Do we find our spiritual way through the body?

It's important to acknowledge that, whatever methodology, spiritual discipline or healing technique that we learn, this is, of course, going to change us and how we then view our world. We learn to filter our experiences in a different way, depending on what new things we are finding out about. I feel it is important to continually review how we are processing our life experience and if we need to sit back and have a look at where we are coming from, energetically. If you are attuned to reiki and consciously want to learn more about yourself, there are some ways to do that, by exploring the Five Precepts for instance, which can assist you in learning about your individual healing process.  You will also find that many things will present themselves for you to deal with as you move along your healing path, sometimes they will be mental health/emotional issues, at other times you might have physical/bodily challenges that come up and reiki can of course help you cope with both of these.

In terms of energy and with my Reiki practitioner hat on (which is a gold hat with amethyst and diamonds on it by the way!) this is of course, mostly about setting intentions. With Reiki, we are setting a healing intention, that the reiki flows for the highest healing good of the recipient.  This is our energetic standpoint. At the same time, by doing this we are neither putting restrictions nor expectations on what kind of healing will arise when we channel the energy for someone else. So we can look at reiki energy as an unconditional type healing source that will raise the vibration of the receiver, creating an environment that promotes a healing response in both the energy and physical bodies. The physical body, which has its own intelligence, will use the reiki energy in the best and most efficient way.


I was listening to a popular spiritual teacher recently who stated, in his usual dramatic and jokily awe inspiring manner, that our consciousness is not on a spiritual journey, it is our body that is on the journey. Our consciousness uses the body to interact with the world, so of course, it makes sense in a way if we view the body as the spiritual explorer and not our soul/consciousness. As our bodies age and move through life, they are what have the ups and the downs, they get sick, feel pain, bear scars and are a road map of what we have been through and where we have been. What I found quite interesting as well is that he said that our body will take its own good time about when it heals and how it heals. We think 'we' our consciousness or soul is on the journey and ignore that it is in fact our bodies that are on the spiritual journey. What do you think about that idea?

Can we also measure our spiritual progress through the lens of our physical body? I feel that in some way, we can do that. I don't mean that, if you have an illness,  you are spiritually lacking or have failed. I do think the body can be a fantastic barometer however of our overall health both emotionally, mentally and spiritually and a good pointer of where we can start to focus our healing attention. Metaphysical writers such as Louise Hay have clearly put forward their ideas about the correlation that they have witnessed between certain emotional states and illnesses that arise in the physical body.

It is ironic to consider, that although we may have embraced and understood healing concepts and mentally we may have done the good work and feel good, the body will need time and patience in order to adjust energetically and allow the new perspective/subjective filter to be integrated. In this sense we are merely the directors and caretakers of our physical body, the body may not give us the instant results that we are hoping for in healing terms. This I feel is a sensible viewpoint to take, rather than expecting an instant, miracle body fix, we must be patient with our bodies and give them what they need without demanding that they instantly get well.

This is a good reason why after having healing attunements/ empowerments in a Reiki workshop, you are often encouraged to give yourself a typical three weeks or 21 days afterwards to let your new energy pathways 'settle in', to allow your body to re-calibrate and get used to the new energies it is receiving (as well as echoing the 21 day meditation retreat that Mikao Usui is said to have carried out on Mount Kurama).

As a student of energy and healing, it's important to realise that healing is a process. If we are serious about progressing, we need to be consistent and realistic with our discipline, knowing that at times we might feel we are leaping ahead and at others, the going is slower with whatever healing goal we are aiming for.  We can learn to make our meditations and self healing treatments a regular part of our daily lives, so that we are more able to feel the accumulated benefits that taking time for our practice of choice will bring.

We can take time to become more aware of and look after our physical bodies, let them have adequate rest and sleep, give them good, healthy food, nurture them with massage and keep them strong with exercise. By doing this, no matter what else is going on in the world, we can feel more centred, present in our bodies and more in charge of our own day to day reality. And our bodies, which are our personal direct spiritual feedback tools, will be sure to tell us how well we are doing that, as they are where the buck really stops.

#reiki #healing #spirituality #pathways #energy  #bodyaware            www.learnjapanesereiki.com