Believe It, Or Not...

One of the great early philosophers of both Eastern and Western Christianity was St. Augustine. He lived from 354-430 AD and was the Bishop of a Roman province called Hippo Regius in the area now known as Algeria in Northern Africa. Among St. Augustine's tremendous body of theological works were arguments defending the church from allegations of magic, sorcery and witchcraft (Reiki healers never hear those contentions from skeptics, do we?). St. Augustine summed up his rhetoric on the topic with the observation that: "Miracles do not happen in contradiction to nature, but only in contradiction to that which is known to us in nature."

Fast forward to the 19th century, and we find that the logic taught by St. Augustine is supported by the great physicist Albert Einstein in his famous quote: "We know nothing at all. All our knowledge is but the knowledge of schoolchildren. The real nature of things we shall never know."

Although I am not aware of any evidence linking either of these men to energy medicine in general, or Reiki in particular, it is obvious to me that they would have had no trouble believing in the healing power of Universal energies which are not obviously visible or documented in mainstream scientific evidence. Both of these men were brilliant enough to realize and openly admit that we as humans are aware of and understand only the most minute portion of our earthly existence and surroundings.

Although it has long been known by Reiki healers that a Reiki session will work without regard to whether the practitioner actually believes in Reiki or not, I believe that the healing power of the energy will be complemented and perhaps accelerated by the belief and faith of both the practitioner and the client in its benefits...call it "power of positive thinking" or whatever, but faith in Reiki to do only good certainly can't detract from the process.

As Reiki healers following in the mission shown to Dr. Usui on Mount Kurama, we have an obligation to our calling to continue and expand the practice of Reiki throughout the world, and to further that goal, we must always be sure to present Reiki in the positive and professional light it deserves. Now I'm certainly not suggesting that Reiki healers should be street-corner preachers thumping Usui's handbook and shouting to the masses that damnation is certain for those who don't believe. Such over-the-top behavior would certainly be counter-productive and detrimental to mainstream acceptance of the validity of the practice, relegating it to a cult-like religious persona.

Obviously this is not what we want.

I believe that the best contribution we can make to Dr. Usui's calling is to be well prepared, knowledgeable and factual whenever we are called upon to explain what Reiki is all about. Never portray Reiki as mystical, paranormal, religious or incomprehensible. Keep the explanation simple and concise, and always point out that Reiki is a complementary therapy and should never take the place of traditional medicine. Explain that Reiki is a healing technique rooted in ancient Chinese Taoism and rediscovered in 19th century Japan to balance the body's energy system through a laying on of hands. It benefits the client by clearing blocked energy pathways, thereby helping them heal, or simply to remain grounded and healthy. Importantly, leave your ego completely out of the discussion or thought process by pointing out that you, as a trained Reiki practitioner, have simply been given the ability to channel Reiki energy and have no mysterious or unique powers of your own other than a compassion to heal. You could even go so far as to add that all people are capable of this given the right initiation, and if your practice includes teaching, let them know about your classes.

I sometimes add to the discussion, time permitting, that there are many schools of energy medicine, just as there are many Religions, or many languages. Using a different technique to achieve the same balance in the energy system is no different than believing in a higher power but calling him or her by a different name than your neighbor does. I sometimes loosely compare Reiki to Pranic Healing, Acupuncture, QiGong, Tai Chi or Ayurvedic practices in the same way one could compare Christianity to Judaism to Buddhism to Hinduism to Islam and so on. Different terminology and practices, but all effective and all for the same basic goal. Similarly, this article could have been written in French, German, Sanskrit or Russian and would have conveyed the same information.

Whether it be energy healing, religion, or any other modality, it is obvious that the Universal consciousness caused humanity to uncover methods to reap the benefits when necessary, although these methods differ somewhat from being evolved in different and distant regions of the Earth.

If such an explanation doesn't satisfy your inquisitor, invite them to take a session and even go so far as to offer them a full money-back guarantee if it doesn't make them feel better. Trust Reiki to take it from there.

Keep in mind that there will always be skeptics. This is not a bad thing. Reiki itself functions completely as a free-will system and doesn't get offended if someone doesn't believe. Things will happen whenever, and for whomever they're supposed to.

Just for today...don't worry!

Bob McGrath
Master Practitioner/Teacher
Pathways to Harmony

The Reiki Hall of Fame...

