Reiki Master

Several months after the Reiki II class, I attended the Master class. The class was fantastic. The energy of this group of students was different though. There were no familiar faces in this class, aside from our teacher. I didn't feel that they understood the sacredness of this experience. Reiki I is for the student to heal themselves, Reiki II is to heal others, and the Master class is about enlightenment. 

After some instruction, one by one, we went into a separate room for our final attunement from our Reiki Master teacher. Attunements clear energetic pathways to allow Reiki energy to flow through the recipient. This attunement invokes the Master symbol as well. When I received mine, and went back to the classroom, everyone was loud and talking across the room to each other. I hopped on a massage table to be quiet and integrate the attunement. As I closed my eyes, I suddenly felt hands on my shoulders. One of the students had come up behind me and started massaging my shoulder, head, and neck. I didn't ask for it, and I wasn't asked if I wanted it. Honestly, it was a great massage, but I really just wanted a quiet moment. Reiki teaches that you should always ask for permission before giving Reiki. Shouldn't this be the same for massage or anything else? I'm not angry about it, I know she did this with a good intention, it just seemed to go along with the general attitude of the class. Many of the students (it's a small group mind you, 8 students) were looking at their phones throughout the entire class. As I said, the energy didn't feel quite right for an energy healing class. But what I learned was immeasurable.

We learned the Master symbol and received all of the information to be able to attune others. Not only can I give Reiki to myself and others, I can also teach it now too!

We learned about crystals and how they can enhance a Reiki session. We learned chakra balancing using a pendulum and crystals. We also learned how to "stitch" up an aura after an aura cleansing. Aside from the attunement, the chakra balancing was my favorite part. When the chakras are balanced you can physically see the chakras spinning when the pendulum is dropped into the chakra vortexes. You can also see when they are imbalanced by the way the pendulum swings. 

I felt that I had learned everything I needed to do a proper Reiki session after this class. What a gift to be able to share with others! And to top it all off, the Reiki teacher ask me and my friend from the Reiki II class that I had been sharing Reiki with, to work as contractors for her on Saturdays! Within six months from my first Reiki class, I am working as a healing practitioner. I believe that one of the easiest ways to know if you are on the right path, is to notice how quickly the universe supports you. 

I am now offering distance healing for people and pets on my Suitable Gifts Reiki page. I am also working on a new site specifically devoted to energy healing called: Enlightened Healing Space. It's a work in progress, but should be completed soon!

My next blog will be about some of the experiences I have had giving reiki. It has been an amazing journey, and I thank you all for being supportive in reading my blog and for your kind comments.

Suitable Gifts Reiki Services: http://www.suitablegifts.com/Reiki.html
Enlightened Healing Space: https://enlightenedhealingspace.com/

In Love & Gratitude,

Kerri Mulhern
www.suitablegifts.com

Reiki II - Healing Others

So much has happened in the last several months. I earned my Reiki II certificate. The class was fantastic. It was all women in this group, a small class of eight. One of the women from my Reiki I class was there, so it was nice to see a familiar face. She was healing from addiction and breast cancer, and said that reiki lessened the affects of the cancer treatments she went through, and even helped her hair grow in faster. She looked fantastic, her skin was glowing. The other ladies had various reasons for taking the class. Some were massage therapists who wanted to learn more to enhance their massage practices and also earn continuing education credits. Others wanted to learn so they could heal themselves, friends, family and even begin their own practices. 

Along with being attuned to the power, harmony and distance symbols, I also learned how to send distance reiki using a surrogate. I sent reiki to my bestie 1,800 miles away during the class. It was only a 5 minute session, but it was great to learn how to do it so I could continue practicing at home. It is amazing that reiki can be sent anywhere in the world, to people, animals, places, and situations. This is such a loving modality, and it shows that we are all one and truly connected to each other. I learned how to heal things in the past, present and future, how to help in healing addictions, and more about working on others.

One at a time, as in the Reiki I class, we were individually attuned in a separate room. After the attunement, I came back into the classroom and hopped on a massage table to close my eyes and integrate this sacred experience for a moment. 

We practiced on each other in class and learned how to do an aura cleansing. For everyone, and especially empaths who pick up everyone else's energy, this is a great way to cleanse the residue of other people's anger, fear, hostility, etc off of your auric field. Ever walk in a room and pick up the vibe in the air? Well, that energy can get stuck in your aura. We used a selenite wand and palo santo and learned to feel the layers of the aura. Each layer is connected to one of the 7 chakras and has a connection to our body, emotions, and spirit. 

