I would like to recommend the film Midnight in Paris.
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/midnight_in_paris/
Inner peace is when one finds truth. Truth ‘is’. Truth never changes. There is but one truth. There is no ego in truth. That is inner peace.
Reiki is a spiritual path!
People are drawn to Reiki because they appreciate the healing side of it. Moving through Reiki I to Reiki III you develop a certain or rather a definite spirituality. Reiki is more that its healing capacity, it is a way of life – a very spiritual way of life.
Reiki begins to change the person on the spirit level. As we say today in South Africa: “It is important to wipe out corruption from the top.” Our individual corruption starts immediately we are born. We wade through life with input from everybody we meet and every situation we encounter. Reiki’s healing power stems from unconditional love, and the thought that you are perfect and the moment is perfect. Your uniqueness then develop into a very individual spirituality. It all begins with an attitude – love of life, a knowing and accepting essence and your smile.
When your energies are Reiki balanced, you have a peaceful and objective way of looking at the world. You know that the moment is perfect and that there is meaning in everything even if you do not understand it immediately.
You can (if you are so inclined) create spiritual rituals: meditative practice, breathing exercises and living mindfully and with awareness. On the Reiki path you gradually assimilate the spirituality that Reiki is; mirroring on the outside what is going on within.
Rituals/habits have a reminding effect on people but it becomes stilted. Even so, rituals can also be the beginning of something beautiful and the catalyst for positive change in your life. The only ritual you ever need to practice thereafter or ever is living mindfully. Mindfulness gives you the upper hand when living life when you need to practice
- tolerance
- patience
- empathy
- love in all situations
- being
You do not need reminding – you are.
Reiki was the awakening of my spiritual path.
Healing and Reiki treatment.
Healing is a relative concept. Some people consider they are healed after effective medication has been prescribed by a medical practitioner. Others live in chronic pain and consider themselves healthy. Other people invent illnesses and grumble to feel whole and noticed. Have you ever seen a child complain of stomach ache while touching his head or arm. Health and illness are very complex.
Having your energy balanced with a Reiki therapy heals your being on many levels, beginning at the spiritual level.
Firstly - Reiki is channelled not directed. The practitioner channels and the energy treats the whole body with Reiki energy.
Secondly - Reiki is not a diagnostic tool. Illness and pain originates in the persons auric field. Many symptoms are experienced before it manifests in the body itself. The origin of the illness is obscure to our scientific way of thinking. We cannot prove that certain thoughts/circumstances are making us ill, we start treating the symptoms and the thoughts embedded continue to call for understanding through our dis-ease.
Thirdly - receiving a Reiki treatment the universal energy starts working on a spiritual level; giving the receiver’s body a unique chance to begin heal itself and then gives the receiver the opportunity to look at their dis-ease from an alternative perspective.
The Reiki practitioner in the process of channelling universal energy raises his own energy. The client who is experiencing a lower vibrational energy period then starts resonating to the practitioners’ higher vibration which in turn gives the receiver’s physical body the opportunity to heal. Generally immediate relief is experienced. An immediate flow of energy allows for this to happen. Where illness and awareness takes times to shift to the new vibration and understanding, relief is felt over time.
Reiki heals on all levels of existence. The intent of the Reiki practitioner of unconditional love and no-judgement and the client’s energy resulting in an opening up to receive and giving the body the opportunity to take from the channelled energy what it needs to become whole. Reiki is never forced or directed – it is allowed to flow and balance energy and therefore it cannot make illness worse.
We have lost our faith in the ability of the body to heal it self.
In Dummies.com exploring the meaning of spirituality – spirituality’s two main considerations are:
- “Allowing yourself to be filled with inspiration, which also translates into love, joy, wisdom, peacefulness, and service.
- Remembering that an inevitable expiration awaits to take you away from the very circumstances you may think are so very important right now.”
Meditation has many benefits -
- You begin to look healthy because you are calming down.
It decreases:
- respiratory rate and increases blood flow
- muscle tension and reduces headaches
- eleminates stress and most of its symptoms
It improves:
- mental concentration
- high blood pressure
- memory, strengthening the mind, and,
- it leads to deep levels of relaxation.
It reduces:
- anxiety attacks
- emotional distres
- pre-menstrual syndrome
It builds confidence.
It helps in post operative healing.
It enhances the immune system; increasing the acitivy of natural killer cells which kill bacteria and cancer cells.
