine

2011-08-23T09:15:00.005-04:00

First, let's take a look at the three components of this post:

1. Reiki: a technique that increases a person's supply of life energy. Life energy goes by many names: Qi, Ki, Prana, bio field energy, etc. Reiki can help heal a body of physical injury like when I treated this man's ankle. Reiki can also help shift a person's emotions, such as going from sad to happy or depressed to uplifted.

2. Chocolate: Studies show that eating dark chocolate may contribute to improved cardiovascular health. Packed with natural antioxidants, dark chocolate and cocoa sit in the same good-for-you category as green tea and blueberries.

3. Medicine: Reiki infused chocolate!

I've written before about Darshan, the transmission of energy from a guru to other people. At these Darshan sessions, chocolate is handed out. Some people eat it right away (like me!) to help ground them back to earth energy. Some choose to save it and eat it when they are coming down with a cold or feeling emotionally under the weather.

I realized that I could do the same thing with chocolate in my own home! By beaming Reiki (a technique taught in Reiki Level II) into a bag of chocolate it becomes infused and charged with the beneficial healing energy.

Now, I keep a recycled holiday tin of Reiki infused dark chocolates in my medicine cabinet. It is for use by anyone in my home when they feel a bit under the weather, emotionally ruffled, or like they are coming down with a germy bout of something.

Of course I still use traditional Western medicine when appropriate. However, now I reach for the holistic, energy boosting, antioxidant filled goodies first to get my chi flowing and my spirits up. If you are Reiki attuned, try this and see how you feel. If you know somone who is attuned to the beaming technique, ask them to beam Reiki into a bag of chocolate for you. Happy eating!

Spontaneous Gratitude- The Storm

2011-08-19T16:14:00.002-04:00

-Spontaneous Gratitude Moment -
A single photo, sans explanation, capturing a moment during the week that gave me pause and filled my heart with gratitude.

*Having a gratitude practice opens the heart to love, energetically draws good karma to you and improves the quality of your life. The yogi's in India have known and demonstrated this for eons. Western science has begun demonstrating this statement as well.*

(Inspired by Val @ Collecting the Moments...)

Reiki Treats More than Just Pain

2011-08-18T09:33:00.001-04:00

I was giving Reiki to someone recently, treating an old injury spot that acts up every once in a while. After holding my hand for several minutes over the spot I asked them how they felt. Here's the conversation that ensued (M= Me, S= Someone):
M: How does it feel?
S: A little bit better.
M: I feel like it is targeting your emotions.
S: Reiki can do that?!?
M: Yes, it can target your physical body, mental body, emotional body and etheric body.
S: Now that you mention it, I do feel more calm and peaceful about it.

Reiki not only targets these 5 bodies but can also support, and sometimes even heal, situations such as trauma during a past life and trauma during an event in the past (emotional or physical trauma). Reiki can be sent to animals, plants and even loved ones, both living and in spirit.

How is this possible? Quantum Physics has demonstrated that energy knows no time, distance or boundary. The famous Yogis of India learned long ago that energy can be manipulated to heal, levitate, apparate and psychically understand. Reiki is just one of these kinds of energy that can be manipulated.

This is why I (or any other energy practitioner) am able to send Reiki to a client from a distance. She can be lying on her couch at home and I can be sitting in my Reiki chair in my office. She will feel the heat and emotional effects of the energy being sent as I concentrate on sending it.

As the West gains more knowledge of this kind of energy health work, a more comprehensive understanding will begin to unfold for society at large, much like the understanding of acupuncture did 20 years ago.

Thank You Tree

2011-08-17T12:19:00.001-04:00

I had a sick tree removed from my yard this summer. The local, independently owned tree service was outstanding! I made a video of highlights as a thank you. If you live in the Boston Metro area and ever need a tree removed, Mark is the BEST! (Our tree had a Huge canker and was wrapped in wires coming into the house- but he made it look easy!)

Meaning of 222

2011-08-14T09:14:00.002-04:00

While teaching Reiki II yesterday a question arose about the energetic meaning of the number two. One of my students said he'd been seeing triple two's lately. Here are some meanings behind this combination:

Drunvalo meaning:
222- The beginning of a new cycle. We do not know the nature of the cycle until the next triple number shows up

Doreen Virtue (Ask the Angels) meaning:
222- newly planted ideas are beginning to grow into reality

Denise Linn (Sacred Space) meaning:
22- unlimited potential mind, body and spirit

Tuning In: No Magic Secret

2011-08-08T14:56:00.001-04:00

I've been corresponding with a Council of Light message reader who asked how to connect with the divine light beings on their own. It got me thinking that when I post my channeled messages it may seem like a mystery or magic to some of you that I can tune in to this other realm.

