Never Too Old

Over the past month or so I have had the privilege of teaching two senior citizens – one Reiki and the other Meditation.

Both of these delightful men both surprised and delighted me.  At 75 and 92-years of age they both do martial arts, practise Tai Chi, are totally aware of energy and the power of the mind.  Both have led interesting lives, have a wealth of knowledge and have much to teach others.

Student A wanted to learn Reiki so he could help his students at martial arts practise.  Student B wanted to learn meditation for his own peace of mind and to utilise the energy more fully.

We had such wonderful and interesting sessions and I feel honoured that they chose me to teach them.

So please don’t think you are too old start something new or have new experiences.  My two lovely gentlemen are proof that you are never too old to learn.

The Poodle and the Pony

Ollie the poodle had his final Reiki session last Friday and both Gill and I were really pleased that he is now a much happier dog.  Ollie greeted us like old friends, no barking or growling, just very pleased to see us.  He settled immediately, dropped off to sleep and soaked up the Reiki.

His owner is delighted with the results, so much so that she has booked onto the next Reiki Level I training course so that she can treat him herself.  I would call that a result, wouldn’t you?

We then went on to see the pony and what a delightful little chap he turned out to be.  We asked that he be left in his paddock to not cause him any distress and to allow him to choose whether to accept Reiki or not. His problem seemed to be one of total distrust of people, including his owner.

He was standing in the middle of the paddock as we approached.  He wasn’t sure whether he wanted anything to do with us and just stood watching with a wary eye.  Reiki flowed and slowly he took a few paces towards us.  It was slow progress but eventually he walked over and just stood looking; he sensed the energy and accepted.  We made no move to touch him, just allowed him to be.  He took Reiki for about 20-minutes and then just wandered off.  He’d had enough!

Will we go back?  I do hope so.  

Choices

Yesterday I wasn’t well at all; I seemed to have picked up some virus that made me dizzy and sick so I had no choice but to stay in bed.

Unable to do anything but sleep and think, I had plenty of time to do some self-Reiki and meditation; both of which were extremely helpful.

During these sessions I found the past kept cropping up a lot – some of it great and some not so great. 

It was during one of the not-so-great sessions that I got some real clarity. 

During our lives we all have to make decisions.  Years ago I made a decision and, whilst I still believe it was the right one for me, I have carried the guilt of it for years.  By making that decision I hurt others; I have felt totally selfish and guilty over taking the route to my own happiness.

But yesterday I finally realised that the decision I made was the right one for me; for once I had followed my heart and not my head which is something we all should strive for.  Yes, I had made others unhappy but they then had the choice to seek their own solutions.  I don’t think I can remain feeling guilty any more if they choose to remain in the past.

So today I feel as though I have shifted something that I have held onto for years.  The past is the past and I cannot alter that and I am truly sorry that I have hurt people; but I have to move forward.

So maybe I needed to be forced to take to my bed yesterday so that I could gain this insight and shed the issues I’ve been holding onto. 

I thank my guides for making it happen – but can I please not have the dizziness anymore!

Update on the Poodle

Last week Gill and I went back to check on Ollie, the black poodle who we gave Reiki to.  Completely unsure of what to expect, we rang the bell and waited.

Ollie greeted us full of excitement and wagging tail, a few barks but nothing like the growling of the week before.  His owner told us that he was much improved, less anxious and enjoying his walks much more.  She said he still had an issue with one particular area on his walk but I suspect that this is more to do with the fact that she gives him a biscuit to get him to carry on walking!

We gave Ollie more Reiki.  He settled really quickly, allowed us to put our hands on him and dropped off to sleep.  Great result.

The added bonus is that Ollie’s owner feels that she too has improved as a result of being with Ollie during his Reiki session.  So much so that she had invited a friend around to share it too!

We’re going back in a couple of weeks to give Ollie his third and final session; neither of us feel that Ollie needs further treatments. 

And anyway, Ollie’s owner asked if we could just pop round to visit a friend who has an anxious pony!!

Another Decade Passes

Tomorrow is my 60^th Birthday and another decade passes.  I think when a big birthday looms you start to reflect a little and also ponder on the future.

So I have reflected and, all-in-all, my life has been brilliant.  Yes, there have been some tough times, but who doesn’t have tough times in their lives.  It’s the tough times that teach us the lessons we need, they give us the experiences that help us to grow, they shape us into the people we are.  Do I have any regrets? No I don't.

So the future is before me and I wonder what it will bring.  Am I worried about getting older?  Well, yes to a degree but I refuse to let it bother me.  Who knows what tomorrow may bring, but the way I look at it is that it may be so amazingly magical in ways that I could never imagine.  I will not spend my days worrying.

The one thing that age has brought me is a deep contentment with who I am.  I have made choices that have brought me to the place I am now and I love my life.  I am surrounded by people who I love dearly and I am extremely grateful for them being in my life.  And at a time when I should be thinking of retiring I find myself running my own business and am passionate about what I do.

So on the eve of entering my next decade, I am extremely grateful for my life and I look forward to having a blast over the next 10-years.

Bring it on!!

Reiki and the Poodle

Last week Gill asked me if I would go with her to give Reiki to a dog.  Apparently the dog was suffering from some anxiety when out on the lead, and had an aversion to men.

Well of course I said yes, and off we went.  When we walked in the dog, a black standard poodle called Ollie, kicked up a bit of a fuss before finally settling into a deep throaty growl.  Now I had a poodle when I was a child, and it was a yappy, snappy little thing who would bite you as much as look at you, so I wasn’t totally at ease here.

We both sat down, well away from Ollie, and started letting the Reiki flow.  It took him a while but eventually he started to calm a bit, stopped the growling, but still glared at us.  His owner encouraged him onto her lap and bit by bit Gill and I edged closer.  Still glaring at us, the whites of his eyes clearly visible in all that black fur, he accepted Reiki and his eventually his body started to sag.  And so we continued.

After around 45-minutes Ollie allowed us into his space and even allowed us to touch him.  Progress was being made.  By the end of the session he had given me a bit of a wash and allowed me to stand up and move! 

We’re going back next week, so will see whether there was any progress when Ollie’s owner took him for a walk.

Gill and I are now looking seriously at all kinds of animal Reiki and, hopefully, will be adding it to our training programme at Como next year.

Doesn’t life take some unexpected turns?

E2 by Pam Group - Experiment #5

This experiment taxed me a little and took me a while to get going.

The task was to ask a question that I needed an answer to and ask the Universe to respond within 48-hours.

Mmmm, what did I need to know?  I really didn’t know what to ask.  I felt it should be something quite deep and meaningful  - trivial questions were not right here.  I pondered long and hard. 

I know, it probably sounds quite odd but I really had nothing that I needed an answer to.  Normally, if I have a problem, I seek an answer in meditation.  So at that moment I really had nothing that I needed help with.

I kept thinking and finally I came up with something.  Trivial I know, but my question was “Will the Como Centre (my business) be successful?”  Oh don’t get me wrong, the Centre is doing ok, but it’s still early days and we need to spread the word of our existence.  Starting a business these days was always going to be a bit risky so having a bit of reassurance would be good.

So I asked my question and gave the Universe 48-hours to give me a sign.

The next day I received two e-mails within an hour of each other, both booking onto courses.  By the end of that day our website had taken a record number of hits!

I think that’s a really positive sign, don’t you?