If you’re reading this, you’re at Chthonia.net, the website that puts together all of my ventures, intellectual and practical. Most of you know Chthonia for the biweekly podcasts; perhaps some of you have purchased my books. Soon I will be offering classes. And then there’s that other link on the site, “Related Services.” This takes you to my sister site, Liminal Reiki and Guidance. Given the darker nature of some of the stuff on Chthonia, this may seem a little odd. However, everything is, in fact, related.
Some of you know that I read Tarot, and also use related card systems (like Cartouche), Norse Runes, and even Astrology (both Western and Vedic) when working with clients. A lot depends on the nature of what the client is looking for; some only want general readings, others have specific concerns. I refer to this as “guidance” rather than “counseling” or “fortune telling” because that is what it is—guidance. I’m not a professional counselor, and I would not give you any absolutes on what to do with your life. I’m holding up a mirror to your internal life; what you choose to do with what you see is up to you.
Recently I’ve started offering Distance Reiki to clients. However, even with explanations on the Liminal Reiki site, I think a lot of people are confused about what Reiki is, never mind Distance Reiki. So, I would like to explain.
First—Reiki is an energetic healing system. The term itself means “universal energy” (Rei-Ki or Chi), and when the energy is brought in, it comes through the top of the practitioner’s head and moves down the arms and out through the palms. The energy then flows through the client, and intensifies when it finds an area that is blocked. Reiki is used for physical, emotional, and spiritual healing, which should not be surprising, as many physical ailments are related to mental or emotional suffering.
Many people think of Reiki as being related to massage therapy, as in-person sessions involve the client laying on a massage table, and the practitioner moving their hands over various points of the person’s body. But Reiki does not have to be hands on; I provided Reiki in a hospital setting, and you can’t touch patients that have all kinds of tubes and wires sticking out of their bodies. It is more akin to acupuncture than it is to massage, except that no needles are involved, and you may never put your hands on the client.
Distance Reiki involves using Reiki symbols to transfer the energy to a person who is not in the room. How does this work? I can’t give you a scientific explanation; I can only tell you from experience that it does work. The practitioner usually starts a session by either drawing the symbols over the person, or mentally visualizing them—this may happen for both in-person and distance sessions.
I learned Distance Reiki over 20 years ago, and while I’d used it from time to time, I’d been skeptical about the idea of charging for it as a service. It doesn’t take as long as a regular Reiki session (it’s only about 15-20 minutes tops), and its impact may be more subtle, though I have heard of people suddenly jumping up when they feel the energy come through. However, in the wake of COVID, I didn’t want to wait to offer this to people who may desperately need it right now. So, I did some experimenting this summer. If I was going to offer this, I did not want it to be a “flat” distance session—I wanted to connect with clients via Zoom, and provide some of the atmosphere of an in-person session (e.g., background music or sound frequencies). I have also learned to use other tools with Reiki, and I wanted to see how those worked in a distance setting. The main tools are crystals and stones, and essential oils. The former does not really work in a distance setting; the latter gets amazingly good results.
After experimenting with about seven volunteers, I came up with the following Distance method:
- Talk with the client about what they want to work on—physical healing, emotional stress, etc.
- Have the client keep the camera on, but they close their eyes and relax until I say I’m finished. I use some kind of vibrational music in the background, usually something attuned to their specific issues.
- I call up the Reiki in the traditional way and send the Reiki symbols. I spend about 10 minutes sending Reiki to the person, and taking any impressions that I have.
- I use a re-balancing technique that I learned on the feet with essential oils, and then finish the “sending” part, which happens over 9 days, and close the Reiki session.
- I tell the person to open their eyes, and we have a discussion—I tell them what I learned/felt, they tell me how they felt.
The results were much better than I would have imagined; some people had spontaneous relief from their issues, others experienced relief within the typical 9-day “repeat” period for distance Reiki, which means the energy keeps re-sending itself to the person at regular intervals for 9 days. At the very least, people felt very relaxed after the session, which is the minimum benefit of Reiki therapy.
I always end up with three specific questions about Reiki sessions. The first is—do I have to believe in Reiki for it to work? The answer is no; however, you do have to be open to receiving the energy. It’s fine to say, “I don’t know what this will do for me, if anything, but I’m open to seeing what it does.” It’s another thing to say, “This is bullshit, and it’s not going to work.” The second response is a direct block of the energy—you’re basically saying “no” to it. Reiki energy does not impose itself on anyone, and no one can impose it on you. We know that Reiki works without belief because it has been used successfully to treat animals with serious ailments. Animals don’t have “beliefs,” only people do.
The other two questions are related to the practitioner—does Reiki “drain” the practitioner of their own energy, and are there Reiki practitioners who are “better” than others? The answer is “no” to both. I had a Vedic astrologer tell me that my chart was indicating a career in healing, but that I shouldn’t do actual healing “because Amma (the guru) says it will drain you.” While there are energetic touch therapies that could drain you, Reiki never does. When I give a treatment, I also get one. My arms get tired after a while when I do in-person sessions, but I never get drained of energy. As far as the “skill” of the practitioner—you may be more or less comfortable with different people, but the practitioner does not have a specific “gift”. They have undergone an attunement process via a Reiki Master that opens up the appropriate chakras and allows the energy to come through. Even though we may request that the energy address a specific issue, the energy itself knows where to go. You may ask me to treat stomach pain, but you may find that it’s your heart area that has the in-rush of energy, because it’s really an emotional issue causing your stomach problem. Reiki practitioners are not supposed to diagnose; however, I do give clients my impressions, as I often get a strong sense of which areas need work when I start the process. If I suspect they may have a specific medical issue, I would only recommend a visit to their doctor.
So, if you are suffering from stress, grief, physical ailments, or otherwise feel blocked, Reiki may help re-balance you. There are no guarantees that you will be fully healed of anything; it’s a matter of how much you are blocked, and what the Reiki energy itself decides you need for a session. If you’ve had an issue your whole life, it’s unlikely that one session will suddenly fix that, though you never know. But you should leave a session feeling more relaxed, and may get a little or a lot of relief from your symptoms. I can do distance sessions for anyone, anywhere; for those who live in New Jersey, I will be offering in-person sessions again when we are past the threat of COVID. I do in-person Reiki in my home, and it’s too much of a medical and legal liability to manage COVID issues in that setting at the moment. The in-person experience does add something that distance cannot; however, you will be surprised at the power of distance sessions.
For testimonials from my clients on both my Tarot guidance AND Reiki sessions, visit liminalreiki.com/testimonials