But, it isn't.

It's true that I've had to work hard over time to tune in and listen to what's being said, but, not because it was hard to hear, rather, it was hard to TRUST. I had been getting messages from my own guides and spiritual beings my whole life, I just didn't think it was them. I thought it was my own thoughts. As I practiced and learned to trust that the messages were coming from outside source (by taking classes, reading books and getting together with others for confirmation experiences) the messages came more easily. Now, when someone asks me to tune in, be it on the fly or in a client session, I can and I do.

You can too. Here's a quick, simple guide to follow. Quick and simple being the key words!

Think of something in your life that you want answered; something big, something you've been seeking the answer to for a long time. Now, carve out some time to pray, meditate, or relax in a quiet space. Tune into your breathing. Think about your perplexing idea or question. Ask, out loud or in your mind's eye, for guidance related to it. If you work with guides, spiritual beings, deities, gods or any religious figures, ask them, out loud or in your mind's eye, to draw near and help give you guidance. Feel the energy around you begin to shift. Notice a difference from when you first sat down. It may begin to feel colder/warmer in the room. You may feel energy around you or tingling sensations though your body. Your breathing may become quicker or slowed down. Simply notice the change. Repeat the question if you feel you need to focus. Then listen for the answer to come.

I don't mean listen with your body ears. I mean listen with your intuition, your gut, your heart, your inner mind. What sense do you get? What feeling do you notice? What images come to mind? Don't filter anything out or say, "It's just me telling myself that." Trust what comes to you, however fleeting, is a message from the guides/beings you've requested to be present.

Play, explore and have fun. Don't take it too seriously. My guides have taught me over the years to laugh and let go.

Share with me how it's going for you... I'd love to hear! Namaste.

August Channeled Message

2011-08-05T07:11:00.000-04:00

Council of Light Channeled Message through Laura West

August, 20ll

Two Reader Questions

Question One:

Greetings to the Council of Light and you Laura:
How can I Facilitate the full activation of my dormant strands of DNA. Please be very specific. I know you can read my energy.
Thank you and my Love To You
Mahmoud

Answer One:

Greetings to you Mahmoud. We see that you are interested in a complex yet simple matter. Every human has the ability to tune into their own spiral strands of what you call in the human world, DNA. And we, as light being souls, see that it is sometimes beneficial and sometimes necessary for humans to unravel these strands. For some of you this will enable you to gain enlightenment. It will unlock and reveal “secrets” to you about the genetic of the human race. And for those of you who are actively seeking to do this for your own bodies, such as our friend Mahmoud here, we see that for you there is an underlying motive that is beneficial for you to do so. Not all humans are called or feel the desire to open these strands or experience them intimately. Those of you who do are working with a higher plane of consciousness. It is neither right nor is it wrong for you to work on this task or for you to leave it alone completely. Each being, individually has the job, a task, a goal, and some of you have the job of doing nothing in this lifetime.

So, for you Mahmoud, we say you have a very specific task during this lifetime that you have awakened to. You realize on some level in your being that it is beneficial for you to work with your energy sequence in this way. You are a gifted visualizer. When you sit down in prayer or quiet solitude or meditation, however you wish to label it; you are able to see pictures in your mind. This comes quite easily to you and we suggest that you begin taking time, specifically set, for working with your strands. Visualize the hedera helix rotating in your core. Visualize it unwrapping, unrolling, unfurling. And, ask for the information that becomes open and available to go wherever it is most needed in your energy field. Some of it will need to go to your mental capacity. Some of it will need to go to your emotional body. Some will need to go to your physical body. Some will even need to go to your etheric body. You don’t necessarily need to know or understand where each part is going. But we will say that over time you will feel a difference. Your being will feel lighter. You will see the world with brighter colors. You will understand social interaction with others in a higher loving vibratory way. And we also suggest that you call upon us specifically; the guides, the light beings, the energy bodies that work with humanity to come and support you so that we may assist in the unfurling energy process.

You will succeed. It will not be a quick and easy road for you. You will not sit down and meditate and on your first go unlock all the secrets there are to know about your own DNA. This is a process that will happen over time. We are talking to you about years. We say this clearly to you because although humans do have the ability to unlock everything all at once, this would not be beneficial for you at this time. You need to have certain aspects of your DNA unlocked and open to you in a sequence that is energetically specific and it needs to be done in layers so that there is a gradual buildup of understanding on your part. We see that you are eager to know all information now and for your being, if this were to happen, it would actually be detrimental to your energy. It would be like an overload to a motherboard in a computer and you would fry out. Thus, we are telling you clearly, you shall receive information from your unlocking in parts. And, we are excited for you. We are happy for you. And we will, however you wish to call us; by deities, by religious figures, by light beings, by guides, be along for the ride. Namaste and welcome to your journey.

