Some very profound things happened between February 17, 2018 when I became a certified Reiki Master Practitioner and the weekend of October 13 – 14, 2018 when I became a certified Reiki Master Teacher (RMT). During this period of time, not only was I sharing the healing gift of Reiki with others, I was going through some personal trials. If not for Reiki, I don’t think I would have had the strength and courage to do what needed to be done.
Prior to getting married, my now ex-husband had exhibited narcissistic tendencies and several of the classic domestic abuser signs that my ego chose to ignore. He was abusive on every level and this only got worse after we got married. Why did I stay? Early in the relationship I stayed because I blindly loved him – bad reason, I know. After I gave birth to our son, I stayed out of obligation and fear. Staying was taking its toll on me in every way. I was physically, spiritually and emotionally drained. While my faith in God, Spirit, the Universe, Higher Power – whatever you choose to call it – was (and still is) strong, I was feeling defeated and scared. This is not a winning combination. I needed help and help came in the form of spiritual teachers and encouragement from friends – new and old. It took several years to get to this point. I had no idea what was coming and when it came, it was fast, wild and terrifying!
Shortly after receiving my Reiki Master Practitioner certification my personal life took a bad turn. My husband got meaner and nastier than ever before. It was a no-win situation on all fronts. I would agree with him, I was wrong; I’d disagree with him, I was wrong. Nothing I said or did was correct in his eyes. On April 24, 2018, my husband had threatened to kill, our son was sitting next to me terrified. Things finally came to a head on April 25, 2018 when he threatened to take our son and leave. I had reached the point of no return. I abruptly left work and went to the Family Court and filed for an emergency order of protection. I was only granted a refrain from order and unfortunately it only applied to me. This was not the first time I had to get a court order to get my husband to keep his actions in check.
Once my husband was served with the refrain from order I knew my next step had to be divorce. This was one of the scariest realizations I’d ever come to when it came to my relationship with this man. I had no real plan in place, but I knew that I had a support system – both physically and spiritually and this is what helped me get through. I was guided every step of the way, and acknowledged and accepted this guidance with an open heart and mind. I was guided to a great divorce attorney (if you need one, let me know and I’ll give you her name) and my husband was served with the petition for divorce papers on May 18, 2018. He didn’t read this paperwork until five weeks later after I had to tell him that we were getting divorced. He was genuinely surprised, why would I file for divorce, he was working, and he wasn’t harassing me.
After my husband was served the petition for divorce, things moved quickly. There were several months of back-and-forth between the Family Court (my attorney was able to add our son to the refrain from order) and Supreme Court where our divorce was being handled. Obviously, it was an incredibly stressful time. However, thanks to Reiki, I was able to remain centered, calm and aware of the situation and how it affected everyone involved. Practicing Reiki assisted me in navigating this challenging period because I was able to effectively detach from the situation and send love, compassion and healing energy to everyone in the situation (including my husband) so that a peaceful resolution could be reached. On October 2, 2018, our divorce papers were filed with the NYS Supreme Court and then we left waiting to see if the judge approved the paperwork as it was presented or not (he did, and before the close of 2018 I was officially divorced.)
At the time I went for my RMT training the weekend of October 13-14, 2020, I was excited to share the news of my divorce proceeding and how Reiki was helping me to navigate the process peacefully. Since Lorraine and my fellow musketeers were aware of my situation, they were very happy for me. While I’m aware that I could have done everything I needed to do to leave my husband, I truly believe I was called to learn the System of Reiki so that I can assist others navigate their challenging situations through the sharing of healing energy.
Over the course of this RMT training weekend we dove deep into how to teach Reiki to others and the various ways Reiki is taught all over the world. We learned that there are several variations of Reiki, and to use our inner guidance and intuition when exploring other variations of Reiki so we can incorporate accordingly. Lorraine reminded us to never stop learning. A great teacher never stops being a student.
My journey to becoming a Reiki Master Teacher started in resistance and reluctance. It literally took a year of Pat Longo telling me my hands were hot and leaving palm prints on her back – which made no sense at the time but makes perfect sense now – before I finally broke down and gave into the will of the Universe. Taking that first small, terrifying step of asking for the phone of the Reiki Master Teacher that everyone in class was talking about was the first step into my true future. Every step thereafter was easier. While I had encouraging friends, family, and mentors, I constantly questioned my choice to learn a healing modality and use my healing hands. My ego was loud and condescending, making me question if pursuing this calling was worthwhile. I struggled with thoughts of worry and doubt, but through it all I moved forward and now as I reflect back on my journey to becoming a Reiki Master Teacher, I realize that not only has it helped me in my own healing process, it allows me to help others on their healing journeys. Becoming a Reiki Master Teacher was unexpected and not at all what I thought I’d be when “I grew up”, but it has been the catalyst for so many wonderful and healing experiences in my life. It also reinforces that no matter how much I think I know, there is always more to learn.
