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    • Magick and Reiki: When Two Paths Become One

      by Mickie Mueller

      (Article originally published in The Llewellyn Journal.)

      The first time I ever heard of Reiki, I was at a local pagan festival. I was helping out a friend with his shop's booth for the weekend. Before we packed up to go home, I did some quick shopping for thank you gifts I wanted to give the family members who had cared for my kids for the weekend. I found some lovely, inexpensive citrine crystal pendants at one of the booths and decided to purchase one for my mother-in-law. The woman who sold it to me asked if she could Reiki it for me. I had seen the sign and books on the subject around her booth all weekend. I didn't really know what Reiki was, but it seemed right, so I said, "Sure, why not."

      She held the crystal in both hands silently and after a moment she exclaimed softly, "Oh, this crystal is drawing a lot of energy." The she pointed out that the hair on her arms was standing on end. I was very interested. After handing the stone back to me and I made my purchase, she asked me if I did any energy work. I told her, "Yes, I do. I practice Wicca." She replied, "No, dear, I mean energy work. Wicca is not the same thing." I left feeling a bit confused. I worked with energy all the time, as most Wiccans do. My curiosity was peaked about this Reiki.

      Later that evening, the gift of the crystal cinched it. As my mother-in-law put the crystal on, the hair on her arms stood up. Hmm, what exactly is Reiki? She wore it to a job interview that day, and secured a new job. Ok, now I needed to learn about Reiki. I picked up a book on the subject, Reiki for Beginners by David Vennells. I discovered that in addition to learning techniques from books, a Reiki attunement must be passed through by initiation from teacher to student and next thing you know, I was taking classes at my local new age store. As I was quite broke at the time, my mother covered the fee with the promise that someday I would teach her, which I eventually did! I have learned a lot about Reiki since then, becoming a Reiki master/teacher myself, and one thing I have learned is that while, yes, Reiki is not exactly the same as the energy we normally use in magickal ritual, the energies are very compatible and work very well with an Earth Based Faith such as Wicca.

      Reiki and Magick Complement Each Other
      Reiki is a healing modality, and it is deceptively simple and simply powerful. The first thing you learn to do with Reiki is healing. The hands are placed in positions that correspond with the chakra positions around the body and energy is transferred from the Universal source through the hands of the practitioner to the recipient. The wonderful thing about using Reiki for healing versus other methods that we as Wiccans and Pagans might otherwise use, is that we do not "take on" anything from the person we are doing work for. It allows us to do more healing and deal with severe illnesses that we couldn't do otherwise because Reiki flows from the hands into the body, and never the other way around. I have talked with many Wiccans who do healing work but report that it knocks them down for awhile afterwords. This doesn't happen with Reiki. In fact, giving a Reiki treatment can be good for the practitioner as well as the client. Distance healings can also be done with a Reiki II degree, and can be incorporated into a Wiccan healing ritual with great success! I charge my teas, healing candles, even herbal remedies and medications my family takes with Reiki.

      I have learned on my own to use Reiki in most of my magic, I have found that Reiki turbo-charges my magick! I use it to help me cleanse my circle, as the energy has a purifying quality. It is also very beneficial when consecrating ritual tools. It can cleanse an item of any nasty vibes that might have built up and fills it with life force energy. Reiki can fill herbs with life force energy as well, allowing the herbs to reach their full potential. In addition to charging my candles with my magickal purpose, I also charge them with Reiki to add extra oomph to my spell work. I even carve them with both magickal and Reiki symbols. When I am at work or somewhere where I can't just do magick easily and a situation pops up that I know requires some kind of spiritual intervention, I use Reiki. Quite simply, I write the situation or problem on a slip of paper and excuse myself for a few minutes to the restroom or other quiet place and using the distance symbol, I send Reiki to the situation. You see, Reiki can only be used for the higher good, so it easily fits right in with The Rede, in harming none. I continue to send Reiki until I get a chance to do some magick. Sometimes Reiki has already ironed everything out by then! Reiki and magick are used together to cleanse and charge my stones, protect and bless my home, I have used them together for so long now, they seamlessly integrate with each other for me.

      Following the Path
      I have wished in the beginning of my Reiki studies that someone had been able to tell me how to use Reiki with magick. My Reiki master wasn't Wiccan, and nor was anyone from my class. I had read in many books that Reiki was complimentary to any form of spirituality but no specific ideas about my chosen path were given. After many dead ends, I just started to experiment and found success. I felt that the woman at the festival didn't give the use of energy in Wicca enough credit. The fact is, I don't think that she knew, being of a more New-Age background. Her comment did, however send me on a journey to learn Reiki and to discover the similarities and differences between the energies I use. For that, I thank her. Along the way, I have discovered that there are a lot of magick users that incorporate Reiki. And I even recently discovered a book on the subject, Magick of Reiki by Christopher Penczak! Through his book, I have learned even more theories about Reiki. His book included so many new ideas for integrating Reiki with magick and some new Reiki symbols I have been experimenting with. I'm sure I will always be learning with both Reiki and magick. After all, if we are wise, we never stop learning and trying new things.

