• to feel happy/ fulfilled?
• to ‘get’ something you don’t currently have?
• to escape your current pain/ frustration?

No one gains more happiness, fulfillment or purpose by looking outside of themselves.  You can get temporary relief by changing your job, partner, house, country, but eventually you need to face the fact that wherever you go, you take yourself with you.  Eventually you need to find peace within yourself and with that your purpose becomes clear.

My own experience is that life purpose can be interchanged with life journey – so we are all effectively already on our life purpose – we are all journeying and whether you are happy with the experience or not dictates how connected you are with your journey.  If you are happy and content then you will assume you have found your purpose.  If you are unhappy you will assume you have not.  This thinking is upside down.

Your life purpose/ journey is the path you are on, you can change direction as many times as you want, but you take yourself with you.  Your happiness with your journey has nothing to do with what direction you take and everything to do with you, the traveler.  A happy traveler finds passion and excitement with every direction.  An unhappy traveler finds misery and fault.  At some point most of us figure this out and having done the ‘geography’ for years without relief, we are forced to stop and take stock.  At this moment we suddenly have the opportunity to begin a new journey inwards.  Stopping the blame game “who did what to you”, stopping the resentment game “they shouldn’t have done that to me”, and stopping the pity game “why did they do all that to me?” and starting the truth game “who am I without all these negative thoughts?” allows us to uncover our true self.  When you find your ‘inner you’ and stay connected with that part of you that is connected to all, then happiness and contentment become the only result.  It can be no other way as this is our resting space.  When the mind rests, peace results.

Resting the mind can take many forms – my journey included Reiki, meditation, yoga, Byron Katie, swimming and many others.  For others it will take a different form but anything that allows the mind to rest and find peace in itself begins the process of coming home.   Frantically rushing about trying to find your ‘Life Purpose’ does not.

I’ve been spending time with a wonderful facilitator, Maggie Carter, and she describes doing inquiry as eating an artichoke.  In the beginning its easy, the leaves are fleshy and easy to hold onto, its easy to break off and juicy.  As you work into the heart of the choke it becomes harder – the leaves are spiky and smaller, there is less grip and its difficult to remove, there is less flesh to bite on, less to get a hold of.

Inquiry, and for that matter any inner work, is very similar.  When you first start this journey its fairly obvious what your hot buttons are, you can pull them off with ease and you get the feeling that you are progressing, you know what to focus on – your traumas and pain and what causes them are fairly evident.

As you journey deeper the fears, anger, hurts become more hidden, they are harder to pinpoint, harder to identify and get a hold of.  You can hit blind spots and at this point it is so helpful to have a teacher or mentor – someone who has tread the journey before you and who can guide you, or at least point out what you are blinkered to.

If the idea of a mentor or teacher doesn’t resonate with you, any of your loved ones will do!  Your loved ones are uniquely positioned, in fact its their job, to show you what’s left.  They will poke and pull and push every last button you have!  Be thankful when your mother, father, spouse drives you crazy – there it is, that spiky artichoke leaf, don’t ignore it, it’s the one to go after – what hidden agenda, belief or thought is creating the reaction or emotion, do inquiry and get it out into the open.

The spiky ones may be harder to dislodge, but they are worth it, getting closer to the heart allows great peace and love to flow in your life.  It makes you clearer and more sure of yourself and your life path.

Your emotions and reactions of fear, anger, frustration show you there are spiky ones left.  Your negative emotions are friends to be acknowledged.  Don’t feel discouraged or that things are not working – progress means pulling each and every one of those leaves off.  It may feel like you are spinning your wheels or back to square one, but you are not, the big fleshy ones have gone, you are closer to the heart.

This is a question that comes up regularly during class, and its technically a tough one to answer, because YES you can, but in reality NO you can’t.

First for the ‘yes’ part. We have all felt the impact of someone else’s energy on our own system – the angry shouting stranger in a public place, the cries of anguish from a family member or friend who has lost someone dear, the endearing look from a loved one.  Other People affect us deeply and transmit their emotional state to us loud and clear.  This goes on as part of our daily interaction with people, and as such is not unique to Reiki.  When you are in the vicinity of others, you will pick up their ‘vibes’.  So, obviously, when you are giving someone a Reiki treatment, you can pick up their vibes just as you can when you have coffee with them, or chat on the phone with them – vibes travel, that’s just a fact of life.

