From September 9, 2017 until my next Reiki class, I was dedicated to practicing everything I’d learned thus far, plus everything I’d just learned. I was excited this time around because I got to practice on others, not just myself. My friends were gracious enough to let me practice on them and they loved their experiences! I was so grateful they let me practice on them. It was very symbiotic. I noticed that when I was providing Reiki to my friends, I would be provided with some truly clear messages that needed to be shared. I received the messages and would deliver them at the end of the session. I never interrupt a Reiki session by delivering messages, as I feel it disrupts the receiver’s experience and interferes with exchange and flow of energy. When I later told Lorraine how I was handling the messages and delivery, she confirmed I was doing it correctly.

This wonderful period of practicing my newly acquired skills was not without challenges. My husband (at the time) was still critical and jealous of my personal growth. If it didn’t benefit him on some personal level, it was seen as a threat. He would often get mad when I would go to a friend’s house to practice on them. He was certain I was telling them about how bad our marriage was and saying things that made him look bad in their eyes. Since he’s not welcome at many of my friends’ homes he was right to feel this way. These were (still are) my safe spaces away from him. So yes, when I’d go to practice on my friends, I would vent to them about the sad state of my marriage and how abusive and controlling he was. They all encouraged me to leave, I but wasn’t ready just yet and the timing was still not right – at least that’s the lie I chose to believe at the time.

My husband didn’t want me to continue on my Reiki journey, but I knew I must move forward. This was important and he wasn’t going to stop me. I felt an indescribable inner knowing that my becoming a Reiki Master Teacher was something I had to do. Some people are called to be doctors, nurses, teachers, and pastors – I felt called to become a Reiki Master Teacher and my selfish husband wasn’t going to stop me.

After five months of practicing it was time to learn more, and on February 17, 2018 I went to the next class on my journey. This was the penultimate class; this is the class where I became a Reiki Master Practitioner. This day, like the previous classes, I arrived early and eager to learn. Again, we started our class with catching up and discussing our progress. We were all excited about this day and ready to move forward with our master training.

Our morning was filled with learning the master symbol, its meaning and how to use it. We learned another meditation. This time it was a beautiful, moving meditation incorporating the master symbol we’d just learned. We also received our master level attunement.

In the afternoon we learned how to create and ignite a crystal grid. This was fun. What was even more fun was learning about crystal selection. As a person who has always been drawn to crystals, their meanings and their uses, I was very intrigued by this lesson. We were asked to select two crystals. We were then asked to hold one in our dominate hand, then we had to hold our arm out and our partner said 1,2,3 resist, and we were to resist them pushing down on our arm. If our arm was pushed down, the crystal in our hand was not the crystal we should be considering purchasing or using at that time. However, if our arm was still extended out and up, then we should be purchasing or using the crystal at the time. We all found this interesting because we all did resist with all our might but were amazed at how quickly our arms were pushed down when we held the crystal that didn’t resonate with us at that time.

We also learned and practiced a technique known as psychic surgery aura clearing. This was particularly interesting and helpful because it helps us to clear out emotional trauma and stresses that manifest physically yet aren’t something easily explained or treated. For example, say you have an unresolved issue with a family member and the more you continue to avoid it, the more it grows and festers. This can eventually lead to physical discomfort and issues. It’s like carrying your stress between your shoulders, however, alleviating the festering emotional issue is not as simple as getting a massage. This is where psychic surgery can help. You address the issue on an energetic level and often feel relief shortly after the process. This is a process that can be done in conjunction with psychotherapy. As someone who has been in therapy and found it less than helpful, I found this technique interesting and received more relief from this process than years of therapy.

At the end of the day we were presented with our Reiki Master Practitioner certificates. It’s at this point that many students stop. They don’t feel called to teach, they just want to use Reiki to help others and themselves. My fellow musketeers and I weren’t stopping here, and we couldn’t wait for our Reiki Master Teacher training, just eight short months away.