Defying the Law of Gravity

       Today I went to the funeral of a long time friend.  He and his wife made my life happier.  I had first met them when they joined our parish.  We hosted one of the parish welcome dinners.  It was such a good night, I even remember everything that I prepared.  We were not long returned from Italy, so it was three kinds of pasta, two meat dishes and a vast variety of contorni and deserts.  We ate and drank and laughed ourselves silly.
       As a member of the funeral choir,  I have been to many, many funerals.  This had the best readings, the most thoughtful songs, the most meaningful homily.  The reading from Revelations really stuck with me.  "There will be no more death, or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." (Rev 21: 4)  As the old order passes away it is time to question which things to keep and which to cast aside.  As I talked about on Tuesday, my current affirmation is "I am willing to change."  Being willing to change is releasing the attachments of the old order; body image, how to measure success, how to live.

       This picture from icanhasacheesburger.com, really captures the feeling of anything goes.   Basement cat (the name for any black cat) has made an amazing choice.  He defies gravity.  I'm not sure what my next choice will be, but I hope it is as bold as his.

Reflections on Creating

               Here it is!  My website nkyreiki.com has launched.  It is so much like giving birth to a child (though thankfully the gestation was much shorter).  Just like adding that first child to a family, you create the structure to support it (high chair, car seat, bassinet, tiny dishes and cups), decorate the nursery, then go to the hospital to give birth.  The last few weeks I have been nesting, like right before the baby is born (I'll never forget my sister recovering the couch when she was 9 months pregnant, it was a sight).
                Like a new mother, I have not slept for the past two weeks.  I kept waking up at 3 am with visions of website design or ideas for how to fix the things that were bugging me.  This gave me quite a headache when I went to the airport to pick up my mom yesterday.  She was returning from a mission trip to Vietnam.
                At the Naval Academy I studied the Vietnam war extensively.   We had many instructors who had served and I was fascinated with the region.  Maybe I wasn't sleeping also because I was worried about her.  I arrived at the airport when the flight was scheduled to land, so I had time to wait while the bags were unloaded from the plane.
              The temperature was 102 degrees. In the shade.  What's a poor girl with a headache to do?  Lie down of course.  I have learned from Joy the perfect corpse pose or savasana.  I parked in the shade, rolled down all the windows in the car and laid down in the grass.  It was brown and crunchy already, but the world was perfect.  When I got the call to leave the cell phone lot 15 minutes later, my headache was gone.  Completely.

              Mom brought home a picture that expresses the wonderful rooted, grounded feeling we all search for.  This is a tree growing in a Buddhist temple in Vietnam.  Once can see the permanence.  In Poser: My Life in Twenty-three Yoga Poses, Claire Dederer spends a chapter on corpse pose.  She asks "What if the opposite of good wasn't bad? What if the opposite of good was real?"  In my quest for the good (if not perfect) website to express my business, I had let go of the real.  Really there are usually dishes in my sink; really there are usually things on my to do list; really I like it that way.
              For a while I kept a perfect house, it was not comfortable or welcoming. I'm hoping my website is both comfortable and welcoming, please pardon the dirty dishes.

Thank heavens for little boys (they bail out their moms)

A few quick thoughts to start out your morning (oops, it is afternoon now)...
         There is nothing like experience (darn it).  Yesterday I spent hours working on the back side of this blog. Did you know that the bits of code to make the archive (or lots of other things) are called widgets?  Now I do as well.  I felt like a elementary school child, trying to memorize math facts.  It was so much harder than it felt like it should be.
          Among the changes I was trying to make was an archive by topic rather than just by date and title.  I like to use the web for information, and the old archive just wasn't cutting it.  So after searching for quite a while, I finally found a bit of HTML that would create the new archive.  Just cut one line of code and insert these seven lines.  I scrolled through code for 30 minutes, finally found it, replaced it, and it didn't work.  Couldn't find a widget on the google page.  Aak!
           Fortunately for my sanity, my son, the computer science major, chose this moment to return home from work.  He used keyboard shortcuts (who knew!), replaced the code, and it still didn't work.  So he went searching, found the widget that worked and had the new archive up and running in less than 5 minutes.  The power of practice.         
          My son says this feeling of incomprehension is the most irritating because we have a reasonable expectation of ease, given to us by books.  For the sake of the book, the chosen one learns things instantly. How annoying that we are not the "chosen one."
           There is a wonderful book by Malcolm Gladwell, Outliers: The Story of Success. In this book, he describes the power of practice in all endeavors.  Here's a bit about the book and how to cultivate your reiki practice.
          Create the life you desire.  Like many of you I read the books the secret and the power.  I attended a weekend with Esther and Jerry Hicks, listening to Abraham answer the audience's questions.   One thing that is repeated over and over is the importance of positive thinking and upbeat emotions.  This picture of the sky at Peaceful Meadow Retreat in Boulder, Colorado reminds me of me on an average day.

