I went to a seminar a few years ago where I experienced Reiki for the very first time. That's how I found out about my seeping energy. I had a weird feeling something was leaking, and at my age I was relieved to discover it was just my chakras.
Reiki is like a massage for ticklish people -- hands hover over you, but never actually connect with your skin. It reminded me of those make-out sessions when I was in Junior High School. I'd feel the heat from the hover, but contact was never made.
The woman who performed my Reiki was from New Mexico, and I had no idea what to expect. It was offered as part of a package deal with a seminar I was attending, so I figured I'd give it a shot. I went into the room expecting fog, weird music and some character from Lord of the Rings, but all I found was a very nice woman and a portable table.
She asked me to lie on the table and close my eyes. I was just relieved that I didn't have to take anything off. Before getting started, she explained how she would scan my body, and warned me that I might laugh hysterically, or burst into tears, or see visions of people from my past.
She was gracious and thorough and I trusted her. I don't trust masseuses. They go places they shouldn't and knead stuff that should be left alone.
I was slightly surprised when she rang a bell over my head which made me think it was either time to go get some tea or perhaps an angel just got her wings. Then she held her hands over the top of my head and the experience began. I could feel the warmth of her hands and instantly relaxed. And, as promised, a couple of visitors showed up.
The first vision I saw was like something out of an Austin Power's segue. In my mind's eye I saw something swirling, coming closer, and waited to see what ancestor was coming to visit.
It ended up being my 22 year-old cat who my husband had just accidentally run over in the driveway. I think she had a few things to say, but luckily she was quickly replaced by my swirling father. Neither one of my visions spoke to me, nor did I burst into tears, so all was good.
When her hands hovered over my heart, the heat grew until I thought my chest might burst into flames and I would be featured in the next Dateline concerning people who spontaneously combust. I started to panic a little, but she rang that bell and moved on. I realized the bell was like a tiny car horn warning the next part of my body that energy was coming its way.
She moved to my feet, then to my left side and before I knew it the entire hour had passed. I felt like I had melted into the portable table, and I wanted her to do it again. But my competitive side realized that I might get some kind of report and I wanted an A+ in Chakras.
When I found out there was no grading scale, I was slightly disappointed. How can I know if I won?
The woman explained that competitive grading went against the whole concept of Reiki. She told me that I had tremendous heart energy, which was why I now needed Neosporin on my chest. She also said I had energy all over my body, but that I was leaking from some of my chakras. I nodded knowingly, but had no idea what that meant.
I decided that maybe a little Fix-a-Flat could take care of it, so I didn't bother asking for any explanation.
From that experience, I discovered two things:
1.Energy is real, and important, and comes and goes in our body.
2.I now have a bad habit of moving onto the next part of my day when I hear a bell ring.
I think about the Reiki experience during stressful seasons like the holidays. I wish that a Reiki person could be set up at the front of every mall and WalMart, helping shoppers relax before the shopping experience. I think we would be much nicer and stop tackling each other trying to get that last cheap television set.
I think that we're losing energy on a daily basis. We read about things we can't control, and we flip each other off, and we ride each other's tail in traffic, and we call each other names, and deflate a little more each day.
So, for this holiday season, I would like to ask that we pump each other up with good news and positive stories and actions that make a difference. We don't have to be so optimistic that people want to slap us, but we can be real and energizing at the same time.
We can be compassionate, and put money in that red bucket even if we heard a story that some bell-ringer once ran off with a kettle and didn't return.
We can refrain from commenting on somebody's blog with personal slams in the name of God.
If we're in a McDonald's drive-through, we can pay for that car behind us.
And when that child is screaming on the plane, we can try to help rather than sigh and kick the back of the parent's seat. And I really, really do apologize for that one.
I think there are ways to stop our energy leak, and I think we'd better start taking action. Otherwise, we're just going to be a big, deflated mass of people throwing up our hands and saying, "Well, what are you gonna do?"
We can be Fix-a-Flat for each other, that's what we can do.
And if you don't believe this is possible, just stay quiet for a few weeks. Those of us trying to change the world would appreciate it.