Question Two:

I want to know what we as individuals who are living in a society where we can live freely (comparatively speaking), can do for those individuals who are living in societies where freedom is not possible for them right now. I feel very strongly that no matter what the distance is between us and another country whose people are suffering, or how vast the differences in our cultural backgrounds may be, we are all connected. The pain, personal limitations and strife people feel thousands of miles from us, affects us all.
I believe that it is important for us to strive to stretch our hearts and minds everyday to model love and compassion. But is it enough for us to do that here while living in a free society? Or could we be doing more? How can we make a difference half-way around the world?

Please share your thoughts and wisdom when you have the chance. I think this is a very relevant issue at this time in our world. Thank you.

Answer Two:

Greetings dear one. You are a blessed light. And, we see that you are connected to the energy grid that is humanity. You are sensitive energetically and you are feeling on a subconscious level the pain and suffering of your brothers and sisters. All of humanity is connected energetically like a spider web across the entire globe of the earth. You all come from the same energy makeup. And you all are moving forward to the place called enlightenment, or evolution, or the light, or heaven; however you wish to label it. There are many of you who are capable of living freely as you so speak of in your question and it is your duty when you feel called to this understanding that there are others who are wrapped in energy chains that hold them back, prevent them from moving forward, who are in pain, who are underprivileged, and the like to support them.

You dear one, we suggest, are awakening to this support factor. And, we thank you for raising this question here for there are others, countless others, reading this question who feel the same way. And as they read our words, and hear our answer, they too will be awakened and called to help do something for their fellow brothers and sisters who are also yours, who are also connected to you. You must send energy. The consciousness of a repressed nation of peoples will not understand that you are sending them loving guiding energy. However, their subconscious mind will feel it, see it, sense it and know it. And this will enable them to move forward a little bit farther each day.

We ask you not to judge why they are placed in the dire circumstances that they are placed. Your media outlets do a horrifically, terribly, awfully good job of highlighting the atrocities and horrors that people suffer on the human plane and we remind you not to judge why this is happening. Yes, it is hard for you to watch these atrocities being committed and we say as painful as it is, these people have agreed to some karmic lesson, some karmic debt, some karmic understanding through these experiences.

You too have suffered the same kinds of pain in past lifetimes. And, you have come through this suffering and you are now birthed into a lifetime where you can energetically support others who are going through things you have already been through. This is why you are feeling called to support humanity as a whole. You have a yearning, an inkling, a burning, of understanding. And we are opening it wider today with our response to you.

It is intention that sends loving energy forward to those who need it most. Think it and send it as energy currents or waves of wind or loving strands of pink light; however you wish to send it. And, wrap it around the person, a tribe, a group, an ethnic people; however you wish to send it forward. And, we suggest that because the human mind works with concrete much better than abstract, that you go forward in your life learning how to send energy using specific techniques. Although it is not needed and all that is required is the intention of sending it forward. You can sit on your couch, think in your mind in a quiet state, about sending energy to the people whom you choose, and it shall be done.

We suggest that you, as a human race, will find it beneficial to learn specific energy techniques. There are many. The entire world of Qi Gong, Thai Chi, Reiki, Pranic Energy and the like, speaks of how to send energy forward, far away, out from the body, as a part of its manipulation. And, should you feel called, seek out a system of sending energy that feels right to you, that makes sense. And it shall guide you in how to send forward this universal energy. Be aware that it is not your own energy that you are sending. For you are connected through an energy web that is not your own on the earth plane with all of humanity. And when you feel the importance of supporting people who are suffering, their suffering is causing a ripple, or a tug or a pull on the energy field that connects you all. And you, dear one, are most sensitive energetically, and are feeling this tug, this pull, this pain. And it is your job to bring healing loving supportive energy into the connected energy hub, web, spoke, wheel and send it along to them.

Our blessings to you. We thank you, evolved beings, for being aware and understanding that as you move forward part of your job is also to look backward and bring the others along with you. You are not better. You are not a saint. You should not martyr yourself and sacrifice all of your energy time to send to those in pain for this will only cause you strife in the end. You need to balance your healthy life, your safety, your security, your comfort with your own growth, pausing every now and again, taking time, to tune in to the energy grid and send loving energy out.

Blessings. Namaste. Thank you for your questions today. Thank you to Laura for allowing us to come through in this way. We wrap you in a golden blanket of light to sustain you and keep you in the weeks ahead. For, we are the Council of Light and we leave you with bright blessings of joy and love of the highest and purest vibration, piercing each one of your heart centers and filling you with clean energy to sustain you as you move forward. Adieu, goodbye for now. Namaste.