  After my son got the new archive going, I looked over the labels now on the right hand side of the screen.  I realized that not only was I giving a gift of these desirable thoughts and emotions to you, dear reader, I created a place for me.  As I write and edit (and figure out how to make a hyperlink) I get to spend time being happy, thinking about things I am passionate about.  Again, who knew?

Here is my mind on reiki.  These pictures were taken about 5 seconds apart on Dec. 12, 2012, the day our class sat in the Seat of Genesis at the end of the Genesis Acceleration Program.  I was just walking around, enjoying the crunch of snow beneath my boots and the smell of the country.  I snapped a few photos of the snow and sky and got a picture of the heavens rejoicing.  What a great day.

Reiki and Affirmations

2012.  A time of great change.  Everyone agrees.  It doesn’t seem to matter if you are trying to fix the Euro or following the Mayan calendar.  This is the year to take us all by storm.

This morning I heard a wonderful piece on Nora Ephron, an American filmmaker and author who died today.  I don’t have the exact quote but she was talking about how aging is one of those things that you think happens only to other people.  What a surprise when that is not true.  I feel the same way about 2012 and the Great Transformation.  Wasn’t I just going to observe it?  Turns out, it has been more like standing in a tunnel with an oncoming train.

With each challenge, opportunity also enters.  This year of great challenge has lead to experimenting with reiki and energy work like never before.  Some of my old tricks are not enough to keep up with where I am going, so I have been trying new things like using reiki to empower affirmations.  In the past I have used affirmations from Louise Hay’s book You Can Heal Your Life (Gift Edition)  and in giving attunements, but I have never used the same one for more than a few days.  This year I have given my affirmations quite a workout.

Change has always been difficult for me.  I’m the one searching out the new thing, trying the next step, but there is a well of reserve within me.  Have you ever gone to preschool and watched a child pulled away from the parent, apparently inconsolable?  If you watch them for a few minutes, soon the tears dry and the child engages in the classroom.  When it comes to change, I am both the child and the teacher trying to pull the child away.  Let’s just say it’s hard to play both sides at the same time.

Over the years I have sent loads of reiki, taken remedies and meditated, trying a variety of solutions.  Each of these has only been marginally effective.  When I tried Access Hanna Express, I was given the affirmation “I am willing to change.”  When I read it, I had the same feeling as putting on a great pair of jeans or my most comfortable shoes.  It fit perfectly.

I began work with it about a week ago.  I could feel the energy shifting as I said it aloud and gave it energy.  The first thing I noticed is that it would resolve minor physical complaints, like a stomach ache I didn’t know that I had until it went away.  The little things that the body does to tell us we are going astray.  The big confirmation came yesterday.  Tuesday is yoga day for the blog, so I teach a class in the morning, then tape and post a YouTube video of some aspect of that class in the afternoon and evening.  As I was watching one of the takes for the video, my first thought was how good I look. Now, just between you and I, my flaws are many and varied, but they were not my first impression.  Rather than finding faults, I saw strengths. 

That little affirmation, 5 short words, changed a major bias.  Our society is obsessed with perfection; the perfect face, the perfect voice, the perfect demonstration.   After years of standing in the mirror saying “I love you” to myself, it turns out, I do.  What a great place to be.

Such a Pain in the Neck!

One of my most requested classes is for pain relief in the neck and shoulders.  I love the request because there are many ways to approach it.  This video is geared to increase blood flow and mobility, then find the correct shoulder and neck alignment.  There is a brief cameo appearance by my cat, Joy.  She would not leave the room for the hour and a half it took me to shoot and edit this (yes, I am that slow).  I think she just wanted to make sure that she did not end up on the cutting room floor.

The funny thing is, when iMovie "optimized" the video, it cut off my feet so you can't see her moving around nearly as much as she did.  Though Joy is not nearly the rock star she was hoping to be, please enjoy this gentle but deep practice to open and align the upper body.

Monday Delight

I had a wonderful talk with a neighbor this morning.  She said being happy 51% of the time was a great beginning.  Here is a similar thought to start your week...

Dedicate yourself to the good you deserve and desire for yourself. Give yourself peace of mind. You deserve to be happy. You deserve delight. ~ Mark Victor Hansen, the founder and co-creator of the "Chicken Soup for the Soul" book series.

