The Corona Virus Made Me Do It!
You are not stuck at home. You are SAFE at home.
As many of you know, in 2005 I had a bicycling accident where my pelvis was shattered into smithereens. I was outfitted with all sorts of plates and screws (yes, it's true, I literally have 'buns of steel'!) I was told I would never walk again without the aid of a walker or a cane. (Obviously, due to my innate stubbornness and you-can't-tell-me-what-to-do attitude, I totally ignored that prognosis. LOL!)
I've always been a type AAAA, super independent, high energy, extremely athletic, always-on-the-go-type person. Prior to the accident, I had been seeing 8-12 clients a day, cycling up to 50 miles a day, and then interspersed that with 90 minute Bikram Yoga classes at least 3 times a week. And that was just my day job. I'd then come home to my 40 acre, off-grid home where I grow a lot of my own organic veggies and do a lot of preserving, canning, drying, along with cooking most everything from scratch, and being completely anal about cleaning and organizing. The cleaning was a never-ending cycle in futility as we live in the woods, so surrounded by dirt (I like to say we're dirt RICH!), and I was so anal, I literally alphabetized my spices and soups. If that wasn't enough, there was all the marketing and advertising and website design/maintenance and social media…stuff… to do that comes along with owning your own business. It was exhausting!
And then the accident happened. It brought me to a full dead stop. Being in a wheelchair, dependent on others, and not being able to move for a really, really long time was quite trying for me. Fortunately, I had already been practicing and teaching Reiki for many years by the time this happened. And it was through this that I realized: this is what I was practicing for all along! Looking back, I truly believe my pelvic break saved my life on many levels. It made me stop, slow down, and put all my Reiki 'tools' into practice. Ultimately, it brought me to myself.
The COVID-19 (aka corona virus) 'stay home' pandemic response reminds me of this time in my life. Only now it's happening on a global scale (and hopefully none of you are dealing with a broken pelvis at the same time.) This virus, like my pelvic break, is forcing us to stop and sit still. To take a break from the roller coaster of life. While many are busy entertaining themselves with binge watching TV shows or finding other ways to distract themselves, or going down the rabbit hole of fear and anxiety, really we are being given a gift. The 'stay home' edict is giving us the gift of time.
Time to REALLY put our Reiki practice into, well, practice! Learning the TRUE meaning behind the wisdom of the Gokai (Reiki precepts) on a visceral level, on a practical level (staying home is the greatest act of love and kindness you can do for another at this time), not just chanting the words out loud every day:
Kyo Dakewa (Today Only = Be still).
Ikaruna (Anger Not = Let go).
Shinpai Suna (Worry Not = Trust. This too shall pass).
Kansha Shite (With thankfulness = Life is a gift).
Hito Ni Shinsetsu Ni (Be Kind to others = We are all in this together).
This is a fantastic opportunity to examine what's really important to you. To reconnect with your fellow housebound family or roommates. To remember a simpler time. To watch winter turn into spring and notice how tree buds become flowers or leaves. To listen, really listen, to the glorious songs of the birds. To watch the grass grow. To appreciate the sun on your face. To marvel at the twinkling light show of the stars at night.
Now you have time to notice these things. You have time to notice the cycle of the earth. The becoming, and then the un-becoming, in order to become again yet once more. It took a pelvic break for me to really understand the beauty and the wisdom of why we do daily Reiki practice. This 'stay home' edict can be a time to help to teach you that. Please don't devolve into fear. That just begets more fear. Remember you are not stuck at home, you are SAFE at home! Stay in gratitude. Be grateful for this opportunity to practice. But don't just 'practice' Reiki. BE Reiki. Be light. BE LOVE! Stay home. Stay well. I love you all. ~ Cerise PS: Welcome to my very FIRST EVER blog post. I've always been too busy to get one started, but now have the time. So in a way, the corona virus made me do it!