15. Progressing Nicely

Well, I'm gradually getting the hang of being back in education again. It's now 8 weeks into the Anatomy Physiology and Massage course and am learning lots. Had a few wobbly moments cos it all seemed a bit overpowering and hard but in fact I was over complicating things - I'm now beginning to find the A&P really interesting and less scary, this week we learnt about blood and circulation and all I could think was "Wow! this is soooo clever, the body is amazing". It's all starting to fit together in my head now and tying in nicely with some of my healing that I'm doing too. Next week is going to be about the lymphatic system which will be especially relevant for me in connection with the work I do with cancer patients as of course this often affects the lymph glands.

I am nearing the end of my crystal healing course, I'm on the 6th lesson now with only another two to go. This afternoon I did a crystal meditation which was really fantastic, I used an internal landscape I had previously created to meet with the deva of a rhodochrosite, one of my favourite stones as it engenders unconditional love both to others and for yourself. I entered a crystal cave and with the encouragement of my higher self connected with the crystal on a heart level. It was amazing!

I am finding all the practice I have had with reiki is really paying off now - probably as much because I am more comfortable with it and less doubting now because of all the feedback I've received. It's inevitable to sometimes wonder "Well, is this really working?", but of course it does work no matter whether we think so or not. I am getting so much out of the healing myself too, it is a really spiritual experience and a great honour to give it - I'm also meeting lots of really smashing people who all have a tale to tell. It's very levelling to hear what distress and illness people have suffered, really makes me count my blessings.

I am booked to attend my first business related workshop later in November - courtesy of Business Link, whose free course "Is Self Employment Right for You" is the first of several I hope to attend.

Am looking forward to my teacher Bryan's latest Reiki share evening tonight - am taking some reiki virgins with me!

Blessings from

Anna

)O(

14. Back to School

Yesterday I attended my first day at Thomas Danby to begin the VTCT Anatomy and Physiology with Swedish Body Massage course. Although I was somewhat nervous beforehand it all went really well. Our tutor is great and the other students are a very lively, chatty bunch.

I feel as a big step has been taken and although it was scary these are changes that have to be gone through in order for me to progress on my path. I was soooo tired afterwards though and spent most of the early evening yawning my head off and the rest of it fast asleep!

I'm really getting into my reiki healing sessions at the Robert Ogden Centre, learning lots by my experiences with patients there and honing my skills.

Love and blessings

Anna
)O(

13. Equine Reiki

I was lucky enough this week to have the opportunity of giving a reiki treatment to a horse. I have wanted to work on animals as well as humans right from the start so you can imagine how thrilled I was.

Solo is a beautiful black 16 year old female horse who suffered some mistreatment up until the age of five with her first owner. Her present owner has had her since then and though she is a very calm, well behaved horse now this is only due to the patient loving care that she has received since her bad start in life.

Having never treated a horse before and not knowing much about them I did a little research first and discovered that a horse's chakras are in the same place as human's - except that it is easiest to work along the spine of course from above rather than as one would on a human with them lying down.

Having introduced myself to Solo and asked her permission to give her healing I set about checking her chakras for imbalances with my pendulum. I worked on opening her heart and sacral chakras as these were a bit closed.

Next I worked from Solo's head right down her body in much the same way as with a human except of course it took a little longer as she is much bigger! She has a right foreleg injury due to a fall which was the only problem I knew about prior to the session, I had purposely asked her owner not to tell me what other complaints she had so I could see if I could spot anything else. Working down her neck I was aware she had problems there also and it transpired that since the fall which injured her foreleg she has suffered spasms right down her neck as this was also injured.