Longfellow House: The Ghosts

2011-07-25T12:02:00.001-04:00

This is the third and final post in a series about my visit to the Longfellow House in Cambridge, MA. You can read the first post with an introduction to the house HERE. You can read the second post with a tour of the gardens HERE. Now, on to the ghosts of the house....

We entered around the back, through the servants quarters to where a modern day waiting room filled with books, memorabilia and tour guides awaits the visitor. Our tour lasted about 45 minutes, maybe an hour, I can't quite remember, and was guided by a very knowledgeable National Parks Historical Tour Guide. She took us through the first floor of the house that was filled with grand rooms chock full of a mix of Asian antiques and old heavy wooden furniture popular at the time Longfellow lived there.

I told our tour guide that I was a professional psychic and medium and asked her if she'd ever heard stories of the house being haunted. She said several people, both staff and tour groups, had been touched in specific spots in the house, all on a birthday of someone in the family. And, several staff had gotten promotions or jobs or upgrades in their positions over the years, all on the birthdays of Longfellow family members. Once or twice, she'd heard other tour guides tell stories about people on the tours asking, "who was that actress upstairs sitting on the bed? Her clothing looked so authentic!" Only to discover that the staff do not employ actors in period costume.

We saw a formal dining room, a formal sitting room, the kitchens, a ladies parlour, and then Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's study itself. Here is where the ghosts begin to enter my story.

Immediately upon entering the room I got an overwhelming presence of men, not ladies- even though there were six of us out of a group of 10, in the room. Now, as most of you know, I'm a psychic medium in addition to being a Reiki Master, so when I go out and about I very often pick up energy in buildings. This room was no different. We spent a long time in this room because the tour guide had lots to tell us. I faded her out to a background noise as I slowly turned in a circle absorbing the energy of the room. I was reading the memories of the room. This was a man's room, full of cigar smoke, paper signing, men bustling to and fro, politics being spoken, theology being discussed, no dainty lady talk or tea and cake in here!

Notice the tall standing podium in the back? That is Longfellow's desk where he did most of his writing. He stood up to write in the corner of his grand room- who knew?!? And, the gold framed painting was done by a friend of Longfellow and given to him as a gift in his later years.

For some reason I was drawn to the circular mirror hanging over the fireplace. This house has lots of mirrors all over the walls in every room. The rooms are large, with 20 foot plus ceilings in most of them, dark, rich wallpapers, and heavy drapes; all helping to create a gentle cool dusk in each room. So, I imagine the mirrors were brought in to help lighten them up a bit. With this mirror, I was drawn to it like no others in the house and I kept snapping photographs of it.

Now, there are two facts you must know before I continue with this tale:

1. About mirrors and haunted houses: they are great at reflecting back to you the ghostly inhabitants of the house, so if you ever suspect a spirit is with you, ask for it to show itself in the mirror and snap a ton of photographs!

2. Long before Longfellow's family owned this home it was inhabited by General George Washington and his wife Martha as he fought for American Independence from England. They didn't live in the home exclusively, just came for stays while he was in the North. And, with them came lots of soldiers as the house was turned into a mini-headquarters for General Washington while he was in the region. As a result, Longfellow's family was so proud of this heritage that there is a picture, statue, or document related to Washington as homage in almost every room of the house.

So, as I snapped a dozen or so photos of the mirror this is what it looked like in most of them, nothing special or out of the ordinary:

And then I snapped this one. (Please, if you are a de-bunker reading this post, I know all about pixellation of photographs and matrixing of the mind so don't bother commenting that that's what you think this photo is... remember, I'm a psychic medium and I communicate with dead people all the time!)

Notice the figure in the lower left corner of the mirror? I think it looks like a male smiling out at the camera, wearing a cap and uniform. There may also be a dog in the lower left of his body, just peaking it's head out and looking directly into the camera, cocker spaniel maybe? (I'm not too good with dog breeds.)

This soldier man seemed happy to be there. It felt as if he had a genuine love for the home and had happy memories of which he was content. He did not interact with me or anyone else on the tour, which signals that he is a residual haunting, or memory imprint, a ghost who's energy is imprinted on the room, with no consciousness attached. Some people describe it like a video tape playing back the memory to you. If he had interacted with me, or anyone else on the tour, or with the things in the room, he would be described as a active visitation. But, alas, not to be in this case! We went on to look at the second floor bedrooms and my guess is soldiers weren't allowed up there because I didn't see or feel him in any other rooms in the home.

So, that's my latest ghost story! Thanks for reading. So, if you think you may have a spirit with you, ask questions, take pictures and most of all listen to your own intuition about what is happening around you! And, I am only an email or comment click away if you want help, have questions about what you are experiencing, or need support!