Now for the ‘no’.
But can you ‘absorb’ it like some kind of contagious illness?  Well, that is a totally different thing altogether.  For this to happen, you have to recognize it; identify with it; and want to keep it.  What?  Why would I want to keep anything negative you scream?!   Well, that’s my experience of it.

Awhile ago, I used to see depressed or extremely sad clients, they used to share their stories with me and I would ache with them, so tragic and awful some of their grief and trauma.  After the Reiki treatment I would feel drained and sad and just terrible for them.  I started avoiding treating people who I felt were too ‘emotional’ for this reason, I just couldn’t take the consequences.  But as the years went on and I released much of my own sadness and fear, I realized I was coping much better with the emotions of others, it just wasn’t affecting me anymore.  This is very different from being cold or unfeeling, I am still deeply touched when people share their stories with me, I can feel their pain with exquisite clarity, sometimes more powerfully then they can.  But once the treatment is over, and the tears are spent, I leave the session with simple clarity -it is their pain, not mine.

‘Protection’ Versus ‘Love’

I do not feel the need to protect myself or use any manner of ‘blocking’ methods sometimes taught with energy healing, but I do focus on keeping the energy of the room very clean, light and loving – I find that if I actively imagine ‘bathing’ both of us in love and light, I can fill myself with gratitude and love.  How can sadness even find a hiding spot in that level of energy?

Sadness, fear, despair, anger lives in a much lower energy ‘soup’.  Protecting yourself with shields and bubbles comes from the same ‘soup’ – the intention of protecting yourself from evil comes from the same fear that evil lives in, ie that there even is such a thing!  In my experience there is only love, and confusion.  Whenever I find myself confused, I stop whatever I am doing and actively bath myself in love, and in gratitude.  From this vantage point, confusion vanishes and love returns.

In short, anything that brings more fear into your life is definitely pushing you in the wrong direction, turn around and look for the answers in the opposite direction, and you’ll find the truth.

Literally…. “Is it possible to ‘absorb’ negative energy from someone else when giving them a Reiki Treatment?” YIKES!

Is it possible to ‘absorb’ love from someone else when giving them a Reiki Treatment?  Ahhh, now there is something to really consider!

Over the years I have seen the most incredible changes take place in my life in just one year, and obviously as those incredible years shape into a decade, its a big deal!

Your ideal scene does not have to be full of lofty ideals, though it can be.  Nor does it need to be ambitious or full of targets and goals, through again, more power to you if that’s what you want!  I have found each year to be different; when I first began writing them back in 2005, I was so far from my ‘ideal’ that it was indeed full of fantastic goals and dreams (all of which came true).   As the years have gone on, I have had less external goals and dreams and more internal wishes for presence, patience, and inner peace – partly due to many of my external dreams having already come true!

My suggestion to you is to get yourself ‘in the mood’ first – the higher your vibration when you write, the better.  Every month when we complete our Reiki Share we close with an intention circle, over the years the group has seen incredible success with our intentions, and I am sure it is because we are all in such a high energy state as we sit together and share our dreams and aspirations.  Our thoughts and wishes zoom into the universe with such light and love surrounding it, its really a done deal!

If you are doing this on your own and you have Reiki, it would be fantastic to do a self-treatment first before you start.  Otherwise try meditation, yoga, dancing – whatever puts you in a happy state, a place where you are more flowing, more expansive and more optimistic than you would normally be.  The bigger you can dream the better!

Law of Attraction is really about setting authentic intentions, and then moving towards them.  I remember years ago listening to Dr. Phil talk about his mother and the fact that he cannot remember one moment where she raised her voice at him in all the years he lived with her.  At the time I was stunned, it had never occurred to me that, as a mother, I could also have such a lofty ideal.  Over the years I have striven (and struggled) to temper my tone with my children and have always had something loving to say about our relationship in all my ideal scenes.  Over the years I have also seen myself improve and my tone soften to the point that this year I feel ready to stop shouting altogether.  I simply no longer see the benefit or point.  Still, its a massive ask as its been a parenting skill passed down through many generations!  But that is the point of ideal scenes – to stretch yourself into new territory that you otherwise would not have thought possible.

