Newsletter #9 of the Jikiden Reiki Association of Canada ...jikiden-reiki.ca/jrac/doc/TheDragonfly-Vol9.pdf · poster, the masters’ lineage, an information sheet on ... not stay

President’s Message

Reiki is compassion in action. This reminder from Chiyoko

Sensei is resonating with me very much these days. So

much of the opposite we see in

our world today and it even

seems to increase.

What is a good way to deal with

all this unrest? Watching the

news, reading the newspaper,

our compassionate hearts want

to help. How can we do that

without getting lost in all this

negativity?

I often tell the story of one of

my teachers in high school

(social studies) who pointed out

that our society very much

builds on every single family. At

that point in time I didn’t really

agree with that, but apparently

it left quite an impression on

me.

Now I know what he meant. The well-being of a family

starts with every one of its members. That’s where we can

make a difference. It very much starts with ourselves,

trying to live as much as possible according to the Gokai.

When we learn to focus more on the positive side of life,

we become more relaxed and happy and it works like a

domino effect on our families. From there it will spread

into society. That’s my life experience of already 61 years.

With spring approaching it’s a

time of new beginnings, new

life, and new habits. We can

always change, at any moment.

Please take advantage of this

truth. You might want to recite

the Gokai on a daily basis as

Usui sensei suggested:

“Every morning and evening

join your hands in prayer.

Pray these words with your

heart and chant these words

with your mouth.”

Usui Reiki treatment method

for the improvement of body

and mind.

Have a wonderful spring and summer!

Reiki blessings,

Gabrielle Gietzen, Dai Shihan

Chair JRAC

Halifax, NS

Newsletter #9 of the Jikiden Reiki Association of Canada

Winter 2016

Hello everyone!

I really enjoy reading The Dragonfly newsletters. It’s an

excellent way to stay informed. I read the last winter

edition while sitting in a booth at a Health Show (Salon

Harmonie) in Trois-Rivières, where I was to promote

Jikiden Reiki. I was extremely pleased to read that a

motion was passed at the Association’s AGM to encourage

its members to better promote Jikiden Reiki. I decided to

contribute to this

incentive by telling you

about my own

experience.

During the past 2 years,

I have participated in

over ten public events. I

find that this is by far

the best way for me to

promote Reiki and

especially Jikiden Reiki.

After having learned

and practiced Jikiden

Reiki, I was convinced of

its authenticity and effectiveness. Since there are very few

practitioners in Québec, I felt the need to inform others. I

started by updating my web site, registering on various

sites where I could create my own information page, and I

wrote articles. Although this was interesting, the impact

was limited. When I started to participate in health,

wellbeing and spirituality fairs, I was surprised to see how

much the attendees were interested in Reiki and in

understanding the simple and effective practice of Jikiden

Reiki.

Since I found this to be a very positive experience, I

strongly encourage you to participate in such events.

The way to organize your booth depends on your

motivation to participate in a particular show. You may

offer short Reiki sessions, or you can team up with other

practitioners in order to share the booth’s rental costs, all

the while giving the

visitors a chance to

enjoy the benefits of

Reiki. It is quite

motivating and

interesting to offer and

create a space for Reiki.

I did this a few times in

the early 1990s when

Reiki was just starting to

be known in North

America.

Now, I do things a bit

differently. I rent a small

space and I only answer

the questions from attendees. Sometimes, to let someone

experience Reiki, I will ask the person concerned if I may

rest my hand on his/her back or shoulder and, in a short

while, he/she will feel some heat or the energy circulating

in his/her body.

Also, when participating in a health fair, I take the

opportunity to give a talk or do a presentation on the

origins and the benefits of Jikiden Reiki. I do not need

much equipment: a picture of Mikao Usui, a Jikiden Reiki

poster, the masters’ lineage, an information sheet on

Jikiden Reiki, some information on Reiki classes and

business cards.

No matter how you set up your booth, I am convinced that

this type of experience is always beneficial. Of course, it is

a good way to promote oneself, but that is nothing

compared to the satisfaction of contributing in spreading

Reiki as Usui sensei gave it to us. I consider that it is a

humble contribution to the collective wellbeing. I find that

it is like sowing a seed; we do not need to see if it will grow

to become a plant, our task is accomplished by doing the

best we can.

