A Reflection
I have been away from the forum for a bit and have only recently come back. (this was nothing to do with the forum but an illness in the family). When I stopped posting a few months ago I was concerned at the lack of respect by some members for the path and direction fellow reiki and energy workers had taken on thier life journey.
Now I have come back I find the same thing happening. It is so sad we all have something to offer what ever path we take in our personal development and energy work journey. Our healees are the feedback and acknowledgment of our practice.
We are individually drawn to an energy or style of practice or learning. Individuals choose to do certain training or attunements some go on to do other courses and attunements. It is where our intuition leads us.
It is important to let people develop in thier own way, believe in what they hold as thier own way or truth and allow them to accept or reject opinions or beliefs without being told they are wrong or thier training is rubbish.
There appear to be many interpretations of healing energies and how they are attuned or offered. I think it isgreat when people are so passionate about healing and the wonderful things it is capable of, however I do think it is important to be mindful when posting that others may not agree or follow the same path.
I am asking the community to have mutal respect and understanding and vive la difference!
Love to you all
Answers:
Well said Somerset Angel.
I am sure you speak for the silent majority of us.
Couldn't have put it better myself.
Welcome back. I hope that your family health problems are resolved.
Mike
Answers:
Totally agree Somerset Angel. It saddens me too when I read some of the posts. Respect is definatley the word that seems to be lacking sometimes.
"Just for today I will be kind to all living things"
Love and light
reikiangel
xxx
Answers:
Hear hear!!!!
I have been trying to think of a way to say something along these lines in a tactful way for a while now, but never been able to find the right words - Somerset Angel, you've done it better than I could! Thank you for speaking up.
When I came here with my early questions on Reiki and later looking for help in finding the right RM, there were some lovely people here who were so helpful. I did my Reiki 1 in September and still going through self-healing - there's a lot to heal! My RM is great and is there for any questions, but I thought that this forum would be an additional place to ask questions, to get viewpoints other than my own and my RM's. However, the way in which some people forcefully respond to questions, repeatedly state their view as fact, won'tconsider any alternative views to theirsand seem to shout down anyone who's view is at odds with theirs,then start their own debates and in-fighting and "my reiki is better than yours" diatribes just leaves me cold. I know we're all still human beings and continually learning, but this one-upmanship and egoism (although people will say no, that's just the way you read my words!), well, it all just reminds me of the worst aspects of organised religion. Don't get me wrong all those lovely people are still here, they just seem to be the quieter voices in the wilderness right now.
I would like to be able to share my experiences, to ask questions, to broaden my knowledge, but this doesn't feel like the right place for that right now. I know, for instance, that if I talk about working with my spirit guides and how I feel the difference working with them compared to without them, there are at least 4 people on this forum who will start jumping up and down and saying that guides have no part in Reiki. And let's not talk about using crystals with Reiki.......heaven forbid!;)
You know what? I don't care what "flavour" your Reiki is, I don't care whether you work with guides, angels, crystals, next doors' dog. I don't care which touted history of Reiki is true, there are so many versions, who cares? Does it change the joy of living with Reiki? What I am interested in is how people live and work with Reiki, what experiences they have, things they've learnt or experienced along the way, lending a helping hand to those at a different stage of their Reiki journey with love, and being open to all points of view.
There are many roads to the same destination.
With love,
Amber
P.S. Welcome back Somerset Angel, I hope your family health problems are resolved.
Answers:
Respect has to be earned. If someone was on a forum about driving and started saying it doesn't matter how you drive it's all fantastic and safe, people would point out that this was incorrect as driving badly can be a danger to the driver, his passengers, other road users and pedestrians. There is a right and a wrong way to practice Reiki and I think that some people are merely expressing their frustrations at how many people practice Reiki badly and unsafely. In many cases this is due to people being taught badly. There are very few people that teach Reiki correctly and the ones that do haven't written any books about it yet but it shouldn't stop those people who have learned questioning what they were taught by their teachers and questioning what they read in popular Reiki books.
This forum often reminds me of the entertainment industry, lots of air kissing, a*** kissing and disingenuousness. If someone disagrees with someone else's opinions they should be honest about it, rather than pretending they do agree just to keep the peace or gain favour. People who are offended by this honesty should consider whether they have taken offence because deep down the honest words have really struck a chord with their intuition.
I have no problem with the expressing of honest opinions and debate on the forum. It is much healthier than sucking up to everybody!
Answers:
I understood that one of the principles is to be kindto others - to me, kindness and respect go hand in hand.