Spontaneous Gratitude- Heat Wave

2011-07-22T17:33:00.000-04:00

Spontaneous Gratitude Moment -
A single photo, sans explanation, capturing a moment during the week that gave me pause and filled my heart with gratitude.

*Having a gratitude practice opens the heart to love, energetically draws good karma to you and improves the quality of your life. The yogi's in India have known and demonstrated this for eons. Western science has begun demonstrating this statement as well.*

(Inspired by Val @ Collecting the Moments...)

100 Days After the Tsunami

2011-07-20T13:10:00.000-04:00

~destruction and turmoil~

~peace and calm~

On July 24th, 2011 at 8:00pm, your time- where ever you live in the world, there will be a ceremony of love and gratitude to mark the 100th day following the Japanese Tsunami and Earthquake that devestated the Northern coastal region on March 11th, 2011.

If you are Reiki attuned to send distance Reiki please join me and countless others who will send Reiki to the situation, as a way of joining in the prayers that will be said that day by the people in attendence at the ceremony. If you are Reiki attuned but don't feel comfortable, or are not distance Reiki attuned yet, please consider sitting in Gassho meditation and send Reiki to Japan.

Here is a link to the park where the even will be held in Japan:
The park in Japan where the ceremony will be held

Namaste. Thank you.

Beach Day

2011-07-19T11:15:00.001-04:00

My family went to Plumb Island, which is part of the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge for a beach day! It's an hour north of where I live, but well worth the drive. The parking lot holds only a small amount of cars and once it's full, they close the lot for the day. This is because the beach sits on a nature preserve. Make sure to be there by 9:30 at the very latest if you want to visit!

The view from the parking lot:

Walking the boardwalk to the beach:

Ta-dah! The beach:

We had fun in the sun:

Don't you just LOVE that blue New England sky???

We played in the sand:

We surfed the waves (New England style, of course, sans-surfboards!):

And we topped off the day with a traditional New England dinner: LOBSTER, at our favorite place- Woodman's of Essex. (They don't know I'm giving them a shout out here.) Yummy! And, what a day it was.... ahhhhhhhhhh. I'm still glowing with the energy of the ocean!

Animal Symbolism: Mockingbird

2011-07-15T06:58:00.001-04:00

Sun Tea

2011-07-11T11:04:00.005-04:00

This recipe is simple, easy and a summertime favorite at my house. To make sun tea you need:

water
tea, preferably loose leaf (in this case it was organic Moroccan Mint), but tea bags can be used also
a cloth tea bag, organic cotton is best
teaspoon for measuring out the tea
carafe

To start:

measure three heaping scoops of tea into the cloth tea bag
pour as much water as desired into the carafe
drop in the cloth tea bag now full of tea
rest in the sun for three to four hours to brew
check on the tea (if you have curious little ones about, let them do the checking!)
optional: add a layer of tin foil to the outside of the carafe to help heat up the water

To finish:

pour a tall glass of sun tea and enjoy!

Magic Feather...

2011-07-08T09:02:00.002-04:00

I found another blue jay feather yesterday... sitting out on the grass all stripey and blue and iridescent... makes me think of fairies and potions and mystical magical talking birds... it's lovely to dream a summer day away!

Learn Reiki! Summer & Fall classes Cambridge, MA

2011-07-07T09:25:00.001-04:00

July 2011 Channeled Message

2011-07-06T10:57:00.000-04:00

Happy 4th of July!

2011-07-03T08:18:00.000-04:00

America turns 235 this year.

Cheers to you and yours on this day of celebration!

Zen Aura Spray

2011-06-28T09:41:00.000-04:00

I love making this spray because it has a sweet and calming scent. Studies show that chamomile and lavender relax the mind and ease tension. Ylang ylang III correlates to the astrological sign of the Tibetan crystals that are infused in this spray.

You can banish tension, tightness and stress with this Zen Aura spray. I give it as a gift to friends and family when they are experiencing stress, as with a move or a new job venture. It also helps to spray during meditation to calm the mind.

To use Zen Aura spray, simply mist liberally over your aura and linens and breathe deeply to experience the calming, zen-like quality of this spray!

Birthday Blessings

2011-06-19T06:38:00.000-04:00

It's my birthday today. Thirty something years ago I was born on Father's Day. My family likes to tell the story of how my grandmother and uncle were hanging wallpaper in the back bedroom of their home when they got the call that I came into the world. Yes, the wallpaper is still hanging in that room. And, every seven years I get the added bonus of sharing this special day with my father, whom I love dearly and have a wonderful relationship.