      Article originally published in The Llewellyn Journal. Copyright Llewellyn Worldwide, 2005. All rights reserved.

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    • Double Vision: Does the Universe Force Us to Rest?

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      My birth date is 11/27/48. Life has been tough lately. I can’t find work, had to fight to get grant money to upgrade my skills, and have been fighting the VA to upgrade my disability. I was at a metaphysical fair a while back, and while looking at some merchandise, a woman walked up to me and told me that the universe wants me to rest, and that’s why I’m having all these problems, why I can’t seem to get a job, etc. Does the universe/spirit decide such things as when I need a rest in my life? I have worked most of my life and have chosen to remain single. I have gone through all my assets and I am scared I will not have enough to retire on. If what that woman said is true, the universe/spirit has picked the worst time to force me to rest. I don’t know if I can handle much more, especially living here in the desert. What do you think?

       – Karen

      Dreamchaser:

      Karen, you say that “the universe/spirit has picked the worst time to force” you to rest. Would there have been a better time in your life? Were you ever at a point where you were able, in any form, to take a rest? I would venture to say the answer to those questions is “no.” There is no good time for struggle. We tend to say, “Why now?” Well, as I said, there is never going to be a better time.

      Whenever we struggle in any way (with finances, health, faith, etc.), we try to find a solution or an answer. The iceberg theory applies here: We can usually only see the tip of things. Under the surface, there is a huge mountain of ice that is keeping everything frozen. You cannot see why this is happening, so your efforts to try to fix things are not really helping at all. There is a bigger plan. You just are not privy to it at this time, so all the fixing that you are trying to do is not accomplishing much of anything except making you tired.

      I keep flashing back to a man from the Bible named Job. I am sure you have heard of him. His problems were not even about his life; the problems were a result of God and the Devil doing battle – a bet, if you will. All Job did “wrong” was to be the most just man on the planet. He was tortured for being too good. I think you need to look at Job as an example in your own life. Read about him if you can. Maybe you’ll get some much-needed inspiration.

      You also said another mouthful when you wrote, “I am scared.” This is like a light switch: It cannot be both on and off. We cannot be walking in faith and afraid concurrently. You believe in spirit enough to go to a metaphysical fair and listen to something a woman told you out of the blue. Maybe you should seek your faith that is missing. If you could find it, you would stop trying to fix things, and you would be at peace with how life is, because you would know that things would move again when the time is right.

      I do understand how you feel. We all lose our faith from time to time. It is time for you to go looking for it again. You have worried and tried to fix things for long enough. Just because we are suffering and things are very difficult does not mean that spirit has abandoned us. It just means that we are going through hard times and they’ve gotten the better of us. It’s easy to trust when things are good. Are we really that fickle?

      I wish you attainment.

      *****

      Astrea:

      Your birthday is so close to mine that I feel your pain. I get tired, too. I think you probably know all this about Sagittarians, but here goes:

      We are lucky. No matter what happens, something always comes along to save us.  You can’t find a job right now? When you get down to your last two nickels, a dream job will fall right into your lap. You can’t get yourself motivated to get going? Something to inspire you will come along after this last Mercury Retrograde.

      Everyone gets depressed from time to time, but a Sag knows how to get herself out of that state. You need to do some blasting, that’s all. Never give up!

      I know what an awful year it’s been for you: Stress piling onto more big piles of stress, people being ugly and rude, family letting you down at every turn. Yes, I do know. This next year, however, is going to be fabulous for fire signs. We’re finally going to slow down enough to allow the abundance the universe has planned for us to come into our lives.

      Perhaps this was what the lady in the store was trying to tell you. Sit tight now, waiting and resting, and let these things start to stack up on the positive side of your life. You’re going to be so busy in 2004 (???) making money and having a good time that this is the only down time you’ll have for a long time. Take advantage of it until January 6 (???), and then go all out to get what you’ve only dreamed of before.

      As for the universe wanting us to rest. If that were so, I would be back in bed this morning! Whether it’s a blessing or not, a Sag is driven to do everything but rest! From my own Sagittarius experience, I know very well that rest is a foreign concept to us; it’s something we do when we’re sick. It’s that way with all fire signs, but we seem to get an extra dose of “busy hands are happy hands.” Even if you’re not working, you can be creating. Write, dance, walk, run, play! Lots of exercise will help you get straightened out, and will lift that depression, too!

      As tempting as it might be to heed the stranger who came up to you in that store, I think you know that was just the Devil trying to make you lazy. As a Sag, you have to take charge of your own life every single day to make sure you get as much out of each day as possible.

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