Its important to remember though, that ideal scenes do not create themselves.  Once you write them, be sure that you believe in them, and you believe in yourself.  Write about things you truly care about, that you are committed to, and that make your heart sing.  If you want a salary raise to get your partner off your back, or you want a better relationship with your parents because you feel guilty, then trust me, you will not have the motivation to make the changes in your habits to make it work.  Better to focus on areas of your life that you know will make a real difference to you, not to those around you.

I hope this helps make this the best year for you ever!
For an explanation of how to write your Ideal scene, please see my earlier post.

2012, Armageddon or nonsense?

As a rather energetically sensitive person, I have to say that there is definitely some pretty weird stuff happening on an energy level that is manifesting both on a global and personal level for many of my clients, friends and loved ones.  Although I don’t buy into the whole ‘end of the world’ talk, in my mind there is definitely something going on.  Many people I admire, many fellow colleagues, and in general the entire ‘light working’ industry seems to concur that at a very deep level, our consciousness is shifting on a monumental scale.

Apart from the natural disasters and the banking and economic crisis, the world is also seeing unprecedented levels of co-operation.  Businesses are taking much more seriously the prospect of being ethically honest and making profits; they are no longer counter-intuitive.  Making money out of another’s misery (although still rampant) is no longer justifiable.  People seem to be more concerned with quality rather than quantity.  And from a personal level, people are being pulled to make enormous corrections if they are not ‘on the right path.’

With social networking and the pulling of the world into increasingly better connected and global citizens, this pressure to be in the flow and authentically aligned with one’s life path is going to become increasingly important.

In my Reiki practice I am seeing many more clients suffering from what could be termed the ‘dark night of the soul’ whereby people are being called to witness their own lives with greater clarity.  Although this may be very sub-conscious, there is a deep feeling of unrest and unease that something is ‘just not right’.  It may feel like great stress, depression or bleakness and an increase in acts such as eating junk, watching mindless TV, internet surfing, drinking, gossip or any activity that is trying to dull or medicate the internal feelings.  Its important to note that this is not going to help!

2012 is going to be a very strong opportunity to shift thinking and align with your higher truth.  It is also going to be extremely uncomfortable for you if you don’t.  The energy is moving and flowing at such a rate that if you are not willing to let go of outmoded and unhelpful habits and directions in life, you are going to find it increasingly difficult to resist.  Resistance will begin to take on more drastic consequences such as accidents, illness, and increased pain.  Although unpleasant, it is also a fantastic opportunity for growth; moving into flow will reward you with much higher energy as you tap into this shift and move with it.

Pay attention next year to what makes your heart sing, and what creates more stress or fear in your life.  You are being supported on an energetic level like never before to make changes and step up.  Even minor small steps will ripple out to big changes.  You will feel great relief in just changing a few niggling resistances, cleaning up clutter, shifting small but unhealthy habits…small small things will manifest into big big things simply because all flow is being amplified.  Just remember the mantra ‘stay true, stay true’ and if you have no idea what ‘true’ means for you simply check into yourself – is this activity, thought or desire bringing more peace or stress into my life?

In other words, if you are not having fun at the moment it is seriously time to throw off the limitations you are placing on yourself and get real – if you don’t, well, frankly you are going to get increasingly large slaps in the face until you do

Don’t say I didn’t warn you!

Reiki is a Japanese word that means ‘Universal Life Force’ or ‘Universal Energy’, it flows naturally through everything and is the force, or energy, that holds our Universe together.  This energy is what I refer to as ‘energy at its purest’ and as a result nothing needs to be added or worked on for us to utilize it directly.  It’s the end product used by our cells to do its repair, work, or growth.

When we are full of energy, we flow and move with life, its like watching children – they are in flow with Universal energy and as a result they have an abundance of it.  Children can play non-stop for hours.  They have a flow of energy that comes naturally to all of us when we are young, but over time we begin to get a bit ‘crusty’, we build blocks and resistance in the body – some of this may be physical such as posture or structural issues – some of this will be mental, such as beliefs and fears which develop as we grow older – some will be emotional, such as unreleased anger, sadness or trauma.

