Greetings Reader,
I hope you are well on these warm and rainy days. Whether you are on vacation or can't wait to be, I hope you and yours are making the most of these fleeting Summer months.
With things slowing down for Summer, I'm able to reflect on the common questions I get as a Reiki instructor. Among the most common is:
Do online Reiki classes work?
My answer, simply put, is yes! While most things in life can be complex, Reiki is not.
In Japan, it is commonly understood that everyone and everything has a soul, and that energy is everywhere and flowing through everything. This concept is rooted in Japan’s indigenous spirituality known as Shintoism. Lay practices of energetic palm healing (often referred to as tenohira or teate) are performed in many households and are not thought to require any specific ceremony or training.
Our Western worldviews are quite different. With spirituality often structured as religion, we are more accustomed to a hierarchical organization of leaders defining how, in what way(s) and even through whom we may connect with God/Spirit/Consciousness. While many experience these time honored institutions as positive and sacred, others may find them rigid and at times judgmental. No matter where you fall between those extremes, it is still a type of cultural expectation that we be led through the good/bad, right/wrong scenarios by a clearly defined leader and rule keeper.
Sometimes it seems as a vacuum-where there is no leader, someone will take the lead. After the only Reiki leader in the US, Hawayo Takata, passed away several leaders sprung up-and continue to-as our culture's views of religion have evolved. This is also why you'll hear so many different answers to even the most basic of practical questions and why there is no one agreed upon "way".
What makes Usui Reiki unique...and what is an attunement?
Mikao Usui created the system that bears his name to make healing energy & personal empowerment more accessible to everyday folks in early 1920s Japan. This difficult time in their History saw rising Imperialism and great loss of life in 1918 Spanish Flu Pandemic and the Great Kanto Earthquake. One of the many unique aspects of Usui’s method is the neutral view on religious beliefs and dogmas, allowing folks of all faiths to embrace his approach. Another is that of the Reiju, which translates to spiritual blessing. In the West, this is often referred to as an attunement.
While some in the West have interpreted that this attunement is what “allows” the student to connect with this Universal energy, I am among those who disagree. While I do not feel attunements are strictly necessary to connect with Universal energy, I feel this traditional blessing Mikao Usui created to be incredibly empowering and deeply sacred. While the Universe does not ‘gatekeep’ around the ideas and methods of mankind, I find the Usui Attunements serve to connect an initiate to a lineage of spiritual teachers and wisdom that greatly enhances the practice. In short, Usui's system is one of many that aid us in connecting with this soul energy, but it is not the energy itself.
I am deeply honored to pass on Usui’s traditions, particularly at this point in History. In my online classes, you will experience this traditional blessing ceremony live over a distance, with immediately palpable results. There are differing attunements at each level of training.
And that is what I find to be the most important part of any Reiki class-the training and the actual practice. Because my classes are online, I am able to keep the quality of training high and the costs low. Levels one and two are each twelve hours of LIVE instruction in your choice of a weekend intensive or multi-week class. Each 1 & 2 class is limited to just six students each, allowing for an intimate environment with lots of practice and ample time to have every question answered thoroughly.
So how many levels do you "need" to work with Usui's method of Reiki? Just one! In my level 1 course, you will learn how to give Reiki to yourself, the best ways to create a self-practice and how to treat friends and family. If you already have some training in client care (i.e. massage, esthetician or other bodywork/wellness modality) level 1 and/or 2 may be all you feel you "need" to add. If you are new to the healing arts and wish to practice professionally, or if you wish to become a teacher yourself, I strongly recommend training through the Master level.
I have classes of all levels of Usui Reiki scheduled through the end of the year enrolling now. You can even begin your Reiki journey this weekend! If this sparks your interest, check out my upcoming classes and learn more here:
In gratitude to all of you who provided financial support to me over the past year, I've opted not to increase any class prices. This means that my classes will cost the same as they did in 2021. Thank you for being there when I needed you most. Payment plans are free, and if you are facing financial challenges let me know-we can likely work something out. I look forward to being a part of your Usui Reiki journey!💗
In Gratitude,
Danielle
YouTube Livestreams Have Returned!
Yes, that's right! after 14 months I am finally back doing what I love...hanging out with all of you!
If you have never been, you are in for an absolute treat-all from home or wherever you happen to be! We start by building a crystal grid to support the healing requests of everyone in the chat and then transition into a truly relaxing distance Reiki session for one and all. It's a great way to relax and learn more about crystals. If you missed Sunday's stream you can check it out here.
No need to be punctual, you can join us at any point (streams usually last 1.5-2 hours) using your TV or mobile device. Simply subscribe to my page at the link below and tune in when you can. You can make new friends in the chat or passively watch or listen.
Livestreams are now every Friday and Sunday at 8:00pm EDT
I can't wait to see you there, no matter what time you stop by!
Thank you for reading. Have a question you'd like me to answer? Just respond and let me know-I'll make it my next email!
Much love and healing,
Danielle Stimpson
2738 Brown St. Philadelphia, PA 19130
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