|
|
Maybe you’ve heard the saying, “what we teach is often what we most need to learn”. I have always wanted everything to be just so, according to my own subjective perceptions, and if it wasn’t, I would become agitated and obsessively focused on whatever needed “perfecting”. Perhaps this is just an underlying part of the larger label of control.
My father was the stereotype of the control freak. In childhood, nothing I did was ever quite right and I never did enough of what he told me to do. Then I a married a man that was very much like Dad, so I was dealing with an eerily familiar personality. That marriage ended many years ago, but in taking back myself and starting to discover exactly who I am, I found myself now slipping into the skin of the perfectionist. Was this a reaction to all the years of being under someone else’s power and control?
Regardless of where it came from, the perfectionist in me emerged to take the wheel and not until I started my Reiki path did I begin to realize that I was steering way off course from whom I really aspired to be. I needed to relax quite a bit (and I am still working on it!) and remind myself, Just For today I will not anger. Just for today, I will not worry. (two of the Five Reiki Precepts – see my blog post on the precepts).
Some of my perfectionism focused on getting everything done and my TO DO lists would be overwhelming. So I’ve learned to cut down the lists, only focus on the essentials and if I don’t get something done, that’s okay! My mother was a perfectionist in the house. In between working, she would often be scrubbing, cleaning, wiping, etc. I find myself falling into this trap at times, but two kids, two stepkids, and 3 pets later, I have learned that not everything needs to be spotless and germ-free – that’s if I want to have any time to myself.
The toughest challenge is to stop expecting perfection in others – my husband, for instance. The man I am now married to is an amazing and understanding husband and I am grateful that we found each other! But if left to his own devices, there would be lots of TV watching and not much household-task support. I am learning to deal with it – an ongoing process. Reiki teaches us to be accepting and open to letting healing light and love into our lives. It teaches us gratitude. When all of these positive living aspects flow into our experience, it helps us let go of the negative aspects of our personalities, including perfectionism.
If I do forget, and my perfectionism flares up (almost like an unwelcome dis-ease), my husband will wisely chastise me with a smile : “Don’t forget the precepts! Just for today I will not anger!” That usually puts me in my place and brings me back to center. Positive change happens in us only when we are open to them and I am totally open to letting perfectionism be gone!
Are you living the Law of Attraction? Have you even heard of the Law of Attraction? If you are already living it, then I’m guessing you might be happily enjoying the benefits and manifestations! If you’ve never heard of this Universal Law, then read on…
The hit DVD “The Secret” started the great awakening to this fascinating concept and it certainly made an impression on me. I was not only moved by it but motivated to put its principles into practice. Amazing, positive changes were in motion for me!
Basically, the law of attraction states “That which is like unto itself is drawn.” Like attracts like. What you think is what you get. We create our own realities. Energy flows where your attention goes. What you focus on expands. When we ask, it is given.
So what we focus on – in both thoughts and feelings – determines our own energetic vibrations. (According to Quantum Physics, we are all energy vibrating at different frequencies).
If we are filled with positive thoughts and feelings (prosperity, joy, etc), then we will attract more of the same into our experience. Conversely, if we only focus on negative thoughts and feelings (scarcity, depression, recession, etc) then we will attract more of THAT into our experience. But it’s not as simple as it sounds!
However, this positive focus must include a corresponding feeling and vibration. Just fleeting positive thoughts with no matching emotion are missing the point and will not bring you what you are desiring.
What kind of thoughts are you actually carrying around with you? If there are mostly dismal, sorry-for-myself conversations going on within you, or “oh-how-horrible is this recession” commentary, then you are setting yourself up for attracting more of those same things. If we keep saying to ourselves, “I don’t have enough money. I need more money to pay my bills” we are still using scarcity thinking even though we do want more prosperity. Just wording our thoughts like that is not utilizing the law of attraction. So the law encourages us to “cheat” in a meaningful way and already pretend that we have prosperity, that we already feel abundant.
Start getting into the mindset of feeling prosperous, and say to yourself “I have lots of money and great abundance” and get into the actual feeling behind that. This helps raise our personal energetic vibration to send our a clear signal to the Universe to bring more abundance into our experience.