This morning I am sitting with my coffee in hand, in my favorite bird mug, watching the birds come to the feeder in the back yard. I have been surprised with a lovely Tibetan prayer shawl as a gift from my husband. Traditionally these shawls are saffron and gold colored. This one is a beautiful green and crimson color. I need to do some research on the meaning of the colors. And, I'm hoping that any of you readers out there might be able to enlighten me.

Later today I am joining my grandmother in walking the sacred spiral path, the labyrinth that is set up through her church around the time of the solstice each year. I love this labyrinth and have walked it many times before. I'll channel a private birthday message and relax. No laundry or vacuuming today. I'll get caught up on my magazine and book reading and take a nap in the hammock.

I live a blessed life. I'm so grateful that I have the love of family and friends with me each day. I have simple pleasures in my home. I am so deeply honored to do the work I do for a living. I teach, I help people heal, I help others open to their true soul selves. I love life. I love humanity. I look forward to the year ahead and what challenges and opportunities it will bring.

This is my version of the best kind of birthday- making my own schedule and inward reflection. Namaste.

June Channeled Message

2011-06-13T09:30:00.001-04:00

I'm excited to announce that this month's channeled message is through video format! The sound is not great, I apologize for that, you'll have to turn it all the way up or wear headphones. However, I will have that kink worked out for next month's message. Happy viewing!

Longfellow House: The Gardens

2011-06-10T05:55:00.000-04:00

This is post 2 in a series of three. You can read post one by clicking here. Upon entering the grounds of the estate, we followed a path around the side of the house, past a sprawling veranda, under a grand 100+ year old beech, and through a trellis wall and into this:

Pathways and hardscaping in and around garden.

The gardens today are a restored version of the early 20th century Colonial Revival gardens planted by Alice Longfellow, daughter of her famous poet father, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

Clockwise from top left: herbs, lavender, ferns & hostas, flowers.

The garden is filled with perennials from early May through October. Starting with narcissus and tulips followed by ferns and roses, the public is welcome to stroll through the boxwood lined lanes and sit under the pergola. In the center circle the sundial (pictured above) is inscribed, "Pensa che questa di mai non raggiorna" meaning "Think that this day will not dawn again," which was Henry's favorite quote from Dante's The Divine Comedy.

Clockwise from top left: bearded purple iris, iris & rose, lupine, yellow rose.
Center: close up of iris and rose.

In the next, and final, post I will highlight the inside of the house, with all its glory and charm. It will showcase the psychic energy I felt, and, a ghostly surprise I found in one of the mirrors!

Haunted Houses by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

2011-06-08T05:47:00.000-04:00

This is the first of three posts. For my husband's birthday I surprised him and with some dear friends took him to the Henry Wadsworth Longfellow House in Cambridge, MA. It is a National Historical Landmark and they give free tours of the home. Being a psychic medium, I was interested in connecting with the spirit of the house because I've heard that it is active. I'll begin the journey with a poem Longfellow wrote about the soul of a house...

All houses wherein men have lived and died
Are haunted houses. Through the open doors
The harmless phantoms on their errands glide,
With feet that make no sound upon the floors.

We meet them at the door-way, on the stair,
Along the passages they come and go,
Impalpable impressions on the air,
A sense of something moving to and fro.

There are more guests at table than the hosts
Invited; the illuminated hall
Is thronged with quiet, inoffensive ghosts,
As silent as the pictures on the wall.

The stranger at my fireside cannot see
The forms I see, nor hear the sounds I hear;
He but perceives what is; while unto me
All that has been is visible and clear.

We have no title-deeds to house or lands;
Owners and occupants of earlier dates
From graves forgotten stretch their dusty hands,
And hold in mortmain still their old estates.

The spirit-world around this world of sense
Floats like an atmosphere, and everywhere
Wafts through these earthly mists and vapours dense
A vital breath of more ethereal air.

Our little lives are kept in equipoise
By opposite attractions and desires;
The struggle of the instinct that enjoys,
And the more noble instinct that aspires.

These perturbations, this perpetual jar
Of earthly wants and aspirations high,
Come from the influence of an unseen star
An undiscovered planet in our sky.

And as the moon from some dark gate of cloud
Throws o’er the sea a floating bridge of light,
Across whose trembling planks our fancies crowd
Into the realm of mystery and night,—

So from the world of spirits there descends
A bridge of light, connecting it with this,
O’er whose unsteady floor, that sways and bends,
Wander our thoughts above the dark abyss.

Animal Symbolism: Rabbit

2011-05-29T07:56:00.001-04:00

This rabbit visits my yard regulary in the evenings. Yesterday, when I saw it poking around I beamed Reiki out to it as a way of helping it not feel nervous about being around us or our property. As I did so, it stopped and looked right at me.