Being an avid baseball fan, I have been lucky enough to live less than an hour's drive from the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown NY for my entire life. As is typical of most of my passions, I am not only a follower of current day-to-day happenings and contests in Major League Baseball, but am a devout student of its long history of legendary players, so the Hall of Fame is always a very spiritual experience for me.

Besides being a fan of baseball in general, I have always paid particular allegiance to the New York Yankees. My boyhood hero was Mickey Mantle, the Yankees' superstar outfielder of the 1950's and 60's, and "The Mick" is of course well represented in Cooperstown with lots of memorabilia bearing his energy (my year and half old border collie is named Mickey).

I could spend days pyrometrically exploring the stories in the many wonderful exhibits there. Examples that come readily to mind are the actual lockers of Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig, heros from an earlier generation whose legends still loom large over today's game. Simply placing my left palm on one of their lockers opens the door to an amazing clairvoyant journey.

But my experiences inside the Museum are not the subject of today's article, which concerns a much more grounded experience during a recent visit to Cooperstown.

Just for something to do on a rainy Spring Saturday a couple of weeks ago, my partner Bonnie and I decided to take a ride to Cooperstown. She's also a baseball fan and specifically a Yankees fan so I didn't really have to twist her arm. Along the way, we stopped at a small Native American shop near Cherry Valley NY to have a look. Bonnie has always enjoyed a special connection with Native American shamanism and animal medicine, so I thought she would enjoy this shop. I always enjoy browsing through all genres of spiritual offerings, and Native Americans tend to provide some of the most powerful examples.

Just last month, I attended a drum making workshop where I was able to make my own hand drum with an Elk hide head and maple shell...given my musical background, this was a wonderful experience. It has been on my "to do" list for a while now to write and record my own meditation and treatment music, and having a drum so infused with my own energy brought me one huge step closer to that goal. We went back to the studio where I made my drum just this week for a drumming circle with crystal singing bowls...what an amazing evening meditating to a soulful rythym, part of which was coming from my own hand made drum!

I've also had my eye out for a Native American wooden flute for a while but hadn't found one that called out to me yet...that is until we stopped at this shop in Cherry Valley.

The store had a small display of hand crafted "High Spirit" flutes by Chippewa craftsman Odell Borg, and beaming off the rack at me was a beautiful walnut 6 hole flute with a red hawk for the fetish. I didn't even have to play it or ask about the price...I knew this was the flute I'd been looking for and it came home with me. When checking out, the store owner told me she'd only had that flute for less than 24 hours! Formerly I would have chalked up such an experience to being in the "right place at the right time" as happenstance, but since I have embraced the Reiki lifestyle, these type of things seem to follow me around. Coincidence? There is no such thing!

The flute is beautiful both in appearance and tone, and I have learned to play it quickly so I should be getting that CD done soon. But again I diverge from the story...I should rename this blog to "Bob's Reiki Ramblings"...

Bonnie and I continued on our way to Cooperstown and when we got there, it being a Saturday and all, there was not a parking spot to be found. I pulled into the public free lot at Doubleday Field, the ball park associated with the Hall of Fame, and as I pulled in I said to Bonnie: "Reiki will find us a parking spot". Sure enough...the words weren't even completely out of my mouth when straight ahead was the only empty parking spot in the entire lot.

I quietly thanked Reiki for the gift and was grateful to have been touched once again by the wonderful way its energy orchestrates my universe. When we got out of the car, we noticed that the car parked immediately to our right had just lost its entire rear window...the casualty of a foul fly ball from a game going on inside Doubleday Field. If I didn't have such total trust in Reiki, it might have crossed my mind that perhaps the space I found was available since it was known to be in the "line of fire" for errant baseballs!

We then spent several hours touring the Hall of Fame exhibits, having a nice lunch in a local storefront diner, and walking lazily through the many small shops in historic downtown Cooperstown. We then returned to Doubleday Field to retrieve the car, and immediately noticed that in the same spot directly to the right of my car, a different car was now sitting with a back window shattered by another foul ball...yes...same parking spot...different car...both "hits" right next to my car which had been obviously guided to this spot and protected by Reiki.

Reiki is an awesome gift from our creator, and the little things it does every day to make my life better are simply amazing so I make a point to try to notice them and show gratitude for each and every one. This is just one very simple and earthly example of how bringing Reiki into your everyday life can bring benefits you could never imagine...some with huge life changing significance...and others as small as avoiding the inconvenience or cost of a broken window.

Be open and believe, and good things will follow you.

Just for today...be grateful!

