Hi, Friends. We are in a weird time right now, and I’m not going to pretend like I’ve got answers or solutions, nor that I am functioning normally or “on my game.” I’ve struggled a lot through this global experience.

So instead, I’ll share a list of things that have been helpful for me – some a lot, some a little, and just clarify that none of it has been or is a fix-all or cure-all. If any of these are helpful for you, I’m grateful. If any of these are not for you, that’s all good too.

If you have any recommendations for things that have been helpful for you, please share! I’d be happy to add them to the list.

Things That Have Been Helpful

? Catching up with old friends from around the country and globe over messenger and text
? Talking about things other than the-virus-which-shall-not-be-named
? Going for walks around the block with my son (we also went with neighbors – they stayed on one side of the street and we went on the other side of the street)
? Anxiety medication
? Clearing out my garden and starting seeds
? Growing seeds in the house so we can watch their progress every day
? Self-Reiki every day, multiple times a day
? Shamanic healing session by Lori Andrus (thank you, Lori!)
? Swapping funny memes with my neighbor, Kristin 
? Releasing cords of attachment to fear (thank you for the suggestion, Tonya)
? Being gratitude buddies with my friend, Jen (thank you for inviting me to do this, Jen!)
? A video post by Glennon Doyle (thank you for posting, Heidi)
? Eating lunch outside
? Noticing insects and birds in my yard
? Processing my dreams
? Crying
? Talking to my husband 
? Being honest with others about how I’m feeling
? Staying away from social media newsfeeds and news on TV
? Staying home, except to pick up online orders from the grocery store
? Eating more fruits and vegetables
? Drinking only water and juice – NO caffeine or sugary drinks (they give me the same physical feeling in my chest as anxiety)
? Religiously taking daily multivitamin and adding immune-boosting vitamins and supplements into my routine as well (thank you for the recommendations, Brandi)
? Allowing myself not to complete things
? Allowing myself not to plan things
? Allowing myself not to “hustle”
? Allowing myself not to touch my to-do list
? Stepping back from 90% of my work and only focusing on my Reiki class
? Taking naps when I need to
? Getting fully dressed every day and keeping up with my hygiene routines
? Trying a new simple art projects with my son, even if I don’t finish them
? Not spending money except on groceries and other necessities
? Shaman’s Dream Station on Pandora
? Keeping track of the little things each day – books read, funny things my son said or did, special mail and gifts received or sent, movies or TV shows watched, favorite foods and drinks, etc. 
? Playing Nintendo Wii with my husband and son – my favorite is being the vocalist on Beatles Rockband
? Taking photos
? Surrounding myself, my husband, and my son with protective white light bubbles
? Prayer
? Putting my laptop in the office so I’m not tempted to look at it every minute
? Disinfecting all grocery packages and washing fruits and vegetables with a produce cleaner I found at Campbell’s Nutrition awhile back
? Withdrawing my application to do readings at a big public event next month
? Checking in with my intuition with any questions or concerns throughout the day
? Going by a menu for lunches and dinners so we know what we’re going to make when it’s time and no energy is spent trying to figure it out
? Interesting and uplifting virtual series like Hay House’s “Radical Remission” docu-series (now over) and Greg Peterson and his “Urban Farm U” daily gardening classes
? Saying “I love you”

Reiki is known for its wellness benefits, but I wanted to share with you some major gifts I received from it that I didn’t expect when I began my Reiki journey.

1. Comfort in Being Touched – Bring on the Hugs!!

Before I began taking Reiki lessons, I was very uncomfortable with being touched. I didn’t want to be hugged and kept a wide personal space bubble around myself. Having people lay their hands on me was anxiety-producing. By the time I was at the Master Level, I couldn’t wait to get with my classmates and dive into those hugs! When I get on a Reiki table now, my mind goes to curiosity, peace, and gratitude, rather than squirming in insecurity or discomfort. Wow – I never would have thought!

2. Body Love – Wrinkles, Lumps, and All

I remember THE moment I realized just how beautiful and precious my body was. One of my classmates was on the Reiki table and a handful of us were working on various points of her body. I was by her right shoulder and as I had Reiki flowing to her, I noticed the wrinkles by her eyes. I noticed her freckles and skin tone, and the shape of her eyebrows. Besides my husband and my son, before then I had never studied a person so closely. I thought about how so many of us have hang-ups about some of those features – our wrinkles, splotchy coloring on our skin, stray hairs, and all of the other lumps, bumps, and whatnot. This thought flooded in that my classmate was absolutely beautiful and that none of what she might have perceived about herself as a flaw was the truth. The truth was that she was divinely created – created of love, and there is nothing that could make her less than perfect and beautiful. And that if that was true about her, then that was true about me too. It seems so trite, but it sang through me as a new revelation at that moment – a flipped switch. My body is just as sweet and wonderful and made of Love as my classmate’s. (And yours is too!)

