GUEST BLOGGER Nancie Teresa Biver, aka Gypsy Woman, is a Second degree Reiki student practicing since 2003. When she emailed her thanks for my interview with Takata-trained
Reiki master Paul David Mitchell, I invited her to share her thoughtful comments with you. —
I have spent the past nine months in Europe on a journey that started in New Orleans. When many areas of my life fell away all at once, I said to Elizabeth Ohmer Pellegrin, my friend and Reiki teacher, “Maybe I should just go to Europe.”
Details began to unfold even as my words hung in the air, and I arranged to visit Reiki masters Elizabeth knows in Germany.
I came to Germany for a month to expand myself and my life, to grow and have new experiences. And to heal.
The month came and left, but I am still here, based near Hamburg, exploring Germany and the Netherlands, connecting with Reiki masters along the way.
I value Paul Mitchell as a leader of our practice, and was excited to see Pamela’s interview with him listed on her Reiki, Medicine and Self-care Facebook page. I was particularly interested to hear his perspective on Catholicism and Reiki.
Hearing Paul speak was so inviting. His tone and careful manner of expression felt very nurturing. I appreciate how he talks about his life and Reiki without binding his experiences to anyone else’s.
As Paul shared his experiences with Takata and with Reiki and the Catholic church, I never felt that he was imposing his ideas on me. His discernment and manner in simply sharing his Reiki stories taught me more than any lecture could.
I loved hearing his personal story, how practicing Reiki led him back to his Catholic religion, and his reminder that continued daily practice is a key to letting our ourselves unfold. No drama, just what’s there today, and what is unfolding.
Paul’s generous sharing set me remembering my own Catholic roots, left behind years ago, and a sadness there, a sense of something lost. I am paying attention to that.
I had never heard the Reiki Precepts described as tools for happiness before. I remember Paul made a comment to the effect that people tend to be happy when they act in accordance with the Precepts.
That comment put my recent insights about wanting to be more grateful in a new context. I laughed to think of my tendency to be grouchy instead of grateful — definitely not happy then! I saw how practical it is to be grateful instead, and a happier experience for me!
I love Paul’s commitment to the traditions and to oral history. Listening to the interview brought me back to how good it had felt to be in a room of students learning First degree Reiki and talking about Reiki. I noticed that Reiki community, even the virtual kind, still felt that good!
I’ve been considering Pamela’s comments about the need to make information that supports Takata’s teachings accessible to the public, and how that doesn’t violate the oral tradition of teaching. I sense there is a balance, supporting and nurturing our oral roots while creating an information base to engage a culture that readily reaches for information.
The interview made me feel good about my commitment to Reiki practice, and to giving myself daily treatments. Paul’s story of Reiki “leading him back to Catholicism” was a reminder that we each have a path, unfolding and growing like a seed. Practicing Reiki is one way to nourish that seed.
Paul reminded us that the future of Reiki is in our hands. The personal experience of giving daily treatments and sharing Reiki with others connects us. We’re not alone out there. And in that I feel a real love and sweetness.
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Mrs. Takata frequently expressed her vision that Reiki practice become “as common as aspirin.” What better way to make that happen than communicating effectively with doctors and health care administrators? The Mainstreaming Reiki recordings will help you do just that!
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