Bob McGrath
Master Practitioner/Teacher
Pathways to Harmony

A Reiki Connection

I recently attended an exceptionally enlightening combination ART/Master class with nearly two dozen other Reiki practitioners from around New England. The class was facilitated by William Lee Rand, founder of the International Center for Reiki Training. William is the Western world's defacto expert on all things Reiki, and he is the author of the textbooks currently used by nearly all western Reiki teachers. His classes are wonderfully enhanced by his depth of knowledge and his exceptional skill in helping students realize deeper understanding of their spiritual path through guided meditation.

Since one of the subjects addressed in the ART (Advanced Reiki Training) level class is how to use crystals and gemstones to enhance the effectiveness of Reiki sessions, William invited us to bring any of our special stones or sacred objects to the class and place them inside a crystal grid in the center of the room to absorb energy for the duration of the class.

This was a 3-day session, and since it was within driving distance of my home, my plan was to commute back and forth each day rather than stay at the hotel where the training was being conducted. For the first day, I had brought only a couple of very special stones with me that had personal significance. I placed these in the circle, along with a business card for the Reiki practice my partner and I are developing, intending and praying that the energy of the class would help our venture move forward successfully. That small guided act with the business card is now paying indisputable dividends, but that will be the subject of another article.

On day two of the class, I was leaving my house for the drive...actually I had already locked the door and was getting in my car...and I very clearly and clairaudiently heard the words: "You forget your crystal ball". This was particularly strange because, although I owned a crystal ball among my many often eclectic possessions, it had no real meaning or connection to me and mostly sat abandoned on a bookshelf in my bedroom. I had wanted one for a long time since I have a great interest in divination and scrying, but I had never found one that really spoke to me energetically so I had settled on this one during an extensive search of the many spiritual shops in Salem MA. Although this crystal didn't give me any particular energy, it had an aesthetically attractive flaw which caught my attention so I bought it.

Despite the fact that I wasn't particularly attached to the crystal in question, I have learned that when my guides speak to me, I need to follow through, so I went back in the house, went upstairs, grabbed the crystal ball, dusted it off and was on my way again. When I got to class, I added it to the collection of everyone's sacred objects being charged in the grid in the center of the training room.

Later that morning, William led us on a wonderful guided meditation to meet our Reiki spirit guides. During the meditation, I had the most beautiful experience of arriving at the level of the illumined beings and being greeted by Jesus, my primary spirit guide. On this particular visit, Jesus passed me off to a diminutive man who appeared to be of Tibetan or some other Himalayan heritage. He was dressed as one would expect a Buddhist monk to dress, and he never spoke a word, but took my hand and led me to the center of a large room where we sat on the floor and he showed me a "movie". I still cannot explain the mechanism by which he showed this film...there was no screen or projector...it just appeared in the air like a holographic image - it looked a lot like an old 8mm home movie complete with the noise of the projector running and the grainy choppiness of the video quality (now I'm really showing my age...not everyone knows that before Blue Ray, DVD, VHS and even Beta was eight millimeter!).

The film began by showing me purchasing my crystal ball in Salem MA and then jumped forward to the present time in this Reiki class. I saw myself get up from my chair in the circle, walk over to the grid, pick up my crystal ball and walk over to another student and present it to her as a gift.

This other student is a woman named Sharon who is a long time acquaintance of mine from work. Although we have known each other for well over twenty years, we rarely saw each other and were never familiar enough to be called friends, just mutually respectful co-workers on a professional basis. Despite all of this, it was actually because of me that Sharon was in this Reiki ART/Master class. Several weeks earlier, Sharon had called me out of the blue because a mutual good friend named Mark had mentioned to her that "Bob is into that Reiki hocus pocus too." You'd have to know Mark to appreciate him...he's a great hearted and devoutly religious man...just not all that in touch with spirituality. Anyway, as Sharon and I shared a conversation about our common interest in Reiki, I mentioned to her that William was going to be giving the ART/Master class locally. Sharon eventually decided to register and take the class.

After William brought us back from our meditation, he asked if anyone would like to share their experiences. My journey had been so direct and exciting this time that I couldn't wait to share it, and I relayed the story to the group much as I have here, closing my comments by telling Sharon that the crystal ball was now hers as the universe intended, and I had obviously just been the "delivery boy", not unlike the Reiki practitioner's role in any Reiki healing session. It was at this time that I noticed that Sharon had been holding the crystal ball nestled snugly in her lap throughout the entire meditation, having obviously been powerfully drawn to it.