I would also like to add that even if there is no health and

wellbeing show in your area, keep your eyes peeled!

There are always activities organized on Women’s Day, or

Family Day, or Youth Day and Senior activities… Some

opportunities present themselves in Yoga or Tai Chi

centers, gyms, etc. I gave information sessions on Jikiden

Reiki in community centers, followed by some time for

demonstration.

Would you like to share your experiences with us? This can

only help the cause of Jikiden Reiki. Let’s use this

newsletter to help one another.

Lastly, I would like to thank Francine Mineault for giving

me a hand with the translation of this article.

A big Reiki Hug to all!

Danièle Bernier, Shihan

L'Ancienne-Lorette, QC

Jikiden Reki - A Connection to Everyone

In the Fall of 2011 I took the Shoden and Okuden levels

from Tadao sensei and fell in love with Jikiden Reiki.

On the first day when we sat in a circle to experience

Mawashi, Tadao sensei moved the person sitting in front

of me and sat there himself. Freak out!! My hands would

not stay put. They patted, slapped and rubbed. I was so

embarrassed. I willed my hands to follow the instructions

but to no avail. My hands knew something that my head

did not know. At the conclusion of the Mawashi, Tadao

asked his wonderful translator to tell me that my hands

were directed by the spirits of the ancestors and to never

block that. Wow!! I already knew about this connection to

the compassionate helping spirits, but the fact that he

'knew' was astonishing.

On the second day of Shoden, just before Reiju, I went to

the photograph of Chiyoko sensei and silently thanked her

for all she had done for Reiki and continued to pass on

through her wonderful son. A blast of pure love energy

enveloped me. I felt as though I was held in a pink bubble

of love. Tears of gratitude kept me sniveling throughout

the Reiju and turned to tears of sadness as the energy

slowly dissipated. I never cry, so I had no tissues and had

to keep sniffing. Kind people sent tissues down the row to

me and their simple act of kindness started the tears

again. I knew I was in the right place and that Jikiden Reiki

would replace my earlier practices of western Reiki,

Therapeutic Touch, and

Shamanism.

The Okuden level was especially of

interest to me. To receive training

in a 'simple' way to help people

with psychological issues was

delightful. I have since received

many Sei heki treatments during

the bimonthly exchange of

treatments in and near Halifax.

They seem to dissolve my

attachment to, and focus on,

unwanted feelings. How magical is

that?!!! – almost as magical as the

sensational teachers and

practitioners who make these get-

togethers possible.

The Enkaku treatment validated my own experiences with

distance healing and reinforced my belief that a technique

shaped through a cultural belief system different from my

own was nonetheless essentially the same. My partner in

the workshop was from yet another culture with another

way of relating to what we were all learning.

As we exchanged distance healing with one another over

the following week, I was blessed with an additional way

of understanding that none of us are truly different. All are

precious.

The more often I receive Reiju and JR treatments and give

treatments, the more I heal – body, mind and spirit.

Chronic symptoms have lessened and new difficulties

never strongly take root and often

disappear altogether.

This gives me the energy, at 72, to

step up my volunteer work with

cancer patients and their care-

givers in the Sunshine Room

(Halifax, NS). They all love the

Reiki, even people who have never

received any form of energy work

feel relaxed, cared for and

rejuvenated. Occasionally, the

Kekko is appropriate and I am so

happy to be given this additional

technique in the healing arsenal.

Thank you to all the fabulous and

inspiring JR teachers, seen and

unseen, and all the truly wonderful practitioners who

show such compassion, patience and support both to me

and to each other. We are not separate.

Blessings to you and yours,

Sheila Porter RN (RET), proud JR practitioner

Halifax, NS

The Journey Room

The young woman on the table was brought to me by the

head oncology nurse. This was my first Reiki treatment in

the Journey Room at the South Shore Regional Hospital in

Bridgewater, Nova Scotia. Since this was only the second

time that Reiki had been offered, I had arrived early in case

there were any glitches. The table was set up and there

was a salt lamp, a chair for me to sit in and a sound system

but it took some time to round up sheets, pillow cases and

a blanket. I had brought some of my favourite music and it

was cued up.