Over time we begin to block and resist this flow of energy and rely more and more on calories.  Over generations, even these calories and nutrients are becoming more toxic, and our ability to really use the food we eat as viable life force energy is lessening.  So through our own resistance, and through the environment, we have less and less access to life force.  I hope at some intuitive level you understand, because of course from a purely scientific explanation, this is stretching the bounds for sure.  But in my experience, people know they are experiencing some form of loss as the years go on – it may be a loss of vitality, spirit, joy, whatever you might name it.

Reiki is this source that you have lost, it is the life force that flows through everything and is available to everyone.  But for most of us, we have lost the flow and we don’t know how to get it back.

In order to gain Reiki flowing from your hands, you need an attunement from a Reiki Master.  This may seem a strange condition and immediately throws Reiki into the ‘too weird’ pile, but it is a very reasonable condition.  Actually you can self attune yourself and allow your hands to channel Universal or Reiki energy.  All you need to do is resonate with reiki energy at the frequency needed, and you will tune in.  But realistically, do you believe you can do this?  Coming to a Reiki workshop takes the guess work out of reaching that energy frequency.  A Reiki Master, or teacher, has been taught how to effortlessly raise her or his frequency to the Reiki energy and through resonance you will automatically begin to tune in, simply by being in the presence of another at that level – this is because you already have Reiki energy throughout your own being, it’s a recognition of something you already have, and in that recognition the body understands how to receive more, and the flow begins.

So an attunement is really just an aid for you, it’s helping you to find the right frequency, like tuning into a radio station, its a lot easier if you have the correct frequency address and you can go directly to the station, rather than having to run up and down the entire range of stations looking for the right one – and with Reiki, would you even recognize it if you found it yourself?

Once you have found the frequency, Reiki will begin to flow automatically from your hands and you can begin to fill up.  Its like a pump of universal energy, how cool is that!  The pump is on 24/7 and will flow automatically from your hands whenever you place them on yourself, or others.

Its important to remember that it is not a belief system or religion, there is no spiritual aspect to Reiki that needs to be believed in order for it to work, it is simple mechanics – find the right frequency and bingo, it flows.

It’s an experience and I offer free talks and attunements to anyone who wants to find out more.  Imagine the possibility of rekindling your vitality, your joy and at the same time reducing your stress and building your immune system?  Isn’t this something worthwhile to explore?

Check my talk schedule here.

Placebos: The Exception to the Rule….doesn’t that make the “Rule” wrong?

I have recently finished an excellent book by Bruce Lipton, PhD, “The Biology of Belief” and am so excited by what I consider a growing body of knowledge developing into what some term ‘New science’.  Lipton reinforces what several vocal scientists are beginning to make public, the underlying energy of an organism is much more critical than we have previously believed.  We are not mechanical physical beings but we are driven by energy fields including thought, beliefs and emotions.  These energies have direct impact on our physical bodies and we ignore them at our peril.

For these New scientists they are not necessarily believers of energy healing but what they notice are too many exceptions to the “Rules”.  In pure physics, any exception to the rule means the rule is not right, there is no such thing as an anomaly in physics – the theory either works 100% of the time, or it is wrong.  In medicine, however, there are massive anomalies that are brushed under the carpet.  They have names for it “spontaneous remission” and “Placebo effect”.  A spontaneous remission is someone who totally recovers for no apparent reason – amazing and miraculous – you would think the medical profession would jump all over these people, study them as the “rule” breaker and try to figure out why.  But these exceptions are an embarrassment, a reminder that maybe we have the capability of getting better all by ourselves!

The Placebo Effect is my favourite ‘exception’.  A placebo is when patients get better by taking a false pill but believing they are on a real drug.  In 1955, Henry K. Beecher, M.D., reported on the placebo effect and set in motion the double-blind clinical testing now in place.  Beecher found that about 35% of the time, patients who took a pill containing no active ingredients experienced an improvement in their condition. Since his finding there has been much controversy over the existence of the placebo – there are powerful medical and pharmacological consequences (and dollars) at stake.  However, an excellent article in Wired Magazine outlines some of the difficulties Pharmaceutical companies are having.  It seems our Placebo response is actually getting stronger!  In terms of the huge anti-depressent market, it would seem they are no more effective than placebos, and medication is actually getting less effective over time.