And remember, it is just as easy to reach for a joyful thought as it is for a negative thought. You have a choice. Make a conscious decision to choose to feel better, even a bit at a time. So, start at this moment and reach for a good-feeling thought right now!
Affirmation, Attitude, Action: My income is always increasing. Prosperity comes easily to me. I am finding more and more ways to bring abundance right into my life experience.
Reiki can help the most important person in the world — you! Those who are the least bit familiar with this modality, but who are not practitioners, probably think of Reiki as something that is used solely to heal others. Well, of course that is true, but what most may not realize, is that it is an incredible tool for self healing. You can become attuned to Reiki solely for this purpose. No one is compelled to go into a Reiki practice as a career. Learning the basics, Level I, is probably all you need to get started on a path toward your own relaxation, positive transformation, and healing.
In Level I (of the Usui system of Reiki) there is a very strong focus on self-healing. For those who plan to practice on others, self-healing is an important and necessary first step to cleanse and detoxify ourselves in order to be a clearer conduit of the energy flow for others. For how can we effectively offer healing to others when we ourselves are a “mess” and burdened with physical, mental and emotional issues?
If our ultimate goal is to simply focus on ourselves, then we can concentrate on letting the healing energy flow into us for our own highest good and optimum healing. The phenomenal thing about Reiki is that it heals on all levels — physical, mental, emotional and even spiritual! The wisdom of this energy is that it gets to the root of what ails us and works to correct it.
Reiki helps reduce and remove pain, stress, dis-ease, and emotional imbalances. It is used in hospitals across the country. It is used at cancer centers to help patients speed their recovery from chemotherapy/radiation treatments. Why not bring Reiki into your own life to start on your road to healing in a very gentle, yet powerful way? Your body, mind and spirit will thank you!
What comes to mind when you think “Mediterranean” way of eating? If you said fish and olive oil, then that’s right on track! A recent news article stressed the benefits of eating the Mediterranean way. Studies have already shown that this kind of diet has been linked to reduced risk of stroke, diabetes (Type 2), heart disease and cancer. Now it is believed that it may also lower the risk of depression. So could this mean that those who eat like the Mediterraneans might actually be happier because of what they eat?
As I read through the article, it dawned on me that I had already been embracing much of this way of healthy consuming. The article advises to cut back on animal protein (meat) and replace it with fish. Leave out dairy products (filled with fat), and incorporate nuts into your daily diet. Increase your intake of vegetables and legumes and make sure to use plenty of olive oil as a dressing. Legumes include alfalfa, clover, peas, beans, lentils, carob, and soy. You can even include a glass of wine (but not more than a glass or two!). Eating this healthy seems key to an all-round vibrant lifestyle (see my earlier blog entry 7 Tips To Live By for other suggestions).
Olive oil is a super dressing for almost any salad. And I can say that from experience because I have tried it on everything salad combo I have concocted. I mix the oil with a little lemon juice for a simple but satisfying dressing. You can add a few shakes of organic all-purpose seasoning or some ground sea salt for extra flavor. If you are having a salad that includes fruit and nuts along with greens, just use the olive oil/lemon juice mixture, but add a little agave (gives it a little touch of sweetness) and mix well.
For the purest form of olive oil, look for Extra Virgin, organic and unrefined, because this contains higher levels of antioxidants than the more processed versions. Of course, like anything else, don’t overdo the dressing because there are about 120 calories per tablespoon. Olive oil is definitely considered one of the “good oils” and a “healing fat”.
So take your own trip to the Mediterranean through what you serve on your dinner table — and as they might say in that region, “Opa” and happy, healthy eating to you!
Leave a comment for me about your healthy eating tips — what works for you in your life?
The “dark side” lives within each of us – the tragedies, the negativity, the difficult things we’ve lived through, felt and thought. Debbie Ford, in her fascinating DVD, “The Shadow Self” chronicles numerous successful and motivational people who have recognized and risen above their shadow selves. The viewer is encouraged to acknowledge the deepest, darkest part of his/her psyche and bring it to the surface. Only then can healing take place.
