Autumn leaves

Joy keeps showing up in my life. This is something I have been longing for. I received Joy in a physical form, as an essential oil blend from a fellow Reiki Master I met last year in the US on a Usui Master Intensive. I had a skin condition show up while I was there. She supported me with the essential oils that she had with her. Very kindly, she offered me an essential oil to take home with me to support me on the long journey home. She is a distributor for these oils, was on her way to a conference and therefore had the whole range with her. Instead of choosing an oil for the symptoms I was experiencing, I chose Joy in that moment. Little did I realise the value of this choice at the time!

Earlier this week, while giving a Reiki treatment, an insight surfaced – the purpose of healing is not just to fix what is not working; the purpose of healing is to reconcile with the joy of being alive. Joy can help the symptoms to fall away. I have been able to breathe with ease since this realisation! I have kind of known this about healing, heard this before, but in that moment I was able to feel it in a way I have not felt before.

Fortnight ago I discovered this TED talk on Joy. It helped me make these connections and remember the journey I have been on, seeking joy.

Earlier this year, at The Reiki Association’s Annual Gathering, Marta Getty, a very experienced Reiki Master, reminded us to reconcile with Joy. It is easy to find joy in positive situations, much harder to feel it in challenging, uncomfortable situations. To me, the word reconcile is an invitation to look deeply into a situation to be able to find Joy – to be with the discomfort, not try to fix it, not wish it away, but stay present in that moment, as best as is possible for a higher potential to be realised. When I struggled to feel joy in challenging situations, I felt that perhaps Gratitude is the backdoor route to Joy, gratitude for being alive in this realm of body, mind and time, causing feelings of separation and limitation– the source of most suffering. Being alive, being in the body enables me to feel what I need to heal. If I can remember to feel gratitude for being alive and for feeling what needs healing, it helps me to not go down too far the path of suffering and it seems easier to reconcile with Joy in that moment.

Perhaps the fifth Reiki Principle – Show gratitude to every living thing, can also be interpreted as – Show gratitude for being alive. Gratitude is certainly helping me cope positively when I struggle with the other Reiki Principles – worry, anger, relationships for example. Feeling deeper respect and appreciation for the Reiki Principles, they do reflect the whole spectrum of life!

Thank you Dr. Usui for founding the Reiki practice – it is a true blessing, a gift that keeps on giving. I am so glad I decided to learn Reiki all those years ago – without knowing much about it at the time.