Later, after it had scampered off to a different part of the yard, I was sitting in a lawn chair reading a magazine and it hopped out, right next to my chair to nibble on some flower leaves. It stayed by my side, about 4 feet away from me, for several minutes. I again beamed Reiki towards it and it again stopped and looked at me. I trust that this bunny will be with us for a long time!

If you come across a rabbit, in animal symbolism terms, here is what it means:

*This is a creative time for you. Take advantage of opportunity coming your way.
*Be vigilant in the next few days/week ahead for any threatening situation to arrise and leave as soon as possible if it does come.
*Eat a vegetarian diet for the next few days and notice how it makes you feel.
*Express your love freely to your loved ones.
*After a period of quiet you will have a burst of intense activity.

*source Animal Spirit Guides by Steven D. Farmer, Ph.D.

Sunday Morning Nature Walk

2011-05-15T11:22:00.000-04:00

Bird Songs in the early morning at the Paine Estate in New England...

Flora of the forrest...

How to Make an Origami Cup

2011-05-14T08:07:00.002-04:00

Round-A-Bout Aplogy to a Mother Mouse

2011-05-11T09:47:00.003-04:00

It was a beautiful spring day in New England. The kind where the sun shines so bright and the sky looks so blue and the wind is warm for the first time and it makes everyone spend the first real day outside playing in the yard. On this day I decided to cut the grass- the first mowing of the season.

Last year I moved into this new house and I carefully packed away the new (at the time) lawn mower in the shed for the winter. I was eager to get it out and start it up again this season. I opened the shed door to inspect for insects, spiders and any animal stow-a-ways from the winter that might have called it home. None seen. I moved the patio furniture out of the way. (Have to clean that off another day to be put out.) Carefully I pulled/wheeled the mower out onto the grass. I stopped to assess the best place to move the mower to so I could begin mowing.

As I moved it again, kind of dragging it sideways a few feet to the left, imagine my surprise as a creature came hopping out of the exhaust shaft and stumbled/hopped away into the tall grass. I jumped backwards not knowing what it was. As I bent down to inspect I heard tiny squeaking sounds. As I peered into the grass I found these two small mouse babies! So tiny and new, their eyes still shut.

It was amazing to see a usually secret process of nature right before my eyes. Worried that the baby mice would not survive after being disturbed my husband scooped them into a gloved hand (mother mice are known to reject their babies once handled by direct human touch) and placed them behind the wood pile. We found a third baby and placed it with the others.

I don't know what became of the mother mouse or if she came back for the three babies. I still have not gone back to check behind the wood pile and I figure that whatever happened, nature has taken its course.

May Channeled Message

2011-05-07T20:31:00.000-04:00

Council of Light Channeled Message through Laura West
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Time: 7:13am
Topic: Restructuring Your Energy Field

Good morning Laura. We are glad you are here. Now, onto today’s message. We wish to talk to you today about the nature of energy in relationship to human emotions. As we have said many times before, there are all kinds of different energies present in the universe. You may choose to think about them as light and airy, heavy and dense, dark and vibratorily low, vibratorily light as feathers, etc. And, human beings are capable of feeling emotions that have these same energy patterns. When you feel sad or angry or depressed the energy is heavier in your body then when you feel happy, excited or joyful and elated. And, when you as a human are conscious of these feelings you can continue to feel them or you can change them.

The energy that is inherent in the universe is always there, always around, floating through time and space, seeking ways to attach itself not as a consciousness, but as its own entity with a job of attaching to emotional states of being through, mainly, people. It is true that plants and animals have consciousness, yet, they use their energy in a different way most often than humans do.

So, a human being who feels anger is surrounding themselves in this energy and if they are not conscious of how much space this angry feeling is taking up in their body, or their life, the same energy wavelengths that travel through the universe that associate themselves with anger begin to make their way towards this human being. They begin to settle into the person’s life, their home, their possessions, their attitudes, their feelings, their workplace, their transportation, everything in this person’s life begins to fill with this angry energy. Sometimes the person is aware and sometimes the person is not. The same can be said for happy energy. When someone feels joy in their life, say for example at the birth of a son or the culmination of a marriage or the graduation from a program of study, the energy of joy in the universe that is looking to make its way to a settled resting place, feels and finds this joyful emotion and attaches itself to the human being and his or her possessions, dwelling, workspace, feelings.

And as a result of examples such as these there are human beings who tend to go through their lives as happy people, as angry people, as depressed people, as people who are just going through the motions and are what you all call “asleep at the wheel.” And, when you come into contact with each other your emotional bodies can feel these differences. You sense and feel when folks are vibrating at the same frequency as you, like with like, and you also feel when folks are vibrating at a different frequency. And, sometimes this difference in frequency does not feel good and you know that this particular person is not meant to be in your energy field.