As I reread this quote, I am reminded of a wonderful trip a few years ago to Columbus.  We went to see a group of Dale Chihuly installations in both museum and garden settings.  I could not believe the variety of emotions he could draw out of me with pieces of glass.  This is a little excerpt from the Wikipedia article on Chihuly.  It describes how he found peace of mind while overcoming tremendous obstacles to his chosen career of glass blowing :

In 1976, while Chihuly was in England, he was involved in a head-on car accident during which he flew through the windshield.^[1][3] His face was severely cut by glass and he was blinded in his left eye. After recovering, he continued to blow glass until he dislocated his right shoulder in a 1979 bodysurfing accident.^[3] No longer able to hold the glass blowing pipe, he hired others to do the work; Chihuly explained the change in a 2006 interview, saying "Once I stepped back, I liked the view" and pointing out that it allowed him to see the work from more perspectives and enabled him to anticipate problems faster.

To continue to create in glass he would make a painting...

Supervise the creation.....

Then find the setting to compliment the work...

Now this is some fine lemonade made from life's lemons.  Not only did Chihuly find a way to give himself delight, but also all of those who see and own his works.

What a Cookie!

My good friends,
       Hope to see you at the reiki share at my house today at 2.  As we move and grow and change, sometimes it is easy to get a bit overwhelmed.  If you feel this way here is a great fortune cookie for you...

Don't give in to cynicism.

Enjoy your Sunday!

Saturday, cont.

Sorry, I had to add one more.  Our fates are not in our own hands, just like poor Henri...

Happy Saturday!

                   Here is a little gift for your Saturday from the site  http://icanhascheezburger.com/.  On this site, black cats are called basement cats; all of them have slight hint of ruthlessness.  After the uber-mom week I've had, this lovely black mamma cat feels just right.

Body Language

                Have you ever wondered what we did before the internet?   I was browsing the web today, looking for an affirmation to help a client.  I did find what we were looking for, but also, so much more.  On one of the pages a quote caught my eye:

“Realistically, when our body refuses to do what we want it to, metaphysically, it is not actually broken. It is doing its job. One of its functions is to carry messages from the higher energetic planes to us. It is then up to us to interpret these messages and take action.”

- Lawrence Michail  (click here for the entire article)

It is such a challenge when it feels like our bodies are rebelling.  The mind says "I could just do that run last week or I have this strange pain in my liver."  When this happens rather than complaining (or for me, after bemoaning my fate for a while), it is important to look for the cause.  For example, when I start dropping things, I’m worrying about my son in college.  Sending my energy away leaves less energy here to move properly through space.

Think about the sinking feeling in your stomach when you know you should not do something.  If the feeling is ignored, it grows. Sometimes it even grows to major physical manifestations.   We have such a hard time when it feels like our bodies are betraying us.  Really, all the body is doing is providing feedback.  I’m working on being grateful for the experience.  Let me know what you think, click on the pencil to leave a comment.

The Gift of Love

Today was one of those days.  To do list the length of my forearm, woke up motivated as all get out, but the day was well and fully hijacked by one of my boys.  He had needs that only I could help him with.

What a great gift for the two of us.  It is good to remember that there are things and people who we would give everything up for (and especially good to remember it without have a major crisis to change your world view).  It is also good to realize that there are people in this world who would give up anything for us.

Most times we go through life feeling a bit like the people in this picture.  There are so many of us, we can get lost in the crowd.  My beloved piece of this party is standing in the red shorts on the left.   Though part of the crowd, he has hopes and dreams, good days and bad days.  On those days where it feels like everything is falling apart, other people in the crowd reach out to support.

It reminds me of a movie I saw years ago.  Unfortunately, I can’t find it on the web. It was about a man who had been an extra in loads of movies.  For each film, he had a still photo of the crowd scene with a big red circle and arrow to himself.  Above the arrow, it said “Me.”  Though it feels egotistical, truly, the center of our universe is always “Me.”  There is no other way to see things than through the filter of our own existence. What is special is when those who step into our existence to make it better.

It happens all of the time.  I am so blessed to have those to love and be loved by.  So often we think we are all alone, no one cares.  It is so important to ask for help and let ourselves be served sometimes.  We all touch one another and are honored to serve.

See the Energy All Around Us

                This is it.  I’ve finally joined the 21^st century and have a smart phone.  Is it a camera? Is it a phone?  All of the above.  Having a camera always on the ready.  I’m getting the opportunity to experience something a friend showed me years ago.  Photography allows us to see the unseen.

                Here is a photo of the Cloud Gate (aka the Bean) sculpture in Chicago.  The vivid pink orb on the left was a welcome surprise.  In the last 3 years I have seen similar things in others photos.  Since November I have been seeing them with my naked eyes.  What makes this so great is that it is not a talent I have always had.  It is one that I have learned.