If I drive badly, I can kill someone - if I "practice Reiki badly" I don't believe that I can kill someone - or am I missing something here?
There is a huge difference between being offended and being belittled - witness people recently wishing that they hadn't asked a question, or being even more confused than when they started. This is not as a result of being offended, this is as a result of people being strident in expressing their views and then insisting their way is the right way and everyone else who disagrees is wrong, badly trained andtherefore ineffective.
As I said, there are many roads to the same destination.
Maybe I'm in the wrong forum......
Answers:
Hi Amber lady and everyone else
You are definitely NOT on the wrong forum [sm=1kis.gif]
I think one of the problem is those that think they know what they believe is the real history have also changed their views over the years... so are as blind the rest of us, but yet every new truth they hear/see/read has to be belived! = Yeah right
I do have a fear that Reiki, like many other healing methods is a little 'in fashion' right now. I have seen many that have previously been happy with doing massage suddenly doing Reiki as an 'add on' andare often driven my money - I have some personal knowledge of this.
It can also be like chinese whispers though and the speed in which Reiki has suddenly taken off in the UK is amazing, so there are many more becoming Reiki3 with the sole intention to train others with very little experience themselves. Intentions are good but knowledge may not be.
I remember giggling to myself a while back on another forum when someone disagreed that there were such things as Guides/Helpers yet could accept without question that there was a Universal Energy working with them - apparently there is scientific proof :eek:.
Its often down to our own perceptions as to what the truth is.
I just wish that however and whoever someone learns Reiki from that they get full support and backup to help them along their pathway.
Great thead!
Answers:
Thank you for all your good wishes for my daughter she is better but still has a way to go.
In reply to Kashikoi. I was trying to say that you can have your opinion which of course your right and it is your right to believe that there is right and wrong ways to teach reiki. However it is a right of an individual to believe also that they have been taught the right way for them. This is unless what they are being taught directly damages patients/clients or practice is carried out inapropriatly lack of confidentiality ect.
I would be very interested for you to explain who is trained correctly and why and how wil I know from your perspective if 10 years ago I was iniatededcorrectly and able to refer to myself as a reiki master having been attuned 3 years ago.
Answers:
Totally agree Somerset Angel. To me people who pass judgement are like children with a new toy.
"my toys better than your toy"- "I don't agree so I'll throw mine out of my pram......."
When as a human you are mature you can respect other peoples point of view without necessarily agreeing with it.
As souls have we not chosen our own journey?
Answers:
Thank you Solas and the others I glad I am not the only one who feels this way
Answers:
very true somerset angel. Its hard at times when people dont believe the same things as you, but part of being mature is letting people be the way they want and you can do the same. If I dont like something I read on here, I let it go or just dont read the opinions of the person who says them. its not being rude but protecting yourself so you can stay on the path without confusion.
Answers:
I wrote the post because I felt some people on the forum are not allowing others to have thier opionions. I feel it sad when someone has been drawn to an energy or teaching and they come to the forum to enter a discussion to be told they have been taught badly or wrong. I also think that in replying people dont always think before they post about how thier response may come across.
As you say just let it go over your head and I am confident in what I have learnt over the years. However if I came on the forum shortly after i had been attuned I think I would feel confused and worried about asking questions.
Answers:
Hi Somerset Angel, as I assume that you are referring in part to me I feel that I should explain more. I understand and respect the right of others to have their opinions and I respect that people stand up for them. However, I do feel that with respect to learning reiki that there is a correct way to do it just as their is any other system that involves learning. It is not about one-upmanship or anything of the sort.
If someone learned snooker for example and they were taught that you must always pot the green ball after a red you would get someone pointing out that in fact this was not the case. If many people had been taught this way and it was generally accepted that this was how snooker was played you would rightly so question the person who said that it wasn't. Yet to us we would know that snooker isn't played this way although the green ball can be potted after a red if the player chooses too.
What I am saying is that there is a definite way to practice reiki and while I appreciate that there are certain conventions that have been attributed to reiki (such as the system of chakras, angels, guides, 'Christian' Usui, acting as a straw etc) most of these can be proven to belong to other systems and have been added on by others who had other spiritual ideas before studying reiki. It would be the equivalent of the snooker player changing the rules of the game to fit with what they had learnt of other ball games - people may accept this new version in time (especially if they have no knowledge base to come from) yet it is far from the original method.
I don't wish to put anyone down in their beliefs but it needs to be said that there are many people out there practicing what could not be termed as reiki. Call me whatever but I am only being honest and I know that this will offend some peoples' beliefs but would you rather have people thinking they are practicing reiki correctly when they aren't or offer a little more knowledge that will hopefully help people uncover the truth?
