A good friend of mine recently asked me to teach them Reiki. They had taken Reiki years ago and were being nudged by their guides to take it again, this time to expand their experience to a deeper level and for enlightenment. It was a remarkable learning experience for me to be a facilitator, as Mikao Usui and Mrs. Takata stepped in as guides for the lessons. They taught us quite a lot and Mr. Usui has come to me with messages a few times since then.

When I took my first Reiki class almost 15 years ago, my teacher was adamant that Reiki attunements could only be given in person, not from a distance.  I believed that for years until in my own practice I found that not to be the case. Since covid, I imagine many teachers who thought the same thing have gotten the message to give distance attunements. Reiki's innate wisdom is always adapting.

In the past few weeks I have been noticing that people who have had Reiki in years past who have not been using it are thinking about it again, talking about it or having healing experiences with it. It’s as if the energy of Reiki is infusing human consciousness at the collective level. As I was contemplating that in my meditation, Mr. Usui came into my consciousness.

He shared these messages about how the human experience of Reiki is evolving. He said:

“Reiki meets a person where they are. When they open to it, the access goes where it is needed and where they can work with it.

Reiki adapts to the times. It is like a software program running 24-7 and like a software program it upgrades as needed.

When there is a catalyst for opening the next upgrade, it happens. Some people may not realize it. Others will. People who have had Reiki and forgotten about it or don’t use it anymore may suddenly get a burst of Reiki energy or have dreams of us (Usui and Takata) or of the symbols.

We bring the symbolism in a new way,

This is more than lineages, this is about changing the vibration of humans to evolve into the caretakers of this planet and this part of the galaxy. That is the powerful potential of human destiny. Becoming transmitters. Dreaming awake.

There is a frequency in the light that is Reiki. It is the frequency of the Source of all creation. It is transformed into symbols and stories that you can make sense of in your humanness at this time.

As you evolve and raise in consciousness this structure and form will peel away so that the essence itself is available to you for understanding.

Reiki raises and expands your humanness to these new levels.

Because humans are taking on so many physical challenges, the best way to bring the energy of Reiki is in its healing form. This not only makes it accessible to many, but is a healing modality that is greatly needed.

Now you are running these two levels of both healing and enlightenment.

There is a global upgrade happening to all who have had Reiki. It is happening for each person at the right time. For those that are consciously feeling or realizing it, it comes in with new teachings and access to ancient universal knowledge. To those that are not conscious of it or do not use Reiki or think about it much, it will still happen in their right timing. They may have dreams or messages or experience a subtle shift.  

Each person’s fire is kindled in the manner which they can accept the spark.”

I hope these words have been helpful to you.  I am curious about those of you who have taken Reiki classes before. Have you had any re-igniting of your Reiki spark or upgrades as Mr. Usui calls them? Please share in the comments if you feel called, as I think when we engage with our community it helps us all. Thank you!

The orchids get another spring to bloom, and this year there are twice as many. They reflect the magic in this little patch of forest that is just a ten-minute walk from my place. The forest is behind a park managed by the city of Corvallis. It has been relatively left alone for a long time, but well used by the locals and crisscrossed by deer trails. An amazing ash tree and several oaks that live there are in the 150 to 200-year-old range. When I’m in their energy I can feel their wisdom far beyond human intelligence, but it is so old and deep that I cannot fathom it.  Douglas fir was planted in one large area about 50-70 years ago. It has become rich in fungi and mushrooms, birds, insects and wildflowers. And the incredible fairy slipper orchids. 

Last year I found out that all the trees and their ecosystem will soon be gone, cut and bulldozed into a housing development. I still cry about it sometimes. And I visit the forest often, enjoying the time we have left. I tell the trees and the devas and nature spirits what is coming so they are prepared.

But the orchids. To me they feel so special, never having lived in a place where they grow wild. A few days ago I told them what was coming. For a moment I considered if I could transplant a few, but they seem so much a part of where they are. I asked them to let me know if there was anything I could do for them.

That night I had a dream the orchids were making themselves into flower essence.