It was fascinating to see how Solo communicated things to me via her movements and via signals that her owner understood - for example, when I asked her permission to do some healing on her she straightaway nibbled twice very deliberately at her leg where it is giving her pain and causing her to limp; which I took as an indication that she consented to the treatment along with the fact that she didn't object to me touching her in any way. I mostly worked in Solo's etheric body and when I got to other areas that were causing her pain she communicated this to her owner by half closing her eyes and moving her lips and mouth in a particular way - these are established signals that Solo already uses to indicate pain. I located trouble she has with her pelvis and also with arthritis in her left back leg and worked on all these areas for some time. I also worked on her heart and sacral chakras as I think the imbalances she has there are probably due to emotional problems she still has because of being mistreated as a young horse. I got the number 9 very clearly in my head at one point and we worked out that when Solo was 9 years old her owner had moved her to her present stabling and paddock and since then no-one but her owner had worked with her. Prior to this other people had occasionally ridden her and taken care of her as well as her owner but this had not suited Solo at all - since the change she had been much happier and more settled and her behaviour had vastly improved.

I also gave Solo a lot of reiki through her crown chakra because she had suffered in the past with obsessional behaviour and also as a way of treating her whole body and aura at once.

It was a very great honour to work on this wonderful horse and I hope to have the chance to work on more of these beautiful creatures in the future.

Love and blessings from

Anna

)O(

12. Time Flies

Well, I can't think where the last month has gone! I've been so busy with volunteering, studying for my crystal therapy course, getting ready to start my Anatomy and Physiology and Massage course at Thomas Danby in September that I haven't had chance to update my blog for a while. I'm regularly donating reiki treatments to cancer patients at the Robert Ogden Macmillan Centre which has been very rewarding so far and I have had marvellous feedback and repeat appointments made. I'm knuckling down to my crystal course now too which is proving really fascinating and is beginning to make clear why crystals work as a healing tool. It's all about light and energy. Without light (i.e. the Sun) there would be no life so harnessing the powers of different colours in the light spectrum through crystals (whose colour is dictated by what colours they reflect) we can direct the particular properties of that light for relevant purposes. The life-giving energy of white light is recognised in many healing systems (e.g. as Chi, Ki, Prana etc). It connects us to the universal life force that keeps us alive and in perfect health.

I am very excited about attending enrolment for my first VTCT (Anatomy & Physiology with Swedish Body Massage) course this Thursday. I'm really looking forward to cracking on with this course and can't wait to get my uniform (which includes clogs!) and text book.

I'm fully insured as a Reiki Practitioner now with full Professional Indemnity Insurance and am a member of two professional bodies now: The National College of Holistic Medicine as a full member and the Federation of Holistic Therapists as a Student Member.

I've also made a start on some advertising - I've been using Google Adwords for a while now but I have recently invested in a basic Search Engine Submission package which I hope will pay off. In addition I'll be in the latest Yellow Pages which comes out in September. I'm also on Yell.com, Gumtree and in Friday Ads.

So, I'm feeling very positive and pleased about my progress so far.

Love and blessings

Anna
)O(

11. Volunteering is good for the soul!

I'll shall soon be starting volunteering my services as a Reiki Healer at the Robert Ogden Macmillan Centre based at St James Hospital in Leeds. The Centre is a purpose built cancer information and support Centre. It supports cancer patients and their families. No clinical work is carried out in the building, but there is a wide variety of support services. These include:

Complementary therapies (currently Reiki, Colour Analysis, Reflexology, Spiritual Healing, Crano-Sacral Therapy, Hand and Foot Massage, Aromatherapy, Body Massage and Indian Head Massage), Counselling , Art Therapy, Beauty makeovers and Support groups

The therapies offered are available for both patients and their carers.

The information service is centered around the comprehensive information library in the Centre. There is also an information outreach service to the oncology wards and departments.

I'm already involved with the information outreach service but the Centre had no-one offering reiki treatments at present so I was happy to step into the breach! It's a great opportunity for me to meet other therapists too.

If you or someone you know has been affected by cancer and feel that what the centre has to offer could be beneficial it is open 10am - 4pm as a drop in service. It is located adjacent to the Cancer Research Building, directly behind the Thackray Museum.
Tel: 0113 2066498 or 2066499, Email: romc@leedsth.nhs.uk.