READ MORE
“The infant draws in a long deep breath, retains it for a moment to extract from it its life-giving properties, and then exhales it in a long wail, and lo and behold – Its life upon earth has begun. The old person gives a faint gasp, ceases to breathe, and life is over.”
Human physiology is dependent on breath. Breath is the most important of all the functions of the body.
NB – The healthy way to breath is through the nostrils – it is the organ that protects the breathing system completely.
Silence – Stop talking!
Silence is as deep as eternity; speech, shallow as time.
Thomas Carlyle
There is no equivalent for attaining a deep connection with your soul by honouring a period of complete silence. I attended a four day retreat a while ago with 140 other attendees and for approximately 60 hours we were required to be quiet.
During this time I realised:
- Just how unnecessarily we talk during the day.
- How futile general remarks are.
- Every time I wanted to comment on something and couldn’t, the thought or communication stayed with me for a little while and then disappeared. There was no mulling over of useless thoughts.
- Our dialogue is ad hoc and we rarely think before we babble. When I did not share a thought, I looked at it more intently and appreciated it from angles I would not previously have noticed.
- Most of the time when I did not agree or like what I saw or what happened, I walked away. It saved me and others from my egoistic self.
- How much extra ‘time’ not talking afforded me during the day.
On a deeper level I realised:
- How deep my observations became as time passed. I wasn’t preoccupied with my response but I became present in the situation.
- Quietness, not previously experienced, overcame me.
- Calmness is part of being and not of doing (talking).
- My driven nature of ‘want’ calmed down; considerating and contemplating just what I needed in comparison to what I wanted.
- Self-sufficiency is a virtue and burdening others with my thoughts is a vice.
- How powerful the practising of silence can influence your attitude, emotions, outlook and the connectedness you feel with others.
Being quiet and not communicating is two different things. During the 60 hours we constantly communicated quietly. I could interpret the meaning of a smile or frown or hand gesture any which way I chose. Body language became paramount to understanding or perception. Empathy was easy because you were present (attending to a person need for comfort) and not uttering all those mindless cliche’s. A responding smile could erase an initial frown immediately.
We laughed a lot; not because we laughed at each other but because laughter became a natural form of communication. Looking back negative forms of communication was rare or non-existing during the 60 hours of silence; nobody cried, hit out, became irritated, etc. If a communication was not understood most people pulled up their shoulders and let it go.
In the attitude of silence the soul finds the path in a clearer light, and what is elusive and deceptive resolves itself into crystal clearness.
Mahatma Gandhi
I found a web page with a quiz:
http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/1HpTwl/personality.visualdna.com/1/index.php
You’re a Seeker. A good listener with a heart of gold, you’re someone your friends know they can rely on for support and advice in good times and bad. You’re kind and generous and helping others comes naturally. A sensitive soul with an expressive nature, you tend to be quite a romantic at heart. Sometimes you love nothing more than escaping into your very own dreamworld. Spontaneous new experiences can be really inspiring to you and you like exploring your creative side from time to time. Right now, you may feel like life’s a bit boring. You’re stuck in the same old routine and could probably do with bit of a change. When it comes to bringing positive change to your life, don’t try to move mountains. Baby steps are definitely the way forward. For example, if you’d like to lose weight, don’t set yourself up to fail with unrealistic goals. Be kind to yourself and remember that slow and steady wins the race. It’s important to remember to tap into your inner strength and to believe in yourself. Take on new challenges and stay stimulated so you remain enthusiastic and inspired by life. As a Seeker, you get excited by new ideas. You like adventure and original experiences that stimulate and challenge your status quo. Stay inspired with a rich mix of activities, and find time for hobbies that allow you to explore your creative side. Learn to recognize when you need variety in your life, and then incorporate it into your daily plans. There’s no better way to feel centered and balanced than to spend some time out in the fresh air. You understand that a change of scenery can reinvigorate you and remind you of what matters most in the world. Remember, it’s not a luxury but a necessity, so allow yourself that quiet time as often as you can.
The cat, triggered alarms and bank call
centres – Survivor of modern technology
I received an email from British Airways to
inform me that I can upgrade my upcoming flight to Heathrow – more leg space,
wider seat and maybe a newspaper. Ah, why not spoil myself this time.
Soooooo …..
I go to the BA webpage – upgrade one way -
the return flight’s upgrade is exactly 4 times more expensive. Eish.