You can use palo santo or sage whenever you want to cleanse your aura yourself, you don't need a reiki attunement to do that. Just light the palo or sage, blow it out so you have smoke.  Gently wave the stick over your head, down your body, over your hands and under your feet. Make sure to completely distinguish the stick. I usually put mine in a small glass. 

Our reiki teacher offered that we could come in after our class and use her tables to practice with each other. After the class she sent us all a follow up email, and I responded to let everyone in the class know that I would love to practice with any of them. I heard from one of the ladies in the class, and I was so psyched to be able to swap reiki with someone in a professional setting. 

We scheduled a time to meet up after work one weekday. I packed up my reiki toolkit including quartz crystals, chakra stones, a selenite wand, water, and some palo santo. Quartz crystals go around the head of the one receiving reiki to amplify the energy. The chakra stones go next to or on the chakras. Just being near the stones alone can activate the chakras. As previously mentioned, the selenite wand and palo santo sticks are used to cleanse the aura. I arrived first and took the time to sit quietly and connect to reiki. When she arrived, it was apparent she had a challenging day at work, so I offered to give her reiki first.  Then she gave me reiki and I felt sensational after! We both left the healing center on a cloud. We met once a month after that, and each time felt great. It was wonderful to have a reiki friend to learn with, share what we were experiencing during the sessions, and practice, practice, practice. 

I practiced long distance reiki on friends and family. I felt as time went on, I got better at it, and started feeling more confident in connecting and sending. There is a level of focus and intent that built up over time by consistently practicing. I developed an ease in using the symbols and hand positions. I also continued to get reiki and acupuncture during this time and practiced self reiki for 21 days after my attunement, as recommended. Self care is as important for the healer as it is for the one being healed.

I am truly grateful to my friends and family at home and at a distance who allowed me to be a conduit of reiki energy for them. I am also grateful to my teacher, my reiki friend, and reiki itself. Having this gift of reiki to share with others is a blessing beyond measure.

My next blog will be about my Reiki Master class, stay tuned!

In Gratitude & Love,

Kerri Mulhern
www.suitablegifts.com

Healing Hands

After my Reiki I certification, I went through 21 days of Reiki. Every morning before I got out of bed, I did Reiki on myself along with chakra balancing. It was a great way to practice and to experience Reiki fully. I found that things that normally would have annoyed me didn't. This included the salsa jar I opened that exploded all over myself, the kitchen counter, the walls, and the towels. It made me laugh instead of scream! 

I noticed synchronicities and lessons became more vivid and obvious. I am one who notices the signs the universe is providing us with, and Reiki helped them be more clear, and sometimes just so over the top. It was wonderful!

Reiki does wonders for anxiety, as does meditation. It has become a beautiful addition to my daily self care. It helps on so many levels of healing, but I have been so grateful for how much it calms me. 

I spent the two months in between my Reiki I and Reiki II classes healing myself, giving Reiki to my houseplants, and my sweet cat Scar. I really wasn't feeling confident yet to work on other people, I wanted the Reiki II class before I started that, as I knew I would be learning more about healing, symbols, and would have another attunement. But I did find one person to at least practice a little bit on. They were helping me as a kindness, wasn't a believer in this form of healing at all. But I appreciated the help because at least I could practice and feel better about working on people in the Reiki II class. 

When I worked on this person I felt nervous at first honestly. But as I continued up her body, I felt more and more relaxed. It seemed like she was too! When I got up to her head and finished, I started to remove my hands. With her eyes still closed, she waved her hands repeatedly towards her head and asked me to put them back! She kept saying "I need to get back, I need to get back." I was stunned. Reiki doesn't make you psychic, so it's not that I can tell what the person is feeling or thinking. I can feel heat in my hands, tingling, and I'm sure as I continue to use Reiki, my intuition and senses will become more pronounced and active. I could tell something was happening, but I didn't know what. 

Afterwards, the person told me that she could see a valley and in the middle was a blue light shaped like an hourglass. She just wanted to get to the light to see what it was. I could feel it was a spiritual experience, and this was when I truly felt the power of Reiki. I have healing hands! I don't mean this from an egoic level. Reiki is flowing through me, I'm not doing the healing, Reiki is. I'm a conduit for healing, a grateful conduit. My teacher Kim told us that even if someone doesn't believe in Reiki, it works anyway. And this certainly proved it! And it was something I needed as much as she did. I really needed to know if Reiki would flow through me. It was a gift for both of us, and I am grateful to my friend who let me practice, to Reiki, and to my teacher Kim.

Reiki can heal on all levels, emotionally, spiritually, physically and mentally. There doesn't need to be a dramatic event such as my friend had. As a matter of fact, some people don't feel anything at all during Reiki, but it still is healing. It does not replace a doctor, a needed surgery, or medication, but it can certainly compliment them. It is tapping into universal life force energy that is available and is in all of us. and all around us. It is love.

