President’s Message - Jikiden Reiki Association · 2015. 8. 8. · Jikiden Reiki training with Mr. Tadao Yamaguchi Jikiden Reiki Shoden and Okuden (Level one and two) October 1

President’s Message

Here it is already July. Time certainly seems to pass quickly these days. Perhaps it was the long cold winter that raised the longing for those warm halcyon days of summers past. Now that they have arrived they seem all too fleeting.

Time… an interesting thing to ponder. I often wonder why there is an "arrow" of time that seems to progress from order to disorder. I believe the scientific term for this is entropy. It is entropy that gives us this arrow of time.

Just think about it for a moment. One can scramble an egg but the egg will never unscramble itself. You can pour cream into a morning cup of coffee and it smoothly blends with the contents of the cup; but again the coffee never separates from the cream of its own accord.

Houses age, cars rust, and we grow old. Unless some external force is applied to this process, the arrow of time always makes things progress from order to disorder...the second law of thermodynamics!

In a similar manner time works its ravages on our bodies. Unless there is intervention we eventually progress from order to disorder; from health to illness; from strength to weakness. Intervention is what allows the progress of the arrow of time to be slowed, halted, or even sometimes reversed.

When it comes to health and well-being, one such intervention is the practice of Reiki. Perhaps Byosen is an indicator of the amount of "disorder" time has inflicted upon our bodies. The jumon tells us how we were originally created without disorder. The more we practice Reiki the better will be our chance of slowing the inevitable progress of entropy.

My best wishes for many happy and rust free days.

Reiki blessings,

Chris Binns Shihan, Chair (JRAC) Halifax, NS

Newsletter #8 of the Jikiden Reiki Association of Canada

Summer 2015

This summer I went to Germany with my granddaughter, Victoria and her mom Candi. To experience the excitement of a five year old was precious. She looked out the window of the airplane while we were ascending and landing. It was also her first time to be in a train. And the German food!!! Tori has big blue eyes and a wonderful smile, very infectious. Therefore most people she met on her journey were taken by her and smiled back, even if they looked unhappy before. It’s so rewarding to watch this process of transformation. Watching this process made me aware of how a smile can make a big difference, also from my own experience. When I am unhappy, it seems like people don’t recognize me. But when I feel good and smile, it changes the energy, including the people around you. Smiling at people and looking into their eyes usually lights their spirit and a big smile is the reward. So keep smiling, even to yourself

Gabrielle Gietzen Dai Shihan Nova Scotia

A Big Smile can change the world

Four generations of the Gietzen family

Reiju Kai at The Healing Space July 2015

Significant Shifts in Reiki History

We are indeed in a very lucky time for the evolution of Reiki history. The next few years will see some of our understandings of history as we have known and taught it shift significantly. Often we think about history as dull and fully in the past, but prepare to readjust your understandings! The Jikiden Reiki Institute is actively a part of that evolving history.

This brief exploration touches on a few of those avenues for new information. Good fortune led me to a Toronto Reiki Conference and offered an opportunity to interview Justin Stein, a Ph.D. candidate in religious studies at the University of Toronto who has studied Mikao Usui for his master’s thesis at University of Hawaii, and now continues that work in his doctoral work.

Gabrielle Gietzen, Francine Minneault and Mike McCarty sat around a table with me at Mount Fuji, a great sushi restaurant where Justin regaled us with his work, interviewing Takata’s students (before the 22 masters), and the Hawaii Hochi newspaper articles and ads about Hayashi’s trip to teach in Hawaii. He says that he saw Hayashi’s blank Japanese certificates and numerous other documents germane to Hayashi Sensei’s time there. Justin is also a curator of Takata’s papers with Robert Fueston. Her papers will be archived and they are currently looking for a library which can take the documents.

As luck would have it, after our meeting this spring Justin met Frank Arjava Petter and Tadao Yamaguchi in the US and Japan respectively. Our Jikiden Reiki leaders are actively searching out new information about Usui and others central to Reiki’s history. For example, after Arjava’s book THIS IS REIKI was published in Japanese, members of Usui’s family have been in touch with the Jikiden Reiki Institute in Kyoto. Who knows what else will be uncovered?

One of the many great reasons to re-sit classes with our teachers is to stay abreast of the living history that emerges. We can only look forward to a fuller history!

For your reading pleasure to explore Justin and Robert’s work with Takata’s documents and Justin’s work with Hawaii Hochi see: http://www.thereikipreservationsociety.org/sites/default/files/newsletters/TRPS-V2-I1.pdf (See item #5: The Gift of the Takata Sensei Archives. - Ed.)

Justin Stein’s site is: https://thescienceofsoul.wordpress.com Paula Michal-Johnson Shihan, Jikiden Reiki Center of Greater Philadelphia U.S.A.

http://www.thereikipreservationsociety.org/sites/default/files/newsletters/TRPS-V2-I1.pdfhttp://www.thereikipreservationsociety.org/sites/default/files/newsletters/TRPS-V2-I1.pdfhttps://thescienceofsoul.wordpress.com/

Mid-Atlantic Reiki Conference Toronto http://www.midatlanticreiki.com

The Universe, in its inscrutable wisdom saw fit to land me at the Mid-Atlantic Reiki Conference held in Toronto on May 2nd of this year. Organizers Jacqueline Ramsey and Nikki Ward did an excellent job in bringing together a diverse and informative slate of presenters touching on many areas of interest to practitioners, teachers and students of Reiki.