I had met this

young woman in

the Journey

Room while she

waited to get

processed and it

was clear that

she was

concerned about

what was going

to happen. As

she lay down on

the table I explained a bit about Reiki and told her about

the music that was playing, “Paul Horn under the Dome of

the Taj Mahal” and that the session would last 20 minutes.

As I whispered the Go Kai to myself I thought about the

events that had brought us together:

The announcement that the South Shore Regional Hospital

was finally establishing a cancer patient support service

similar to the Sunshine Room in Halifax had been greeted

with great enthusiasm by alternative and complementary

therapy practitioners on the South Shore. The project had

been over ten years in development and had faced many

obstacles but with support from the current hospital

administration, dedicated volunteers and the community

at large both space and financial resources were finally in

place in 2015.

When the call for

volunteers came

out in the

summer of 2015,

several Reiki

practitioners

applied and

Gabrielle Gietzen

was able to set

up an

information

session with key

staff at the South Shore facility that included sample

treatments. An additional treatment session was arranged

for staff that missed the first session. A wide variety of

issues were discussed with experience gained from the

Sunshine Room playing a key role. The sample treatments

really made an impression and staff quickly realized that a

separate treatment room would be needed if the

envisioned services were to be provided in an effective

manner and got to work developing a solution.

The Journey Room opened in late October with volunteer

greeters. The plan was to start therapies in the new year in

a separate waiting room that would be converted to a

treatment space three mornings a week.

2016 started with 6 Reiki practitioners (4 Jikiden and 2

Western) taking a full day general orientation at the

hospital which included WHMIS, privacy policies and

emergency and sanitation procedures. Our applications

had been accepted,

we had been

interviewed, our

credentials had been

checked, criminal

records checks had

been completed and

references had been

interviewed. We were given an additional orientation for

our specific volunteer duties and pictures were taken for

our ID cards. Due to holidays, delays in certification, and

previous commitments only 2 practitioners were available

to do treatments in January.

Before I knew it the 20 minutes were up. I asked, “How do

you feel?” She said, “I didn’t know what the Taj Mahal

looked like on the inside so I imagined that I was in one of

the big cathedrals I saw in Europe and then I went to into a

forest. Thank you”. She seemed much more relaxed as

she prepared herself for the next step on her cancer

journey.

My fellow Reiki therapist, Bev Nodding, related to me a

similar experience with a patient she treated in the chemo

room. This patient had been anxious as well, and as Bev

worked with her she fell into a deep, restful sleep that

lasted through the lunch break.

This must have made an impression with staff as my first

patient in the following session arrived in the treatment

room attached to an IV pump that was delivering the

hydration that was the first part of her chemo session. The

nurse explained that the pump was on a battery and

arranged the tubes so they would not be in my way.

By the end of January we had completed 6 Reiki sessions

averaging two treatments per session. Recipients included

patients waiting for

chemo or other

medical

appointments,

patients receiving

chemo, caregivers,

family members and

volunteers.

Staff and volunteers have been exceptionally supportive

and we are now fully equipped with a rolling stool, a fleece

for the table, a reclining chair for patients who cannot lie

on a table and a constant supply of sheets, pillow cases

and blankets.

Comments from participants have been universally

positive and as we move into our second month two more

Reiki therapists are joining the team.

Cathy Oliver, Jikiden Reiki Therapist

Baker Settlement, NS

"It’s her first chemo session, she is rather anxious and her blood pressure is too high.

Can you help her calm down?"

New research shows Reiki aids the

wellbeing of cancer sufferers February 6, 2015

As a new study shows that at least half of the population

will get cancer at some point in their lives, a University of

Huddersfield research project claims that the

complementary therapy named Reiki can improve the

quality of life for cancer patients by lowering their levels of

anxiety, depression and fatigue. The findings are to be

presented at a major conference and larger-scale research

could follow.