We would like to say very clearly now that this all does not mean that if you are feeling depression and depressed state comes over your whole being and whole lifestyle that you will be feeling this depression for your entire life. Humans have the capacity to understand, rationalize and control, change, modify, manipulate and grow their emotions and hence their vibratory energies inherent in their lives. You have the capacity to change the energy state that surrounds you just by noticing, becoming aware, thinking new thoughts and growing.

When you continually think about one specific thing such as a joyful event or a sorrowful event, you are continuing to attach to the energy associated with that joy or sorrow. And, sometimes this is needed until you understand fully how to work with the energy. And, sometimes this is detrimental because you are stuck in one spot, hyper fixated on this one particular sensation of emotion.

As you go through your lives you have experiences that you learn from, that you grow from and sometimes you look back and you can laugh at where you were on your evolutionary continuum because you realize you have come so far. And yet many, many of you have not yet done this, have not yet moved forward to be able to look back and be able to reflect. So many people walk around on the earth plane with their own little individual bubbles of energy surrounding their bodies like a cocoon or a bubble and you do not realize that you have the ability to step outside the bubble and look at it from a different perspective. You continually surround yourselves with the same feeling over and over and over again.

And, we as a universal group of light beings invite you to try shifting your perspective. We invite you to participate in a mini-lesson of sorts. First, just try noticing the predominant emotional feeling in your life at this time. Second, notice if you enjoy this feeling or not. Third, if you do not enjoy this feeling, begin to think of the feeling you wish to replace it. For this will create a focus on the new feeling and hence the new energy coming into your life. Do this continually every day for a period of time and when you notice the feeling or the emotion present in your life at the surface of your energy being that you wish to change, immediately do not focus upon it. Bring the new energy feeling into your life and your being and your consciousness. And, the more you are able to focus on this new energy emotion feeling it will begin to take predominant shape in your life. The whole point of this exercise is to help you learn, grow and develop so that you may travel forward on your evolutionary continuum of learning and your path of ascension.

We invite you to give it a try. It can be very fun and rewarding. It can shift your perspectives. It can help you grow. For some of you, you will have profound experiences of change. For some of you it will be slight and subtle. And, we promise that for all of you, you will move forward.

Ask for the assistance of the energy light beings that work with you as your guides. You may know them as nature spirits, angels, light beings, Devas, spiritual teachers, ascended beings, religious figures, saints, high priests and priestesses, shamans, yogic teachers and the like. It does not matter whom you call upon for all beings that are incarnated in spirit form are tasked with helping you grow and we are speaking specifically of the enlightened ascended spirit beings. They will come to your aid and support you in your journeys of growth.

So, with that we say good luck, good day to you, Godspeed. We are with you always in whatever capacity you choose to acknowledge us. Thank you for listening to our message today and we shall be back again next time. We are the Council of Light with other added additional light beings making themselves present with us today and every day. We acknowledge each one of you as a spark of light and we invite your light to grow, to manifest and become brighter upon the earth plane. And, we wish you many blessings of peace and love and joy and harmony and balance and restructuring of your field so that you may grow. We wrap you in a golden blanket of light to sustain you and keep you until the next time we are to come into contact with you. Namaste. Adieu and goodbye for now.

Animal Symbolism: Raccoon

2011-04-25T10:25:00.004-04:00

It's the time of year when raccoons make their presence known! I had an up close encounter with one two nights ago. As I sat on my couch late in the evening a little bustling animal caught my eye outside on the deck. I looked out the french doors thinking I'd see the neighborhood cat that makes his nightly rounds, but, nope, it was a large and very curious raccoon! The animal made its way to the door, stood on hind legs and rested its front paws on the glass door. For several seconds it peered into the room, scoping out a food source I imagine. Slowly it let itself down and bustled away in the same direction it had come from.

In Shamanistic symbolism raccoon can mean any one of the following:

*In spite of the doubts you may hold, you actually have all the resources you need to solve the current problem in your life.
*There is deception going on around you that isn't quite clear. Listen to your intuition to figure out what to do and how to solve it.
*Use this time to be curious and open ended with your exploration rather than goal oriented.
*Pay close attention to signs and omens from your ancestors and crossed over loved ones.
*Remain emotionally and mentally flexible for the next few days because the events that unfold will require you to adapt quickly to the change in circumstances.

Call on the power of raccoon for any of these situations:

*When you require manual dexterity.
*When you feel bored and are eager for adventure.
*When you are faced with a challenging situation that requires emotional flexibility.
*When you have an upcoming social event that requires you to be brave.
*When you need to assert yourself with wit and agility.