I am so grateful that my spiritual journey has led me to this path of healing. I'll be sharing my Reiki II experience in my next blog. I am grateful to you all for sharing this with me too.

In Gratitude & Love,

Kerri Mulhern
www.suitablegifts.com

From Getting Reiki To Giving It

It's been awhile since I've written, so I'm going to begin where I left off and then next week I'll give an update of the last few weeks. It's been a fun adventure!

I began taking the herbs that my acupuncturist gave me. To be quite honest, my first night was spent in the bathroom eliminating any bit of excess water in me. After that, it seemed to keep my systems regular and it has lessened bloating. 


I received the Job's Tears tea I ordered in the mail. The acupuncturist recommended it in addition to the herbs to help with weight loss. It's powder packs. I heated some water (you can use warm milk too), added a pack and stirred. It's not bad, it's creamier than tea and has a nutty flavor (since there's nuts in it!) This definitely makes me go to the bathroom more, but it feels like along with the herbs, it's getting my body back in balance.

Job's Tears Tea

I went to see Kim Krost at the Integrated Healing Institute for Reiki, chakra balancing, reflexology, and an amazing foot massage on both feet, that was very needed. This self care has been the kindest thing I have ever done for myself, and I highly recommend finding something that makes you feel good and feel taken care of. Nurture yourself.

"You, yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, 

deserve your love and affection." 

- Buddha

Reiki I class was on Saturday. I just loved it! It was a small class, 8 of us and Kim was the teacher.  I learned the history of Reiki, and the basics so I can use it on myself, plants, animals, food, and others. Kim suggested we use it for 21 days on ourselves and journal about it. I will definitely do this, I love journaling and the daily Reiki is a great addition to my spiritual practice of prayer, meditation, and gratitude journaling. Everyone was in the class for different reasons. One lady was recovering from cancer and was also a recovering addict and wanting to learn Reiki to help in her healing. A gentleman was ex-military who did tai chi and and quigong and thought this would be a natural fit. Another woman was taking the class as part of the continuing education credits she needed as a massage therapist, and two sisters came together because one was interested in Reiki and the other wanted to check it out. I wanted to learn it to help others. We have a neighbor who's son has epilepsy, and I would love to be able to give him and his mom some relief, calm, and peace. Kim noted that it's important that we make sure that we are taking care of ourselves first, and I took that in completely and will make sure I am healed and healthy before I work on others.


After the history lesson, it was time for our attunement. One at a time we went to Kim's regular therapy room and we were each given a download of Reiki. It felt very sacred, and it was a short but beautiful ceremony. She told us we could go back to the classroom after and lay down for a moment on one of the three massage tables if we wanted to, and soak it all in for a few minutes. I was the only one to do so. 

While waiting for everyone to finish their attunement, we read from the binders she gave us and had tea, gluten free muffins, almonds, and celery with dip. We stayed quiet so were weren't disturbing whoever was getting their attunement in the next room. We did collectively laugh when the first of us crunched into a celery stalk in the very quiet room.

Next Kim showed us how to work on each other. She asked for a volunteer and the tai chi guy hopped up on one of the tables. We all surrounded him and she showed us how to ground ourselves, ground the client, feel their energy flow, and how and where to touch to provide Reiki. After the lesson, she had us partner up and practice on each other.  I first worked with the massage therapist and a woman that seemed to not have much confidence in her abilities. I know that after reading and learning all that I have, it's easier for me to picture something that I can't see, as opposed to someone who is trying this for the first time. When I could see she was faltering, I told her to imagine what Kim was describing, and that she was doing well. I am sure much of it seemed way out there, but after experiencing Reiki first-hand, I have felt the energy in my body that Kim has transmitted. I feel so much more relaxed and at peace after it. I wish everyone in that room had that experience prior to class, only two others besides myself had.

Honestly, I was nervous too. As we worked on the massage therapist, I was more worried about breathing and pulling up life force energy into my hands than actually feeling what was going on in the person I was trying to help. I did the best I could, but I wasn't sure if I was remembering where to place my hands, and then what exactly I should do with them. Some of it was easy, but it was only my first try. Then we were told to switch so I hopped on the table. Oh my goodness, the massage therapist was awesome! The lady who was more unsure caught the attention of Kim and she tried to help her a bit. It is a different way to look at healing, and it really takes some letting go of typical beliefs. She really did well though, even if she didn't realize it.