The project was named An exploratory study of Reiki

experiences in women living with cancer and it was

conducted by Dr Serena McCluskey, who is a Senior

Research Fellow in the University's Centre for Applied

Psychological and Health Research and Professor

Marilynne Kirshbaum. They were joined by Dr Maxine

Stead, who has an academic background in psychosocial

oncology research and is now the owner of a holistic

health spa in Huddersfield.

She is herself a practitioner of Reiki, a Japanese technique

in which the hands of a healer are said to release positive

energy. There is scientific controversy over Reiki, but the

University of Huddersfield researchers were purely

concerned with its potential to bring about improvements

in wellbeing.

They have concluded that "Reiki could be a beneficial tool

in the self-management of quality of life issues for women

with cancer". The team now believes that there is a case

for Reiki being added to the roster of complementary

therapies that are available via the NHS.

"Acupuncture and other techniques that were regarded as

quite unorthodox are prescribed on the NHS, so we just

thought that more research on Reiki was needed," said Dr

McCluskey. "We are not suggesting that we can establish

scientific effectiveness, but we are adding to the body of

evidence for the quality of life benefits it has for women

with cancer."

Detailed interviews

Over the course of a year, the researchers conducted

detailed interviews with ten women who had received

Reiki therapy at two hospices in the local area. They

discovered benefits such as a release of emotional strain,

"a clearing of the mind from cancer" and feelings of inner

peace and relaxation.

The benefits could last for as long as a fortnight, said Dr

Stead. "It really gave them an escape from what they were

going through. They were often undergoing a lot of

treatment, and the Reiki was a respite and seemed to help

them cope. It got them out of their blackness."

Dr McCluskey and Dr Stead, who is now a Reiki Master,

were colleagues at the University of Leeds in the

Psychosocial Oncology Research and Clinical Trials Unit –

largely funded by Cancer Research UK – where they

researched quality of life issues.

"Due to more effective methods of diagnosis and

treatment, people are living longer with cancer and it is

now often classed as a long-term condition. "Patients don't

go into the hospital or see consultants as frequently, so

they often look at things outside of normal medical

treatment to help them cope with the effects of living with

the disease, such as depression, anxiety, fatigue and pain,"

said Dr McCluskey.

Pilot project

The findings of the pilot project are to be presented in a

paper at the 2015 conference of the British Psychosocial

Oncology Society, taking place in Leeds (March 19th-20th).

The researchers plan to publish their findings and also

hope to expand their work.

In addition to the fact that Dr Stead is a practitioner of

Reiki at the Alexandra House Health Spa in Huddersfield,

her fellow researchers have also experienced the therapy

and report the benefits, although not on a scientific basis.

"We are aware of criticism from the empirical evidence

about the validity and credibility of Reiki and so we did a

scientific literature review on the subject. We will publish

the findings of that," said Dr McCluskey.

Dr Stead added: "We don't know exactly how and why

birds migrate to the other side of the world and come back

to the same place every year. But one day we might be

able to – and the same goes for Reiki."

Source: University of Huddersfield (UK)

http://www.hud.ac.uk/news/2015/february/newresearchs

howsreikiaidsthewellbeingofcancersufferers.php

Promoting Jikiden Reiki

A motion was passed at this year’s AGM to provide funding

for the promotion of Jikiden Reiki. The fund is open to all

JRAC members who are participating at health fairs or

other such events in which they provide informational

materials and/or other endorsements for Jikiden Reiki. The

motion, in part, reads as follows:

"..... a fund will (be) established in the amount of $1,200

for 2016 to assist in the promotion of Jikiden Reiki. This

amount would be allocated at $100 per person for 12

people on a first come, first serve basis."

Interested JRAC members should contact Gabrielle Gietzen

(e-mail: [email protected] or call (902) 483-9111).

www.jikiden-reiki.com

Webpage for the JR Institute Kyoto

Please have a look at the English part of the official webpage. As a Jikiden student, you are registered through your teacher. You can find yourself under her/his name. www.jikidenreikiassociation.ca

Webpage for the Jikiden Reiki Association of Canada If you have any JR events, news or an article you would like to contribute, please send them to [email protected] and I will be happy to include them. We welcome your comments and suggestions on any aspect of our newsletter. Mike McCarty, Shihan Kaku Dartmouth, NS