I won't lie and not say my opinion because I am afraid to ask - life is too short.
Answers:
Thanks for your reply I think it does help to explian how it is for u and other who feel as strongly as u do. I think most us hold onto our feelings towards our development as it is personal thing if we are heading in the wrong direction we either feel uncomfortable or our gut instinct is telling us something is not right.
I changed my reiki master when I iniciation as master was done in a hall with over 40 people there we were not allowed to ask questions it was extreemly controlling. I decided I did not feel that this was carried out in the spirit of reiki 1/2 where there were only 6 of us. With my new master there was only two of us and it was like a ceremony with reverance for the occasion and true meaning of what becomming a master was about. This was so different from a convey belt of initiation. This was following my gut instinct that something was not right and I was missing out on parts of the initation.
My personal feeling is that we learn lessons and when we are ready we take the path that is right for us. If we dont then the road blocks become difficult to negotiate we beome ill anxious/ depressed untill we see that things need to change. As I say this is my personal view and learning it may be not others experience but it would be a sad and boring life if we were all the same and the world was perfect. I have certainly learnt from my mistakes and am still doing so. I may be mistaken in my belief that the reiki I practice works I can only go on the results I get. Love to you all and enjoy the path and learning you are on.
Answers:
This is an interesting thread (and welcome back Somerset Angel) and it made me think about parallels between the origins and development of Reiki and it's current different manifestations , and the origin of Christianity and all the variations which have ensued from that - and the subsequent problems.
A personal spiritual experience (one person) develops into a sect, (more than 2 people) and becomes a tribal experience - we are right and therefore the ones with a slightly different experience (because their cultural experience has altered the expression of their beliefs) down the road are wrong. Hopefully in the Reiki world we don't expect The Crusades or the Spanish Inquisition ( ) or Northern Ireland.
I think we have to be very careful
[ul][*]to look at the original work,[*]to learn from past spiritual revelations which with the best and worst of intentions have gone awry[*]if it seems appropriate gain personal experience of other synergistic modes of working[*]question![*]Use Reiki principles - and as has been said before, please Be Kind. Difficult sometimes if you are riled, I know![*]Forgive[/ul]
And don't worry about the threads too much. See what you can learn.
Sharon.
Answers:
Very well said, I agree wholheartedly and enjoyed your posts Somerset Angel.
Now I have come back I find the same thing happening. It is so sad we all have something to offer what ever path we take in our personal development and energy work journey. Our healees are the feedback and acknowledgment of our practice.
We are individually drawn to an energy or style of practice or learning. Individuals choose to do certain training or attunements some go on to do other courses and attunements. It is where our intuition leads us.
It is important to let people develop in thier own way, believe in what they hold as thier own way or truth and allow them to accept or reject opinions or beliefs without being told they are wrong or thier training is rubbish.
There appear to be many interpretations of healing energies and how they are attuned or offered. I think it isgreat when people are so passionate about healing and the wonderful things it is capable of, however I do think it is important to be mindful when posting that others may not agree or follow the same path.
I am asking the community to have mutal respect and understanding and vive la difference!
Love to you all
Answers:
Well said Somerset Angel.
I am sure you speak for the silent majority of us.
Couldn't have put it better myself.
Welcome back. I hope that your family health problems are resolved.
Mike
Answers:
Totally agree Somerset Angel. It saddens me too when I read some of the posts. Respect is definatley the word that seems to be lacking sometimes.
"Just for today I will be kind to all living things"
Love and light
reikiangel
xxx
Answers:
Hear hear!!!!
I have been trying to think of a way to say something along these lines in a tactful way for a while now, but never been able to find the right words - Somerset Angel, you've done it better than I could! Thank you for speaking up.
When I came here with my early questions on Reiki and later looking for help in finding the right RM, there were some lovely people here who were so helpful. I did my Reiki 1 in September and still going through self-healing - there's a lot to heal! My RM is great and is there for any questions, but I thought that this forum would be an additional place to ask questions, to get viewpoints other than my own and my RM's. However, the way in which some people forcefully respond to questions, repeatedly state their view as fact, won'tconsider any alternative views to theirsand seem to shout down anyone who's view is at odds with theirs,then start their own debates and in-fighting and "my reiki is better than yours" diatribes just leaves me cold. I know we're all still human beings and continually learning, but this one-upmanship and egoism (although people will say no, that's just the way you read my words!), well, it all just reminds me of the worst aspects of organised religion. Don't get me wrong all those lovely people are still here, they just seem to be the quieter voices in the wilderness right now.