The article suggests that the reason this is happening is that we have been conditioned by advertising (who says slogans don’t work?!), in other words we are so used to seeing medical ads on TV we automatically associate pill-popping with improvements and so our body responds accordingly.  There may be some truth to this as any hypnotherapist will attest but I would add to this hypothesis the growing trend towards positive thinking, law of attraction and the power of our minds.  As we are slowly waking up to the power of our thoughts, so we are taking more control over how our minds are thinking, and therefore how our bodies are responding.

Considering the side effects caused by pharmaceuticals (in 2003 a study concluded that more than 300,000 deaths per annum were caused by adverse reactions to prescription drugs in the USA, Null & Dean), it is high time we start to examine the Placebo effect more consciously, not as a nuisance to be overcome by the pharmaceutical industry.

If we open our minds to the information starting to filter through the scientific community and actually play with the Placebo.  What will increase our Placebo mind?  What enhances its effects?  Obviously our mind is capable of healing the body or the Placebo effect would be an impossibility – what can we do to help it?

Part of the reason I am so passionate about Reiki, Law of Attraction, and the Work of Byron Katie is that all these tools provide avenues for educating and training our mind to the possibility of self-healing.  In effect we are deliberately using the Placebo effect and multiplying it!  There is obviously something in it, 35% and growing is a heck of an ‘anomaly’, and I for one, like the odds!

New Singapore survey findings shine light on ways to reduce stress

Singapore, 12^th January 2012: With Chinese New Year just around the corner, many families are underway with planning their celebrations to welcome in the Year of The Rabbit. Although enjoyable to many, arranging such events can be challenging and stressful for others. However, help is at hand.

A new Singapore based study of 550 respondents shows that stress can be reduced and happiness increased in some of the simplest of ways.  The detailed findings from the survey, conducted by Singapore based The Reiki Centre, have been published in the book ‘Reiki, Pure and Simple’ – written by Reiki Master Elaine Grundy.

According to the book, 80% of people experience less stress after learning and applying Reiki, a Japanese energy therapy.  87% notice more peace after applying Reiki on themselves and 80% are happier.  These results are significant in implying that simply using Reiki can have profound effects on peoples’ stress and happiness levels.

Reiki, which was first discovered in Japan in 1922, is a form of natural therapy that claims to balance a person’s energy and can be passed from one person to another through the hands.  No particular gift or talent is required to tap into this energy, which can be learnt in a weekend class.

Author Elaine Grundy commented “When I first discovered Reiki I was working in the high stress advertising industry in Hong Kong. After learning Reiki, what was extraordinary was that I noticed positive results while not changing anything about my lifestyle. Following just half an hour of Reiki in the evening, I felt more energetic and effective in the morning.  Having more energy in your body, can help you to rejuvenate, improve your immune system and feel a much deeper level of peace, as the survey shows.”

One of the key messages in the book is the important concept of looking to yourself for healing.  Instead of looking to the outside world and others for answers, Elaine suggests that it is critical to keep balanced inside.  The survey relates many case studies of people overcoming anger, anxiety and depression simply by applying Reiki.  According to Elaine, Reiki energy is used by the body to ‘reset’ itself.  “Many of us are stuck on a stress response and don’t even realize it.  By flicking the switch back to our normal growth response allows us to experience peace and a more healthy way of relating to our environment” explains Elaine, “there is no magic to this, children do it all the time, we’ve just forgotten how.”

With straightforward examples, case studies and data, Reiki, Pure and Simple, which is now on sale at Kinokuniya and other bookstores, offers advice and hope about easily and simply lowering stress and increasing  happiness.

The Reiki Centre Singapore offers regular weekend classes that are open to anyone to attend.

