Flourish!

The final element in this year’s Reiki Revival: New Renaissance, is not really a separate element at all, but a culmination of the themes of the last three weeks: Cocoon, Transform and Emerge.

In order to Flourish over time, we need to be able to do all three of these things and combine them, using the right skills and tools at the right time, understanding ourselves well enough to know what is needed on any given day or in any given moment. Not a small challenge!

Yet we can start small, and I encourage you to never underestimate the power of seemingly small steps. The difference between having a practice and not having one is exactly one step, and then another, and another. As soon as you begin, you’re on your way, and until you take that first step, you haven’t gotten anywhere.

This may seem simple or obvious, but how often do you stop and give yourself credit for things that might appear insignificant but really do make a difference? It’s a kind of gratitude practice, but you’re thanking yourself!

No, it’s not egotistical to give yourself gratitude, even praise, and while you’re at it, why not also a little treat? Reiki is a wonderful reward and just a few minutes of self-healing can relax and rejuvenate. We need to build ourselves up with repeating cycles of activity and rest, work and play, effort and reward, or else we’ll just grind ourselves down to nothing trying to endlessly push forward, really ending up with less to give - and eventually nothing.

The New Renaissance of this year’s Reiki Revival is all about those cycles. Every step can feel like work or play, effort or rest. We can work at creating the safe, sacred space of our Cocoon and then we rest in it, or perhaps we enter into a sanctuary already prepared for us or a space that’s familiar and we can just relax into it.

Similarly, the work to Transform can feel easeful, playful, natural and not necessarily requiring a lot of effort, though sometimes it does. It can lead us into activity once we discern our best direction. Let it be whatever feels right for now.

When we Emerge, it can feel scary and new, or it can be a relief. We can feel excited or nervous, or both. It can be a gradual process or a great revelation. We may have to chip away at that shell or burst forth energetically.

Mastering all these phases takes time and practice, and each cycle will be a bit different, but that’s really the point. It isn’t something we do once and then we’re done. It’s a process of unfolding, evolving, learning and accomplishing that continues throughout our lives. That’s why it’s a practice and not a test.

The symbol I chose for the Reiki Revival: New Renaissance is the butterfly, to emphasize the powerful transformations that are possible when we allow our true natures to be revealed through self-care and practice with guidance and support. Yet I mentioned in the first blog post of this series that we can also look to the turtle as a guide. We can retreat into our shell or to that safe, comfy Cocoon any time we like, honor our ability to Transform naturally, and Emerge again when we’re ready, over and over again.

When we celebrate both the challenges and gifts of this cycle, we can Flourish in any situation or phase of our lives, especially when we do this together.

While this is the final week of this year’s Reiki Revival, I invite you to join me in the first Essential Art of Reiki live virtual class: Bring Reiki to Life, starting next Monday evening 6-7:30 EST. Whether you’re new to Reiki or a practitioner who would like to revive or expand your practice, this class is all about empowering you to not just learn Reiki, but to actually use it for your optimal wellness and success.

Let’s continue the journey and Flourish together!