I would like to be able to share my experiences, to ask questions, to broaden my knowledge, but this doesn't feel like the right place for that right now. I know, for instance, that if I talk about working with my spirit guides and how I feel the difference working with them compared to without them, there are at least 4 people on this forum who will start jumping up and down and saying that guides have no part in Reiki. And let's not talk about using crystals with Reiki.......heaven forbid!;)
You know what? I don't care what "flavour" your Reiki is, I don't care whether you work with guides, angels, crystals, next doors' dog. I don't care which touted history of Reiki is true, there are so many versions, who cares? Does it change the joy of living with Reiki? What I am interested in is how people live and work with Reiki, what experiences they have, things they've learnt or experienced along the way, lending a helping hand to those at a different stage of their Reiki journey with love, and being open to all points of view.
There are many roads to the same destination.
With love,
Amber
P.S. Welcome back Somerset Angel, I hope your family health problems are resolved.
Answers:
Respect has to be earned. If someone was on a forum about driving and started saying it doesn't matter how you drive it's all fantastic and safe, people would point out that this was incorrect as driving badly can be a danger to the driver, his passengers, other road users and pedestrians. There is a right and a wrong way to practice Reiki and I think that some people are merely expressing their frustrations at how many people practice Reiki badly and unsafely. In many cases this is due to people being taught badly. There are very few people that teach Reiki correctly and the ones that do haven't written any books about it yet but it shouldn't stop those people who have learned questioning what they were taught by their teachers and questioning what they read in popular Reiki books.
This forum often reminds me of the entertainment industry, lots of air kissing, a*** kissing and disingenuousness. If someone disagrees with someone else's opinions they should be honest about it, rather than pretending they do agree just to keep the peace or gain favour. People who are offended by this honesty should consider whether they have taken offence because deep down the honest words have really struck a chord with their intuition.
I have no problem with the expressing of honest opinions and debate on the forum. It is much healthier than sucking up to everybody!
Answers:
I understood that one of the principles is to be kindto others - to me, kindness and respect go hand in hand.
If I drive badly, I can kill someone - if I "practice Reiki badly" I don't believe that I can kill someone - or am I missing something here?
There is a huge difference between being offended and being belittled - witness people recently wishing that they hadn't asked a question, or being even more confused than when they started. This is not as a result of being offended, this is as a result of people being strident in expressing their views and then insisting their way is the right way and everyone else who disagrees is wrong, badly trained andtherefore ineffective.
As I said, there are many roads to the same destination.
Maybe I'm in the wrong forum......
Answers:
Hi Amber lady and everyone else
You are definitely NOT on the wrong forum [sm=1kis.gif]
I think one of the problem is those that think they know what they believe is the real history have also changed their views over the years... so are as blind the rest of us, but yet every new truth they hear/see/read has to be belived! = Yeah right
I do have a fear that Reiki, like many other healing methods is a little 'in fashion' right now. I have seen many that have previously been happy with doing massage suddenly doing Reiki as an 'add on' andare often driven my money - I have some personal knowledge of this.
It can also be like chinese whispers though and the speed in which Reiki has suddenly taken off in the UK is amazing, so there are many more becoming Reiki3 with the sole intention to train others with very little experience themselves. Intentions are good but knowledge may not be.
I remember giggling to myself a while back on another forum when someone disagreed that there were such things as Guides/Helpers yet could accept without question that there was a Universal Energy working with them - apparently there is scientific proof :eek:.
Its often down to our own perceptions as to what the truth is.
I just wish that however and whoever someone learns Reiki from that they get full support and backup to help them along their pathway.
Great thead!
Answers:
Thank you for all your good wishes for my daughter she is better but still has a way to go.
In reply to Kashikoi. I was trying to say that you can have your opinion which of course your right and it is your right to believe that there is right and wrong ways to teach reiki. However it is a right of an individual to believe also that they have been taught the right way for them. This is unless what they are being taught directly damages patients/clients or practice is carried out inapropriatly lack of confidentiality ect.
I would be very interested for you to explain who is trained correctly and why and how wil I know from your perspective if 10 years ago I was iniatededcorrectly and able to refer to myself as a reiki master having been attuned 3 years ago.
Answers:
Totally agree Somerset Angel. To me people who pass judgement are like children with a new toy.
"my toys better than your toy"- "I don't agree so I'll throw mine out of my pram......."
When as a human you are mature you can respect other peoples point of view without necessarily agreeing with it.
As souls have we not chosen our own journey?