I do believe that we need to recognize and confront our own darkness. As physical beings, we all have a part of us that has either experienced an abusive past, a tragedy, an addiction, a compulsion, a destructive anger or something so difficult that has at times taken control of us and our thoughts, keeping us bound up in its chains.
If not released, these shadowy thoughts and emotions can become so toxic to us (down to the very cells of our bodies) and result in physical imbalance and disease.
Only inner work (whether on our own, with a healing professional, or a coach) can bring these shadows to the surface, letting us understand them and acknowledge the lessons that they have taught us, however painful. “What doesn’t kill us maker us stronger” holds true for many of us. Though at times we’re not sure we will ever survive the darkness.
Our healing is not complete without forgiveness. Forgiving those who have wronged us is a powerful way to let go of hurt and pain. Forgiving ourselves is absolutely necessary. So the goal is to reveal our shadow selves, integrate them into our personality, and let the light of forgiveness, compassion and understanding dissolve that which previously existed in the darkness.
A great Reiki-way to begin your day is with The Five Reiki Precepts (or Principles), which are the basic foundation of Usui Reiki. If you are a Practitioner, you probably learned them in your beginning class. Do you recite them from memory, and do you reflect about their meaning on a daily basis? For those just learning about Reiki, you might wonder: what are the 5 Precepts? Are they only for Reiki Practitioners? I mentioned these in my earlier blog post 7 Tips To Live By
The Precepts vary slightly in order and wording, according to where you read them or learn them. They are simple, straightforward, yet so profound – and can apply to anyone’s life.
Just for today: I will not anger (or become angry); I will not worry; I will have gratitude for my blessings; I will do my work honestly; I will be kind to all living things.
The Just For Today doesn’t mean, well tomorrow I can worry and be angry. It just means that “for now, in this moment” I will observe these precepts. Reiki encourages us to live in the now – to focus on our present moment and make it count, make it both precious and powerful. So for those hearing the Precepts for the first time (or the umpteenth time!), I think you will agree that these are really common sense virtues to integrate into our lives.
Try saying them every day aloud at the start of your day and really focus on them . The Japanese roots of Reiki encourages us to say the Precepts three times. I always feel a sense of inner serenity when I recite them, and it only takes but a few moments. Such a positive, peaceful way to start one’s morning…
Affirmation, Attitude, Action for today (Affirmation is the positive statement, Attitude is how your body responds to the statement and Action reefers to speaking the statement aloud).
“I have confidence in the way that my life path is unfolding. I trust that I will receive all that I need from the Universe for my best and highest good. I move forward into my day with joyful anticipation…”
So “just for today” go forth and Be Happy!
By Sheryl Schlameuss Berger, Reiki Master Teacher
We have all heard of positive thinking, but did you ever figure that just by changing the way you think you could really change your life? I absolutely believe this is true. It worked in my life, and I feel so much better, more energetically balanced and at peace with myself and the world!
So what exactly ARE affirmations? They are statements we make to ourselves, part of our normal course of thinking. Some are negative (I can NEVER do anything right). Some are positive (I am a quick learner and I master anything I set out to do.) Obviously, they each evoke a very different feeling. Positive affirmations can have a direct immediate impact on the way we feel in each moment. They can have major influence on the quality of your everyday life. (See my previous post 7 Tips To Live By for six other suggestions for positive energy living)
Affirmations can affect our health and well-being. If we dwell on statements such as “I am so depressed today. My life s___ks! (Fill in the blank)” How does THAT kind of statement make you feel! But turn it around and say “I choose to find the joy in each moment.” Or “My life is getting better every day, one step at a time.” Now, isn’t that a much better-feeling statement!
Dr. Wayne Dyer advises, “Change your thoughts, change your life.” So positive affirmations are a simple idea, but maybe not so easy to put into practice. It takes some inner work. Strive to make affirmations an integral part of your routine. Of course, I’m not advising walking around reciting affirmations aloud all day long wherever you go, because some people might think you’re ready for that padded room. But on the other hand, if you do go around saying affirmations all day, you just might end up … extraordinarily happy! And extraordinarily prosperous. (WOW!)
