Approaching the end of the year, I am reflecting on what has happened in 2013 and feel that it has been a significant year for me.

Both my parents passed away this year within six months of each other. They had been together for more than fifty years. It is comforting to know that neither of them had to live without the other for very long. I am also at peace with the thought that they are not suffering any more. With time I continue to discover the impact of losing one’s parents – the learning, the healing continues… I feel really grateful for having Reiki in my life, for all the comfort and support that I have received from my Reiki family.

During 2013, I have connected more deeply with my family and my roots. I have more clarity about how I carry the family patterns within me. There are patterns within me that I am very grateful for and there are patterns that I am not comfortable with or happy about. During a Voice Dialogue session this year, I had the amazing experience of being able to feel the relief and ease at a physical level in my body when I was prepared to accept and integrate a pattern that I had not been happy with. Somehow, accepting the family pattern helped me to feel that I was able to honour my parents and my ancestors. It also helped me to feel a deeper connection with the Reiki Principle ‘Honour your parents, teachers and elders’.

I cannot help wondering if acceptance helps with the transformation.  I definitely feel more whole with being able to accept the parts of me that I have not been comfortable with, that I have been rejecting or even running away from – my shadow side. I know that I still have a long way to go, lots more work to do, but I feel more at peace for having had this realisation.

This brings to mind the insight that came during my first experience of Zen Brushwork in August 2013 – “having compassion for ourselves and others brings peace and harmony. It is in some of these moments of peace that we are able to connect with our truth and express it”. This insight keeps coming up, and sustains me in different ways. Acceptance of my shadow side helps me to feel compassion for myself and therefore brings me more peace and harmony.

2013 has brought profound emotional healing for me. I feel really grateful for having discovered singing this year. Being able to sing has helped me enormously with my emotional wellbeing. It was a delight to discover that I was part of this beautiful programme about music and harmony aired on BBC World service. You can hear about the “singing for breathing” session, which I look forward to every week, in the second half of the programme. I am very grateful to all the people around me who have been encouraging me to start singing.

It has been a joy to deepen the connection with my roots and discover the benefits of meditating with Vedic & Buddhist Mantras offered online by Deepak Chopra, as well as by Deva Premal and Miten. Chanting the mantras helped hugely while I was with my mother in the last few days of her life.

I feel that my Reiki practice helps me to have a deeper connection with my inner truth and this is why I have been drawn to all these different things at this time without knowing much about them.

Traditionally this is a good time to make New Year resolutions. 2014 is beginning with a new moon – a propitious time for planting new seeds. This year my wish for all of us is to deepen our connection with our inner truth so that we can live in alignment with it and manifest our hearts’ deepest desire. I believe this is what brings us peace and harmony, health and abundance.

It is with this intent that I am offering an opportunity to my students to come spend a day with me immersed in Reiki energy. I feel that when we are together we help each other to move forward.

I hope that you will be able to join us if you are in London on the day. You can also send Reiki using level 2 Reiki practice. If you are a level 1 Reiki student, you can ask the universe for support while self treating.