Answers:
Thank you Solas and the others I glad I am not the only one who feels this way
Answers:
very true somerset angel. Its hard at times when people dont believe the same things as you, but part of being mature is letting people be the way they want and you can do the same. If I dont like something I read on here, I let it go or just dont read the opinions of the person who says them. its not being rude but protecting yourself so you can stay on the path without confusion.
Answers:
I wrote the post because I felt some people on the forum are not allowing others to have thier opionions. I feel it sad when someone has been drawn to an energy or teaching and they come to the forum to enter a discussion to be told they have been taught badly or wrong. I also think that in replying people dont always think before they post about how thier response may come across.
As you say just let it go over your head and I am confident in what I have learnt over the years. However if I came on the forum shortly after i had been attuned I think I would feel confused and worried about asking questions.
Answers:
Hi Somerset Angel, as I assume that you are referring in part to me I feel that I should explain more. I understand and respect the right of others to have their opinions and I respect that people stand up for them. However, I do feel that with respect to learning reiki that there is a correct way to do it just as their is any other system that involves learning. It is not about one-upmanship or anything of the sort.
If someone learned snooker for example and they were taught that you must always pot the green ball after a red you would get someone pointing out that in fact this was not the case. If many people had been taught this way and it was generally accepted that this was how snooker was played you would rightly so question the person who said that it wasn't. Yet to us we would know that snooker isn't played this way although the green ball can be potted after a red if the player chooses too.
What I am saying is that there is a definite way to practice reiki and while I appreciate that there are certain conventions that have been attributed to reiki (such as the system of chakras, angels, guides, 'Christian' Usui, acting as a straw etc) most of these can be proven to belong to other systems and have been added on by others who had other spiritual ideas before studying reiki. It would be the equivalent of the snooker player changing the rules of the game to fit with what they had learnt of other ball games - people may accept this new version in time (especially if they have no knowledge base to come from) yet it is far from the original method.
I don't wish to put anyone down in their beliefs but it needs to be said that there are many people out there practicing what could not be termed as reiki. Call me whatever but I am only being honest and I know that this will offend some peoples' beliefs but would you rather have people thinking they are practicing reiki correctly when they aren't or offer a little more knowledge that will hopefully help people uncover the truth?
I won't lie and not say my opinion because I am afraid to ask - life is too short.
Answers:
Thanks for your reply I think it does help to explian how it is for u and other who feel as strongly as u do. I think most us hold onto our feelings towards our development as it is personal thing if we are heading in the wrong direction we either feel uncomfortable or our gut instinct is telling us something is not right.
I changed my reiki master when I iniciation as master was done in a hall with over 40 people there we were not allowed to ask questions it was extreemly controlling. I decided I did not feel that this was carried out in the spirit of reiki 1/2 where there were only 6 of us. With my new master there was only two of us and it was like a ceremony with reverance for the occasion and true meaning of what becomming a master was about. This was so different from a convey belt of initiation. This was following my gut instinct that something was not right and I was missing out on parts of the initation.
My personal feeling is that we learn lessons and when we are ready we take the path that is right for us. If we dont then the road blocks become difficult to negotiate we beome ill anxious/ depressed untill we see that things need to change. As I say this is my personal view and learning it may be not others experience but it would be a sad and boring life if we were all the same and the world was perfect. I have certainly learnt from my mistakes and am still doing so. I may be mistaken in my belief that the reiki I practice works I can only go on the results I get. Love to you all and enjoy the path and learning you are on.
Answers:
This is an interesting thread (and welcome back Somerset Angel) and it made me think about parallels between the origins and development of Reiki and it's current different manifestations , and the origin of Christianity and all the variations which have ensued from that - and the subsequent problems.
A personal spiritual experience (one person) develops into a sect, (more than 2 people) and becomes a tribal experience - we are right and therefore the ones with a slightly different experience (because their cultural experience has altered the expression of their beliefs) down the road are wrong. Hopefully in the Reiki world we don't expect The Crusades or the Spanish Inquisition ( ) or Northern Ireland.
I think we have to be very careful
[ul][*]to look at the original work,[*]to learn from past spiritual revelations which with the best and worst of intentions have gone awry[*]if it seems appropriate gain personal experience of other synergistic modes of working[*]question![*]Use Reiki principles - and as has been said before, please Be Kind. Difficult sometimes if you are riled, I know![*]Forgive[/ul]
And don't worry about the threads too much. See what you can learn.
Sharon.
Answers:
Very well said, I agree wholheartedly and enjoyed your posts Somerset Angel.