Love and blessings from

Anna

)O(

9. Challenges and Discoveries

Last weekend I attained the Reiki level 2 qualification which means I am now an advanced Reiki practitioner. It was a really wonderful day, receiving the attunements was very powerful and once again Bryan (my Reiki master) made everything so easy and enjoyable. It was also a pleasure to meet Mark my fellow student for the day who had done his level 1 the day before.

The challenges started almost straightaway as last week I worked on a client with a spirit attachment, which I would imagine is a fairly rare occurence! I have also begun a lot of distant healing for a variety of complaints including broken bones, cancer, grief, anxiety and even sent healing to a theatrical performance!

An important part of Reiki is self healing which I work on every day. I have also been sending healing to myself in the past to times when I was troubled, anguished and upset. This doesn't make the situations that caused these feelings to no longer have taken place but it does mean that the negative impact they might still have on me has been eased.

By the same token it is possible to send healing into the future. That is what I did with the theatrical performance I sent reiki to as I wouldn't have been able to send it at the actual time it was needed due to prior commitments. This could be done for any potentially stressful or worrying future event so that when the actual time came pre-programmed reiki would go to work on whatever part of that event needed it - we may not know exactly where it was needed ourselves but we can trust the healing to direct itself as it always works for the highest good.

Feel free to contact me via email in the first instance if you would like some distant healing set up for you or indeed hands on healing in my new healing room in Leeds (see previous post).

Love and blessings

Anna

)O(

8. Changing Rooms

I have now (in an astonishingly short space of time) converted my home office into a healing room! And wondrous it is to behold. I started re-decorating it on Monday afternoon and had finished by Wednesday morning, that included: emptying the room, preparing the walls, 2 coats of emulsion, 2 coats of satinwood in two different colours, doing a paint effect on the desk, cabinet and shelves and the wooden floor (including varnish) and the fiddly bits too like doorknobs and light switches etc. As the satinwood takes 16 hours to dry and it needed two coats then I appear to have discovered a rip in the time space continuum in order to have been able to achieve this mind boggling feat - perhaps some physicists and mathemeticians could look into it for me?

Anyway, it really is a joy to behold and I spent several happy hours yesterday afternoon in it arranging my towels, blankets, certificates, books and crystals etc. In fact, I had to drag myself away or I would never have got to bed! Can't wait for my first victim, errrr I mean recipient of treatment (which I already have booked in - reflexology next Tuesday).

Let me know if you would like to come and have a therapy session in my sparkly new room (see profile for my email).

Have also done some further fine tuning to the Ray of Light website, change of colour scheme, more images etc - have a look and see what you think by following the link in the list opposite.

Love and blessings

Anna

)O(

7. Web of Light

I have designed my own proper Ray of Light website! It took me all afternoon and most of the evening- phew. It's a bit basic as yet but I'm still very pleased. Please, please, please come and have a look at my new pride and joy at:

www.rayoflight.me.uk

And let me know what you think by posting a comment here.

Love and blessings from

Anna

)O(

6. Shiny Happy Crystals and the Couch of Joy

I'm just loving learning lots more about how to use crystals. Sometimes, all the different properties of different crystals makes me feel a bit overwhelmed but when I just relax and trust which crystal is right for what purpose then the answer seems to come. I've been using my chakra crystals for a bit now and also crystal grids to energise or relax and to concentrate healing on particular areas. I've also been learning today about cleaning the aura with a quartz crystal point and also cleaning the chakras with it too, which is very effective indeed. Having just tried this on myself I feel all sparkly and bright and full of light! If anyone would like to know how to do this themselves post a message in the comments at the end or email me and I'll explain. You'll need a clear quartz crystal point ideally (any size) but it can be done with any crystal you might have lying around.