She immediately began to cry...joyful and healing tears...and then told the class that in the previous day's meditation when she was addressing some particularly nasty demons from long ago in her life, she was shown this very crystal ball and became aware that it was a key to her healing. When she walked into the class that morning and saw it in the circle, she had no idea who brought it or why it was there, but she recognized it immediately from her meditation. Remember...this crystal had a very specific and unique aesthetic flaw which is what caused it to catch my eye in the first place so it is easily recognizable.

The guided journey that brought this crystal home to Sharon is simply an amazing example of the energetic connection which binds all members of the Reiki universe together. Reiki chose me to be a channel to deliver this crystal to its intended home for the greater good of all involved, and I felt honored to have been used for healing in such a wonderful way. I know Sharon will always treasure and care for this crystal. She has already been significantly healed by its energy, and after all is said and done, healing for myself and others is the only reason I embraced the Reiki life in the first place.

This was just one of many healings that took place during our class, and the entire hotel seemed to pulse with Reiki energy as the class went on. The experience was so defining and life changing that my partner and I decided not to commute home after the second day but rather to stay at the hotel to enjoy and absorb the energy overnight.

Several weeks after this experience, I had the opportunity to speak to Mark, the mutual friend who had caused Sharon to call me about our common interest in Reiki by his innocent, off-the-cuff "hocus pocus" remark. When I told him the story and explained how he had played a key role in this chain of wonderfully spiritual events, I could tell his heart was warmed that his God would allow him to be a part of something so beautiful.

Just for today...don't worry.

Bob McGrath
Master Practitioner/Teacher
Pathways to Harmony

Pretty Feet

I know that it shouldn't surprise me when I experience the wonderful beneficence that Reiki brings to those who seek help. After all, I have seen positive yet inexplicable results so many times after Reiki's healing energy channels through me to a client that no doubt exists in my mind of the power of this wonderful gift from the Creator. Still, every once in a while, the facts of an experience that I witness just amaze me!

I have been giving sessions for a while now to a woman I'll call Linda (not her real name) as a volunteer for Hospice. Linda is nearing the end of her battle with cancer and has managed to maintain the most pleasant and grateful attitude one could imagine, despite her difficult situation.

When I first met Linda, she was in so much pain that she literally could not be touched, so I had to do the entire session with my hands just off her body. By the second session, she had improved so much that she wanted hands on contact for her sessions. She continued to improve and get stronger over the course of several more sessions, an observation that both her Hospice nurse and her primary caregiver shared with me.

There was a downside to Linda's improving condition. She now felt strong enough to deal with the emotionally painful aspects of the dying process - getting her "affairs in order", as they say. Among other things, there had been hard feelings with her adult daughter, exacerbated by the daughter's refusal to accept her mom's impending mortality. In opening a window to reconnect with her daughter, Linda's time for Reiki sessions was sacrificed for over a month. She claimed that the sessions left her so peaceful that she couldn't stay awake to carry on a conversation (she did routinely fall asleep during sessions - often the only good rest she got).

Eventually, Linda's nurse reached out to me and asked me to contact Linda again to offer Reiki. Her condition had started to deteriorate and she was hoping Reiki could help alleviate her suffering. When I arrived at Linda's home and asked her how she was doing, she was tearfully upset that her feet were badly swollen. Not only did this make it difficult for her to get around using her walker, but she was heartbroken that her feet, which she had always thought were her most beautiful asset, were now "ugly" (her description, certainly not mine). She went on to tell me that her nurse had explained that multiple tumors in her groin were affecting the lymph nodes and causing the swelling in her feet. The swelling was so bad that the nurse had cut the elastic on Linda's socks since it was digging into her ankles causing additional severe discomfort.

I told Linda that there were some additional Reiki methods I could try to see if it helped. Linda has always been a very open and eager client, and she knows firsthand the power of Reiki so she asked me to use whatever techniques I thought were appropriate. Having recently completed a Master class, I was guided to use a couple of newly learned adjunct techniques in addition to a full Reiki session.

First, prior to starting the session, I covered Linda's groin area with a cloth depicting the male Antahkarana symbol, which I had learned could strengthen and focus the healing energy. I also placed a cloth with the female Antahkarana under Linda's feet. I then proceeded to do a complete session with all the hand positions. By the time I finished, Linda was sleeping peacefully . Rather than wake her, I was guided to use another technique...psychic surgery...to try to pull the offending tumors away from her lymph nodes. I lengthened my Reiki fingers and visually reached in, wrapped my fingers around the tumors and visually pulled them out and threw them aside. At first, the effort necessary to pull them out was immense, but it got easier each time and once it stopped requiring effort, it seemed I could stop. I then smoothed Linda's aura and sealed the session.

