Two Sides of Me

Many years ago, when my spiritual development got going, I was eager to share and talk to anyone who would listen about my beliefs and values.  Possibly over-enthusiastic, and definitely naïve, I was once called “The Daughter of the Devil” by a Methodist who was totally horrified by my beliefs and practices.

I never thought that my beliefs were bad or harmful to anyone and, of course, they were not.  I had just started my journey of discovery and I was keen and eager to learn.  She never asked me what my beliefs were, but when I mentioned that I went to a Spiritualist Church she went ballistic.  Quite embarrassing really because I was running a slimming club at the time and her display was very public.  I remember being totally shocked because, although I knew that we probably held different views, I really thought tolerance and acceptance of others were good traits to have.  

That day I learnt then to keep my beliefs to myself and never discussed my thoughts with anyone who was not of a similar mind.  Of course, along the way I met some wonderful people who I could share and discuss with and learn from but, on the whole, I kept my spiritual side separate and private.

The majority of my friends and family know the side of me that is very down to earth, loves a good time and enjoys life.  They may possibly be very surprised to learn of the other me but I hope they understand that my spiritual journey is very important.  They can be totally reassured, however, that the down-to-earth me will not disappear – I am still up for a good time!

There is another group who knows my spiritual side but are not too familiar with the down-to-earth side.  I hope that they are not too shocked when they get to know the other me!

The third group know the complete me.  Most of this group are of a similar mind (or at least have an open mind) and are always keen to enter into lively discussions and share views and beliefs.  They accept the whole me for who I am and do not want to change me.  Sadly, there are also those, very few I’m pleased to say, who think I’ve lost the plot completely!

But since my involvement with Reiki I am finding that my spiritual development is coming along in leaps and bounds and keeping the two different sides of me separate is causing conflict within.  I am who I am, both sides make the whole - it is time to allow them to merge and become one.

Singapore Zoo

I don’t usually like zoos, I don’t like to see animals caged.  My own personal opinion is that they are best left in their natural environment.  I don’t think that we have the right to capture animals, cage them and then make money from people looking at them.  However, I do recognise that many animals need rescuing and caring for and that there are many endangered species in the world.  I also recognise there are some good zoos out there that are caring for and protecting these animals and which also have fantastic breeding programmes.

So I was delighted with my recent visit to Singapore Zoo.  As I walked through the gates, the first animals I saw were these delightful little monkeys.  They were uncaged and able to roam as they wished.  Larger animals had so much space that it was pot luck on whether you saw them or not.  Of course the public was protected from some of the more dangerous animals but this was done with good use of fantastic landscaping, deep ditches, water, etc.  Orang Utangs were leaping through the trees and, if they had a mind to, appeared to be able to walk out whenever they wanted.

The zoo was an absolute delight, and my highlight came when I found this poster:

Just as we, in Reiki, try to live our lives by the five Usui principles, so the animals are afforded five wonderful principles too:

Freedom from hunger and thirst

Freedom from thermal and physical discomfort

Freedom from pain

Freedom to express normal behaviour

Freedom from fear and distress

The Birds !!!!

As some of you may know, I don’t really get on too well with our feathered friends.  I don’t know why – my friends will tell you that I must have had a traumatic experience in the past which involved  a bird.  Arrrrgggghhhh!  They think I should go for therapy - no way !!!!!!!!!

I would never harm a bird – I just don’t want them near me.  But they seem to seek me out, I think I must have a target on my head or something.  The bigger birds are not too bad, they’re not as flappy and hyperactive as the smaller ones.  I can just about tolerate ducks, and emus and ostriches have quite a manic charm about them.

So it was no surprise that, on holiday recently, a bird with a gammy leg sought me out.  This was not just a 10-minute thing, oh no, no, no, it went on for three days!  Every day, as I settled down on my sunbed, along it limped and settled right next to me.  I tried to encourage it to move to someone far better than I to give it comfort, but it didn’t want anyone else, just me.  I was unnerved to say the least, I couldn’t settle and had visions of it leaping up onto my lap.

It was a poor little thing though and I did feel very sorry that it was injured.  It didn’t seem to be able to fly, just hopped around a bit on one leg and then rested.  My friend and I debated about what to do.  We were in the Far East so knew that a vet was probably out of the question.  My friend fed it and gave it water and I did the only thing I could – I gave it Reiki.

Now, I wonder whether this little bird knew on some level that I could help a bit.  It sat perfectly still while I gave him his daily dose of Reiki and, although he wasn’t cured, he was looking a lot perkier by the third day.  His hopping around became a bit quicker and he even flew a couple of feet.

I wish I could give you a happy ending here, but we had to leave for home and I have no idea what happened to him.  I did the best I could and just have to trust that the little bird is where he should be. 

Finally, during the last few minutes on my sunbed before we had to leave, a bird (not him) flew over and left a deposit on my head – I’m still debating whether this was a thank you for helping his friend or was he telling me it was time to leave?

Cultures

I have been very fortunate to have just returned from a marvellous three-week holiday in the Far East.  I had a wonderful time, some fantastic experiences and met some amazing people.  Our final week was spent in Penang, a small island off the coast of mainland Malaysia.

What I want to share with you is the amazing philosophy of the people.  Buddhism is the main religion but just about every other faith is represented in Penang.  Chinese-Malay is the predominant race but I would guess that all nationalities are living in Penang.  These people all live together on this small island in peace and harmony.  They are tolerant of each other’s faith, beliefs and cultures, the crime rate is low and they are generally very happy people.

Of course I am speaking in general terms and I am sure there are those who are not so happy with their lot in life.  But the people I spoke to all sang from the same hymn sheet.  One man told me he didn’t believe in religion but that he lived his life by showing kindness and helping others, being grateful for his health and his wonderful family and being content with what he has.  Another told me that his family was everything to him, he loved his wife very much, was so proud of his two children and visited his parents, who lived on the mainland up by the Thai border, once a month and was so pleased that he had fixed their roof and installed a proper toilet inside their stilt house.  A tour guide went out of his way to take me to find the monkeys that I was so eager to see – he really didn’t have to do that but said he liked to make people happy.

So why can’t we, in the western world, live in this peaceful harmony?  Why are we so intolerant of other’s beliefs, faiths and ways of life?  Why can’t we accept people for who they are without judging them?  Why do we think that material things are more important than people and feelings?  Why do we always want what others have?  Why do we put our own needs before those of our older relatives whose only request is probably to have a little more of our time?

We could learn a lot from the lovely people of Penang and, in changing our own attitudes a little, could become much happier and more fulfilled. 

Worth a try, eh?