Open yourself to the innate goodness that resides within you, and create your own affirmations to reflect this inner you (some people call it your “inner child”). Start today, right now, as you are reading this. Say this Affirmation, Attitude, Action: I am worthy of , peace, joy and abundance. I know that these all flow easily into my experience. I open myself to healing and happiness!
Do you use any positive affirmations in your life? Write a comment and let me know!
By Sheryl Schlameuss Berger, Reiki Master Teacher
Learning Reiki changed my life in the most profound and positive way. Reiki is a technique for relaxation and stress reduction and it promotes healing. Some people refer to it as “energy healing” because this holistic system rebalances the energy that flows in and around our bodies. This returns our bodies to a positive state of health.
Though Reiki itself is an amazing technique to learn and practice, (and if you have any interest in it, I wholeheartedly encourage you to take a basic Level I class!) many other positive living aspects flowed into my life as a kind of “sidebar” to my journey with Reiki.
I say with certainty that at this point in time, I am the happiest and most optimistic that I have ever been in my entire life. And my health is so much better because of this! What did I learn that changed me so dramatically? Read on, and just know you don’t have to be a Reiki Master (or a Practitioner) to incorporate these steps into your life.
• Start meditating on a daily basis at any time of the day. Meditation is age-old practice that has resurfaced as an antidote to our hectic, demanding lifestyles. Research tells us that meditation has the amazing power to relax your body, quiet your mind, improve your health, and connect you to a supreme sense of inner peace and joy. There are many different ways to meditate and anyone can find a method that will work for them. Even a few minutes a day can improve your outlook and attitude!
• Follow the Law Of Attraction. “That which is like unto itself is drawn.” What you think is what you get. We create our own reality. What you focus on expands in your life. I am sure you have heard of this powerful principle of creating — a concept made very popular by the book and movie “The Secret.” When I originally watched the movie, it was an eye-opening experience. So work on improving the way you think and give your attention to embracing joyful thoughts about what you really want.
• Learn the Five Reiki Precepts and make them part of your day and your life! These are the basic foundation of Reiki, devised by Mikao Usui, the originator of the system. So what relevance can a few statements developed in the first half of the 1900’s by a spiritual gentleman from Japan possibly have in my life, you might ask. Substantial, as these are timeless principles – simple, yet grandly profound. These make a great daily practice for everyone.
For today only : Do not anger; Do not worry; Be humble; Be honest in your work; Be compassionate to yourself and others. Say them aloud to yourself every day, paying strong attention to the meaning of each as you speak each one. For example, give some real thought to releasing worry. Imagine how much more peaceful you will feel if you can let go of discord and worry.
• Use Positive Affirmations. Affirmations are statements we make. Many of us (myself included) were brought up with very negative statements about ourselves and our lives – thoughts that can occupy much of our waking time. These thoughts don’t make us feel very good. By consciously and consistently replacing them with positive statements (I will be sharing many of these later on) you can point your life in an amazing new direction of feeling dramatically better – and happier! Affirmations are powerful.
• Practice self-healing and positive energy for yourself! In Reiki, we learn that to be of service to others, we first need to experience our own healing. We learn techniques for this, but anyone can use imagery and positive focus for self-healing. One suggestion is to imagine yourself in a “bubble” of white healing light – visualize yourself as being filled with this radiant light, each organ and every cell of your body being rejuvenated and healed. Be kind to yourself, and think joyful thoughts!
• Connect with like-minded people who share your views and optimism. I’ve heard it said that each of us are a reflection of the five people who we spend the most time with. This is not necessarily your “five favs” on your mobile phone! If we are the sum total of these friends, then think about your own circle of five. If they are all “Debbie Downers”, then perhaps it is time to add some new, more upbeat and uplifting acquaintances to your inner circle. Join an association, club or organization that resonates with your interests and outlook.
• Improve upon what you put into your body – yes your diet! As a Reiki Master, I found that changing my way of eating to a much healthier and “green” diet has made a huge impact on the way I feel. (more about this in future posts).
So go ahead, try one – or all – of these tips right now, and go forth and be happy and healed…
|
|