Linda soon woke up and I helped her to her chair on the back porch, one of her favorite spots, while I packed up my table and supplies. I hadn't even finished folding up my table when Linda excitedly called to me to come out to the porch. She was smiling broadly and holding her legs out so I could see her feet. The swelling was completely gone! Her socks, with the cut elastic, were so loose as to be falling off. Linda was so happy to have her "pretty feet" back. What a wonderful gift of kindness for Reiki to bestow such comfort on this long-suffering gentle woman.

You could not make this stuff up!

Just for today...be kind to all people.

Bob McGrath
Master Practitioner/Teacher
Pathways to Harmony

Use Reiki for Everyday Situations

Recently, I had to fly from Albany NY to Greensboro NC for a meeting. If you've ever heard the ironic claim that: "You can't get there from here!", that would apply pretty well. Albany is hardly a major transportation hub in the first place, and Greensboro isn't much of one either. Non-stops between the two cities don't exist, and itineraries which boast only a single layover are even hard to come by. Nevertheless, I had managed to line up a relatively painless route which had me leaving Albany at a decent hour, 9:14 AM, with a stop in LaGuardia of only about 2 hours, which I had planned to spend on a nice leisurely lunch. I got to the airport in plenty of time...a little more than an hour and a half early...and the security screening was a breeze. I didn't hardly even have to slow down. The TSA folks and airport staff all seemed to be in good spirits, especially for a Monday morning. I grabbed a coffee at one of the fast food places and took a seat in the waiting area for gate B10 where the overhead information sign cheerily informed me that my 9:14 flight to LaGuardia was "On Time".

I sipped my coffee for a few minutes and sent HSZSN distant Reiki to my travel plans for safe and smooth travels. At that exact moment, I received a clairsentient message to install the US Airways mobile application on my cell phone. I have to say that I had no idea if US Airways even had a mobile app, but not wanting to ignore my spirit guide, I soon located the app, installed it and registered for alerts as a user. Within 30 seconds, I received a text message from US Airways thanking me for registering, and another message immediately after graciously letting me know that my 9:14 AM flight to LaGuardia had been cancelled due to fog in NYC - not delayed mind you, but cancelled, leaving me with grim prospects for a successful same day connection to Greensboro. Meanwhile, the overhead information sign at Gate B10 continued to beam "On Time".

Taking advantage of this "insider information", I used my cell phone to call the US Airways number provided in the cancellation text message rather than go to the service desk and start a stampede with the bad news. The agent who answered the phone asked me: "How far are you from the airport?" to which I replied: "I'm sitting at the gate." She then asked if I could get to Gate B11 quickly (remember, I have been sitting at Gate B10). I told her that I could see the flight at B11 being boarded and it was about 6 steps away from where I was sitting. She replied that there was a single seat left on that flight and I should immediately go to the counter for Gate B11, which I of course did. The agent at that counter first told me that the flight was completely full, but while I was relaying this to the agent on the phone, the counter agent told me that I could hang up and that he did in fact have one seat left and I could have it. This flight was going to Charlotte NC, and he could get me a connection that would put me in Greensboro within 20 minutes of my original arrival time.

I took a quick look back at Gate B10 as I was entering the ramp to board my Charlotte flight and noticed that the information board for LaGuardia continued to display: "On Time" in its unassuming yet questionably accurate red LED display. But thanks to Reiki, I had managed to avoid the rush and stress of scrambling due to a cancelled flight, and was actually in the air out of Albany before my original flight had even been scheduled to depart.

And there was even icing on this Reiki-baked cake...when I took my seat on the flight to Charlotte, I was surprised to be seated next to a friend from a widower's support group I sometimes attend at our local Hospice office, so I was in good familiar company with pleasant conversation all the way to Charlotte. He was on his way to Bermuda, but I couldn't talk him into trading destinations with me!

Now some folks would think this was just a series of fortunate coincidences but I know better. When Reiki and my spirit guides speak, I listen, and I never doubt for an instant the source of my good fortune. Those familiar with Reiki often forget that it is not only useful for healing the body, mind and spirit, it can and should also be called upon to help with everyday situations. Reiki is happiest when we use it often.

Just for today...be grateful!

Bob McGrath
Reiki Master Practitioner/Teacher
Pathways to Harmony