On Monday my beautiful new massage couch arrived, which is a sheer joy to behold, heavenly to lie on and even better to use during healing as I can adjust it to the most comfortable height for me to work at. When I had to work on the floor my back and arms often got tired or my feet went to sleep which is hardly conducive to a good healing session! The kitty cats are also rather keen on the new bed and seem to want to join in with the healing, furry pest therapists indeed! I now also have some gorgeous caramel coloured towels to cover the couch with and a butter coloured soft fleece blanket to keep clients warm with whilst they are being treated, all courtesy of Primark the temple of retail therapy where I worship at regular intervals.

Love and blessings from

Anna

)O(

5. Tree Hugging

I admit it, I confess, yes - I am a tree hugger! In fact, I embraced several of my bark-attired friends yesterday evening. It's not just a whimsical fancy though as you will discover if you ever try it yourself. Putting your arms round one of these wise and beautiful denizens of the forest is a really wonderful grounding and energising exercise. Get right up close to the tree and rest your body on it with your arms circling the trunk and your face resting against the bark. Then look up into it's branches and prepare to be overwhelmed, especially if it's quite a big tree. Actually, I am saying "it" when in fact they are definitely he or she. You will be able to tell what kind of tree spirit you are hugging from the general "male" or "female" ambience it gives. There are two lovely big sycamores in my local graveyard who I visited last night and they are undoubtedly a couple, the female tree is very warm and fragrant and giving whereas her husband though still wonderful to embrace is slightly more aloof but very enigmatic.

The trees seem to love it when we step under their branches, they welcome us and seem delighted that we haven't just walked on by. Trees are very healing and giving, as well as being good for the environment of course, if we want to we can draw up healing energy through them from the earth. This is an excellent habit to get into for anyone who does energy work as we need to revitalise ourselves in order to be able to be a good channel for energy for others. Getting some wonderful green tree energy is a great way to clear any bits of debris that we may have hanging around our auras. Try it, its free and its fun! Who knows, the tree spirit may even tell you some of its secrets : )

As well as regular tree hugging you can also use the symbolism of the tree, its branches and its roots as a good grounding and centering meditation, as follows:

Ideally, sit under a favourite tree or if this is not possible simply visualise yourself sat with your back resting on its trunk. Now, close your eyes and take a few deep breaths in and out until you are calm and you are breathing slowly and evenly. Then imagine that on each out breath you are pushing strong roots through the base of your spinal column deep into the earth so that they entwine with the roots of the tree, let them carry on down, down, down right to the earth's core and when you feel you are so strongly rooted that not even a hurricane could dislodge you start to draw up on each in breath the earth's energy, just like the tree does through it's roots. Draw this healing energy up through your body up your spine and out through the top of the head where it merges with the trees branches and comes flowing down through them to fall back down to ground again where it returns to its source. Continue with this until you have a complete cycle of energy being drawn up and returned and enjoy this for as long as you wish. When you are ready, gradually retract your roots back up through the earth and into the base of your spine again and then open your eyes.

Try this meditation and visualisation to literally root yourself if you are feeling a bit "spacey" or that your head has too many thoughts in it battling for space, it's an excellent exercise to do if your root chakra is a bit closed.

In any event, get in a clinch with a leafy friend at the earliest opportunity!

Love and blessings

Anna

)O(

4. Out of the Blue

I've been waiting for some time now to enrol on a crystal healing course I want to do but just haven't had the readies until today when I unexpectedly received a small share dividend payment, for exactly the amount I needed!

Last night a pagan friend of mine sent me a text to remind me it was a Blue Moon which is especially powerful for long term goals and to take five minutes to talk with the moon and ask for guidance and help in achieving your dreams. So I drew down the power of the Blue Moon to help and guide me on the path of the healer. I also remembered to leave my crystals out in the moonlight to cleanse and charge them. And then this morning the cheque arrives! Out of the blue (moon) indeed. As I look at the Full Moon tonight I shall indeed be giving thanks for her help.