First to speak was Marci Burgess, a teaching member of the Shelter Animal Reiki Association. Committed to bringing Reiki to animals in shelters and sanctuaries and to the staff and volunteers who care for them, Marci’s latest clients, and teachers, were the wolves, bears, mountain lions and foxes at the Southwest Wildlife Conservation Center in Arizona. Marci provided many helpful tips when treating animals especially the importance of patience and respect for each animal’s comfort zone. Speaking of offering Reiki

to animals with terminal illness and facing euthanasia, I was moved by her quote, “Just because we die doesn’t mean we didn’t heal”.

http://www.reikiforpetsandpeople.com

Next, keynote

speaker Mari Hall

moved us all with

her candour and

heartfelt devotion to

the Reiki path. Mari

has been a

teacher/practitioner

of Reiki for over 30

years, 18 of which

were in Europe

where she founded and still directs the International

Association of Reiki. Through this association she has

taught over 50,000 people Reiki and authored 9

books on Reiki in many different languages. In 2009

Mari met Tadao Yamaguchi in Bogotá, Columbia

where they were speaking at a Reiki Conference with

Arjava Petter. She became a Shihan Kaku of Jikiden

Reiki in May 2011 and has assisted in a large number

of courses since 2009 with Arjava. and became a

Shihan in May 2013. http://marihall.com

http://www.midatlanticreiki.com/http://www.reikiforpetsandpeople.com/http://marihall.com/

After lunch we heard from Glenn Rumbell, a business

lawyer and director of the Canadian Association of

Natural Nutritional Practitioners. Citing examples

from various provincial jurisdictions, Glenn advised us

that as Reiki practitioners we could potentially be

charged

with

practicing

medicine

without a

license!

The laws

are

vaguely

written

across the

country and as he explained, like driving 10 kms over

the speed limit, our practice is tolerated provided we

do not “cross the line”. His advice it to ensure that

each person’s physician be aware that they are

receiving Reiki and, above all, do not diagnose.

http://www.rossrumbell.com

The conference panel discussion focused on health

care settings that use Reiki and featured Sue Pfeffer,

a Reiki volunteer at Wellspring Westerkirk House at

Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto, our own Gabrielle

Gietzen, speaking from her extensive experience as a

Reiki volunteer at the Sunshine Room , NS Health

Authority in Halifax, Lorinda Weatherall, Reiki

volunteer at

Hospice Simcoe

in Barrie, Ont

and Jacqueline

Ramsey,

speaking from

her experience offering Reiki to military veterans

suffering from PTSD.

Although much more widespread in the US and

Europe, Reiki in hospitals is just being developed in

Canada. Mixed with uplifting stories of compassion in

action were also tales of difficulties

and frustration in introducing Reiki

into institutions steeped in the

constraints of science and legal

liability. One piece of advice was to

get on-board the front-line staff, the

nurses and admin workers, by

offering them free Reiki treatments

so they could testify to senior staff of

the technique’s positive effects and

benefits.

Closing out the day was "Where Science

Meets Spirit”. Brenda Pearce’s presentation excited the audience with zealous accounts of scientific studies illustrating that the interaction between energy and matter can be measured and studied under laboratory conditions. http://www.biomatrixtherapy.com

As often at such events there were offerings of products and services in a vendor’s area, however for me the best energy came from chatting with fellow practitioners, from comparing experiences, sharing tips and wisdoms. I came away charged with the

community of Reiki and feeling the love.

Mike McCarty Shihan Kaku Dartmouth, NS

http://www.rossrumbell.com/http://www.biomatrixtherapy.com/

Jikiden Reiki training with

Mr. Tadao Yamaguchi

Jikiden Reiki Shoden and Okuden (Level one and two) October 1 to 4, 2015 (Thursday to Sunday) 10am to 6pm Workshop language: Japanese with English translation

Jikiden Reiki Shihan Kaku (level of Assistant Teacher) October 5, 2015 (Monday) 10am to 6pm Workshop language: Japanese with English translation

Venue: Halifax NS Clubroom of the Paramount Building South Park Street, beside the Lord Nelson Hotel

Opportunity for non-participants to meet Mr. Yamaguchi: October 3, 5:30pm

Jikiden Reiki Koryu Kai for participants of the seminar and for Jikiden Reiki practitioners from the area who may join for a donation of CAD 10.

Mr. Yamaguchi will offer the candle ceremony (Koryu Kai) and we will watch the DVD video about Chiyoko Yamaguchi’s life.

Promoting Jikiden Reiki At our 2015 winter meeting of JRAC:

"..... a fund will (be) established in the amount of

$1,200 for 2015 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." .

The fund is open to all JRAC members who are

participating at health fairs or other such events in

which they would provide informational materials

and/or other endorsements for Jikiden Reiki.

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

www.jikiden.org

Webpage for the International Jikiden Reiki Association 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