The Precepts in Reiki begin with “Just for today…” and for good reason – we are only human and there are times when we get angry, and we worry, and we do a lot of other things that humans do. But if we can stop and remember that “just for today” I’m going to try to do better, we can begin to limit life’s little slips. When I am in traffic and someone cuts me off, I get angry. Since I have been practicing the daily Precepts, I rarely get angry over something like this, but when I do allow my anger to get the best of me, I am quicker to notice it and let it go. This is progress. And tomorrow, if someone cuts me off in traffic again, hopefully I’ll be even quicker to let it go. Eventually, in theory, it will simply stop making me angry. 

But lately it seems there are a lot of things that make me angry. And try as I might, I am just as angry – if not more – the next day over the same things. As a professional in the healing arts, I worry (Oh NO! Don’t worry!!!) that there is no amount of self-Reiki that is going to help me let it go. And I worry (ugh!) that people will see me, and thus the Reiki profession in general, differently because I share my anger and worries. After all, Reiki energy is calming and peace-full. If I am doing it right, and practicing my daily self-Reiki - how can I claim to be an effective Reiki practitioner and teacher if I can get so pissed off at stuff? 

The current lack of competent leadership in our nation’s government makes me angry. School shootings make me angry. Racism makes me angry. That people openly hate other people because they are gay absolutely angers me. I worry about the children who live without safe and clean drinking water. And the children living in constant fear for their lives in countries torn apart by war. The ongoing barrage of negativity, anger, and sadness seems unending and that both angers and worries me. Every day. Yesterday. Today, Tomorrow.

So, what’s a Reiki practitioner supposed to do? How do we as teachers, legitimately teach our students the daily Precepts when we can’t quite get a grasp on them ourselves? If we teach honestly as in “Just for today – I will do my work honestly” we must acknowledge our human flaws. Perhaps it is possible that anger has a place in our day-to-day living. While getting angry with the guy for cutting me off in traffic is pretty much a waste of my time and energy – being angry about the injustices in our world can lead to positive change. When I share a story on social media about a group bringing access to clean water to underdeveloped communities around the globe, perhaps one of my friends is moved enough and financially able to help support that group. Thus, my anger at the situation has become a positive. Change doesn’t come when people are all happy, well-off, and content with life. Sometimes we need to be pushed to the edge in order to commit to change. Sometimes we need to get angry. 

Like myself, most people strive to be non-judgmental, caring, and peace-filled individuals. We want to be compassionate and kind. But, I believe it is because of that sense of compassion that we find ourselves on the edge of the fray – pushing for change – fighting for the injustices and for those less able to fight for themselves. We can’t, and won’t, tolerate hate because it simply makes no sense to us. How do you hate someone because they are different from you? You are different from them – so should they also hate you? 

So, yes, I get angry. And yes, I worry. And I’m a Reiki practitioner and teacher. Reiki has made me a more compassionate person… a more spiritual person… and a more “aware” person than I used to be. And as a more compassionate and aware person, it hurts me to the depths of my soul when I see others treated poorly. I don’t think the Reiki Precepts were meant to stop us from feeling anger or worry, but rather to help us power through those times where those emotions are useless and only act as a drain on our energy. We need to learn to identify those times when we can use our emotions for more positive outcomes. So, stop shaking your fist at that rude driver and go ahead… just for today… be angry. 

​So, today I buried a squirrel out in my back yard next to the big Buddha head statue. And I cried. He had fallen into the pool and I noticed him clinging to the metal stair case pole. He was wrapped around the pole, his hips and back legs immersed in the freezing water, clinging for his life. It was 8am, 34 degrees out, and there was a thin layer of ice on the pool. I don’t know how long he was there. I noticed him from the kitchen window. My son, Alex, ran out in his bare feet, climbed over the pool gate and rescued him with the pool net. He laid him on the deck in the morning sun. The poor thing tried to move – his back legs splayed out behind him – frozen and useless. Pushing up with his front legs, he struggled to lift his head and body. I put on some gloves, got a few old towels, and wrapped him up and tried to dry him off. Placing him in a box, bundled in the towels, I gently placed my hand on him and shared Reiki energy with him in a last-ditch effort to help warm him. I knew he was beyond saving but I needed to do something for him. With tears streaming down my cheeks I wondered aloud if he was my “Loopy Squirrel” whose antics I have enjoyed watching over the past couple years. He moved his front legs a little and tried to lift his head, but the effort was just too much. I believe the Reiki calmed him in his last moments and, I hope, helped his passing be more peaceful. I know – he was just a squirrel. But I buried him. And I cried. And I’m still fighting the tears. 

End-of-Life Reiki is a gentle and loving way to help our loved ones move on. Giving the gift of peace is an amazing blessing for all involved. With one of my clients, the gift came in her ability to physically breathe a little easier. With another, it was relief from a nagging headache that just wouldn’t quit. Both of these amazing friends passed later on – the first just a couple weeks later, the second a few months later– but knowing that sharing Reiki with them gave them some relief from their pain is a gift that I will always treasure. 

When a person is terminally ill, Reiki can offer relief not only to that person, but to their caregivers and family members as well. A friend shared how her ailing parent was given a Reiki session and slept calmly that night – the first night in weeks. But, she was surprised when she also fell asleep in the bedside chair and caught up on some much-needed rest. In these situations, Reiki can be shared in the form of a more traditional session as the situation allows, or through the simple act of placing your hand over theirs and letting the energy flow. As Reiki practitioners, we learn through practice that sometimes less is more. Simplicity edges out formality. Love really does “conquer all”.