                I began to practice a few years ago.  My teacher, JoAnn, said anyone could learn to see energy.  I began by finding a high energy place to observe. My house is cleared and filled with reiki daily.  So I decided to go to the back yard and look at it.  On a sunny summer day energy just radiates off the house and the sky.  At first it looked like black dots winking in and out.  After about a year, they started to look like lines.  (Interesting side note: as I wrote this in my head while driving south on I-65, I tried to see the energy all around, I couldn’t see a thing.  Since being able to see energy is so new to me, I wondered if the ability had gone. Turns out, in this area, there was just very little to see.  We were driving through factory farms, both vegetable (corn and soybeans) and meat.  Though the fields looked verdant, the buildup of chemicals and animal waste poisoned the area.  As we reached an area of mixed small farms and open land, there was plenty of energy to see again. Thank Goodness!)

                This fall I learned a process called “creating” using the BioGenesis tools.  After the first class, the Course of Eternal Light, one of the things I chose to create was to be able to see the unseen.  I poured energy into it for several weeks.  One day I saw a brilliant blue circle or orb wink in and out in front of my husband.  Of course, I thought I was crazy and ignored it.  A few moments later it flashed even brighter.  When I dowsed for answers, it turned out to be his guardian angel. 

                As time has passed, I see angels more frequently.  The neat thing is, there does not seem to be any message attached.  They have no agenda.  They are just here to be with us and periodically remind me that they would be glad to help.  I am beginning to see the energy in reiki sessions, coming from my students hands and sometimes flowing through the client’s body. Again, so far it is not useful, just way cool.  Can’t wait to see what the future brings.

                Any tips, tricks or stories to add? Just click on the word comments to share with us.

Sitting Forward Bends

Well Friends,
      Here it is my first YouTube video.  Last week I received some very sage advice, "better good than nothing at all."  So, I have stopped trying for perfect and will accept good enough.  This video is about how to use a strap to safely deepen your forward bends.

Rapt in Awe

            Welcome to the new home of the Peaceful Spirit blog.  To reference earlier posts until August 1st, 2012, go to  http://nkyreiki.tumblr.com/, after this go to nkyreiki.com.
             I love to start my Monday off with a quote.  This week I am torn between the ridiculous and the sublime.  I was leaning towards Sunday's fortune cookie, but instead chose the sublime.  Here is a little number from Einstein himself.

The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious.  It is the source of all true art and all science.  He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead, his eyes are closed.- Albert Einstein

The Pace of Progress

Lately I’ve been feeling like  Dianna Ross in the song “You Can’t Hurry Love.”

You just have to wait,
You gotta trust, give it time,
No matter how long it takes;
But how many heartaches must I stand…
             So if you replace love in the song with growth  (yeah, now it doesn’t have the same meter), I am right there with her, and I think many others are as well.  How many times have you heard yourself say, “Why is this happening to me?” or “How many times do I have to clear this same issue?”  What about, “I would rather die than go on dealing with this?”  You know you are pretty worn out when you get to that one! As we journey through the year, you must remember that things are getting intense here on planet earth.  When it comes to energy and the polarity in which we live, the thermostat keeps rising so what are we to do about it?  Often we are growing and changing, but we lack the internal measuring stick that makes progress visible.

                When the kids were little we began making marks on their bedroom wall, a line at their height with a date beside.  It remains a wonderful reminder of how they grew.  Sometimes there is barely a quarter inch between marks, other times it is several inches.  I need to keep reminding myself, I am no different.  Sometimes the body is just taking on nourishment to support and other times we grow so quickly there are growth pains.  Both states are perfectly fine.

  As I talked about yesterday in “Ask the Right Question,” one of the issues that I have been working on is serving a larger variety of clients and accepting money with grace.  An interesting follow up comes from my mom.  She is the most service oriented person that I know.  When she retired we all expected her to move to some Third World country and maybe we would see her once a year.  It had always seemed strange that she taught at one of the wealthiest schools in the city.  When I told her about my big revelation, she said, of course the poorest of the poor (emotionally and socially) can be among the rich, why do you think I stayed where I did.

                After I made this realization, several new clients have booked and others who have small businesses which also try to be affordable have expressed concerns about the same issue.  Seems like it is going around.  Two years from now I will not remember this growth and again feel like my progress is stalled if I don’t find ways to note my life.  A blog is one way, but there are many others.  My favorite is a file called “The Way Things Were.”  In it I keep the little notes of people who have asked me to pray for them, the statements I sent reiki to through my reiki grid, the changes that I asked for through the BioGenesis Amplifier and Translator. I started keeping this file about four years ago.   There are many interesting things in there and I get a sense of progress by reviewing it periodically.  For example, some of the earliest were about my oldest learning to drive and now he is a better driver than I. 

                Over and over I see there really is progress.  This helps me find the place of gratitude to ensure more growth and change.  My desire is for that gratitude to fill your life.  Namaste.