It was a Thursday afternoon in March of 2020 when I learned the building housing my Reiki business would close down due to COVID-19. I had enjoyed many benefits of offering Reiki in a healthcare-related facility but those advantages switched to being liabilities once the virus arrived. I completed my remaining Reiki sessions and returned the following day to remove files, equipment, personal belongings and anything I may want to have since I would not be able to return for the foreseeable future.
I struggled on that Friday as I unpacked my car in our driveway. I so loved my Reiki space where I met the loveliest people for sessions. I had worked hard and built a successful Reiki practice. I enjoyed the staff and the facility and felt privileged to hold my Reiki classes and events just down the hall from my rooms. It felt like a perfect fit for me and I was consistently grateful for all I had achieved there—teaching and helping people through Reiki practice.
As I brought in the items I chose to bring home, I realized my professional Reiki practice was now completely unrecognizable to me and I needed to make some quick but thoughtful decisions about my next steps and what would be best for my clients. However, like everyone, I also felt personal stresses and fears relating to the unfolding pandemic and the accompanying uncertainty of what seemed like literally everything most of us, myself included, had taken for granted. I was confused about how to move forward.
In the days that followed, I began to realize we had been given a sort of reset opportunity. The pandemic and resulting closures had served as interruptors to our usual routines and habits. My perspective began to shift and I started to contemplate success and what success means—not just to me personally and in my work but for us collectively. What are we really striving for? What is truly important? I sought new meaning and context regarding my work to help me know how to move forward.
In the midst of seeking these answers and guidance, I turned to Reiki. I sat quietly as I prepared to meditate as I offered Reiki to myself but suddenly I became aware of another possibility. Instead of offering Reiki to myself, I would offer Reiki to Usui Sensei. In all the years of my practice, I had never done this or felt guided to do so but had read about the possibility several years ago. I decided to give it a try to see what happened regardless of also questioning why he would even be open to receiving Reiki from me.
I placed my hands in Gassho and humbly called out to Usui Sensei in my mind. I stated I would like to share Reiki with him with gratitude in my heart for all he has done for us, his students. I then felt my mind going deeper and that he was with me there as the energy began to flow in my hands. I became more peaceful and I spoke to him to ask for guidance. I asked him about the meaning of success. Usui Sensei responded by saying that “success is measured by the joy in…
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