Fact Sheet – ‘Reiki, Pure and Simple’

About The Book:

• List Price: S$18.95
• Author: Elaine Grundy
• Publication Date: January 2011
• ISBN: 978-981-08-6587-0
• No. of pages: 130
• Format: Softcover
• Available from bookstores and www.reikicentre.com.sg

About the Author

Elaine Grundy has been teaching Reiki for over 15 years, started her training in Hong Kong and has since been teaching around the world in the UK, Portugal, USA, Malaysia and Singapore.  Elaine has trained hundreds of Reiki practitioners whilst keeping her feet firmly planted in the corporate world, having spent over ten years in advertising, market research, training and coaching.  For years she has balanced her corporate life with a deep respect and love of spiritual teachings.  Elaine, who was born in Hong Kong, is currently based in Singapore where she runs the Reiki Centre in the East Coast.  www.reikicentre.com.sg

AUTOBIOGRAPHY IN FIVE SHORT CHAPTERS

by Portia Nelson

I

I walk down the street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk
I fall in.
I am lost … I am helpless.
It isn't my fault.
It takes me forever to find a way out.

II

I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I pretend I don't see it.
I fall in again.
I can't believe I am in the same place
but, it isn't my fault.
It still takes a long time to get out.

III

I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I see it is there.
I still fall in … it's a habit.
my eyes are open
I know where I am.
It is my fault.
I get out immediately.

IV

I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I walk around it.

V

I walk down another street.

Reiki’s uniqueness as a healing therapy comes from five main qualities:

1.  Reiki energy is osmotic: Reiki energy flows as if by osmosis and once it enters the body it will be used where it is most needed. There is no requirement to direct the energy.  In osmotic terms there is a flow from high Universal Life Energy (the air surrounding us) to low Universal Life Energy (our tired and exhausted bodies!).  The energy will flow as long as there is a difference in concentration. When there is no longer a difference in concentration, the body is in equilibrium. When Reiki is flowing it is drawn to areas of high need, it is an automatic process that requires no conscious direction or focus on our part.

2.  Reiki energy is all-encompassing: It works on all levels: physical, mental and emotional. ‘One size fits all’ due to the neutral state of the energy as it enters the body. The energy is used by the body and does not act on the body.   Like potential energy (for example, energy present in calories that is dormant until released by our cells), it is inert until ‘funnelled’ into the body via our hands. Reiki energy will drive whatever work needs to be done: on a physiological level it can be used to repair damaged cells, reproduce, build immunity, create more efficient communication between different parts of the body, or release toxins. On a mental or emotional level it can be used to promote relaxation and calm.

3.  Reiki energy flows automatically: Reiki will ‘switch’ itself on or off with no personal effort, skill, or special gift required by us. Anyone can be attuned to Reiki. Reiki flow switches on and off depending on the osmotic flow of the energy and without any conscious effort or belief on the practitioner’s part.  So just as Reiki will flow to where it is most needed without our direction, so it will also be regulated by the body’s need in terms of the amount of flow required.  This quality manifests itself whether Reiki is being given or received.

4.  Reiki energy is complementary: Reiki is complementary with any other form of healing or medication. There are no known contra-indications. Because Reiki is a neutral energy it has no innate quality of its own so it is both complementary to other forms of treatment – such as chemotherapy – and safe to use when other treatments might be precluded – such as for pregnant women and babies.

5.  Reiki energy is universal and limitless: Reiki does not use up personal energy or drain you in any way. Neither does it rely on your state of health. People who are already very sick can use Reiki to treat themselves or others. This quality makes Reiki very different from many other energy healing methods, for example Chi Gung (Qigong) healing, in which Chi (which is believed to be the life energy of the body) needs to be built up within the healer and then pumped into the person to be healed, dispelling their negative Chi. This leaves the Chi Gung Master depleted of energy. Reiki has the opposite effect in that, after treatment, practitioners often feel rejuvenated themselves having absorbed some of the energy that has been flowing through them to the other person. It is a significant benefit of Reiki that, by giving Reiki to another, you also receive it yourself.  It also means that no matter how sick you are, you can still begin rebuilding your own energy without relying solely on others.

To buy or view my book, Reiki Pure and Simple, take a peek at Amazon.com or the Reiki Centre website

The Reiki Centre website also has afew more Book Excerpts.