3. Sharpened Intuition and Psychic Connection

Reiki is a practice in listening. You listen to the person you’re helping – not just to their words, but to their body and their soul. You listen not just with your ears, but with your body and your mind. I have seen all of my classmates and my students pick up on invisible information that showed them where or how to deliver Reiki, root causes for symptoms, or other signs and symbols. Before I began learning Reiki, I was already doing psychic readings, but Reiki became a new way to experience information, and a way to develop my ability to perceive health messages.

4. My First Spiritual Community

I’d been trying for a couple of years to find my way into spiritual community prior to Reiki. It constantly felt like I was hitting dead ends or being rejected. When I began learning Reiki, I quickly felt like I finally had a place I was welcomed and embraced. My amazing teacher, Kathleen McLean, created a space of community for us. It was not like taking a class; it was like gathering with your friends to try a crazy magical experiment and grow together. Kathleen taught us about opening and closing a circle, about connecting with Source and spiritual beings of all kinds, and plugged us in to other people, events, and opportunities for further spiritual and personal growth. The healing exchanges have continued to introduce me to new people and opportunities, and my own students in the classes I’ve taught have grown my spiritual community even more. I’m so grateful for this.

5. Friendships

The unconditional love shared in a Reiki community makes for some seriously beautiful friendships. Reiki brings trust. It brings sharing intimately of your thoughts and feelings. It brings emotional releases. It brings understanding and so much compassion. It brings mysterious adventures. It brings giggles! And all of these are the perfect recipe for friendship. Reiki brought people into my life that I wouldn’t have known otherwise and delivered the most wonderful gift: friends.

? ? ? 

There are so many ways that Reiki heals and supports… ways you can’t even imagine right now.

My upcoming Level I Reiki class begins on March 15, 2020. Join me and YOUR very own group of kindreds for Usui Reiki I – register here: https://soulbrightvisionary.com/upcoming-events/

Five days ago we said goodbye to our sweet 18-year old kitty, Daphne.

During her final weeks, it was hard to know what to do for her. Her liver and thyroid were not functioning and she couldn’t keep food or water down. I wanted her to pass away at home and told her many times that it was okay for her to go, and yet she kept hanging on. Struggling to breathe, skin and bones, starving and dehydrated. It was a terrible feeling, watching her struggle, yet knowing the body was going through its natural process to shut down. What could I do when there was nothing to be done but wait?

Reiki.

It was all I could think of. So I began delivering Reiki to her liver and respiratory system, and to her soul for a departure that would be peaceful and easy.

When I felt helpless and at a loss for what to do for her in that window between health and death, Reiki was there.

On particularly hard days, she would walk over to me and sit at my feet or come up onto my lap. I understood that she wanted more of that gentle loving energy. I delivered Reiki to her frequently over her last couple of weeks. 

In that language of understanding between us, Reiki was there.

Eight days ago, I knew we could no longer wait it out. It was asking too much of Daphne. I talked to my husband, my mom, my son, and we all agreed. And so I called the vet office and scheduled the appointment for euthanasia. And so began an immediate plunge into sorrow.

I sought out support from friends, asking them to hold space for us. I could feel love begin pouring in. I could feel Reiki in our whole home. 

In those mournful final days, Reiki was there.

On Saturday morning as my husband, son, Daphne, and I sat in the private room at the vet office spending our final moments together, I asked for Reiki to flow in and hold us all. I asked it to connect us to Love and to each other. I asked it again for a peaceful and easy transition for Daphne. And so it was. Her soul was finally able to let go.

In that final moment, Reiki was there.

We continue to grieve. We talk about her. We laugh. We cry. My son asked me if there would be an obituary for her, so I wrote one. He asked if there would be a will to distribute her belongings. “What will happen to her canned food?” he wondered. We agreed that she would want them to be donated, so we gave them to my friend’s non-profit that cares for feral cats in Beaverdale, Iowa.

One of the things that’s helping to balance things out, bringing me joy and excitement, is preparing for my upcoming Reiki class. The practice has been such a gift to my life in general, but I really see how useful and dependable it’s been these last couple of weeks. In my Level I class, I teach about Reiki for animals, and I realized this morning that when I do that, when I teach others how to use Reiki for their pets, I am honoring Daphne. When I remind people and encourage people to use Reiki for wildlife, I am honoring Daphne. Through spreading that ability to move energy that can bring comfort and peace to your pets and animals of all kinds, I honor the gift of her life, her soul, and our love. Wow. I can continue to honor my little golden girl by teaching Reiki.

Through this learning, through this connection of souls, through this loving service we can offer to Earth’s creatures, Reiki is there.