Next Kim had us practice on each other sitting down. We were supposed to pretend we were at work and noticed someone who seemed in need (like having a headache or some sort of pain). I worked with the woman recovering from cancer and she told me when she worked on my head, her whole body was moving from it. I worked on her head too. She was super nice and we exchanged emails and signed up for the next Reiki class together afterwards.  

The final person I worked with was the tai chi guy. We were to work on a hand or arm or something while seated. I worked on his hand. 3 minutes is a looooong time to work on a hand! He told me I had a gentle touch. He worked on my hand and arm. 

There were times when I felt light headed and had tingles down my arms when we were working on each other. It was a pretty amazing experience. A few of the students were coming back on Sunday for the Reiki II class, but I couldn't go because it was my last day at my Sunday job. I was a little bummed because I really liked the group, but I was glad I would have some time to practice the basics before the next class.

At the end of class we received our certificates. Kim said to keep aware of how we were feeling in the days that follow. She said magic would happen. I'll definitely keep an eye out and journal about it. I will also be doing Reiki every morning before I get up. 

I signed up for Reiki II in January, the Reiki Master class in April and bought some more herbs so I can take them for a month (1 bottle only lasts 10 days). I am excited to see what magic transpires over the next few weeks. Stay tuned!

In Gratitude & Love,

Kerri Mulhern
www.suitablegifts.com

Belly Cupping, Herbs and the Tears of Job

As I continue my healing journey, I kicked up the exercise routine again. Four mornings this week I went at six in the morning before work. I also took one lunch hour to go back to the gym and sit in the sauna for twenty minutes. I know the sauna is good to relax the muscles and detox. My foot hurts after the gym still, so I've been icing it and using the massager. It is definitely better after the six week rest I gave it, but there is still the inside of my foot above my flattened arch that still aches. The good thing is though, with some ice, the massager, and a short amount of rest, it feels better.

This week I went to my second acupuncture appointment. After a short talk about how I was feeling, Elizabeth put the acupuncture needles on my head, ear, hands, belly, legs and foot to help with my foot pain and weight. She left me this time for 30 minutes to relax. It was comfortable and peaceful. I listened to the soothing music and closed my eyes. After she returned and gently removed the needles, she did cupping on my abdomen for help with my weight issues. They weren't hot, and while she moved them around, I could feel a light suction. There was no pain, and no marks. 

I also asked Elizabeth about herbs for weight loss. She gave me a bottle of Chinese herbs called Poria 15 Formula. I'm to take two tablets 3 times a day. She also gave me a list of foods to try that will help resolve dampness in the body as well as excess water. I find it so fascinating to learn about how different modalities approach how to heal the body. Frog is one of the items to help resolve water. I think I'll go with celery instead! The herbs she gave me is supposed to improve digestion, increase elimination, aid in lipid metabolism, reduce serum cholesterol, phlegm, and water excess in overweight people. It helps with "damp accumulation in the lower and middle burner." Now isn't that a much nicer way to look at being overweight? I have damp accumulation! I love it, it feels like something that can be solved instead of judging myself over it. My body is not in alignment, but I can get it there!

Elizabeth also suggested I try Job's Tears tea for weight loss too. I left the session feeling pain free, relaxed, yet excited about adding the herbs, tea, and the various foods to my healing plan (minus the frog).

Job's Tears Tea

The next day I was signed up for a college tour with my son, so I didn't try the herbs yet, not knowing how they would affect me (especially the "increase elimination" part). After over an hour of walking and standing, my foot was in so much pain. The Motrin I took beforehand didn't help at all.  When we returned home I rested my foot but it was still sore the next day.

Along with healing my body, I'm also working on my mind and the spiritual, soulful aspects of my life. I am working on bringing more joy and purpose into my life. I'm creating the life I really want. Several years ago I was let go from a job and it left me fearful of being in that situation again. I worked awhile at another job not as an employee, but in a contractor position. When I was later hired by a wonderful company at a great salary, I was afraid to let go of the other job completely. So I still worked every Sunday at it telling myself it was a good thing, what was I doing on Sunday's anyway, and it was paying off my car.

Well the truth was, I was keeping the job out of fear, it was keeping me from working on my writing and my small businesses, and it was keeping me from spending more time with my family, relaxing, and having fun. Was it worth a car payment that my full time job could afford? Well I decided to let go of fear, and make some space in my life. I know when you let go of what no longer serves you, doors open. So I let go. I was originally planning on leaving at the end of the year, but the more days went by thinking about it, the more I wanted to go! So I gave two weeks notice, and admittedly, I still feel some fear, but I'm doing it anyway!

Til next week...

In Gratitude & Love,

Kerri Mulhern
www.suitablegifts.com