Love and blessings from

Anna

)O(

3. Chakras

I am discovering that many of the healing disciplines I come across are very much involved with chakra work. The chakras are important energy centres in the body which need to be in balance for optimum mental, spiritual and physical health. They have been an important part of healing for many thousands of years and the word chakra is actually a Sanskrit word meaning wheel, point or circle. It is pronounced with a hard ch as in church not sh as chardonnay.

I am just beginning to learn about chakras and how they can be used in healing, previously I had only worked with them in meditation and opening them for ritual. Now I have also started working with them during reiki which can be used to balance a person's chakras with the help of a pendulum and suitably coloured crystals placed at the seven main chakra points on the body during a healing session.

Each chakra corresponds to a different colour and to different purposes, they also correspond to important glands and organs in the body.

I drew this simple picture to help me understand the different purposes of each main chakra and to help me visualise them more clearly (click on it to have a look at the full size version).

To find out more about chakras and to do a test to see if yours are in balance visit this link:

http://www.eclecticenergies.com/chakras/chakratest.php

When I did the test my root chakra was underactive and my third eye chakra was overactive so looks like I've got some work to do! Let me know how you got on by posting a reply.

Love and blessings

Anna

)O(

2. First Steps

I decided to learn Reiki first as this is something that I knew I could use in conjunction with all the other touch therapies I want to learn. It naturally would be part of any massage treatment and during a reiki treatment crystals and colour can be used to accentuate and focus energy. I could already do hands on healing (which is basically all Reiki is) but I didn't have the knowledge and attunements that learning Reiki gives. My ability to work with healing energy is much stronger now and I have a format to work within - before I was very hit and miss!

Reiki is a word made from two Japanese pictograms Rei and Ki which together mean Universal Life Force, it is non-denominational, simple to do and it works (regardless of whether you believe in it or not). I have my own ideas about where the energy comes from but it doesn't actually matter what your faith is, you just have to believe in a higher good.

The particular way in which Reiki has affected me since I have been learning and practising it is that I have become an even calmer, more carefree, more thoughtful and more centred person. It has been wonderful to practice on different friends and feel the different ways in which they draw the energy through me. Which brings me to an important point; it is not me who does the healing - I merely direct it having opened myself as a channel, it is the receiver who draws it through me. And guess what? Every time I use reiki on someone I get healed at the same time as it passes through me, so everyone's a winner!

Feel free to get in touch with me if you would like to experience some healing - once I have Reiki 2 I will be able to do distant healing too.

If you would like to find out more about Reiki follow this link to my teacher Bryan's website which will tell you more:- http://www.firstlight.me.uk/reiki.shtml

Love and blessings
Anna
)O(

1. Beginning

I'm writing this blog to document my journey as I become a healer. I plan to learn various holistic therapies and have started with Reiki. I already have Reiki 1 and am doing 2 soon. I have taken a taster course in reflexology and am starting a part time course in Anatomy and Physiology with Swedish Body Massage in September at a local college; this is the pre-requisite course to be able to do other holistic therapies in the future (Indian Head Massage, Reflexology, Aromatherapy etc). I am going to start a Crystal Healing course soon and also want to learn Colour Healing.

I am soon going to start volunteering at the Macmillan drop in centre at my local hospital where I shall be a library volunteer to begin with and as I gain qualifications I hope to be able to volunteer my services there as a complementary therapist.

This latest development on the path I am walking is the result of a gradual spiritual awakening that has been going on for sometime. I believe I was always a spiritual person but in the last 7 to 10 years it has become more important for me to develop this aspect of myself, culminating in my realisation that to achieve peace and poise of mind I must apply my beliefs to all aspects of my life, including my work life - hence my deciding to retrain.I hope this blog will help me find other people who may be on a similar journey, perhaps we can help each other or just offer each other support.

Love and blessings

Anna
)O(