There was my answer. The next day I went to the forest to make the orchid flower essence. How fortunate that a few days before I had taken a drive out to the spring on Kings Highway and filled up a few gallon jugs with pure spring water! I filled two cobalt blue bottles with spring water, got my crystal bowl and went to the forest. I always ask the flowers if they want the water bowl just put underneath them or if they want the blooms to be cut and put in the water. They said they were willing to be cut and as I snipped them into the bowl, I could smell their faint vanilla sweet scent. The flower essence is charged by sitting it in the sun for an hour or two, and as I sat there, I felt I must give them a gift in return.

A song suddenly came to me, its melody insistent, the words simple. I sang it to them while the essence charged.

Orchid song, orchid song
Orchid song is song of the forest
In the breeze, in the sun
Weaving light around everyone
 
Orchid song, orchid song
Orchid song is song of the forest
In the trees, in the sun
In the weaving all are One
 
A few days later I was able to sit and get a full transmission from them:

We cannot be separated from the forest. We are inexorably part of it, part of the greater whole. Our roots are irrevocably entwined, as is our energy. We have an agreement to weave our support within and throughout the ecosystem here. You only notice us in the spring when we bloom, but we are here – transmitting – all the time.

Not only do we have a song that is always a part of the greater chorus of life, but as you felt, we draw out the songs of others so they can know them and sing them to their fullest. Our songs, scents and blooms come from tenaciously rooted and intertwined runners of light and energy that is the matrix we live in.

Just as we cannot be separated from the forest, you cannot be separated from the Divine, or from your world. Everything in your world is alive with Divine energy no matter how dark it looks to you. You are not alone, you are not separate. Your nature is like ours, intertwined and a part of the whole. Your song makes up a sweet and important part of the chorus of all.

When human beings realize this, all toxins they have produced on the planet will transmute into light. With love and care they will sing a new song of love for all life. Harmony will spread. Balance will be restored.

The flower essence not only contains our essence song, but the song of the forest. Use it to connect to and be aware of the web of life, to connect to your song and to find the beauty of how it connects to all other songs in all the universes.

Fairy Slipper Orchid Calypso bulbosa

Right now in the northern hemisphere we are just a couple weeks past the spring equinox. Gardeners are ceremoniously circling items in seed catalogs and dreaming their gardens into being for the season.

Seeds are like little packets of miracles.  They are hard, dry unassuming things that hold the magic of life within them. They undergo a transformation in the darkness of the earth and then when the time is right, their shoots break through into the light. They are full of life force energy we can feel in our bodies. Who has not been excited to plant seeds and then see the first sprouts appear?

And as we move into the season of spring, themes of inspiration, creativity and fertility are arising in our consciousness. We can synchronize with the energy of the sprouting, blooming, buzzing earth around us to empower our intentions.  When we are in rhythm with the natural cycles, nature helps us manifest.

One of my favorite teachers, Sandra Ingerman, says that sometimes the best ceremonies are the simplest ones.  A seed blessing ceremony this time of year is wonderful way to empower new projects, new goals, even a new state of mind.  We can add even more power to this ceremony by doing it on the day of the new moon. As the moon waxes each day toward fullness, our seeds also follow a natural cycle of sprouting and growth.

A simple ceremony can be done by holding seeds in our hands and speaking or singing to them our intentions for what we want to grow in our lives this season. As we place them in a pot or seed tray and cover them with dirt, we trust the elements to take care of them. We may also want to hold our hands over the soil and send love from our heart.  This is an easy way to mindfully bring Spirit and sacred action into our task. And if we join in circle with others and perform ceremony together, not only are our intentions amplified, but the community is nurtured as well.

Our seeds may wind up in our garden where we are reminded of our intentions whenever we see and tend to them through the entire season. Or they may be fast growing microgreens in a windowsill that become a salad in a couple weeks. As we ingest them, we take in the fruit of our intentions, further internalizing and empowering them. 

In thinking about our intentions and the ceremony, we may want to pick seeds that reflect the type of outcome we want to have - flowers with bright cheerful blooms, vegetables that nourish over time, herbs that bring healing and spice, fast sprouting microgreens, or even a tree seed for a long-term dream.

Not all seeds sprout, so when that happens, trust that it is for the best. The timing and conditions for the creation or project may not have been optimal. But there can be a long window of growing time, and there are seasons for everything.

"Mystery Seedling" by joe.lipson is licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0