Joyful  Connections
 
Vol II, Issue V                                           September, 2009
In This Issue
Workshops & Classes
Welcome Friends
What the Heck is Reiki?
Quick Links
Join our list
Join Our Mailing List
Workshops & Classes
Komyo Reiki
Komyo is a simple, pure, powerful, and profound Japanese-style of Reiki that brings one back to the original purpose of Reiki; a spiritual path to enlightenment and happiness with healing ability as a benefit.
 
Shoden: First Degree -
Sept 27 - 10 am to 5 pm Herald, CA 
$150
Pre-requisite: None
Click Here for Flyer
 
Other Classes
Reading the Akashic Records - Initiation
Oct 4 - 10 am to 4 pm Herald, CA 
$75
Pre-requisite: None
Click Here for Flyer 

For more information or to sign up for one of these classes, please contact me at (916) 204-3506 or [email protected]
Welcome Friends!
Good Morning!  I'm joyfully reaching out to each one of you from Herald, CA.
 
So much has been happening and so fast, it is difficult to know where to begin and what to tell you.  So, here are the highlights.
 
We are in such exciting times right now and it's all about riding the wave of change.  I've been connecting with a deep, intense, and complex Earth energy for the past several months, as a result of doing some energetic work on my property.  The energy communicates through pictures, feelings, sensations, and its own language.  When I connect to it, I understand on a deep level what it is saying and what it wants me to share with all of you.  Then I have to put this richness into words.  Words!  They feel so inadequate.  But that's what I have until we learn to do the Vulcan mind meld (hehe).  I'm sharing the information in my new blog called Messages from the Earth.  I invite you to check it out and comment, suggest, ask questions, or offer feedback.
 
I've been considering giving up my office space in Sacramento, CA for some time.  My guidance has been to hold onto it and wait.  Lately, the feeling to let it go has been getting much stronger.  So when my landlord told me I would have to vacate because she needs the space, I knew it was perfect timing.  I will continue to have a base office in my home; however, I plan to offer services, classes, workshops, etc. wherever I am called to go.  If you are interested in bringing me to your area, please contact me via email or phone and we will work out the details.
 
On a more personal note, I have felt in a bit of a slump for several months.  It has been a time of purging the old, letting go, surrender, and inner reflection.  I've been waiting and waiting for some sign that it is time to move forward - some inner stirring. 
 
This has been happening on some level to all of us, and now, the long wait seems to be coming to an end.  I feel excitement and passion awakening in me again.  I feel the wave of change carrying me to unknown shores and I am stoked!  I have no idea where I will land, but that's OK with me.  I love the adventure.
 
Happy trails to you, until we meet again... 
 
Love,
KimE
 
Feel free to forward this eNewsletter to your friends and colleagues!
Events
Healing Circle 
The next Healing Circle is Sept 13 @ 2 pm in Herald.  If you are planning to come, please let me know in advance so I can set aside a seat for you. 
What the Heck is Reiki?
Cerise is a friend and a fellow Komyo Reiki teacher.  When I read this article, I asked Cerise if I could share it with all of you and she graciously agreed.  Based on the original teachings of Usui Sensei, this article is an excellent source of information whether you are already practicing Reiki or just curious.
 
By Cerise LaCore
 
Do a web-search on Reiki and you are likely to find definitions ranging from a "hands-on healing technique" to "spiritual energy work" to an "ancient Tibetan or ancient Egyptian practice." These often contradictory results can leave the querier dazed and confused. So what IS Reiki? The best place to understand the answer to this question is to look at both the origins of Reiki and the actual definition of the word.
 
In the early 1900s, a Japanese lay Buddhist practitioner of the Jodo-Shu or Pure Land sect named Mikao Usui set out to discover Satori or "enlightenment" and Anshin Ritsumei or "absolute inner peace." His search led him down many avenues, but each one left him unfulfilled.
 
Eventually, he decided to meditate and fast on the sacred mountain of Kurama near Kyoto and either achieve enlightenment or die trying! In 1922, after enduring 21 days of fasting and intense meditation, Usui experienced a state of consciousness that he characterized as "One Great Reiki."
 
The word "Reiki" isn't an actual word at all, but rather a combination of two kanji: "Rei" meaning something mysterious, miraculous, and sacred; and "Ki" meaning atmosphere, something subtle and unseen, or the energy of the universe. "Rei-ki" is the term that Mikao Usui used to describe the enlightenment and inner peace he discovered during his meditation on Mt. Kurama.
 
The spiritual experience Usui encountered on the mountain unlocked a memory of what the true nature of all things really is. This memory can be said to be an awareness of the "Ocean of Oneness" that permeates every manifestation of cosmic or God consciousness from energy to matter, from atoms to galaxies, to life itself.
 
Along with Usui's sudden "enlightenment" of the true nature of all things was the realization that this understanding also awakened his natural ability to heal himself and others. What followed was the creation of a system that Usui called "Usui Reiki Ryoho." This system was designed to lead individuals to attain the enlightened state of consciousness that he himself experienced, as well as reactivating the innate healing ability that everyone possesses.
 
This is why Reiki can be said to be a two-fold practice: both a path to self-realization and an energetic healing art. All beings wish to be happy. The way to experience genuine happiness is to be in good health. And as many scientific studies have now shown, the way to be in good health is to maintain a state of happiness, or peace of mind. The two go hand in hand. If an individual is ill or in pain, it is very difficult for them to maintain a peaceful inner state for very long, because their pain or illness takes all of their focus. There are those rare individuals who can transcend their illnesses, but they are few and far between and generally can only be found on mountaintops wearing burgundy robes. So in order to be truly healthy, one must be happy. And in order to be truly happy, one must be healthy.
 
Happiness and enlightenment are experiential in nature and cannot be truly understood by reading, studying, listening to recordings, or watching DVDs. They can only be experienced. And each individual will experience happiness and enlightenment in their own unique way. This holds true for Reiki as well.
 
The ability to practice Reiki can only be passed on from one person to the next through a method known as Reiju. Reiju is an attunement or initiation process. A Reiki Shihan (teacher) will attune the initiate to the Reiki energy through hands-on touch. During Reiju, the student becomes directly linked to the Reiki or God Consciousness, which makes adjustments in the person's chakras and energy pathways, thereby empowering the individual to become a Reiki channel. These changes are unique to the individual and no one will receive or experience Reiki in exactly the same way.
 
Reiki Ryoho (ryo=healing; ho=method) consists of healing, cleansing, concentrative, and meditation practices. We begin by rediscovering our natural healing ability. We start by healing ourselves first. We can then share this healing ability with others, developing in us a sense of love and compassion.
 
Gradually, with continued practice, Reiki can guide us to higher levels of mental clarity, physical wholeness, and a harmonious integration of our own being that leads us to experience our true disposition: unconditional joy, inner peace, wisdom, and compassion for all life.
 
Copyright: CLaCore 2009
Reprinted with permission from the author
 
Article published in The Balanced Life Magazine June/July 2009 Issue
 
Cerise LaCore is the founder and director of The Center in Roseville, CA. She is a certified Reiki Shihan (teacher). Cerise is a Summa Cum Laude graduate of Clayton College holding a Bachelor of Science degree in Natural Health and Homeopathy. She is working toward her Doctorate in Naturopathy as well as maintaining her massage therapy practice at The Center.