Get to payment. Enter my credit card
details, the same details I paid for the full booking last month with
absolutely no problems. No, not good enough this time, I need to verify my
credit card.
I call FNB, I wait, I sing along, I talk to
people (actually I am convinced they are robots. They pretend to help.) I stay
on track – don’t lose my temper because I have lost my mind during the process
of entering verification information every time I am disconnected or have to
call another division. My nerves are frazzled when my alarm is triggered by
something or someone on my property. I persevere. Reset the alarm and begin
again.
The cat – my beloved ball of black wool -
sidles up to me for some affection. He usually attempts to sit on my mouse pad,
mouse and hand for maximum attention. It is not conducive not navigating on the
internet. Especially the minute form boxes one has to complete for FNB. I have
heard that cats are able to take on their human owners’ pain, frustration,
illness, etc. He tried – but the time was all wrong and the atmosphere was charged
with such frustration that, if he had a human face, the horror of what happened
to him next, would have been a true reflection of the burst of negative energy
he encountered at that moment. His actions showed it all – he took two leaps,
one in the air and the next out the window in less than a second. I’m glad, but
also ashamed, to say that he left no marks on his way to safety. I love you
Frankie, please come home.
The security agent jumped over my wall to
check on the first triggered alarm and set off the alarm again just as I was
talking to the 7th FNB ‘robot’ cutting off the call at a point of crucial
instruction. Have you ever tried to call back and speak to the same operating
robot after a cut off? Mission impossible.
Trials and tribulations don’t come one at a
time. It took me 6 hours from 9 o’clock this morning to 15:45 to do so on the
FNB web page. It included 7 calls to various numbers. It also included a trip
to a branch. I returned home and still I could not get the card verified/validated/accepted.
Another call to their landline – holding on for 20 minutes – logging in and
logging out quite a few times. Finally it worked – but my day is gone and I
feel like committing suicide.
On the positive side: Not even a
combination of British Airways, First National Bank and it’s robots and the
internet was able to break my determination and have endorsed the fact that I
am a survivor of modern technology, albeit a frazzled one.
I am available on my own conditions
Negative people
- Judge everything and everybody
- Blame others for everything
- Get stuck with problems
- Are prone to limit themselves because of sad experiences and generally listless
- Are unyielding and obstinate
- Are always part of the problem
- Fight resistance and opposition
- Are apathetic
- Struggle
Positive people
- Are tolerant – they live and let live
- Take responsibility
- Create solutions for challenges
- Learn from adversity and
- let go with ease and change effortlessly
- They dream and create the “impossible”
- Are open minded
- Are part of the solution
- Surrender to their circumstances and adapt
- Are enthusiastic
- Happy
Read more on Know Yourself article Mind Power.
Wisdom, knowledge, love, life, ubuntu
I have recently been confronted by so many people who for some reason felt extreme guilt, anguish and confusion about life’s polarities.
1) It does not matter whether you are poor or rich or pretty or intelligent. Somebody out there will be better looking, richer, poorer or more intelligent than you or less. Our existence is one of polarity. If we did not know cold how will we know warmth?
We walk on this earth with ubuntu (an African ethnic or humanist philosophy focusing on people’s allegiances and relations with each other). We can reach out as much as we can to those less fortunate than us. Or admire those more fortunate than us. We can also be thankful for what we have. The concept of happiness is wanting what you already have and working with it to the best of your ability. That is the measure of being human today. As humans we may do for others as much as we are able to and rest in the knowing that we have aspired. But the bottom line is, that we must also respect others’ choices and paths they have to walk. We can only look on in humility and admire people’s determination and resilience.
2) If at some point we realise that we have not done well (fast enough) in some circumstances. It is important that we feel the emotion of disappointment and learn from the experience. Do better next time. But also realise that you can only do the best you can. It is never too late to learn something new and expand our outlook with knowledge or experience. If we realise that it has taken longer that it ought to have taken, to grow and develop into a more rounded individual, also realise that it was the path we had to walk.
It is our contract with our soul group and ourselves that has necessitated the delay/joy/hardship/circumstances/environment/situation. Rarely has anything wow culminated from a bland situation. It is when our boundaries are tested that we have an opportunity to expand by having to make choices we would not make under normal circumstances.
We judge ourselves too harsh. I sometimes wonder if we would voice the same judgement in the face of a perceived enemy that we constantly voice to ourselves.